The Acadiana Advocate 09-15-2026

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T u e s d ay, s e p T e m b e r 15, 2026

EPA eliminates rule for power plants

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Citizens seeks to offload policies Mississippi company to assume 4,764 commercial contracts

BY SAM KARLIN and ALYSE PFEIL Staff writers

ASSOCIATEd PRESS FILE PHOTO By CAROLyN KASTER

The Environmental Protection Agency said Monday it is repealing rules that limit planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions from power plants fueled by coal and natural gas.

Limits previously placed on planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions BY MATTHEW DALY

Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency said Monday it is repealing rules that limit planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions from power plants fueled by coal and natural gas and announced it is taking a separate but related step to prevent future administrations from regulating climate pollution from power plants. The rule change, first proposed last year, represents a fundamental shift from efforts by Democratic Presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama to address climate change and regulate carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that trap the sun’s heat.

Environmental groups decried the change, saying it would come at a cost to Americans’ health and further degrade the environment. Revoking the Biden-era power plant rule would save industry more than $300 billion in costs and help “unleash” American energy, the EPA said. The change will allow utilities to “make the best decision for the ratepayers based on cost and cost savings, instead of being required to shut down facilities,” EPA Assistant Administrator Aaron Szabo said. The power plant rule, to take effect soon after publication in the Federal Register, is expected to face immediate legal challenges. Environmental groups also are likely to challenge the separate rule proposed

Monday that could prevent future administrations from regulating greenhouse gas emissions from power plants. The proposal, expected to be made final next year, follows on EPA’s action earlier this year revoking a scientific finding that long has been the central basis for U.S. action to regulate greenhouse gas emissions and fight climate change. The February action eliminated all greenhouse gas emissions standards for cars and trucks. The new plan would apply similar logic to a broader undoing of climate regulations on stationary sources such as power plants. The announcements came as EPA chief Lee Zeldin, Interior Secretary

ä See EPA, page 6A

Youngsville approves gas station restrictions New bar regulations also proposed

meeting that places design restrictions on all new gas stations. Details range from banning all promotional/advertising materials on storefront windows BY JOEL THOMPSON to banning color accents on fuel Staff writer canopies. The ordinance, authored by City officials in Youngsville are putting new restrictions on council member Lindy Bolgiano, gas stations and nightclubs after passed unanimously. It also bans the use of bright or hearing concerns from residents. Council members OK’d an bold colors on fuel canopies and ordinance during a Thursday stipulates that all new gas sta-

WEATHER HIGH 93 LOW 76 PAGE 6A

tions must in some way “enhance the character of the community.” “I don’t want to hinder free enterprise for people who want to do business in Youngsville,” Bolgiano said. “However, I do think there’s a proper plan that we can put in place where approving gas stations so that they’re causing traffic congestion problems. So hopefully this will enhance that for them.” The ordinance is one of many

Louisiana’s insurer of last resort has approved a relatively small Mississippi company’s request to take over virtually all of its commercial policies, a move that Gov. Jeff Landry touted as progress in the state’s efforts to curtail skyrocketing property insurance rates. Louisiana Citi- Landry zens Property Insurance Corp., a nonprofit created by the state Legislature in 2003, has struggled to shed policies after a massive influx driven by a spate of hurricanes in 2020 and 2021 that drove a dozen private insurers bankrupt. The board of Citizens voted earlier this month to allow the

ä See POLICIES, page 5A

LAKE CHARLES

Woman found guilty in boy’s drowning death Mother abandoned children on side of Interstate 10

BY MEGAN WYATT

Staff writer

ushering in new land use restrictions as it pertains to businesses directly abutting residential properties, with required setbacks of 40 feet for all new gas stations in city limits and a 20foot barrier between abutting residential property with either a PVC fence or solid masonry wall. No more than half of this 20foot barrier is allowed to be used

Lake Charles mother Aaliyah Jack was found guilty Monday of second-degree murder in the death of her 4-year-old son, Legend, who she abandoned in 2024 along Interstate 10 and who later drowned in a body of water behind a welcome center in Vinton. A Calcasieu Parish jury also found Jack guilty of cruelty to juveniles over abandoning another

ä See RESTRICTIONS, page 5A

ä See DROWNING, page 6A

Business ...................10C Commentary ................3B Nation-World ................2A Classified .....................4B Living............................5C Opinion ........................2B Comics-Puzzles .....7C-9C Metro ...........................1B Sports ..........................1C

102Nd yEAR, NO. 77

2A ● Tuesday, September 15, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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Kennedy Center plans request to honor Trump

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FROM WIRE REPORTS

4 hospitalized after Miami crane collapse

MIAMI — An 85-foot crane towering over a construction site in an upscale Miami neighborhood toppled onto a passing vehicle Monday morning, setting it on fire and injuring the driver and three construction workers, officials said. The collapse occurred shortly after 8 a.m. in the city’s Brickell neighborhood. Miami Fire Chief Robert Hevia said at a news conference Monday that he was thankful no one was killed in the crane collapse and car fire. “I’ve been on the fire department for 28 years; when you see the scene, it’s impressive,” Hevia said. “The fact that we had four victims, and they were all able to be extricated or self-extricate themselves with minor injuries is a remarkable day for them.” A woman driving on a street next to the construction site saw the crane begin to fall over, Hevia said. “To be able to see the crane falling, pull the car in reverse and pop out of the back while the car’s on fire, really incredible,” he said, adding that the crane also crushed two unoccupied parked cars but fell on a storage container with two construction workers inside. The two workers who had been trapped, along with the crane operator who managed to jump out as the crane was tipping over, were all transported to a nearby trauma center with minor injuries, Hevia said. The woman driving the car also had minor injuries and was taken to a different hospital. Officials haven’t identified the injured. Officials have not said what caused the crane, specifically a piling rig, to topple, and Hevia said the collapse is under investigation. A piling rig usually shares the same base as a traditional crane, but its upper part is designed to drive columns deep into the ground to support large structures.

South Africa road crash kills at least 21, injures 4 CAPE TOWN, South Africa — Two minibus taxis collided head-on, and an SUV crashed into them on one of South Africa’s main highways, killing at least 21 people and leaving four others seriously injured, authorities said Monday. The crash on Sunday night in the Western Cape Province took place between the small towns of Prince Albert and LeeuGamka, around 235 miles east of Cape Town, according to the Road Traffic Management Corporation, or RTMC, the national traffic agency. The collision involved two Toyota minibus taxis and a Suzuki sport utility vehicle, police spokesperson Warrant Officer Christopher Spies said. Eighteen people were declared dead at the scene. Three others were declared dead after being taken to a hospital, bringing the toll to 21, Spies said. Four other people were seriously injured, the Western Cape Mobility Department. The death toll “may change as emergency services and authorities in the Western Cape continue their assessment of the scene,” RTMC said.

North Korea: Live-fire drill was demonstration SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea said Monday it conducted a joint live-fire drill involving missiles, artillery and drones that it claimed demonstrated “huge destructive power.” The test included firing different types of weapons simultaneously, likely aiming at developing the ability to overwhelm South Korean and U.S. air defenses. Experts say North Korea is not slowing its testing activities even after U.S. President Donald Trump recently scaled back a military exercise with South Korea in an apparent effort to revive diplomacy with leader Kim Jong Un. The North’s official Korean Central News Agency said Saturday’s drill was meant to practice the operations of an integrated weapons control system. South Korea’s military earlier said it detected short-range ballistic missile launches from North Korea’s eastern coastal Wonsan area on Saturday morning.

Board confronts solvency worries BY MIKE CATALINI Associated Press

PHOTO PROVIdEd By INdONESIA’S NATIONAL SEARCH ANd RESCUE AGENCy

Survivors from a passenger ferry overturned in bad weather in the Java Sea on Sunday are greeted by officials after disembarking a rescue ship in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, on Monday.

Indonesia intensifies search for missing

129 still unaccounted for in capsized ferry

BY IMAN SATRIA and NINIEK KARMINI Associated Press

BANJARMASIN, Indonesia — The search for survivors of a capsized ferry in Indonesia intensified Monday as 17 ships and aircraft from the military, police and other agencies were deployed to join the search for 129 missing after a ferry overturned in the Java Sea on Sunday. The bodies of six passengers and 108 were rescued Sunday by search teams, which increased to 655 personnel on Monday, National Search and Rescue Agency chief Mohammad Syafii said. Authorities deployed specialized underwater teams and underwater thermal drones operated by the navy to strengthen the search effort and speed up the evacuation of victims, he said. “We remain hopeful of finding more survivors,” Syafii said in a video briefing. The Virgo Transport 8 was carrying more than 240 people when

its captain issued a distress call on Sunday, saying the ship was listing in rough seas with waves of up to 10 feet while traveling from Surabaya in East Java province to Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan province, on Borneo Island. Contact was lost with the ferry at about 2 a.m. Sunday and about two hours later authorities learned the vessel had overturned in the Java Sea’s Masalembo waters, about 92 miles from Banjarmasin. Videos released by the search and rescue agency after a helicopter search operation Sunday showed the overturned ferry floating in choppy waters. The manifest said the ship carried 243 people including 213 passengers and 30 crew members, although it is common in Indonesia for the number of passengers to differ from the manifest. The 390-foot ferry, which was built in Japan in 1987, also was transporting 89 vehicles. Authorities have not determined the cause of the accident. A survivor, Ahmad Saudi, said

the ferry appeared overcrowded, with many passengers forced to sleep in hallways and common areas because the cabins were full. Saudi, a bus driver traveling with a vehicle he was transporting, recalled how the ferry suddenly listed without warning, triggering panic among passengers as rough seas battered the vessel in the Java Sea. Passengers initially tried to hold on before scrambling to the higher side of the ship as it tilted further, he said, speculating the ferry’s balance may have been affected by trucks loaded on one side. “The women staying in the economy-class cabins likely didn’t survive because the ferry listed so quickly,” Saudi said. “There were no alarms or announcements warning passengers about what was happening, many people in the cabins may not have had enough time to get out.” Faisal, another survivor who goes by one name, said he and 14 other passengers clung to a section of the overturned ferry that remained above water after it capsized.

Bob Mackie dies at 87 Fashion designer to the stars defined ’70s glamour

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BY MARK KENNEDY

AP entertainment writer NEW YORK — Bob Mackie, the fashion designer whose visually provocative Hollywood style defined glamour for the 1970s — including putting Carol Burnett in some of her kookiest getups and Cher in her raciest ones — died Monday. He was 87. “He lived his 87 years to the fullest, fulfilling his dream of being a Fashion and Costume Designer, which is all he ever wanted to do,” read a statement on his social media accounts. Mackie died in Palm Springs, California, from pneumonia, his publicist said. Dubbed the “Designer to the Stars,” Mackie won nine Emmy Awards, a Tony Award and was nominated for three Oscars, including one for Barbra Streisand’s “Funny Lady,” in which she wore a sheer batwing gown. He was inducted into the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences’ Hall of Fame in 2002. He designed gowns for Madonna, Streisand, Sharon Stone, Diana Ross and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and concert costumes for Pink. When Marilyn Monroe delivered a breathy, seductive take on “Happy Birthday” at a fundraiser for President John F. Kennedy and the Democratic National Committee, she did it in a sheer, beaded gown that Mackie dreamed up in a sketch. His influence can be seen in the styles of Kendall Jenner and Bella Hadid. His archival pieces are worn today by the likes of Anya Taylor-Joy, Miley Cyrus and Zendaya, the latter who wore a Mackie gown to honor Cher at the 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. When Taylor Swift wanted to look like a showgirl on the cover of her 2025 album “The Life of a Showgirl,” she turned to some Mackie originals.

The Kennedy Center Board of Trustees is planning to propose adding President Donald Trump’s name to the facility’s exterior in recognition of his saving the building from its “precarious fiscal position,” according to a new court filing in a suit aimed at blocking the move. It’s the latest development in the case revolving around adding the president’s name to the exterior of the cultural and arts facility that sits along the Potomac River in Washington and reflects the Trump-aligned board’s efforts to honor the president. The new information came out of a court filing made by Democratic Rep. Joyce Beatty of Ohio, an ex-officio member of the board. Beatty, who has led an effort to block Trump from putting his name on the building, said in a filing she was alerting the court to the proposal because it could implicate a pending decision before the court. Both the court and the Kennedy Center board are expected to hold meetings Tuesday. Beatty’s filing includes two exhibits. One is a draft vote to shut the center down, asserting the building is unsafe for occupancy. That assertion incorrectly cites a consulting group’s finding, “which expressly disclaimed providing any such opinion,” according to Beatty. The other document asserts the center faces dire financial straits. It specifically calls for Trump’s name to be placed in marble beneath the name of the center on the building’s exterior. It offers 10 options for a possible inscription, including “Renovation and endowment overseen by President Donald J. Trump and the Trump Kennedy Center Fund.” Another proposes: “With Gratitude for Support from President Donald J. Trump and the Trump Kennedy Center Fund.” “The Board understands that without such appropriate recognition it is unlikely that President Trump will provide the fundamental oversight of the renovation of the main building and lead the fiscal rescue of the Center,” the board wrote.

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AP FILE PHOTO By KIRSTy WIGGLESWORTH

Fashion and costume designer Bob Mackie poses in London in 2018 with two of his iconic designs: a scarlet red satin gown worn by Cher in 1975, right, and a marigold jersey jumpsuit worn by Cher between 1971 and 1976.

Sequins and embellishment were natural tools — other nicknames were the Sultan of Sequins, the Rajah of Rhinestones and the Guru of Glitter — but he had a simple motto: “You don’t try to change anybody, you just try to make them look better than ever,” he told The Associated Press in 2018. Tributes came from fellow designers and those lucky enough to wear his outfits. Actor Kristin Chenoweth called him a “legend” and designer Isaac Mizrahi wrote, simply, “heartbroken.” Actor Alyssa Milano called him “one of the best that ever was.” On Broadway, Mackie dressed the casts of “On the Town” in 1971 and “Moon Over Buffalo” in 1995. He also created costumes for Burnett in the revue “Putting It Together,” Debbie Reynolds in “Debbie” in 1976, Liza Minnelli in “Minnelli on Minnelli” in 1999 and, most recently, the cast of “The Cher Show,” winning his Tony Award.

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Saudi pipeline hit by drones will be out of service for weeks

Christy Spivey poses with a portrait of her late daughter Tasia Fortune on Sept. 8 in Marion, Ky.

Oil flow restricted further by attack

ASSOCIATEd PRESS PHOTO By GEORGE WALKER IV

BY SAMY MAGDY

Associated Press

CAIRO — A crucial Saudi oil pipeline that was struck in an attack will be mostly out of service for weeks as the damage is repaired, two regional officials said Monday, as Yemen’s Houthi rebels seized more islands along Red Sea shipping routes in a new blow to Saudi Arabia’s oil exports. Oil prices gained more than 2% amid growing worries about global petroleum supplies and the effect of the new developments on the ability of the world’s biggest exporter to get its crude to market. The Iran war has forced the kingdom to shift its exports away from the Persian Gulf, since Iranian attacks have stifled shipping through the gulf’s sole exit, the Strait of Hormuz. So the kingdom has relied on the East-West Pipeline, which runs 745 miles across the breadth of the country, to move its crude production from Gulf ports to the port of Yanbu on the Red Sea. From there it can be put on tankers for export. But authorities were forced to shut down the pipeline after an attack Thursday that Saudi Arabia blamed on drones from Iranianbacked militias in Iraq. Repairing the damage, including at a major pumping facility, could take three to five weeks, the officials, who have been briefed on the matter, told The Associated Press. The pipeline may work partially during the repairs, one of the officials said, but they could not say how much oil might get through. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to brief the media. The pipeline has been moving a weekly average of 2.6 million to 4 million barrels per day since late August — a quantity that will be lost to the market if the pipeline’s flow stops completely, according to an analysis issued Monday by Rystad Energy, a Norway-based research firm. It said the jump in prices for Brent crude, which

Man pleads not guilty in the hanging death of Mississippi woman ASSOCIATEd PRESS PHOTO By STR

yemeni civilians celebrate while riding in the back of a pickup truck in the Bani Matar district, yemen, on Saturday as they follow a convoy carrying Houthi prisoners freed in Mokha on its way to Sanaa following the Houthi takeover of the southern Red Sea port city. reached $109, “is a clear signal that the market is increasingly pricing in a significant loss of supply.” The Saudi oil company Aramco, which operates the pipeline, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. The government-run Center for International Communication, which oversees foreign media in the kingdom, said it was looking into an AP inquiry about how long it will take to repair the pipeline.

Capture strengthens hold Meanwhile, Yemen’s Iranianbacked Houthi rebels continued to expand their threat to Saudi shipping routes out of the Red Sea by capturing the strategic islands of Greater and Lesser Hanish, government and Houthi officials said Monday. The islands lie 100 miles north of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The strait is a choke point that connects the Red Sea to the open ocean and Saudi Arabia’s key Asian markets. The Houthis’ advance also puts them just 20 miles from the U.S. military base in the tiny Horn of Africa nation of Djibouti, on the

other side of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. For more than a month, the Houthis have been striking Saudi oil infrastructure and shipping in the Red Sea, stepping up pressure on global oil prices and boosting Iran’s leverage in its war with the United States. The Houthi advances have seemed to come with little resistance from Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces. The rebels deployed on the Hanish islands after hundreds of government-allied forces withdrew from the archipelago, according to two government officials and a Houthi official. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to journalists. Last week, the rebels seized the port city of Mokha and the island of Mayun, inside the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Government forces are now attempting to rally and fight back. On Sunday, the military said it launched airstrikes on Houthi positions in Mokha, the coastal town of Dhubab and elsewhere in Taiz province.

Texas landowners ask a court to stop Trump’s Big Bend wall plans BY REBECCA SANTANA Associated Press

MARFA, Texas — Landowners, ranchers and business owners in the Big Bend region of Texas along with a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting the region’s landscape and heritage are suing to stop the Trump administration’s plans to build a wall and other border infrastructure through the remote section of the state. The lawsuit, filed by Conserve Big Bend and six landowners and with the support of dozens more people along the border, comes as the administration is ramping up a $46 billion effort to line the roughly 2,000-mile southern border with a collection of 30-foot steel bollard walls, vehicle barriers, and technology intended to keep out

smugglers and migrants. In Texas, the effort has run up against numerous lawsuits and bipartisan opposition from sheriffs, elected officials, tour guides, environmental groups and landowners. Officials backing the wall “were woefully unprepared for the hornet’s nest they stirred up because they had no idea how much we love this place,” said David Keller, an archaeologist and historian who specializes in the Big Bend and lives in the region. “For us, the Big Bend is not an empty place on the map,” he said at a press conference announcing the suit. “It is our home.” As part of its wall-building efforts, the administration has waived numerous regulations and statutes designed to protect the environment,

archaeology or wildlife, on the basis that there’s an urgent need to protect the border in what Homeland Security has called areas of “high illegal entry.” But in the lawsuit announced Monday, the plaintiffs argue that when it comes to the Big Bend region, that’s not an accurate description. They’ve cited historical statistics issued by Customs and Border Protection showing how few people cross the border in Big Bend compared with other areas along the U.S.-Mexico border. Big Bend has about 500 miles of border — roughly one quarter of the total length of the border with Mexico from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico. But the region only accounted for about 1% of arrests, according to the lawsuit’s stats.

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Police haven’t given a suspected motive

BY SOPHIE BATES Associated Press

JACKSON, Miss. — A man charged with murder in the hanging death of a Black woman in Mississippi pleaded not guilty Monday during his first court appearance. The body of Tasia Fortune, 29, was found hanging from a tree behind an abandoned home in Jackson, the state capital, on Aug. 3. On Friday, police arrested 51-year-old Jarques Ratliff on a murder charge after the state medical examiner deemed her death a homicide. Ratliff is also Black. During Monday’s brief hearing in Municipal Court, a judge denied bond for Ratliff, who told the court he’s not guilty. Ratliff’s attorney at the hearing left the courthouse without speaking to reporters. The case has attracted widespread attention because the manner of Fortune’s death recalled lynchings in the Southern state, which has a tumultuous civil rights history stained by episodes of racial violence. Police and prosecutors haven’t given a suspected motive or said whether they think race played any role. Police Chief RaShall Brackney

said Friday that Ratliff, 51, had an “association” with Fortune, but she didn’t elaborate. The chief also said additional arrests are expected. Prosecutors on Monday offered few new details in court, though they said Fortune had been hanged with a “black cable cord” and that Ratliff had tried to hide from officers in a vehicle the day of his arrest. Brackney and other police officials who attended Ratliff’s hearing Monday declined to comment afterward. A Kentucky native, Fortune had a Black father and a white mother, though she identified as Black, said Christy Spivey, the dead woman’s mother. Fortune had been living in Jackson for about 10 years, according to relatives. Fortune had four children, Spivey said, adding she rarely saw two of her grandchildren. Spivey wasn’t sure where Fortune was living when she died, but she said her daughter had struggled with homelessness in recent years. She said Fortune had talked recently about starting a cleaning business and was trying to get her life in order. Two other Mississippi hanging deaths over the past year — those of a Black student at Delta State University and a homeless White man in Vicksburg — also drew widespread attention. Both of those deaths were deemed to be suicides.

