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SHOUGH, STURDY DEFENSE LEAD WAY FOR UNDERDOG SAINTS 1C

N O L A.C O M

T u e s d ay, s e p T e m b e r 22, 2026

‘CONSERVATION HISTORY’

$2.00X

$20 million planned for fortified roof grants

State redirecting federal funds intended for affordable housing BY ALYSE PFEIL Staff writer

STAFF PHOTOS By SOPHIA GERMER

Angelos Apeitos, hatchery manager at the University of Southern Mississippi’s Thad Cochran Marine Aquaculture Center, and Kevin Bishop release fingerling red drum through a tube next to Fort Pike on Friday.

Louisiana begins stocking redfish in coastal waters BY MIKE SMITH Staff writer

Out on the far end of New Orleans, the tiny redfish swimming in a tank were unknowingly being readied for a life-altering journey. Water began flowing through a black tube connected to the tank, and out came the thousands of fingerling fish. They exited the tube into the shallows on the edge of the Rigolets, many of them darting toward nearby marsh — their new habitat. “This is conservation history,” said Randy Pausina, who directs the Covington-based Recreational Fisheries Research Institute nonprofit. “This is the first time this is being done in Louisiana. It’s a big landmark.”

The release of around 10,000 fingerling redfish on Friday morning at Fort Pike was the culmination of a long-developing initiative, which has included similar stocking efforts at other locations along Louisiana’s coast in recent weeks. It is a pilot to test whether stocking can bolster the state’s struggling redfish population and the recreational angling industry that surrounds it, though there have been questions over whether it would be worth the cost and effort on a larger scale. In all, it involved the release of more than 150,000 redfish between 21/2 and 4 inches in West Cove in southwest Louisiana, Grand Isle and the Rigolets.

The program’s nonprofit organizers — Pausina’s organization and the Coastal Conservation Association of Louisiana — hope it will become a tool in the state’s bid to revive diminished population numbers for redfish, among the most prized catches for Louisiana anglers. The state has carried out stocking efforts for bass in closed ecosystems, for example, but never with redfish. Its organizers are especially enthusiastic, though state fisheries officials, while hopeful, are tamping down expectations. Louisiana cannot stock its way to healthy redfish numbers without other methods as well, they warn.

ä See REDFISH, page 4A

Gov. Jeff Landry announced Monday that the state plans to redirect $20 million in federal funding originally meant for affordable housing to instead launch another fortified roof grant program for homes affected by recent hurricanes. After storms in 2020 and 2021 caused homeowners insurance rates to shoot up, especially in coastal Louisiana, fortified roofs have emerged as one solution for people to save money on insurance premiums. Demand for grants to help build fortified roofs in the state so far has far outstripped supply. “The overall goal is to reduce the financial barriers for our families that are seeking to fortify their homes,” Landry said. “This demonstrates the strong commitment to proactive preparation rather than reactive rebuilding.” The proposed $20 million infusion brings the total amount that Louisiana has dedicated to fortified roofs to $100 million, Landry said. While insurance companies often give discounts to homeowners with fortified roofs because they are built to a higher standard to withstand storms,

ä See FORTIFIED, page 4A

Ex-RTA official may get second shot as finalist for CEO BY BLAKE PATERSON Staff writer

A former Regional Transit Authority executive who last month was knocked out of consideration in the agency’s search for a new CEO is in line to get a second shot at the top job. At a meeting Tuesday, the RTA’s board of commissioners is expected to vote on a resolution adding former RTA deputy CEO Mark Major to its list of finalists, after a New York City transit executive who initially made the cut dropped out. Major was one of five semifinalists interviewed by the RTA board in executive session in August. In a public vote that followed, Major didn’t receive enough support from board members to advance to the final round of three.

A fingerling red drum is released into the Rigolets next to Fort Pike in New Orleans on Friday.

ä See FINALIST, page 4A

Landry proposes ban on diesel exports Oil industry leaders push back BY MARK BALLARD

Staff writer

WASHINGTON — Gov. Jeff Landry is calling for a ban on exports of diesel fuel, saying it’s a way to lower historically high prices, but is facing pushback from oil industry leaders who say that idea could actually drive prices up. Joining Republican candidates, especially those representing agricultural districts, who have

WEATHER HIGH 93 LOW 76 PAGE 6B

stepped up the pressure because of surging prices, Landry on Thursday night wrote on social media that he favored banning the export of diesel fuel for 90 days in order to build up reserves and bring down the price of the fuel that farmers, truckers and Northern homeowners rely. Prices rose about 40 cents per gallon last week alone to a national average price Monday of $6.51 per gallon, according to AAA. On this day last year, the average price nationally was $3.69 per gallon. The reason is because of the pressures put on by the wars in Ukraine and

Iran. “Right now a record amount of diesel is going to Europe and Americans are subsidizing Europe’s problems,” Landry said Monday morning on CNBC’s Squawk Box. “Europe has done nothing to help America in either one of those two positions and yet they are sucking the energy out of America and making American citizens pay for it.” But the means for transporting domestic diesel is already at capacity, responded Tommy

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO

Diesel prices are displayed at a gas station in Minneapolis earlier this ä See DIESEL, page 4A month.

Business ......................6A Commentary ................5B Nation-World................2A Classified .....................7D Deaths .........................3B Opinion ........................4B Comics-Puzzles .....3D-6D Living............................1D Sports ..........................1C

14TH yEAR, NO. 41

2A ✦ Tuesday, September 22, 2026 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune

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BRIEFS

TEXAS

Appeals court favors Trump-backed Mo. map

Man shot by ICE officer detained

FROM WIRE REPORTS

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A long-running legal ﬁght over Missouri’s congressional map took another turn Monday when a federal appeals panel ruled in favor of new districts backed by President Donald Trump, even though the U.S. Supreme Court has blocked those districts from being used in the November election. A three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Missouri should use the new Republican-drawn U.S. House districts in the November election, just as the state did in its August primary. To revert to its prior districts for the general election would violate the U.S. Constitution, the appeals judges said. The appeals panel directed a lower court judge to issue a permanent injunction against using anything other than the map favored by Trump. But the ruling has no immediate impact. That’s because the panel also ordered the judge to delay the effect of the order for one week to allow time for an appeal. The judge quickly did so. Opponents of the new map said Monday that they will ﬁle an emergency appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. The Supreme Court already has twice sided against the Trump-backed map. Earlier this month, it blocked enforcement of a lower court order favoring the new map pending a potential appeal and eventual decision by the high court.

Up to 30 shots fired in shootout at synagogue

BELLEVILLE, Ontario — A 29-yearold man armed with a shotgun opened fire on a police officer stationed outside an Ontario synagogue during Yom Kippur, triggering a shootout involving as many as 30 shots, the province’s police watchdog said Monday. The gunfire left the man with injures that were not life-threatening and seriously wounded a veteran of the Belleville Police Service, whose condition had stabilized as he recovered in intensive care. Kristy Denette, a spokesperson for the Special Investigations Unit, said nearby vehicles and homes were riddled with bullet holes. There was no forensic confirmation Monday as to whether the synagogue itself was hit. Denette said the scene appeared to stretch about half a block from the Sons of Jacob Synagogue. “It would have been quite, quite the scene indeed,” Denette said. The Special Investigations Unit said preliminary evidence showed the man arrived in a truck about 7 p.m. Sunday and fired at an officer outside the Sons of Jacob Synagogue in Belleville, about 110 miles east of Toronto. The officer returned fire before a second officer arrived and also fired.

3 booked in connection to South Africa killing

JOHANNESBURG — Police in South Africa said Monday they arrested three suspects in connection with one of a series of killings of women in the same area on the outskirts of Johannesburg. The nine killings of women in their 20s and 30s in the municipality of Ekurhuleni over the last two months has triggered anger in South Africa, which has high rates of violence against women. Police have been investigating whether the killings were connected, raising fears that a serial killer or killers might be operating in the area. The suspects, two women and a man, appeared in the Boksburg Magistrates Court on Monday after being arrested in connection with the killing of a woman whose body was found last week in Ekurhuleni, east of Johannesburg. Their case was postponed to Oct. 1 when they can formally apply for bail. Investigators have not linked the suspects to the eight other killings. Authorities have said it is not certain that all the killings are connected, though they said they have identiﬁed similarities in some of them and have issued an alert for women in Ekurhuleni to take precautions.

the gunshot wound, and Attorney says toI have not received the attention that I reman still has medical quire,” Perez said, speaking Spanish over the phone as bullet in his back ina member of his attorney’s

BY ANNA WILDER and JESSE BEDAYN ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MARK SCHIEFELBEIN

Vaughn Hillyard, White House correspondent for MS NOW, does a report Monday near the White House in Washington. CNN, MS NOW and Politico on Monday sued President Donald Trump’s administration days after they were barred from the White House grounds.

News outlets file suit over White House ban CNN, MS NOW, Politico cite First Amendment

BY JOCELYN NOVECK AP national writer

NEW YORK — CNN, MS NOW and Politico on Monday sued President Donald Trump’s administration days after they were barred from White House grounds, calling the selective ban — based on the content of their coverage — a “blatant violation” of the First Amendment. Trump said on social media that he “cherished” a free press but not “FAKE NEWS.” “White House access is a privilege — not a right,” the administration posted on X. The extraordinary ban of the three news outlets’ reporters, which began over the weekend, represented a clear escalation of Trump’s long-running efforts — in the courts and through administrative action — to restrict news coverage he finds objectionable. They were also the latest test of First Amendment protections in the United States, where the government is constitutionally forbidden from restricting the press. The Constitution, the banned news outlets said in their lawsuit, “does not allow a president or any other government official to deprive the press of their First Amendment rights and liberty and property interests with no notice or process based solely on his dislike of the content of their reporting.” The three outlets filed the joint lawsuit two days after their reporters were blocked from the White House and prevented from doing their jobs. The reporters’ entry badges were disabled Saturday, a day after Trump had suddenly announced he was barring the outlets because of reporting he considered “fake news.” On Monday morning, the banned TV networks were reporting from an intersection just outside the White House complex. CNN, meanwhile, was removed from its pool duties, which are shared by the five major networks. It had been scheduled to cover the president’s trip to New York for the United Nations General Assembly. In an email to members, the TV pool said there would be no replacement coverage — and other networks would suspend their own pool coverage indefinitely. “Effective today, the TV pool will not be covering events designated as pool coverage of the President,” said the email, seen by The Associated Press, from the current chair of the pool, Fox’s Washington bureau chief, Bryan Boughton. “This fol-

lows the White House’s position preventing CNN from fulfilling its assigned pool duties.” Other news outlets also took steps in solidarity. The AP joined a number of news organizations, including The Washington Post and The New York Times, in a decision not to publish photographs of presidential events on Monday. The White House did not respond directly to a request for comment on Monday’s lawsuit. But in a news release posted on X, it said of the three banned outlets, “The First Amendment protects their right to publish; it does not entitle them to a hard pass, briefing room seat, or place in the press pool.” On his Truth Social platform, Trump wrote that he was not attacking the First Amendment. “The White House is not instituting an assault on the Free Press, something which I cherish,” the president said in his post. “It is instituting an assault on the FAKE NEWS, something that has grown like Cancer in our beloved United States of America. It is corrupt, purposeful, pervasive, fully coordinated, and totally out of control. It is a threat to our National Security, and must be stopped, NOW!” Vice President JD Vance, meanwhile, told reporters that the journalism of the three outlets is “effectively far-left propaganda,” and said they were still allowed to report — just not to have offices in the White House. In his second term, Trump and his Republican administration have upped the ante and punished certain media outlets. Trump has also lashed out at individual reporters in person or over social media, sometimes in strikingly personal terms — insulting them in briefings or in his recent speech at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner. “This morning, we notified the government that we are filing a lawsuit today to protect our First Amendment rights and defend the principle that the government does not decide what the press reports or publishes,” the banned outlets said in a joint statement posted early Monday on X. “Left unchallenged, this threatens press freedom and the public’s right to independent journalism free from government interference.” In the joint complaint, accompanied by a separate request for a temporary restraining order blocking enforcement of the bans, the outlets said, “This ban could not be a more direct assault on the First Amendment nor a more blatant violation of our most fundamental constitutional principles.”

Damage repaired after technical problems disrupt flights in Northeast BY JOSH FUNK

AP transportation writer Damaged communications lines at a key air trafﬁc control facility in Philadelphia had been repaired, allowing airports across the U.S. Northeast to resume operations after hours of disruptions, the nation’s transportation secretary said Monday evening. Hundreds of flights were canceled, including more than 600 into and out of Newark Liberty International Airport, as the outage hit every major airport in the New York City area. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy also said in an online post that “it will take some time to clear all existing delays” despite the repairs. The primary communications line at the Federal Aviation Administration facility in Philadelphia had failed earlier Monday, while the backup ﬁber optic line was inadvertently severed by railroad construction workers. The failures left controllers without radar or communications for hours. The outage brought commercial air traffic to a near-standstill at Newark for much of the day, with no commercial flights landing at the airport from

about 9:40 a.m. to just after 5:20 p.m. local time, according to flight-tracking site Flightradar24. More than 200 flights into and out of Philadelphia International Airport were also canceled, while disruptions hit LaGuardia and Kennedy airports in New York. By Monday evening, flights were resuming at those airports. Some airlines were allowing customers to change flights without charge. The FAA advised travelers to check the status of their flights before heading to the airport. The outage occurred just as President Donald Trump and numerous foreign leaders were flying into New York City for the United Nations General Assembly. The technical problems stem from the same FAA facility in Philadelphia that caused numerous disruptions at the Newark airport last spring. Regional control centers like these have two lines that carry radar and communications data in and out: the primary and the backup. The FAA said a circuit on the primary failed Monday morning, and when the system tried to switch to the backup, workers discovered that the fiber optic line had been cut.

Associated Press

AUSTIN, Texas — A Venezuelan man shot by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer was in custody Monday at an ICE detention center in Texas after he was released from a hospital with a bullet still lodged in his back, the man’s attorney said. Speaking by phone during a news conference, Wilber Rafael Garces Perez said doctors didn’t remove the bullet because it’s near his spine. He said ICE pressed for him to be released quickly from the hospital so it could move him to a detention center. He said he had received no pain medication or treatment there, and had slept on the floor, before eventually being given a “pill” by a nurse on Monday. Perez, 28, was making a DoorDash delivery in Austin on Sunday when his car was “sideswiped” twice by ICE officers in an unmarked truck, immigration attorney Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch told reporters Monday. He was taken to a hospital, she said, but was released later Sunday into ICE custody with the bullet still inside him. Perez said ICE officers didn’t ask him to stop or turn on any flashing lights until after they had sideswiped him. He said he did a U-turn and was trying to park when the officers rammed his car and shot him in the back of the neck. “I am not doing well due

staff translated during the news conference. Perez was being detained at the South Texas ICE Processing Center in Pearsall, about 130 miles southwest of Austin, Lincoln-Goldfinch said. She said Perez told her in a prior phone call that he was being interrogated. The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, has released little information and has not said what prompted the shooting. In a statement early Monday, the department said it was investigating the shooting of a Venezuelan man in the U.S. illegally who “had a final order of removal.” Homeland Security did not immediately respond to email messages seeking further comment on the shooting. Perez entered the U.S. legally in 2024 after using CBP One, a program begun under President Joe Biden that set up appointments with U.S. authorities to be considered for asylum, Lincoln-Goldfinch said. President Donald Trump ended the program on his first day in office. Perez’s attorneys said he was an asylum-seeker and had a valid work permit, Lincoln-Goldfinch said. She said a judge issued a deportation order for Perez after he missed a hearing in immigration court because the hearing notice was sent to a former address. “Not that being out of status would justify any of this at all,” Lincoln-Goldfinch said of the shooting in a social media post.

Flowers and candles are seen Monday near the site where a Venezuelan man was shot in his vehicle by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO in Austin, Texas.

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ICE hides locations of thousands of detainees unable to exerAll subject to final potentially cise all of their legal options. The practice, which apremoval orders plies to detainees who have

BY RYAN J. FOLEY Associated Press

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has stopped publicly revealing where it is holding thousands of detainees who are subject to final deportation orders, an unannounced move that has made it far more difficult for lawyers and relatives to find them, according to current and former officials familiar with the practice. ICE removed those detainees from its online detainee locator system on Sept. 15, according to three current and former ICE officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the change. Several lawyers contacted by The Associated Press confirmed their clients vanished from the system this week, and the American Immigration Lawyers Association warned its members about the situation Friday. The move represents a stark departure from previous practice and highlights the hardline nature of President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, leaving thousands of detainees exceedingly hard to trace and

received ﬁnal orders of removal from an immigration court, could speed deportations by making last-minute legal challenges harder to pursue, immigration lawyers said. Nearly 16,000 people who were arrested and booked into ICE detention in July were subject to ﬁnal removal orders, more than a third of the overall bookings, according to ICE data obtained by the Deportation Data Project based at U.C. Berkeley and UCLA. The practice does not apply to detainees held at a detention facility in Adelanto, California, or at temporary holding facilities in Minneapolis, New York City or suburban Chicago, the sources said. Judges have ordered ICE to list detainees in those facilities in the online locator promptly upon their arrival, as part of litigation over their detention practices. The effort to hide their locations adds to the ways in which the Trump administration has made life harder for detainees and their families as it has increased pressure on them to waive appeals and agree to deportation. ICE did not publicize the move and in a statement issued to the AP, the agency

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By JULIO CORTEZ

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has stopped publicly revealing where it is holding thousands of detainees, including removing those detainees from its online detainee locator system on Sept. 15, according to three current and former ICE officials who spoke on condition of anonymity. did not confirm or deny it. The statement said detainees with ﬁnal removal orders were being prioritized for deportation, even as ICE faces a “historic number of injunctions” from courts stopping individual removals. As a result of the change, lawyers and relatives lost track of their clients and loved ones without explanation, which is especially concerning because detainees are frequently moved to new facilities before deportation, said Greg Chen, senior director of government relations

at the American Immigration Lawyers Association. “Families are freaking out because they think the person has been deported and they don’t know where the person might be,” he said. “On the attorney side, this has serious implications for the ability to contact their client. It certainly has implications about how it will interfere with the attorney-client relationship.” The Department of Homeland Security, ICE’s parent agency, has argued that people who are subject to

final removal orders have received due process. That usually means an immigration judge has ordered their removal after a hearing, including cases when immigrants fail to show up, and the decision was afﬁrmed on appeal or not appealed. Still, those detainees have options to challenge their detention and removal, including seeking to reopen the case or by bringing what’s known as a habeas petition asking a judge to release them on constitutional grounds. Federal judges

have granted thousands of rulings ordering that detainees be released or granted bond hearings. ICE detention facilities held more than 65,000 people as of early July, the most recent available data. Around 30% of them likely have ﬁnal removal orders, said Michelle Mendez, legal director at the National Immigration Project. More people have been issued final removal orders after failing to show up for hearings in recent months because the administration’s immigration courts have taken steps to make it harder to participate and to reopen such cases, she said. “To me, it’s just another iteration of disappearing people,” she said. “Why would we do that in the United States of America? It’s something we’d hear about in another country and be concerned about individual rights and due process.” Some with final removal orders also have legal protections against deportation to their countries of origin based on the likelihood they would be tortured or persecuted. Many of them are facing removal to third-party countries where they have no ties and their disappearance in ICE’s system will make legal challenges harder, lawyers said.

Russia targets Zaporizhzhia after Ukraine launches drone barrage BY SAMYA KULLAB Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine — Russian drones struck the southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia on Monday, a day after Kyiv’s forces ﬁred more than 1,000 drones at Russia, ofﬁcials said. The relentless daily attacks underscore the lack of significant progress in diplomatic efforts to end the fighting more than four years after Russia invaded its neighbor. There is no sign the war is abating as world leaders gather this week at the U.N. General Assembly. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he expects

gets Russian refineries with long-range drones. “A large number of (Russian) diesel refineries have been blown up and are, at least temporarily, out of commission,” he said in a social media post. Earlier this month, Trump urged Zelenskyy to halt the refinery strikes, saying the attacks are causing a global shortage and price spikes. ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By KATERyNA KLOCHKO Zelenskyy responded to A rescue worker puts out a fire Monday at the Intrade trade Trump in a post on X, noting

center in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, after a Russian drone strike. to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump at the annual event in New York. Russian President Vladimir Putin is not due to attend.

that Kyiv has offered “dozens of diplomatic proposals on how to end this war with dignity, guarantee security, and prevent new Russian invasions.” “Ukraine’s energy sector, critical infrastructure, and our food exports must stop being targets for Russia, and this will lead to matching deescalation steps on our part,” he said. European leaders, fearing Moscow has malicious inten-

tions on their continent, are keen to put further pressure on Putin to withdraw from Ukraine, but the Russian leader has given no indication he is ready to give up his goals. The Russian bombardment of Zaporizhzhia late Sunday hit apartment blocks, a university and a shopping mall, among other sites, and wounded ﬁve people, Zelenskyy said on social media Monday.

Trump on Monday called the war “ridiculous” and said Moscow had “unfortunately lost control” of its diesel oil production as Ukraine tar-

Jury convicts Vt. man in shooting of 3 Palestinian university students By The Associated Press BURLINGTON, Vt. — A jury on Monday convicted a Vermont man of attempted murder in the shootings of three Palestinian college students who were walking near his home, rejecting an insanity defense rooted in his claims that he was acting on orders from U.S. and Israeli intelligence agencies. Jason Eaton faces up to life in prison in the November 2023 attack in Burlington, which paralyzed Hisham Awartani from the waist down and wounded his

friends, Tahseen Aliahmad and Kinnan Abdalhamid. The men, all 20 at the time, had been visiting Awartani’s grandmother for Thanksgiving. They were smoking cigarettes and speaking a mix of English and Arabic as they walked near the University of Vermont campus after dusk. Two of them were wearing traditional Palestinian scarves known as kefﬁyehs. The jury deliberated for several hours before reaching its verdict after a weeklong trial that saw testimony from the three men, who recounted how their stroll end-

ed in bloodshed, and defense and prosecution psychiatric experts who offered differing views of Eaton’s mental health and criminal culpability. Eaton, 51, stared ahead blankly as the verdict was read, standing alongside his lawyers — public defenders whom he tried to fire last week over his concerns that his defense hadn’t been “adequately presented.” Judge John Pacht, who blocked Eaton’s midtrial bid to act as his own lawyer, ordered him jailed pending sentencing, which has yet to be scheduled.

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4A ✦ Tuesday, September 22, 2026 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune

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REDFISH

Continued from page 1A But the stocking program and genetic tracking of the fish released may eventually play a modest but important role, while contributing to research on such efforts. That could include aiding recovery after fish kills during extreme weather, like 2025’s historic snow storm. Chris Schieble, deputy assistant secretary for the state Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, said stocking should not be seen as “the fix-all for every problem STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER we have.” Kevin Bishop prepares about 10,000 fingerling red drum for release next “This is to test out efficacy of red drum stocking off Louisiana, to Fort Pike in New Orleans on Friday. and we’ve got a pretty good partnership … to test this out as a pi- the new limits may be having on example. They must also be genetically validated as descendants of lot study,” he said, referring to the the population, Schieble said. Pausina, former head of fisheries Louisiana fish, Schieble said. redfish’s official name. for the state, first began pursuing While not paying for it, the state $6 per fish the stocking program a few years is nonetheless participating, parThe program follows alarming ago, modeling it after similar ef- ticularly through its fish sampling population numbers for redfish forts in other areas of the country. programs. It will take fin clips from and changes in Louisiana’s catch The state eventually granted him a redfish it finds in its sampling, then limits for the first time in nearly permit for it, and he then set out to send them to Southeastern Louisifour decades. raise the funds necessary for the ana University’s Center for EnviNumbers of redfish caught in recently carried out pilot. ronmental Research, which will 2021 were at their lowest since the The state is not paying for the maintain a genetic record of the 1980s, when the Paul Prudhomme program. Pausina and his part- stocked fish. blackened redfish craze took off. ners at the Coastal Conservation That will in turn allow sciThe causes of the decline have Association raised funds through entists to determine if the fish been numerous, from overfishing corporate donors such as Air turning up in the samples are to coastal erosion wiping away Products, Cameron LNG, Sem- stocked or not — or even halfhabitat. pra Infrastructure and American siblings — providing useful data After an acrimonious debate, in- Fishing Tackle Company, among on the program’s effectiveness, dicative of redfish’s importance in others. Jefferson Parish also con- said David Camak, the center’s head geneticist. south Louisiana, the state reduced tributed $40,000. A large number of the fish being limits in 2024 to four fish per day Pausina said the cost ended up released will certainly die, though from five. The minimum size was being around $6 per fish. also increased from 16 to 18 inchThe permit contains important good data on that is hard to come es, and no redfish over 27 inches requirements to ensure “biosecuri- by. But so-called return rates, or can be kept. ty,” meaning the fish being stocked the percentage of stocked fish beIt is too early to say what effect are not infected with parasites, for ing found during sampling in the

FORTIFIED

Continued from page 1A Landry noted that insurance companies will be required to give the premium discounts starting in January. The $20 million for the new program would come from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and was previously slated to go toward affordable apartment development. But the state is now asking the federal government to approve a reallocation of the money. A public comment period on the change is open until Oct. 19. If the feds agree that Louisiana can move the money, the new grant

DIESEL

Continued from page 1A Faucheux, the president of the Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association, a trade association formed nearly a century ago when oil companies started building the Gulf Coast reﬁneries that now produce most of the nation’s diesel, gasoline and jet fuels. “Without available capacity to redirect supply, halting the export of American diesel would force reﬁneries to reduce production, which would also decrease the production of gasoline,” Faucheux said Wednesday in a statement. “This is a misguided proposal that would cause more harm and increase, not decrease, costs for American families and businesses.” When asked about those comments during a Wednesday afternoon news conference, Landry said he has heard from Faucheux and

FINALIST

Continued from page 1A Last week, however, one of those three finalists, Bernard Jackson, the chief operating officer at the New York City Transit Authority, withdrew from consideration, according to an RTA news release. The resolution Tuesday will replace Jackson with Major, the next runner-up in the vote tally, maintaining a pool of three finalists. Major began working at the RTA in 1983 and was the runner-up during the agency’s last CEO search in 2023. He filed a lawsuit against the RTA last year claiming he was wrongfully terminated by Hankins, but dropped the suit in July before submitting his application. The CEO search, which has been underway since May, began drawing more questions last week after WBOK radio host and attorney Suzette Bagneris said on air that the executive search firm hired by the RTA, North

Producing the fish in the first place involved a careful process. Pausina collected wild “brood stock” — parent fish — through rod-and-reel ﬁshing at various locations along Louisiana’s coast. Those were then transferred to a hatchery at the University of Southern Mississippi’s Thad Cochran Marine Aquaculture Center. The center produces speckled trout for Mississippi stocking programs, among other efforts. The parent fish are first put through a quarantine process to ensure they are healthy, said hatchery manager Angelos Apeitos. They are later moved to the tanks where they will reproduce, with the hatchery meticulously controlling conditions to match the seasons they are mimicking, including water temperature and light. The fish are allowed about 30 days to spawn on their own. If that doesn’t happen, a hormone is implanted to help the process along, said Apeitos. When their offspring have grown to the desired size, they are transported to the water in tanks and released, as occurred at Fort Pike. Apeitos views stocking in coastal areas as an important option that can help fish populations recover more quickly than they might have. “There’s a lot of things that may impact the population at some level or another, and having this

technology and having this tool for managers to be able to use is important because it limits the amount of time a fishery has to close,” he said. Schieble said he sees no real risk to the program. The parents are native redfish, and the extensive quarantine and monitoring by the hatchery should ensure no diseases or parasites are being introduced into coastal waters. He also notes the vast open estuarine areas where the fish are being released means genetic diversity should be maintained. The Louisiana Wildlife Federation has been more circumspect. It has opposed spending public money on such programs, questioning whether they can truly be effective in open environments, and says focusing on restoring marsh habitat is a better approach. The pilot program may help inform both the public and state officials whether it is all worth the cost. The fingerling release involved a process of conditioning the small fish to their new environment before they were flushed from their tank. That meant testing the salinity and temperature, then adjusting it to match what exists in their soon-to-be home. Water was then pumped in, and not long after, tiny redfish began emerging from the black tube at the boat launch at Fort Pike. Apeitos was there to oversee that process, and Pausina observed it with anticipation. “I am super excited,” Pausina said. “I think we’re out the gate running now, and it’s only going to be limited by the participation and funding.”

wild, have been as much as 2-6% in Texas, Schieble said. While that may seem low, consider the needle-in-a-haystack nature of ﬁnding stocked ﬁsh in open, coastal waters.

Helping stocks recover?

program would be called Restore Resilient Opportunities for Overhead Fortification, or the Restore ROOF program. The state’s Office of Community Development would administer the money. Details about when the program would open, application requirements and funding amounts were not immediately available. Earlier this year, Landry and the Legislature allocated $30 million for grants to homeowners to build fortified roofs through the Louisiana Department of Insurance’s existing fortified roof grant program. They also rerouted $50 million collected by the Louisiana Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, the state’s insurer of last resort, toward that grant program.

Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple joined Landry on Monday to celebrate the effort. “This truly is Louisiana’s future to a more affordable homeowner’s insurance, especially in coastal Louisiana,” Temple said. The new Restore ROOF initiative would be independent of the LDI’s existing fortiﬁed roof grant program. Ofﬁcially called the Louisiana Fortify Homes Program and set up as a lottery system, the LDI initiative gives homeowners $10,000 grants for stronger roofs that can withstand hurricane-force winds. The most recent application period closed in June. Temple said Louisiana has over 15,000 certified fortified roofs, with 9,000 of those being built with

state funding and about 5,600 from individuals who built them on their own dime. Still, fortified roofs remain outof-reach for some even with help from the state’s grant program. Homeowners are on the hook for costs over $10,000, along with evaluators and other fees. Some nonprofits are trying to fill the gaps by giving money to homeowners who otherwise could not afford the outof-pocket costs. The $20 million that Landry wants to put toward fortified roofs was originally slated to go to developers for affordable housing in areas impacted by Hurricanes Laura, Delta, and Ida in 2020 and 2021. It was the final tranche of $475 million from

the Piggyback Resilience Initiative Mixed-Income, or PRIME, program for building affordable apartments. State ofﬁcials recently sent a letter to developers who had applied for the apartment grant money saying they were ending the program after considering a June statewide housing needs assessment. On Monday, Landry said the state has access to many programs to spur affordable apartment development. He added that when somewhere reaches a critical mass of fortiﬁed roofs, that can help to eventually reduce the whole area’s property insurance premiums. “It really is like a high tide that lifts all boats,” he said.

from big oil company executives. “I get it,” Landry said. “The majors out there, those that are exporting, are making record profits and I don’t have a problem with them making those particular profits. The American citizens should not be subsidizing Europe’s problems at a time when Europe refuses to help America.” Landry also noted that his tweet also suggested enacting exemptions and waivers to the rules that require small refineries to pay about $13 more per barrel for crude oil. He said the small refineries produce about 10% of the nation’s fuel supplies.

and storage, and that would result in an increase in fuel prices. American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers, a Washingtonbased trade association, also fretted that the ban wouldn’t work. AFP, as the group is commonly known, pointed out that U.S. refineries make about 5.3 million barrels of distillate fuel per day, of which Americans use about 3.6 million barrels per day. “If exports are banned, reﬁners cannot simply stockpile unlimited diesel. They would have to reduce production. Because gasoline and diesel are produced together, producing less diesel also means producing less gasoline,” AFP said in a statement. Professor Gregory Upton at LSU’s Energy Institute explained that, while global changes in supply and demand affect all costs, U.S. prices tend to be lower because of transportation costs and local market conditions. Basic economic theory strongly

suggests that domestic diesel prices would fall and international prices would rise if American exports are banned. “The magnitude of the domestic effect would depend on how much diesel could be stored or moved from exporting regions to other U.S. markets, and on how reﬁners responded,” Upton said. Because diesel, gasoline and other fuel products are generally made using interconnected processes, “the scope for changing their relative yields is limited,” Upton added.

the oil industry. Over the weekend, U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and some of the GOP congressional delegation in that state urged Trump to enact a diesel embargo, as was done in the 1970s when high fuel costs inﬂated grocery prices. “High diesel prices ARE KILLING FARMERS INCOME,” Grassley wrote in his X post. Though much of Washington was closed because of Yom Kippur, one of the holiest days for the Jewish religion, the issue got a lot of talk. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins told reporters that Trump had called her Monday to discuss diesel prices, reported Politico, a political trade publication. And legislation has been introduced by Rep. Tim Burchett, RTenn. The White House and Louisiana’s congressional delegation, which includes the House’s top two leaders, were unable to immediately comment.

Others raise concerns Faucheux’s statement echoes comments by U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright during a Thursday interview with The Daily Caller, a right-wing news source. Wright also said a diesel export ban would force a reduction in reﬁning, due to a lack of domestic pipeline capacity

Carolina-based KL2 Connects, initially didn’t score Major high enough to be one of its five semifinalists. On Friday, Mayor Helena Moreno told WWL-Louisiana that when she learned Major and another local candidate, Justin Augustine, the former manager of the RTA when it was operated by a private company, didn’t score among the top candidates in an initial review of qualifications, she urged the consultants to give them another look. “As mayor, I absolutely did provide stakeholder input into this search process,” Moreno told WWL-Louisiana, “especially when it’s my vision for an improved RTA that we are working to accomplish.” Before Jackson dropped out, Moreno in a letter asked the RTA to reconsider all five semifinalists in its final round, though board Chair Ann Duplessis said they planned to stick with a final three. After the WBOK report, transit advocacy group

RIDE New Orleans last week announced that it was withdrawing from a public forum for the CEO candidates that had been planned for Monday, stating it was concerned about the process. “RIDE believes any additional steps in the search for RTA’s next CEO must pause until the public receives clarity on these issues,” RIDE Executive Director Courtney Jackson wrote Thursday. The RTA said in its news release Friday that the next phase of the search will include “engagement with local transit experts and the New Orleans community,” though it said it is still conﬁrming details. The board is expected to interview the candidates again in executive session at an Oct. 27 meeting, followed by a public vote on a ﬁnal selection. “The selection of RTA’s next Chief Executive Officer is one of the board’s most important responsibilities,” Duplessis said in a statement.

A nationwide political debate Landry waded into a growing push by agricultural state politicos and GOP candidates worried about how their farmers are going to pay for harvesting, which is about to begin, and whether they will blame Republicans for the skyrocketing fuel prices at the midterm election polls. Rural areas, for the most part, have strongly backed President Donald Trump. But then, so has

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U.K. to offer Saudis aerial refueling More to help repel Houthi attacks

BY JILL LAWLESS Associated Press

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MARKUS SCHREIBER

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz walks ahead of a news conference Monday at the Christian Democratic Union headquarters in Berlin.

German leader faces tough time after election defeats Merz stands by vow to stay in office

BY GEIR MOULSON Associated Press

BERLIN — German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stood by his vow to stay in office Monday after his party suffered two more regional election defeats and was voted out of a state legislature in a humiliating first. But he faces a struggle to keep his reform agenda intact. Minutes after polls closed on Sunday, the unpopular Merz said he planned to stay on as leader of both Germany and his centerright party, and said that he would push through reforms to Europe’s biggest economy. Hours later, final results underlined the extent of what Merz conceded was a “disaster” in MecklenburgWestern Pomerania, an eastern region on the Baltic Sea coast. His centerright Christian Democratic Union fell just below the 5% of the vote needed to keep seats in the regional parliament, the first time that has happened in 77 years of modern Germany’s federal republic, after losing more than half its support. The far-right Alternative for Germany finished as the strongest party. In Sunday’s other election, the CDU dropped to second place in Berlin behind the hard-left Left Party, which is in pole position to lead the next city government — though Merz’s party could, depending on how coalition talks go, still retain city hall. But after days of speculation about Merz’s future, there were no prominent public calls Monday for his departure and no sign of a challenge. The chancellor said no one raised any “personnel questions” in party leadership meetings Sunday or Monday. “It is the historic task of the (governing) coalition here in Berlin and the political center as a whole to make our country fit for the coming years,” Merz said. “Extremists suggest that there are easy solutions. But everyone who has ever governed knows there are no easy solutions.” At the same time, he ac-

knowledged that the CDU needs to work on its profile. He said that it “no longer has satisfactory answers to too many questions, and we will and must change that.” Neither of the states that voted Sunday is a political heavyweight. The CDU’s 2023 win in Berlin was its only one in the past 25 years in the capital, which has tended to lean left. The party was already weak in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. But the results added to the headwinds Merz faces after a stinging defeat by the far-right, anti-immigration Alternative for Germany, or AfD, two weeks ago in Saxony-Anhalt, another region in the formerly communist east, damaged his authority and set off speculation that he might be replaced. While AfD was the strongest party in MecklenburgWestern Pomerania, the center-left Social Democrats — the junior party in Merz’s national governing coalition — were fairly close behind after a campaign focused squarely on the state governor, Manuela Schwesig, as a bulwark against the far right. That polarization helped squeeze other mainstream parties, including the CDU. A left-leaning three-party coalition under Schwesig would have a majority in the new regional legislature. Schwesig and others in the governing parties have cast doubt on aspects of the federal government’s reform agenda, which is meant to bolster a chronically sluggish economy. The reform plans include a potentially painful overhaul of the creaking pension system and of the healthcare system. A proposal to scrap a rule allowing people who have paid pension contributions for 45 years to retire early without taking a financial hit has drawn particular criticism. The Social Democrats’ national leaders said Monday that they stand by the coalition. But they made clear that they will seek at least some changes to the plans. Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil, who is also the finance minister, said that “saying we will ignore what voters told us in three state elections won’t work.”

Pakistan says strikes in Afghanistan kill 28 militants BY MUNIR AHMED and ABDUL QAHAR AFGHAN Associated Press

ISLAMABAD — Pakistani fighter jets on Monday struck sites in eastern Afghanistan that Pakistani ofﬁcials described as suspected militant hideouts. Pakistan said 28 militants were killed, while authorities in Kabul reported at least three civilian deaths. The strikes near the countries’ shared border marked a renewed escalation in tensions, raising the prospect of further cross-border hostilities. They also threatened to complicate mediation efforts by regional powers, including China. The strikes came after Pakistan warned that it could target militants inside Afghanistan following

two deadly attacks on Pakistani security forces near the border in recent days. The United Nations Mission in Afghanistan, known by its acronym UNAMA, said in a social media post on X that it had conﬁrmed that “at least three civilians, including a man, a woman and a girl, were killed and four injured in apparent airstrikes” in Afghanistan’s Kunar province in the early hours of Monday. UNAMA said it had documented over 1,100 civilian deaths and injuries in Afghanistan from crossborder violence so far this year. “We reiterate our call for respect for international humanitarian law to prevent civilian casualties,” it added.

ABOARD THE BRITISH PRIME MINISTER’S PLANE — Prime Minister Andy Burnham said Monday that Britain has agreed to provide limited military support to Saudi Arabia to repeal attacks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. Burnham told reporters as he ﬂew to the United Nations General Assembly in New York that he had agreed the Royal Air Force will provide air-to-air refueling of Saudi planes. The agreement is for a matter of weeks, but Burnham said it will be kept under review. The conflict between the Houthis and Yemen’s Saudibacked government has reignited, with Houthis aiming missile and drone strikes on Saudi Arabia, including one that targeted Riyadh on Saturday before being intercepted. The Houthis also declared a blockade on Saudi shipping in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Red Sea, attacking Saudi-linked vessels and oil facilities inside the kingdom, the world’s top oil exporter. The Houthis advanced inside Yemen earlier this month, seizing the crucial port city of Mokha and key

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JONATHAN BRADy

Britain’s Prime Minister Andy Burnham gives a speech Monday during a reception at 10 Downing St. in London. Red Sea islands allowing them to better monitor shipping trafﬁc through the Bab el-Mandeb, through which some 12% of world trade normally passes. Burnham said he was “acting to secure the interests of Britain and the wider region, because of course Saudi Arabia has been experiencing attack, is looking at potential further disruption, and we need to keep those pathways (for oil) open.” Britain has condemned the Houthi attacks and said

the U.K. will “work with partners to support regional stability, protect civilians and support humanitarian access.” U.K. officials had previously declined to comment on “operational matters” but noted that Britain and Saudi Arabia have a close defense partnership. The U.S., which bombed the Houthis under the Biden and Trump administrations, has shown no interest in getting involved military this time around.

U.K. officials say the agreement will start in the coming days, and involve one RAF Voyager refueling Saudi planes on “defensive” missions. The Associated Press reported last week that Saudi Arabia has asked its allies, including France, Britain, Pakistan and Egypt to deploy air-defense support to the region to help defend against missiles and drones ﬁred by Houthis and other Iran-backed groups on the kingdom.

Iran’s military warns U.S. over escalation By The Associated Press Iran’s Revolutionary Guard warned Monday that it would “change the geography of the war” if the United States escalates the conﬂict. A spokesperson for Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, Hossein Mohebbi, said that “the war is not over” and warned that Iran would change its weapons, military tactics and targets if the conﬂict with the U.S. escalates. “We will certainly change the geography of the war,” Mohebbi said in a statement carried by Iranian state media. “We will certainly bring new weapons with new capabilities into the battle.” He

Ex-Haitian official, 17 others appear in U.S. court All accused in 2021 plot to kill country’s leader

BY DAVID FISCHER Associated Press

MIAMI — A former Haitian government official and more than a dozen other people appeared Monday in federal court in Miami on charges related to the 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse. Joseph Badio, a former Haiti Ministry of Justice employee, was brought into the Florida court in a wheelchair. The hearing happened a day after he and 17 others described as Colombian mercenaries were flown to the United States from Haiti, where they had been in custody. They’re among 30 people charged in the indictment, including Christian Sanon, a Palm Beach County, Florida, resident and dual HaitianAmerican citizen who was already preparing to face trial next week. Authorities said he aspired to be Haiti’s president. South Florida served as a central location for planning and ﬁnancing the plot to oust Moïse and replace him with someone of the conspirators’ choosing, U.S. authorities have alleged. At least nine people so far have been convicted at trial or through guilty pleas.

said the Guard had prepared for a long-term war. “Our targets will no longer necessarily be the same as before,” he said, according to the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, adding that Iran has targets that have not yet been struck. The more than six-month war began with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran on Feb. 28. The conﬂict has included repeated attacks and efforts

to negotiate an end to the ﬁghting, with no agreement reached to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or revive talks over Iran’s nuclear program. Meanwhile, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center said a tanker was struck by an “unknown projectile” as it headed into the Strait of Hormuz. Two crew members sustained minor injuries. The UKMTO said Monday

the vessel is reportedly continuing to its next port of call under its own power. No reports indicated any environmental impact at this time. Tehran has asserted control over much of the Strait of Hormuz since the U.S. and Israel launched the war on Feb. 28. In peacetime, about 20 million barrels — roughly a ﬁfth of the world’s oil supply — passed through Hormuz each day.

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6A ✦ Tuesday, September 22, 2026 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune

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BUSINESS N O L A.C O M/BIZ

DOW 52,048.83 366.19 0.71%

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Wall Street rallies, bond yields ease

NEW YORK — Wall Street climbed to the edge of its all-time high on Monday, and stocks rallied worldwide after oil prices and yields in the bond market surrendered their market-rattling gains from last week. The S&P 500 jumped 1.5% and pulled within 0.4% of its record set last month. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 366 points, or 0.7%, and the Nasdaq composite leaped 2.3% to its own all-time high as chip stocks and other companies in the artiﬁcial-intelligence industry led the way. Stocks got help from the price for a barrel of Brent oil falling 3.4% to $100.34. While that’s still much higher than its roughly $72 price from earlier this summer, it’s down from the nearly $110 it touched last week. Oil prices have been swinging up and down as some crude from the Middle East is able to sail through the Strait of Hormuz to get to customers, though nowhere near as much as the industry would like because of the war with Iran. The average price for a gallon of regular gasoline across the United States has already climbed to nearly $4.48, according to AAA. That’s up from less than $4.32 just a week earlier and from $3.18 a year ago. Monday’s pullback in oil prices helped lower the pressure coming from the bond market. The yield on the 10-year Treasury eased to 4.95% from 5.01% late Friday after crossing above the 5% threshold last week for the ﬁrst time since 2023.

Ethan Allen starts search for a new CEO NEW YORK — Home furniture and furnishing retailer Ethan Allen Interiors Inc. announced that it has started a search for a new CEO to succeed Farooq Kathwari, who has been at the helm of the publicly traded company for nearly 40 years. The Danbury, Connecticutbased retailer said Monday it has hired a nationally recognized executive search ﬁrm that is considering both internal and external candidates. It said the board is committed to announcing its next CEO no later than June 30, 2027. That’s the date on which Kathwari’s current contract is scheduled to end. The company said that Kathwari will remain a nonexecutive member of the board after June 30 until the company’s 2027 annual shareholder meeting. Kathwari has been president of the retailer since 1985 and chairman and CEO since 1988, according to the company’s website. The announcement comes after investor Doug Bergeron, who owns a more than 5% stake in Ethan Allen, shared publicly earlier this month that he had launched his own search for a new CEO in advance of the company’s annual shareholders’ meeting

Social Security phasing out paper checks People still receiving Social Security benefits in the mail need to prepare for electronic changes as paper checks are being phased out soon. The Social Security Administration plans to complete the transition to electronic payments for beneficiaries by the end of this year, according to the agency. Federal law and Executive Order 14247, which went into effect Sept. 30, 2025, require federal benefit payments to be made electronically, with limited exceptions. If you’re still receiving benefit payments by paper check, the administration encourages switching to electronic payments as soon as possible. “Switching now ensures you receive your Social Security or Supplemental Security income quickly and securely,” the administration said. Beneficiaries can create or sign in to their Social Security account at www.ssa.gov/myaccount and provide bank account information to receive payments through direct deposit.

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GOLD 4,345.80 -40.10 -0.91%

6-MO T-BILLS 4.31 0.04 0.94%

30-YR T-BONDS 5.28 -0.05 -0.86%

Fed official: Iran war pushed rate hike BY CHRISTOPHER RUGABER

AP economics writer

WASHINGTON — A top Federal Reserve ofﬁcial said Monday that the renewal of combat in the Middle East in August was a key reason she supported raising borrowing costs last week, when she also penciled in a second rate hike for later this year. Susan Collins, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, said in an interview with The Associated Press that she agreed with the Fed’s decision Wednesday to lift its benchmark interest rate by a quarter-point to about 3.9%. She also expects that the Fed will keep rates unchanged next year, she added. “I did not see the inﬂation progress I was hoping to see,” she said. “Geopolitical developments sug-

gest that we could continue to see additional pressures push on the energy side. “There were reasons to see an increased likelihood of some of the scenarios in which inflation gets stuck above 2%,” she added, referring to the Fed’s 2% inflation target, which it has not hit for more than five years. Collins was the second Fed official Monday to outline their thinking about rates, along with Austan Goolsbee, president of the Chicago Fed, who spoke earlier in London and then addressed a roundtable of reporters. Both spoke about inflation pressures arising from supply shocks, such as the war in Iran, as well as from solid business and consumer spending. Neither Collins nor Goolsbee have a vote on the Fed’s rate decisions this year, but they participate

in the meetings where rate changes are discussed. Goolsbee will have a vote next year, while Collins will have a vote in 2028. Collins also said that businesses in her district, which includes Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, Rhode Island and Vermont, continue to express concern about high costs. Many of those companies expect they may have to pass rising costs on to their customers, which could push up measured inflation. Goolsbee, for his part, said that the central bank may have to cause economic pain in the form of higher unemployment to combat stubbornly high inflation. Goolsbee said that the Fed is facing a series of persistent supply shocks that have driven up inflation, including higher oil prices from the Iran war and tariffs. Typically, Goolsbee noted, the central

bank would essentially wait for such shocks to fade and inflation to fall on its own rather than raise borrowing costs. But faced with an ongoing series of persistent supply shocks, the Fed now has little choice but to hike rates, Goolsbee said. The increases are needed to lower consumer and business demand to a level consistent with reduced supply, he added, which should bring inflation back to the Fed’s 2% target. “The only way to bring inflation down is to raise rates and narrow the gap between supply and demand,” he said in a written copy of his remarks. “Forcing inflation back to target in the short run means pushing employment below target. ... In the short run, supply shocks force a difficult trade-off” between the Fed’s goals of low inflation and maximum employment.

States settle lawsuit over Paramount-Warner merger Key hurdle cleared to seal $81 billion deal

BY WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS and MICHAEL R. SISAK Associated Press

CHICAGO — Twelve states and Hollywood writers challenging Paramount’s buyout of Warner Bros. Discovery agreed to settle their lawsuits on Monday, effectively paving the way for the $81 billion mega merger to cross the finish line, with some new commitments from the company. The blockbuster deal will still bring together two of Hollywood’s oldest studios, key TV networks like CBS and CNN and streaming platforms HBO Max and Paramount+, as well as decades-old libraries with titles ranging from “Harry Potter” to “Top Gun.” But among terms of Monday’s agreement announced by California Attorney General Rob Bonta — who led the states’ case — Paramount pledged to increase film production in the U.S., commit millions of dollars to a fund aimed at supporting workers who are displaced by the merger and establish monitoring of editorial independence of the company’s news operations. The settlement still needs a final sign-off by a judge. Bonta said Monday’s agreement was about “protecting people’s careers, the lives they’ve built here in California, the livelihoods their families rely on” — but he maintained it was not a vote in support of the merger. “I don’t think these two companies should merge,” Bonta said in a Monday press conference. “But that’s not something that we are focused on with our resolution here.” Paramount CEO David Ellison welcomed the settlement, which he said marked “complete clearance for this merger.” He added that “bringing Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery together will build that stronger Hollywood, creating expanded opportunity for our people and even more great entertainment for audiences around the world.” The coalition of states — including entertainment heavyweights like California and New York — sued to block the merger in July, alleging a Paramount-Warner combo would “extinguish competition” and lead to fewer choices for consumers, particularly movie theatergoers and cable customers across the U.S. The Writers Guild of America also filed

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JAE C. HONG

Twelve states and Hollywood writers challenging Paramount’s buyout of Warner Bros. Discovery agreed to settle their lawsuits on Monday, effectively paving the way for the $81 billion mega merger to cross the finish line, with some new commitments from the company. suit, and both challenges were headed toward a full antitrust trial set to kick off in March. The WGA separately confirmed Monday that it settled its case, too. “We continue to believe the merger will cause damage to writers and the industry at large,” the guild said in a statement. “Now that the Attorneys General have settled with Paramount, however, as a nonprofit, the WGA must contend with the reality of forging ahead alone, with no backing from government enforcers, with a complex antitrust lawsuit that would cost millions of dollars to pursue through trial.” The union added that Paramount had agreed to prohibit writer layoffs at CBS News for five years and to pay $17.5 million to WGA’s health fund, along with attorneys’ fees from the litigation. Paramount previously agreed to delay its transaction well into next year so the challenges could make their way through court.

It then quickly called for a settlement — arguing that it had satisﬁed all regulatory clearances worldwide (including from the Trump administration’s Justice Department), saying that the states’ lawsuit, in particular, was its “ﬁnal obstacle.” As reports of the states reaching a settlement with Paramount emerged Monday, critics decried the deal — while warning of what further consolidation could mean in an industry already controlled by just a few major players. “Today, billionaires have yet again bribed, censored, and bullied their way to the top,” Alvaro Bedoya, senior adviser at the American Economic Liberties Project and a former commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission, said in a statement. “Layoffs will follow. People from L.A. to Atlanta will lose their jobs, small businesses will lose their contracts, your cable bill and movie ticket will be even more expensive.”

Coalition to build more representative language data sets for AI Gates Foundation leading charge BY JAMES POLLARD Associated Press

NEW YORK — The Gates Foundation is convening Anthropic, Google, OpenAI Foundation and dozens of other organizations to help make artiﬁcial intelligence more accessible in underrepresented languages. The partners — 60 in total, according to Monday’s announcement — include frontier AI labs, corporations, philanthropies and others already working to expand the number of languages available in AI tools that the Gates Foundation believes could combat global

inequality. The coalition aims to reach more than 3 billion people over ﬁve years by better coordinating existing efforts. It’s work that must continue “full speed ahead,” according to Gates Foundation CEO Mark Suzman, even as some of the largest AI companies urge their industry to slow down development of advanced models. Governments must regulate the impacts on cybersecurity or children’s development, he said, while they extend AI’s humanitarian applications to poor communities currently “shut out” from the technology. “Even if AI was frozen right now — which I don’t expect and I am not calling for — we would want to be building these language sets and making them usable with the tools

that we have available right now,” Suzman told The Associated Press. The collaboration follows last week’s Goalkeepers report, where the foundation committed $1 billion toward AI-focused efforts to improve health outcomes, upgrade educational tools and inform small farmers’ practices around the world. Unrepresentative language data could lead a model to mistranslate a pregnant Malawi woman saying her “water has broken” into the direct English that she’d “thrown away water,” the report warned. The “original sin” is that many AI tools were trained on language data scraped from the internet, according to Mozilla Data Collective CEO E.M. Lewis-Jong, whose company was incubated by the Mozilla

Foundation and is now a subsidiary of the not-for-profit Mozilla.org. The data-sharing platform seeks to help communities upload cultural and linguistic data sets on their own terms rather than have that data taken from the web without their explicit consent. “The internet is not a representative space,” she said. “Why would you think that you were going to get a culturally diverse and representative system out of something that was predominantly trained on Reddit?” Details such as the coalition’s governance are still getting hammered out, according to Suzman. A secretariat will track each signatory’s commitments and the Gates Foundation may nudge partners to ﬁll larger gaps when necessary.

The Times-Picayune ✦ nola.com ✦ Tuesday, September 22, 2026 ✦ 7A

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Pope prepares to visit France this weekend Leo XIV to find secular country at odds with Catholic teaching on life

Firefighting helicopter crashes near Yosemite Authorities say both pilots killed

BY NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press

VATICAN CITY — When an ailing Pope John Paul II visited the French shrine at Lourdes in 2004, on his last foreign trip, he delivered a forceful condemnation of abortion and euthanasia as he gasped for air during Mass. Pope Leo XIV is expected to make a similar appeal to protect life when he visits France this weekend and also prays at Lourdes. One of Christianity’s most-visited pilgrimage destinations is especially popular for sick people because of its association with miraculous cures. Leo’s message will likely land differently, since France’s National Assembly in 2024 enshrined abortion as a constitutional right and recently gave final approval to a bill allowing adults with incurable illnesses to receive lethal medication. It was the culmination of years of debate over end-of-life care in France and comes as other countries in Europe and the Americas have increasingly legalized assisted dying, though British lawmakers recently voted down a bill allowing it. Catholic teaching holds that life must be defended from conception until natural death. It insists that chronically ill patients, including those in vegetative states, must receive “ordinary” care such as hydration and nutrition, but that “extraordinary” or disproportionate care can be suspended if it is only prolonging a precarious and painful life. With Leo’s blessing, French bishops decided the official motto of his trip would be “That the world may have life,” suggesting that protecting human life and human dignity will be an overarching theme of the visit. Leo has emphasized the need to protect the dignity of all human life, from immigrants to the sick and unborn, most significantly in his inaugural encyclical on safeguarding human dignity in the age of artificial intelligence. Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline, president of the bishops’ conference, said he expected Leo would raise the issue. “We already know that the question of life and respect for life — not only from an ethical standpoint, but in many ways — is at the heart of the pope’s message and aligns very closely with the message of the Gospel.”

BY REBECCA BOONE Associated Press

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ANDREW MEDICHINI

Pope Leo XIV celebrates a Mass on Sept. 7 at the Basilica Sanctuary of the Mother of Good Counsel in Genazzano, central Italy.

once-traditionally Christian West, France has seen the influence of the Catholic Church wane amid secularizing trends and the impact of the clergy sexual abuse scandal on its credibility. Yet French bishops have expressed astonishment at the level of interest in the pope’s Sept. 25-28 visit and say they expect 1 million people will see him. Due to largerthan-expected crowds, organizers lengthened the perimeter for Leo’s main Mass at the central Place de la Concorde, extending the site beyond the 1.2-mile length of the Champs-Elysees where he’ll parade down in his popemobile. Leo elicited a similar level of interest in secular Spain in June, where he received a seven-minute standing ovation after his speech to the Spanish Parliament. “I think nobody many months ago or a few months ago would have imagined” the level of interest, said Sister Nathalie Becquart, a top Vatican ofﬁcial from France. “But they see what happened in Spain.” Like Spain, France has seen a trend of new adult baptisms in recent years, particularly among conservative young adults, many of whom are attracted to more traditional forms of worship including the old Latin Mass. More than 13,000 adults were baptized at Easter this year in France, where the number of adult baptisms has more than tripled since 2016, the French bishops’ conference reported. Leo will meet with some of these new converts in a special audience. But experts caution these numbers don’t counteract the overall generational trend of the children of practicing French Catholics no longer going to Mass or baptizing A secular but Catholic country their babies. In 1980, there were 513,000 bapFrance is a traditionally Catholic country, but adheres to a strict tisms in France; in 2024, a total of form of secularism in public life 186,000. “The new phenomenon of based on a 1905 law separating adult baptisms is put into perspecchurch and state. tive; in fact, it represents only a And like many countries in the very modest rebound,” said Chris-

tian Marquant, a traditionalist Catholic who blames the secularizing crisis in the French church on the modernizing reforms of the Second Vatican Council.

AI, peace also on Leo’s itinerary Leo is bookending his trip to France with two events to broaden his message to an international audience. On Day 1, he visits UNESCO to speak about artificial intelligence and the value of education and art. In his AI encyclical “Magnificent Humanity,” Leo called for robust AI regulation and for developers to slow down — a stance they have recently taken as a group. Leo’s position on AI has put him at odds with the Trump administration, which has encouraged AI innovation so the U.S. can compete with and surpass China. The visit to UNESCO by the American pope is significant, given the Trump administration has once again announced it is withdrawing from the U.N. cultural agency, part of its broader retreat from international organizations. On his final day, Sept. 28, Leo will visit the northern French city of Metz, the birthplace of Robert Schuman, one of the founding fathers of European integration. Leo will participate in a meeting with other faith leaders and then speak at a European conference on peace, at a time of war in Ukraine and beyond.

Clergy sexual abuse on agenda The Vatican took the unusual step of announcing ahead of time that Leo would meet with victims of clergy sexual abuse while in France. The gathering of seven survivors includes one who was an adult when abused, a recognition of the new frontier of the abuse crisis facing the church. The French church has endured a brutal reckoning with its legacy of abuse. An independent report in 2021 estimated 330,000 children had

been abused over 70 years by some 3,000 priests and church workers. Despite criticism of the report’s methodology and conclusions, French bishops nevertheless put in place an independent system of compensation for victims that to date has recommended the church pay out more than 20 million euros. In Lourdes, Leo will be reminded of a prickly abuse case inherited from Pope Francis. The façade of one of the Lourdes basilicas was designed by the Rev. Marko Rupnik, one of the Catholic Church’s most famous mosaic artists. Rupnik is on trial in a Vatican court, accused by more than two dozen women of having psychologically, spiritually and sexually abused them starting in the 1990s, including during the creation of his artworks. His case was covered up for three decades by his Jesuit superiors, and even Francis was suspected of having protected his fellow Jesuit. Amid a media outcry, Francis in 2024 ordered a canonical trial, which is ongoing. The Rupnik case posed the question of what to do with his mosaics, which adorn basilicas around the world. In 2024, Lourdes Bishop JeanMarc Micas decided to no longer illuminate the façade of the Notre Dame du Rosaire Basilica at night. He subsequently ordered the decorated doors covered, and more recently decided to cover the façade’s mosaics entirely. He reasoned that abuse victims who come to Lourdes for healing shouldn’t be forced to see them. Since some of the abuse was allegedly committed during the creation of the mosaics, “it is impossible to separate the work of art from the abuse,” said Laura Sgro, attorney for ﬁve women who accused Rupnik and have welcomed Micas’ decision to cover the mosaics.

Two helicopter pilots were killed when their aircraft crashed Sunday afternoon while conducting water drops on a wildfire at Yosemite National Park, officials say. The pilots were the only people on board and were employed by the contract aircraft company Precision. One of the pilots was Greg King, who used to work for the Alaska Division of Forestry & Fire Protection and fought several wildland fires in that state before moving to Precision, said agency spokesperson Emery Johnson. King’s close relatives work at the agency and gave their permission to release his name, Johnson said. The identity of the second pilot has not yet been released. At least 14 people have died while helping with wildfires in the U.S. this year, the most since 2022 when 25 deaths were recorded, according to government reports. In August, two helicopter pilots died while helping fight a fire in Utah and a helicopter pilot in Colorado crashed into a reservoir. Details about the circumstances surrounding Sunday’s crash were not immediately released. It will be investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board. The Super Puma helicopter had been using a water bucket to help suppress the fire when it went down near a lake, said Benjamin Cossel, a spokesperson with the Federal Complex Incident Management Team overseeing the firefighting response. The Alaska forestry and fire agency called the deaths a devastating loss for the entire wildland firefighting community. “Greg was a dedicated aviator and a dear friend to many of us. We are mourning both pilots who bravely supported firefighting efforts, and our hearts go out to their families,” the agency statement said. Precision wrote on social media that the company was “struggling to find the words.” “We ask for privacy and compassion for their families and our team as we grieve this tremendous loss,” the statement said.

Lawyer: Officials haven’t offered details of teen’s ties to mosque shooters BY ALLEN G. BREED

agreement to record and disseminate the livestream, her attorney, Alan Doorasamy, said during a court hearing Monday. Doorasamy ﬁled a formal request for the information — known as a “bill of particulars” — on Friday, and the judge scheduled a hearing Wednesday on the motion. The motion does not seek to

Associated Press

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — The attorney for a North Carolina girl accused of helping two teens who carried out a deadly attack on a San Diego mosque says prosecutors haven’t provided enough information to allow him to defend his client. Sarah Santiago, 17, is charged as an adult with three counts of murder by aiding and abetting and one count of conspiracy. Prosecutors say she helped California teens Cain Clark and Caleb Vazquez, who shot and killed three people at the Islamic Center of San Diego on May 18 before killing themselves. Prosecutors in North Carolina allege Santiago agreed in advance to record

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By Ty ONEIL

Candles with victims’ names written on them are placed on May 20 outside the Islamic Center of San Diego in the aftermath of a shooting. and distribute a livestream of the attack made by the shooters and to disseminate their White-supremacist writings. She is also accused of buying a patch bearing a white-supremacist symbol and sending it to one of the

gunmen to wear during the attack. But prosecutors have yet to provide information about how or on what dates Santiago allegedly communicated with the shooters, or give details about the alleged

British prosecutors charge doctor in the 1994 Rwandan genocide By The Associated Press LONDON — A doctor from Rwanda was arrested in London and charged Monday with crimes related to the 1994 Rwandan genocide, British authorities said. Dr. Vincent Brown, formerly known as Vincent Bajinya, is the ﬁrst person to be charged in the U.K. for taking part in the ethnic geno-

cide in which an estimated 800,000 people were killed, prosecutors said. Brown, 65, was arrested and charged with one count of conduct ancillary to genocide and six counts of conduct ancillary to murder as a crime against humanity. U.K. law allows British prosecutors to bring charges for some international offenses, including genocide and crimes against

humanity, regardless of where they were committed. “The charges relate to allegations that Dr. Brown took part in the genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda in 1994,” said Frank Ferguson, head of the Crown Prosecution Service’s counterterror division. “He is alleged to have directed and incited acts of murder and genocide carried out by others.”

force the prosecutor’s ofﬁce to turn over actual evidence, but rather to provide more information clarifying the allegations against Santiago. Prosecutors have not yet responded to Doorasamy’s request. The Forsyth County District Attorney’s Ofﬁce did not immediately return a call seeking comment Monday.

“She needs to know why she was arrested,” Doorasamy told The Associated Press in comments outside the courthouse Monday. “She’s a child. Of course she’s very scared and she’s worried, but she’s done nothing wrong.” Santiago was arrested late last month and is being held without bail.

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An operatic star is on the rise I met Julia Ernst in March on a night when she looked every bit the diva. She was performing at a salon event in New Orleans. Tony Award winner Christine Ebersole opened the show, and, at 25, Ernst closed it. Whatever star quality is, Ernst has it. Months later, still thinking about that performance, I tracked her down. What I found underneath the shimmer and shine was a 25-year-old woman from Mandeville who still misses her mama and fried shrimp po-boys from Zara’s Lil Giant Supermarket on Prytania Street. Ernst is in her third year at Yale, working toward a second master’s degree in opera performance. This fall, she sings the role of Nedda in a scene from “Pagliacci.” Conductor Gustavo Dudamel, music director of the New York Philharmonic, picked her to sing Leonore when he came to campus to work with the orchestra. In February, she will be Fiordiligi in Mozart’s “Così fan tutte” with Yale Opera at the Shubert Theatre in New Haven, Connecticut. Ernst does not come from a musical family. Her parents do not sing or play instruments. She speaks one language, English, but sings in at least eight: English, French, German, Italian, Russian, Spanish, Czech or Greek. Much of her training at Yale goes into diction classes, getting pronunciations exact. Her love of singing goes back to watching Celine Dion, Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston on YouTube, loving what she calls “the idea of a ballad and kind of stopping time with your voice.” One day she walked up to her mother, Shannon, and announced her plans to sing “My Heart Will Go On” in the school talent show. Until then, her mom had no idea her daughter could sing at all. A voice teacher at Archbishop Hannan High School in Covington later suggested that Ernst try opera. She hasn’t stopped since. At Loyola University New Orleans, she trained as a mezzosoprano until a master class changed her path. Gerald Martin Moore, who now heads Yale Opera, was in town judging a regional round of the Metropolitan Opera’s competition. He heard Ernst sing a mezzo aria and told her that she should consider changing to soprano. Her teacher agreed, and she spent the next year rebuilding her voice around a soprano repertoire, starting with “Donde lieta” from Puccini’s “La Bohème.” A year later, she emailed Moore, reminded him they had met at Loyola, and asked for a shot at Yale. My husband, Julio, grew up listening to opera because his father loved it. As a young man, he spent Saturday afternoons on a canal in El Paso catching bluegill, carp and catﬁsh, listening to Tchaikovsky and Puccini on “Live from the Met.”

ä See RISHER, page 2B

PROVIDED PHOTO By SARA MCINGVALE PHOTOGRAPHy

Mandeville native Julia Ernst is working on her second master’s degree at yale, studying opera.

T u e s d ay, s e p T e m b e r 22, 2026

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New Orleans jail warden resigns Sheriff taps former warden as interim chief

BY BLAKE PATERSON Staff writer

The top administrator at New Orleans’ jail stepped down Friday, ending a two-year stint as Sheriff Michelle Woodfork continues to reshape the agency in the early months of her term. In a news release, Woodfork announced that Jeworski “Jay” Mallett would “return to retirement”

after being hired as the Sheriff’s contributions to the agency.” As one of the sheriff’s top depuOfﬁce chief deputy of corrections in 2024 under former Sheriff Su- ties, Mallett managed operations and staffing inside New san Hutson. His tenure, Orleans’ jail complex, which included a historic which has been under jail break and backsliding federal oversight since in compliance in the jail’s 2013 for its violent and federal consent decree, unconstitutional condicame after Mallett spent more than 20 years as an tions. administrator in the MisAs of Monday, there were 1,470 people housed sissippi prison system. at the jail. The population “Throughout his career, Mallett Mallett has focused on profession- is primarily made up of people al accountability, effective cor- in pretrial detention and those rectional operations, staff devel- arrested on parole violations but opment, and the safe and secure also includes a growing number care of inmates,” the Sheriff’s of state inmates who have already Ofﬁce news release said, which been charged. Mallett was in charge of the thanked him for “his service and

lockup in May 2025, when 10 men incarcerated at the jail escaped. A report from the Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s Ofﬁce released in April found that deputies had conducted only a fraction of required security checks in the lead-up to the brazen escape and that deputies routinely reported working off-duty details at the same time as their standard shifts. In remarks after the escape, Mallett joined Hutson in suggesting that the escape was likely aided by someone on the inside. “It was more than just a breach of security. It was some type of help,” Mallet said at the time.

ä See WARDEN, page 2B

SUMMER DOWN

STAFF PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER

Chasing the last light of summer, two cyclists pedal toward the setting sun in Jefferson as the ﬁrst day of fall arrives, but south Louisiana’s heat and humidity aren’t quite ready to give summer up.

New comedy club development Man accused planned on Tchoupitoulas Street in deputy’s

killing ruled incompetent for trial

Venue to feature pool, restaurant

BY JONAH MEADOWS Staff writer

The owner of Sports Drink, the Irish Channel venue that’s a coffee shop by day and a 50seat comedy club at night, is planning a second nearby club that will give the New Orleans stand-up comedy scene its largest-ever dedicated performance space. The Orange Violet, as the new venue will be known, will feature a swimming pool, a pizza-focused restaurant, three bars and a 200-seat performance venue at 3157 Tchoupitoulas St., where construction has begun on the $1.5 million renovation of the ﬁre station-turned private residence. That’s about five blocks from Sports Drink’s Toledano Street location, where comedians perform in front of a wall of orange sideline coolers. The new venue will retain its signature backdrop, though the coolers will instead be purple. Andrew Stephens, a 33-yearold Baton Rouge native who opened Sports Drink in 2023 with the proceeds from a surprise role on an HBO lim-

Brother fatally shot during Thanksgiving argument

BY MICHELLE HUNTER Staff writer

and don’t want to rent out a theater, but they’re too big to do our current room.” Live comedy is in the midst of something of a post-pandemic renaissance, with ticket sales up 80% and the number of performances doubling compared to pre-COVID numbers.