4A ● Tuesday, September 15, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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Report: ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ detainees held in small cages BY GISELA SALOMON Associated Press

MIAMI — Detainees at a now-closed immigrant detention center in the Florida Everglades — known as “Alligator Alcatraz” — were held for up to two hours in small metal enclosures used as “calming areas,” a practice that “does not meet standards for humane treatment,” according to a new report by the Department of Homeland Security’s Inspector General released on Monday. Between July 17, 2025, and Jan. 18, 2026, the report said, 79 detainees were confined in small metal enclosures of about 18 square feet of floor space each, for periods ranging from several minutes to nearly two hours. Photographs included in the report show a cage that looks only slightly larger than a telephone booth sitting on what is either grass or turf and surrounded by chain-link fencing topped with concertina wire. “The use of such restrictive spaces is highly unconventional,” the report stated. It noted that facility staff described the metal enclosures as “‘calming areas’ for detainees to de-escalate and have time alone.” It didn’t specify where the boxes were located or exactly the instances in which they were used but documents provided by staff at the facility said one detainee spent 26 minutes in one for failing

POLICIES

Continued from page 1A Property Insurance Company of America to assume 4,764 of its commercial policies through “depopulation,” a process by which the nonprofit tries to offload its policies to private carriers to reduce its financial exposure. PICA will offer policies to virtually all of Citizens’ commercial policyholders, according to data provided by Citizens, though policyholders will ultimately decide whether to move to PICA or stay with Citizens. Landry, who announced the move Monday, said PICA’s decision to take on all of Citizens’ commercial policies, rather than just a portion of lower risk ones, is unprecedented and will lead to lower reinsurance costs for the nonprofit. The governor said it signals that insurers are coming back into the market rather than leaving Louisiana, which Landry attributed to policy changes state officials have made during his tenure. “It proves that the hard work that we’ve been doing over the last three years — of passing over 50 bills dealing with insurance and legal reform — are continuing to work,” Landry said. Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple, a Republican, also lauded the move by Citizens, saying insurers are gaining confidence in the state’s market and Temple that competition is ramping up, which should lead to better rates for customers. “PICA’s decision to offer quotes to thousands of commercial policies in Louisiana Citizens is additional evidence that Louisiana’s property insurance market

to “comply with a lawful order.” The report said that in at least one instance, the metal enclosure may have been used as a disciplinary tool. A policy posted on the enclosures said the purpose of the holding cell space was to provide a “safe and secure place in general population for detainees to reflect on their behavior choices, manage their emotions, reduce stress, and practice self-directed behavior,” according to the document attached to the report. The revelation was part of a broader report from the inspector general that detailed other conditions it described as inhumane. The detention center was opened July 3, 2025, and closed on June 25. It quickly drew attention from immigration advocates who criticized the conditions. Detainees lacked adequate living space, access to showers, legal information and clean water, the report said, calling it a violation of federal and state detention standards. The report was prepared following an unannounced visit to the South Florida Detention Facility on Jan. 21. It marks the first time a government agency has confirmed the existence of such conditions at the facility. Advocates, lawyers, families and human rights organizations such as Amnesty International had previously reported and harshly criticized

is moving in the right direction,” Temple said in a statement. PICA CEO Ned Dolese said adding the policies from Citizens is the first step in the company’s plans to expand coverage in Louisiana. “The current Citizens customer can get a PICA policy today with the same coverages or with better coverage for less money,” Dolese said. “We can give the customer a better policy at a lower price, with the ultimate goal being that we want to have a conversation with the customer over the next 12 months.”

Reinsurance price drops PICA, which is headquartered in Mississippi, gained approval from the Louisiana Department of Insurance to write policies here in late 2024. The move comes as the global reinsurance market — which plays an outsized role in the rates paid by Louisiana homeowners and businesses — sees a dramatic decline in prices. An index of prices tracked by the broker Guy Carpenter shows prices for reinsurance fell by 16% this year. Louisiana insurers, including Citizens, spend billions on reinsurance every year as a backstop to their policies, which helps cast off some of the rising risk of hurricanes and other perils. Citizens is also preparing to slash commercial property insurance rates by 14% effective in November, a welcome sign for business owners who have struggled under the weight of high insurance costs for years. Homeowners rates, however, will tick up slightly, according to documents presented to the Citizens board last week. The state’s insurance market fell into turmoil in 2020 after hurricanes Laura, Delta and Zeta, then worsened again after Hurricane Ida in 2021. As climate change

the treatment of detainees. In June, citing concerns related to hurricane season, DHS said all detainees at the Florida state-run center located at an isolated airstrip in the Everglades were transferred to other

facilities. In the report, the Office of the Inspector General said the immigrant detention center did not provide detainees with sufficient living space, “creating cramped conditions” for inmates who

spent most of their time in metal housing units, “which may harm” their physical and mental health, the report said. Detainees had less than half the space required, according to the report. They spent the bulk of their time housed on a campus with eight windowless buildings, not leaving except for meals three times a day, an hour of recreation time three times a week, showers three times a week, and for medical reasons. The report noted that standards require at least 75 square feet of floor space per detainee in dormitory housing units. Instead, it said, the housing units at the South Florida Detention Facility were 28 square feet for each detainee, “well below the required minimum.” The Office of the Inspector General says that DHS did not address its recommendations. DHS contended that it did not have authority over the facility’s day-to-day operations, the report said. In a statement sent to the AP, DHS said that the facility “was consistent” with the same federal detention standards applied by previous administrations, including those of Presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama. DHS did not address the use of “calming areas.” DHS said that all detainee facilities are clean, and any allegations of inhumane conditions are false. Alex Lanfranconi, com-

causes hurricanes to grow more intense and inflation drives up prices of rebuilding materials, the insurance market has struggled to find its footing. Ben Albright, head of the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of Louisiana, said commercial property insurance policies experience swings in reinsurance more quickly than homeowners policies. When reinsurance costs shot up from 2020 to 2024, big rate hikes quickly struck commercial payers. Now that reinsurance costs are declining, Albright said commercial policies are among the first to feel the relief. “I do think it’s a good sign,” Albright said. “Getting more premium out of Louisiana Citizens at this moment is a good thing.”

policyholders choose to stay with the perceived stability of Citizens, even if rates are higher, he noted. That’s especially true after tens of thousands of policyholders saw their insurer go bellyup amid a rash of claims following hurricanes during the recent storms. But he noted that PICA is backed by the state guaranty association that takes on claims in the event a com-

pany goes insolvent. “Companies can go insolvent,” he said. “But if you can save a reasonable amount of money, it may be worth taking that risk because the department is doing everything they can to keep an eye on those companies.” Kenny Taylor, an insurance agent in the New Orleans area, said the market is “opening up a bit,” both on

PHOTO PROVIdEd By dHS OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL

A small metal enclosure used to house detainees is seen on Jan. 21 at the ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades in Collier County, Fla.

Customer choice PICA is not rated by A.M. Best, which is considered the gold standard of ratings agencies. Instead, it is rated by Demotech, a smaller agency that has drawn criticism for having rated companies that later went belly-up, including a host of companies that wrote policies in Louisiana before going insolvent after the 2020 and 2021 storms. Dolese, the CEO of PICA, noted that Demotech has clearance from the federal Securities and Exchange Commission. And he said, unlike the Demotech-rated companies in Louisiana that failed, PICA insures properties in diverse geographic areas and has enough reinsurance. “The amount of reinsurance that we buy is more than the amount necessary for a hurricane,” he said. “We are willing to reduce the amount of profit we make and buy more reinsurance.” Albright said it will be up to policyholders whether to switch to PICA or stay with Citizens. Historically, some

on the size and num- explicitly approved by the RESTRICTIONS limits ber of curb cuts for entranc- city council.

Continued from page 1A

for water retention purposes. It also tightens restrictions on exterior lighting to avoid light pollution onto nearby properties. All new developments are required to allot at least 15% of the property for dedicated green space and plant trees alongside property lines with residential properties. The ordinance also places

es on new developments and requires developers to present a traffic impact analysis for new proposals. Youngsville Mayor Ken Ritter added that the ordinance was developed alongside several convenience store and gas station owners already operating in the city. Council members introduced an ordinance to put restrictions on nightclubs. The ordinance, if approved, would require all new bars, lounges and nightclubs to be

It also would require council members to consider the location of existing bars, proximity to residential areas and impacts to traffic and public safety during the approval process. The proposal comes after an incident last week involving gunfire outside The Twisted Tiger Sports Bar and Black Bull Bar, both located in the Jolie Marche Shopping Center at 808 St. Blaise Lane. No injuries were reported.

munications director for Gov. Ron DeSantis, said that Florida “adheres to all federal standards for criminal confinement.” The report said that facilities housing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees must comply with the federal detention standards, but the staff at “Alligator Alcatraz” could not clearly identify the standards they used for holding detainees. The 33-page report notes that “Alligator Alcatraz” did not comply with standards related to environmental health and safety, medical care, food, personal hygiene and recreation, among other things. The Office of the Inspector General found that only some detainees had access to recreation for five hours a week, and others did not have access to a law library or legal materials, which could have prevented them from contacting legal representation, a claim that former detainees raised during a court hearing in January, when they stated that their First Amendment rights were violated. Detainees told the inspectors that they did not have access to clean drinking water and could not clean their cups, the report said. They also told inspectors they showered only three times a week, which prevented them from maintaining good personal hygiene, according to the report.

commercial and homeowners policies. He sees many policyholders who prefer to stay with Citizens rather than go with another company. “These years especially since Katrina have educated the homeowner,” Taylor said. “I think that’s a big part of it. … Also, Citizens in many of the insured lines is not going to go belly-up. They feel good about that.”

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6A ● Tuesday, September 15, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

lll

TODAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

A t-storm around in the p.m.

A t-storm around in the p.m.

Partly sunny and warm

Plenty of sunshine

Partly sunny

Humid with a couple of showers

HIGH

HIGH

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LOW

93° 76°

LOW

92° 73°

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94° 69°

92° 69°

Beaumont 92/76 Port Arthur 93/77

Baton Rouge 95/75

Lake Charles 94/76

New Orleans 94/79 Houma 93/75

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

0s

Hattiesburg 98/74

Alexandria 97/74

Lafayette 93/76

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93° 71°

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91° 73°

TEMPERATURE Jackson 98/74

Many 98/73

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YESTERDAY

TODAY

REAdING 33 MAIN POLLUTANT Particulates

MAIN POLLUTANT Particulates

Lafayette through 5 p.m. Monday

Longview 101/75

-0s

LOW

Monroe 99/75

Shreveport 100/76

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HIGH

Tuesday is looking like a mostly sunny to partly cloudy, very hot and humid day with a light breeze. Temperatures this afternoon will rise to the low to mid-90s. With high humidity, heat index values could rise to 105 or higher. Most of southwest Louisiana is under either a major or moderate heat risk. The UV index is at the very high level today. We have some spotty showers and storms in the forecast, but probably not enough to help with the temperatures.

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

93°/75° 89°/71° 90°/70° 100° in 1912 46° in 1902

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

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

HIGH

10:42a 4:59a 5:18a 6:28a 12:22a --1:30a

6:52 a.m. 7:13 p.m. 11:18 a.m. 9:44 p.m.

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LAST

SEP 26

Hi

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101 67 100 51 89 98 95 91 100

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77 56 81 45 78 78 74 79 76

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pc pc s r sh s s sh s

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75 64 78 44 78 73 75 77 73

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0.8 1.8 1.9 1.6 1.4 --1.7

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The solunar period schedule allows planning days so you will be fishing in good territory or hunting in good cover during those times. Major periods begin at the times shown and last for 1.5 to 2 hours. The minor periods are shorter. MAJOR MINOR MAJOR MINOR

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2:57a 3:51a 4:44a 5:36a 6:27a 7:15a 8:00a

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3:22p 9:34p 4:16p 10:28p 5:09p 11:22p 6:02p ---6:52p 12:39p 7:40p 1:27p 8:24p 2:12p

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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

t pc s t t s t pc pc

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

EPA

The rollbacks are meant to fulfill Trump’s repeated pledge to “ unleash American energy ” and make it easier for utilities to supply electricity for homes and businesses. Former Vice President Al Gore said the EPA’s action moves the United States “in the exact opposite direction of the rest of the world. With ongoing disruption in global energy markets, the clear answer to rising costs and energy security is clean energy.” Even as the Trump administration “is dragging

the U.S. backwards,” the transition to clean energy “will continue to take hold … both in the U.S. and globally,” Gore said Monday in a email to The Associated Press. “That’s because clean energy is cheaper, creates more jobs and bolsters energy security.” The power plant rule is among nearly three dozen environmental regulations that Zeldin targeted in early 2025 when he announced what he called the “most consequential day of deregulation in American history.”

Zeldin said Monday that the Trump administration “has come in to protect American energy and to make sure you can afford to keep the lights on.” Environmental and public health groups called the new rollbacks dangerous and vowed to challenge the rules in court. “Tearing down our national protections against climate pollution from power plants will have enormous costs for the health, safety and well-being of families across the country,” said Vickie Patton, general counsel for the Environmental Defense Fund. “Americans everywhere are already suffering from record-breaking heat, more dangerous floods and storms, and skyrocketing insurance costs.” The EPA has a legal responsibility to protect the public from harmful pollution, Patton said, adding that “clean, affordable and reliable technologies are widely available to power our homes and businesses.” Coal, gas and oil-fired power plants are responsible for about one-quarter of the nation’s total climate pollution, second only to the transportation sector. Pol-

yune requested to view it. The two-day trial began late last week, with new details emerging about Jack’s actions leading up to and in the aftermath of abandoning her sons. Canaday scheduled her sentencing for Nov. 5. As she sat in jail a few weeks after the death of Legend and the rescue of Kingtrail, Jack told her mother in a jail phone call that she hurt her own kids. Jurors heard a recording of the call. Jack told her mother, Conswella, in the July 20, 2024, call that she took two pills from “an associate” in Houston, which she said she later learned were ecstasy. Jack said she “was drugged out” and was going to kill herself, too, but she survived a car crash in Mississippi that

totaled her vehicle. “So I hurt my kids before anybody hurt my kids,” Jack said. “You really did that?” her mother asked. “Yes, ma’am.” “Aw, no.” “I know. I know.” “Aw, man.” Prosecutor Jacob Johnson presented evidence during trial that portrayed Jack as upset about a custody agreement with her older child’s paternal grandmother when she placed the boys in her vehicle without proper restraints on July 6, 2024. She drove with her sons to Houston as Hurricane Beryl approached the Gulf Coast. Investigators with the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office were able to piece together a timeline and path of travel

from Houston to Meridian, Mississippi, from July 6-8 through cellphone records, surveillance footage and witness interviews. Surveillance footage shows Jack on July 7 at a Beaumont, Texas, gas station, pulling her 1-year-old by the arm, his body dragging along the floor behind her. Later that day, Johnson said, she would abandon her sons along I-10 in Louisiana. Four-year-old Legend’s body was discovered July 8 in a shallow body of water at a state welcome center in Vinton. No witnesses testified or surveillance footage showed what transpired there, but the autopsy report said the cause of death was drowning. The next day, a trucker spotted 1-year-old Kingtrail

Continued from page 1A Doug Burgum and Energy Secretary Chris Wright host a G20 ministerial meeting on “energy abundance” in Houston. The announcement of the rule, coming on the same day, is both a nod to the important role oil-rich Texas plays in the energy industry and a potential snub of European and other international allies in attendance who have pursued environmentally friendly policies that the Trump administration has moved to undo. Republican President Donald Trump called climate change “the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world” at a speech to the United Nations last year, and his administration withdrew the U.S. — for the second time — from the 2015 Paris climate accord that sets voluntary goals to curb planetwarming emissions. Trump has boasted of U.S. energy abundance even as the Iran war continues to disrupt global fuel markets and gas prices top $4.31 a gallon, up more than a dollar from a year ago.

DROWNING

Continued from page 1A son, then 1-year-old Kingtrail on the same roadway. Days later, a truck driver saw the little boy crawling in a ditch, called first responders and stopped to help him. Kingtrail survived. The jury deliberated for just a few hours Monday over the case, which was high-profile in Lake Charles after news of the truck driver’s rescue went viral. But few details have been public leading up to trial. Judge Michael Canaday, of the 14th Judicial District, sealed the entire case file earlier this year — the same day that a reporter for The Advocate | The Times-Pica-

ASSOCIATEd PRESS FILE PHOTO By JACQUELyN MARTIN

Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lee Zeldin listens June 29 as President donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington.

GOOd

FLOOD STAGE

34 48 48 35 27 22 17

MON. 24-HOUR STAGE CHANGE

-4.70 15.60 18.70 7.00 4.20 3.15 2.90

-0.26 -0.12 -0.20 +0.10 -0.10 -0.26 -0.10

40

14.75

+2.26

19

-1.48

+0.02

18 29 8

-1.22 10.02 2.08

-0.05 -0.30 +0.31

13 15

1.46 0.72

-0.02 -0.04

47 34 29 20 12 6

6.65 4.28 3.31 3.31 2.90 2.73

-0.18 -0.26 -0.18 -0.29 +0.20 -0.24

data as of 7 a.m. Monday

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

lution from power plants is one of the largest sources of climate-changing pollution in the world. The rules targeted by Trump’s EPA could prevent an estimated 30,000 deaths and save $275 billion each year they are in effect, according to an Associated Press examination last year that included the agency’s own prior assessments and a wide range of other research. Even a partial dismantling of the rules would mean more pollutants such as smog, mercury and lead — and especially more tiny airborne particles that can lodge in lungs and cause health problems, the AP analysis found. It would also mean higher emissions of greenhouse gases, driving Earth’s warming to deadlier levels. Biden, a Democrat, had made fighting climate change a hallmark of his presidency. Coal-fired power plants would have been forced to capture smokestack emissions or shut down under a strict EPA rule issued in 2024. Those rules are now being upended. In its proposal last year, the Trump EPA argued that

carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from fossil fuel-fired power plants “do not contribute significantly to dangerous pollution” or climate change and therefore do not meet a threshold under the Clean Air Act for regulatory action. Greenhouse gas emissions from coal and gasfired plants “are a small and decreasing part of global emissions,” the EPA said. Zeldin, a Republican and former New York congressman, said Biden-era actions were designed to “suffocate our economy in order to protect the environment,” with the intent to regulate the coal industry “out of existence” and make it “disappear.” The coal industry and groups representing coalfired power plants have denounced the Biden rule as “overreach” by the EPA and urged its repeal. Lifting the rule “will protect grid reliability and shield electricity consumers from higher costs at a time of surging demand from data centers, artificial intelligence and advanced manufacturing,” said Michelle Bloodworth, CEO of America’s Power, a trade organization for the U.S. coal fleet.

crawling along the interstate shoulder 6 miles away from where his brother’s body was found. He’d been bitten by mosquitoes and was dehydrated, but was otherwise healthy. The jury saw images of both boys. Johnson told the jury during closing arguments Monday that Jack abandoned both of her sons in the “middle of summer with no food, no water, no shelter, nobody” as a hurricane approached. “This is not negligence,” Johnson said. “This is a choice. This is an action.” At one point after leaving her sons, Jack texted her aunt, Tiffany Jackson, from Baton Rouge that her sons were safe. “It is not forgetfulness,” Johnson said. “It is what she

intended.” King Alexander, Jack’s public defender, did not call witnesses or present evidence in his client’s defense. He told the jury during closing arguments that “the state won’t be happy unless Aaliyah Jack dies in prison,” but encouraged jurors to stand their ground and compromise as needed as part of the process. Second-degree murder convictions carry a life sentence in Louisiana. Alexander said the jury had seen “a lot of disturbing evidence” in the case, but reminded jurors that the 1-year-old boy was “completely unharmed except for some bug bites.” Email Megan Wyatt at mwyatt@theadvocate. com.

METRO

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

Jan Risher LOUISIANA AT LARGE

College or trade school? The pendulum is swinging

|

T u e s d ay, s e p T e m b e r 15, 2026

‘An opportunity to add value’

Staff writer

PHOTO By ROBIN MAy

Author and podcaster leads talk on confidence during youngsville school’s speaker series BY JOANNA BROWN

Staff writer

I called Chandler LeBoeuf to get his insights. He’s the executive vice president of the Louisiana Community and Technical College System, which runs 12 colleges across 65 campuses statewide. LeBoeuf provided numbers that gave some context to my observation. He said 15 years ago, about 35% of the system’s students were in career and technical programs — welding, HVAC, electrical, healthcare, the whole list. Now that total is close to 50%. “It’s been a slow but steady growth,” he said. Some students leave as soon as they earn a welding certification and go straight to a job site instead of finishing out the technical diploma. LeBoeuf said they often come back for the paper later, once the paycheck is coming in. The pendulum swings, LeBoeuf said. Vocational training used to be an obvious path. Then it swung hard toward “everybody needs a four-year degree.” Now it’s swinging back. He said that Louisiana still defaults most students toward the four-year track in high school. A student has to actively choose to step off that path. I mentioned my observation to Alexis Jones, a nurse at my doctor’s office. Jones, 29, is an operations manager at Baton Rouge General. “Oh, I need to tell you my story,” she said. Neither of her parents went to college, and she wasn’t sure she needed to either. Her father said he didn’t care if she went, but she was going to do something. She had to figure out what that something was. She decided to take a patientcare tech class her senior year at Doyle High School in Walker. One class, and she came out certified as a phlebotomist, medical assistant and patient care tech. I am so afraid of needles that I can’t picture drawing someone’s blood at any age. Jones did it at 17, plus electrocardiograms, in hospital rooms.

ä See RISHER, page 4B

Leesville man sentenced in drug scheme BY DEAN BOUDREAUX

Bestselling author, podcaster and national speaker Kari Kampakis speaks to a group of attendees Wednesday at Ascension Episcopal School’s Parent Partnership Series. Kampakis has written a book aimed at helping girls navigate friendship, self-worth, digital culture and the pressure to feel accepted.

STAFF PHOTO By JAN RISHER

1bN

Plea deal nets over 14 years

In the past month, I’ve randomly met four 18-year-olds with no plans to go to college. One is a senior at Catholic High in Baton Rouge. Three want to pursue trade school — plumbing, auto mechanics, electrical work. The fourth graduated in May. She got her medical assistant license while she was in high school in Livingston Parish and now works full-time in a doctor’s office. Four kids in four weeks seems like more than a coincidence — it got my attention. Then, this morning, while I was in the middle of writing this column, our air conditioner went out. Zeph Beninate showed up to fix it. He’s 24 and went to trade school for HVAC, a career with obvious staying power in Louisiana. School just never was for him, he said. He wanted to do something with his hands. Make that five.

Zeph Beninate, 24, chose trade school over college on his path to becoming an HVAC repairman.

H

As Kari Kampakis took the stage last week at the Ascension Episcopal School’s Youngsville campus, hundreds of young women filled the auditorium along with their adults — mothers, grandmothers, caregivers and others — eager to learn from the author and podcaster. Kampakis gave a talk at Ascension’s Upper School about building confidence, being a good friend and growing into faith and adulthood. The

talk was part of the “Parent Partnership Series” that Ascension started last year as a way to build stronger lines of communication between students, their parents and the school community. “It was a way for us to lean into and sort of meet our families where they are in hopes of not just educating our children but educating the family,” Upper School head Sarah Lee said. “We bring some really strongly recognized guest speakers that are experts in their field. Members of our team follow Kari and really

appreciate her intentional and authentic approach to parenting, especially adolescence. So we wanted her to come, and it’s an opportunity to add value for our families.” Kampakis is a faith-based author, speaker and host of the “Girl Mom” podcast. Her talk centered on topics around building strong friendships and finding joy, purpose and genuine relationships in the age of social media. “I know that moms always like to hear what their daughters are hearing, and so I want

ä See TALK, page 4B

Attempted murder suspect arrested after manhunt

Multiple agencies, drones, off-road vehicles track Mamou man

BY DEAN BOUDREAUX Staff writer

A Mamou man who police say struck one person in a confrontation over trespassing and dragged another with his vehicle has been captured following a manhunt that in-

volved four agencies. Lawrance Edward Karm Jr., 45, faces an attempted seconddegree murder charge, said St. Landry Parish Sheriff Bobby J. Guidroz. Karm is being held at the St. Landry Parish jail. Deputies responded about midnight Sunday to a report

of trespassing off La. 767 near Eunice. The property owners told law enforcement they approached Karm, who was in his vehicle, and he threatened them with a gun. As Karm drove away, he struck one

ä See MANHUNT, page 4B

A federal judge in the Western District of Louisiana sentenced a Leesville man to more than 14 years in prison this month for his role in a drug trafficking conspiracy that stretched across Vernon Parish and central Louisiana. U.S. District Judge Robert R. Summerhays sentenced Earl “Nook” Thompson, 45, on Sept. 1 to 174 months in prison and five years of supervised release. Thompson, represented by attorney Lester J. Gauthier, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess a controlled substance with intent to distribute. Five additional counts against him were dismissed as part of the plea. “Traffickers of methamphetamine and fentanyl have no place in our society, and justice demands punishment that reflects their total disregard of the lives, families, and communities that they devastate,” U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Keller said in a statement. Thompson was one of 11 people indicted Jan. 21 on charges tied to a multiparish drug network that moved large quantities of methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine through Vernon Parish and the surrounding region. Federal, state and local agencies launched the investigation in 2024. Court documents show Thompson conspired with 12 others between July 11, 2025, and November to obtain distribution-level quantities of methamphetamine for resale. On July 25, 2025, a coconspirator delivered 10 pounds of methamphetamine to Thompson, according to the filings. Thompson later admitted all the methamphetamine was meant for distribution. The judgment, signed Sept. 1 by Summerhays, recommends Thompson be placed in a Bureau of Prisons facility that offers a residential drug treatment program, and is located as close to his family as possible in Leesville. Upon his release, he must complete outpatient substance abuse treatment, submit to periodic drug testing and cooperate with DNA collection as conditions of supervision. He was ordered to pay a $100 special assessment; the judgment includes no fine or restitution. Assistant U.S. Attorney LaDonte A. Murphy prosecuted the case, with legal assistant Christy Angelle. The prosecution falls under the Homeland Security Task Force, an initiative created by Executive Order 14159, which directs federal agencies to target cartels, transnational criminal organizations and trafficking networks operating in the U.S. Contact Dean Boudreaux at dean.boudreaux@theadvocate. com.

‘FULL FLAVOR’

Festivals poster designer wants to show life in Acadiana BY JA’KORI MADISON

a Creole cook is seen stirring a large cast-iron pot of gumbo, surrounded by musicians and people Festivals Acadiens et Créoles celebrating. Behind them is a patchrevealed its 2026 pin and poster Saturday, work quilt featuring flags representing a theme of representing different cultural fusion that has countries and regions shaped Acadiana. around the world. The During downtown Laposter also brings togethfayette’s Saturday Arter food, music and imagWalk event, the poster ery from different culand pin were revealed Roe tures to reflect this year’s with the design coming theme, “Revolution and from Lafayette-based artist Herb Evolution: Celebrating 250 Years Roe, whose vision came from the of Cultural Fusion on the Bayou.” region’s rich and diverse culture. ä See POSTER, page 4B At the center of the painting,

Staff writer

Artist Herb Roe’s design for the 2027 Festivals Acadiens et Créoles pin and poster was revealed Saturday at the Acadiana Center for the Arts. PHOTO By ROBIN MAy

2B ● Tuesday, September 15, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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

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AG’s task force is helping keep our kids safe From the beginning of her tenure as Louisiana’s attorney general, Liz Murrill has had predators who target children online in her sights. Two and a half years into her term, the task force she put together to target these predators has shown impressive results. Every sheriff’s office in the state and multiple local police departments — more than 80 agencies in all — participate in the Louisiana Attorney General’s Internet Crime Against Children task force. Officials say the collaboration has allowed agencies to share information and easily investigate across jurisdictional lines. The proof the approach is working is in the numbers. According to a recent report by this newspaper’s Patrick Sloan-Turner, Louisiana could make twice as many arrests for child sex crimes this year as it did just two years ago, from 303 in 2024 to a projected 717 in 2026. It’s also in the individual stories that these agencies tell, about overcoming the challenges of tracking exploitation of children from near and sometimes far via their electronic devices. The arrest of Jeffrey Venezia Jr. on child pornography and weapons charges, for example, started with a tip from the Covington Police Department. Once it was elevated to the task force, the West Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office arrested Venezia at work on outstanding misdemeanor traffic charges, while the Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant on his Bogalusa home and reportedly found child porn. It all played out in a matter of hours, officials said. Murrill’s office also recently announced the results of “Operation Bottom Dweller,” a threeday undercover sting operation led by the AG’s office and Assumption Parish Sheriff Leland Falcon, which led to 10 suspects being arrested across multiple states. The multi-jurisdictional approach to fighting this sort of crime makes sense in an era in which those who target children can get to them from anywhere. “When I was growing up, my mom would say, ‘Hey, don’t ride your bike by such and such’s house. He’s a sex offender,’” said Chris Masters, the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation agent who oversees the task force. “You don’t have that now. There’s access to your children who are on their phone while they’re sitting on the couch next to you.” In addition to tearing down jurisdictional boundaries, the task force has trained members of smaller law enforcement agencies and shared resources that would not otherwise be available to them. Among the tools the agencies are increasingly using are stings, in which agents pose as children online in order to identify criminals who are on the hunt. We’ve all heard the frightening stories of how modern technology makes our children vulnerable. Because of the work by the task force, we’re hopeful that fewer will become victims.

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Runaway federal deficit can’t be tackled with cuts alone The federal debt is now $40 trillion and grows by $2 trillion every year. There appears to be no end in sight. Why? Conventional wisdom, at least among the GOP, is that “taxand-spend liberals” are to blame. Sounds plausible, doesn’t it, since Democrats are most interested in public welfare? It turns out, however, that our current president is responsible for nearly 30% of that debt, and his party’s response to the debt crisis has been to enact a huge tax cut — of which they seem to be very proud — thereby depriving the government of much-needed revenue. While it is difficult to compare the track record of presidents of either party because of events like the Great Recession of 2008 and the COVID pandemic of 2020, Presidents Ronald Reagan, George Bush and Trump all enacted large tax cuts. But what is actually preventing us from dealing with the debt? Very simply, Republican unwillingness

to consider any increases in federal revenue. It is a simple fact that it is not possible to reduce the debt by cost-cutting alone. It would not be difficult to increase the budget by 100% — Reagan did that — but it obviously cannot be reduced by 100% or anything like it by cutting expenditures. The solution? Surprisingly obvious. We now run an annual deficit of about 14%. A budget reduction of 7% coupled with a revenue (tax) increase of 7% would balance the budget, the first step in the process of tackling the debt. More belt-tightening and revenue will be required to reduce the debt. But it cannot be done, ever, by costcutting alone. If Republicans are serious about addressing the national debt, they have to replace their traditional “no new taxes” pledge with something real.

ROBERT PURRINGTON Metairie

Ten Commandments can prepare students for the future This present angst over freedom of religion has to be talked about. We now have nonbelievers in God claiming to have the Constitutional right to freedom of religion. But, in fact, “freedom of religion” does not mean freedom from religion. This freedom has to be for American citizens with one of the many religions, like Catholicism, Baptist, Judaism, etc. to have the freedom as stated in our United States Constitution. The United States was founded by deeply religious pilgrims who treasured the Bible. It was their supreme authority. Obviously, some people now have no religious beliefs and may even think that they can dictate what our Founding Fathers meant. What we teach our children affects their lives and is taught even subconsciously by our own beliefs and behaviors. But what is the goal of being born in the first place? “Why did God make each of us?” That is the first question a Catholic child like

myself was asked by Dominican Sister Samuel in the 1945 first grade Catechism class of Holy Rosary School in Rosenberg, Texas. It may surprise nonbelievers in God that this world prepares each person for an eternal life. If chosen and lived correctly, our Creator promises us His Heavenly home. And if Heaven is desired, why wouldn’t we want to be like our American pilgrims, reading the Bible for a better life than even here in the United States of America? A teacher’s comment challenging the Ten Commandments law prompted this discourse (“New Orleans teacher asks US Supreme Court to weigh Louisiana’s Ten Commandments in schools law,” Aug. 25). My hope is for the Republican administration and Congress to adhere to the Founding Fathers’ true meaning of freedom of religion.

HELEN TURNER Metairie

Bourbon Street weed market has links to GOP donor, politician I am writing in relation to Quin Hillyer’s commentary on the new marijuana dispensary on Bourbon Street. What concerns me is what his story of decadence and debauchery omits. He fails to mention any of the following related facts: Much, if not most, of the products sold at that dispensary are manufactured by Good Day Farm. A major shareholder of Good Day Farm is Donald “Boysie” Bollinger Jr. Bollinger is a prominent Louisiana shipbuilder and Republican megadonor who has donated over $1 million to Republican candidates and committees. The president of Good Day Farm is John Davis, who is married to former state Rep. Paula Davis. And now you know the rest of the story.

PATRICK TOOLE New Orleans

WalletHub says La. is unhappy, but our hearts disagree One look at WalletHub’s recent list of “America’s happiest states” and your average person might reasonably conclude that they would stand a much better chance of being happy if they were to move to, say, New Jersey — rated as the second-happiest state —than they would living in some statistically unhappy place like New Orleans, with Louisiana ranked next to dead last on the happiness scale. Meanwhile, I’ve lived and worked (*phew*) in something like 10 different states, and I’ve never lived anyplace where the people you encounter and have to deal with in daily life were anywhere near as much fun to be around and live among as right here. That includes grocery store cashiers, healthcare workers and even the cops! Yes, that’s right, even the cops, who have the sense to be on the lookout for and respond to the big things and not sweat the small stuff. And it’s not just New Orleans — the folks in Iberia Parish were the same way. Why’s dat?

DOUG BONNY New Orleans

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COMMENTARY What the Clancy trial’s chatty jurors get wrong Jurors serving on high-profile trials might think better of speaking publicly about their deliberations, no matter how enticing a minute of fleeting fame might seem. From what I’ve seen from chatty jurors in the Lindsay Clancy trial, the lone holdout who caused the mistrial wasn’t the only one missing the point. In fact, he may have been the only one who got it. Several jurors have spoken out — three during a coffee-klatch-style interview with NBC10 Boston. One of those Kathleen three, Paula Devlin, Parker also appeared on “CBS Mornings” with co-host Gayle King. Half the country probably knows about the trial and is understandably curious to learn more. Just as likely, the jurors are eager to vent, engaging in a sort of public talk therapy after several weeks of grueling testimony and the relentless horror of Clancy’s killing of her three children — Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and Callan, 8 months. The jurors in the NBC10 Boston interview seemed to be focused on personalities and styles of lawyers and witnesses. In the CBS interview, Devlin gave details about the other members of the panel. At first they were more divided, she said, with two inclined toward a murder verdict, two undecided, and the others tilting toward the not guilty by reason of insanity verdict. We learned from defense attorney Kevin Reddington that the holdout juror was a man. Thanks to Devlin, we now know that he was Black and in his 30s. So much for the anonymity he had undoubtedly hoped to protect — and was entitled to. It isn’t hard to single out a Black juror when everyone else is White. His refusal to join the others in an acquittal led to a mistrial on Sept. 4. During the NBC10 Boston interview, juror Kellie Farina explained the holdout’s refusal to join the rest: “He had the hardest time getting off the fact that Lindsay viciously killed her children.” I know just how he felt. But what were the others thinking? Welp, they really liked Reddington’s sense of humor. They said he was entertaining and arrogant. Neither quality seemed more important than the other. He was definitely arrogant — bullying in several instances — but that’s showbiz.

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defendant Lindsay Clancy watches jurors enter the courtroom during her murder trial on Sept. 4 in Plymouth, Mass. The jurors were also critical of prosecutors for being “harsh.” I’ll admit the prosecutors were lacking in charm, but I hadn’t thought to appraise their delivery. The state’s attorneys were certainly serious, appropriately so. Team Not Guilty further praised Reddington for showing compassion for his client. What would they expect from her lawyer? They were especially appreciative that Reddington brought in witnesses who praised the defendant as a wonderful mother. That’s nice. But she wasn’t so wonderful on Jan. 24, 2023, when she sent her husband, Patrick Clancy, on a round of errands to get him out of the house before she strangled their children, was she? Though Patrick Clancy was the prosecution’s witness, he, too, was deemed “compassionate” toward his former wife and helpful to the defense. The jurors noted that he never spoke negatively of his children’s mother. These juror observations, though telling, fail to enlighten. A long, fact-filled trial surely provided more than superficial impressions. But then, you know what they say about public speakers: People won’t remember what you say, but they’ll remember how you make them feel. I hesitate to praise the discre-

tion of the jurors who’ve kept their own counsel. For all I know, they’re busy signing book contracts and keeping the best stuff for their pub date. I’m sure television bookers are feverishly working on them for upcoming interviews. Meanwhile, poor Lone Juror, whoever he is. That he may have been hung up on the vicious killings seems to me wholly healthy. Proving beyond a reasonable doubt that Lindsay Clancy was criminally responsible for what she did would be almost impossible given so much conflicting testimony from so many witnesses. Jurors aren’t mind readers, yet they were being asked to get inside Lindsay Clancy’s head. The problem with jurors talking is this: Like movie stars who lose their luster once they start talking as themselves, jurors often shed their gravitas outside the courtroom. For the jury system to work, we need to think of jurors as wise and circumspect, which too often is not the case. As my father often reminded me growing up: It’s better to be quiet and thought a fool than to open one’s mouth and confirm the suspicion. Kathleen Parker is on X, @kathleenparker.

A message for men over the age of 50 The diagnosis was not a surprise your PSA numbers in a blood test. The American Cancer So— well, yes it was, because, like many men with a ciety estimates 333,830 new health issue, we try to deny cases of prostate cancer and it or delay treatment when 36,320 deaths in the United everyone knows that “early States this year. About 1 in detection” is critical to a 8 men (13%) will be diagcure. nosed with prostate cancer Cal My PSA (prostate-specific in their lifetime. Black men Thomas face a significantly higher antigen) had been slowly creeping upward for the risk of getting and dying last two years. When it reached from prostate cancer than White 9.0 along with a Gleason score of men and other racial groups, again 9, my doctor said it was time to do according to the American Cancer something about it. This meant a Society. There is a 99% survival prostate biopsy. It came back posi- rate if the cancer has not spread outside the prostate, which mine tive for a cancerous tumor presshad not. ing against my rectal wall. Two Prostate cancer is the secondoptions were explained to me — a leading cause of cancer death complete removal of the gland, or among American men, ranking radiation and hormone treatment. I chose the latter. After 38 radia- right behind lung cancer. It is imtion treatments, five days a week, portant to repeat: early detection my PSA has dropped to zero and I is key, as it is for women and their can say confidently that it appears breast cancer survival rates. the little tumor has disappeared. I In my experience, men are genwill remain on a hormone drug for erally reluctant to see doctors, two years. especially when it comes to their I share this deeply personal inprostate and other private parts, but denial is not a cure and refusformation, hoping it will inspire men over 50 (or younger if you are ing examination is certain to allow in a higher risk group) to get regu- the cancer to spread, potentially beyond treatment. Yes, there can lar checkups that include a look at

be side effects and they may include urinary problems, constipation and loss of libido. For some men even a temporary loss of libido may sound worse than cancer, but how does death sound? I was fortunate to have some of the best doctors one could get at the Miami Cancer Institute in Florida. They were confident, reassuring, professional and compassionate. They also communicated in language I could understand. So, come on, men and you women who love them. Guys, do it for them and others who love you, and do it for yourselves. Any embarrassment is minimal and quickly evaporates as you realize your doctors and nurses (or at least mine) care about curing you, but once again, you must be diagnosed early. That cannot be repeated too often. It appears I will be around for a few more years to annoy my liberal friends. I am grateful to God, a supportive wife, and a tremendous medical team that were instruments in His healing. Email Cal Thomas at tcaeditors@ tribpub.com.

A Stalin bio tells us about our time

History illuminates the present. I’ve been reading Stephen Kotkin’s widely and justly praised multivolume biography of Josef Stalin and have encountered many passages that illuminate the present. I learned, for example, that Stalin met the exiled Vladimir Lenin more than a decade before the October 1917 revolution, and that by the early 1920s until his death in 1924, Lenin was in failing health, confined to an estate with “a staff, including the worker-cook Spiridon Putin,” Russian President Vladimir Putin’s grandfather. That provides an interesting context for Vladimir Putin’s 2005 speech in which he said that “the collapse of the Soviet Union was the biggest geopolitical catastrophe of the century.” I see echoes of the present as well in the early Michael Barone Bolsheviks’ bewilderment on just how to put Marxist theory into practice in a war-torn Russia. “We go forward to the complete elimination of money,” Grigory Zinoviev explained to German socialists in 1920. “We pay wages in commodities. We introduce trolleys without fares. We have free public schools, free, if temporarily poor, meals, rent-free apartments, free lighting. “We are realizing all this,” he went on, “very slowly, under the most difficult conditions. We have to fight ceaselessly, but we have a way out, a plan.” The early Soviets sound very much like the Democratic Socialists of America. Compare DSA co-chairwoman Megan Romer talking about people having “democratic control” of their workplaces, housing, “everybody having a union,” “the working class being in charge of the means of production.” It’s clear, if you watch the video of her interview by New Yorker editor David Remnick, that neither she nor the DSA has any clear idea how these goals could be accomplished. One is reminded that New York City’s DSA Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s first city-owned grocery store is promised to open by the end of 2027 — 24 months after he took office. Nor is it clear how, without overturning the Constitution, “democratic control” can be transformed into the DSA’s government “by the working class.” Certainly, it’s not possible to achieve the DSA’s goals of abolishing the Senate, the Supreme Court and the presidency without scrapping the Constitution. Lenin’s and Stalin’s communists, of course, had no scruples about abolishing existing institutions. But one thesis of Kotkin’s biography is that Stalin genuinely believed in Marxism and that Russia could not achieve it while it was still predominantly a peasant farmer economy without creating a “working class” of industrial factory workers. To do that, it was necessary to squeeze money out of peasant farmers to finance modern factories, even if that meant murdering prosperous farmers and imposing multiyear famines that killed millions in Ukraine and beyond. Among the Bolsheviks, Kotkin argues, only Stalin had the nerve and persistence to impose this system of mass murder. If Stalin was trying to create a dominant “working class” where it did not yet exist, current American socialists and liberals say their aim is to help a “working class” that is, as the American Enterprise Institute’s Ruy Teixeira has shown, no longer the dominant part of the workforce or the electorate. The Democratic Party started to lose blue-collar worker votes as it embraced liberal cultural values in the 1970s, and the process, highly visible in the Donald Trump years, in which college graduates have moved toward Democrats and noncollege whites and Hispanics have moved toward Republicans, had visible beginnings in Bill Clinton’s and Newt Gingrich’s 1990s. The American Left’s abrupt switch from one cultural cause to another, from so-called climate change to Israel’s supposed “genocide” in response to Hamas’ vicious attacks of Oct. 7, 2023, has not sparked “working-class” enthusiasm. Democrats’ current leads in polling for November’s elections owe much more to inflation attributable to Trump’s tariffs and oil price increases attributable to military action against Iran. One lesson from Kotkin’s biography is that the outcomes of war are never predictable and that the damage from protracted wars in which neither side is winning, and the violence and killing continue seemingly endlessly, such as World War I a century ago and Russia’s war on Ukraine today, is especially grievous. Stalin, Kotkin points out, clearly understood that the Bolshevik takeover of Russia could never have happened absent what was then called the Great War. And there is no question that that war was essential to the rise of not only Stalin but also of Adolf Hitler. Each of those two evil dictators spent part of his 30s in prison and lived in total obscurity when the Archduke Franz Ferdinand was murdered and war broke out in 1914. But in Europe’s two largest nations, both sore from military defeat and devastated by economic chaos, both were able to enter offices in their 40s and quickly accumulate absolute dictatorial power. And on Aug. 23, 1939, they signed the Hitler-Stalin pact, which enabled them to seize control of most of the landmass of Eurasia, a symbiotic union of two totalitarianisms that caused the deaths of tens of millions and inspired the vision of George Orwell’s “1984.” Our problems today are not as serious, the enemies of decent civilizations today are not as powerful, and the wars and mass murders of today are not as unchecked as they were in Hitler’s and Stalin’s time. But Kotkin’s biography is a reminder that even threats that seem very unlikely can turn out to be disastrous and that decent societies cannot afford to ignore upsurges of speech suppression, antisemitism and organized violence. As Ferdinand’s driver took the wrong turn in Sarajevo and stalled the car in front of the assassin Gavrilo Princip, no one thought Stalin and Hitler would be the most consequential and deadly leaders of the 20th century. Michael Barone is on X, @MichaelBarone.