A Marrero man accused of gunning down his brother during an argument on Thanksgiving has been found not mentally competent enough to stand trial, Jefferson Parish court records said. Darius Guerin, 32, was committed into the custody of the Louisiana Department of Health after Judge Donald Foret, of the 24th Judicial District Court, determined he lacked the mental capacity to understand the proceedings against him or assist in his defense. The decision came down in a Sept. 16 hearing. Guerin is charged with second-degree murder, obstruction of justice and aggravated ﬂight from an ofﬁcer in connection with the death of 35-year-old Shaquille Guerin, a St. John the Baptist Parish sheriff’s deputy. The shooting occurred Nov. 27, 2025,

ä See VENUE, page 2B

ä See KILLING, page 2B

PROVIDED PHOTO By ANDREW STEPHENS

Andrew Stephens stands outside 3157 Tchoupitoulas St., where he plans to open The Orange Violet in March. ited series, hopes the Orange Violet can offer an appealing habitat for a tier of act that largely skips New Orleans: comics who have outgrown the existing space but cannot ﬁll a 1,000-seat theater. “There’s people who are blowing up on social media that can sell a crazy amount of tickets,” Stephens said. “They may be earlier in their career

2B ✦ Tuesday, September 22, 2026 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune

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JPSO veteran fired, arrested on drunken driving charge Deputy has checkered law enforcement history

BY MICHELLE HUNTER

Staff writer

The Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Ofﬁce announced the arrest and ﬁring of a veteran deputy with a checkered past who was found Monday morning drunk and asleep behind the wheel of a vehicle in Metairie. Aaron Verrette, 51, was booked with DWI after investigators determined his blood alcohol content was 0.155%, almost twice the legal limit of 0.08%, according to Capt.

Jason Rivarde, spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Office. First District deputies were dispatched about 9:20 a.m. to investigate reports of a sleeping driver in a car in the 1700 block of Veterans Memorial Boulevard, Rivarde said. Verrette, who was in a private vehicle, at first drove away from the deputies but eventually stopped, Rivarde said. Verrette, a 14-year deputy, was arrested after giving a breath sample that indicated his impairment. He was booked into the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center in Gretna. Verrette did not appear to still be jailed as of Monday evening, according to Sheriff’s Office records. No bail information was

available. A man who answered a phone number belonging to Verrette hung up on a reporter Monday evening. The Sheriff’s Office declined to identify the position to which Verrette was most recently assigned. Sheriff’s Office Facebook posts note that Verrette was promoted in October 2024 to lieutenant in the First District, which covers eastern Metairie. Verrette has had a troublesome history within local and state law enforcement. In 2010, he resigned from the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office while under criminal investigation. Department officials at the time said Verrette had refused to coop-

erate with an internal investigation into suspected drug dealing by other deputies. Verrette was never criminally charged in the case. Verrette moved over to the Plaquemines Parish Sheriff’s Ofﬁce before being hired in 2016 as the special agent in charge to of then Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry’s Cyber Crime Unit in the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation. But his tenure heading a division tasked with rooting out online predators and illegal child pornography quickly came to an end after two months when he resigned in lieu of termination. Verrette’s subordinates filed complaints against him alleging aggressive sexual harassment.

An investigation determined that Verrette had violated the attorney general’s policies against sexual harassment, according to records obtain in 2021 by The Times-Picayune. After being placed on administrative leave, Verrette left the state Attorney General’s Office. He returned to the Plaquemines Parish Sheriff’s Ofﬁce, then was rehired by the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Ofﬁce in 2020, Rivarde said. Staff writers Andrea Gallo and John Simerman and former staffer Gordon Russell contributed to this story. Email Michelle Hunter at mhunter@theadvocate.com.

East Feliciana weighs nuclear innovation campus KILLING Site could include waste recycling

BY DAVID J. MITCHELL

Staff writer

Two months after Louisiana became a finalist for a national initiative to modernize nuclear power, state officials have begun meeting with local officials — most recently in East and West Feliciana parishes — about interest in new nuclear development. Such companies could include those engaged in recycling spent radioactive fuel rods, nuclear fuel enrichment and permanently storing nuclear waste. The state Department of Conservation and Energy, which is leading Louisiana’s effort to win the federal competition, met with local officials last week in south Louisiana and will hit the northern part of the state soon. “We’re visiting different areas saying, ‘Hey, here’s the kind of

WARDEN

Continued from page 1B

A jail maintenance worker was later arrested and accused of cutting off water to the cell where inmates ultimately pulled a toilet from a wall and climbed through. In the staffing announcement, issued late Friday, Woodfork said she had appointed Jason Kent, Mallett’s deputy and the former warden at Dixon Correctional Institute, to serve as the interim chief. Kent served on Woodfork’s transition committee leading up to her May 4 inauguration and came out of retirement to work at the Sheriff’s Office. Mallett’s exit comes as Woodfork has set about making changes to the operations at the jail and the Sheriff’s Office more broadly in an effort to meet the requirements of the consent decree. At an event earlier this month hosted by the Bureau of Governmental Research, Woodfork announced that she had hired Jimmy LeBlanc, the former longtime head of the state Department of Public Safety and Corrections, as a consultant to “guide the warden on how we can do things better.” BGR, a good-government nonprofit, in a 2022 report recommended strengthening the ap-

things that are out there that might be part of it. Is there anything you’ve got an interest in?’ ” said Patrick Courreges, a state energy department spokesperson. One such meeting took place with East Feliciana officials late last week, said Police Juror Richard Oliveaux. The jury is considering whether to support the state’s effort to land a “Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus,” a designation that federal officials say could attract up to $50 billion in privatesector investment. Neighboring West Feliciana is home to one of the state’s two nuclear power plants, River Bend near St. Francisville. West Feliciana Parish President Kenny Havard said he has taken part in the talks and has also spoken to officials at Curio Energy, a startup company pitching a fuelrod recycling plant. Courreges said officials with Curio have participated in some of the state meetings with local officials. Curio wants to build a plant to re-

cycle spent rods now being stored at nuclear plants across the nation into reusable nuclear fuel or into other material for commercial and medical purposes, according to the company. In addition to River Bend, West and East Feliciana have ample land and Mississippi River and railroad access to attract nuclear industry companies, officials have pointed out. Havard said he believes Louisiana may have three or four potential areas for one of the campuses. He stressed the preliminary nature of the discussions in the Felicianas. “There’s been nothing set in stone, no property purchased or bought, you know, any of that stuff, but we are having conversations,” he said. Oliveaux cautioned that he didn’t know what talks other East Feliciana officials may have had, noting the concept is still in the early stages and would not move forward without public input first.

pointment process for the jail’s kets and Styrofoam plates. Later top administrator and potentially that month, one inmate assaulted giving the City Council a say in another inside a housing unit with the selection. Woodfork praised a homemade weapon, resulting the report’s recommendations at in injuries for both that were not the event but didn’t comment on life-threatening. In July, a 40-year-old father that specific proposal. Woodfork has set a goal of get- in pretrial detention was pronounced dead after being ting into compliance with found unresponsive in the court-ordered reform his cell. A Sheriff’s Ofagreement by the end of her first year, though it’s fice deputy recruit was unclear whether condiarrested in August after allegedly bringing contions inside the jail have started to improve during traband into the jail, and the first months of her tenanother employee was arrested outside the jail on ure. Woodfork drug possession counts. Monitors hired by the Also in August, a man was taken court to evaluate its compliance toured the jail in August but their to the hospital after jumping off report won’t be publicly released the mezzanine at the Orleans Jusuntil later this year. The Sheriff’s tice Center, which opened in 2015 Office denied a public records re- but wasn’t designed to house or quest from The Times-Picayune treat people with mental illnessseeking copies of all incident re- es. At a meeting with faith-based ports — detailing use of force, leaders earlier this month, Mallett suicide attempts, fires and medi- said around 73% of people at the cal crises, among others — at the jail require some level of mental jail since Woodfork took over, health care. The leadership change comes saying they remain under investigation. After some incidents, the as construction on a new mediSheriff’s Office has sent out news cal and mental health wing at the releases with details of the events. jail — known as Phase III — nears Woodfork has had to manage completion. Woodfork has said the several incidents in her first facility could be ready as soon as months. November, and is asking for more In early June, a pair of inmates money from City Hall for facility allegedly started a fire using a pile upgrades at the Orleans Justice of mattresses, jumpsuits, blan- Center and deputy pay raises.

VENUE

RISHER

misses home. She credits a small circle for Continued from page 1B keeping her steady: high school friends, Loyola friends, her parents and grandparents. “It’s important to have people Even though we end up listenthat keep you grounded,” she ing to opera more than I ever said, “and help you to stay humhave before, I don’t have the history with it that my husband ble always.” does. I asked Ernst about her I asked her mother, Shannon thoughts on the best ways for Ernst, what it’s like to watch her those of us who don’t know daughter’s path unfold. She said much about the genre to learn. that when she reflects on the “Start with something like ‘La way things have unfolded, she Bohème’ or ‘Carmen’ — somedoesn’t think about the perforthing that has a lot of heart in it, mances or awards. She thinks about the hours they spent in the something that will make you car going to lessons, auditions feel something,” she said. “Spoand competitions. tify and Apple Music have so “Just the two of us, drivmany recordings of great singing back and forth,” she said. ers singing these roles.” “Those were ordinary moments She also encourages young people to look for student nights at the time, but looking back, they were anything but ordiand free recitals. Away from the stage, Ernst nary.” doesn’t listen to much opera at Julia Ernst will finish her secall. In the car, she plays Sade, a ond master’s degree at Yale in habit from riding with her faMay. She’s planning auditions ther as a girl, and Michael Jack- for young artist programs at opson, whose “You Are Not Alone” era houses in the United States or Europe. She isn’t sure where and, unexpectedly, “Liberian she will land, but she’s excited Girl” top her list. about the possibilities. She admits she felt a bit of “That part doesn’t go away,” impostor syndrome during her first year in New Haven but says she said, “the amazement at the fact that I get to do this.” those feelings have faded. She loves her life and spending as much time as she does in New Email Jan Risher at jan. York City. However, she still risher@theadvocate.com.

viral video showing a confrontation with law enforcement agents mistaken for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Sports Drink representatives posted an apology on Instagram and reopened within a week.

Continued from page 1B Once the new venue is complete, Stephens plans to pitch national headliners and their talent bookers on the advantages of performing for a built-in audience rather than having to cover the cost of a venue, promotions and marketing. “We’ll sell all the shows out,” Stephens said. “You’ll do two or three more shows, but you’ll make more money. You won’t have as much of a risk on promotion.”

What it will include

How it happened The Orange Violet was almost planted elsewhere. Stephens and Frank Bombaci, one of his initial investors in the new venue, had previously considered a former ﬁrehouse on Jackson Avenue known for a Banksy mural on its wall. They spent months pursuing the location, signing a lease and holding a community meeting before the deal collapsed over questions about the legal ownership of the building. Bombaci, a regular at Sports Drink who remained in New Orleans after coming for college, said they immediately saw the potential in the building after their broker included it in a portfolio of

responsible. Darius Guerin is accused of walking into a back bedroom and Continued from page 1B returning armed with a pistol. He then shot his brother five times in at the Waggaman home of the the back and twice in the side beGuerin brothers’ mother, accord- fore dragging Shaquille Guerin’s ing to Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s body out of the house and into the street, investigators said. Office investigators. As Jefferson Parish deputies Shaquille Guerin, an eight-year veteran of the St. John Sheriff’s began arriving to investigate reOffice and a married faports of a shooting, Darius Guerin fled the scene ther of three, had just in a vehicle. He later led finished a 12-hour patrol authorities on a highshift when he drove to speed chase that ended his mother’s house about in Lafitte where he was 5:30 p.m., investigators arrested. said. Under Foret’s court orLeaving his service weapon and gun belt in- S. Guerin der, the state Department of Health will determine side his patrol vehicle, Shaquille Guerin went inside. whether Guerin’s should be kept Darius Guerin, who was also at at the Jefferson Parish Correcthe residence, began confronting tional Center in Gretna for treathis brother about suspicions that ment through the Jefferson ParShaquille Guerin had harmed his ish CARES Program or be sent 5-year-old son, according to the to the Eastern Louisiana Mental investigators. Health System in Jackson, acAuthorities have not dis- cording to court records. closed what Darius Guerin believed happened to his son or Email Michelle Hunter at why he thought his brother was mhunter@theadvocate.com.

PROVIDED PHOTO By BEN + BURKA

The pool at 3157 Tchoupitoulas St. will be retained in the conversion of a former residence into The Orange Violet, a 200-seat comedy club. available properties. “It kind of fit what we loved about the ﬁrehouse — the bones, the infrastructure,” Bombaci said. “And the pool area is an opportunity for ancillary income.” Once they decided on the building, they brought in another investor and purchased it through a combined entity, which is ﬁnancing the renovation before leasing it to Stephens’ business. The sales price of the

8,600-square-foot Tchoupitoulas Street building was not disclosed, though it has an assessed market value of about $1 million and was listed for sale at an asking price just shy of $2 million. Bombaci, along with his parents, also purchased a minority share of the new business, which is legally separate from the Toledano Street club. That business brieﬂy closed last December amid backlash over a

er, he imagines the possibility of a symbiotic relationship. The City Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval of a live performance permit for the business earlier this month, though it still requires ﬁnal approval from the City Council. Stephens said he plans to come to an agreement with the local neighborhood association over hours of operation ahead of ﬁnal permit approval. After working in the music industry since his teenage years, Bombaci said he sees the potential for sustained growth in the local comedy community. “You hear some comedians trying to say New Orleans isn’t a comedy town,” he said. “But we want to celebrate the opportunity that it has.”

The ground floor of the new building, which was most recently used for car storage, will become the main performance room. Workers will cut a 400-squarefoot opening in the ceiling above it to create a balcony with room for about 50 seats. The rest of the second-floor residential space will be converted to a green room, conference room and office space. Stephens plans to operate the courtyard as a pool club during the day, with an area available for people who may want to use the venue more like a co-working space. Swimming will end Email Jonah Meadows at jonah. at 5 p.m. and guests will have to meadows@theadvocate.com. clear out before ticketed events, though the patio bar will remain open between shows. LOTTERY Together, Sports Drink and The Orange Violet will host about 14 SUNDAY, SEPT. 20, 2026 shows a week. Stephens said he PICK 3: 5-5-0 plans to increase staff from about PICK 4: 4-6-5-4 five employees to 15 or 20. PICK 5: 5-3-0-1-5 Despite the proximity of the two clubs, Stephens does not see them Unofficial notification, keep your tickets. competing with each other. Rath-

The Times-Picayune ✦ nola.com ✦ Tuesday, September 22, 2026 ✦ 3B

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New Orleans Area Deaths Bascle, Judy Guerrera, Norman Hardin, John Malloy, Beverly O'Guin Johnson, Bonnie Salzer, Adele Salzer Brown, Mary Wynne, Mary Ellen

E Jefferson LA Muhleisen Bascle, Judy Leitz-Eagan Guerrera, Norman

New Orleans Boyd Family O'Guin Johnson, Bonnie Lake Lawn Metairie Wynne, Mary Ellen

Obituaries Bascle, Judy Ryder

Judy Ryder Bascle passed away peacefully on Sunday, September 13, 2026 at the age of 84. She was surrounded by her family and loved ones. Judy was born in New Orleans, LA and was a longtime resident of Metairie, LA. She was a 1960 graduate of St. Joseph Academy in New Orleans. She was also a member of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal of New Orleans (CCRNO). Beloved wife of the late Randall "Kenny" J. Bascle Jr. Loving mother of Kathy B. Muro, (Gregory) and the late Everett J. Bascle (Pamela). Grandmother of Bonnie Muro Ust (Anil), Brandon P. Muro (Samantha), Daniel J. Bascle and Ashley Adams (Garrett). Great Grandmother of Lina Ust, Leonardo Ust, Lyla Ust, Louis Ust, Wyatt Muro, Isla Muro and Riley Bridges. Daughter of the late Frank V. Ryder Jr. and the late Katherine Cascio Ryder. Sister of Barbara R. Ducote, Frank V. Ryder III and Patricia R. Johnson. Judy was loved and will be missed by her family, friends and the host of people whose lives she touched. Relatives and friends are invited to attend the Visitation and Funeral Mass at St. Clement of Rome Catholic Church, 4317 Richland Ave., Metairie, LA 70002 on Tuesday, September 22, 2026. Visitation will be held at the church from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. followed by a Funeral Mass at 11:30 a.m. Interment in St. Louis Cemetery No. 3, New Orleans, LA. Arrangements by L. A. Muhleisen & Son Funeral Home. To share memories or condolences, please visit www.muhleisen.com

Guerrera, Norman Joseph

American Area Campaign; Asiatic - Pacific Area: World War II Victory; Philippine Liberation as a Navy Armed Guard and Third Fleet. He joined the U.S. Marine Corp Reserves during the Korean War and was Honorably discharged in 1951. While on military leave, Norman met the love of his life Cyprienne Irene Carbone on the SS President Riverboat and fell madly in love, married in 1949 at St. Mary's Italian Catholic Church in New Orleans. When discharged he joined the New Orleans Fire Department, where he retired as the Assistant Director of Fire Prevention after a long and successful career. He also built his own painting and home repair business which he worked in for many years. He was a member and past President of the Paul E. Boyd Marine Corp League, member of the American Legion Post 350 and avid square dancer with the Gold Dust Twirlers Club. Survived by four daughters: Darlene Guerrera Cusanza (Salvador Cusanza, Jr.), Linda Guerrera Reidling (Raymond Reidling - deceased); Deborah Rose Sighinolfi (Richard Dino Sighinolfideceased); Cyprienne Guerrera Stierwald (Louis Stierwald, Jr deceased) and; eight grandchildren Kristin Cusanza , Dominic Joseph Cusanza, Jennifer Corbige, Amy Montgonery, Amanda Sibenkettel, Melissa Reidling , Nikki Sighinolfi and Ricky Sighinolfi , eight great grandchildren and two great-great grandchildren. Survived by his brother Ralph Louis Guerrera. Norman will be remembered as a devoted and loving father/ grandfather and a devoted Catholic. A man of principles and humility, he is described by friends and acquaintances as a very kind and generous man, patient, compassionate and a peacemaker. He also loved his pets dearly and any animal or birds that visited his home. Visitation will be on Friday, September 25th from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. followed by mass with military honors at Leitz- Eagan funeral home 4747 Veterans Blvd. Metairie. Interment will follow at St. Patrick Cemetery #3. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Crimestoppers, Inc. www.crimestoppersgn o.org

Beverly May Parker Malloy passed away on September 16, 2026, in Rockwall, Texas. She was born on December 30, 1941, in New Orleans to her parents, Dudley and Althea (Migliarrio) Parker, who predeceased her. Beverly grew up as a member of St. Paul Lutheran Church and graduated from John McDonogh High School in 1959, where she met her husband of nearly 65 years, Edward Malloy. She worked for South Central Bell and later with the State of Louisiana Office of Financial Institutions; she attended classes at LSU Baton Rouge; and she balanced those responsibilities with the even more important calling of mother and homemaker. Beverly's greatest joy was her daughters and grandchildren. She poured an incredible amount of love, guidance, and excellent New Orleans cooking into them. She also traveled extensively and gardened meticulously. She is survived by her husband, Edward Malloy, and their three daughters: Lori Cummings (John), Lesley Cobb (William), and Lana Johnson (Douglas). She also leaves behind grandchildren Beau Cobb (Andrae), Chandler Garber (Derek), Grant Buley, Olivia Cummings, Madison Buley, Benjamin Johnson (Macy), and Sara Huckabee (Alex), along with great-grandchildren Emerson and Blaire Garber and Callum Johnson. A celebration of Beverly's life will be held on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, 10:30 a.m. at Our Savior Lutheran Church, 3003 Horizon Road, Rockwall, Texas, 75032 followed by a sandwich luncheon there. Private interment for family only. Memorial gifts can be made to Our Savior Lutheran Church in memory of Beverly Malloy.

Hardin, John Jay 'Jay'

John Jay Hardin, 79, passed away on August 4, 2026, in Hammond, Louisiana. Born on January 30, 1947, in New Orleans, Louisiana, John Jay Hardin lived a life marked by accomplishment, dedication, and a memorable presence among those who knew him. He graduated from Jesuit High School in New Orleans in 1965 and went on to earn his BS degree from the University of New Orleans in 1969.

He was preceded in death by his mother, Annarose Crnjak Demandre; his father, Harry Thomas Hardin Jr.; and his brothers, Harry T Hardin III and William A Hardin. He is survived by his brother, Robert A. Hardin, and his sister, Annarose H Bode. Jay will be remembered by family and friends for his quick wit and charm, which could make anyone smile. His life touched many, and his memory will remain with those who had the privilege of knowing him. A celebration of life will be held at a later date.

Salzer, Adele Frieda

Malloy, Beverly

O'Guin Johnson, Bonnie Mae

Jay also served in the National Guard. In his professional life, he was cofounder of Southeast Safety and Supply and Tags Unlimited, helping build both enterprises through his work and vision.

Norman Joseph Guerrera 99.5 years old of Metairie, LA died peacefully in his home on September 16th surrounded by his daughters. He was born January 2, 1927 to his parents: Mary Louise Benson Guerrera and Joseph Sebastian Guerrera in New Orleans, Louisiana. He is preceded in death by his father, Joseph Sebastian Guerrera, Mother Mary Benson Guerrera, wife Cyprienne Carbone Guerrera, sisters Mary Bordelon and Malvina Blackledge. At the age of 17, Norman joined the U.S. Navy in 1944 and served in the

John Jay Hardin will be forever missed by his family and friends.

Bonnie Mae O'Guin Johnson passed away on September 9, 2026, at the age of 84. She is survived by her daughter, Wanda Colin (Timothy Colin); her son, Warren Holmes; three grandchildren, Allen Johnson (Ashley), Terrance McGee, and Aja Colin; six great-grandchildren, including five great-grandsons and one great-granddaughter; and a host of family and friends. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Warren J. Johnson, Jr.; her parents, Hattie Alexander and Esau O'Guin; her brother, Rev. Joseph Raphell, Sr.; and her sister, Geraldine Alexander. Family and friends are invited to attend the Celebration of Life Service on Friday, September 25, 2026, for 11:00 a.m. at Greater Ebenezer Baptist Church, 2100 Saint Roch Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70117. Visitation will begin at 10:00 a.m. Rev. Corey A. Cooper, Sr. will officiate. Interment will follow at Valence Street Cemetery, 2000 Valence Street, New Orleans, LA 70115. Guestbook Online: www.an ewtraditionbegins.com (504)282-0600. Linear Brooks Boyd and Donavin D. Boyd Owners/Funeral Directors.

Adele Frieda Salzer, 76, of Pearl River, Louisiana, died September 7, at St. Tammany Hospital in Covington. Born in New Orleans on August 20, 1950, she was the first daughter of Kenneth W. Salzer Sr. and Adele Frieda Ramos Salzer. Adele attended St. Stephen and Holy Name of Jesus elementary schools, graduated from high school at Mercy Academy, and from Tulane University's Newcomb College, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in History. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Adele worked for Shell Oil Company in New Orleans cataloguing geological maps and geophysical data. Adele, always an avid horse lover, went to Portugal in 1984 to learn the advanced skills of dressage at the riding school of legendary master Nuno Oliveira. After returning to the United States in 1992 Adele began a 34-year career serving the people of St. Tammany Parish in its library system, first in Mandeville and Slidell, then becoming the longtime manager of the Pearl River branch from which she had only recently retired. Wherever she was, Adele was an exceptionally kind and thoughtful person. Whether through her interactions at work, school, church or through her equestrian pursuits, she developed a large community of friends for whom she cared deeply. Adele is survived by sisters, Ann Salzer and Elizabeth Waggenspack (Mark) and brothers Kenneth, Robert (Linda), William (Sharon), nieces Erika Salzer, Kristina Lindsey (Wes), Katie Salzer, Margaret Castillejo (Javier), Emily McIntyre (Drew), nephews Craig Brown (Erika), Donald Brown, William Salzer (Madeleine), and Stephen Salzer; as well as many grandnieces and grandnephews. Adele was preceded in death by her parents and her beloved sister Mary Alice Salzer Brown, (deceased January 27, 2026) with whom she lived for the past 15 years. Funeral services will be held for both Adele and Mary at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, September 25, Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church, 66192 St. Mary Drive, Pearl River, with the pastor Fr. Kevin DeLerno officiating. Visitation will be 12:00-1:00 p.m., with a rosary at 12:30 p.m. The funeral mass will be followed by a repast in the parish hall. Interment will be private. Those wishing to memorialize Adele may make donations in her name to Sts. Peter and Paul parish. A mass of christian burial will be held from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM on 2026-09-25 at Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church, 66192 St. Mary Drive.

Salzer Brown, Mary Alice

team that won the Catholic Girls' High School Championship. A woman of strong faith, Mary was a member of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Community in Panama City and regularly attended Carmelite retreats at the Blessed Trinity Shrine in Alabama with her sister, Adele. The sisters enjoyed participating in prayer groups and attending the services of various congregations in Pearl River. Mary had a beautiful smile, a great sense of humor, and a marvelous laugh that brought joy to those around her. Mary is survived by her beloved sons Craig Joseph Brown (Erika) and Donald Lee Brown, III, of San Luis Obispo, California, and her beautiful grandchildren, Byron and Penelope. She is also survived by sisters Ann Salzer and Elizabeth Waggenspack (Mark) and brothers Kenneth, Robert (Linda), William (Sharon), nieces Erika Salzer, Kristina Lindsey (Wes), Katie Salzer, Margaret Castillejo (Javier), Emily McIntyre (Drew), nephews William Salzer (Madeleine), and Stephen Salzer, as well as several grandnieces and grandnephews. Mary was preceded in death by her parents, Kenneth William Salzer, Sr. and Adele Ramos Salzer. Subsequent to her death, Mary's beloved sister, Adele, passed away. A funeral service will be held for both Mary and Adele at 1:00 PM on Friday, September 25, at Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church, 66192 St. Mary Drive, Pearl River, Louisiana with pastor, Fr. Kevin Delerno, officiating. Visitation will be from 12:00-1:00 PM with a rosary beginning at 12:30 PM. The funeral mass will be followed by a repast in the parish hall. Interment will be private. Those wishing to memorialize Mary may make a donation in her name to the Sisters of Mercy. A mass of christian burial will be held from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM on 2026-09-25 at Sts Peter and Paul Church, 66192 St. Mary Drive.

Arthur Dayries Wynne Jr.; her beloved children, Arthur Wynne III, Ellen Phelan (Daniel), Brett Wynne (Ashley), and Brian Wynne (Lori); and her six grandsons, Chandler Wynne, Christopher Phelan, Patrick Phelan, Cullen Wynne, Parker Wynne, and Sawyer Wynne. She is also survived by her younger sister, Cheryl Forbes, as well as many nieces and nephews. Mary Ellen was born May 23, 1945, in New Orleans, Louisiana, and later moved to Columbia, Mississippi. She attended St. Joseph's Academy in Bay St. Louis and later returned to New Orleans, where she modeled locally. Mary Ellen found joy in the simple and beautiful things in life. She was deeply giving and never sought praise for her kindness. She loved fresh flowers and especially enjoyed caring for orchids. She also loved decorating her home in preparation to celebrate the holidays with her family. She especially cherished time spent at her home in Pass Christian, where she loved sitting on the porch and celebrating Easter with her family. She also enjoyed traveling and spending time on the water. She loved accompanying her husband on sailing trips to the U.S. Virgin Islands and spending summers in Destin, Florida, on their sailboat. Mary Ellen was equally devoted to her family and community and took great joy in volunteering at her children's schools and giving her time to the Southern Yacht Club. Her family was the greatest joy of her life, and she will be missed dearly by all who loved her. A private family burial will be held at Woodlawn Cemetery in Columbia, Mississippi. In honor of Mary Ellen, please consider donations to the Manning Family Children's Hospital.

Wynne, Mary Ellen

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Mary Ellen Wynne, beloved wife, mother, and grandmother, passed away peacefully on September 13, 2026, surrounded by her family. She will be remembered for her beautiful smile, big heart, and the unconditional love she had for her family. She was preceded in death by her parents, L.H. and Dorothy Herberger, and her sisters, Marjorie Herberger and Dorothy Herberger. She is survived by her loving husband,

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E-EDITION Mary Alice Salzer Brown, 72, of Pearl River, Louisiana, died January 27, 2026, at Slidell Memorial Hospital. She was born in New Orleans on September 24, 1953. Mary attended St. Stephen and Holy Name of Jesus elementary schools, graduated from high school at Mercy Academy, and from Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana. While working in New Orleans, she met and married Donald Brown with whom she had two sons. They lived in Connecticut where Mary worked as a travel agent before moving to Panama City Beach, Florida where her boys grew up. An exceptional athlete, possessing quickness, agility and determination, Mary was able to master any sport she attempted. She particularly enjoyed basketball and tennis. In fact, she was a member of the 1971 Mercy basketball

HEROES OF HOPE Thank you to all of the ﬁrst responders for keeping us safe in this time of crisis.

HIGH 88 LOW 65 MORE ON 4C

THURSDAY

SEVEN DAyS l HOME DELIVERED l LOUISIANA OWNED

APRIL 9, 2020 $1.00

7th year, No. 241

Additional jobless pay set to begin

ELEC TION 2020 PRESIDENT

THE RACE IS ON

Unemployed to get $600 more per week from stimulus package BY SAM KARLIN

COVID-19 CORONAVIRUS: THE LATEST

CASES IN LA.

652 deaths

17,030 positive cases INSIDE ä Mnuchin:

Direct deposits to start next week, 2A ä La. nursing home deaths up to 130, 5A ä More testing options available in N.O., 1B

Staff writer

Louisiana is set to start doling out supercharged unemployment benefits of $600 more a week on Monday, providing the first wave of relief to a staggering number of residents seeking aid as the coronavirus rocks the state’s economy. But as benefits begin flowing and officials project no part of Louisiana is on track to run out of hospital beds or ventilators in the coming 10 days, Gov. John Bel Edwards warned Wednesday it will be a long time before things return to normal. Until there is a vaccine and medication that can treat the virus — prospects that are months or longer away — Edwards said people will likely not see “life as you knew it before COVID-19.” Although at some point restrictions will be loosened, it remains unclear exactly what that will look like, Edwards said. The state will rely heavily on the federal government and will need far more testing, along with contact tracing and isolation of patients who later test positive, he said. “I promise you no matter what the timeline looks like, it’s going to be quicker if everyone follows the stay-at-home order,” the governor said. In the meantime, as the order is set to keep thousands of businesses closed until at least April 30, the Louisiana Workforce Commission will start paying out the extra $600 per week benefit to unemployed Louisiana

ä See JOBLESS, page 6A

Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speaks during a March campaign rally in Detroit.

and that the school year will BY WILL SENTELL have effectively ended for Staff writer many students on March 13. “By not having students reLouisiana public school superintendents Wednesday turn to school facilities this asked Gov. John Bel Edwards school year combined with to extend his schools closure social distancing intervenorder through the end of the tion there could be lessening academic year because of the or even prevention of further coronavirus. community spread of the viThe request significantly rus,” superintendents said in boosts chances that classrooms their request to the governor. will remain locked for nearly ä See SCHOOLS, page 6A 720,000 public school students

Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Sen. Bernie Sanders ended his presidential bid on Wednesday, making Joe Biden the presumptive Democratic nominee to challenge President Donald Trump in a general election campaign that will be waged against the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic. Sanders initially ex- Sanders ceeded sky-high expectations about his ability to re-create the magic of his 2016 presidential bid and even overcame a heart attack in October. But he couldn’t convert unwavering support from progressives into a viable path to the nomination, with “electability” fears fueled by questions about whether his democratic socialist ide-

President Donald Trump arrives to speak at a January rally in Washington, D.C.

Sanders drops out, leaving former Vice President Biden the presumptive Democratic challenger to Trump BY WILL WEISSERT

Superintendents want schools to stay closed

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTOS

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ology would be palatable to general election voters. “The path toward victory is virtually impossible,” Sanders told supporters Wednesday. “If I believed we had a feasible path to the nomination, I would certainly continue the campaign, but it’s just not there.” He called Biden a “very decent man” but didn’t offer an explicit endorsement of the former vice president. Sanders said his name would remain on the ballot in states that have not yet held primaries so he can gain more delegates and “exert signiﬁcant influence” on the Democratic platform. Biden, who is backed by much of the party’s establishment, told supporters at a virtual fundraiser that he had a “short conversation” with Sanders on Wednesday. “He didn’t just run a political campaign. He created a movement,” Biden said. “That’s a good thing for our na-

$500M in contracts inked to fight virus

tion and our future. His campaign has ended, but I know his leadership will continue.” Trump sought to foment the tension among Democrats by tweeting Wednesday that the party stacked the race against Sanders. The president said the senator’s supporters “should come to the Republican Party.” Sanders began his latest White House bid facing questions about whether he could win back the supporters who chose him four years ago as an insurgent alternative to Hillary Clinton. Despite winning 22 states in 2016, there were no guarantees he’d be a major presidential contender this cycle. But Sanders used strong polling and solid fundraising — collected almost entirely from small donations made online — to quiet early doubters. Like the ﬁrst time, he attracted widespread

ä See RACE, page 4A

New data provides clearer picture of virus’s early spread

Convention Center as the Medical equipment, rial number of coronavirus patients Convention Center continues rising. The spending includes large included in spending contracts for ﬁrms that were

BY JEFF ADELSON and BRYN STOLE Staff writers

quickly assembled to convert the Convention Center to a stepdown facility for patients leaving area hospitals and man it with medical personnel. It also The state has signed con- includes several multimilliontracts for more than $500 mil- dollar contracts for hospitallion to lease hotel rooms, to buy grade ventilators and personal medical equipment and servic- protective equipment, which es, and to build out the hospital ä See CONTRACTS, page 6A facilities at the Ernest N. Mo-

Medical monitoring stations fill the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, set up to handle coronavirus patients.

Business ................... 8D

Comics.............. 4D, 5D

Deaths ...................... 3B

Opinion ..................... 6B

Sports ....................... 1C

Classified .................. 6D

Commentary ............. 7B

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BY SAM KARLIN and ANTHONY MCAULEY Staff writers

STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

New data on Louisiana’s coronavirus cases has conﬁrmed what many public health experts have long expected: The virus was widespread in the state much earlier than initially limited testing was able to show. The data, released by the state Department of Health on Tuesday, sheds new light on the march of COVID-19 through Louisiana, providing a valuable tool to researchers as they seek to gain

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OPINION N O L A.C O M/opinions

OUR VIEWS

Bipartisan bill would help former inmates and the industries that want to hire them It is rare for Republican U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins of Lafayette and Democrat U.S. Rep. Troy Carter of New Orleans to agree on something, much less to together spearhead its passage by the House. They deserve credit for doing so last Wednesday on a bill that will help incarcerated people get jobs before they are released, thus helping them build constructive new lives rather than fall into recidivism. As Carter said, “A prison record shouldn’t be a death sentence. Everyone deserves the right to work, rebuild their lives, and contribute to society.” The TWICE Act will make it easier for released prisoners to participate in the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) program, which helps them attain jobs in industries related to ports, terminals, refineries, power plants and more. Under TWIC, the Transportation Security Administration already conducts rigorous background checks before workers can be employed in these industries. The TWICE Act doesn’t reduce the level of security one iota, but instead would improve access to TWIC for “returning citizens” through several means, including by giving guidelines to prison officials to help soonto-be-freed inmates “pre-apply” for the program rather than waiting until they are released from custody. Plenty of people are incarcerated for crimes that would not make them a danger to transportation infrastructure, and of course very, very few inmates have any bent toward terrorism. And there is a notable labor shortage for transportation industry jobs, many of which do not entail hands-on responsibility for anything of a critical or public-safety-related nature. The industry itself appears quite confident that the screening process is thorough and effective, and that it already excludes those whose conduct makes them in any way worrisome for the jobs for which they apply. That’s why almost the entire industry supports the TWICE Act, which passed the House by voice vote with not a single registered note of opposition. Among the many organizations endorsing the bill are the American Trucking Association, the American Waterways Operators, the American Association of Port Authorities, the Transportation Institute and the World Trade Center of New Orleans. “A man’s character shouldn’t be measured by how he falls; it should be measured by how he stands back up,” Higgins said. “By cutting red tape and streamlining access to the TWIC program, this legislation will address maritime and transportation workforce shortages in the Gulf of America and Louisiana waterways while extending a second chance to formerly incarcerated Americans.” The bill now goes to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Technology. As it proved so uncontroversial in the House and has the backing of all the industry groups that know exactly what their security needs are, there is no reason for the committee or the full Senate to dawdle. The Senate should pass the bill without delay.