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Jury selection begins in slain Super Bowl reporter trial BY MICHELLE HUNTER Staff writer

Jury selection began Monday afternoon in the Jefferson Parish trial of a man and woman charged with working together to drug and rob French Quarter tourists, a yearslong scheme that authorities said led to the death of a Kansas City sports reporter who traveled to New Orleans to cover the 2025 Super Bowl. Danette Colbert, 49, of Slidell, and Rickey White, 35, of Harvey, are charged with manslaughter and racketeering in the death of 27-yearold Adan Manzano.

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Continued from page 1B This year’s Festival Acadiens will be Oct. 8-11. “I hope it reminds them of having a good time,” Roe said. “All the good times that they’ve had at festivals and at parties in somebody’s backyard.” Roe said the patchwork quilt reflects his own artistic evolution and his interest in his Appalachian roots and Southern culture. The artist said he was also happy to include some of his “newer, more pan-Southern allegorical sensibilities” into the design. For Roe, it came through in his use of quilt work, which connects his Appalachian upbringing with his broader exploration of Southern culture. “My grandmother’s a quilter, my mom quilted and most of the aunts,” Roe said. “They were the first artists that I knew when I

A third defendant, Christian Anderson, 34, of Slidell, is also charged with manslaughter and racketeering. His case was severed from Colbert and White’s following a hearing on Aug. 5, according to court records. His trial has been scheduled for Oct. 19. All three have pleaded not guilty. Manzano, a father of one, worked as a sideline reporter for KBKC-TV, the Kansas City affiliate for Telemundo. In the days leading up to the Super Bowl, Manzano’s co-workers became concerned after he missed a meeting on the morning of Feb. 5, 2025, according to Kenner police. Authorities conducting a well-

was a kid.” The quilt imagery also represents the many cultural influences that came together in Acadiana, Roe said. “I wanted to show the full flavor of what life is here,” he said. “We’re not just one thing. We’re a big mixed-up, melted family here.” He also used photographs from boucheries he attended with friends as inspiration for the people and atmosphere in the painting. Roe was the right artist because of his understanding of Acadiana’s culture, festival organizer Pat Mould said. Roe has lived in Acadiana for well over two decades. Roe was born and raised in the Appalachian regions of southern Ohio and Kentucky. In summer 1993, Roe met Louisiana mural artist Robert Dafford, beginning a long-term apprenticeship and professional collaboration. In 2007, Roe began pursuing his career as a fine artist,

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Alexis Jones is a 29-yearold operations manager at Baton Rouge General.

“I had to make an adult trust me enough to draw their blood,” she said. She added that medical assistants right out of high school make around $15 an hour. Then, she said something that made my eyes open wide. “We have medical assistants who make six figures; it just depends on what position they’re in,” Jones said. On her path, she kept working as a medical assistant while she trained to become a licensed practical nurse through a 16-month program at Northshore Community College in the Florida Parishes. She sat for her boards,

ness check discovered Manzano dead in his room at the Comfort Suites in Kenner. An autopsy later determined Manzano died of asphyxiation while lying face down on a pillow due to the combined toxic effects of alcohol and Xanax, according to the Jefferson Parish Coroner’s Office. Kenner detectives discovered that Manzano had been out with colleagues in the French Quarter the night before. Colbert was the last person seen with Manzano, according to authorities. She drove him back to his hotel and was seen on surveillance video entering and later leaving his room,

specializing in oil paintings that explore the history, people and culture of his adopted home in Acadiana. His most recent body of work expands that lens, drawing connections between his Appalachian childhood in eastern Kentucky and southern Ohio and his experiences traveling, living and working throughout the American South. “Herb really kind of understands the cultural aspects of what we do down here,” Mould said. When Mould first saw the finished design, one image stood out: the cook in the center of the poster. The festival’s theme, Mould said, reflects how that culture has changed and evolved while retaining its identity. “We’re a big gumbo pot of different ethnic influences, different cultural influences,” Mould said. Email Ja’kori Madison at jakori.madison@ theadvocate.com.

passed and has spent 10 years climbing the ladder at Baton Rouge General. She now oversees eight clinics and runs the hospital’s concierge program. “I’m 99% of the time one of the youngest people in the room,” she told me. “I’ve literally clawed myself to get where I’m at today.” She acknowledged that her path has not been without cost, though. “I do sometimes wish I had gone to college and had that degree,” she said. “I think in some rooms, it matters.” She knows that she missed the sororities, the Friday nights, the version of young adulthood that comes with a dorm room and a football schedule. She can’t help but still wonder about it. Maybe five people in four weeks, six if I count Jones,

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police said. Kenner investigators allege Colbert drugged Manzano before stealing his wallet and cellphone. Colbert used his debit card to make a purchase and was later found in possession of Manzano’s property, according to Kenner police. During the trial, prosecutors are expected to argue that Manzano was the latest and last victim in a criminal enterprise run by Colbert, White and Anderson. The group allegedly collaborated to target tourists, getting them drunk or using drugs to incapacitate them with the goal of stealing cash, credit cards, debit cards, jewelry, cellphones or

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other financial information. Authorities say Colbert was the group’s “prostitute or party girl” who approached the victims promising a good time to gain their confidence while plying them with alcohol. Colbert would allegedly encourage victims to visit an ATM or look over their shoulder to spy on phone passcodes. She’d then lure them back to their hotel rooms or some other private location where she’d make off with the victims’ valuables, according to investigators. White is accused of acting as Colbert’s “pimp,” obtaining clients for her and helping her access the money in her victims’ accounts.

the girls to having a heart for the moms, too, because it’s hard raising a teenage daughter.” Her published books and devotionals include titles like “10 Ultimate Truths Girls Should Know,” “Love Her Well” and “Yours, Not Hers.” Ascension will continue the Parent Partnership Series this fall with webinar events hosted by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States, which

are open to Ascension families and other participating independent schools. Future topics include “School Readiness: Executive Function Needed to ‘Do School’ ” on Sept. 29 and “The Power of Beliefs: How Strengthening Seven Core Beliefs Predicts Greater Success and A Better Life” on Dec. 1.

and the combined efforts of the St. Landry Parish SherContinued from page 1B iff’s Office, Eunice Police Department, Eunice Fire Department and Eunice Fire property owner and dragged District 6. “Having the resources of the owner’s son, Guidroz the various police and fire said. Karm abandoned his truck, agencies created a safer ran away and lost some of his operation for the firefightclothing as he navigated the ers, officers and the alleged briar-covered woods, police suspect,” Guidroz said. “This said. apprehension was the best Locating Karm required possible outcome because no drones, off-road vehicles one was killed or seriously

injured.” The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the Sheriff’s Office at (337) 948-6516 or Crime Stoppers at (337) 948-8477. Tips can also be submitted through the P3 app or by dialing **8477 from a mobile phone.

Continued from page 1B to be that conversation starter for them,” Kampakis said. “My first two books were really targeted to helping teen girls and tapping into the issues they struggle with. “As those books were released, my daughters were becoming teenagers, so I went from having a heart for

MANHUNT

isn’t a trend. Maybe I just noticed a pendulum that’s been swinging for years. I don’t know. What I do know is that in all my years since high school, I’ve never heard this many people my kids’ age say out loud that college isn’t the plan — and

Email Joanna Brown at joanna.brown@ theadvocate.com.

Contact Dean Boudreaux: dean.boudreaux@ theadvocate.com.

they’re fine with that. The air conditioner is fixed, by the way. Beninate got it running again in less than 15 minutes.

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T u e s d ay, s e p T e m b e r 15, 2026

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L S U A T O L E M I S S • 6 : 3 0 P. M . S A T U R d A y • A B C

Rod Walker

Moore made right call in going for win in OT

‘Attention’ grabber

Kellen Moore was a two-point conversion away from leaving Detroit’s Ford Field with his signature win as New Orleans Saints head coach. While Moore didn’t get it, the fact that he tried said a lot about him and the direction he’s trying to take this team. There were times last season when it was unclear what ä Saints Moore would have at Ravens. done in a situation NOON SUNdAy, like this. You didn’t CBS know what his identity would be. Was he going to be conservative? Or was he going to be willing to take risks like most offensive-minded coaches? Moore, in what felt like a no-brainer, elected to go for the game-winning two-point conversion Sunday after the Saints responded to the Lions’ touchdown in overtime. On the conversion, Tyler Shough’s pass to the back corner of the end zone to rookie Bryce Lance fell incomplete, dashing the Saints’ hopes of pulling off what would have been one of the most talked about wins in Week 1 of the NFL season. Instead, it was a 31-30 loss. The decision to go for the win was the right one. The play call itself could

ä See WALKER, page 2C

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU coach Lane Kiffin kneels during a timeout in the third quarter against Louisiana Tech on Saturday in Tiger Stadium. Kiffin returns to Oxford, Miss., on Saturday night to face his former team, the Ole Miss Rebels.

ASSOCIATEd PRESS PHOTO By REy dEL RIO

Saints coach Kellen Moore greets detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff after Sunday’s game in detroit. The Lions held on for a 31-30 win in overtime.

Kiffin says pressure on Ole Miss in his return to Oxford BY JON BLAU Staff writer

T UL coaches

he eyes of the college football world are on Lane Kiffin as he returns to Ole Miss this weekend. And that’s a good thing, in Kiffin’s eyes.

“I told the players today, man, you don’t have

want repeat USC effort

anything to worry about as far as attention on you all

this week. There’s just going to be so much attention,

hatred, everything on me,” Kiffin said Monday during his weekly news conference. “You just get to go play.” Kiffin, who has accepted his place as a college

“Really, the pressure’s on them. We (LSU) won seven games last year. They won 13. They return two Heisman candidates (Trinidad Chambliss and Kewan Lacy).” LANE KIFFIN, LSU coach football “villain,” can handle the attention. The former Tennessee coach had a run-through with vitriol when several items, including a golf ball and a mustard bottle, were hurled at him in 2021 during his return to Knoxville.

BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer

UL coach Michael Desormeaux and his Ragin’ Cajuns wanted to knock off No. 14 USC on Saturday in Los Angeles. But after reviewing the week of preparation and the game itself in film study, the UL coach saw a lot he liked from the long trip. “I thought we played with tremendous effort, physicality and play speed,” said Desormeaux, whose Cajuns return home to meet UAB (1-1) at 7 p.m. Saturday. “We Desormeaux want that to be our trademark, so that’s ä UAB got to show up week at UL. after week.” 7 P.M. SATURdAy, The coaching staff ESPN+ was quite impressed with the team’s preparation throughout the week. “I was super pleased with the urgency last week in practice,” Desormeaux said. “I was really pleased with the detail and the focus we had in the preparation. I thought the end of the week from the last practice on Thursday to the walk-throughs on Friday and

ä See UL, page 3C

ä See KIFFIN, page 3C

Golding trying to keep things calm before big game BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer

OXFORD, Miss. — The walk down Galtney-Lott Plaza on the Ole Miss campus was like any other September morning. Students meandering from one class to the next. Food trucks lined the street outside ä LSU Hall and Conner Hall, serving notebook. Odom boxed Hibachi, Ham N’ Honey sandPAGE 3C wiches and Filipino comfort food. Everyone was sweating in the sunny, 90-degree heat. It was a seemingly ordinary Monday at the flagship university, but the week ahead should be anything but normal. Lane Kiffin and his LSU Tigers are coming to town on Saturday (6:30 p.m., ABC). “We just thought he was going to stay,” said Thomas, ASSOCIATEd PRESS FILE PHOTO By ROSS d. FRANKLIN a student and member of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity

Ole Miss coach Pete Golding shouts encouragement to his players before the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 8 in Glendale, Ariz.

ä See GOLDING, page 3C

2C ● Tuesday, September 15, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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SAINTS NOTEBOOK

QB Murray’s playing status unknown for Sunday

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kyler Murray began the week in the NFL concussion protocol, continuing his recovery from an illegal hit to the head that forced him out of his first game with the team in the first quarter Sunday. Murray arrived on Monday at Vikings headquarters “feeling pretty good,” according to coach Kevin O’Connell, but it was too soon to assess his availability at Chicago on Sunday. “We’ll defer to the medical folks and that protocol for how the week goes,” O’Connell said. Murray lasted 11 plays. At the end of a third-down run, he had the right side of his helmet smacked hard by Green Bay safety Javon Bullard’s lowered shoulder with the quarterback already ducking toward the turf to avoid contact.

Florida State fires AD McCullough after 4 years

ASSOCIATEd PRESS PHOTO By REy dEL RIO

New Orleans Saints wide receiver Bryce Lance warms up before the game against the detroit Lions on Sunday in detroit. Lance had three catches for 42 yards in his NFL debut.

WR Lance shows why Saints ‘trust’ him BY MATTHEW PARAS Staff writer

DETROIT — Devaughn Vele had a number of big catches in Sunday’s 31-30 overtime loss to the Detroit Lions, but the New Orleans Saints wide receiver said the most hyped up he felt all day was when he saw rookie Bryce Lance convert the biggest play of his young career. It was fourth and 12 with less than two minutes left in regulation. The Saints were down seven, and the game was on the line. As he avoided the blitz, quarterback Tyler Shough climbed the pocket and fired a pass toward Lance’s direction. Even with Lions cornerback D.J. Reed on his back, Lance managed to haul it in for the first down. “That’s what we look for and that’s why we trust in those guys,” Vele said. In Week 1, the Saints trusted Lance beyond his crucial fourthdown catch. With Jordyn Tyson (hamstring) on injured reserve, Lance emerged as the Saints’ clear-cut third receiver. He played 62 snaps, which were 69% of the offense’s total. The Saints’ trust in Lance extended to Shough again looking his way with the game on the line. On the Saints’ failed two-point conversion attempt in overtime, with Chris Olave and Vele covered,

WALKER

the quarterback saw Lance on a corner route and gave his 6-foot-3 receiver a chance to make a play. The pass was incomplete, but it still said a lot about the 24-yearold’s progress that the Saints were willing to have him out there. “Obviously, I wanted that last play back,” Lance said. “But I think it was a good learning experience. I know it’s a long season, so I’m going to try and just get better as the weeks go on. “I should have come down with it,” he said later. Lance finished the day with three catches for 42 yards. He surprisingly logged more snaps than other playmakers, such as running back Travis Etienne (53) and tight end Noah Fant (37). Fellow rookie wide receiver Barion Brown, a sixth-round pick out of LSU, logged only five snaps on offense. “I’m excited to keep going forward,” Lance said.

A ‘24-hour rule’ Chase Young kept his initial remarks brief when asked about Sunday’s controversial call that overturned his strip-sack on Lions quarterback Jared Goff and wiped out a game-tying touchdown on the fumble recovered and returned for a score by safety Jonas Sanker. A day later, the New Orleans

Saints pass rusher was willing to slightly expand. Young said his phone has been “blowing up” with messages over the officials’ call, which left many — including the Saints — confused. The league overturned the initial call to an incomplete pass because it found Goff already had begun his throwing motion, despite the ball coming out backward as the result of Young’s hit. Young said he believes in a “24hour rule” and has since gotten over the controversy to focus his attention on next week’s opponent, the Baltimore Ravens. But Young added he wouldn’t do anything differently if another situation like that came up. “If I get another chance like that, I’m going to tackle him the same way,” Young said with a smile. He then started to laugh for a few seconds before letting out a “phew.” He also chuckled when asked whether it was easier to sleep knowing that the explanation was something he had never heard before. “I try to look at the bright spots, man,” Young said. “(The play ended up being) a viral video of great defense from the Saints.”

team came out relatively clean from an injury standpoint after Sunday’s loss. Moore said there would be “bumps and bruises” to manage throughout the week, but he did not mention anything that indicated a player had suffered a serious injury. That was a welcome change for New Orleans, given that injuries had piled up in training camp and the preseason. The Saints were without defensive end Cam Jordan (hamstring), running back Alvin Kamara (knee) and rookie tight end Oscar Delp (hamstring). Moore left open the possibility that all three could return to practice before next Sunday’s game against the Ravens. Kamara and Jordan were limited participants last week.

Practice-squad move

With a spot open on their practice squad, the Saints resigned defensive lineman Jonah Williams. The veteran had spent last year with the Saints and rejoined the team’s practice squad last week, but he was released when New Orleans needed the spot. The Saints re-added Williams after they saw another practice squad spot open over the weekend Coming out clean after signing tight end Treyton Welch Saints coach Kellen Moore said his to the active roster.

trailed 21-0. Then they rattled off 17 straight points to make it a game. Continued from page 1C Much like Moore was able to keep the ship afloat last season when the Saints started 2-10, he have been better, especially was able to do it again Sunday the way a big target such as when the team fell behind by Devaughn Vele played down the double digits. stretch. The Lions defended the “We hurt ourselves,” Young play well. said. “We know that. What we did Yeah, Moore could have taken in the second half, that tells you the safe route and kicked a gamewhat type of team we are. We are tying extra point. But there was talented enough. No doubt about no guarantee the Saints defense, it, we can hang with any team in which looked to be running on this league.” “E” during Detroit’s previous While Moore gets credit for gopossession, would have kept the ing for the win, he also gets the Lions from driving within field blame for not having his offense goal range for the game-winner. ready when the game begins. After all, there was 1:34 remainSlow starts have been an issue ing on the clock. Ninety-four secfor the Saints under Moore. onds are an eternity in the NFL, “I’ve got to look at the plan and especially considering the Lions ASSOCIATEd PRESS PHOTO By REy dEL RIO make sure we are finding a way still had one timeout left. Saints coach Kellen Moore studies his info sheet on Sunday in detroit. to move the football better in “That’s a really talented ofthat early part,” Moore said. “I fense,” Moore said about the defelt good about it going in.” shouldn’t be surprised, either. brings a little life to your group cision. “You have a chance to go It needs to be fixed if the Saints The Saints don’t have many tie there.” win the football game.” want to end their five-year playgames in their history books. Although the play didn’t work, Moore took that chance, just off drought. If the game had ended in a tie, like the guy on the opposite side- it sent a message to his players. The division is well within their it would have been the first time So did Moore’s decision to go line would have done. the Saints have played a tie game grasp, as Sunday reminded us for it on fourth and 12 while the Lions coach Dan Campbell, a on a historical day for the NFC since 1972. In fact, the team Saints were backed up on their former assistant for the Saints, South. The Saints, Falcons, Panhas had only six ties ever, all in own 23-yard line. The Saints is known for his willingness to thers and Buccaneers all lost. A the franchise’s first six years of roll the dice and take risks. So he picked up the first down. Saints’ tie would have given them existence. The Saints are one “That means he knows his never doubted Moore would go an early half-game division lead. of seven teams that haven’t redogs are ready, which we are,” for two if the Saints scored. But it’s way too early for scoredefensive end Chase Young said. corded a tie since the NFL first “For sure,” Campbell said board watching. “He knows our team as far as our implemented overtime in 1974. afterward. “I just know if I’m The only scoreboard Moore The fact that this season openfight. You saw throughout camp him, I’m doing that. You’re gowas concerned with was the er even got to overtime spoke what type of guys we have. No, ing for two. You’ve battled and one in Ford Field; the one that volumes. The Saints, thanks we weren’t surprised.” slugged it out for that long, over he needed to add just two more mostly to a struggling offense Those who have followed the 60 minutes. It’s time. (If) you get points to for a victory. through the first three quarters, Saints from the very beginning that (conversion), and now that

TALLAHASSEE,Fla.— Florida State fired athletic director Michael Alford on Monday morning, school president Richard McCullough announced. Alford had held the job since January 2022 after he was hired in fall 2020 to be the president of Seminole Boosters. The dismissal was without cause, McCullough said. It’s not clear how much Alford is owed by Florida State on a four-year deal that was announced in August 2024. McCullough, speaking later Monday, said the decision to fire Alford was necessary to compete in a college sports landscape that “is changing incredibly rapidly.” He appointed Bruce Warwick, currently the senior associate athletic director, to serve as interim athletic director. There will be a national search for Alford’s replacement.

Volunteers lose senior TE Davis to an ACL injury

Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said Monday that senior tight end Ethan Davis will miss the rest of the season with an ACL injury. “I hate it for Ethan,” Heupel said. “The work that he put into it, the growth of the person and the player, that the season’s cut short.” Davis opened the scoring for a second straight game for Tennessee (2-0), catching a 25-yard touchdown pass from Faizon Brandon on the Volunteers’ first possession in a 4524 win at Georgia Tech on Saturday. The 6-foot-5, 247-pound tight end has played 26 games with 39 career receptions for 433 yards and six touchdowns. He joins a growing list of Volunteers with season-ending injuries, including receiver Joakim Dodson and safety Edrees Farooq.

Gibson retires after 17 NBA seasons, joins Bulls as coach

Taj Gibson has joined Tiago Splitter’s first coaching staff with the Chicago Bulls after playing for eight teams in 17 NBA seasons. Gibson announced the end of his playing career on Monday. The 6-foot-9 forward was selected by Chicago in the first round of the 2009 draft and played for the Bulls for his first seven-plus seasons. The 41-year-old Gibson averaged 8.3 points and 5.7 rebounds in 1,012 career games, also playing for the Oklahoma City Thunder, Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks, Detroit Pistons, Charlotte Hornets and Memphis Grizzlies. Gibson was waived by New Orleans after he was acquired in a trade with Memphis last week. Splitter was hired by Chicago in June.

Raptors to complete trade for Leonard with Clippers

The trade sending Kawhi Leonard back to Toronto is finally going forward, with the Raptors and Los Angeles Clippers agreeing to complete the deal that was agreed to earlier this summer. The deal will be the same as what was agreed to 21/ 2 months ago: Leonard returns to the Raptors, with the Clippers getting Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two firstround draft picks, two secondround picks and a pick swap. It’s a huge move for Toronto, which won the 2019 NBA title with Leonard leading the way and is expecting to contend in the Eastern Conference. But the sides put the agreement on hold in early July pending the resolution of the NBA’s investigation into whether the Clippers circumvented salarycap rules with regard to Leonard.

The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Tuesday, September 15, 2026 ● 3C

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Kiffin: Orgeron ‘doing better’ after health scare BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

LSU assistant coach Ed Orgeron is “doing better” after a health issue forced him to miss preseason practices and the first two games of the season, coach Lane Kiffin said Monday. Orgeron, the former LSU head LSU coach who’s now notebook working as a special assistant for recruiting and defense, started battling the health issue in midAugust. Kiffin said on Aug. 17 that he had sent Orgeron home from a practice because he “wasn’t feeling real well.” Since then, Orgeron has not been spotted in Tiger Stadium for the two contests the Tigers have played: a 51-10 win over Clemson and a 45-14 win over Louisiana Tech. “It was a little bit scary,” Kiffin said, without detailing the specific issue. Kiffin and Orgeron have known each other for more than 20 years. They worked on coach Pete Carroll‘s staff at Southern Cal from 2001-04, and Orgeron worked under Kiffin when he was the head coach at Tennessee in 2009 and USC from 2010-13. Orgeron took over the Trojans as interim coach after Kiffin was fired. In May, Kiffin hired Orgeron to his LSU staff on a one-year, $100,000 contract. Orgeron has spent the last four months helping the Tigers recruit high school play-

KIFFIN

Continued from page 1C This is arguably a bigger, more bitter circumstance in Oxford, Mississippi, because of how his six-year run with Ole Miss ended. Kiffin left for Baton Rouge just before the Rebels embarked on a run to the College Football Playoff semifinals last season. His attempts to coach the team in the CFP, then bring staff and players with him to LSU, increased tensions a bit more. His mention of challenges recruiting Black athletes to Mississippi in a Vanity Fair article this past summer stoked more outrage. All year, college football fans have had Week 3 circled on their calendars, and Kiffin is at the center of the bull’s-eye. He thinks that’s advantageous for LSU. “Really, the pressure’s on them,” Kiffin said of Ole Miss, the program he coached from 2020-25. “We (LSU) won seven games last year. They won 13. They return two Heisman candidates (Trinidad Chambliss and Kewan Lacy). “How often does that ever happen in the same backfield? We had it one time with Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush,” Kiffin continued, thinking back to his days as an assistant at Southern Cal. He also remembered Ole Miss has the third-longest home winning streak in the country with 13 straight victories. “You guys just get to go play,” Kiffin told his LSU players, “and the pressure’s not on you.” Kiffin acknowledged there could be “real safety issues” in Oxford, but he said there are people who

GOLDING

Continued from page 1C at Ole Miss (he declined to share his last name). “And then he ended up leaving, and we were all like, ‘What the hell?’ ” That was November. Ten months later, Ole Miss fans are still hurt by a coach who left them high and dry in the midst of the Rebels’ push for a national chamionship. Kiffin didn’t just leave; he left for the in-conference rival less than 350 miles south of Oxford. “I don’t understand why he did it,” Addy Stanford, a barista at High Point Coffee and Ole Miss student, said. “I understand that there’s money in it. I understand that the transfer portal is probably better down there, but I think that he made too many comments about how he loved Ole Miss so much just to leave like that.” The only person in Oxford downplaying the situation on Monday was Pete Golding. The Ole Miss coach. who was Kiffin’s defensive coordinator for nearly three seasons before he was promoted to the head job after Kiffin’s departure, was intent on normalizing the matchup at his weekly Monday news conference, despite the emotional baggage and amount of shared DNA between the teams.

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU assistant coach Ed Orgeron watches defensive line drills during preseason practice on Aug. 13 at the LSU practice fields. ers and coach defensive linemen. Both Kiffin and Orgeron also have worked as head coaches at Ole Miss, with Orgeron from 200507 and Kiffin from 2020-25. “He means a lot to me,” Kiffin said. “We’ve just been through a lot. He probably shouldn’t have joked one day. He said, ‘Hey coach, you know I’m never going to the hospital. If I die, I’m dying on the field out there.’ “That’s who he is. That’s how he is with everything, and sometimes that’s not always the best thing to follow.” Orgeron, 65, was the LSU head coach from 2016-21. In 2019, he led the Tigers to a 15-0 record

and a national championship. The school fired him during the 2021 season and hired coach Brian Kelly to replace him. Kiffin said Orgeron is spending parts of his weekdays at the LSU football operations building. When asked on Monday if Orgeron will travel with the Tigers for their showdown with Ole Miss on Saturday (6:30 p.m., ABC), Kiffin said “we haven’t gotten that far yet.” “He’s doing better,” Kiffin said. “He’s still not all the way back.”

“have a plan for that.” The players themselves, especially on the LSU side, aren’t as ingrained in the Ole Miss storyline. Kiffin added 40-plus transfers this offseason from all over the country. He believes a particular type of athlete chooses his program anyway. They know who Kiffin is, the magnifying glass he lives under and the attention LSU receives more broadly. He thinks that might be why the Tigers are 2-0, blowing out Clemson in the opener, despite outside noise that included the SEC threatening to expel LSU from the conference amid Kiffin’s attempts to add players who previously signed with NFL teams. “They know what they’re choosing. So kids that really maybe don’t think that way or that concerns them, they don’t come to us. They go to a different type of program,” Kiffin said. “They know what they’re getting into. We are who we are.” Kiffin believes those same players will be prepared for a hostile SEC opener on the road. The chess game between coaches could be a little more complicated, because Kiffin’s ex-defensive coordinator, now-Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding, spent years listening to what his offensive-minded boss did and didn’t like facing as they game-planned. When Kiffin became the head coach at Ole Miss and faced his mentor, Alabama coach Nick Saban, he believed he had an advantage in those games. “As a head coach … Saban and I are much more going to tell them what we should play, things that cause us problems, than the co-

ordinator is going to tell the head coach,” Kiffin said. “There’s just a lot of familiarity that’s probably never happened before when people play the next year, then half the coaches are split.” It’s a rare circumstance. Only a handful of head coaches in the modern era have jumped directly from one SEC program to another, including Tommy Tuberville from Ole Miss to Auburn in 1999 and Dan Mullen from Mississippi State to Florida in 2018. Houston Nutt jumped from Arkansas to Ole Miss ahead of the 2008 season, but he resigned from the Razorbacks before he jumped to the Rebels, replacing future LSU head coach Ed Orgeron, who is now on Kiffin’s staff. This particular intraconference coaching switch is exceptionally amped up because LSU and Ole Miss were already rivals. They both head into their “Magnolia Bowl” matchup as top-10 teams for the first time since 1962. Many times over, Kiffin has tried to emphasize that neither side “lost” when he left Ole Miss for LSU. He came back to that point Monday. “It’s the most relevant matchup of these two teams in 64 years, both teams being that relevant,” Kiffin said. “That’s a really neat thing, that we were able to be a part of building a program there, that Pete’s doing a great job of continuing it as a top-10 program. When we got there (to Ole Miss), they’d won four games. “We got here eight months ago, and they were 7-6. So, I think it’s a really, really good thing that I think a lot of people could look at it and say, ‘Hey, both sides are doing really well, and both sides won.’ ”

Not only Kiffin but also almost his entire offensive staff left for LSU. Wide receiver Winston Watkins, offensive lineman Devin Harper, edge rusher Princewill Umanmielen and linebacker TJ Dottery also switched addresses from Oxford to Baton Rouge. Golding and many of his assistants worked under Kiffin and recruited and coached those players. The same is true on the LSU side, where several former LSU players and coaches now find themselves in Oxford. Running backs coach Frank Wilson landed at Ole Miss after finishing last year as the interim LSU coach, taking the gig after Brian Kelly got fired. Offensive lineman Carius Curne and running back JT Lindsey spent their freshman year at LSU. Golding and Wilson are from Louisiana, and Kelly’s son, Patrick, is the assistant director of football support at Ole Miss after he worked under his father at LSU for four years. “To me, it’s like high school homecoming for these dudes,” Golding said, adding that playing against Kiffin on Saturday will be like competing with friends in a round of golf. “If you focus on the wrong s***, that homecoming dance ain’t very fun after you get your butt beat on a Friday night.” Golding notes that the crosspollination between LSU and Ole

Miss isn’t entirely uncommon in today’s era of college football. For example, when Ole Miss hosts Missouri on Oct. 17, it’ll face former starting quarterback Austin Simmons and former wide receiver Cayden Lee. But Saturday is different. When Kiffin returned to Tennessee as the Ole Miss coach in 2021, 11 years after he left Knoxville for Southern Cal, Volunteer fans threw golf balls and mustard bottles at him. Saturday could be uglier and rowdier, because this time Kiffin returns to Oxford less than 10 months after leaving. “I know a lot is going to be made about me. But this is about the players,” Kiffin told reporters in Baton Rouge on Monday. “I’m not going to be tackling or throwing any touchdowns.” All of those storylines are seen as potential distractions for Kiffin and Golding, who have tried to keep their focus — and their teams’ focus — on one thing: winning Saturday. Even if this is no ordinary game. “Obviously, is there an emotional piece to this? Absolutely,” Golding said. “I think it’s going to be the team that can eliminate the noise and the distractions … that’s going to win the game.”

Pro player drama Kiffin sidestepped a question Monday about his push to add former NFL training camp players

Email Koki Riley at koki.riley@ theadvocate.com.

to his LSU roster, seemingly ending for good the controversy that swirled around the first two weeks of the season. Last Tuesday, the Tigers decided not to roster tight end Dae’Quan Wright and defensive tackle Zxavian Harris. Instead, Kiffin and his staff slid two players who had suffered season-ending injuries into the pair of roster spots they had saved for the two former Ole Miss starters. That move led the Southeastern Conference to call off the vote it had scheduled for last Thursday on whether it wanted to expel LSU from of the league. “I appreciate the question,” Kiffin said. “We’ve really moved on from that, talked about that Saturday and stuff. So we’re not going back there. But appreciate the question.” The SEC has not yet dropped the federal lawsuit it filed against Kiffin, other top LSU officials and Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murril. The conference submitted the suit on Sept. 3, in part so it could obtain the legal cover it needed to levy penalties against LSU. In the filing, the league accused Kiffin of orchestrating the courtroom saga that made Wright and Harris eligibile to play college football again. Kiffin has denied that claim. It’s unclear whether Kiffin and LSU could still face discipline for their role in the ordeal. The SEC said last Thursday in a statement that its 16 presidents met to discuss “recent matters involving conference expectations and responsibilities” and that “discus-

sions will continue as the conference and its member universities work toward an appropriate resolution.”

Another night kickoff LSU is beginning its season with five straight night games. ESPN announced Monday that the Tigers’ Sept. 26 home game against Texas A&M will kick off at 6:30 p.m. on ABC. That’s the same kickoff time that was set for each of LSU’s first three matchups: Clemson in Week 1, Louisiana Tech in Week 2 and Ole Miss in Week 3. The Tigers are also schedule to host McNeese State at 6:45 p.m. Oct. 3 in Tiger Stadium. The LSU-Ole Miss game is perhaps the most anticipated college football game of the season. Kiffin is set to return to Oxford, Mississippi, for the first time since he left the Rebels last year ahead of their College Football Playoff run. The matchup is both teams’ SEC opener. LSU, Ole Miss and Texas A&M are each top-10 teams in the latest edition of The AP Top 25 poll. They’re ranked seventh, eighth and ninth, respectively. The Tigers and Rebels are meeting as top-10 teams for the first time since 1962. LSU has dropped three of its last four matchups with the Aggies. In 2025, the Tigers lost 49-25 at home in the last game of Kelly’s tenure in Baton Rouge. Email Reed Darcey at reed. darcey@theadvocate.com.

ASSOCIATEd PRESS PHOTO By MARK J. TERRILL

Southern California wide receiver Trent Mosley, left, makes a touchdown catch as UL safety Maurion Eleam defends on Saturday in Los Angeles.

UL

Continued from page 1C

gathering. The early indication is UL came out of the USC game healthier, but Desormeaux deferred all injury talk for later in the week. For now, he commented only on the very limited play of redshirt freshman running back Darrell Smith. “He didn’t quite look the same,” Desormeaux said. “He was cleared, and he was good and we played him a little bit, but he wasn’t quite moving the same. “So I’m not going to put him out there. If you’re not 100 percent in that game and you can’t do what you want to do, I mean, you do risk getting somebody hurt.” The other issue Desormeaux addressed was a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct flag he received for arguing about how much time USC spent during a substitution. “First of all, it’s embarrassing,” Desormeaux said. “It shouldn’t have happened. As the head coach, you talk about competitive discipline. I didn’t think it was something that warranted a flag, but they did.” He explained that during a substitution change, a team has “to make a concerted effort to get off the field in a timely manner.” Instead, the USC defensive lineman literally walked off of the field. “I thought it was a bad job by them on the sub,” he said. “I think they’ve got to get the guy off the field and let us play.”

Saturday, I thought that was done at an elite level by our players. “That is the standard that every week you have to meet or exceed. It does not matter who you play if you want to execute and play well.” It carried over to the field. Despite the loss, Desormeaux’s assessment is his Cajuns played better in the loss to USC than it did in the win over Lamar at home the week prior. “We executed a lot better than we did in Week 1 in a lot of cases,” he said. “There were some technical things that we need to do better, should have done better. That we’ll need to do better going forward. But a lot of it was them just being that good.” Desormeaux said his team had the right mental approach for the trip. On the field, the biggest problem for the Cajuns was that USC converted 10 of 14 tries on third down. “Maybe we’re a little bit late on some pressures,” Desormeaux said. “We had a pressure called, and we were late to get there, trying to disguise it, but I’m not going to sit here and act like they’re not good. It was hard to win oneon-ones “They were a really good team and incredibly talented.” Perhaps it was a good thing the injury report wasn’t first Email Kevin Foote at kfoote@ and foremost in Monday’s media theadvocate.com.

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4C ● Tuesday, September 15, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

lll

U.S. women show hint of vulnerability

BY DOUG FEINBERG AP basketball writer

BERLIN — The names may change, but the results are the same for the U.S. women’s basketball team — another FIBA World Cup title. The Americans’ fifth championship in a row came Sunday in a 9779 victory over France. It wasn’t as easy as the previous four, with the U.S. showing some vulnerability throughout the tournament. A three-point win over Italy in group play gave other teams hope. A tight game against Spain in the semifinals also raised some eyebrows. France held a 14-point first-half ASSOCIATEd PRESS PHOTO By EBRAHIM NOROOZI lead in the title game — the big- Angel Reese, second from right, and Caitlin Clark touch hands during the gest deficit the Americans had faced since their last loss in a ma- championship game of the women’s FIBA World Cup between the United jor competition when Russia beat States and France on Sunday in Berlin. The U.S. won 97-79. them in the semifinals of the 2006 Americans, with a victory. World Cup. tournament for a record second “We are the standard,” said Bre- time. “USA Basketball has continBut the U.S. was calm and not worried. The game ended the same anna Stewart, who scored 22 points ued to show up and go for gold and way the previous 35 had for the and earned MVP honors of the to have done that however many

times consecutively is an insane stat. We want to make sure that we continue to build on that standard and everybody else knows it.” This might have been the best chance for someone to beat the U.S. The Americans were missing four-time WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson and the roster was full of newcomers, including Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers. Kara Lawson was coaching and getting better acquainted with the secondyoungest American squad in the past 40-plus years. Clark, Reese and Bueckers gained valuable experience and will be integral for the U.S. to continue its success over the next decade. France, which lost to the U.S. by a point in the Paris Olympics gold medal game two years ago, thought it could be the team to end the Americans’ two decades of dominance. For nearly a half, the French had it going. There was no panic on the U.S.

side, thanks in part to the ultimate winner Stewart, who has two World Cup MVPs now — the first player to ever accomplish that. She’s only 32 years old and has four World Cup championships on her resume. The Americans calmly rallied within two points at the half as Clark’s 3-pointer just before the buzzer capped the rally. The U.S. then put it away in the third quarter. “I think we felt really good about where we were at,” said Clark, who finished with 12 points. “I think France was 8 for 14 (from 3-point range). We dug ourself a hole, but we climbed out of it, and I felt like we were never rattled by anything.” With Stewart and Wilson most likely leading the way at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, teams will be hard-pressed to end this run by the Americans. Besides their World Cup success, they also haven’t lost an Olympic game in 34 years.

SCOREBOARD Prep volleyball Tuesday’s area volleyball schedule

LaGrange at Acadiana, David Thibodaux at Southside, Lake Charles Prep at Breaux Bridge, Carencro at Church Point, Crowley at Welsh, Lafayette Renaissance at Eunice, Glencoe at Northside, Opelousas at Beau Chene, Rayne at Acadiana Renaissance, Catholic-NI at St. Thomas More, Centerville at Delcambre, Lafayette Christian at Notre Dame, Westgate at Acadiana Christian, Teurlings at Ascension Episcopal, Marksville at Episcopal of Acadiana, Highland Baptist at St. Martinville, Northwest at North Central, Lafayette at Northside Christian, St. Edmund at Opelousas Catholic, Vermilion Catholic at North Vermilion, Westminster at Iota, Port Barre at Westminster-Lafayette.