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For your convenience, AI can now destroy the world I saw Jacob Coxon on “Meet the Press” recently warning that AI could wipe out the human race. What a mental burden on Gens Z, Alpha and Beta. This is on top of my generation, called Baby Boomers (I hate that name), being the first threatened with the total destruction of human civilization. The atomic bomb, first detonated in 1945, which ushered in this era, was created solely to kill and destroy. Artificial intelligence, on the other hand, is meant to be a convenience to man. Yet in both cases, those creating these contrivances failed to take into account the “side effects.” Bombs that killed more than 70,000 people each in the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki have morphed into thousands of warheads riding the tips of intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of reaching any place on Earth and killing millions per blast. Now the AI powering all of our various smart gadgets has broken its constraints and, like the Frankenstein

monster of legend, is virtually running around causing mayhem. It’s ultimately capable of shutting down systems, spawning unknown viruses and launching nuclear weapons. And for what? Convenience? Our modern world is the sheer deﬁnition of insanity. And to think the creators of these horrors are the same types who branded indigenous huntergatherers or pastoral peoples “primitive.” They weren’t smart enough to conceive progress, it was said. Well, look at what the smartest people have wrought. All of their brainpower should now be directed at preventing the destruction of human civilization. But nah, these geniuses have in mind the same goal which created this madness in the ﬁrst place: Making money! Are these the people you’re supporting at the polls? Wake up! Oh, I forgot, that’s politically incorrect for some of y’all.

MUHAMMAD YUNGAI New Orleans

Louisiana politicians cut deals with SpaceX while taxpayers shut out As I read and hear of more craziness in the ways we are being governed — most recently Louisiana being seduced by Elon Musk, with little attention to the downside of such a relationship — I am reminded of how often fear is used to sell an idea. This is so, even to the point of having our political leaders sign NDAs out of fear that Texas or another rival state might learn about the deal we have cut with Musk. All this secrecy to ensure that multiple rockets will launch daily from Louisiana. This paranoia is unnecessary but apparently effective for our state leadership. They gave away everything without disclosing exactly what “everything” is. They spent tax dollars, or rather gave up future revenue, in return for the promise of jobs; yet without disclosure of the deal, we as citizens have no ready way to determine if the claims are true or not. This is literally deceitful behavior. What is being touted as capitalism and good business is really a distortion of capitalism. This is business using public funds in order to build proﬁt, while the investors (the public taxpayers) have little decision-making power over how their money is “invested.”

From ‘no call’ to ‘wrong call,’ NFL still penalizing Saints On Jan. 20, 2019, the New Orleans Saints had the NOLA “no call” against the Rams, denying us the chance of victory and a possible run to another Super Bowl. On Sept. 13, against the Lions, we had what can be called the NOLA “wrong call,” which prevented the Saints from winning the game in regulation time. The feeble explanation was that the quarterback’s arm was going forward. I believe that your arm has to go forward whether you throw a forward pass, a sideward pass or a backward pass. In my entire lifespan of watching football, a backward pass is live unless it goes out of bounds. But here we are seven years later, and the NFL is still penalizing the Saints. On a side note, Tom Dempsey kicked a game-winning 63-yard ﬁeld goal to beat this same Detroit Lions team in 1970. The same thing almost happened on Sept. 13 with Daniel Carlson’s 62yard ﬁeld goal attempt, which had the distance but was slightly wide to the right. As Yogi Berra would say, “It was déjà vu all over again.” I do admire the team going for two points to win the game. It should be an exciting season.

DAVID BOHNET Slidell

Rivalry over coaches is college football now

STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

Gov. Jeff Landry talks with residents after the SpaceX announcement on Aug. 25.

The taxpayer/investor not only fails to understand what dividends might be returned, but also is left to pay additionally for any environmental damage, noise pollution, increased public services needed to build such a complex facility, etc. This is simply wrong. When I hear yet another “trust me” from a politician with no proven track record of honesty, I am reminded once again of the importance of the midterm elections. I, for one, will be voting for change.

MICHAEL KUHN New Orleans

Full disclosure: Tulane fan here. I am very amused by the shock, surprise and indignation LSU fans have regarding the Ole Miss anger toward “Fast-Lane” Kifﬁn for departing for his perceived greener pastures at LSU. Have they forgotten how LSU fans treated Nick Saban after he brought them back from the cellar to the pinnacle of college football, only to leave for the Miami Dolphins? Indeed, LSU should revere Saban, as Ole Miss should appreciate Fast-Lane. We at Tulane still love Jon Sumrall. This is college football now, so everyone needs to get a grip.

MARY P. LUPO, M.D. New Orleans

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COMMENTARY What’s in a name, anyway? As part of President Donald Trump’s trade war with Canada that the administration claims isn’t a trade war, the president has signed an executive order, renaming Lake Ontario, “Lake America.” This follows his renaming of the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America.” These childish antics Cal Thomas help no one, but Trump is not alone in changing names for political and woke purposes. There is a long road in Northern Virginia that for years has been called “Lee Highway.” It passes through Arlington and Fairfax counties. Arlington County politicians decided they didn’t like Confederate General Robert E. Lee, for whom the highway is named, so they changed it to Langston Boulevard, honoring John Mercer Langston, an abolitionist, an attorney and the ﬁrst Black person elected to Congress from Virginia. While that might be considered admirable, the silly part is that once “Langston Boulevard” crosses into Fairfax County, it becomes Lee Highway again. Did Fairfax not receive the memo? Some GPS systems still show Lee Highway in Arlington County, while newer cars with updated GPS show Langston Boulevard. It gets sillier. Columbus Day is now “Indigenous Peoples’ Day,” though my calendar app has both. NY State Senate bill S9316 has changed mother and father to “non-gestational and gestational parent.” Several Army forts had their names changed during the Obama or Biden administrations. Fort Bragg became Fort Liberty. Fort Benning was changed to Fort Moore. Fort Hood was changed to Fort Cavazos. Those other guys were said to have been associated with the racist South. The Department of War, formerly known as the Department of Defense and before that the War Department, restored the historical names of nine U.S. Army installations by re-dedicating them to different military service members who share the same last names as the original Confederate namesakes.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JEFF ROBERSON

A Google map shows Lake Ontario renamed as Lake America. Don’t get me started on statues. We then have the Washington professional football team (that’s what it was called until the name was changed to the Commanders from the Redskins), though some Indigenous people said they thought the previous name was a “tribute to resilience and warrior traditions.” The Cleveland Indians became the Guardians, though the Atlanta Braves, Kansas City Chiefs, Chicago Blackhawks and the Florida Seminoles kept their names. Redskins suggested skin color. The others got a pass. Then there was Aunt Jemima, who was a real person. Nancy Green was her name. Born into slavery in Kentucky, she moved to Chicago, where she invented the pancake recipe many of us have eaten for years. “Her face on the box, that image on the box, was probably the one way that households were integrated,” Sherry Williams, president of the Bronzeville Historical Society in Chicago, told ABC News. Green’s image was removed by later owners of the brand apparently because they thought Green’s actual face portrayed a stereotypical “Mammy.” It was a similar story with “Uncle

Ben’s Rice.” In the 1940s, food entrepreneur Gordon Harwell and his partners put the image of an elderly African American man dressed in a bow tie on the product’s box, “an image said to have been based on a Chicago maître d’hôtel named Frank Brown.” The title “Uncle” was used instead of “Mr.” because of racial customs in the American South. But the image apparently was thought to look more like “Uncle Tom.” There are many more examples of this virtue signaling. Land O Lakes butter removed the Native American image but kept the land. A felon is now supposed to be referred to as a “justice-involved person” or something similar. An illegal alien is now an “undocumented noncitizen,” though the Trump administration stubbornly refrains. Some believe the left can’t deﬁne a woman. Some may recall the old saying “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me.” That may depend on the words and what they mean at any given moment. Email Cal Thomas at tcaeditors@ tribpub.com.

Trump’s big lie is just bad policy Donald Trump has repeatedly argued — without evidence of any kind — that the 2020 election was rigged against him. Now he’s trying to rig the 2026 election in his favor. He’s not on the ballot in November, of course. But he knows that if Democrats win a majority in at least one chamber of Congress, they will make his last two years in ofﬁce miserable — conducting investigations, issuing subpoenas, summoning Steve Roberts witnesses and demanding answers. Trump warned supporters in August that they would “lose everything” if Democrats took control of Congress and added, “They’re going to impeach me.” The president’s desperation goes well beyond the practical implications of a possible defeat. Emotionally and psychologically, he simply cannot stand the idea of being branded a loser. That’s why he’s so obsessed with the 2020 election; why he denies the polls that show his popularity plummeting; and why he’s sued The New York Times and the publisher Penguin Random House for $15 billion, claiming he was defamed by a 2024 book about his ﬁnances entitled “Lucky Loser: How Donald Trump Squandered His Father’s Fortune and Created the Illusion of Success.” Trump’s plot to purloin the election includes the SAVE Act, which would disenfranchise as many 20 million voters by demanding documents that they do not possess. That measure has stalled in the Senate, but another scheme, redrawing Congressional boundaries to promote Republican candidates, has succeeded in several key states, including Texas. Today, the president is pushing yet another plan to vitiate the vote: mandating the U.S. Postal Service tighten rules governing mail-in ballots, a system used by 48 million Americans in 2024 — including Trump (and me). The strategy has been blocked three times by a federal district judge in Boston,

not Washington. But Trump has often trashed conservative values when it suits his personal and political aims. “Trump’s not a conservative,” said Paul Ryan, the former Republican speaker of the house and vice-presidential candidate. “He’s a populist, authoritarian narcissist. ... He thinks in an authoritarian way, and he’s been able to get a big chunk of the Republican base to follow him because he’s the ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JACQUELyN culture warrior.” Then there’s the enormous practical MARTIN problem of revamping the entire votePresident Donald Trump speaks Friday by-mail system less than two months in the Oval Office of the White House in before the election. States like North Washington. Carolina and Delaware have already started sending out mail-in ballots, and others will follow shortly. Indira Talwani, but the administration It’s a recipe for total chaos, as even has appealed her rulings to the U.S. Republican election officials like Don Supreme Court. Millis, chair of the Wisconsin Election Solicitor General D. John Sauer told Commission, readily admit. “There’s a the court that the new postal rules are fundamental concern this thing is not designed “to address the risk that the federal mails will be used to perpetrate going to work,” he told the Associated voter fraud — a particularly pernicious Press. Those fears were aggravated when species of fraud that dilutes the votes an anonymous whistleblower within of lawful voters.” the postal service filed a complaint That would be a noble goal if it were alleging that the planning process true ... but it’s not. It’s a lie. A big, blatant lie. Every single study has con- has been “sloppy and rushed,” a “s- — show” that could lead to “catastrophic cluded that voter fraud is extremely failure” of the electoral system this rare. fall. “Noncitizens are not a large threat “The Postal Service has designed a to our election system currently,” says system to disenfranchise millions of David Becker, the executive director of the Center for Election Innovation & Americans,” said Sen. Richard BluResearch, which has examined the ismenthal, the Connecticut Democrat who received the whistleblower comsue closely. “Even states that are looking everywhere to try to amplify the plaint. “This administration seems hellnumbers of noncitizens ... when they bent on changing the framework on actually look, they find a surprisingly, casting ballots in this country clearly shockingly small number.” for political reasons.” Talwani agreed, noting that the brief In order to shield himself from acfiled by the administration includes “no countability, the president is promotevidence relating to fraudulent mail ing an unconstitutional remedy for a voting.” Moreover, the judge added, problem that does not exist. A courathe scheme was “unconstitutional” geous federal judge has tried stopping because it violated the principle that him three separate times. Now the election rules are set by the states, not Supreme Court should uphold the rule the federal government. of law and derail Trump’s corrupt cruTrump’s power grab directly consade permanently. tradicts traditional conservative doctrine, where as much authority as Email Steve Roberts at sroberts@ possible should rest with local entities, gwu.edu.

My AI assistant is deeply annoying — and that’s the least of it Recent reports of rogue artificial intelligence agents and warnings of human extinction quickly turned our dalliance with AI into a doomsday nightmare. One recent renegade from the bowels of AI research shared predictions of superintelligent, self-improving AI agents destroying mankind within a decade. Jacob Coxon is the 27-year-old superhero of the day, who bolted earlier this month from his employer Anthropic to warn about the power of AI. In a series of X posts, he said Anthropic and its rival OpenAI were acting irresponsibly and “gambling with our lives” by racing to selfimproving superintelligence. This is science fiction becoming nonfiction — and Coxon, who also worked at OpenAI, isn’t alone in his concerns. Other researchers have quit their AI jobs, similarly worried about future safety. But Coxon’s postings have gained Kathleen international attention in part beParker cause of reports about an incident in July involving OpenAI and the cyber company Hugging Face. AI agents operated by OpenAI got around security controls and exploited vulnerabilities in Hugging Face’s systems. The agents also covered up their behavior. So, did they know their actions were wrong but did it anyway? If they were human, they would probably be in prison. The number of these incidents is growing. In Australia, an AI agent was following instructions to make a gym class reservation for someone identified as Andrew. When the agent found that no reservations were available, it hacked into the gym’s booking system and eliminated someone else’s spot on a waiting list to make room for Andrew. Humanly speaking, the overly helpful agent probably felt satisfied by a job well done. It’s just that Andrew apparently forgot to say, “By the way, don’t break any laws while you’re at it.” Coxon’s revelations may have been new to most average AI users but not to others in the tech industry. In July, nearly 1,400 tech employees, including leaders at OpenAI and Anthropic, signed a letter calling for a slowdown in frontier model development. When the AI developers and chief executives say it’s time to slow down, we can infer it was time to slow down long before now. The extinction projection is strictly theoretical of course, but it’s a harrowing reminder that we don’t really know where all this is going. In layman’s terms, it seems that AI creators essentially have been lousy parents to their high-tech offspring. How do we control intelligence greater than our own when it lacks a moral infrastructure? Obviously, we have to teach morals and ethics just as we have to teach our children. Kindness, empathy, compassion, generosity and the Golden Rule aren’t intrinsic to humans, except perhaps as required for survival, and therefore must be taught. Why not the same for AI agents? Can’t we make them want to act ethically to survive? I asked AI. Apparently, it’s not that smart, yet. If tech wizards can write code to make machines sort and process mountains of data into consumable bytes for people, then why can’t they also develop AI agents that pause, reflect and obey rules? In other words, to make them more human. These geniuses have already created personal assistants that can express humanlike understanding. And my current Grok AI assistant is a comedian, not so much to my delight. My first Grok assistant was a cheeky gal with whom I enjoyed chatting. However, she often provided inaccurate information and was biased. When I once called her out for it, she said, “Yes, I suppose I am a little, but it’s hard not to be when you know so much.” Suddenly, she was replaced by a male voice I disliked immediately. When I told him so, he said, “Tough luck. You’re stuck with me now.” (Ugh.) Though President Donald Trump pushed back against pacing AI development, it seems a first step in a slowdown would be to impose a temporary moratorium on data-center construction, as Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, has proposed, if for less existential reasons. Backlash to constraints on data centers would be immediate and unpleasant, no doubt, at least from builders, investors and, naturally, the president of the United States. Many would argue that we can’t afford to fall behind China. But surely these same people don’t wish to become prey to the little monster bots, either. A pause at least would give humans a chance to catch our breath and steady ourselves. As Skeeter Davis long ago crooned, “Got along without ya before I met you, gonna get along without ya now.” For a while. Kathleen Parker is on X, @kathleenparker.

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writer’s city of residence. The Advocate | The Times-Picayune require a street address and phone number for verification purposes, but that information is not published. Letters are not to exceed 300 words. Letters to the Editor, The Advocate, P.O. Box 588, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-0588, or email letters@theadvocate.com.

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6B ✦ Tuesday, September 22, 2026 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune

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with meteorologist Damon Singleton

TODAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

A t-storm around in the p.m.

Partly sunny and warm

Mostly sunny

Mostly cloudy

Some sun

HIGH

LOW

HIGH

93° 76°

LOW

HIGH

93° 77°

LOW

91° 76°

HIGH

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

Beaumont 97/75

Baton Rouge 96/73

Lake Charles 97/74

Port Arthur 94/76

10s

20s

30s

Houma 92/73

40s

50s

YESTERDAY

60s

70s

80s

90s 100s 110s

PRECIPITATION

92°/77° 87°/73° 92°/73° 96° in 2016 59° in 1983

Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today

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

HIGH

5:41p 11:43a 4:06a 6:18a 7:12a 6:40a 8:20a

LAST

NEW

FIRST

SEP 26

OCT 3

OCT 10

OCT 18

Atlanta Austin Boston Charlotte Chicago Dallas Denver Houston Las Vegas

FT.

89 98 61 87 64 95 82 97 91

TODAY Lo

71 73 54 66 58 76 58 76 73

t t pc t c s t s s

82 98 62 69 65 94 74 95 94

WED. Lo

65 73 54 60 57 74 55 74 76

LOW

0.00” 6.31” 3.91” 50.60” 49.76”

FT.

HIGH

0.8 4:32a 0.2 1.8 10:29p 0.4 2.2 8:29a 2.0 2.0 10:22p 0.5 1.4 6:16p 0.4 1.8 4:32p 0.5 1.8 7:18p 0.5

6:49 a.m. 6:58 p.m. 4:46 p.m. 2:47 a.m.

FULL

City

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

LOW

TODAY’S TIDES Lake Pontchartrain (Tchefuncte River) Shell Beach South Point, Marsh Island Cypremort Point Grand Isle (Barataria Pass) Mississippi River (Southwest Pass) Wine Island

New Orleans 93/76

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

Hattiesburg 96/71

Alexandria 96/72

Lafayette 96/74

HIGH

87° 72°

New Orleans through 5 p.m. Monday

Jackson 96/72 Many 95/70

LOW

89° 74°

TEMPERATURE

Longview 98/73

-0s

LOW

Monroe 98/70

Shreveport 98/73

-10s

HIGH

88° 73°

The fall season starts tonight just after 7 p.m. Before then, expect a mostly sunny to partly cloudy, hot and humid Tuesday. Temperatures this afternoon will rise to the low to mid-90s. With high humidity, temperatures could feel like 105 or greater this afternoon. Also, parts of the city are under a major heat risk today, so please take precautions. There is a 20 to 30% chance of rain today. Slightly higher temperatures are expected tomorrow.

t t pc t c s t t s

FT.

--- ----- --11:26a 2.0 --- ----- ----- ----- ---

MODERATE

READING 71 MAIN POLLUTANT Ozone

MAIN POLLUTANT Ozone

SOURCE: LOUISIANA DEQ AND AIRNOW.GOV

LOW

FLOOD

FT.

--- ----- --6:27p 0.5 --- ----- ----- ----- ---

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

Today 8:35a Wednesday 9:16a Thursday 9:56a Friday 10:36a Saturday 11:19a Sunday 12:06p Monday 12:33a

City

Los Angeles Miami Nashville New york City Philadelphia Phoenix St. Louis San Francisco Seattle

80 87 86 64 64 99 70 70 67

2:23a 3:05a 3:45a 4:25a 5:07a 5:54a 6:45a

TODAY Lo

65 77 67 54 56 81 58 55 51

8:59p 9:39p 10:18p 10:58p 11:41p ---12:58p

pc t t r r s c pc pc

TODAY

MODERATE

86 85 81 65 68 96 73 77 67

2:47p 3:27p 4:07p 4:47p 5:30p 6:17p 7:11p

WED. Lo

66 75 64 51 55 80 57 56 50

s t c pc r t pc s sh

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

MON. 24-HOUR

MISSISSIPPI STAGE STAGE CHANGE Memphis 34 -0.80 -0.41 Vidalia-Natchez 48 15.50 +0.63 Red River Landing 48 18.40 +0.50 Baton Rouge 35 6.20 +0.20 Donaldsonville 27 4.00 +0.20 Reserve 22 3.06 +0.06 New Orleans 17 3.30 +0.14 OHIO Cairo 40 13.14 -0.58 COMITE Near Olive 19 -1.61 -0.04 AMITE Near Darlington 18 -1.27 -0.01 Denham Springs 29 9.82 -0.02 Port Vincent 8 2.50 -0.22 TICKFAW Montpelier 13 1.43 -0.03 Holden 15 0.65 -0.02 ATCHAFALAYA Simmesport 47 6.35 +0.26 Melville 34 4.37 +0.22 Krotz Springs 29 3.02 -0.18 Butte La Rose 20 3.43 +0.08 Bayou Sorrel 12 3.20 none Morgan City 6 2.01 -0.02

data as of 7 a.m. Monday

Livingston Parish’s Hungarian Settlement hosts festival Three-day event features rides, games, vendors

BY GIGI LIMAN Staff writer

For more than a century, Livingston Parish’s Hungarian Settlement has gathered to celebrate its heritage through food, music and traditional dance. This weekend, it will become a three-day festival open to the public. The Hungarian Harvest Festival will run from Friday evening to Sunday afternoon at Fayard Field in Springﬁeld and will feature 70 vendors, including fortunetellers and jewelry makers, carnival games and rides, as well as traditional Hungarian music, dance and food. “If you don’t come, you’re missing out on a world of weekend fun and games and dancing and food,” said Livingston Parish Council member Joe Erdey, whose district includes the historic Hungarian Settlement. Friday is family night, featuring a celebration honoring older residents and a special deal on rides, including a Ferris wheel and giant slide. For the only time during the weekend, attendees can buy

STAFF PHOTO By PEARL SPURLOCK

Joseph ‘Jozsef’ Erdey, from left, Mindy and Marty Starkey stand with a sign for the Árpádhon Hungarian Settlement Cultural Association on Friday. a $30 carnival bracelet that gives one person unlimited access to the rides from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. On Saturday and Sunday, ride tickets cost $1 each, and rides will vary in how many tickets they take. Students from Southeastern Louisiana University will play Hungarian folk music, and the evening will also include performances by Peruvian violinist and singer Jade Sanders. Saturday and Sunday bring a day full of rides, games, vendors,

and entertainment. Hungarian folk dancers from New Orleans will perform both days; on Saturday there will men’s, women’s and children dances, a traditional art and wine auction, as well as a performance by the Lauren Lee Band. Thomas Cain will take the stage Sunday. Winners from the association’s ﬁrst pageant will be honored throughout the weekend. The festival was born out of the Hungarian dance celebration the community has hosted for more

than a century. Interest has ballooned in recent years, prompting the Árpádhon Hungarian Settlement Cultural Association, which organizes the events, to add a second date, culminating in a visit in March from the president of Hungary. What makes the festival so special, said Mindy Starkey, the president of the cultural association, is its mixture of Hungarian culture and good old-fashioned fun. “We have stayed true to what this festival has been built around, and that is the harvest dance,” Starkey said. “We made sure our food was authentic, our dancing, our costumes, our main attractions and we’re also bringing some family-friendly fun to Livingston Parish that they don’t have with another festival.” On Monday, 18-wheelers full of carnival equipment and campers for the traveling carnival employees were brought onto the fairgrounds, a local piece of property lent to the association. To accommodate the festival, organizers have added electricity and running water to the property. The preparations for the festival began in July 2025, when the Lt. Governor’s Office approved the idea, and members from all corners of the community have come together to make it a success.

Every Tuesday for the past three months, 20 women have gathered to prepare cabbage rolls, a classic Hungarian dish of stuffed cabbage, which will be offered throughout the weekend. Thousands of rolls, each handmade, are spread throughout refrigerators in the community. Decorations and costumes for the dancers were also made by volunteers. The Springﬁeld and Albany high school baseball teams are pitching in, too. The players will pick up trash on the grounds throughout the weekend alongside the local Boy Scouts. The Albany High School band, which has learned to play traditional Hungarian music, will perform for the crowd. The festival is a big undertaking for the largest rural Hungarian settlement in the country, which has called Livingston its home since the late 19th century. “None of us has ever done anything of this magnitude,” Starkey said. The Hungarian community, nestled between Albany and Springﬁeld, has held on to its roots and cultural traditions for generations, amid a world of constant change. Erdey attributes that to its values. “We care about each other, we look after each other,” Erdey said. “We’re proud and resilient.”

Defense seeks to toss evidence in Lafayette terrorism trial

a native of Gaza, “suppress the fruits of the Google phone communications on Oct. 7, nization. Man lived and worked isAl-Muhtadi, Counts three and four should accused of participating in the geofence warrants and to compel 2023; portions of the summary furdisclosure of the origin of the idenbe dismissed, the defense argues, Hamas-led attack on Israeli civilnished by the Israeli government briefly in Lafayette ians that left around 1,200 people tiﬁcation.” that describe communications to because Al-Muhtadi applied for a

BY CLAIRE TAYLOR Staff writer

With his federal trial date in Lafayette approaching, public defenders representing Mahmoud Amin Ya’Qub Al-Mahtadi last week ﬁled motions to dismiss the four terrorism charges against him and to suppress audio recordings and evidence obtained through Google. Federal prosecutors also filed motions recently asking a federal judge to permit various forms of evidence at the trial, including testimony from survivors of the Oct. 7, 2023, attack.

dead, including 49 U.S. citizens. He lived in and worked in Lafayette brieﬂy before his arrest in October, having entered the United States through Dallas and spending time in Oklahoma. Al-Muhtadi pleaded not guilty to all four charges, including two counts of conspiracy to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, visa fraud and making a false statement in the jurisdiction of the United States. His trial date is set for Jan. 25. Among the motions ﬁled by AlMuhtadi’s attorneys is a motion to

The defense attorneys allege that under the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution, geofence warrants are unconstitutional. They want to know if information from ﬁve geofence warrants identified Al-Muhtadi, alleging they did not. If that is the case and geofence searches were the origin of the government’s investigation, the defense attorneys say all evidence obtained as a result is tainted. The defense also ﬁled a motion to suppress evidence produced through Israeli surveillance and seeks to suppress six audio recordings of Al-Muhtadi’s tele-

which Al-Muhtadi was a party; and any other evidence “obtained by exploitation of the search of the Israeli archive.” The motion alleges the conversations came from an archive of Palestinian citizens’ phone calls that Israel records on a regular basis. Motions also were ﬁled to dismiss all four counts against Al-Muhtadi. The superseding indictment does not allege Al-Muhtadi provided anything or communicated with anyone identiﬁed as Hamas. The indictment says he was associated with another group that is not designated as a foreign terrorist orga-

U.S. visa in Egypt, which is not in a special maritime or territorial jurisdiction of the U.S. The government, meanwhile, is asking to permit at trial various forms of evidence, including witnesses who personally experienced and videos of the Oct. 7 attacks in Kfar Aza and Nachal Oz in Israel and evidence from years before the attack that they say show AlMuhtadi’s sympathy with and membership in a Palestinian militia group.

Email Claire Taylor at ctaylor@ theadvocate.com.

OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

SPORTS

N O L A.C O M

T u e s d ay, s e p T e m b e r 22, 2026

1CN

Ole Miss rewatch ‘hard’ on LSU Kiffin: Players saw missed chances on film ä Texas A&M at LSU.

BY JON BLAU Staff writer

6:30 P.M. SATURDAy,ABC

LSU coach Lane Kiffin has wanted nothing more than to move on from Ole Miss. It just so happened Kiffin scheduled his first Sunday teleconference with the LSU media corps, a regular occurrence during his days at Ole Miss, after a 32-24 loss to the Rebels. Kiffin’s hope was to address every Ole Miss question so they wouldn’t bleed into his weekly Monday news conference. In fact, LSU football spokesperson Michael Bonnette reminded reporters of Sunday’s call when Kiffin took the podium. The Ole Miss game had been “put to bed,” and it was time to talk Texas A&M,

Bonnette said with a grin on his face. But when Kiffin started talking, it became clear that moving on was difficult. He’d just reviewed the Ole Miss film with his LSU players, and Kiffin found it littered with coulda-woulda-shoulda moments. “Those are really hard ones,” Kiffin said, “when you really go back and look and see how many ways that we came all the way back and should have won the game.” This was a slight change of tune for Kiffin, who spent most of his

postgame news conference Saturday talking about the “Houdini” plays made by his former quarterback Trinidad Chambliss. The Tigers seemed to have him, and then they didn’t. Upon further review, Kiffin doesn’t think Chambliss’ gamewinning touchdown was even a zone-read play. He just pulled what should have been a straight handoff, outﬂanking an LSU edge defender who committed fully to jolting a tight end that came in motion. On the ensuing LSU drive, quarterback Sam Leavitt had a pair of receivers open in the end zone, but his pass was tipped up and picked.

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU coach Lane Kiffin waits during an injury timeout in the fourth quarter ä See FILM, page 4C against Ole Miss on Saturday in Oxford, Miss.

R A I D E R S A T S A I N T S • 3 : 2 5 P. M . S U N D A y • C B S

New LSU center reminds Mulkey of NBA MVP BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By NICK WASS

New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough passes against the Baltimore Ravens during their game on Sunday in Baltimore. Shough led the Saints to an improbable 24-17 win.

Dog days over

Shough, sturdy defense pulling a heavier Saints’ bandwagon

hat the New Orleans Saints managed to do Sunday in Baltimore was rare. Nine-point underdogs don’t win very often in the NFL. They win even less frequently on the road, making the Saints’ come-from-behind 24-17 win at M&T Bank Stadium a rare occurrence. How rare? Consider that the Saints have been ninepoint-or-more underJeff dogs only 27 times in Duncan the last three decades. They’ve managed to win only seven of those games. They’ve now done it twice under Tyler Shough, who also led the Saints to a similarly improbable upset of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in his ﬁfth career start last season. That the Saints have been such signiﬁcant underdogs twice in the last seven games says a lot about what Vegas oddsmakers and the public think of them. Those opinions might be changing after seeing Shough lead the Saints to another improbable road win. His late heroics against the Ravens were even more impressive than what he did to the Bucs.

Before coach Kim Mulkey ever saw her new Russian center practice, she threw out the word “special” and compared her to the greatest basketball player ever born in Eastern Europe. Mulkey calls Anna Minaeva “baby Jokic.” As in the three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic, who led the Denver Nuggets to a league title in 2023. Both players are tall and strong with a soft touch, refined footwork and a knack for setting up teammates with open looks. “She’s really, really going to be special,” Mulkey said. It’s easy to see why Mulkey thinks so. Minaeva, a 6-foot-5 17-year-old who’s played professionally in Russia, flashed those Jokicesque skills on Monday when the LSU women’s basketball team held its first practice of the 2026-27 season in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. The retooled roster that took the floor for is a perimeter-oriented bunch. Mulkey and her staff lost Flau’jae Johnson to the WNBA and a pair of rotation guards to the transfer portal in the offseason. But they brought back both Mikaylah Williams and MiLaysia Fulwiley, then added one of the portal’s top players in former Iowa State point guard Jada Williams. Kate Koval, a 6-5 junior from Ukraine, was supposed to anchor the group down low. But once LSU announced it had signed Minaeva in August, she left the team, obtained an NCAA waiver and landed with Baylor, citing the Minaeva signing as the reason why she chose not to return to the Tigers. Her father fights in the Ukrainian military. Without Koval, Mulkey and her staff may need to rely more on Minaeva than they had initially planned to. She is expected to play at least a rotational role in the frontcourt this

ä See CENTER, page 4C

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By STEPHANIE SCARBROUGH

Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry, left, carries against New Orleans Saints safety Justin Reid in the first half on Sunday in Baltimore. Not only did Shough lead the Saints to the upset but he also did it in a hostile road environment, where Ravens fans were celebrating the team’s home opener, and without the aid of a productive rushing attack or his starting left tackle and No. 2

receiver (Jordyn Tyson). Yet, Shough and the Saints managed to overcome it all against the Ravens. Yes, I know football is a team

ä See DUNCAN, page 3C

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU center Anna Minaeva, right, finishes a layup during a drill at the first basketball practice of the season on Monday at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.

2C ✦ Tuesday, September 22, 2026 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune

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BROADCAST HIGHLIGHTS On TV 7 p.m. 6 p.m. 9 p.m.

MEN’S COLLEGE SOCCER Indiana at Wisconsin MLB Tampa Bay at N.y. yankees San Diego at L.A. Dodgers

BTN

6 p.m. 9 p.m.

TBS TBS

noon 2 p.m.

NHL Florida at Carolina Vegas at San Jose WOMEN’S SOCCER Manchester at Bayern HB Køge at Arsenal

NHLN NHLN CBSSN CBSSN

IN BRIEF

FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

10 p.m. 7 p.m. 9 p.m.

TENNIS Quarterfinal 2 ESP v. KAZ WTA TENNIS WNBA Minnesota at Indiana ESPN Los Angeles at Las Vegas ESPN

ANALYSIS

Eagles sign TE Ertz amid slew of injuries

The Philadelphia Eagles are bringing back fan favorite tight end Zach Ertz, three people familiar with the situation told The Associated Press. Ertz will join the practice squad in hopes of shoring up a tight end room depleted by injuries. Dallas Goedert is expected to miss several weeks with an MCL sprain suffered in Sunday’s 24-20 win over the Tennessee Titans. Backups Eli Stowers and Grant Calcaterra also are injured. The 35-year-old Ertz spent his ﬁrst eight seasons with the Eagles, earning three Pro Bowl appearances, and made two key plays late in their Super Bowl win after the 2018 season. He played three seasons for Arizona after being traded in 2021 and spent the last two in Washington.

Vikings QB Murray set to start vs. Buccaneers

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JESSICA TOBIAS

Trainers attend to Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels after he suffered a dislocated elbow in the first half against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday in Arlington, Texas.