Odds Sports Betting Line NFL Thursday

FAVORITE at BUFFALO

Sunday

OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG 3 4½ (53½) Detroit

Monday

FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG at LA RAMS 9½ 7 (48½) NY Giants

College Football Thursday

Friday

FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG Miami (FL) 19½ 21 (55½) at W.F. at TEX TECH 14½ 7½ (53½) Houston at OREGON 57½ 56½ (65½) Portlnd St

Saturday

FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG at DELAWARE 5½ 4½ (57½) C. Carolina at GA TECH 42½ 39½ (60½) Mercer at TEX STATE 3½ 3 (63½) N. Texas Arizona St. 5½ 5½ (51½) at KANSAS at OHIO ST 52½ 52½ (59½) Kent State at CLEMSON 9½ 3½ (44½) N. Carolina at PENN ST 39½ 39½ (48½) Buffalo Georgia 17½ 25½ (54½) at ARKAN at IOWA ST 23½ 23½ (44½) B. Green at KANS ST 20½ 20½ (49½) Tulane at MIN 28½ 24½ (49½) Akron at WISC 24½ 24½ (45½) E. Michign at VANDER 5½ 3½ (51½) NC State at C. MICHGN 1½ 1½ (39½) Wyoming at B. CLLEGE 39½ 37½ (52½) Maine at ILLINOIS 41½ 39½ (53½) S. Illinois at TOLEDO 1½ 5½ (51½) Temple at CIN 14½ 14½ (50½) Mia (OH) at UMASS 34½ 33½ (48½) Stonehill at WASH ST 35½ 35½ (52½) Duquesne at UTAH 27½ 27½ (56½) Utah State USC 24½ 23½ (60½)at RUTGERS at MICH 35½ 35½ (48½) UTEP at ALABAMA 15½ 20½ (49½) Florida St at LOUISVLLE 1½ 1½ (59½) SMU at TEX A&M 14½ 16½ (50½) Kentucky at LIBERTY 13½ 14½ (49½) Ball St at INDIANA 44½ 44½ (60½) W Kent at IOWA 41½ 40½ (48½) N. Iowa at BAYLOR 18½ 18½ (53½) La Tech at DUKE 11½ 9½ (51½) Stanford at S. CAR 7½ 3½ (59½) Miss St at ULM 12½ 11½ (47½) Selu at OLD DOM 2½ 3 (49½) E. Carolina at APPA ST 19½ 17½ (51½) Charlotte at FLA ATL 9½ 7 (62½) Florida Intl Marshall 4½ 3½ (51½) at MISU ST Florida PK 2½ (52½) at AUBURN at MISSOURI 27½ 26½ (50½) Troy W. Michigan 10½ 9½ (43½) at RICE at OKLAH ST 57½ 55½ (69½) Murray St at S. ALABMA 3½ 4½ (51½) Ohio at S. FLORDA 37½ 37½ (62½) Delawre St Nevada 6½ 3½ (50½) at M. TENN at SAM HOU 18½ 18½ (50½) Nicholls St at JAX S 3 3½ (52½) Ga South at MEMPHIS 35½ 34½ (56½) UT Martin UConn 2½ 3 (54½) at S. MISS at UCF 19½ 18½ (51½) Georgia St at WASH 44½ 44½ (56½) E. Wash at NEBRSKA 24½ 24½ (49½) N. Dakota at NRTWSTRN 5½ 4 (49½) Colorado LSU 2½ 3 (59½)at OLE MSS at N.D. 29½ 29½ (52½) Mich St. at VIRGINIA 8½ 10 (53½) W. Virginia Virginia Tech 1½ 3 (53½) at MRYLND at OKLAH 21½ 22½ (46½) New Mex BYU 20½ 17½ (52½) at CSU at TEN 35½ 35½ (60½) Knnsw St at UL 8½ 7½ (56½) UAB at TCU 20½ 20½ (55½) Arkans St at TULSA 42½ 42½ (57½) E. Tex A&M at TEXAS 29½ 30½ (58½) UTSA at BOISE ST 22½ 22½ (56½) S. Dakota at SDSU 1½ 2½ (46½) J. Madison Ndsu 23½ 27½ (52½) at SAC ST at ARIZONA 31½ 34½ (49½) N. Illinois at ORGON ST 9½ 14½ (53½) Montana Fresno State 5½ 6½ (50½) at SJSU at UCLA 13½ 14½ (52½) Purdue

MLB

Tuesday

American League FAVORITE LINE at TAMPA BAY -230 at CLEVELAND -131 at TORONTO OFF -185 N.Y Yankees at TEXAS OFF at HOUSTON -164 Seattle -172 National League LINE FAVORITE LA Dodgers -227 Milwaukee -265 Philadelphia -213 at CHI CUBS -138 at ST. LOUIS -168 at COLORADO OFF

UNDERDOG Athletics Chi White Sox Detroit at MINNESOTA Boston Kansas City at LA ANGELS

LINE +185 +107 OFF +150 OFF +134 +139

UNDERDOG at CINCINNATI at PITTSBURGH at WASHINGTON Atlanta San Francisco San Diego

LINE +181 +208 +171 +113 +135 OFF

Miami

+124

UNDERDOG Baltimore

LINE +107

NFL Glance AMERICAN CONFERENCE East N.Y. Jets Buffalo New England Miami

W 1 1 0 0

L 0 0 1 1

T Pct PF 0 1.000 23 0 1.000 36 0 .000 10 0 .000 13

PA 10 31 13 27

Jacksonville Houston Tennessee Indianapolis

W 1 0 0 0

L 0 1 1 1

T Pct PF 0 1.000 34 0 .000 31 0 .000 10 0 .000 23

PA 10 36 23 41

L T Pct PF 0 0 1.000 41 0 0 1.000 20 0 0 1.000 33 1 0 .000 10

PA 23 13 27 34

South

Baltimore Pittsburgh Cincinnati Cleveland

West

W 1 1 1 0

W 1 0 0 0

L 0 0 0 1

T Pct PF 0 1.000 27 0 .000 0 0 .000 0 0 .000 14

PA 13 0 0 26

N.Y. Giants Philadelphia Washington Dallas

W 1 1 0 0

L 0 0 1 1

T Pct PF 0 1.000 28 0 1.000 24 0 .000 22 0 .000 20

PA 20 22 24 28

Atlanta Tampa Bay New Orleans Carolina

W 0 0 0 0

L 1 1 1 1

T 0 0 0 0

PF 13 27 30 37

PA 20 33 31 59

T Pct PF 0 1.000 39 0 1.000 59 0 1.000 31 0 .000 22

PA 22 37 30 39

W L T Pct PF 1 0 0 1.000 27 1 0 0 1.000 26 1 0 0 1.000 13 0 1 0 .000 7

PA 7 14 10 27

Las Vegas Denver Kansas City L.A. Chargers

NATIONAL CONFERENCE East

South

North

OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG 10½ 10½ (51½) Syracuse

-153 LINE -130

Pro football

North

FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG at HOUSTON 2½ 3 (46½) Cincinnati Green Bay 6½ 3½ (44½) at NY JETS at TAMPA 6½ 8½ (40½) Cleveland at BALT 7½ 8½ (47½) New Orlns Philadelphia 4½ 7 (39½) at TEN at CHICAGO 3½ 5½ (49½) Minnesota at N.E. 4½ 5½ (41½) Pittsburgh Carolina 1½ 1½ (44½) at ATL at DENVER 3 2½ (44½) Jax at CHARGERS 8½ 7 (43½) Las Vegas at DALLAS 4½ 3½ (50½) Wash at SAN FRAN 10½ 13½ (45½) Miami Seattle 10 4½ (41½) at ARIZ at K.C. 5½ 6½ (47½) Ind

FAVORITE at PITTS

at ARIZONA Interleague FAVORITE at N.Y METS

Minnesota Chicago Detroit Green Bay

West

W 1 1 1 0

San Francisco Arizona Seattle L.A. Rams

L 0 0 0 1

Pct .000 .000 .000 .000

Wednesday’s Games

Seattle 13, New England 10

Thursday’s Games

San Francisco 27, L.A. Rams 7

Sunday’s Games

Baltimore 41, Indianapolis 23 Buffalo 36, Houston 31 Chicago 59, Carolina 37 Cincinnati 33, Tampa Bay 27 Detroit 31, New Orleans 30, OT Jacksonville 34, Cleveland 10 N.Y. Jets 23, Tennessee 10 Pittsburgh 20, Atlanta 13 Arizona 26, L.A. Chargers 14 Las Vegas 27, Miami 13 Minnesota 39, Green Bay 22 Philadelphia 24, Washington 22 N.Y. Giants 28, Dallas 20

Monday’s Games

Denver at Kansas City, n

Late Sunday N.Y. Giants 28, Dallas 20

Dallas 0 7 7 6 — 20 N.Y. Giants 7 7 7 7 — 28 First Quarter NYG_Skattebo 3 run (Zvada kick), 6:40. Second Quarter Dal_Lamb 1 pass from Prescott (Aubrey kick), 5:44. NYG_Likely 15 pass from Dart (Zvada kick), :20. Third Quarter NYG_Likely 2 pass from Dart (Zvada kick), 6:56. Dal_J.Williams 1 run (Aubrey kick), :37. Fourth Quarter NYG_Singletary 9 pass from Dart (Zvada kick), 7:23. Dal_J.Williams 17 pass from Prescott (kick failed), 5:21.

A_83,286.

Dal 21 244 18-69 175 0-0 5-122 0-0 22-34-1 0-0 2-48.0 0-0 9-90 23:20

NYG 29 394 37-165 229 0-0 3-65 1-0 23-29-0 2-1 1-46.0 4-1 10-114 36:40

First downs Total Net Yards Rushes-yards Passing Punt Returns Kickoff Returns Interceptions Ret. Comp-Att-Int Sacked-Yards Lost Punts Fumbles-Lost Penalties-Yards Time of Possession INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS RUSHING_Dallas, J.Williams 12-41, Prescott 2-14, Luepke 1-7, Demercado 2-7, Lamb 1-0. N.Y. Giants, Skattebo 18-81, Dart 11-54, Singletary 6-16, Tracy 2-14. PASSING_Dallas, Prescott 22-34-1-175. N.Y. Giants, Dart 23-29-0-230. RECEIVING_Dallas, Lamb 5-44, J.Williams 5-31, Pickens 3-28, Flournoy 2-22, Spann-Ford 2-14, Ferguson 2-6, Schoonmaker 1-12, Mingo 1-10, Turpin 1-8. N.Y. Giants, Likely 8-78, Nabers 6-69, Singletary 4-22, Mooney 2-27, Fields 2-25, Johnson 1-9. MISSED FIELD GOALS_None.

College football College football schedule All Times Central

Thursday’s games EAST

Syracuse (1-1) at Pittsburgh (2-0), 6:30 p.m. Friday, September 18

SOUTH

Miami (2-0) at Wake Forest (2-0), 6:30 p.m.

SOUTHWEST

Houston (2-0) at Texas Tech (2-0), 7 p.m.

FAR WEST

Portland St. (0-3) at Oregon (1-1), 9:30 p.m.

Saturday’s games EAST

Coastal Carolina (1-1) at Delaware (1-1), 10:30 a.m. Villanova (1-2) at LIU Brooklyn (0-3), 11 a.m. Buffalo (1-1) at Penn St. (2-0), 11 a.m. Brown (0-0) at New Haven (1-2), 11 a.m. Lafayette (1-1) at Columbia (0-0), 11 a.m. Dartmouth (0-0) at Lehigh (3-0), 11 a.m. Princeton (0-0) at Bryant (2-1), noon Glenville St. (0-1) at Mercyhurst (0-3), noon Harvard (0-0) at New Hampshire (1-2), noon Cornell (0-0) at Colgate (2-1), noon Maine (1-2) at Boston College (1-1), 1 p.m. Yale (0-0) at Holy Cross (0-3), 1 p.m. Rhode Island (2-1) at Stony Brook (1-2), 1:30 p.m. Penn (0-0) at Bucknell (1-2), 2 p.m. Stonehill (1-2) at UMass (2-0), 2:30 p.m. Monmouth (NJ) (1-2) at Albany (NY) (2-1), 2:30 p.m. Southern Cal (3-0) at Rutgers (0-2), 2:30 p.m. Morgan St. (2-1) at Towson (0-3), 5 p.m. Virginia Tech (2-0) at Maryland (2-0), 6:30 p.m.

SOUTH

Mercer (2-1) at Georgia Tech (0-2), 11 a.m. North Carolina (2-0) at Clemson (1-1), 11 a.m. West Georgia (0-3) at ETSU (1-2), 11 a.m. NC State (1-1) at Vanderbilt (2-0), 11:45 a.m. VMI (0-3) at Davidson (1-2), noon Presbyterian (1-1) at W. Carolina (1-2), 1:30 p.m. Florida St. (1-1) at Alabama (2-0), 2:30 p.m. SMU (2-0) at Louisville (1-1), 2:30 p.m. Georgetown (0-1) at Richmond (2-1), 2:30 p.m. Va. Lynchburg (0-2) at Bethune-Cookman (1-1), 3 p.m. Hampton (1-2) at Norfolk St. (1-2), 3 p.m. Ball St. (1-1) at Liberty (1-1), 3 p.m. Stanford (1-1) at Duke (2-0), 3 p.m. Mississippi St. (2-0) at South Carolina (2-0), 3:15 p.m. SE Louisiana (1-2) at Louisiana-Monroe (02), 3:30 p.m. NC A&T (0-3) at Campbell (2-1), 5 p.m. East Carolina (0-2) at Old Dominion (1-1), 5 p.m. Point (Ga.) (0-0) at Charleston Southern (1-2), 5 p.m. Fordham (0-3) at William & Mary (2-1), 5 p.m. Wofford (2-1) at Chattanooga (1-2), 5 p.m. NC Central (2-1) at Gardner-Webb (0-3), 5 p.m. Charlotte (0-2) at Appalachian St. (2-0), 5 p.m. Sacred Heart (0-2) at Elon (2-1), 5 p.m. Dayton (2-0) at E. Kentucky (1-2), 5 p.m. FIU (1-1) at FAU (1-1), 5 p.m. Louisiana College (1-0) at Southern U. (1-2), 6 p.m. SC State (3-0) at Furman (2-1), 6 p.m. Tuskegee (0-0) at Jackson St. (2-0), 6 p.m. Florida (2-0) at Auburn (2-0), 6 p.m. Austin Peay (2-1) at West Florida (2-0), 6 p.m. Ohio (1-1) at South Alabama (1-1), 6 p.m. Delaware St. (2-1) at South Florida (2-0), 6 p.m. Nevada (1-1) at Middle Tennessee (1-1), 6 p.m. Tennessee St. (0-3) at Florida A&M (1-2), 6 p.m. Alcorn St. (2-1) at North Alabama (1-2), 6 p.m. Delta St. (0-0) at MVSU (1-2), 6 p.m. Georgia Southern (1-1) at Jacksonville St. (1-2), 6 p.m. Bowie St. (0-1) at Alabama A&M (2-1), 6 p.m. UT Martin (1-2) at Memphis (2-1), 6 p.m. UConn (1-1) at Southern Miss. (1-1), 6 p.m. Georgia St. (2-0) at UCF (1-1), 6 p.m. LSU (2-0) at Mississippi (2-0), 6:30 p.m. Virginia (2-0) vs. West Virginia (2-0) at Charlotte, N.C., 6:30 p.m. Kennesaw St. (1-1) at Tennessee (2-0), 6:45 p.m. UAB (1-1) at Louisiana-Lafayette (1-1), 7 p.m.

MIDWEST

Kansas (1-1) vs. Arizona St. (1-1) at London, United Kingdom, 11 a.m. Kent St. (1-1) at Ohio St. (1-1), 11 a.m. Bowling Green (0-2) at Iowa St. (1-1), 11 a.m. Tulane (1-1) at Kansas St. (2-0), 11 a.m. Akron (1-1) at Minnesota (1-1), 11 a.m. E. Michigan (1-2) at Wisconsin (1-1), 11:30 a.m. Valparaiso (1-1) at Indiana St. (1-2), noon Chicago State (1-2) at Butler (2-1), noon Wyoming (1-1) at Cent. Michigan (1-1), noon S. Illinois (2-1) at Illinois (1-1), 1 p.m. S. Utah (1-2) at St. Thomas (Minn.) (2-1), 1 p.m. Temple (1-1) at Toledo (1-1), 2 p.m. E. Illinois (1-2) at Illinois St. (3-0), 2 p.m. UTEP (1-1) at Michigan (2-0), 2:30 p.m. Cincinnati (2-0) vs. Miami (Ohio) (1-1) at Cincinnati, 2:30 p.m. W. Kentucky (0-2) at Indiana (2-0), 3 p.m. N. Iowa (1-1) at Iowa (2-0), 3 p.m. Marshall (1-1) at Missouri St. (1-1), 5:30 p.m. Morehead St. (1-2) at W. Illinois (1-2), 6 p.m. Youngstown St. (2-1) at S. Dakota St. (2-1), 6 p.m. Cent. Arkansas (2-1) at SE Missouri (1-2), 6 p.m. Troy (2-0) at Missouri (2-0), 6 p.m. North Dakota (3-0) at Nebraska (2-0), 6:15 p.m. Michigan St. (2-0) at Notre Dame (2-0), 6:30 p.m. Colorado (2-0) at Northwestern (1-0), 6:30 p.m.

SOUTHWEST

North Texas (1-1) at Texas State (0-2), 11 a.m. Georgia (2-0) at Arkansas (1-1), 11 a.m. Kentucky (1-1) at Texas A&M (2-0), 2:30 p.m. Louisiana Tech (1-1) at Baylor (1-1), 3 p.m. Central St. (Ohio) (0-1) at Ark.-Pine Bluff (1-2), 4 p.m. W. Michigan (1-1) at Rice (1-1), 6 p.m. Murray St. (1-2) at Oklahoma St. (1-1), 6 p.m. Nicholls (2-1) at Sam Houston St. (0-2), 6 p.m. Merrimack (1-2) at Tarleton St. (3-0), 6 p.m. Houston Christian (2-1) at Incarnate Word (1-1), 6 p.m. New Mexico (2-0) at Oklahoma (1-1), 6:30 p.m. Arkansas St. (1-1) at TCU (1-1), 7 p.m. East Texas A&M (1-2) at Tulsa (2-0), 7 p.m. McNeese St. (1-2) at UT Rio Grande Valley (1-2), 7 p.m. Stephen F. Austin (3-0) at Prairie View (1-2), 7 p.m. UTSA (2-0) at Texas (2-0), 7 p.m.

FAR WEST

CCSU (0-2) at Montana St. (3-0), 2 p.m. Duquesne (0-2) at Washington St. (0-2), 2:30 p.m. Utah St. (0-2) at Utah (2-0), 2:30 p.m. Wagner (1-2) at California (1-1), 2:30 p.m. Abilene Christian (0-3) at Idaho (0-3), 3 p.m. E. Washington (1-2) at Washington (2-0), 6:15 p.m. BYU (2-0) at Colorado St. (2-0), 6:30 p.m. Northwestern St. (0-3) at Weber St. (1-2), 7 p.m. Northeastern St. (0-0) at N. Colorado (0-3), 7 p.m. San Diego (0-2) at Cal Poly (2-1), 7 p.m. N. Arizona (2-1) at Utah Tech (0-3), 7 p.m. Stetson (1-2) at UC Davis (2-1), 9 p.m. South Dakota (3-0) at Boise St. (1-1), 9 p.m. James Madison (2-0) at San Diego St. (1-1), 9 p.m. N. Dakota St. (3-0) at Sacramento St. (1-2), 9:30 p.m. N. Illinois (0-2) at Arizona (1-1), 9:30 p.m. Montana (3-0) at Oregon St. (0-2), 10 p.m. Fresno St. (1-1) at San Jose St. (2-1), 10 p.m. Purdue (1-1) at UCLA (2-0), 10 p.m.

FCS Top 25 Poll

RANK REC PTS PRV 1. Montana St. (26) 3-0 650 1 2. Montana 3-0 601 2 3. South Dakota St. 2-1 595 3 4. Illinois St. 3-0 578 4 5. Tarleton St. 3-0 552 5 6. North Dakota 3-0 483 7 7. Lehigh 3-0 473 8 8. Stephen F. Austin 3-0 432 9 9. Youngstown St. 2-1 405 10 10. Tennessee Tech 3-0 393 11 11. UC Davis 2-1 389 6 12. South Dakota 3-0 370 12 13. Rhode Island 2-1 331 13 14. Austin Peay 2-1 317 15 15. Lamar 2-1 268 17 16. South Carolina St. 3-0 194 20 17. West Florida 2-0 178 2. 18. Idaho St. 3-0 177 24 19. Northern Arizona 2-1 174 23 20. Yale 0-0 160 19 21. William & Mary 2-1 103 16 22. Mercer 2-1 93 14 23.Villanova 1-2 83 18 24.Furman 2-1 74 NR 25.Southern Illinois 2-1 70 NR Dropped Out: Richmond (21), Abilene Christian (25) Others Receiving Votes: Richmond, 67; Cal Poly, 51; Colgate, 30; Wofford, 27; Jackson St., 20; Prairie View A&M, 20; Harvard, 18; Central Arkansas, 16; Southern Utah, 13; Alabama St., 10; Elon, 7; HCU, 6; Campbell, 4; Robert Morris (Pa.), 4; UAlbany, 3; Abilene Christian, 2; Dartmouth, 2; Nicholls, 2; UT Martin, 2; Monmouth (N.J.), 1; San Diego, 1; Southeast Missouri St., 1.

Major League Baseball American League East Division z-Tampa Bay New York Boston Toronto Baltimore

W 90 86 82 75 72

L 59 63 68 75 78

Pct .604 .577 .547 .500 .480

GB — 4 8½ 15½ 18½

Chicago Cleveland Detroit Minnesota Kansas City

W 76 76 70 70 66

L 73 74 79 79 84

Pct .510 .507 .470 .470 .440

GB — ½ 6 6 10½

W L Houston 75 75 Texas 74 76 Seattle 70 80 Athletics 61 89 Los Angeles 56 93 z-clinched playoff berth

Pct .500 .493 .467 .407 .376

GB — 1 5 14 18½

Central Division

West Division

Sunday’s Games

Detroit 8, Colorado 1 N.Y. Yankees 2, N.Y. Mets 0 Washington 6, L.A. Angels 5 Tampa Bay 14, Houston 4 Toronto 8, Baltimore 1 St. Louis 3, Chicago White Sox 1 Cleveland 9, Minnesota 2 Boston 4, Kansas City 1 Texas 7, Arizona 6 Athletics 8, Seattle 7

Monday’s Games

Chicago White Sox at Cleveland, n Detroit at Toronto, n Baltimore at N.Y. Mets, n N.Y. Yankees at Minnesota, n Seattle at L.A. Angels, n

National League W 88 83 74 70 69

L 62 67 76 81 80

Pct .587 .553 .493 .464 .463

GB — 5 14 18½ 18½

W 93 83 75 74 70

L 57 67 75 76 79

Pct .620 .553 .500 .493 .470

GB — 10 18 19 22½

L 59 68 71 88 94

Pct .604 .544 .527 .413 .369

GB — 9 11½ 28½ 35

Central Division

z-Milwaukee Chicago Pittsburgh St. Louis Cincinnati West Division

W Los Angeles 90 San Diego 81 Arizona 79 San Francisco 62 55 Colorado z-clinched playoff berth

Sunday’s Games

Detroit 8, Colorado 1 N.Y. Yankees 2, N.Y. Mets 0 Washington 6, L.A. Angels 5 Philadelphia 9, Atlanta 4 Miami 6, L.A. Dodgers 4 St. Louis 3, Chicago White Sox 1

L.A. Dodgers at Cincinnati, n Baltimore at N.Y. Mets, n Atlanta at Chicago Cubs, n San Francisco at St. Louis, n San Diego at Colorado, n Miami at Arizona, n

Tuesday’s Games

L.A. Dodgers at Cincinnati, 5:40 p.m. Milwaukee at Pittsburgh, 5:40 p.m. Philadelphia at Washington, 5:45 p.m. Baltimore at N.Y. Mets, 6:10 p.m. Atlanta at Chicago Cubs, 6:40 p.m. San Francisco at St. Louis, 6:45 p.m. San Diego at Colorado, 7:40 p.m. Miami at Arizona, 8:40 p.m.

Auto racing NASCAR Cup Series Enjoy Illinois 300 Results Late Sunday

At World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway Madison, Ill. Lap length: 1.25 miles (Start position in parentheses) 1. (2) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 247 laps, 73 points. 2. (11) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 247, 38. 3. (1) Joey Logano, Ford, 247, 54. 4. (24) William Byron, Chevrolet, 247, 33. 5. (20) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 247, 32. 6. (22) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 247, 31. 7. (19) Connor Zilisch, Chevrolet, 247, 30. 8. (6) Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet, 247, 34. 9. (10) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 247, 33. 10. (13) Austin Cindric, Ford, 247, 27. 11. (26) Cole Custer, Chevrolet, 247, 26. 12. (23) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 247, 34. 13. (25) Erik Jones, Toyota, 247, 24. 14. (7) Bubba Wallace, Toyota, 247, 24. 15. (28) John H. Nemechek, Toyota, 247, 22. 16. (17) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 247, 21. 17. (14) Ryan Preece, Ford, 247, 24. 18. (9) Ty Gibbs, Toyota, 247, 21. 19. (4) Christopher Bell, Toyota, 247, 27. 20. (29) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet, 247, 17. 21. (27) Austin Hill, Chevrolet, 247, 0. 22. (30) Cody Ware, Chevrolet, 247, 15. 23. (35) Shane Van Gisbergen, Chevrolet, 247, 14. 24. (34) Todd Gilliland, Ford, 247, 13. 25. (18) Tyler Reddick, Toyota, 247, 15. 26. (36) Ricky Stenhouse Jr, Chevrolet, 247, 11. 27. (21) Chris Buescher, Ford, accident, 237, 10. 28. (16) Josh Berry, Ford, 231, 15. 29. (15) Daniel Suárez, Chevrolet, accident, 229, 8. 30. (32) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, accident, 227, 7. 31. (8) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, accident, 214, 12. 32. (5) Chase Briscoe, Toyota, accident, 213, 11. 33. (31) Noah Gragson, Ford, accident, 198, 4. 34. (33) Riley Herbst, Toyota, accident, 176, 3. 35. (3) Ryan Blaney, Ford, accident, 154, 16. 36. (12) Zane Smith, Ford, accident, 129, 1. Race Statistics Average Speed of Race Winner: 81.469 mph. Time of Race: 3 hours, 47 minutes, 23 seconds. Margin of Victory: .333 seconds. Caution Flags: 18 for 87 laps. Lead Changes: 11 among 5 drivers. Lap Leaders: J.Logano 0-47; B.Keselowski 48-65; R.Chastain 66-80; K.Larson 81-136; J.Logano 137-158; K.Larson 159-162; J.Berry 163; B.Keselowski 164-181; J.Logano 182-201; B.Keselowski 202-220; J.Logano 221-227; K.Larson 228-247 Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Led, Laps Led): J.Logano, 4 times for 96 laps; K.Larson, 3 times for 80 laps; B.Keselowski, 3 times for 55 laps; R.Chastain, 1 time for 15 laps; J.Berry, 1 time for 1 lap. Wins: T.Reddick, 5; D.Hamlin, 4; R.Blaney, 3; T.Gibbs, 2; J.Logano, 2; C.Elliott, 2; S.Van Gisbergen, 2; K.Larson, 1; C.Bell, 1; C.Briscoe, 1; C.Hocevar, 1; R.Preece, 1; D.Suárez, 1. Top 16 in Points: 1. D.Hamlin, 2168; 2. K.Larson, 2159; 3. C.Bell, 2150; 4. R.Blaney, 2135; 5. T.Reddick, 2126; 6. T.Gibbs, 2117; 7. J.Logano, 2117; 8. C.Briscoe, 2109; 9. C.Hocevar, 2080; 10. B.Wallace, 2078; 11. C.Elliott, 2075; 12. A.Cindric, 2060; 13. C.Buescher, 2057; 14. R.Preece, 2055; 15. W.Byron, 2054; 16. D.Suárez, 2049. NASCAR Driver Rating Formula A maximum of 150 points can be attained in a race. The formula combines the following categories: Wins, Finishes, Top-15 Finishes, Average Running Position While on Lead Lap, Average Speed Under Green, Fastest Lap, Led Most Laps, Lead-Lap Finish.

Major League Baseball

Tuesday’s Games

Atlanta Philadelphia Miami Washington New York

Monday’s Games

Transactions

Athletics at Tampa Bay, 5:40 p.m. Chicago White Sox at Cleveland, 5:40 p.m. Detroit at Toronto, 6:07 p.m. Baltimore at N.Y. Mets, 6:10 p.m. N.Y. Yankees at Minnesota, 6:40 p.m. Boston at Texas, 7:05 p.m. Kansas City at Houston, 7:10 p.m. Seattle (Gilbert 12-9) at L.A. Angels, 8:38 p.m.

East Division

Cincinnati 4, Milwaukee 3 Pittsburgh 4, Chicago Cubs 3 Texas 7, Arizona 6 San Diego 6, San Francisco 4

American League BALTIMORE ORIOLES — Recalled RHP Codi Heuer from Norfolk (IL). Optioned RHP Yaramil Hiraldo to Norfolk. DETROIT TIGERS — Reinstated RHP Keider Montero from the paternity list. Optioned RHP Yilber Díaz to Toledo (IL). KANSAS CITY ROYALS — Recalled RHP Lucas Erceg from Omaha (IL). Optioned RHP Easton McGee to Omaha. TORONTO BLUE JAYS — Recalled LF Davis Schneider and LHP Brendan Cellucci from Buffalo (IL). Optioned LHP Ricky Tiedemann to Buffalo. Placed RF Rudy Martin Jr. on the 10-day IL, retroactive to Sept. 13. National League ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS — Claimed RF Jesús Sánchez off waivers from Toronto. ATLANTA BRAVES — Recalled RHP Owen Murphy from Gwinnett (IL). Designated LHP Bailey Falter for assignment. LOS ANGELES DODGERS — Recalled RHPs Bobby Miller and Paul Gervase from Oklahoma City (PCL). Optioned RHP Emmet Sheehan to Oklahoma City. Placed RHP Edgardo Henriquez on the 15-day IL. SAN DIEGO PADRES — Reinstated 1B Ty France from the paternity list. Optioned 2B Mason McCoy to El Paso (PCL).

FOOTBALL

National Football League BALTIMORE RAVENS — Signed DB Ladarius Webb Jr. to the practice squad. Released LB Dominic DeLuca from the practice squad. BUFFALO BILLS — Signed FB Brock Lampe to the practice squad. Released G Nick Broeker from the practice squad. DENVER BRONCOS — Released WR Lil’Jordan Humphrey. Elevated LS Mitchell Fraboni and RB Adam Prentice from the practice squad.

LIVING

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

|

T u e s d ay, s e p T e m b e r 15, 2026

5CN

Perennial powerhouse

Why Turk’s cap could become a favorite in the garden If you asked LSU AgCenter horticulturist Jason Stagg to pick a favorite plant, he probably wouldn’t be able to choose just one. But there’s a good chance Turk’s cap would be near the top of his list. This plant has a lot going for it. It’s a long-lived, root-hardy peGARDEN rennial shrub NEWS that is native to Louisiana. It produces unique, nectar-rich flowers every summer and fall — a boon to pollinators. And it is easy to grow, with little required in the way of maintenance. “If you’re looking for a perennial powerhouse for your garden, you’d be hard pressed to find anything better than Turk’s cap,” Stagg said. Turk’s cap (Malvaviscus drummondii) belongs to the Malvaceae, or hibiscus, plant family. Like its relatives, it bears dark green, heart-shaped leaves and colorful — often bright red — blooms that feature prominent stamens. What’s unique about Turk’s cap is its flower petals never completely unfurl, staying twisted in a spiral that resembles a traditional Turkish turban.

PROVIdEd PHOTOS

Pope John Paul II blesses a commissioned portrait of himself done by Louisiana artist Michael Hunt in 1981. Hunt, at right, was able to talk to the pontiff for about 15 minutes that day in Rome’s St. Peter’s Square.

MEETING THE POPE Louisiana artist reflects on occasion 25 years later, reissues papal portrait

BY JUDY BERGERON

has decided to not only tell the whole story of his moments with the pope, but to share a tangible part of the experience as a way of giving back for his blessing.

Staff writer LSU AGCENTER PHOTO By OLIVIA McCLURE

Turk’s cap flowers resemble hibiscus flowers, but their petals never completely unfurl, creating a unique, twisted appearance.

Blooms, which tend to be about an inch long, first show up in May and June then ramp up in the summer. New flowers appear on the plant regularly through fall, all the way up until first frost. That extended bloom season makes it a valuable food source for pollinators as warm-season flowering plants begin to decline. “It’s such an important nectar source for migrating hummingbirds and for butterflies and other pollinators,” Stagg said. Hummingbirds, in particular, are attracted to the tubular shape of Turk’s cap flowers and

Twenty-five years later, the details of his visit with the pope — some most holy, others more than humorous — are still vivid for Mandeville artist Michael Hunt. He saw Pope John Paul II in 2001. But unlike the masses who converge on Rome’s St. Peter’s Square hoping to catch a glimpse of the pontiff during one of his semiweekly appearances, Hunt was front and center. The prolific fine artist and commercial artHunt ist, most-known for his Saints, LSU and Mardi Gras posters, had been commissioned by former United States Ambassador to the Vatican Lindy Boggs of New Orleans, on behalf of Congress, to draw a portrait of the sitting leader of the Catholic Church. On this day, Hunt was to present the gift to him on behalf of the nation. “When I did the Pope John Paul

When in Rome …

PROVIdEd PHOTO

Louisiana artist Michael Hunt is selling, at his cost, this print of the Pope John Paul II painting he did 25 years ago.

II portrait, I really believed that that would be my legacy, that there could be nothing that could be any higher than that,” Hunt said by phone from his studio recently. Holding to that conviction, Hunt

This being his first audience with a pope, Hunt was unfamiliar with the protocol for such an occasion and had received no advance briefing on the do’s and don’ts. It was a sunny day in 2001, so the artist arrived in sunglasses and still had them on when he knelt before the pope for the portrait presentation. “Come to find out, the protocol cardinal was not going to let the photographs be released because there’s only been two publicly released photographs of an individual presenting something to the pope while wearing sunglasses,” Hunt said. “And one was Bono from U2, who suffers from some kind of eye disorder that forces him to wear sunglasses, and the other was me.”

ä See ARTIST, page 6C

ä See TURK'S CAP, page 6C

Bringing the comfort New Korean restaurant opens in Gonzales

BY JOY HOLDEN Staff writer

A new Korean restaurant has opened in Ascension Parish. Hanbat Korean Restaurant, 3005 W. Cabela’s Parkway, held a soft opening in Gonzales in August, but as of Sept. 9, they are fully open. The sit-down restaurant serves starters, grilled dishes, noodles, rice, soups and shareable sides. Notable starters include kimchi pancakes, spicy rice cakes

and cheese corn. Special dishes like bossam, with slow-cooked boiled pork belly, and bulgogi, usually with marinated beef, are also favorites. Bibimbap, a rice dish, Korean ramen and pork belly are some of the popular main dishes. Hours are 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. and 4 p.m.-9 p.m. Monday through Friday and noon to 9 p.m. on Saturday. Hanbat is closed on Sundays. For more information, call (225) 450-2096 or visit hanbatkrestaurant.com.

Save the date for the 2027 Friends of the LSU Libraries Book Bazaar BY JOY HOLDEN

draiser in 1976. Each year, thousands of books are housed at the LSU Book Barn where volunteers Book lovers, rejoice! The spend a year collecting and sortFriends of the LSU Libraries, a ing through books for those three 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, bazaar days in the Coliseum. The has announced the dates for its Book Barn also takes other forms 2027 Book Bazaar: April 22-24. of physical media like CDs, vinyl The giant book sale will take records and DVDs. place at the LSU Parker ColiThe Friends of the LSU Liseum. braries are currently taking The organization began in 1962 ä See BAZAAR, page 6C and held the first bazaar as a funStaff writer

PROVIdEd PHOTO

A feast of Korean food from Hanbat Korean Restaurant

6C ● Tuesday, September 15, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

lll

Some people are just snazzy dressers We’re not looking for compliDear Miss Manners: I hate dress codes, but for the opposite reason ments, just not to be attacked for that most people rail about veering from the standard them. Many say that dress jeans and T-shirts. (Yes, codes are a violation of we wear those when we’re their God-given right to gardening or cleaning out wear gym clothes to work, the garage.) Our friends or they say that wearing always declare the dress a tie (let alone a tuxedo) code to be “casual,” and Judith to a wedding causes them now some go so far as to Martin extreme physical discomorder us not to “bother MISS dressing up.” fort. Blah, blah, blah. MANNERS Take last weekend. On Well, my wife and I just Saturday, we were invited like to look nice. Nothing to some friends’ house for dinfancy; we’re not clotheshorses. She’s a gorgeous woman, and she ner. It was billed as “casual,” of mostly sews her own clothes and course. I wore a long-sleeved makes prom and party dresses shirt, no tie, blue pants. My wife for our daughters. The girls and wore a flowered cotton dress, the their friends get excited when kind she calls a shirtdress, with they can dress up, and ours are buttons down the front. always complimented on their The hosts both wore shorts — outfits. We aren’t, though. not that far from our own clothes,

you would think. But the wife said, “You really don’t have to dress up for us,” and her husband thought it was funny to add, “Oh, they’re probably going someplace fancier after this.” Ha ha. On Sunday, we were meeting two other couples at a restaurant to celebrate the anniversary of one of the couples. It was a very fancy restaurant, so I wore a jacket and a tie, and my wife wore a silk dress with the pearl necklace I gave her for her birthday. “Up,” yes, but not that “dressed up.” Well, one of the wives (who I never liked) reached over and “playfully” tried to take my tie off. I should have “playfully” reached over to take her shirt off. What is it with these people? Why do they even care what we

wear? We don’t go after them for looking like slobs. Gentle reader: No need. They seem to be going after themselves. Miss Manners interprets the rudeness you encounter as “Please stop showing us up.” You needn’t stop, although Miss Manners would not consider tearing off their clothes a good response. Try instead: “This IS my informal look. I was afraid my formal look would dazzle you.” Dear Miss Manners: I received some small gifts as thank-yous for teaching and hosting a class in my home. I thanked the students in person for the gifts, as I still see them on a daily basis when I take my children to school. Am I obligated to send an official thank-you note? I feel like

this would be sending a thank-you for a thank-you, and that seems kind of silly. I am curious what you think! Gentle reader: What Miss Manners thinks is that she will scream if she hears that canard again about not acknowledging a present because that would be sending a thank-you for a thank-you. No. You do not thank people for letters of thanks. You do thank them for presents, whatever happened to prompt them. Send questions to Miss Manners at her website, www. missmanners.com; to her email, dearmissmanners@gmail.com; or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.

ARTIST

Birthday party dilemma

The pontiff intervened and made sure that copies of all the photos the Vatican’s photographer shot were sent to Hunt’s hotel within hours of the presentation, he said. The faux pas didn’t stop there, though. The artist knelt on the red carpet about 20 feet from the pope, watching papal aides bring forward the close-to-5-foottall gift. He was unsure what to do next. “So one of the Swiss guards (specialized security for John Paull II) says, ‘You’re supposed to kneel in front of the Heavenly Father.’ And I said, ‘Oh, I didn’t know,’ ” Hunt recalled. “So instead of standing up and walking to him, and then kneeling down, I crawled the 20 feet on my knees up in front of him. And he (the pope) started to laugh. Traditionally, after genuflecting, a visitor gently bows and kisses the Ring of the Fisherman on the pope’s hand. “I reached out and grabbed his other hand and kissed the top of his hand instead of kissing the ring,” Hunt said. “And he just literally burst into laughter.” At some point, the pontiff inquired of Hunt’s hometown. When he responded New Orleans, Hunt recalls the pontiff replying, “I remember the time that I spent in New Orleans … There was a rendition of ‘Ave Maria’ that was done in advance of my Mass that has been my favorite rendition. Were you there to hear it?” Hunt didn’t attend, but he did know something about that rendition that the pope didn’t. He was close with New Orleans trumpeter and band leader Al Hirt, who told the artist that he didn’t know the notes to “Ave Maria.” Unable to locate the sheet music for the hymn on a Sunday, Hirt improvised, Hunt said. “So he had kind of a general idea as to what it sounded like, but he just started playing this jazz/combination of

but she is not always palDear Harriette: I am planning a trip for my atable to others. I don’t birthday, and managwant to invite her just to appease her if it ing the invites is may taint my birthintimidating! I don’t like traveling day trip, but I also with large groups, don’t want to hurt a so I’ve decided I close friend’s feelwould like a total of ings. Any advice? four to six of us on — Birthday Trip Harriette the trip. I prefer it Dear Birthday Trip: If Cole that way because this one friend is SENSE ANd I think it allows the only one out of SENSITIVITy for more intimacy your core group and connection who is not included, during our time together, you will devastate her. and it lends itself better Either way, your point is to car, home and activity valid. It is important to cubookings. That said, I am rate a group trip by includafraid one of my close ing people who are likely friends will be upset if I to get along. If you hondon’t invite her. She’s the estly think this woman will kind of friend you love be an impediment, don’t and is truly supportive, invite her, but do tell her. It

Continued from page 5C

PROVIdEd PHOTO

Louisiana artist Michael Hunt presented his painting to Pope John Paul II during this gathering of 70,000 faithful in St. Peter’s Square in 1981. ‘Ave Maria.’ ” Hunt said. “And the Pope said, ‘I know. I began to actually tap my foot to it.’” The pope was amazed that Hirt invented the arrangement on the spot, adding that he wrote a personal note to the musician saying how much he loved his rendition, according to Hunt. During their roughly 15-minute chat, Hunt said the pope also: n Told him he didn’t have a portrait like that of himself, but that he was a great lover of contemporary art; n Inquired as to how Hunt achieved the glow in the portrait’s paint. It was by adding crushed 14-carat gold to it; n Said he wanted the new painting to be in his permanent collection at the Vatican; n Blessed the portrait, gave Hunt a special blessing, and also blessed the 20 rosaries Hunt had bought at the Vatican store that morning for friends and relatives; n Presented him with four special rosaries: one for Hunt, one for his wife and one each for his two children. He instructed him that the rosaries were to be buried with each of them; n Arranged for a guide for personal tours of sites, including the catacombs underneath St. Peter’s Square where the popes are buried, and the viewing of a 2-inchtall sliver of wood said to be a piece of Jesus’ cross. “It was a once-in-a-lifetime thing,” Hunt said.

Pope John Paul II died four years later at 84.

A limited reissue In conjunction with the 25th anniversary of his John Paul II portrait, Hunt, using the original transparency photo of the painting, is selling, at his cost of $75, a limited run of 300, 16-inch-by-20inch matted and autographed prints of the piece. The mat, in the shape of a stained glass lancet window, features four of Pope John Paul II’s favorite sayings, with images of Jesus and Mary on either side of the pontiff. Fellow artist David Johnson, based in New Orleans, is a 35-year friend of Hunt, and the two have collaborated on several projects. Among them was turning Johnson’s popular Art Decostyled covers for Arthur Hardy’s Mardi Gras Guide into posters and selling them through Hunt’s website. “Michael is an unusual kind of artist. As well as being talented, he just has a flair for marketing and promotion that most artists like me don’t have,” Johnson, the Carnival guide’s longtime art director, said. But after 40 years in the poster world and over a million posters sold, Hunt says he’s retiring from that aspect of his work. “That’s it,” he said. “I’m going to go out on top, but I will do one special piece every year if I’m inspired to do it.” Visit huntstudio.com or call (504) 915-9641 for more information.

Continued from page 5C the red color of many varieties and cultivars. One of Stagg’s favorite Turk’s cap selections is Big Momma, which has 2-to3-inch blooms in a blazing red. This hybrid, developed in Texas by Greg Grant, combines the cold hardiness of our native Turk’s cap species with the larger flowers of a tropical species called Malvaviscus penduliflorus. In south Louisiana, Big Momma can reach 6 feet tall or more in a growing season. It won’t get quite as tall in northern parishes. Some of Stagg’s other

BAZAAR

Continued from page 5C donations. The Book Barn accepts books on Mondays and Wednesdays at 3555 River Road.

(dead stems can be cut back to the ground) and reliably return each spring. Turk’s cap has few disease or insect pest problems. It can tolerate various soil conditions but prefers moist, slightly acidic soil. “These plants are very LSU AGCENTER PHOTO adaptable, but you’re going By OLIVIA McCLURE to get your best performance in full sun,” Stagg Big Momma Turk’s cap is said. “They can even take a native perennial that part sun to some part shade. produces red blooms during You just won’t have quite as the summer and fall. intense of a bloom.” A common passalong favorite cultivars include plant, Turk’s cap can be Pam Puryear’s Pink, which divided and planted in the is a light, almost peachy cooler months of fall and pink, and white-flowering spring in Louisiana. White Lightning. “I think it’s one of the best Native Turk’s cap and perennials you can plant in hybrids die back in winter your garden,” Stagg said.

The 2026 bazaar, hosted this year April 16-18, raised $85,000 that the Friends of the LSU Libraries were able to present to Stanley Wilder, dean of the LSU Libraries. The money supports repairs and other library needs at the university.

For more information, visit Friends of the LSU Libraries on Facebook. Call (225) 578-5925 or email foll@lsu. edu for questions about volunteering. Email Joy Holden at joy. holden@theadvocate.com.

Send questions to askharriette@ harriettecole.com or c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.