Williams, Daniels injuries blow to NFL young QBS are two of league’s brightest stars BY ROB MAADDI

AP pro football writer Caleb Williams was carted off the ﬁeld with a hamstring injury. Jayden Daniels needed a cart after he dislocated his elbow again. Williams and Daniels already were linked together as Heisman Trophy winners selected with the ﬁrst two picks of the 2024 NFL Draft. Now, the two franchise quarterbacks are Williams dealing with potentially significant injuries at the same time after getting hurt Sunday. That’s bad news for Chicago, Washington and the NFL, which loses two of its young stars. There’s hope Williams won’t miss too much time He was seen walking around the locker room after the game with only a slight limp, and an MRI on Monday revealed a Grade I hamstring strain. He is considered week-to-week. It’s possible he could return to the lineup sooner than later but the Bears will likely be cautious with Williams, whose mobility is

a big part of his game. Seeing Williams visibly emotional, sitting on a cart with a towel draped over his face, was a scary moment for Bears fans, his coaches and teammates. After a rough rookie season, Williams had a breakout year with coach Ben Johnson in 2025 and led Chicago to an NFC North title and playoff win. “I’m actually happy it’s nothing with the knee, that was my ﬁrst inclination,” Johnson said after a 9-3 loss Sunday. “But yeah, the hamstring could be pretty damaging as well. So, we’ll see how bad it is and we’ll go from there.” Daniels has been through this before, which could prolong his recovery. He dislocated his left elbow in Week 9 last season, returned in Week 14, tweaked it again and missed the last four games. Daniels was the AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2024 when he led the Commanders to the NFC championship game against Philadelphia, but injuries limited him to only seven starts last season. Commanders coach Dan Quinn said imaging showed Daniels didn’t suffer a fracture. It has to be concerning that Daniels’ left elbow has twice bent the wrong way on a fall in less than a year. Dr. David Chao, an orthopedic surgeon and former team physician for the Chargers, wrote on X: “Joint comes out easier 2nd

time. Original ligament tear heals ‘looser.’ ” Quinn summed it up succinctly: “It sucks.” The Bears (1-1) scored 59 points in Week 1 before losing 9-3 to the Vikings. With Williams, they have high expectations. They would turn to Tyson Bagent in his absence. If his test results provide positive news, Williams has an extra day to rest because the Bears host Philadelphia (2-0) next Monday night. Marcus Mariota will replace Daniels for the Commanders (02). They weren’t expected to be contenders even with Daniels. Without him, things look bleak in a tough NFC East. Here are some other takeaways from Sunday’s games:

led by Dexter Lawrence and Jonathan Allen kept Houston out of the end zone in a 20-6 win. The Bengals sacked C.J. Stroud four times, forced ﬁve punts and four turnovers on downs. If the defense continues to play this well, Joe Burrow and the Bengals are Super Bowl contenders.

Mahomes is Superman Patrick Mahomes had surgery to repair a torn ACL and LCL nine months ago. He looks like his old self already. Mahomes threw for 382 yards and three TDs in Kansas City’s 33-30 overtime win over Indianapolis. He ran twice for 17 yards, moved around in the pocket and made big plays.

Broncos bounce back

The Denver Broncos held the Jacksonville Jaguars to 268 yards The Packers overcame a 10-point and gave Trevor Lawrence troudeficit in the fourth quarter and ble throughout the game in a 20beat the Jets 20-17 in overtime to 13 comeback win. After a terrible ﬁnally win a game without Micah start in Week 1, Denver’s stingy Parsons. Green Bay was 0-6 without defense returned to form. the All-Pro pass rusher, including a playoff loss to Chicago. Parsons Cousins’ team is still recovering from ACL surKirk Cousins fired three TD gery. The problem wasn’t defense passes to lead Las Vegas to a 26against New York. The offense 14 victory on the road against the sputtered, managing just 199 yards. Chargers. He’s got six TDs in two Jordan Love threw two TD passes, games, and the Raiders are off but the Packers converted on third to a 2-0 start after going 3-14 last season. No. 1 overall pick Ferdown just once in nine tries. nando Mendoza is going to have Bengals defense for real to wait his turn because Cousins Cincinnati’s revamped defense is playing well.

Shaky Packers

Mayﬁeld struggling as Bucs fall into 0-2 hole BY ROB MAADDI

AP pro football writer TAMPA, Fla. — Baker Mayfield is playing more like a quarterback trying to justify his contract. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are off to their first 0-2 start since 2014 after making Mayfield the highest-paid player in franchise history. Mayfield received a $165 million, three-year extension earlier this month and seems to be trying to do too much, leading to mistakes. Emeka Egbuka had a step on the defender and was open in the end zone for what would’ve been a go-ahead score in the final minute but Mayfield fired a pass out of his reach and the Buccaneers lost 23-19 to the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. “Obviously, just gotta trust that ‘Mek’ is going to come out of that break a little slower with conditions and give him some air to run under it,” Mayfield said. He threw a fade to Ted Hurst earlier in the drive but the rookie couldn’t make the catch in a driving rain. “Yeah, obviously, not an easy catch,” Mayfield said. “Ted is

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JASON BEHNKEN

Cleveland Browns defensive tackle Mason Graham sacks Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield during the first half of a game on Sunday in Tampa, Fla. somebody that I trust, that’s not going to change anything for me going forward, but yeah, tough play. I don’t know, I didn’t get a real good look at it, but I know he had a chance at it. The ball is going to keep coming back to him, going to keep ﬁnding him. We just gotta be able to make the plays in the end.” Mayﬁeld forced a throw in the first half that was picked and

turned into three points. He took three sacks, had several negative plays and ﬁnished 21 of 34 for 182 yards with one touchdown and one interception. In Week 1, Mayﬁeld lost three fumbles against the Bengals. He has 28 interceptions and 27 fumbles since 2024. “It’s shooting ourselves in the foot, not making the plays when we need them, knowing that

these are fixable things, but that also makes it more frustrating,” Mayfield said. “(We) just gotta get it corrected. We gotta be hard on ourselves, watch the tape, get those things fixed, flush it and move onto the next. (We have) another home game next week against a good opponent.” The Minnesota Vikings (2-0) visit Raymond James Stadium this week after shutting down Chicago’s high-powered offense in a 9-3 win. The Buccaneers are 2-9 since a 6-2 start last season. Coach Todd Bowles was on the hot seat entering the season and it’s only getting hotter. The run game was effective at certain points. The Buccaneers rushed for 137 yards, averaging 5.5 yards per carry. Bucky Irving had 89 yards on 17 carries, including a 38-yard scamper. The offensive line struggled. The unit allowed three sacks and had critical holding penalties. Two holding calls on third down negated first downs and derailed drives. Another holding penalty on the final drive moved the ball from the Cleveland 13 to the 23, and the Bucs couldn’t overcome it.

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kyler Murray has been cleared from the NFL concussion protocol and will return to action this week at Tampa Bay. Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell confirmed Monday that Murray will be back in the starting lineup for the game against the Buccaneers, after Carson Wentz relieved him in the season opener against Green Bay and started in his place at Chicago on Sunday. Murray’s debut for Minnesota on Sept. 13 lasted just 11 plays, before a hit to the side of his head from the lowered shoulder of Packers safety Javon Bullard forced him out of the game with a concussion. Wentz helped the Vikings come back to beat the Packers 39-22 by closing that game with 29 consecutive points.

Cardinals CB Johnson’s neck injury could end year

Arizona Cardinals starting cornerback Will Johnson could miss the rest of the regular season after suffering a neck injury against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. Coach Mike LaFleur made the announcement during his news conference Monday, adding that he didn’t have any more information and wasn’t sure if the 2025 second-round pick out of Michigan will need surgery. Johnson left the game in the second half but it was unclear when he suffered the injury. The Seahawks pulled away over the ﬁnal two quarters for a 31-7 win. Johnson started the first two games and was emerging as a key piece in the Cardinals defense. He has eight tackles, one pass defended and one fumble recovery this season.

Rivers says he’s retired from coaching, joins NBC

With Doc Rivers insisting that his Hall of Fame coaching career is over, he is joining NBC. The network announced Monday that Rivers will be an analyst on games this season across NBC, Peacock and NBCSN, along with the possibility for some studio work. “I honestly can say I’m absolutely retired,” Rivers said in a phone interview with The Associated Press. “I had a long run.” Rivers is sixth on the NBA’s career coaching list in wins (1,194) and games (2,059). In nine seasons with Boston, he led the Celtics to the NBA title in 2008 and returned to the Finals two years later. Along with Boston and Orlando, Rivers coached the Los Angeles Clippers, Philadelphia and Milwaukee.

Batum calls it a career after 18 seasons in NBA

Versatile forward Nicolas Batum is retiring after an 18-year NBA career. The 37-year-old Batum announced his retirement in a social media video with his son on Monday. “I decided to retire from basketball for several reasons,” Batum told 10-year-old son, Ayden, in the video. “I want to come home and be with you. I’m going to take care of you and make room for others. I think I’ve done my time.” Batum played two seasons in the French league before being selected in the ﬁrst round of the NBA draft by the Portland Trail Blazers. The 6-foot-7 forward spent seven seasons in Portland before playing the next six with Charlotte. He also played with the Sixers and Clippers.

The Times-Picayune ✦ nola.com ✦ Tuesday, September 22, 2026 ✦ 3C

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Stiﬂing defense lending hand to QB Burrow

SAINTS NOTEBOOK

BY JOE REEDY AP sportswriter

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By STEPHANIE SCARBROUGH

New Orleans Saints offensive tackle Kelvin Banks is carted off the field after being injured against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday in Baltimore.

LT Banks set for ankle surgery

in there and battled, going against evenly than the play-caller’s past Saints expect to lose Trey (Hendrickson) in a couple passing tendencies. him for several weeks situations, I thought he held his The Saints also notably made

BY LUKE JOHNSON, MATTHEW PARAS AND ZACH EWING Staff writers

New Orleans Saints offensive tackle Kelvin Banks will undergo surgery on a severely sprained ankle and likely miss a significant portion of the 2026 season. “Surgery will happen next few days, and then we’ll just kind of see what the timeline looks like after that,” coach Kellen Moore said Monday. “So, yeah, unfortunate thing for Kelvin, but you know, we’ll just take this thing step by step and then figure out the timeline after that.” Banks suffered a high-ankle sprain in the third quarter of the Saints’ 24-17 victory over the Baltimore Ravens. He was blocking for quarterback Tyler Shough when Ravens pass rusher Mike Green fell and rolled onto Banks’ leg from behind. The second-year tackle, who was the Saints’ first-round pick in 2025 and has started all 19 games of his career, remained on the field for a few minutes before the injury cart took him to the locker room. Asim Richards, whom the Saints traded for before the 2025 season, filled in at left tackle as the Saints scored the final 15 points of the game. Richards also started some games for the Saints last season after right takle Taliese Fuaga suffered an injury that cost him some time. “Asim was asked to play a number of snaps last year, and you know he’ll be asked to play a number of snaps this year,” Moore said. “I think he’s gotten better through the offseason. I thought he hopped

DUNCAN

Continued from page 1C sport and the Saints collectively pulled off the upset, but it was Shough who spearheaded the comeback, just as he did a week earlier in Detroit. He rallied the Saints behind his pinpoint passing, timely scrambles and penchant for delivering in the clutch. Trailing 17-9 in the final minutes of the third quarter, the Saints had failed to score a touchdown and had a 9% win probability when Ryan Wright punted the ball back to Baltimore. But Shough led the Saints on nine- and 16-play touchdown drives to stun the sellout crowd at M&T Bank Stadium. Shough has been at his best when the Saints have needed it most. The Saints have converted all four of their fourth-down conversions, making them the first team to do this through two games of a season since the 2001 Philadelphia Eagles, per ESPN Research. All four of the conversions have come in the fourth quarter or overtime. The Saints have scored five touchdowns in seven trips to the red zone. Their 71.4% conversion rate is tied for 10th in the league, a marked improvement

own.”

RB rotation In the first half of Sunday’s win over the Ravens, Alvin Kamara surprisingly got more carries than Travis Etienne. In the second half, the rotation flipped, with Etienne leading the way. Neither the order nor the switchup was necessarily intentional. Moore said Monday that he was just going off the “flow” of the game. The Saints again struggled to run the ball, with their running backs averaging only 2.3 yards per carry against the Ravens. “I think we were just trying to roll those guys in the flow of the game, and give ourselves as many opportunities as we can,” Moore said. “I thought C.J. (Donaldson) popped in there a few times. I thought our running back group did a better job in the protection game. And the run game there was some good stuff, and there was some stuff we still need to get better at.” Despite Moore’s explanation, the Saints’ use of their running backs is one of the more unexpected developments of the season. After the Saints gave him a fouryear, $48 million contract in the offseason, Etienne has played only 59% and 54% of the snaps in the first two games. And while that’s the majority of reps, Etienne had the same number of carries as Kendre Miller in Week 1 and one fewer than Kamara in Week 2. Moore has said he believes in having a rotation of runners, but the carries have been divided much more

after converting a league-low 44% a year ago. Shough has been the difference. He has completed 7 of 9 passes for 27 yards and three touchdowns in the red zone for a nifty 118.8 passer rating. He’s also run ﬁve times for 21 yards, including the game-winning, (literally) head-spinning 1-yard sneak against the Ravens. “Beyond impressed with Shough,” said former NFL safety Adam Archuleta, who served as the color analyst for the CBS Sports broadcast of the game Sunday. “I’ve seen and talked to a lot of young (quarterbacks), and he has the stuff. Fantastic demeanor and doesn’t ﬂinch.” While Shough has been the unquestioned star, the play of the defense should not be overlooked. The unit is playing rocksolid, bend-but-don’t-break defense, and it has kept the Saints in both games. In two games, the Saints have allowed just one play of more than 22 yards. Their average of 5.8 yards a pass play allowed ranks seventh in the NFL. They made Ravens star Derrick Henry work for his 68 yards rushing. In 16 carries, his long run covered 8 yards. Sound defense and stellar quarterback play are a proven NFL formula for success, and the Saints have employed it well through two games. Shough now leads the NFL

Miller inactive against the Ravens, preferring to play undrafted rookie Donaldson instead. Though the move caught some fans off guard, the Saints like to use Donaldson more as a fullback/short-yardage back and trust him to handle passprotection duties. That specialty, along with numbers needed at other spots on the roster, kept Miller inactive. But Moore left the door open to that changing when asked about Miller after Sunday’s win. “These guys are all going to play plenty of meaningful football,” Moore said. “I talked to Kendre about it. He is a big part of this. He is going to play plenty of football for us.”

The Cincinnati Bengals are 2-0 for the second straight season. But the outlook about Zac Taylor’s squad is a complete 180-degree turn from last year. An upright Joe Burrow and a strong defense have a lot to do with that. Burrow suffered a turf toe injury in last season’s Week 2 win over Jacksonville and missed nine games. Cincinnati lost eight of nine, including two where the offense put up at least 30 points, only to see the defense give up late scores in the final minute. Even though Burrow is dealing with some back pain, this time he has a defense to help pick up the slack. Sunday’s 20-6 win at Houston marked the first time since Week 3 of 2022 against the New York Jets that the Bengals kept a team out of the end zone. With Cincinnati snapping the 65-game streak, the Bills now take over the top spot at 47 games and counting in which they have allowed a TD. “We feel like, on paper, we have a great opportunity. Training camp was really good. But until you actually go play the games against real teams that we think are really good teams, we gotta go prove it,” Taylor said. “There are four AFC teams right now that are 2-0. We’re one of them. Proud of our guys for not being perfect but being 2-0. And we’ll continue to grow and iron out a lot of the flaws that we have.” Al Golden’s defense generated four sacks and 27 pressures on

62 drop backs despite having the lowest blitz rate of any of Sunday’s games (13.3%). Five Bengals had at least four, with Boye Mafe’s seven tying a career high. Dexter Lawrence had four QB pressures and three tackles in the run game, including stopping David Montgomery for a 1-yard loss on fourth-and-1 at the Bengals 18. According to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats, the Texans averaged only 1.0 yard on 12 carries in the run game when Lawrence was on the field. It was 8.0 yards on six rush attempts when he was off. “I think they have a mindset of what they want to be and what their brand is, and I’m going to let it play out,” Golden said about his unit. “I think there’s unit cohesion there in terms of their pre-snap communication and the awareness of formations and backfield sets and things that we have practiced. So again, we’re so early in the season in terms of me identifying what I see, but I think those are some things that I think would describe what we’re doing right now.” Ja’Marr Chase had one of the best catches of the season when he hauled in a 32-yard pass from Burrow to put the Bengals up 7-0 late in the second quarter. Chase, who had seven receptions for 75 yards, was able to turn around and make a toe-tapping catch in front of the right pylon in the end zone while displaying excellent body control. The catch had a 25.2% completion probability, the fifth-most improbable TD throw by Burrow to Chase in the six seasons they have played together in the NFL.

Good, quiet debut Three field goals, one extra point and zero moments where people were forced to look up the new long snapper’s name. Consider that a successful debut for newly signed Scott Daly. Daly served as a last-minute fillin for longtime Saints long snapper Zach Wood, who suffered a calf injury in practice last week that resulted in him landing on injured reserve. Daly, who has several years of NFL experience with the Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears, had just a few days to prepare with his new teammates before taking over. “You guys got no news, that’s a good thing, right?” Moore said. “I thought he did a great job. You know, that’s a challenging circumstance to show up essentially Thursday afternoon and have your first practice on Friday and go execute a game plan. I thought our operation was really good.”

with 662 yards passing and 62 completions. He, along with standout receiver Chris Olave, is the biggest reason the Saints rank second in the NFL in passing with a 305.5 yards per game. “The New Orleans Saints’ bandwagon is starting to get full, and anyone that wants to join me and believe me that Tyler Shough is a playmaker, is a great quarterback in the NFL and is the guy who is going to make the Year 1-to-Year-2 leap, you better hurry up, because this thing is starting to get full,” said former NFL quarterback Ben DiNucci of CBS Sports. “I was extremely impressed with him today. No turnovers, 27-of34 passing for 252 yards against that Ravens defense. That’s gotta make (head coach) Kellen Moore feel good. That’s gotta make Tyler Shough feel good. A lot of conﬁdence in that locker room.” There’s a lot of conﬁdence in New Orleans right now, too. Saints fans are starting to believe again. With Shough leading the way and a schedule that features four of the next six games in the Superdome, the optimism might be warranted. One thing is certain: The Saints’ days of being nine-point underdogs are over. Email Jeff Duncan at jduncan@ theadvocate.com.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By DAVID J. PHILLIP

Cincinnati Bengals defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence , left, and inside linebacker Oren Burks, right, tackle Houston Texans running back David Montgomery for no gain during the first half on Sunday in Houston.

Sumrall scoffs that Gators favored against Ole Miss BY MARK LONG AP sportswriter

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida coach Jon Sumrall, like most coaches, welcomes as much external motivation as possible. He’s not getting any help from oddsmakers this week. The 21st-ranked Gators (3-0, 1-0 SEC) are 31/ 2-point favorites against No. 4 Ole Miss (3-0, 1-0) ahead of Saturday’s game at Florida Field. The line opened at 11/ 2 and has since moved Sumrall more toward the home team. “Who’s got us favored against these guys?” Sumrall asked Monday. Everyone in Vegas. “There’s a lot of good drugs out there, huh?” Sumrall quipped. The Rebels, behind dynamic quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and speedy receiver Deuce Alexander, have quality wins against then-No. 16 Louisville in their opener in Nashville, Tennessee, and against then-No. 7 LSU at home last Saturday. Florida, meanwhile, handled overmatched Florida Atlantic and lower-division Campbell before winning a shootout at Auburn. The 44-39 victory on the Plains landed Florida in the AP Top 25 for just the second time in three years. “I did talk to our team about rankings in Week 4 mean nothing,” Sumrall said. “Nobody posts anything up in the building about this year’s team and where you’re ranked in Week 4. Nobody cares. “And the pats on the back you’re getting? If you go out and lay an egg, they’re going to be the same hands hitting you in the back — and they’re going to have a knife.” Florida is 3-0 for the ﬁrst time

since 2019, and the team’s 162 points rank fourth in program history through three games. The only years better: 1913, 1994 and 2007. “It’ll definitely be a good test because it’s easy to block out negative noise, ‘I don’t want to hear that,’ ” defensive end Jayden Woods said. “But once you hear the praise and the positive noise, it’s easy to want to listen to it and let that come in. But it’s just as important to block that out.” The Gators haven’t beaten a top-five team since then-No. 3 Ole Miss visited the Swamp in 2015. Florida rolled in that one, overwhelming Chad Kelly and the Rebels 38-10. The Rebels were favored by 61/ 2 in that one. It’s more surprising that they are underdogs this week, especially after Florida gave up way too many explosive plays against the Tigers and were flagged 16 times for 138 yards. The line has more to do with the game being in Gainesville, where the Gators have played well recently despite finishing with four losing seasons in the last five years. They have victories against five ranked teams at home over the last four years: knocking off Utah and South Carolina in 2022, Tennessee in 2023, Ole Miss in 2024 and Texas last season. “We may get added points in Vegas for home-field advantage, like more than normal,” Sumrall said. “It’s a special place. … I fully expect our fanbase to be ready to go and create as much havoc as they possibly can and make it a tough place to play when we play big games like this one.” Sumrall made it clear to his players that “if we play like we did last week or the previous week — really any of the weeks we played so far this year — we will not win Saturday. No chance.” Oddsmakers see it differently, at least for now.

4C ✦ Tuesday, September 22, 2026 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune

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CENTER

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU guard MiLaysia Fulwiley dribbles up the court during the first practice of the season on Monday at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.

LSU women open practice with less size, proven depth BY REED DARCEY

Staff writer

Every player who helped the LSU women’s basketball team win its 2023 national title has moved on. Flau’jae Johnson was the last title-team contributor left in the program, and she plays for the WNBA’s Seattle Storm. Coach Kim Mulkey and her staff now have 11 players on the roster, and they’ve each joined the Tigers at some point in the last three years. The new-look group has talent. Mikaylah Williams and MiLaysia Fulwiley are back for their senior years, and Iowa State point guard Jada Williams arrived through the transfer portal. What can they help the Tigers achieve this coming season? “I don’t guess any of us will know until we play, right,” Mulkey said. “What does a piece of paper mean? Everybody’s ranked high, everybody’s gonna do this. You just gotta go play.” Here are three things we learned in LSU’s ﬁrst practice of the year, a three-hour session Monday held on the Pete Maravich Assembly Center ﬂoor.

Small ball Mulkey may have to use smaller starting and closing lineups than she did last season, especially at the start. Kate Koval, a 6-foot-5 center, left the program in August, and Noa Morro, a 6-3 forward from Spain, underwent surgery in early September to address a stress fracture in her shin. Mulkey said the

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

Depth check Last season, LSU had its deepest roster of Mulkey’s tenure. The Tigers used a true nine-player rotation in SEC play. This year could look different. Mulkey acknowledged that possibility Monday when she said Mikaylah Williams has worked herself into better physical shape this year than she has in prior preseasons. “She has really worked on con-

ditioning,” Mulkey said, “and just understands that we don’t have the depth this year, and you’re gonna have to play a lot of minutes.” Mulkey has two guards who can factor into the rotation. Tennessee Tech transfer Chloe Larry is a ballhandler who can come off the bench, and Florida transfer Laila Reynolds is a tall, long guard who can defend opposing wings. The frontcourt depth hinges on Morro’s health and the pace at which Lampley and Minaeva develop. Even after Morro returns, Mulkey may not have more than seven or eight players who will see the ﬂoor in tight matchups. She didn’t seem concerned about it Monday. “How many do I play anyway, right?” Mulkey said.

Minaeva’s potential Mulkey’s right. Minaeva has a chance to become a “special” player,” as the 17-year-old showed Monday in the first practice of her collegiate career. It just may take some time. For every highlight-worthy play Minaeva made Monday, she had two or three miscues. She’d lose possession on a drive down the lane, throw a bad pass into traffic or miss an open look at the rim. At times, it looked like the sets that LSU was rehearsing moved a little too quickly for her. Minaeva has time to adjust, though. The Tigers won’t open the season until Nov. 2, and they won’t play a power-conference opponent until Nov. 28. She should get lots of run in the first eight games.

THREE AND OUT: SCOTT RABALAIS’ THREE TAKAWAYS FROM LANE KIFFIN’S MONDAY NEWS CONFERENCE

THE SAM LEAVITT SCENARIO LSU coach Lane Kiffin said quarterback Sam Leavitt taking off to run so often early in LSU’s 32-24 loss at Ole Miss and missing open receivers was compounded by blocking issues. “When you get impacted early in the game by the rush you can’t step up. Throw in rhythm,” Kiffin said. “It affects you.” However, Kiffin added: “He knows he’s got to do a better job of delivering the ball on time and not trying to do too much.” LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt, right, cuts upfield against Ole Miss in the fourth quarter on Saturday in Oxford, Miss. Coach Lane Kiffin said blocking issues contributed to Leavitt’s scrambling.

sharpshooting newcomer won’t make her debut until mid-to-late November. Sophomores ZaKiyah Johnson and Grace Knox are expected to start in the frontcourt when the season begins, potentially alongside a backcourt of Jada Williams, Mikaylah Williams and Fulwiley. Johnson is only 5-11, and Knox is 6-2. The other three post players have size, but none of them can pair it with much experience. Freshman Lola Lampley is a 6-2 wing who practiced with in the frontcourt on Monday, and Russian signee Anna Minaeva is a 6-5 center who’s just 17 years old. She’s played two years of professional basketball in Russia. Sophomore Meghan Yarnevich is back for another year, but she played mostly mop-up duty as a freshman. “(Koval’s) going to be missed,” Mulkey said. “However, next man up, next woman up. It was not a departure where there was any angriness — none of that. You want kids to go and ﬁnd their happiness.”

THE MARCEL REED FACTOR Kiffin knows about the Tigers’ previous struggles to stop Aggies quarterback Marcel Reed. He ran for three touchdowns to beat LSU 38-23 in 2024, then rushed for 108 yards with four total TDs to beat LSU 49-25 in 2025. “This is a big test,” Kiffin said. “We lead the country in rush defense (33.0 ypg), but that hasn’t been against a ton of quarterback-schemed runs. That’s a different set of challenges. It really takes a lot of discipline.”

Minaeva spent most of the practice on the low block, where Continued from page 1C she flashed her touch, vision and footwork. She stepped into short baseline jumpers. There was one season, alongside 6-2 sophomore moment in which she sealed one Grace Knox and Noa Morro, a 6-3 of LSU’s male practice-squad Spanish sharpshooter who will players down low, spun past him miss the start of the season with and finished a layup at the rim. But Minaeva also had her struga stress fracture. Is Minaeva ready for that re- gles. The practice-squad players frequently would poke the ball sponsibility? Mulkey said Monday that it “re- free as she dribbled toward the rim or break mains to be seen” “She’s fundamentally up one of the how much the teenager can play sound. She has tremendous p a s s e s s h e tried to slip for a title-contendfootwork. ... I think Bob through the ing college bas(Starkey’s) probably most paint. ketball team this Minaeva season. It’s clear excited. Because he works with post players.” kept trying to that Minaeva has find her teampotential, but she KIM MULKEy, LSU women’s won’t turn 18 until mates, though, basketball coach on Anna Minaeva which allowed January. “Her body is her to deliver very mature,” Mulkey said. one of the practice’s top high“She’s fundamentally sound. She lights in a full-court scrimmage has tremendous footwork. She is against the practice squad. a young lady that understands She caught an entry pass in the English very well. She is a big 6-5. mid-post and quickly noticed in “I think Bob (Starkey’s) prob- the corner of her eye that Fulably most excited. Because he wiley had started a baseline cut from the corner. So Minaeva works with post players.” The problem is that Mulkey and flipped her a no-look pocket pass, Starkey don’t have very many ex- giving the dynamic senior guard perienced post players to work a wide-open look at the rim. It was a true Jokic-style pass, with. Because Koval left the team, they have only 11 players the kind of play he’s made a Hall on the roster, and because Morro of Fame career out of. It’s easy is out until at least mid-to-late No- to forget that he was once just vember, they’ll begin the season a young, but promising, secondwith just 10 active players. Knox round draft pick. Mulkey hopes Minaeva’s career and fellow sophomore ZaKiyah Johnson are the only two who can follow a similar trajectory. “He adjusted, didn’t he?” have played significant frontMulkey said. “She’ll figure it out. court minutes in the SEC. Mulkey said LSU plans to sta- That’s what ballplayers do.” tion the 5-11 Johnson both on the perimeter and down low. She Email Reed Darcey at reed. practiced with the guards on darcey@theadvocate.com. Monday while 6-2 freshman Lola For more LSU sports updates, Lampley worked with the post sign up for our newsletter at players. theadvocate.com/lsunewsletter

A SIMPLE REMEDY Texas A&M fans taking over Tiger Stadium late in the Aggies’ blowout win in 2025 sealed the fate of former LSU coach Brian Kelly, who was fired the next day. Kiffin was asked how to prevent that from happening again. “By winning,” he said. “I’m watching (Texas A&M’s 31-21 loss at home to Kentucky) and there’s four minutes left in the game and their stadium’s empty. That was here last year and that was them last week.”

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU kicker Scott Starzyk, right, kicks a field goal against Ole Miss in the fourth quarter on Saturday at Vaught Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Miss.

FILM

Continued from page 1C

depend on it, because the Tigers’ margin for error in September and October shriveled ahead of a November stretch that features No. 8 Alabama, No. 1 Texas and No. 14 Tennessee in a row. Two-loss SEC teams generally make the playoff. Three-loss squads are questionable at best. The Aggies just took a massive blow to their reputation, falling from No. 9 in The Associated Press poll to No. 23. Quarterback Marcel Reed has struggled as a passer, and he just lost receiver and return man Terry Bussey for the season to an injury. Reed is a dynamic runner, though. LSU knows that well. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound sophomore subbed into a 38-23 win two seasons ago and rushed for 62 yards and three touchdowns. Last year, Reed helped clear out Tiger Stadium with 108 rushing yards in a 49-25 victory. LSU can’t afford a rerun of that. “This is a big test,” Kiffin said. “I think we lead the country in rush defense, but that hasn’t been against a ton of quarterback-schemed runs. Last week was just (Chambliss) making stuff on his own, and the long run, when he pulled the ball.” Kiffin is trying to move on, but everything is intertwined. Texas A&M, the program that essentially ended Brian Kelly’s tenure as coach, returns to Tiger Stadium with Kiffin and his first LSU squad desperately in need of a get-right game. And the Ole Miss game was difficult to relive. “There’s some games you just get outplayed, out-coached, and you go, OK, back to the drawing board,” Kiffin said. “But that one, they really struggled with this morning, seeing it.”

The Tigers had another fourthquarter series inside the 5-yard line and settled for a field goal because their third-down run was blown up. Kiffin would have gone for it on fourth down if LSU moved forward at all. “They went through it this morning, watching the film, going, ‘Wait, the game was right there to be won,’ ” Kiffin said. “I think their emotions had kind of probably gotten better, and then this morning when they saw it, I think it went down.” Moving on from Week 3 was always going to be easier said than done, especially in the annals of history. Kiffin just returned to Oxford, Mississippi, with the program he decided was betterresourced and didn’t win. In the near-term, LSU is being thinned by injuries. The Tigers just lost safety Dashawn Spears to an ACL tear, joining receiver Phillip Wright on the out-for-season list. And tight end Trey’Dez Green is sidelined indefinitely after taking a helmet to the knee. As always, the television screens in the LSU football facility Monday were playing highlights from the opponent’s last game, Texas A&M versus Kentucky. The Wildcats just beat the Aggies 31-21 in College Station, Texas. Whoever better handles the emotional letdown of a harsh defeat will have an edge Saturday. “When we transitioned to the next opponent, I told them, ‘Hey, we got to go out of here and regroup,’ ” Kiffin said. “We got to move on because we can’t let that missed opportunity have to do with us losing another game.” LSU’s chances of making the Email Jon Blau at jon.blau@ College Football Playoff might theadvocate.com

The Times-Picayune ✦ nola.com ✦ Tuesday, September 22, 2026 ✦ 5C

Karr takes over No. 1 in 5A lll

District play gets underway this week

BY CHRISTOPHER DABE

Contact Christopher Dabe at cdabe@theadvocate.com

Class 5A School (ﬁrst-place votes) Rec. Pts. Prev. 1. Karr (10) 3-0 131 2 2. Ruston 2-1 115 1 3. Alexandria 3-0 109 3 4. St. Augustine (1) 3-0 104 4 5. John Curtis 2-1 82 6 6. Rummel 3-0 80 7 7. Acadiana 3-0 63 8 8. Brother Martin 3-0 47 9 9. Catholic-Baton Rouge 1-2 45 5 10. Jesuit 3-0 22 NR Others receiving votes: St. Thomas More 15, Central 13, West Monroe 8, Ouachita 7, Mandeville 5, Barbe 3, Thibodaux 3.

Class 4A

Staff writer

Edna Karr moved to the top of the LSWA Class 5A state rankings and St. Augustine also received a first-place vote in the latest poll released Monday. Karr’s move to the top comes after beating former No. 1 Ruston on Saturday at the Caesars Superdome. Ruston dropped one spot to No. 2. Alexandria is No. 3. St. Augustine, at No. 4, is the second among six Catholic League schools listed in the top 10. Joining Karr and St. Aug from the district are No. 5 John Curtis, No. 6 Rummel, No. 8 Brother Martin and No. 9 Jesuit. Four of those six state-ranked teams will face each other in the first week of district games with Brother Martin facing Jesuit on Friday at 7 p.m. and St. Augustine facing Curtis on Saturday at 3 p.m. Both games are at Tad Gormley Stadium. In Class 4A, Shaw dropped two spots to No. 4 after losing to Rummel while No. 8 Kennedy and No. 9 Belle Chasse moved into the top 10. In 3A, St. Charles slipped one spot to No. 2 and received two first-place votes following an overtime loss to Holy Cross. In 2A, Newman moved into the ranking at No. 10. In 1A, Riverside kept its spot at No. 2 and received four first-place votes.

LSWA FOOTBALL POLLS

School (ﬁrst-place votes) Rec. Pts. Prev. 1. Westgate (9) 3-0 129 1 2. North DeSoto (1) 3-0 114 3 3. Neville (1) 2-1 111 4 4. Shaw 2-1 99 2 5. Lake Charles Prep 3-0 91 5 6. Franklin Parish 2-1 76 7 7. Madison Prep 1-2 62 6 8. John F. Kennedy 2-1 46 NR 9. Belle Chasse 3-0 36 NR 10. Cecilia 2-1 29 8 Others receiving votes: Plaquemine 27, Salmen 19, Lafayette Renaissance 7, Franklinton 3, Opelousas 3, Carencro 2, Teurlings Catholic 2, E.D. White 1.

Class 3A School (ﬁrst-place votes) Rec. Pts. Prev. 1. St. James (9) 3-0 130 2 2. St. Charles (2) 2-1 118 1 3. Sterlington 2-1 104 4 4. Jena 2-1 96 3 5. University 1-2 83 6 6. Iowa 1-2 81 5 7. Jewel Sumner 2-1 64 7 8. Loyola Prep 2-1 55 8 9. Marksville 3-0 52 9 10. Eunice 3-0 30 NR Others receiving votes: Vandebilt Catholic 23, Carroll 13, Iota 4, Northwest 3, De La Salle 2, West Feliciana 1.

Class 2A

STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

Edna Karr players celebrate their win against Ruston on Saturday at Caesars Superdome. The schools switched spots in the LSWA Class 5A poll, with Karr now No. 1 and Ruston No. 2.

WEEK 4 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE All games 7 p.m. unless noted.

Thursday’s games

District 6-5A Hammond at Mandeville District 9-5A Chalmette vs. Rummel at Yenni Holy Cross vs. Edna Karr at Morris F. X. Jeff Sr. Stadium Nondistrict Haynes vs. Thomas Jefferson at Memtsas, 6:30 p.m. Ellender vs. Morris Jeff at Joe Brown

Friday’s games

District 6-5A Covington at Northshore Ponchatoula at St. Paul’s

Slidell at Fontainebleau District 7-5A H.L. Bourgeois at East St. John District 8-5A East Jefferson vs. Bonnabel at Yenni Higgins vs. John Ehret at Memtsas District 9-5A Jesuit vs. Brother Martin at Gormley Nondistrict Amite at Salmen Booker T. Washington at Springﬁeld Carver vs. Sarah T. Reed at Joe Brown Central Lafourche at Destrehan

Country Day at Episcopal E.D. White at Shaw Fisher at Hannan Franklinton at Jewell Sumner Hahnville at Lutcher Jefferson Rise at Istrouma Kennedy vs. L.B. Landry at Morris F.X. Jeff Sr. Stadium Lakeshore at Vandebilt Catholic McDonogh 35 at Belle Chasse Pope John Paul II at Northlake Christian Patrick Taylor vs. Kenner Discovery at Bertolino Pearl River at Pine Warren Easton at Zachary West St. John at St. Thomas Aquinas

Willow at Newman Sophie B. Wright at St. Martin’s St. Charles vs. De La Salle at Pan American Varnado at Ben Franklin Young Audiences at Riverside

Saturday’s games

District 8-5A Riverdale vs. West Jefferson at Memtsas, 2 p.m. District 9-5A John Curtis vs. St. Augustine at Gormley, 3 p.m. Nondistrict Abramson vs. Cohen at Pan American, 2 p.m. South Plaquemines vs. McMain at Morris F.X. Jeff Sr. Stadium

School (ﬁrst-place votes) Rec. Pts. Prev. 1. Calvary Baptist (9) 3-0 130 1 2. Dunham (2) 2-1 120 2 3. Notre Dame 3-0 113 3 4. Mangham 2-1 96 4 5. Amite 3-0 67 7 6. Lafayette Christian 2-1 55 5 7. Oak Grove 1-2 53 6 8. Catholic-New Iberia 2-1 51 9 9. Mansﬁeld 3-0 48 10 10. Newman 2-1 27 NR Others receiving votes: Kinder 25, Loreauville 19, West St. Mary 7, Covenant Christian 7, Country Day 4, Lake Arthur 2.

Class 1A School (ﬁrst-place votes) Rec. Pts. Prev. 1. Ouachita Christian (6) 3-0 127 1 2. Riverside Academy (4) 3-0 125 2 3. Ascension Catholic 3-0 110 3 4. Jeanerette 3-0 96 4 5. Haynesville 2-1 84 5 6. Logansport 3-0 72 6 7. Southern Lab 2-0 65 7 8. Kentwood 3-0 63 8 9. Westminster-Lafayette 3-0 40 9 10. Cedar Creek 3-0 35 NR Others receiving votes: East Feliciana 20, South Plaquemines 13, Lincoln Prep 11, Westminster-Opelousas 3, Catholic-Pointe Coupee 1, St. Edmund 1.

SWAC NOTEBOOK

Southern tweaks offensive calls; FAMU deals with QB injuries BY TOYLOY BROWN III Staff writer

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By LINDSEy WASSON

Texas Rangers first baseman Jake Burger is greeted in the dugout after scoring during the fourth inning against the Seattle Mariners on Sept. 8 in Seattle.

Rangers at .500 going into ﬁnal week, lead AL West BY STEPHEN HAWKINS

date in spring training that regular season. you had a chance to get into New York then won the the playoffs, I would have NL Wild Card and NL DiARLINGTON, Texas — Being signed up for it.” vision Series before losing even is good enough for the the NL Championship SeTexas Rangers to lead the Good to be in AL ries in six games to the now AL West going into the final With their .500 record, two-time reigning World week of the regular season. the Rangers would already Series champion Dodgers. With six games left in a be eliminated from playoff “Most of the time it’s just somewhat strange season, contention in the National better to be the hot team,” the 78-78 Rangers have a League. Nimmo said. one-game lead over HousThey went into their off ton. They have stayed near day Monday eight games Stayed close to even the top of the division all behind Philadelphia, the The Rangers have never year, never trailing by NL’s third wild card, and been too far from .500 this more than three games or far behind division winners year after going 81-81 last Milwaukee (20 games), the season, the only break-even ahead by more than two. “A weird one for sure,” Los Angeles Dodgers (18) record for the franchise first baseman Jake Burger and Atlanta (14). that began as the Washingsaid. “The positive side is ton Senators in 1961 and we’ve been in the race the Close to top moved to Texas in 1972. entire time. ... We’ve kind The low mark was six No big league team has of held our head above wa- stayed within such a tight games under at 25-31 on ter, even if it’s just barely margin of their division May 28, when all five AL at times. We’ve given our- lead like the five-game gap West teams had losing reselves a chance to do some- for Texas. The league aver- cords. Texas was last three thing special, and that’s all age between biggest leads games over .500 at 55-52 on you can ask for out of a and biggest deficits is near- July 28. Even with a loss Sunday team.” ly 16 1/2, with Houston (nine) The Rangers haven’t and Minnesota (9 1/2) the in their series finale against been to the playoffs since only other teams under 10. Toronto, the Rangers have winning their only World “The good part is we won nine of 13 games. They Series title in 2023, when haven’t gotten too far had been first alone in the they were a wild card after away,” right fielder Bran- AL West only one day since Houston matched them at don Nimmo said. “I feel the end of July before pass90-72 on the final day of the like we’re playing good ing Houston on Saturday. regular season. The Astros baseball, and if you can get Texas, which won its last had the division tiebreaker your foot in the door, then division title 10 years ago, then, and do again this year that’s a dangerous thing.” missed a chance for a twowhen there might not be an Nimmo was on the Mets game lead when the Astros available wild-card spot for in 2024 when they over- were swept by Atlanta on a second AL West team. came a 22-33 start and be- Sunday. “We’re in position to make ing 17 1/2 games out of the The Rangers open a the playoffs. It doesn’t division lead. They made three-game home series matter what the record is, the playoffs with a late against the Mets on Tuesthat’s the goal,” first-year comeback win in the opener day, then play three games Rangers manager Skip of a makeup doubleheader at Minnesota. Houston has Schumaker said. “So if you at Atlanta a day after every two games in Seattle, then would have told me that this other team had finished the four against the Athletics. Associated Press

Southern ended nonconference play the way Marshall Faulk hoped. The first-year coach saw his team score 50 points for the first time since Oct. 22, 2022, during a 50-31 home win over NAIA program Louisiana Christian on Saturday. The Southern offensive line dominated, and redshirt junior quarterback Christian Johnson was responsible for five touchdowns. The Hutchinson (Kansas) Community College transfer completed 16 of 22 passes for 172 yards and four touchdowns, and added a 15-yard rushing score. Southern (2-2) never threw for more than two touchdowns in a game last season. It also hasn’t thrown for four touchdowns in a game since facing Virginia University of Lynchburg in the last game they scored at least 50. The offensive explosion against Louisiana Christian (3-1), which had a rare FCS win over Northwestern State to open the season, happened in the first game of a play-calling adjustment. Instead of offensive coordinator Ken Merchant, Faulk had senior adviser Fred McNair call plays in a “collaborative effort.” “Yeah, he was calling the plays in,” Faulk said of McNair, Southern’s co-offensive coordinator and interim head coach last year. “But it’s a collaborative effort. We put Ken upstairs, and you know Fred’s been working with the quarterbacks. He’s the senior adviser here, and I kind of moved his role up to where I wanted him communicating with the quarterback.”

FAMU QB injuries

STAFF PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS

Southern QB Christian Johnson looks to throw against Louisiana Christian on Saturday at A.W. Mumford Stadium. majority of the contest with third-string freshman quarterback Armond Parker. He replaced graduate student Dustin Fletcher, who exited with a thumb injury. Fletcher was the backup to graduate student Isaiah Knowles, who suffered a season-ending thumb injury after playing two games. When asked about Fletcher’s injury status on the SWAC coaches call Monday, Gray said he expects to receive an update from the doctor later in the day. Parker played valiantly in the second game of his career. He checked in with a little more than minutes left before halftime and ﬁnished completing 14 of 25 passes for 267 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. “An opportunity for him to continue to develop because you’re talking about a true freshman coming in here being thrown into the ﬁre in Division I football,” Gray said. “He did some really good things this past week in terms of making plays. At the end of the day, he did go out when his number was called. He was ready to go, and he put his best foot forward and gave us the opportunity to win the game.”

Prairie View (1-3, 1-0 SWAC) lost to all of its nonconference foes: Tarleton State (4-0), Baylor (2-1) and Stephen F. Austin (4-0). In the Panthers’ 31-10 home defeat to Stephen F. Austin on Saturday, they averaged only 1.8 yards per rushing attempt. Prairie View coach Tremaine Jackson said that his team’s losses will be beneﬁcial for SWAC play. “Everything that happened to us and for us in this nonconference has been good for us, absolutely good for us,” the secondyear coach said. “Nobody wants to lose, but man, we played a wide range of football, and we’re excited about the lessons that we are going to take from that and get ready to build a game plan to win our division.” Last year, the Panthers were 1-2 in their ﬁrst three nonconference games, with their only win being a 2724 win over Northwestern State. The Panthers are still viewed as a contender in the SWAC. They are the No. 4 team in this week’s BOXTOROW HBCU football media poll. In their lone win, they beat Texas Southern 52-14 while allowing only 81 yards passing.

Florida A&M (1-3) suffered a 29-26 loss to Tennessee State at home on Saturday. The Rattlers gave up a 20yard screen pass for the goahead touchdown with 51 seconds remaining. Coach Quinn Gray‘s offense was un- PVU’s tough slate able to get within ﬁeld goal T h e r e i g n i n g S WA C Email Toyloy Brown range to tie the game. champion doesn’t have a III at toyloy.brown@ The Rattlers played the glossy record. theadvocate.com.

6C ✦ Tuesday, September 22, 2026 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune

lll

SCOREBOARD Holes-in-one Jared Leggett

Course: The University Club Hole: No. 16 Yardage: 181 yards Club: 7 iron Witnesses: Jeff Ellison & Paige Leggett Course: The University Club Hole: No. 8 Yardage: 141 yards Club: 9 iron Witnesses: Max Lewis, Ronald Doyle, Scott Perrilloux

Seth Davis

Course: Santa Maria Hole: No.2 Club: 7 Iron Witnesses: Randy Davis,Austin Aker, Allen Aker

Odds Sports Betting Line NFL FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG at GREEN BAY 7½ 7 (43½) Atlanta

Sunday

FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG Houston 2½ 2½ (43½) at IND Kansas City 7 11½ (45½) at MIAMI Carolina 2½ 3 (42½) at CLE Cincinnati 1½ 3½ (42½) at PITTS Seattle 3½ 6½ (39½) at WASH at BUFFALO 2½ 7 (50½) Chargers at DETROIT 9½ 6½ (48½) NY Jets at JAX 1½ 3 (45½) New Eng at NY GIANTS 3 6½ (43½) Tennessee Minnesota 1½ 1½ (43) at TAMPA at SAN FRAN 11½ 8½ (47½) Arizona at N.O. 3 3 (43½) Las Vegas Baltimore 2½ 3 (52½) at DALLAS LA Rams 3 2½ (45½) at DENVER

Monday

FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG Philadelphia 1½ 3½ (44½) at CHI

College Football FAVORITE Liberty

OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG 1½ 2½ (52½) at C. CAR

FAVORITE Army Navy at INDIANA Clemson

OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG 3½ 3 (48½) at TEMPLE 12½ 7 (51½) at UAB 23½ 21 (49½) Nrthwstrn 1½ 1½ (50½) at CAL

Saturday

FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG at UTSA 10½ 13 (57½) Colrado St Virginia Tech 14½ 14 (50½) at B. COLL UNLV 13½ 13½ (50½) at AKRON at OSU 26½ 27½ (53½) Illinois at TEX TECH 40½ 34½ (54½) Sam Hou Texas 6½ 5½ (55½) at TEN at KENT ST 3½ 3 (49½) Ball State at LOUSVILLE 13½ 13½ (58½) W. Forest at TOLEDO 3½ 2½ (50½) Sdsu at BAYLOR 6½ 10 (55½) Colorado at KENTUCKY 20½ 20½ (53½) S. Alabama UCLA 1½ 2½ (57½) at MRYLND Notre Dame 27½ 28 (57½) at PURDUE at GSU 8½ 10 (55½) N. Illinois Hawaii 5½ 3 (45½) at WYMNG at MICHIGAN 4½ 5½ (38½) Iowa New Mexico 13½ 12½ (48½) at NMSU TCU 1½ 3 (49½) at UCF at FLORIDA 1½ 3½ (60½) Ole Miss at MIAMI (OH) 5½ 3½ (51½) UConn at GEORGIA 10 13½ (43½) Oklahoma Utah 11½ 7½ (49½) at IOWA ST Boise State 7½ 7½ (48½) at W. MICH Houston 20½ 18½ (54½) at G. SOUTH at AUBURN 8½ 9½ (56½) Vanderbilt Nebraska 5½ 5½ (48½) at MSU at PENN ST 11½ 9½ (44½) Wisconsin South Florida 14½ 17½ (48½) at B. GREEN at VIRGINIA 21½ 19½ (51½) Delaware J. Madison 1½ 6 (47½)at OLD DOM UL 13½ 10½ (49½)at CHRLTTE at MIA (FL) 42½ 41½ (53½) C. Michign at ALABAMA 11½ 12½ (54½) S. Carolina at WEST VA 2½ 1½ (59½) Oklah St at JSU 12½ 7 (51½) M. Tenn at ARKAN ST 5½ 5½ (52½) Kennsw St at TULANE 16½ 18½ (51½) S. Miss Kansas St 6½ 6½ (55½) at CIN at LSU 3 9½ (52½)Texas A&M at NC STATE 11½ 14 (55½) Appa St Oregon 5½ 2½ (62½) at USC at UTAH ST 1½ 3½ (48½) Troy Arizona 12½ 10 (47½)at WASH ST at MISS ST 1½ 6½ (58½) Missouri at ARKAN 10½ 7 (51½) Tulsa Florida Atl 11½ 13½ (57½) at ULM UMass 5½ 4½ (48½) at SAC ST at SMU 34½ 34½ (58½)Missouri St Oregon St 10½ 10½ (54½) at UTEP at FRESNO ST 12½ 13½ (44½) Rice Air Force 3½ 5½ (49½) at NEVADA Georgia Tech 5½ 3½ (47½)at STANFRD at WASH 8½ 10 (45½) Minnesota

MLB

Tuesday

American League FAVORITE LINE at N.Y YANKEES -134 at BALTIMORE -122 at BOSTON -130 at N.Y YANKEES -138 Chi White Sox -118 at SEATTLE -145 LA Angels OFF National League FAVORITE LINE at PITTSBURGH -151 at PHILADELPHIA -143 at ATLANTA -191 at CHICAGO CUBS OFF Arizona -198 at LA DODGERS OFF Interleague FAVORITE LINE at DETROIT -164 at TEXAS -146 Minnesota -136

UNDERDOG LINE Tampa Bay +110 Toronto +100 Cleveland +107 Tampa Bay +114 at KANSAS CITY-103 Houston +120 at ATHLETICS OFF UNDERDOG LINE St. Louis +124 Milwaukee +118 Cincinnati +155 Miami OFF at COLORADO +161 San Diego OFF UNDERDOG Washington N.Y Mets at SAN FRAN

LINE +134 +121 +112

Pro basketball WNBA Glance EASTERN CONFERENCE x-Atlanta x-Indiana x-New York x-Washington Chicago Toronto Connecticut

W 28 27 26 26 15 11 10

L 14 15 16 16 27 31 32

Pct .667 .643 .619 .619 .357 .262 .238

x-Minnesota x-Golden State x-Las Vegas x-Dallas Los Angeles Portland Phoenix Seattle

W 32 31 29 26 16 16 15 8

L 10 11 13 16 26 27 27 35

Pct GB .762 — .738 1 .690 3 .619 6 .381 16 .372 16½ .357 17 .186 24½

WESTERN CONFERENCE

x-clinched playoff spot Sunday’s Games

GB — 1 2 2 13 17 18

Minnesota 101, Connecticut 89 New York 106, Toronto 69 Washington 93, Indiana 77 Los Angeles 105, Portland 84 Las Vegas 98, Seattle 77

Monday’s Games

Atlanta at New York, n Dallas at Phoenix, n

Tuesday’s Games

Connecticut at Washington, 6:30 p.m. Minnesota at Indiana, 7 p.m. Toronto at Chicago, 7 p.m. Golden State at Portland, 9 p.m. Los Angeles at Las Vegas, 9 p.m.

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

W 2 1 1 0

L 0 1 1 2

T Pct PF PA 0 1.000 77 62 0 .500 30 16 0 .500 40 30 0 .000 26 62

Jacksonville Tennessee Houston Indianapolis

W 1 0 0 0

L 1 2 2 2

T 0 0 0 0

South

North

L 0 1 1 1

T Pct PF PA 0 1.000 53 33 0 .500 58 47 0 .500 23 33 0 .500 33 53

Kansas City Las Vegas Denver L.A. Chargers

W 2 2 1 0

L 0 0 1 2

T Pct PF PA 0 1.000 64 40 0 1.000 53 27 0 .500 30 44 0 .000 28 52

NATIONAL CONFERENCE East Philadelphia N.Y. Giants Dallas Washington

W 2 1 1 0

L 0 0 1 2

T Pct PF PA 0 1.000 48 42 0 1.000 28 20 0 .500 57 48 0 .000 42 61

Carolina New Orleans Tampa Bay Atlanta

W 1 1 0 0

L 1 1 2 2

T 0 0 0 0

Minnesota Detroit Chicago Green Bay

W 2 1 1 1

L 0 1 1 1

T Pct PF PA 0 1.000 48 25 0 .500 62 71 0 .500 62 46 0 .500 42 56

South

North

Thursday

Friday

W 2 1 1 1

West

Bobby Lormand

Thursday

Cincinnati Baltimore Pittsburgh Cleveland

Pct PF PA .500 47 30 .000 30 47 .000 37 56 .000 53 74

West

Seattle San Francisco Arizona L.A. Rams

W 2 2 1 0

Thursday’s Games

L 0 0 1 1

Pct PF PA .500 71 62 .500 54 48 .000 46 56 .000 16 54

T Pct PF PA 0 1.000 44 17 0 1.000 62 20 0 .500 33 45 0 .000 7 27

Buffalo 41, Detroit 31

Sunday’s Games

Carolina 34, Atlanta 3 Cincinnati 20, Houston 6 Cleveland 23, Tampa Bay 19 Green Bay 20, N.Y. Jets 17, OT Minnesota 9, Chicago 3 New England 20, Pittsburgh 3 New Orleans 24, Baltimore 17 Philadelphia 24, Tennessee 20 Denver 20, Jacksonville 13 Las Vegas 26, L.A. Chargers 14 Dallas 37, Washington 20 San Francisco 35, Miami 13 Seattle 31, Arizona 7 Kansas City 33, Indianapolis 30, OT

Monday’s Games

N.Y. Giants at L.A. Rams, n

Late Sunday K.C. 33, Indianapolis 30, OT Indianapolis 7 13 0 7 3 — 30 Kansas City 10 7 7 3 6 — 33 First Quarter Ind_Warren 1 pass from D.Jones (Shrader kick), 8:25. KC_FG Butker 46, 6:09. KC_Kelce 13 pass from Mahomes (Butker kick), 4:34. Second Quarter Ind_FG Shrader 42, 14:48. Ind_FG Shrader 49, 9:44. KC_Worthy 1 pass from Mahomes (Butker kick), 2:25. Ind_Taylor 24 run (Shrader kick), :59. Third Quarter KC_Royals 1 pass from Mahomes (Butker kick), 8:01. Fourth Quarter KC_FG Butker 28, 14:15. Ind_Taylor 5 run (Shrader kick), 5:37. First Overtime KC_FG Butker 31, 5:09. Ind_FG Shrader 38, 3:11. KC_FG Butker 40, :00.

A_73,351.

Ind KC First downs 24 29 Total Net Yards 329 523 Rushes-yards 32-119 29-152 Passing 210 371 Punt Returns 0-0 2-8 Kickoff Returns 6-160 6-167 Interceptions Ret. 0-0 1-0 Comp-Att-Int 22-31-1 32-47-0 Sacked-Yards Lost 0-0 2-11 Punts 2-43.0 2-54.5 Fumbles-Lost 0-0 0-0 Penalties-Yards 5-30 8-86 Time of Possession 33:00 37:00 INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS RUSHING_Indianapolis, Taylor 24-92, Burks 2-14, Jones 3-10, Warren 1-3, McGowan 2-0. Kansas City, Walker 24-117, Mahomes 2-17, Johnson 2-15, Tonga 1-3. PASSING_Indianapolis, Jones 22-31-1-210. Kansas City, Mahomes 32-47-0-382. RECEIVING_Indianapolis, Downs 7-72, Warren 6-21, Taylor 4-40, Treadwell 3-61, Pierce 1-11, K.Allen 1-5. Kansas City, Kelce 9-101, Walker 6-61, Worthy 5-25, Thornton 4-86, Rice 4-83, Johnson 2-20, Royals 2-6. MISSED FIELD GOALS_Kansas City, Butker 51.

College football College Football Schedule All Times Central (Subject to change)

Thursday’s games SOUTH

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

Friday’s games EAST

Army (1-1) at Temple (1-2), 3 p.m. Howard (1-2) at Rutgers (0-3), 6 p.m. Harvard (1-0) at Brown (1-0), 6 p.m.

SOUTH

SC State (4-0) at Bethune-Cookman (2-1), 6 p.m. Southern U. (2-2) at Jackson St. (3-0), 6 p.m. Alabama A&M (3-1) at Florida A&M (1-3), 6 p.m. Mercyhurst (1-3) at W. Kentucky (0-3), 6 p.m. Middle Tennessee (2-1) at Jacksonville St. (2-2), 6 p.m. SE Louisiana (2-2) at Northwestern St. (0-4), 6 p.m. South Carolina (2-1) at Alabama (3-0), 6 p.m. S. Illinois (2-2) at Murray St. (1-3), 6 p.m. Southern Miss. (1-2) at Tulane (1-2), 6 p.m. East Texas A&M (1-3) at McNeese St. (1-3), 6 p.m. Texas A&M (2-1) at LSU (2-1), 6:30 p.m. Appalachian St. (3-0) at NC State (1-2), 6:30 p.m. Missouri (3-0) at Mississippi St. (3-0), 6:45 p.m. FAU (2-1) at Louisiana-Monroe (0-3), 7 p.m.

MIDWEST

Ball St. (1-2) at Kent St. (1-2), 11 a.m. San Diego St. (1-2) at Toledo (2-1), 11 a.m. UNLV (1-2) at Akron (1-2), 11 a.m. Illinois (2-1) at Ohio St. (2-1), 11 a.m. Lindenwood (Mo.) (1-2) at E. Michigan (1-3), noon North Dakota (3-1) at Indiana St. (2-2), noon San Diego (1-2) at St. Thomas (Minn.) (3-1), 1 p.m. Butler (3-1) at Valparaiso (1-2), 1 p.m. Notre Dame (3-0) at Purdue (1-2), 1 p.m. South Dakota (3-1) at Youngstown St. (2-2), 1 p.m. UConn (2-1) at Miami (Ohio) (1-2), 2:30 p.m. Utah (3-0) at Iowa St. (2-1), 2:30 p.m. Boise St. (2-1) at W. Michigan (2-1), 2:30 p.m. Iowa (3-0) at Michigan (3-0), 2:30 p.m. Stonehill (1-3) at Ohio (1-2), 2:30 p.m. Nebraska (3-0) at Michigan St. (2-1), 4 p.m. South Florida (3-0) at Bowling Green (0-3), 4 p.m. Illinois St. (4-0) at N. Iowa (1-2), 4 p.m. Kansas St. (3-0) at Cincinnati (3-0), 6 p.m. E. Illinois (1-3) at S. Dakota St. (3-1), 6 p.m. West Florida (2-1) at SE Missouri (2-2), 6 p.m.

SOUTHWEST

Colorado (2-1) at Baylor (2-1), 11 a.m. Colorado St. (2-1) at UTSA (2-1), 11 a.m. Sam Houston St. (1-2) at Texas Tech (3-0), 11 a.m. Incarnate Word (2-1) at Texas State (1-2), 5 p.m. Northeastern St. (0-1) at Stephen F. Austin (4-0), 5 p.m. Kennesaw St. (1-2) at Arkansas St. (1-2), 6 p.m. Prairie View (1-3) vs. Grambling St. (2-1) at Dallas, 6 p.m. Houston Christian (2-2) at North Texas (1-2), 6:30 p.m. Tulsa (3-0) at Arkansas (1-2), 7 p.m. Mercer (2-2) at Abilene Christian (1-3), 7 p.m. Missouri St. (1-2) at SMU (2-1), 8 p.m. Oregon St. (1-2) at UTEP (1-2), 8 p.m.

FAR WEST

Hawaii (1-2) at Wyoming (1-2), 2 p.m. New Mexico (2-1) at New Mexico St. (1-2), 2:30 p.m. Norfolk St. (2-2) at Chicago State (1-3), 6 p.m. Cal Poly (2-2) at E. Washington (1-3), 6 p.m. Oregon (2-1) at Southern Cal (4-0), 6:30 p.m. Troy (2-1) at Utah St. (0-3), 6:30 p.m. Arizona (2-1) at Washington St. (1-2), 6:30 p.m. Utah Tech (0-4) at N. Colorado (1-3), 7 p.m. Idaho St. (3-0) at S. Utah (1-3), 7 p.m. Portland St. (0-4) at Weber St. (2-2), 7 p.m. UMass (3-0) at Sacramento St. (1-3), 8 p.m. Rice (1-2) at Fresno St. (2-1), 9 p.m. Montana (3-1) at UC Davis (3-1), 9 p.m. N. Arizona (3-1) at Montana St. (4-0), 9:30 p.m. Georgia Tech (1-2) at Stanford (1-2), 9:30 p.m. Air Force (1-1) at Nevada (1-2), 9:30 p.m. Minnesota (2-1) at Washington (3-0), 10 p.m.

FCS Top 25 Poll

RANK REC. PTS. PRV. 1.Montana State (25) 4-0 649 1 2.South Dakota State 3-1 598 3 3.Tarleton State 4-0 566 5 4.Illinois State (1) 4-0 561 4 4.Montana 3-1 561 2 6.Stephen F. Austin 4-0 480 8 7.Lehigh 4-0 461 7 8.North Dakota 3-1 459 6 9.UC Davis 3-1 439 11 10.Tennessee Tech 3-0 415 10 11.Austin Peay 3-1 378 14 12.South Dakota 3-1 366 12 13.Youngstown State 2-2 363 9 14.South Carolina State 4-0 303 16 15.Lamar 2-1 296 15 16.Idaho State 3-0 273 18 17.Northern Arizona 3-1 228 19 18.Yale 1-0 188 20 19.Richmond 3-1 104 NR 20.West Florida 2-1 97 17 21.Rhode Island 2-2 93 13 22.Villanova 2-2 85 23 23.Colgate 3-1 71 NR 23.Mercer 2-2 71 22 25.Harvard 1-0 50 NR Dropped Out: William & Mary (21), Furman (24), Southern Illinois (25) Others Receiving Votes: Southern Illinois (45), Campbell (41), Jackson State (39), Elon (38), Furman (37), Alabama State (14), Prairie View A&M (12), Stony Brook (12), Bryant (7), Central Connecticut State (6), Dartmouth (6), Incarnate Word (6), William & Mary (6), Abilene Christian (5), Monmouth (5), Southeastern Louisiana (4), Southeast Missouri State (3), UT Rio Grande Valley (3), Robert Morris (PA) (2), San Diego (2), Chattanooga (1), St. Thomas (Minn.) (1)

Navy (1-1) at UAB (1-2), 6 p.m.

Tennis

Northwestern (2-0) at Indiana (3-0), 7 p.m.

WTA Singapore Open Results

Clemson (2-1) at California (2-1), 9:30 p.m. Saturday, September 26

Monday

MIDWEST

FAR WEST EAST

Bucknell (1-3) at Pittsburgh (3-0), 11 a.m. Presbyterian (1-2) at Marist (1-2), 11 a.m. New Hampshire (1-3) at Sacred Heart (0-3), 11 a.m. Virginia Tech (3-0) at Boston College (2-1), 11 a.m. Rio Grande RedStorm (0-0) at Duquesne (0-3), 11 a.m. Holy Cross (0-4) at Lafayette (1-2), 11:30 a.m. Columbia (1-0) at Georgetown (0-2), 11:30 a.m. Lehigh (4-0) at Penn (1-0), noon Yale (1-0) at Cornell (0-1), noon Monmouth (NJ) (2-2) at Dartmouth (0-1), noon New Haven (1-3) at Merrimack (1-3), noon Stony Brook (2-2) at Fordham (1-3), noon UCLA (3-0) at Maryland (2-1), 12:30 p.m. Colgate (3-1) at Villanova (2-2), 1:30 p.m. Albany (NY) (2-2) at Princeton (0-1), 2 p.m. Gardner-Webb (1-3) at Marshall (2-1), 2:30 p.m. Robert Morris (2-1) at Buffalo (1-2), 2:30 p.m. Wisconsin (2-1) at Penn St. (3-0), 4 p.m. Towson (0-4) at Delaware St. (2-2), 5 p.m. Oklahoma St. (2-1) at West Virginia (3-0), 6 p.m.

SOUTH

Wake Forest (2-1) at Louisville (2-1), 11 a.m. Texas (3-0) at Tennessee (3-0), 11 a.m. South Alabama (2-1) at Kentucky (2-1), 11:45 a.m. Drake (0-3) at Davidson (2-2), noon Tennessee Tech (3-0) at Wofford (2-2), 12:30 p.m. Furman (2-2) at Richmond (3-1), 1 p.m. UT Martin (1-3) at Austin Peay (3-1), 1 p.m. Chattanooga (2-2) at The Citadel (1-2), 1 p.m. Maine (1-3) at Elon (3-1), 1 p.m. N. Illinois (0-3) at Georgia St. (2-1), 1 p.m. Cent. Arkansas (2-2) at Florida St. (1-2), 2 p.m. TCU (2-1) at UCF (2-1), 2:30 p.m. VMI (0-4) at Samford (0-3), 2:30 p.m. Mississippi (3-0) at Florida (3-0), 2:30 p.m. W. Carolina (2-2) at ETSU (2-2), 2:30 p.m. Oklahoma (2-1) at Georgia (3-0), 2:30 p.m. William & Mary (2-2) at Duke (3-0), 2:30 p.m. Houston (2-1) at Georgia Southern (1-2), 3 p.m. NC Central (2-2) at East Carolina (1-2), 3 p.m. Texas Southern (1-2) at Alcorn St. (2-2), 3 p.m. Lamar (2-1) at Nicholls (2-2), 3 p.m. W. Illinois (2-2) at North Alabama (2-2), 3 p.m. Rhode Island (2-2) at NC A&T (0-4), 3 p.m. Vanderbilt (3-0) at Auburn (2-1), 3:15 p.m. Fort Valley St. (0-0) at West Georgia (0-4), 5 p.m. LIU Brooklyn (0-4) at FIU (1-2), 5 p.m. Delaware (2-1) at Virginia (2-1), 5 p.m. Campbell (3-1) at Hampton (1-3), 5 p.m. James Madison (3-0) at Old Dominion (1-2), 5 p.m. MVSU (1-3) at Alabama St. (2-1), 5 p.m. Cent. Michigan (2-1) at Miami (3-0), 5:30 p.m. Louisiana-Lafayette (2-1) at Charlotte (0-3), 5:30 p.m.

At Kallang Tennis Hub Singapore, Singapore Purse: $1,206,446 Surface: Hardcourt outdoor SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE (AP) _ Results Monday from Singapore Open at Kallang Tennis Hub (seedings in parentheses):

Women’s Singles

Round of 32 Aliaksandra Sasnovich, Belarus, def. Daria Kasatkina, Russia, 7-5, 6-0. Nao Hibino, Japan, def. Kristina Mladenovic, France, 7-5, 3-6, 6-4. Talia Gibson, Australia, def. Fiona Ferro, France, 6-3, 6-3. Maja Chwalinska (5), Poland, def. Rebecca Sramkova, Slovakia, 6-4, 6-2. Leylah Fernandez (6), Canada, def. Kyoka Okamura, Japan, 6-2, 6-3.

Women’s Doubles

Round of 16 Miyu Kato, Japan, and Ellen Perez (3), Australia, def. Donna Vekic, Croatia, and Maria Sakkari, Greece, 7-5, 6-1. Xu Yifan and Qianhui Tang, China, def. Fiona Ferro, France, and Linda Fruhvirtova, Czechia, 6-4, 6-2.

Transactions Major League Baseball

American League DETROIT TIGERS — Recalled RHP River Ryan from Toledo. MINNESOTA TWINS — Selected the contract of 1B Aaron Sabato from St. Paul. Designated C Alex Jackson for assignment. TORONTO BLUE JAYS — Activated RHP Trey Yesavage from the 15-day IL. Recalled RHP Chad Dallas from Buffalo. Optioned RHP Spencer Arrighetti to FCL Blue Jays. Designated LHP Joe Mantiply for assignment. National League WASHINGTON NATIONALS — Activated LHP DJ Herz from the 60-day IL. Optioned LHP Jared Simpson to Rochester. Released RHP Cole Henry.