Reader sounds off about walkers Dear Heloise: I strongly Keith, first, I must coragree with Michael I’s. rect on you one point. response to the original Leaving a house or any letter. He’s spot-on — a building that’s up in flames walker is for walking only. isn’t an attempt at humor. As a retired physical How on earth could it be? therapist with 42 Since you worked years of experience, in physical therapy, much of it being in I’m sure you saw home care, I’ve seen many people mismany near disasters use their walkers when observing because they didn’t people use a walker know any better. Hints from Perhaps when you as it pertains to Heloise have the time, you standing. One of the first things to teach can tell my readers someone when using a what the best way of standwalker is not to use it when ing up or getting out of it comes to standing. We’re bed is, if it isn’t depending supposed to teach them alon walkers in some way. — Heloise ternative, safe ways. With all due respect, I Daily water for all pets didn’t like your attempt at a humorous response of usDear Heloise: Excellent ing a walker to quickly exit point about daily fresh waa house if the house was on ter for your dogs! Please fire, without thought as to also remind folks that cats whether the person’s disori- need clean water as well. Ceramic fountains are ented. Try exiting quickly great because they keep while you’re lying injured on the floor. — Keith S., via email water circulating, but

these also require attention for the same reasons as dog bowls. Saliva and hair accumulate on the sides and in the water. You can usually see this in the form of foam on the surface. Make sure to regularly replace the filter under the fountain dome, and thoroughly clean the inside and outside for your furry companions! — Louis P., in North Carolina Louis, especially during the warmer months of the year, it’s so important that animals have lots of clean, safe drinking water. I use metal mixing bowls for my animals, and this includes other furry friends as well. After the sun goes down, it’s like “Wild Kingdom” with armadillos, raccoons and skunks passing through my backyard! — Heloise Send a hint to heloise@ heloise.com.

TODAY IN HISTORY By The Associated Press

TURK’S CAP

would be far worse for her to be blindsided by seeing photos on social media of the group having fun. If you tell her, you have to be completely honest with examples to support your concerns. What are you worried about possibly happening? And what has she done in the past, specifically, that leads you to this belief? If it truly is her behavior that leads you to leave her out, she should know.

Today is Tuesday, Sept. 15, the 258th day of 2026. There are 107 days left in the year. Today in history: On Sept. 15, 1963, four Black girls were killed when a bomb went off during Sunday services at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. (Three Ku Klux Klansmen were eventually convicted for their roles in the blast.) Also on this date: In 1835, Charles Darwin reached the Galápagos Islands aboard the HMS Beagle. In 1935, the Nuremberg Laws were enacted in Nazi Germany, depriving German Jews of their citizenship. In 1940, the tide turned in the Battle of Britain in World War II, as the Royal Air Force inflicted heavy losses upon the Luftwaffe. In 1958, a commuter train headed for New York City plunged into Newark Bay after missing a stop signal and sliding off the open Newark Bay lift bridge, killing 48 people.

In 1959, Nikita Khrushchev became the first Soviet head of state to visit the United States as he arrived at Andrews Air Force Base outside Washington. In 1978, Muhammad Ali became the first boxer to capture the heavyweight title three times, winning by unanimous decision in his rematch with Leon Spinks. In 2008, as a result of the subprime mortgage crisis, Lehman Brothers filed for Chapter 11 in the largest bankruptcy filing in U.S. history. In 2021, SpaceX’s first private flight streaked into orbit with two contest winners, a healthcare worker and their billionaire sponsor, in the most ambitious leap yet in space tourism. The trip dubbed Inspiration4 marked the first time a spacecraft circled Earth with an all-amateur crew and no professional astronauts. In 2020, Israel signed historic diplomatic pacts with two Gulf Arab states at a White House ceremony President Donald Trump called the “dawn of a new Middle East.” The bilateral

agreements formalized the normalization of Israeli relations with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. In 2024, a man aiming a rifle through shrubs as then-presidential candidate Donald Trump played golf at his West Palm Beach, Florida, country club was spotted by a Secret Service agent who fired at him, prompting the man to drop his gun and run without firing a shot. Ryan Routh was later convicted of trying to assassinate Trump and sentenced to life in prison. Today’s birthdays: Writerdirector Ron Shelton is 81. Actor Tommy Lee Jones is 80. Film director Oliver Stone is 80. TV personality Lisa Vanderpump is 66. Football Hall of Famer Dan Marino is 65. Actor Josh Charles is 55. Olympic gold medal swimmer Tom Dolan is 51. Actor Tom Hardy is 49. Actor Amy Davidson is 47. Actor Dave Annable is 47. Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, is 42. TV personality Heidi Montag is 40. Singer-songwriter Ella Boh is 25.

The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Tuesday, September 15, 2026 ● 7C

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FrAnK And erneSt

roSebUdS

zItS

zodIAC VIRGo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) A change to how you handle and earn your cash will turn out better than anticipated. Don't let negativity stand in your way when intelligence and hard work are the paths to better living. LIBRA (Sept. 23-oct. 23) Gather information and piece together what's best for you. A physical, spiritual or emotional shift will offer clarity and hope for a lifestyle that is more in tune with your mindset. ScoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Stop, reminisce and reach out to someone you lost touch with. Reflecting on and revisiting the past will help you come to terms with what you want to pursue next. SAGIttARIuS (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Before you risk your reputation, position or emotional well-being, revisit your domestic and professional situations. Stick close to home, and refrain from sharing personal information. cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Spend time nurturing partnerships or advancing your career. Keep your beliefs and personal life to yourself. Someone who doesn't share your views will sabotage what you are trying to achieve. AQuARIuS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Gather information, talk to experts and take care of matters that have an expiration date. Staying on top of your bills, debt and investments will put your mind at ease. PIScES (Feb. 20-March 20) Attend lectures, classes or trade shows that offer insight into something you might enjoy.

Improve your standards, pump up your resume and let your enthusiasm take over. Know your worth. ARIES (March 21-April 19) Hold on to what you've got. Being overly generous will lead to regret. Focus on bringing in personal growth and building a foundation that offers security and financial stability. tAuRuS (April 20-May 20) Observe what's happening around you, but don't let your curiosity draw you into something that can affect your health, well-being or reputation. Focus more on home, family and meaningful relationships. GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Refuse to let anger and frustration set in when directing your energy into researching, learning and bringing about positive change in your life will satisfy your soul. cAncER (June 21-July 22) Social or networking events will give you a unique perspective regarding what's available in your community and how you can use the connections and support to improve your profile. LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Communicating, debating and immersing yourself in subjects that challenge you to grow personally, spiritually or intellectually will help you redirect your energy and change your perspective. 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: G EQuALS S

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

SherMAn’S LAGoon FAMILY CIrCUS

dooneSbUrY

8C ● Tuesday, September 15, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

CurTiS

Hi and LoiS

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Sudoku InstructIons: Sudoku is a number-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1 to 9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday. Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

BaBY BLueS

BLondie

THe wiZard oF id

nea CroSSwordS

La TimeS CroSSword

The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Tuesday, September 15, 2026 ● 9C

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Bridge By PHILLIP ALDER Daniel J. Boorstin, a historian at the University of Chicago who died in 2004, wrote, “The traveler is active; he goes strenuously in search of people, of adventure, of experience. The tourist is passive; he expects interesting things to happen to him. He goes ‘sight-seeing.’ “ At the bridge table, the active defender goes strenuously in search of tricks. The passive defender hopes that tricks will have to be given to him. But how does he know which way to turn? First, listen closely to the bidding. If the opponents bid aggressively, but stop in game, be active. If they inch up to game, stay passive, almost certainly leading a trump (or from a strong honor sequence). In today’s deal, what should West lead against four hearts? Note that North is right to respond one diamond. With a good hand, responder bids his longest suit first. North’s fourclub rebid is a splinter, showing fourcard heart support, at least game-going values and a singleton or void in clubs. (If South has very weak clubs, a slam is a distinct possibility.) Since North has made a slam suggestion, West should lead actively, selecting the spade two, not a passive trump or diamond queen (especially as dummy rates to have at least five diamonds). Leading low from length guarantees

garfield

Pearls Before swiNe

hagar the horriBle

an honor in that suit. So East should know that he can take dummy’s spade nine with his jack, cash the spade ace, and lead a third round to his partner’s king. Then East will gain a trump trick for down one. After a red-suit lead, South can win 11 tricks — quite a difference. © 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 — MAnnERS: MAN-ers: Customary modes of acting.

Bizarro

marmaduKe

Average mark 16 words Time limit 25 minutes Can you find 22 or more words in MANNERS? yEStERDAy’S WoRD — InnoVAtIon into

onion

anon

iota

onto

anti

nation

ovation

tannin

noon

vain

notion

vino

nova

vita

novation

anoint

loCKhorNs hidato Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

today’s thought “Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know you that the Lord he is God: it is he that has made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.” Psalms 100:2-3 We should be filled with gladness as we worship and serve the Lord. G.E. Dean

10C ● Tuesday, September 15, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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

DOW 52,421.20 -152.09 -0.29%

NASDAQ 26,186.41 -146.62 -0.56%

BRIEFS

FROM WIRE REPORTS

Amazon suspends use of cargo carrier airline

The cargo airline that flew the plane that ran off the end of a Miami runway over Labor Day weekend and killed five people lost one of its biggest customers when Amazon suspended its partnership with 21 Air, and it’s not yet clear if the company will lose more business while the crash is being investigated. The Boeing 767, loaded with packages of contact lenses, came in fast on Sept. 6, and then barreled roughly 1,300 feet past the end of the runway and smashed into a van carrying workers at a plane cleaning company. All five people who died were in the van. Five others were hurt. “After the tragic incident last weekend, we’ve spent time supporting the investigation and reviewing some of the surrounding circumstances, and we’ve decided to pause our operations with 21 Air, the operator of Flight 7598,” Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said in a statement. “We’ll continue working to support the investigation and everyone affected.” The National Transportation Safety Board will examine everything that might have contributed to the crash to determine what caused it. That will include the actions of the pilots and air traffic controllers as well as the jet’s maintenance history, the airline’s practices and the stormy weather at the time of the crash. The North Carolina carrier had flown packages for Amazon since 2024. The company also flies packages for DHL. Data from aviation analytics firm Cirium show that 21 Air leases its 18 airplanes, which include 13 Boeing 767s and five 757s. At least six of those planes are leased from Amazon affiliates and at least three from DHL.

Costco raises price for Kirkland motor oil Costco has raised the price of motor oil sold under its exclusive private-label brand as well as limited how much of it customers can buy weekly as oil prices climb yet again. Americans looking to try to save some money by purchasing motor oil to do their own oil changes may consider this yet another blow to their wallets, as they are already contending with high grocery prices and inflation worries. Costco’s Kirkland Signature full-synthetic motor oil 5-quart two-pack now costs around $58, well above the approximately $30 it had been selling for just last year. Costco is also only allowing customers to purchase two boxes a week. The wholesale club operator is also limiting purchases of Mobil 1’s full-synthetic motor oil 1-quart six pack, which sells for about $44, to five per membership.

Africa’s biggest oil refinery opens LAGOS, Nigeria — Nigerian industrialist Aliko Dangote opened his refinery to public ownership Monday with plans to raise $1.6 billion from retail investors across the continent in Africa’s biggest initial public offering, or IPO. Dangote, Africa’s richest man, dubbed the IPO one “for the people” and said he wants everyone to be able to own a share. Retail investors can buy a 10-share bundle in the sprawling Lagos-based refinery for $4, the minimum investment. Dangote retains 87% ownership of the refinery, Africa’s largest. The refinery’s scale and potential returns, especially at a time when global oil prices have risen following the U.S.Iran war, have generated excitement among retail investors. “We are all going to fully share all our prosperity with the people and that is why we call it the people’s IPO,” Dangote said at Monday’s launch at the Nigerian Exchange Group in Lagos, flanked by the refinery’s officials and associates.

S&P 500 7,619.98 -37.00 -0.48%

EURO 1.1550 -0.0054 -0.47%

CRUDE OIL 100.05 -2.43 -2.37%

GOLD 4,310.00 -56.20 -1.29%

6-MO T-BILLS 4.21 0.1 2.43%

30-YR T-BONDS 5.35 -0.0 -0.06%

AI stocks drop, rest of Wall Street holds BY STAN CHOE

Associated Press

NEW YORK — Artificial-intelligence stocks slid worldwide Monday after leaders of the industry warned a slowdown is needed for the safety of humanity. Another jump in oil prices, meanwhile, briefly sent the yield of the 10-year Treasury to 5% for the bond market ’s latest pressure-raising milestone. Despite all the downers for Wall Street, gains for many stocks outside AI helped limit the market’s losses. So did a midday tempering of oil prices, and the S&P 500 fell a relatively modest 0.5%. More stocks rose within the index than fell.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 152 points, or 0.3%, and the Nasdaq composite sank 0.6% after clawing back most of an early loss of 1.3%. AI stocks have been under pressure a while because of worries their prices shot too high in the frenzy around the technology. The concerns jumped to another level over the weekend after one of the industry’s leading voices, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, called for a deliberate and global slowdown in the development of AI. Nvidia, whose profits have soared because its chips are helping to train AI models, sank 3.4% and was the heaviest weight on the market because of its massive

size. SpaceX, which gets a chunk of its business from AI, fell 2% after Elon Musk said over the weekend that he agrees with Amodei. Softbank Group, the Japanese giant that is a major investor of OpenAI, lost 10.7% in Tokyo after OpenAI’s Sam Altman likewise supported the concept of a slowdown. Altman also said in an interview with Fortune published Saturday that the company behind ChatGPT would likely wait until next year for a sale of its stock on Wall Street. That would delay a potential gusher of cash for Softbank and other early investors in OpenAI. In South Korea, the Kospi index

dropped 3.3% due to losses for its two most influential stocks, Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix. President Donald Trump played down the need for his administration to check the development of AI, saying he worried about ceding his country’s edge over China in a global competition and that winning would help address the risks from the advancing technology. Even with many voices inside and outside the AI industry calling for a slowdown to protect humanity, Trump said on his social media network Monday that the only guardrail it needs “is a STRONG AND SMART (High IQ!) PRESIDENT, and the U.S.A. has that, in spades!”

China bristles at ‘fearmongering’ about country’s AI development Anthropic CEO calls for global slowdown BY E. EDUARDO CASTILLO and CHAN HO-HIM Associated Press

BEIJING — China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday bristled at the Anthropic CEO’s call for the U.S. to curb China’s artificial intelligence capabilities as part of a wider argument for a global slowdown on AI development. In a lengthy essay published Saturday, Dario Amodei warned that a “Chinese lead in AI would pose grave danger for the United States and the world.” To enable the U.S. to keep its technological edge, Amodei called for maintaining restrictions on sales to China of the most advanced AI chips and chipmaking equipment. A spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Amodei’s dire warnings about China were counterproductive and that all parASSOCIATEd PRESS FILE PHOTO ties should work together on AI. “Fearmongering, confrontation and vicious A worker passes by robots from Chinese company Lens at the China International Supply Chain competition will only disrupt the process of Expo in Beijing on June 22. global AI governance — which serves no one’s interest,” spokesperson Guo Jiakun said at cooperation with China, the autocratic country Both China and the U.S. want “to make sure a news conference in response to a question with by far the most advanced AI capabilities.” the other side cannot establish a tech chokeXi has called for the setting up of point over them,” said Lizzi C. Lee, a fellow at about Amodei’s essay. a global AI governance framework the Asia Society Policy Institute’s Center for For their part, Chinese leaders have among the Global South, while pitch- China Analysis. also sounded the alarm about AI, warn“So from Beijing’s perspective, there is an ing of the risks posed by foreign entiing China as a pioneer in establishing obvious question: if the U.S. wants China to coan open-source AI community. ties with advanced capabilities. A top In an editorial published Sunday, operate on frontier safety while also restrictsecurity official in China’s government China’s state-run Global Times news- ing its access to frontier compute, what exactly published an essay on Sunday in which he accused “certain nations” — a refpaper dismissed Amodei’s essay as a does that cooperation look like?” Lee said. veiled call to “contain” China. erence to the U.S. — of leveraging AI It said that Amodei’s essay may ap- AI in the hands of ‘hostile forces’ advantages to hinder other countries’ Amodei innovation. pear on the surface to be focused on In an essay posted Sunday on social media, On Monday, President Donald Trump pushed global AI security, but, that it is “packed with Chen Yixin, head of China’s Ministry of State back against calls for his administration to step containment provisions targeting China and Security, warned that, in the hands of “hostile in to slow down AI development, saying such is, in essence, a ‘Cold War playbook’ for the AI forces and individuals with ulterior motives,” efforts were part of a “SICK conspiracy” which sector.” this technology could pose a direct threat to could allow China to eclipse the U.S. on AI. Amodei’s essay was published a few days “our political, institutional, and ideological seafter the FBI, National Security Agency and curity.” Trump, Xi could discuss AI governance Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Citing the capabilities of powerful technoloTrump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping are ex- Agency issued a joint cybersecurity advisory gies from U.S. companies like Anthropic and OpenAI, Chen warned that “certain nations pected to discuss AI governance, among other last week. That advisory said Chinese AI developers and organizations” now have the capabilities topics, at a meeting planned on Sept. 24. Chinese companies have developed powerful had engaged in “aggressive, malicious” efforts to “rapidly discover vulnerabilities at scale AI models that are often cheaper to use than in extracting, or “distilling,” capabilities from ... and execute complex hacking tasks.” That, advanced models from U.S.-based companies; some of the most advanced AI models in the he wrote, poses “serious risks to my country’s U.S. like Anthropic’s Claude and OpenAI’s GPT. critical information infrastructure.” by some measures, they are just as capable. China’s Commerce Ministry dismissed the Foreign spying agencies are turning to AI to Among the concerns outlined in his essay, Amodei predicted that a swarm of AI “agents” U.S. claims as groundless and said “distilla- “aggressively harvest sensitive data, includcould be able to take over the internet in six tion” has been commonly used by many AI ing critical national data, trade secrets, and to 12 months unless researchers agree to slow companies. It also said that the U.S. was pursu- citizens’ personal privacy information,” Chen down. He said that “global pacing will require ing a “monopoly of the AI industry.” wrote.

European leaders meet as Arctic thaw opens shipping routes Russian buildup stokes security fears By The Associated Press ROVANIEMI, Finland — European leaders joined forces Monday to highlight growing competition in the Arctic, where global warming is opening new shipping routes, governments are vying for vast natural resources and a Russian military buildup is heightening security concerns. The leaders, mostly from Nordic and Baltic countries, put a spotlight on environmental challenges, economic opportunities and military vulnerabilities at a time of doubts about whether the United States, through NATO, will remain a bulwark against Russia. “This region has become a geopolitical hotspot,” German Chan-

cellor Friedrich Merz told a joint news conference, insisting a new EU focus should complement NATO’s work. “Russia is building up its military capabilities here, and Russia uses its presence for hybrid activities every day.” Merz Merz said his presence — Germany is not an Arctic country — testified to the importance of the region to overall European security and suggested years of relative neglect should end. “Let me put it this way: High north — and low attention — is over,” he said. Prime Minister Petteri Orpo of Finland, which hosted the meeting in the capital of Lapland that’s home to a Santa Claus village, noted “high demand for concrete EU

action in the Arctic” and a changing security environment. “The Arctic has emerged as the central arena of great power competition,” he said. The two-day gathering that began Sunday comes on the heels of a Norwegian seizure of a Russian vessel earlier this month in the remote Arctic archipelago of Svalbard at the request of Ukraine, drawing the condemnation of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Centres for European Policy Network, a think tank, noted the “extremely dynamic backdrop” for the summit. It cited factors like accelerating climate change, China’s growing trade through the Arctic, and conflict around the Strait of Hormuz, which has raised the importance of the Northeast Passage for maritime shipments. The meeting serves as a “dress

rehearsal” for a looming revamp of the European Union’s Arctic policy expected to be released this autumn, with security at the center of the strategy for the first time, the group said. Climate change has been thinning the Arctic ice, making shipping routes increasingly accessible and reigniting competition with Russia, China and other countries over access to the region’s mineral resources. Meanwhile, the European bloc has been grappling with its response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s persistent pressure over Greenland, a self-governing territory of EU member country Denmark. He has repeatedly said the icy, resource-rich island should be part of the United States. Greenland’s government opposes U.S. designs on the island.

Louisiana’s

#1

children’s hospital!

At Manning Family Children’s, kids are our only specialty. Every person, every resource, every decision is 100% dedicated to kids! That’s why we’re proud to be ranked Louisiana’s #1 children’s hospital by U.S. News & World Report. Pushing the boundaries of care, and driven by unrelenting joyful purpose, we measure our legacy in futures made possible and an entire region made healthier.

#1 in Louisiana. #1 for our kids. Officially published today, Manning Family Children’s has been named the #1 children’s hospital in Louisiana by U.S. New & World Report in its 2026-2027 rankings. Four Manning Family Children’s service lines have been recognized among the top 50 programs nationally for exceptional care, including our Urology program, ranked #22; our Nephrology program, ranked #36; our Cancer Program, ranked # 48, and our Neonatology program, ranked #49 nationally.

“The Best Children’s Hospital rankings represent well-earned recognition of the extraordinary impact Manning Family Children’s is making for kids every day,” said Lucio A. Fragoso, President and CEO of Manning Family Children’s. “This is an important reflection of the distinguishing role we play as Louisiana’s number one and only hospital that is entirely dedicated to the care and wellbeing of kids.” Join us at manningchildrens.org

#1

When it comes to children’s healthcare, there’s good, and then there’s Manning Family Children’s. Here, we do things differently— and that’s why we’re proud to be ranked Louisiana’s #1 children’s hospital by U.S. News & World Report.

Unlike any other, we show up where kids are. We take on the toughest cases for the tiniest lives. Undeniable joy is at the core of our care and has been for 70 years. Today, we show up with undeniable expertise for every child, every time. Undeniably for kids. Undeniably #1. Discover how we’re leading the way for kids at manningchildrens.org/undeniable In proud partnership with