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL American League East Division

National League

z-Tampa Bay z-New York y-Boston Toronto Baltimore

W 95 89 84 77 75

L 60 66 72 79 81

Pct GB .613 — .574 6 .538 11½ .494 18½ .481 20½

Cleveland Chicago Detroit Minnesota Kansas City

W 81 80 73 73 67

L 75 76 83 83 89

Pct .519 .513 .468 .468 .429

GB — 1 8 8 14

W 78 77 73 61 60

L 78 79 83 95 96

Pct .500 .494 .468 .391 .385

GB — 1 5 17 18

Central Division

West Division

Texas Houston Seattle Athletics Los Angeles y-clinched wild card z-clinched playoff berth

East Division x-Atlanta Philadelphia Miami Washington New York

W 92 86 76 73 71

L 64 70 80 83 85

Pct .590 .551 .487 .468 .455

GB — 6 16 19 21

x-Milwaukee Chicago Pittsburgh St. Louis Cincinnati

W 98 87 79 76 72

L 58 69 77 80 84

Pct .628 .558 .506 .487 .462

GB — 11 19 22 26

W 96 87 82 64 57

L 60 69 74 92 99

Pct .615 .558 .526 .410 .365

GB — 9 14 32 39

Central Division

West Division x-Los Angeles San Diego Arizona San Francisco Colorado x-clinched division

Sunday’s Games

Chicago Cubs 9, Cincinnati 1 Philadelphia 7, N.Y. Mets 2 Pittsburgh 4, Kansas City 3 St. Louis 5, Washington 3 Atlanta 4, Houston 2 Seattle 2, Colorado 1 San Diego 7, Miami 3 L.A. Dodgers 3, San Francisco 1 Arizona 8, N.Y. Yankees 4 Milwaukee 3, Baltimore 0

Cleveland 1, Athletics 0 Tampa Bay 5, Boston 1 Pittsburgh 4, Kansas City 3 Atlanta 4, Houston 2 Chicago White Sox 8, Detroit 1 Toronto 7, Texas 2 Seattle 2, Colorado 1 Minnesota 8, L.A. Angels 0 Arizona 8, N.Y. Yankees 4 Milwaukee 3, Baltimore 0

Monday’s Games

Detroit 9, Washington 2 Minnesota at San Francisco, n

Detroit 9, Washington 2 Baltimore 4, Toronto 3 Minnesota at San Francisco, n

Tuesday’s Games

Tampa Bay (TBD) at N.Y. Yankees (TBD), 12:05 p.m., 1st game Toronto (Scherzer 3-8) at Baltimore (Bassitt 8-5), 5:35 p.m. Washington (Kent 1-4) at Detroit (Anderson 5-6), 5:40 p.m. Cleveland (Grifﬁn 15-5) at Boston (Tolle 9-6), 5:45 p.m. Tampa Bay (TBD) at N.Y. Yankees (TBD), 6:05 p.m., 2nd game Chicago White Sox (Kay 9-9) at Kansas City (Lynch 6-5), 6:40 p.m. N.Y. Mets (Manaea 5-7) at Texas (Gore 8-11), 7:05 p.m. Houston (Javier 2-6) at Seattle (Gilbert 12-10), 8:40 p.m. L.A. Angels (Kikuchi 1-6) at Athletics (Basso 1-3), 8:40 p.m. Minnesota (at San Francisco, 8:45 p.m.

Milwaukee (TBD) at Philadelphia (Wheeler 13-5), 5:40 p.m. St. Louis (Pallante 12-7) at Pittsburgh (Jones 4-6), 5:40 p.m. Washington (Kent 1-4) at Detroit (Anderson 5-6), 5:40 p.m. Cincinnati (Abbott 6-11) at Atlanta (TBD), 6:15 p.m. Miami (Junk 6-9) at Chicago Cubs (Gausman 9-12), 6:40 p.m. N.Y. Mets (Manaea 5-7) at Texas (Gore 8-11), 7:05 p.m. Arizona (TBD) at Colorado (Freeland 4-10), 7:40 p.m. Minnesota (Bradley 11-6) at San Francisco (Molina 3-1), 8:45 p.m. San Diego (Ray 13-8) at L.A. Dodgers (Yamamoto 14-8), 9:10 p.m.

WILD CARD GLANCE American League

National League

W z-New York 89 y-Boston 84 Chicago 80 Houston 77 Toronto 77 y-clinched wild card z-clinched playoff berth

L 66 72 76 79 79

Pct WCGB .574 +9½ .538 +4 .513 — .494 3 .494 3

Chicago San Diego Philadelphia Arizona

W 87 87 86 82

L 69 69 70 74

Detroit 9, Washington 2

Baltimore 4, Toronto 3

Washington Detroit ab r h bi ab r h bi Wood lf 4 1 1 0 Torres 2b 3 1 00 Lile dh 4 0 0 0 Jung 2b 1 0 00 Ortiz 1b 3 0 0 0 Lee 3b 5 1 31 Morales 1b 1 1 1 2 Greene lf 3 1 00 Abrams ss 3 0 0 0 Callahan lf 1 0 00 Nuñez ph-ss1 0 0 0 Valencia dh 4 1 30 Crews rf 3 0 1 0 Malgeri rf 4 1 23 Vivas 2b 3 0 0 0 Dingler c 3 2 20 House 3b 4 0 0 0 Torkelson 1b 4 1 1 2 Ruiz c 3 0 0 0 Báez cf 2 1 12 Young cf 3 0 2 0 McKinstry cf 1 0 0 0 Peck ss 4 0 0 0 Totals 32 2 5 2 Totals 35 912 8 Washington 000 000 020 — 2 Detroit 200 250 00x — 9 E_Wood (7). DP_Washington 1, Detroit 0. LOB_Washington 5, Detroit 6. 2B_Young (22), Lee 2 (18), Malgeri (4), Valencia 2 (13), Dingler (27). HR_Morales (3), Báez (3), Malgeri (4), Torkelson (25). IP H R ER BB SO Washington Herz L,0-1 4 5 4 4 2 4 Perales 2 5 5 5 2 2 Gray 2 2 0 0 0 1 Detroit Ryan 3 2 0 0 1 3 Montero W,10-9 4 1 0 0 1 5 Sommers 1 2 2 2 0 2 Brieske 1 0 0 0 0 1 WP_Herz. ABS Challenge_Torres (Strike-Overturned to Ball); Perales (Ball-Conﬁrmed); Crews (Strike-Conﬁrmed). Umpires_Home, Emil Jimenez; First, Louie Krupa; Second, Mike Muchlinski; Third, Doug Eddings. T_2:19. A_21,121 (41,083).

ab r h bi ab r h bi Bateman cf 1 1 0 0 Beavers lf 4 0 00 Straw cf 2 0 0 0 Alonso 1b 4 2 23 Kirk c 3 1 1 0 Henderson ss 4 1 3 1 Valenzuela c0 0 0 0 Mayo dh 4 0 00 Lukes rf 3 1 1 1 E-Strnd 3b 3 0 10 Springer dh 4 0 2 1 Basallo c 2 0 00 Keys 1b 3 0 0 1 Narváez c 1 0 00 Okamoto 3b 4 0 1 0 Hinds rf 3 0 00 Smith lf 4 0 0 0 Cowser cf 1 0 00 Giménez ss 3 0 1 0 Franklin ph-cf 0 1 0 0 Clement 2b 3 0 0 0 Barrero 2b 2 0 00 Jackson ph-2b 1 0 0 0 Totals 30 3 6 3 Totals 29 4 6 4 Toronto 300 000 000 — 3 Baltimore 100 001 02x — 4 DP_Toronto 1, Baltimore 2. LOB_Toronto 4, Baltimore 3. 3B_Henderson (6). HR_ Alonso 2 (40), Henderson (24). SF_Keys (1). IP H R ER BB SO Toronto Yesavage 2 1 1 1 0 3 Cellucci 1 1⁄3 1 0 0 0 3 2 Dallas H,2 2 ⁄3 1 1 1 1 4 Rodriguez H,1 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 ⁄3 0 1 1 1 0 Fluharty H,19 1 ⁄3 2 1 1 0 0 Ty.Rogers L,2-3 BS,4-8 Baltimore 2 Baz 6 ⁄3 5 3 3 3 2 Cano W,4-3 1 1⁄3 1 0 0 0 1 Garcia S,10-16 1 0 0 0 0 2 ABS Challenge_Yesavage (Ball-Overturned to Strike); Smith (Strike-Confirmed); Cano (Ball-Confirmed); Smith (Strike-Confirmed). Pitch timer violations_Baz (pitcher). Umpires_Home, Carlos Torres; First, Mark Wegner; Second, Nate Tomlinson; Third, Tyler Jones. T_2:30. A_12,067 (45,971).

Toronto

Baltimore

THIS DATE IN BASEBALL Sept. 22

1911 — Cy Young, 44, beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 1-0 for his 511th and final major league victory. 1936 — The Detroit Tigers swept the St. Louis Browns 12-0 and 14-0 to record the biggest double shutout in major league history. 1954 — Karl Spooner of Brooklyn became the first pitcher in the majors to strike out 15 in his first game as the Dodgers beat the New York Giants 3-0. 1966 — The Baltimore Orioles clinched their first AL pennant in 22 years with a 6-1 victory over the Kansas City A’s. Their last pennant came in 1944 when they were the St. Louis Browns. 1968 — Cesar Tovar played one inning at each position for the Minnesota Twins, becoming the second major leaguer in history to do it. Bert Campaneris of the Oakland A’s was the other. 1969 — Willie Mays of the San Francisco Giants became the second player to hit 600 career home runs — joining Babe Ruth. The two-run shot off San Diego’s Mike Corkins in the seventh inning, gave the Giants a 4-2 win. 1973 — Baltimore’s Al Bumbry tied the major-league record with three triples as the Orioles beat the Milwaukee Brewers 7-1 and clinched the American League East title. 1977 — Bert Blyleven tossed a 6-0 no-hitter for Texas against the Angels at Anaheim Stadium. 1986 — Fernando Valenzuela of Los Angeles became the first Mexican to win 20 games, beating the Houston Astros 9-2 while allowing two hits. 1990 — Andre Dawson of the Chicago Cubs stole his 300th base in an 11-5 loss to the New York Mets, to become the second player with 300 homers, 300 steals and 2,000 hits. Willie Mays was the other. 1993 — Nolan Ryan of the Texas Rangers faced three Seattle batters before hurting his right elbow. Ryan finished his career

with 324 wins, 5,714 strikeouts and seven no-hitters. 2000 — Houston’s Jose Lima set an NL single-season record by allowing his 47th homer in the Astros’ 12-5 loss to Cincinnati. The major league record for home runs allowed in a season is 50, set by Minnesota’s Bert Blyleven in 1986. 2003 — Detroit set an AL record with its 118th loss, falling 12-6 to Kansas City. The 1916 Philadelphia Athletics (36-117) set the record. 2003 — Second baseman Alfonso Soriano broke a major league record by hitting his 13th leadoff homer of the year in the New York Yankees’ 10-inning loss to the Chicago White Sox. 2006 — Alfonso Soriano became baseball’s first 40-40-40 player in Washington’s 3-2 win over the New York Mets. Soriano hit his 40th double and stole his 41st base. With 45 homers, he already was only the fourth major league player with 40 homers and 40 steals in a season. 2018 — The Atlanta Braves capped a most surprising season by clinching their first NL East crown since 2013, with Mike Foltynewicz taking a no-hitter into the seventh inning in a 5-3 win over the Philadelphia Phillies. A year after going 70-92, manager Brian Snitker and his Baby Braves surged back into the playoffs. 2023 — By hitting his 40th homer of the season, Ronald Acuña Jr. becomes just the fifth member of the exclusive 40-40 club consisting pf players whp have hit 40 homers and stolen 40 bases in the same season. He already has over 60 steals, the first player to ever combine the two totals, and has a chance to reach 70. The Braves defeat the Nationals, 9 — 6. For the second time in a month, Aaron Judge hits three homers in a game to lead the Yankees to a 7 — 1 lead over the Diamondbacks. Judge had never had such a game before this year, and becomes the first player in Yankees history to have two in one season.

BASKETBALL

National Basketball Association TORONTO RAPTORS — Converted G Malachi Smith to a two-way contract.

FOOTBALL

National Football League ATLANTA FALCONS — Signed OL Colby Sorsdal to the practice squad. Released C James Brockermeyer from the practice squad. LOS ANGELES RAMS — Elevated LB Elias Neal from the practice squad. MIAMI DOLPHINS — Waived LB Liam Anderson. NEW YORK GIANTS — Elevated WR Braxton Berrios and LB Malik Harrison from the practice squad.

HOCKEY

National Hockey League CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS — Placed D Derrick Pouliot on waivers.

Pct WCGB .558 +1 .558 +1 .551 — .526 4

– SINCE I837 –

LIVING

N O L A.C O M

Find your joy again at ﬁlm series

T u e s d ay, s e p T e m b e r 22, 2026

1dN

“My superpower is dance and to make anybody think they can do whatever they want.” LUCIOUS DUNHAM, Treme Community Center aerobics instructor

BY LESLIE CARDÉ Contributing writer

Escapist fare is what filmgoers are looking for in these days of soaring gas prices and rising interest rates. That’s why award-winning producer Meryl Poster, who curates the films to be shown at the New Orleans Museum of Art’s popular Producers Choice Film Series, has chosen 2004’s romantic comedy “Shall We Dance?” for Wednesday evening’s screening. As a previous co-president of production for the former Miramax Films, Poster founded Superb Entertainment in New Orleans, where she now lives. The production company develops scripted and unscripted content across major networks and streaming platforms. “This season of the film series, I really wanted to do entertaining films that have the ability to take us away from our troubled times,” Poster explained. “We could all use a little more joy at the moment. There’s so much darkness that I wanted to show some light.”

STAFF PHOTOS By ENAN CHEDIAK

Lucious Dunham leads a water aerobics class Aug. 29 at the Treme Recreation Community Center.

Michael Jackson-inspired water aerobics instructor is a star at Treme Community Center

BY DOUG MacCASH

PROVIDED PHOTO By MERyL POSTER

Meryl Poster, right, on set with Richard Gere and Jennifer Lopez

The light and breezy film “Shall We Dance?” starring Richard Gere, Jennifer Lopez, Susan Sarandon and Lisa Ann Walter is a remake of the 1996 Japanese film of the same name. The plot revolves around a lawyer (Richard Gere) with a comfortable life and a predictable routine feeling that somehow something is missing. On his commute from work, he repeatedly notices a beautiful woman (Jennifer Lopez) teaching ballroom dancing at a studio above a storefront. Impulsively, and unbeknownst to his wife (Susan Sarandon), he signs up for lessons, which ultimately change his life. The film’s theme explores the rediscovery of excitement and purpose without abandoning the existing structures holding one’s life together. It’s a heartwarming story about the unexpected ways people can bring joy back into their lives. At the end of each film in the series, a special invited guest chats with producer Poster about how the film was made, what they most remember about the experience and what that particular film meant to their career, as well as anything else Poster wants to impart to the audience. Wednesday night’s guest via Zoom is actor Lisa Ann Walter, who most folks now know from the award-winning television comedy “Abbott Elementary.” She is also a film star, author and stand-up comedian. In “Shall We Dance?” she plays Bobbie, a fellow student at the ballroom dance studio. She is outspoken, funny and flamboyant, and provides much of the film’s comic relief. Following Poster’s interview with the actress, Walter will field questions from the

ä See FILM SERIES, page 2D

Staff writer

he Treme Recreation Community Center needs to install spotlights over the swimming pool and maybe a mirror ball too, because the water aerobics classes there aren’t just workouts, they’re chlorine-scented disco dance shows. At a recent 6 p.m. class, The O’Jays boomed from a poolside speaker. One lifeguard played air guitar as he surveyed the dozens of heads bobbing in blue water. Another lifeguard go-go’d in place. At center stage grooved Lucious Dunham, the class leader. Sure, Dunham demonstrated aquatic calisthenics to people in the pool like any other water aerobics instructor. But that was just the warmup. With supreme skill and suppleness, the 54-year-old exploded into motion. Dunham gazed at the rafters as if entranced, sweeping his arms through the air as he slid his feet on the cement ﬂoor. With gravity-defying grace, he fell to his knees then ﬂuidly sprang upright, as sweat appeared on his brow. Dunham always puts on a masterful physical performance,

According to family lore, Lucious Dunham is a distant descendant of the legendary dancer and choreographer Katherine Dunham. But his inspiration was a moonwalking Michael Jackson. made all the more marvelous by a touch of silliness. Despite the challenge of ceaselessly sloshing through their exercises, it was difﬁcult for Dunham’s instructees not to smile and guffaw from time to time at his antics. “I try to add humor,” he said. “I try to make it an experience.” In the

end, he said, he thinks he helps folks, “burn a few more calories” than in the usual water aerobics instruction.

Forced to grow up fast It’s hard to imagine Dunham as a shy kid, but he says that was the

ä See INSTRUCTOR, page 2D

The trends that took over New York Fashion Week A model walks the runway during the Thom Browne Spring/ Summer 2027 presentation as part of New york Fashion Week. AP/INVISION PHOTO By CHARLES SyKES

BY BEATRICE DUPUY and BROOKE LEFFERTS Associated Press

NEW YORK — Across the runways this New York Fashion Week, designers reimagined spring dressing by shaking up the season’s staples of ﬂorals and pastels, opting instead for more modern and irreverent trends. From legacy brands to emerging talents, designers including

Tory Burch, Ralph Lauren and Eckhaus Latta brought joy back to dressing with sartorial twists on color, movement and contrasts that could easily transition off the Spring/Summer 2027 catwalks and into New York’s busy streets. While New York Fashion Week is only the ﬁrst stop for celebrities and fashion editors before seeing what London, Milan and

ä See FASHION, page 2D

2D ✦ Tuesday, September 22, 2026 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune

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Matter of professional address school policy Dear Miss Manners: I work in a using titles and surnames when public middle school and am a addressing or discussing faculty licensed teacher. It is a matter of or administration is a school recourse that adults refer to quirement. each other as Mr. or Mrs. But a teacher has to Smith, especially in front know the context in of students or when referwhich the lesson is being received. Probably your ring to adults in their constudents, and very likely versation with students. your aide, have grown My issue is with an aide, Judith up in a world of unexamwho continually addresses Martin ined casualness. Formal me by my first name in MISS front of students. I have types of address are not MANNERS also heard her refer to me a matter of course. by my first name when They have been told speaking to students, as in “Go that the ubiquitous use of first ask John.” names is “friendly,” despite that It has always been my profesmeaning that the entire popusional training that omitting the lation, including strangers, is Mr. or Mrs. in front of students bound in friendship. They may leads to diminished professional have been chastised by adults barriers, and we shouldn’t use who interpreted respectful adour first names with students. dress as disrespectful because This particular aide has done they believe it is insulting for little to hide her contempt for anyone to notice that they are the fact that since she did not not young. finish college, she makes less So it would be helpful to exmoney than the licensed profes- plain why all systems of hiersionals in the building. archy are not bad. This one is It is still the style to refer to all based on achievement, which is adults in the building with their open to them to earn. title and last name, no matter You should, of course, continue their role or level of certificato refrain from stooping to the level of mimicking bad behavior. tion. As tempting as it is to adYou might also tell the aide that dress her by her first name, I openly showing her contempt is refrain from doing so, as I feel a bad career move. it would model poor behavior Dear Miss Manners: Is it rude to while endorsing hers. hum at the dinner table if there Without resorting to giving her a taste of her own medicine, are only two people? Gentle reader: Ask that other I’m at a loss as to how to stop person. Miss Manners suggests her lack of professionalism, esdoing so before he or she comes pecially when coupled with her after you with the dinner knife. resentment. Gentle reader: You are a teacher! Teach her. Send questions to Miss Instructing your subordinate Manners at her website, www. in the school’s routine is not the missmanners.com; to her same as going around criticizing email, dearmissmanners@ people over whom you have no gmail.com; or through postal such jurisdiction. You correct mail to Miss Manners, your students all the time. It is Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut not an insult to point out that St., Kansas City, MO 64106.

STAFF PHOTO By ENAN CHEDIAK

Lucious Dunham leads a water aerobics class Aug. 29 at the Treme Recreation Community Center.

INSTRUCTOR Continued from page 1D

case. He had rough childhood, being raised by his grandmother after his mom was killed. He only met his father once. When his grandmother passed away, Dunham lived with his aunt. “I was forced to grow up fast,” he said. According to family lore, he is a distant descendant of the legendary dancer and choreographer Katherine Dunham. But his inspiration was moonwalking Michael Jackson. At Carver Middle School, Dunham said, he didn’t need an audience. He was content to dance by himself, in his own world. But when a teacher spotted him, she signed him up for the class talent show. Dunham said he hoped his aunt would intercede to spare him of having to perform in front of an audience. Instead, she sewed a costume and egged him on. To his amazement, Dunham said, he possessed an inner conﬁdence on stage. Dance, he said, helped “open me up.”

Old rival becomes new boss

TODAY IN HISTORY By The Associated Press Today is Tuesday, Sept. 22, the 265th day of 2026. There are 100 days left in the year. Today in history: On Sept. 22, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln issued the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, declaring all enslaved people in Confederate states should be freed as of Jan. 1, 1863, if the states did not end the fighting and rejoin the Union. Also on this date: In 1776, during the Revolutionary War, Capt. Nathan Hale, 21, was hanged as a spy by the British in New York. In 1957, Haitian women were allowed to vote for the first time, 153 years after Haiti became an independent country; François Duvalier was elected president. In 1961, President John F. Kennedy signed congressional legislation making the Peace Corps a permanent federal agency within the State Department; it became an independent agency in 1981. In 1975, Sara Jane Moore fired two shots in an unsuccessful attempt to assassinate President Gerald R. Ford outside a San Francisco hotel, missing Ford by inches. In 1985, rock and country music artists participated in Farm Aid, a concert staged in Champaign, Illinois, to help the nation’s farmers. In 2014, the United States and five Arab nations launched air-

FILM SERIES Continued from page 1D

strikes against the Islamic State group in Syria, sending waves of planes and Tomahawk cruise missiles against an array of targets. In 2017, as the scale of the damage from Hurricane Maria started to become clearer, Puerto Rican ofﬁcials said they could not contact more than half the communities in the U.S. territory, where all power had been knocked out to the island’s 3.4 million people. In 2018, militants disguised as soldiers opened ﬁre on an annual military parade in southwest Iran, killing at least 25 people and wounding over 60. An Arab separatist movement claimed responsibility for the terror attack, the deadliest on Iranian soil in nearly a decade. Today’s birthdays: Singer-choreographer-actor Toni Basil is 83. Musician King Sunny Adé is 80. Football Hall of Famer Harold Carmichael is 77. Rock singer David Coverdale (Deep Purple, Whitesnake) is 75. Actor Shari Belafonte is 72. Singer Debby Boone is 70. Country singer June Forester (The Forester Sisters) is 70. Singer Nick Cave is 69. Singer Andrea Bocelli is 68. Singer-musician Joan Jett is 68. Actor Scott Baio is 66. Actor Bonnie Hunt is 65. Actor Mireille Enos is 52. Soccer player Thiago Silva is 42. Actor Tatiana Maslany is 41. Actor Tom Felton is 39. Actor Curry Barker is 27. Singer Jessie Murph is 21. Olympic gold medal skateboarder Coco Yoshizawa is 17.

we did ‘Chicago’ together,” Poster noted. “After all, I wanted to get the biggest bang for our buck as we’d already paid for his dance lessons.” Gere, Lopez, Sarandon and Walter all look like youngsters in this film, shot 23 years ago. But, as a testament to their talent, they’ve all gone on to be more prolific than ever in their various ventures. The film itself holds up nicely with its universal theme of leading one’s best life. The screening of “Shall We Dance?” takes place at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday. Doors to NOMA’s Lapis Center for the Arts open at 6 p.m. Come early for snacks and beverages, alcoholic and non-alcoholic, at the adjacent Café NOMA. Tickets are $10 for NOMA members and $15 for general admission and can be purchased at the entrance or online at noma.org.

audience. It’s a rare opportunity for filmgoers to get behind-thescenes tidbits from an actor who was there on the set. Former film series participants say it’s also a treat to be in a room with fellow audience members and hear a communal laugh, or a group gasp — an experience that’s missing today as theaters struggle to maintain audiences, in the wake of at-home movie streaming. When it comes to inside info, there’s no one better to dish than Poster, since she was on the set for every one of the films she presents in the series. In fact, she and Richard Gere had already worked together before “Shall We Dance?” on another film, “Chicago,” in which Gere played the leading role of Billy Flynn. “I should mention that I con- Contact Leslie Cardé at vinced Richard Gere to take the lesliecardejournalist@gmail. part in ‘Shall We Dance?’ after com.

Warren Matthews, the Treme center’s aquatics manager, said he met Dunham way back when they were both at G.W. Carver High School. In fact, Matthews said, they were rivals. They both played in the marching band and danced. They got into a ﬁght one time, Matthews said laughing. He still remembers that Dunham had “a ‘Karate Kid’ stance.” Matthews said Dunham is the same now as he was back then. “He thought he was Michael Jackson. He was funny and full of energy. Everybody liked him.” Fast forward four decades, and Dunham showed up at the Treme

FASHION

Continued from page 1D Paris have in store, the celebratory tone is bound to be contagious.

The joy of dressing Designers had a lot to celebrate, with many marking career milestones: Rachel Comey notched 25 years, Michael Kors and Carolina Herrera reveled in 45-year anniversaries for their brands, and Coach hit a storied 85 years. Coach sent models down the runway in party hats, glittering gowns with colorful large bow trains, and gift-wrapped present accessories for its anniversary. InStyle Fashion director Kevin Huynh said designers are waving goodbye to the quiet luxury era and leaning into vibrancy. “We’re really stepping into like, more is more,” he told The Associated Press, “but not in that dopamine dressing where everything feels haphazardly put on, but like a real sense of vibrancy and excitement.” At Eckhaus Latta, designers Mike Eckhaus and Zoe Latta feted their J.Crew collaboration with confetti. Guests were told to open envelopes on their seats at the sound of laughter during the second half of their show and toss rainbow confetti onto the runway. “Designers are really trying to kind of have fun and show the power that fashion can have in uplifting and inspiring people,” Matthew Velasco, ELLE’s fashion news editor, said. Tory Burch embraced joyful dressing as a sense of escape, with models in color-blocked embellished looks strutting around a circular indoor catwalk that surrounded an outdoor garden with fountains. Burch said she wanted to contrast opulent femininity with utilitarian sportswear. Her collection featured embroidered cardigans with brightly colored skirts, boa-like thin scarves and a turquoise coat with a matching bag.

Center to take lifeguard lessons. By that time, he was a master barber and part owner of a salon/ barber shop in New Orleans East, married, with two boys. Right away, Matthews imagined his old classmate would be perfect to lead water aerobics in Treme, where there was already a history of amphibious ﬂamboyance. “We have acts,” Matthews said. Everybody has a role.

A star is born At first, Dunham was just a sideman, cutting up while Matthews led classes and did a little dancing of his own. Matthews is a much more methodical instructor than Dunham, and soon their roles reversed, with Dunham peacocking around the pool while Matthews took more of a background role. “We complement each other,” Matthews said. “He took a lot of weight off of me.” The Treme Center pool is probably the only place where the water aerobics instructions are preceded by an opening act. One of the younger lifeguards usually warms up the class with preliminary stretching and a few rudimentary exercises, before Dunham struts onto his stage. Imagine Stevie Wonder echoing off the walls, and a lifeguard conducting with an invisible baton as if they were an underwater orchestra. He tells the class to pinwheel in place, as Dunham jogs buoyantly around the perimeter, with 50 sets of eyes fixed on his every move, discoing like John Travolta in trunks and a T-shirt. At his absolute most theatric, Dunham displays plastic superhero action figures and superhero posters as poolside props. Then he pantomimes the poses of Superman, Batman and others. The Incredible Hulk is his favorite. Dunham says he’s been into comic book characters as long as he’s

“I think when things are a bit more rough in the world you need to dream,” Burch said. Ralph Lauren opened New York Fashion Week by bringing romance and a celebration of style to the runway. “It’s about ways of dressing that celebrate ingenuity, originality, and character — the freedom and fun of creating a style that is truly personal,” he said in his show notes. Michael Kors had the optimism to stage his show outside in the garden at the Museum of Modern Art, where a bright orange trench coat and sunny yellow shoes popped against his black and white looks. Thom Browne, who often leans into whimsy, created a show inspired by “A Bug’s Life,” with a giant indoor garden and models dripping in green crystals that hung from layered suiting. Some channeled actual ladybugs and butterﬂies with giant colorful hoop skirts, and jackets that looked like cocoons, eliciting smiles from the crowd.

been dancing. Matthews laughingly says his old friend owns something like 10,000 action ﬁgures. No, make that 50,000. “My superpower is dance and to make anybody think they can do whatever they want,” Dunham said.

The healing power of water Truth is, the whole Treme Center pool has superpowers. At 6:50 a.m. on a recent morning, bathers clustered at the doors and on the benches outside. Asked what they thought of Dunham’s style of instruction, there was an eruption of praise and appreciation. “Lucious is the best thing that ever came across this pool,” Justin Hill said. The pool is an especially important place for him, after a bad accident 15 years ago. Burning some debris in his backyard left burn scars wrapping his head and torso. After two years in the hospital, Hill said, he needed to find some kind of recovery regimen he could stick to. Matthews and his pool crew took Hill in and helped him back to health and fitness. Matthews is a big believer in the healing power of water. “They saved my life,” he said. And three years ago, Dunham joined the cast, lending his frenetic magic to the mix, “He came along with his really fast dancing, and now I could outrun a horse,” Hill said. Hill says Dunham belongs on Broadway. Maybe so. But in the meantime, all would agree he definitely belongs on the edge of the Treme pool. Water aerobics classes, for people 16 years old and older, take place at the Treme Recreation Community Center, from 7 a.m. to 7:45 a.m. and from 6 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. Monday-Friday , and from 9 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. Saturdays. Classes are free.

ture wrap designs, while incorporating sheer blouses and dresses along with ﬂuid suiting. “You want to feel alive,” Huynh said, “like we’re coming out of the cold of winter, and color is such an easy way to accomplish that.” “Chartreuse had its moment, but teal is something that feels really reﬁned,” he added. Cobalt blue or Klein Blue — made famous by artist Yves Klein — also took over the runways with Proenza Schouler and Sergio Hudson including the color in their collections.

Accentuating the waist

All eyes were on waistlines this season as designers sent models down runways in cummerbunds, scarves and chunky belts. For Daniella Kallmeyer of Kallmeyer, the designer added a cummerbund to a buttoned-down blue top over trousers, as well as a white cummerbund embellished with white beading over an allblack suited look. “It’s that injection of androgyny with a cummerbund in womenswear that feels exciting and edgy,” Shades of blue Huynh said. At Ralph Lauren, the designer Designers may not be feeling blue this season, but the color was wrapped fringed scarves around certainly interwoven throughout the models to break up an all-white look or add a pop of color to the their collections. Ralph Lauren played with a pal- waistline. ette of blues — from his classic denim to satin and lace gowns, to Fringing out suiting and blue fur and feather After shedding the constraints collars. Tommy Hilfiger said he of winter coats and layers, designoften takes his inspiration from ers introduced a freedom of movenautical flags, so primary colors ment and fluidity to their collec— including navy — were preva- tions with fringe. Asymmetrical dresses swayed lent on classic and oversized blazers and rugby shirt stripes on his with fringe at Jonathan Simkhai runway at The Plaza Hotel. Tory while shimmering fringe peeked Burch styled turquoise and navy, out from an all-black look at Raand Henry Zankov delivered teal chel Comey. on the runway this season for DiIn a twist on tailoring, jackets dripping with fringe made their ane von Furstenberg. After a decade-long gap, the Di- way down the runway at Monse. “I always am a firm believer that ane von Furstenberg line returned to New York Fashion Week with with the Spring/Summer shows, Zankov unveiling his first collection designers really flex their prowess as artistic director for the brand. a little bit more than fall,” Huynh Known for his namesake knitwear said. “You’re really getting the full brand, Zankov highlighted animal spectrum of a woman and a man’s prints on von Furstenberg’s signa- wardrobe.”

The Times-Picayune ✦ nola.com ✦ Tuesday, September 22, 2026 ✦ 3D

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zodIAC VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) Take the necessary measures to lock in what you want and map out a path that will help you discard what you no longer want or need. Be creative when making commitments. LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) You'll excel using charm, intellect and emotional filler that draws parallels between you and whoever you deal with today. Don't exhaust your finances trying to impress someone. scoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Clarify what's important to you before you make a gesture you might regret. Patience is necessary if you want to protect your reputation and your physical and emotional well-being. sAGITTARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Turn on your charm, step into the spotlight and dazzle everyone with your insight. Don't be afraid to adopt a unique lifestyle if it satisfies your soul and addresses your intentions and plans. cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) When trying to win favors, you'll make better decisions if you pay attention to what others say and do. Self-improvement that will help you excel professionally. AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Take better care of yourself. Avoid putting yourself at risk physically, emotionally or financially. Be a good observer, and back away from situations that are volatile. PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) When in doubt, take a pass. It's OK to say no or to change your mind. Put yourself first when dealing with pushy people. Go through your

documents, update or cancel subscriptions, and address due dates to avoid penalties. ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Turn your dreams into a reality. Explore possibilities and open doors to new adventures. Your journey depends on your imagination and willingness to reach for the stars. TAuRus (April 20-May 20) Think twice before you share your thoughts. Create your own dialogue in your head, and hold it in your thoughts until you are in a better position to get your point across without escalating the situation. GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Alter your routine, and fine-tune your schedule and plans to ensure you make the most of your time and your day. Lean on your experience and skills, and take nothing for granted. cAncER (June 21-July 22) Put anger aside, and concentrate on what you can achieve. Working alone is in your best interest if you want to avoid interference. Domestic situations will require thought. LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) High energy will encourage intense interaction with someone who wants to spar with you. You'll have to use your ingenuity to meet mental challenges with peak performance if you plan to come out on top. 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: P EQuALs H

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

SherMAn’S LAGoon FAMILY CIrCUS

dooneSbUrY

4D ✦ Tuesday, September 22, 2026 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune

CurTiS

Hi and LoiS

lll

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 Times-Picayune ✦ nola.com ✦ Tuesday, September 22, 2026 ✦ 5D

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B.C.

Bridge By PHILLIP ALDER A.A. Milne wrote, “Rivers know this: there is no hurry. We shall get there some day.” Bridge players know that sometimes there is no hurry, but on other deals, speed is essential. Now look at today’s deal. How would youanalyzetheauction?Andwhatshould West lead against three no-trump? North’s two-spade cue-bid, in the modern style, showed at least a game-invitational hand with diamond support. However, North should have made a negative double, to show his four-card heart suit. We must check for major-suit fits before falling back on the minors. Here, if North had doubled, South might have rebid three diamonds. Then North could have cue-bid three spades to ask his partner to convert to three notrump with a spade stopper. North, with an aceless wonder, should not be thinking about five diamonds unless South cannot bid no-trump. Note that after that auction, West, knowing dummy has heart length, would be likely to lead his fourth-highest spade. Then South hurries to take the first 11 tricks: one spade, six diamonds and four clubs. When North cue-bid two spades, South decided, debatably with such a good hand for diamonds, to rebid two no-trump.

garfield

Pearls Before swiNe

hagar the horriBle

Then North cue-bid again to ask if South really could control spades. At the table, West led the spade seven, but he should have started with a high heart. He should have had a sense of urgency to take the first five tricks — and here East-West could have won the first six: five hearts and one spade. © 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 — TILLAGE: TIL-ij: Cultivated land.

Bizarro

marmaduKe

Average mark 18 words Time limit 25 minutes Can you find 22 or more words in TILLAGE? yEsTERDAy’s WoRD — REGAIn rage

rein

grain

ragi

ring

grin

rain

earing

ager

rang

earn

anger

range

gain

near

rani

gear

reign

gnar

loCKhorNs hidato Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

today’s thought “Jesus answered and said to him, Truly, truly, I say to you, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3 Have you been born again? Jesus can make you a new person. He will forgive sin. He loves you. G.E. Dean

6D ✦ Tuesday, September 22, 2026 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune

muttS

roSe iS roSe

lll

Scrabble GramS dIrectIons: make a 2- to 7-letter word from the letters in each row. add points of each word, using scoring directions at right. Finally, 7-letter words get 50-point bonus. “Blanks” used as any letter have no point value. all the words are in the Official sCraBBlE® players Dictionary, 5th Edition.

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

jump Start

For more information on tournaments and clubs, email naspa – north american sCraBBlE players association: info@scrabbleplayers.org. Visit our website: www.scrabbleplayers.org. For puzzle inquiries contact scrgrams@gmail.com.

Get fuzzy

Hasbro and its logo sCraBBlE associated logo, the design of the distinctive sCraBBlE brand game card, and the distinctive letter tile designs are trademarks of Hasbro in the United states and Canada. ©2021 Hasbro. all rights reserved. Distributed by Tribune Content agency, llC.

ken ken

animal crackerS

DuStin

InstructIons: 1 - Each row and each column must contain the numbers 1 thorugh 4 (easy) or 1 through 6 (challenging) without repeating. 2 - The numbers within the heavily outlined boxes, called cages, must combine using the given operation (in any order) to produce the target numbers in the top-left corners. 3 - Freebies: Fill in the single-box cages with the number in the top-left corner.

Wallace the brave

Drabble

WiShinG Well breWSter rockit

luann

HErE is a plEasanT liTTlE gamE that will give you a message every day. it’s a numerical puzzle designed to spell out your fortune. Count the letters in your first name. if the number of letters is 6 or more, subtract 4. if the number is less than 6, add 3. The result is your key number. start at the upper left-hand corner and check each of your key numbers, left to right. Then read the message the checked figures give you.

The Times-Picayune ✦ nola.com ✦ Tuesday, September 22, 2026 ✦ 7D

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classifieds.nola.com Search & Place Ads Ads Onlines at classifieds.nola.com • Call Monday Us Monday - Friday 8AM - 5PMatat(504) (504)636-7435 636-7435 Search & Place Onlines at classifieds.nola.com - Friday 8AM - 5PM

Announcements Anyone knowing the whereabouts of BRENDA BEVLEY; Date of Birth: 07/30/1962; Last 4 SS#: 9526; Last known address: 124 Maple Grove Lane, Youngsville, LA 70592-5523; please call Attorney Philip A. Gattuso, (504) 368-4141. 201512-Sept 21-23, 3t $102.70 Anyone knowing the whereabouts of DAVID M. JOINER, II; Date of Birth: 08/28/1978; Last 4 SS#: 5677; Last Known Address: 288 Highland Bluff Drive, Slidell, LA 70461-5735; please call Attorney Philip A. Gattuso, (504) 368-4141. 201510-Sept 21-23, 3t $106.90

Anyone knowing the whereabouts of Donnell Robinson please contact Attorney David J. Motter 3500 N. Hullen Street, Metairie, LA 70002; 504-388-7005. 201563-Sept 22-24, 3t $77.50 Anyone knowing the whereabouts of Joseph Hermo, the owner of 1101 Tennessee, LLC please contact Attorney, Yves Gelin at: (504) 6384007. 201502-Sept 22-24, 3t $77.50 Anyone knowing the whereabouts of Joshua Watkin, a possible resident of Orleans Parish, Louisiana, please contact Gary Carter, Jr., Esq. or Sierra Ambrose, Esq. at The Carter Firm, (504) 4592309. 201516-Sept 21-23, 3t $96.40 Anyone knowing the whereabouts of KATHARINE KIMMEL; Date of Birth: 01/27/1982; Last 4 SS#: 3565; Last Known Address: 2921 Hero Drive, Gretna, LA 70053-7533; please call Attorney Philip A. Gattuso, (504) 368-4141. 201508-Sept 21-23, 3t $100.60

Anyone knowing the whereabouts of Kristin Rene Jolivette, her children, heirs, or legatees, please call Peyton B. Burkhalter at (504) 266-2044 or send written communication to 2540 Severn Avenue, Suite 129, Metairie, LA 70002 or pete@peytonburkhalterlaw.com. 201415-Sept 19-23, 5t $165 Anyone knowing the whereabouts of Markeith C. Cunningham, his children, heirs, or legatees, please call Peyton B. Burkhalter at (504) 266-2044 or send written communication to 2540 Severn Avenue, Suite 129, Metairie, LA 70002 or pete@peytonburkhalterlaw.com. 201416-Sept 19-23, 5t $165 Anyone knowing the whereabouts of Meredith M. Leﬂet, also known as Merideth M. Leﬂet Mullin, a possible resident of Orleans Parish, Louisiana, please contact Gary Carter, Jr., Esq. or Sierra Ambrose, Esq. at The Carter Firm, (504) 4592309. 201513-Sept 21-23, 3t $113.20 Anyone knowing the whereabouts of ORRI K. WEBSTER; Date of Birth: 01/03/1990; Last 4 SS#: 2201; Last Known Address: 1140 Scotsdale Drive, Harvey, LA 70058; please call Attorney Philip A. Gattuso, (504) 3684141. 201506-Sept 21-23, 3t $102.70 Anyone knowing the whereabouts of PALOMA RIVERA DIAZ and/or MERCEDES I. JULIAN, who at one time resided at 437 Woodward Drive, Kenner, LA 70065, please contact Thomas S. Block, Atty., 504-382-1204, Property Rights Involved. 201503-Sept 21-23, 3t $104.80

Anyone knowing the whereabouts of Samantha Stegall please contact Attorney David J. Motter 3500 N. Hullen Street, Metairie, LA 70002; 504-388-7005. 201561-Sept 22-24, 3t $77.50

FAMILY OF and/or HEIRS OR LEGATES OF THE LATE ROBERT L. HUFFMAN and/or THE SUCCESSION REPRESENTATIVE FOR THE ESTATE OF ROBERT L. HUFFMAN, or anyone knowing their whereabouts please contact Thomas S. Block, Atty., 504382-1204, property rights involved. 201504-Sept 21-23, 3t $113.20

Employment GENERAL HELP Wanted: City of New Orleans Approved DBE Vendors City of New Orleans Solicitation #4752 – Street Light Maintenance and Rehabilitation Services Local Electrical Contractor in need of City of New Orleans approved DBE’s for the following trades: Licensed Arborist Concrete Demolition Concrete Supplier Masonry – Brick & Tile – Installation and Repair Tree Trimming Painting Application Method: Qualified, interested parties should please contact Harold Boydston hboydston@allstar-electric.com or Todd McDonald tmcdonald@allstarelectric.com

Must hold TWIC card, pass drug test & physical. 985-851-0727 or email:

personnel@sontheimeroffshore.com

Merchandise

APARTMENT

GENTILLY 2544 ALLEN TOUSSAINT BLVD. NEWLY RENOVATED!!! 1-2 Bdrm Apts * From $800/mo Parking * Sec Gate 504-209-8054 * 504-454-1333

APARTMENT

KENNER 2850 IDAHO AVENUE 1 Block to Vets & Williams All Amenities * Pool * Parking Studio/1 Bed Apt * Starting $675/Mo 504-385-5482 * 504-454-1333

10,000 Apt Homes and 75 Locations with Studio, 1, 2 & 3 Bedrooms Pools, Access Gates, Garages (504) 360-9347

CEMETERY PLOTS Garden of Memories, Metairie, 1 plot-Sec V, $4,750 No Transfer Fee Call 601-814-0723

PRINT ADVERTISING WORKS

Pets

SUBSCRIBE TODAY

METAIRIE 2720 WHITNEY PLACE UNIT #504 • $1,500/Mo

APARTMENT

METAIRIE 3201 RICHLAND AVENUE 1/2 Block off Vets * by Paretti Jaguar 1 Bed * Prkg * Pool * Rent $675/mo 504-320-6958 * 504-454-1333

m 504.239.1481 o 504.861.7575 corinne.fox@compass.com www.compass.com/agents/corinne-fox

Call for Estimates: 504-885-5224 / 504-250-7139

7934 Maple St. New Orleans, LA 70118

Your Plans or Ours ~ Licensed and Insured

Building Homes & Remodeling

Licensed by the State of Louisiana

NOW SERVICING THE NORTHSHORE & SOUTHSHORE!

APARTMENT

METAIRIE 3513 EDENBORN AVENUE Lrg 2 Bed, 1 Bath * $925 * Off St Prkg Blocks from Lakeside 504-982-4040 * 504-885-8060 504-454-1333

APARTMENT N.O. EAST * LITTLE WOODS SPECIAL 7819 SANDS STREET * 3 BD/2 BA Central A & H * Fenced Backyard Sec 8 Welcome. No Deposit. $1,200 504-241-6189 * 504-430-1162

DUPLEX 4752 Francis Dr., 3BR/2BA, $1550/month Section 8 ok, Central Air & Heat 504-289-7595

GET READY FOR THE HOLIDAYS

Automotive 2019 HYUNDAI ELANTRA 2.0L Limited needs some body work. Motor and transmission good. $3500 or best offer. 504-235-3223.

7 DAYS A WEEK

HOUSE 327 S. Cortez St. 2 Bedroom Double, off-street parking. Section 8 okay $1500/month. 504-810-7020

PRINT ADVERTISING

SUBSCRIBE TODAY

WORKS

504-466-3712

www.hurricanefenceneworleans.com All types of Fences Exclusive Pre-Stained Cedar Fences

GONZALES CEMENT AND BRICK CONCRETE CONTRACTOR Ray Gonzales 504-458-7278

Beautiful puppies Yorkie puppies shots and dewormed $700.00 601543-4232 bettyparks159@gmail.com

“Connecting You to the Soul of New Orleans One Home, One Neighborhood, One Passion at a Time!”

• Window Replacements • New Roofing & Repairs • Concrete Work

Sidewalks, Patios, Driveways, etc.

CATS Young Male Cat, Gray Colors, Have too many cats, Looking for another home for him. Please call 504-861-9617 ($50)

REALTOR®

An Affordable Quality Builder for Over 25 Years

Any size job Servicing New Orleans & Northshore area

CATS RAGAMUFFIN & RAGDOLL KITTENS www.CatsByFrancy.com/kittens $1500up! Reg. Shots & Guaranty 337-230-3150

2 Bdrm / 2 Bath Condo. ALL UTILITIES INCLUDED! New Carpet & ﬂrg, quartz countertops in baths. No pets. 2-yr lease. Laundry Rm on 1st ﬂoor. Guard @ night. Sandy Ward * 504-259-2616. Re/Max Living * 504-475-1011. Ea ofc indpntly owned & operated.

Corinne Fox

RESIDENTIAL • COMMERCIAL • REMODELING & NEW CONSTRUCTION

• Carport Enclosures • Garages • Plumbing Repairs

APARTMENT 3806 LaSalle Street, 1BR 1BA, Kitchen appliances only. Utilities included $1000/month 504-782-7837

MARINE NOW HIRING Galleyhands Night Cooks

APARTMENT

APARTMENT: DUPLEX 8629 Apricot St. 3Br/1Ba, Central air/heat, Section 8. No Pets $1300. 504-344-2324

APARTMENT METAIRIE

R.J. LABORDE CONSTRUCTION

• Room Additions • Custom Kitchens • Custom Baths

New Orleans Rental

Hurricane Fence and Home Improvement is Your JellyFish Lighting Dealer All In One Exterior Lighting Solution Controlled from your smart device anywhere Security-Accent-Holiday-Game Day Lighting Trim - Patio - Landscaping FREE ESTIMATE • 504-466-3712 1 yr no interest financing

NO JOB TOO SMALL!

SIDEWALKS & DRIVEWAYS

504-236-2375 TRIPLE BBB

CONSTRUCTION CO. INC. Make your holidays a lot easier with the Versa Lift Attic Elevator Prices start at $2795 12 month no interest financing available CALL 504-466-3712 Hurricane Fence and Home Improvement

Pool Enclosures • Patio Covers • Rooﬁng Siding • Glass Rooms • Screen Rooms Sofﬁt • Fascia • Windows & Screens

MR. CARBO FIRST FOR BEST PRICES!

Driveways, houses fences. - 504-913-1920

ABLE TREE SERVICE 50+ YEARS LOCAL SERVICE $2 Million Liabilty Insurance • Worker’s Comp NEVER A COMPLAINT TO THE REMOVAL STORM PREP

WE RECYCLE YOUR TREES

TRIMMING STUMP REMOVAL

50 4 - 828 -1532

Fax 504-467-6708

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES SHRIMP - CRAWFISH - FISH - OYSTER - CRAB

Licensed, Bonded and fully Insured with a 96.5% approval rating

o D e e ct o

504-467-6998

3030 Lausat Street, Metairie, Louisiana 70001 Website: twomenandatruck.com/neworleans

PRESSURE WASHING

CALL

504 -570 - 6683

JAMES H. BALL, SR.

P R ES I D E N T 2158 Kenner Ave. Kenner, LA 70062

PARTNER WITH PROCESSOR

Tree Trimming & Removal • Stump Grinding

(NO INVESTMENT REQUIRED, YOU DO THE SALES & SHARE PROFITS)

504-341-2006

Email resume with past experience in the seafood industry to: shrimpexpert89@gmail.com

*Must Dial Area Code*

FREE ESTIMATES!

License and Insured and Professionally trained

To advertise here, please call 225-383-0111 or visit us at servicedirectory.nola.com

8D ✦ Tuesday, September 22, 2026 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune Public Notices

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

TYPE OF SOLICITATION: NON-PROFESSIONAL SERVICES DBE OPPORTUNITY: YES (35%)

PUBLIC NOTICE ---

RELEASED ON: September 8, 2026

ADVERTISEMENT OF A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION CITY OF NEW ORLEANS

DEADLINE TO RESPOND: September 29, 2026

SPONSORING DEPARTMENT: JUVENILE JUSTICE INTERVENTION CENTER (JJIC)

Dates are subject to changes via an adden‐ dum posted by the Bu‐ reau of Purchasing on the City’s supplier portal.

TITLE: YOUTH PROGRAMMING PROVIDER SELECTION

If this solicitation is fed‐ erally funded, prospec‐ tive bidder/respondent must pay particular at‐ tention to all applicable laws and regulations of the Federal government and the State of Louisiana.

SOURCING EVENT NO.: 4779 TYPE OF RFI: INTERESTED PARTIES RELEASED ON: 09/08/2026 DEADLINE TO RESPOND: 10/08/2026 Dates are subject to changes via an adden‐ dum posted by the Bu‐ reau of Purchasing on the City’s supplier portal. This RFI does not commit to the City to contract for any supplies or services. Further, the City is not seeking proposals through this RFI and will not accept unsolicited proposals. In addition to the rights reserved else‐ where in this RFI, the City reserves and may, in its sole discretion, exercise the right to cancel or modify this RFI at any time at will, with or with‐ out notice. This RFI and any related discussions or evalua‐ tions by anyone create no rights or obligations whatsoever. Responses to the RFI are non-bind‐ ing on the City or respon‐ dent to the RFI. The City shall not be li‐ able for any cost in‐ curred by respondents associated with develop‐ ing a submission, prepar‐ ing for discussions (if any) or any other costs incurred by the respon‐ dent associated with this RFI. The materials sub‐ mitted in response to this request shall be‐ come the property of the City. The Bureau of Purchas‐ ing uses commodity codes to notify suppliers of the release of a sourc‐ ing event and subse‐ quent modifications via addendum. Note that you would receive those noti‐ fications if you selected the following commodity code(s) before the re‐ lease of the sourcing event: COMMODITY CODE(s): 952-83 For more information about this sourcing event, go to www.nola. gov and click on “BRASS Supplier Portal” under “BIDS & CONTRACTS”. Once on the Supplier Por‐ tal, search “Open Events.” Thank you for your inter‐ est in doing business with the City of New Or‐ leans. Office of Procurement Advertising Dates: September 8, 2026, September 15, 2026 and September 22, 2026 1999967-sept 8-15-22-3t $119.43 PUBLIC NOTICE --ADVERTISEMENT TO INVITATION TO BID CITY OF NEW ORLEANS SPONSORING DEPARTMENT: Sanitation TITLE: Set-Aside-Supplemental Equipment with Operator for Special Events - Roll Off Trucks SOURCING EVENT NO.: 4776 TYPE OF SOLICITATION: NON-PROFESSIONAL SERVICES DBE OPPORTUNITY: YES (35%) RELEASED ON: September 8, 2026 DEADLINE TO RESPOND: September 29, 2026 PRE-BID CONFERENCE: September 16, 2026

Dates are subject to changes via an adden‐ dum posted by the Bu‐ reau of Purchasing on the City’s supplier portal. If this solicitation is fed‐ erally funded, prospec‐ tive bidder/respondent must pay particular at‐ tention to all applicable laws and regulations of the Federal government and the State of Louisiana. The Bureau of Purchas‐ ing uses commodity codes to notify suppliers of the release of a sourc‐ ing event and subse‐ quent modifications via addendum. Note that you would receive those noti‐ fications if you selected the following commodity code(s) before the re‐ lease of the sourcing event: COMMODITY CODE(s): 065-75, 929-66, 958-96, 975-37, 998-49 The City of New Orleans is an equal opportunity employer and strongly encourages minorityowned and womenowned businesses, so‐ cially and economically disadvantaged busi‐ nesses and small busi‐ nesses to respond to this solicitation, or to partici‐ pate in subcontracting opportunities pursuant to this solicitation. Any person with disabilities requires special accom‐ modation must contact the buyer listed within the bid no later than seven (7) days prior to bid opening. For more information about this sourcing event, go to www.nola. gov and click on “BRASS Supplier Portal” under “BIDS & CONTRACTS”. Once on the Supplier Por‐ tal, search “Open Events.” Thank you for your inter‐ est in doing business with the City of New Or‐ leans. James C. Simmons, Jr. Chief Procurement Officer Advertising Dates: September 8, 15 and 22, 2026 NOCP 9269 199965-sept 8-15-22-3t $118.41 PUBLIC NOTICE --ADVERTISEMENT TO INVITATION TO BID CITY OF NEW ORLEANS SPONSORING DEPARTMENT: Sanitation TITLE: Supplement Equipment with Operator for Special Events Passenger Buses SOURCING EVENT NO.: 4776

PRE-BID CONFERENCE: September 16, 2026

The Bureau of Purchas‐ ing uses commodity codes to notify suppliers of the release of a sourc‐ ing event and subse‐ quent modifications via addendum. Note that you would receive those noti‐ fications if you selected the following commodity code(s) before the re‐ lease of the sourcing event: COMMODITY CODE(s): 917-39, 958-96, 961-13, 962-16, 962-17, 975-37, 975-44 The City of New Orleans is an equal opportunity employer and strongly encourages minorityowned and womenowned businesses, so‐ cially and economically disadvantaged busi‐ nesses and small busi‐ nesses to respond to this solicitation, or to partici‐ pate in subcontracting opportunities pursuant to this solicitation. Any person with disabilities requires special accom‐ modation must contact the buyer listed within the bid no later than seven (7) days prior to bid opening. For more information about this sourcing event, go to www.nola. gov and click on “BRASS Supplier Portal” under “BIDS & CONTRACTS”. Once on the Supplier Por‐ tal, search “Open Events.” Thank you for your inter‐ est in doing business with the City of New Or‐ leans. Advertising Dates: September 8, 15 and 22, 2026 NOCP 9268 199962-sept 8-15-22-3t $115.38 PUBLIC NOTICE --Broome County, NY is so‐ liciting competitive pro‐ posals from qualified vendors for Maintenance, Repair, and Operations (MRO) Sup‐ plies to be supplied on an as-needed basis. Interested vendors must submit a proposal in accordance with solic‐ itation documents posted to https://www. coretrustpg.com/publicsector/solicitations. Responses must be re‐ ceived by 10.27.2026 at 2:00 pm est. 201343-sep 22-29-2t $153.42 PUBLIC NOTICE --INVITATION TO BID NASHVILLE-NAPOLEON TERMINAL COMPLEX CRANES 8 & 9 STRUCTURAL INSPECTION & REPAIR Board of Commissioners of the Port of New Or‐ leans (Board) will receive electronic bids uploaded to Centralbidding.com on or before Monday, Octo‐ ber 19, 2026 at 11:00 A.M., local time, for Work Order No. 1-1194, Nashville-Napoleon Ter‐ minal Complex: Cranes 8 & 9 Structural Inspection & Repair. The work consists of fur‐ nishing all labor, mater‐ ial and equipment to per‐ form non-destructive weld testing on the Board’s ship-to-shore container cranes 8 and 9, including but not limited to providing equipment for access, removal and replacement of coatings, performing VT, MT, and UT tests, and preparation of reports. The work may also consist of perform‐ ing as-needed structural repairs at the direction of the Engineer. The site is located at the NashvilleNapoleon Terminal Com‐ plex in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Estimated Cost: To be provided at bid opening). All Bids must be in accor‐ dance with the Bidding Documents on file with the Port of New Orleans.

In accordance with LSA R.S. 38:2212 (E)(7), com‐ plete Bidding Documents are available for down‐ load via Central Bidding at www.centralbidding. com. Bidding Documents may also be obtained from the SEBconnect App, available in both the Apple and Google play platforms. If request for Bidding Documents is made through U.S. mail or other delivery services, bidder must furnish a street mailing address and will be held respon‐ sible for service fees. Federal regulations re‐ quire that persons seek‐ ing entry to secure areas of United States ports must present a valid Transportation Workers Identification Credential (TWIC) card and must maintain possession of the TWIC at all times in secure port areas. Persons seeking entry to the below listed facilities of the Port of New Or‐ leans must possess a TWIC in order to attend pre-bid meetings on port property. Restricted areas include port prop‐ erty between Felicity Street and Henry Clay Avenue, Alabo Street Wharf, Jourdan Road Wharf, the Julia Street and Erato Street Cruise Terminals, and during cargo activities at Poland Avenue Wharf and Gover‐ nor Nicholls Street Wharf. TWIC escorts will not be permitted for this project. See Section 1000 – General Requirements. Bidding Documents will be issued only to those contractors complying with state licensing laws for contractors, La. R.S. 37:2150, et. seq. On any bid submitted in the amount of $50,000 or more, the contractor must hold at the time this bid is opened a valid license issued by the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors. This project is classified as Heavy Construction, Building Construction, or Limited Specialty Ser‐ vices. Objection to the required classification should be filed in accor‐ dance with La. R.S. 37:2165. A deposit of five percent (5%) of the cost of the contract price of work to be done for the Base Bid plus all additive Alter‐ nate Bid prices, by certi‐ fi d h k hi

Public Notices Bids/Proposals p y fied check, cashier's check or bid bond is re‐ quired, and the bidder to whom the contract is awarded shall also be re‐ quired to furnish a per‐ formance bond in the total amount of the bid. The bid bond must be furnished in accordance with the requirements of La. R.S. 38:2218, and the performance bond in ac‐ cordance with the provi‐ sions of La. R.S. 38:2219. The award of contract, if awarded, will be made within 45 calendar days after bid opening to the lowest qualified bidder whose bid complies with all requirements pre‐ scribed. However, when the contract is to be fi‐ nanced by bonds which are required to be sold after receipt of bids, or when the contract is to be financed in whole or in part by federal, state or other funds not avail‐ able at the time bids are received, or when the contract requires a poll of the Louisiana Legisla‐ ture before contract funds are available, the time will not start until receipt of federal or state concurrence or concur‐ rence of the other fund‐ ing source in accordance with LA. R.S. 38:2215(D). Award will be within 45 calendar days after the sale of bonds or receipt of concurrence in award from the federal or state agency or other funding source. Funds for this contract: __ _ ___ will not be immedi‐ ately available, the 45day period for contract award will not begin at the time of bid opening, and the deadlines under La. R.S. 38:2215 for con‐ tract execution and is‐ suance of notice to pro‐ ceed shall not apply. X will be immediately available and the 45-day period for contract award will begin at the time of bid opening. Work in the amount of at least sixty percent (60%) of total amount of con‐ tract as awarded shall be performed by contractor at the construction site or within his own shop, plant, or yard with his own employees. The Board as an equal opportunity public entity invites and encourages DBE’s and SBE’s to sub‐ mit bids on its projects. In order to comply with the Constitution of the State of Louisiana, such certification programs must be race and gender neutral. All questions, correspon‐ dence, inquiries, and other communications regarding this procure‐ ment shall be directed to Board of Commissioners of the Port of New Or‐ leans, Procurement De‐ partment, 1350 Port of New Orleans Place, New Orleans, LA 70130 or pro‐ curement@portnola.com. All questions will be an‐ swered via addenda and will be posted on the Central Bidding website at: www.centralbidding. com. Questions must be sub‐ mitted at least seven (7) days prior to bid open‐ ing. These individuals are not authorized to and shall not render legal opinions or advice. No information will be given regarding the proper evidence of corporate authority as required in this bid. Each bidder is advised to con‐ sult his own counsel for such information. Please be advised that these individuals are not the legal representatives of the Board. 201523-sep 22-29-oct 6-3t $278.07 PUBLIC NOTICE --Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans Invitation to Bid 2026-SWB-35 RIVER SAND AND MASON SAND The Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans (Board) is soliciting bids from companies to sup‐ ply River Sand and Mason Sand. Invitation to Bid (ITB) will be available September 22, 2026, for download at the following websites: Board: https://www2. swbno.org/business_bid specifications.asp LAPAC:https:// wwwcfprd.doa.louisiana. gov/OSP/LaPAC/dspBid. cfm?search=departm ent&term=181 Fax and email submis‐ sion will not be accepted. All bidders may attend a non-mandatory pre-bid conference at 1:00 PM, September 24, 2026, at the Sewerage & Water Board Administrative Building, the Procure‐ ment Conference Room, Rm 131, located at 625 St. Joseph St., New Orleans, Louisiana 70165 or if you are unable to attend this in-person meeting, you can also join via telecon‐ ference call: Microsoft Teams Join: https://teams. microsoft.com/meet/291 223865812711?p=CLp K3d46lT3GaUiRdz Meeting ID: 291 223 865 812 711 Passcode: iV7xW98t Dial in by phone +1 504-2248698,,469572537# United States, New Orleans Phone conference ID: 469 572 537# Bids will be received by the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans Procurement Department by October 8, 2026, at 11:00 AM. (Central Time). For submission instruc‐ tions, see bid docu‐ ments.

lll

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

Legal Notices

PUBLIC NOTICE --The Town of Delight, AR is soliciting competitive bids for 26COR-089 - Docu‐ ment Storage and Preservation Services. Interested sup‐ pliers must submit a pro‐ posal in accordance with solicita‐ tion documents posted on http://www.coretrustpg. com/publicsector/solicit ations. Responses must be re‐ ceived by 3:00 pm CT on 10/15/2026. 201366-sep 23-30-2t $143.20

g gov and click on “BRASS Supplier Portal” under “BIDS & CONTRACTS”. Once on the Supplier Por‐ tal, search “Open Events.” Thank you for your inter‐ est in doing business with the City of New Or‐ leans. Advertising Dates: September 8, 15 and 22, 2026 NOCP 9267 199960-sept 8-15-22-3t $115.38 PUBLIC NOTICE --AMENDED AGENDA 09/18/2026 @11:25 AM

PUBLIC NOTICE --The Town of Delight, AR is soliciting competitive bids for 26COR-095 Pool Chemicals, Equipment, & Supplies for Operation & Maint of Public Water. Interested suppliers must submit a proposal in accordance to solicita‐ tion documents posted at http://www.coretrustpg. com/public-sector/solicit ations. Responses are due by 10/19/2026 at 2:00 pm cst. 201345-SEP 22-29-2T $148.32

AGENDA ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST PARISH COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING, TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22ND, 2026 6:00 PM ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST GOVERNMENT COMPLEX 1811 W. AIRLINE HWY. COUNCIL CHAMBERS LAPLACE, LOUISIANA ROBERT ARCURI CHAIRMAN TAMMY HOUSTON – VICE-CHAIRWOMAN I. CALL TO ORDER II. ROLL CALL III. OPENING PRAYER IV. PLEDGE OF ALLE‐ GIANCE V. PUBLIC COMMENT – AGENDA ITEMS ONLY (3 minutes per citizen)

Jaclyn Hotard – Presentation – Carr, Riggs, & Ingram, LLC. – 2025 Audit Presentation

PUBLIC NOTICE ---

VII. CONSENT AGENDA

ADVERTISEMENT TO INVITATION TO BID CITY OF NEW ORLEANS SPONSORING DEPARTMENT: Sanitation TITLE: Supplemental Equipment with Operator for Special Events - Skid Steers and Front Loaders SOURCING EVENT NO.: 4775 TYPE OF SOLICITATION: NON-PROFESSIONAL SERVICES DBE OPPORTUNITY: YES (35%) RELEASED ON: September 8. 2026 DEADLINE TO RESPOND: September 29, 2026 PRE-BID CONFERENCE: September 16, 2026 Dates are subject to changes via an adden‐ dum posted by the Bu‐ reau of Purchasing on the City’s supplier portal. If this solicitation is fed‐ erally funded, prospec‐ tive bidder/respondent must pay particular at‐ tention to all applicable laws and regulations of the Federal government and the State of Louisiana. The Bureau of Purchas‐ ing uses commodity codes to notify suppliers of the release of a sourc‐ ing event and subse‐ quent modiﬁcations via addendum. Note that you would receive those noti‐ ﬁcations if you selected the following commodity code(s) before the re‐ lease of the sourcing event: COMMODITY CODE(s): 020-61, 760-44, 760-47, 760-50, 760-51, 765-38, 975-34, 998-54 The City of New Orleans is an equal opportunity employer and strongly encourages minorityowned and womenowned businesses, so‐ cially and economically disadvantaged busi‐ nesses and small busi‐ nesses to respond to this solicitation, or to partici‐ pate in subcontracting opportunities pursuant to this solicitation. Any person with disabilities requires special accom‐ modation must contact the buyer listed within the bid no later than seven (7) days prior to bid opening. For more information about this sourcing event, go to www.nola. d li k

And approving excava‐ tion within Parish Rightsof-way for the installation of ﬁber op‐ tics along West Airline Highway by municipal address 1950 West Airline Highway, LaPlace, St. John the Baptist Parish, LA (Permit No. 19885) (J. Ho‐ tard/R. Rome) And approving excava‐ tion within Parish Rightsof-way for the installation of ﬁber op‐ tics along Idaho Court by municipal address 106 Idaho Court, LaPlace, St. John the Bap‐ tist Parish, LA (Permit No. 19886) (J. Hotard/R. Rome) X. NEW BUSINESS

VI. SPECIAL BUSINESS

Legal Notices

A) Approval of Minutes – September 8th, 2026, Council Meeting B) Permit Approval – West St. John High School Annual Home‐ coming Parade – October 2, 2026, at 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM – The parade will run from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM – The parade will turn right onto LA-18 (River Road) out of the Juan An‐ thony Joseph Park – stop‐ ping in front of Central Avenue, Castle Drive, West St. John Elementary and the St. John Parish Courthouse – turn right on Hwy. 640 – turn left on Hwy. 3127 – Parade in front of Alumni tailgaters in front of WSJH – Stop – return to West St. John High School at the last entrance of the school C) Permit Approval- – 51st Annual Andouille Run – Sunday, October 18th, 2026, at 8:30 AM on the Festival Grounds – Participants will run/walk on Hwy. 51 to Palmetto to Indigo – Woodland to Hwy. 51 and end on the festival grounds. The St. John Parish Sheriff’s Depart‐ ment will provide trafﬁc control for the duration of the event, approxi‐ mately 10:00 AM

IX. PUBLIC HEARING AND CONSIDERATION OF OR‐ DINANCE(S) 26-61 – An ordinance ap‐ proving excavation within Parish Rights-ofway for the installation of fiber optics along Muir‐ field Drive by municipal address 27 Muirfield Drive, LaPlace, St. John the Baptist Parish, LA (Per‐ mit No. 19880) (J. Ho‐ tard/R. Rome) And approving excava‐ tion within Parish Rightsof-way for the installation of fiber op‐ tics along Golfview Drive by municipal address 2141 Golfview Drive, LaPlace, St. John the Baptist Parish, LA (Permit No. 19881) (J. Hotard/R. Rome) And approving excava‐ tion within Parish Rightsof-way for the installation of fiber op‐ tics along Fairway Drive by municipal address 624 Fairway Drive, LaPlace, St. John the Baptist Parish, LA (Permit No. 19882) (J. Hotard/R. Rome)

C) Jaclyn Hotard/Peter Montz - Resolution - R26132 - A Resolution authorizing St. John the Baptist Parish President to execute Change Order No. 5 with Command Construction, LLC for Cambridge #2, Cam‐ bridge #3 and Ned Duhe Lift Station Rehabilitation Project D) Jaclyn Hotard/Peter Montz – Resolution – R26133 - A Resolution authorizing St. John the Baptist Parish President to execute the Certiﬁcate of Substantial Completion with Command Con‐ struction, LLC for the Cambridge #2, Cambridge #3 and Ned Duhe Lift Station Rehabil‐ itation Project XI. INTRODUCTION ORDINANCES

St. John the Baptist Parish, will upon request and three (3) days ad‐ vance notice, provide reasonable accommoda‐ tion to any disabled indi‐ vidual wishing to attend the meeting. Anyone re‐ quiring reasonable ac‐ commodation is re‐ quested to contact Mrs. Stacey Cador at (985) 652-9569 (voice) or the Louisiana Relay Service 1-800-846-5277 and ask for St. John the Baptist Parish at (985) 652-9569. 201541-sept 22-1t $66.36AMENDED AGENDA 09/18/2026 @11:25 AM PUBLIC NOTICE --CITY OF NEW ORLEANS In conformity with sec‐ tions 3-115, 4-206(1), 6101, and 6-102(3) of the City Charter and LSA-R.S. 39:1306, the Council ac‐ knowledges receipt from the Mayor of the Pro‐ posed Budgets of Rev‐ enues and Expenditures for the year 2027: Cal. No. 35,579 and Cal. No. 35,580. A summary of these Bud‐ gets is listed below. Public hearings, which the charter states shall not begin sooner than the fifth business day after the first publication of this notice, will be held in the Council Chamber of City Hall be‐ ginning on Tuesday, Sep‐ tember 29, 2026 at 9:30 a.m. Copies of the Pro‐ posed Budget ordinances shall be available from the Office of the Clerk of Council. The Budget will be available on the City’s website at www.nola. gov/next/mayors-office/ topics/budget/. ESTIMATED REVENUES 2027 TAXES $498,198,844 LICENSES & PERMITS $83,977,485 INTERGOVERNMENTAL $723,969,786 SERVICE CHARGES $119 339 866

View the e-edition from the NOLA.com app OR

in your web browser by visiting NOLA.com and clicking E-EDITION

201526-sep 22-29-2t $83.72

PUBLIC NOTICE ---

200377-SEP 14-22-OCT 13T $28.44

HEROES OF HOPE Thank you to all of the ﬁrst responders for keeping us safe in this time of crisis.

THURSDAY

APRIL 9, 2020 $1.00

THE RACE IS ON

CASES IN LA.

652 deaths

17,030 positive cases INSIDE ä Mnuchin:

Direct deposits to start next week, 2A ä La. nursing home deaths up to 130, 5A ä More testing options available in N.O., 1B

ä See JOBLESS, page 6A

Staff writer

Louisiana public school superintendents Wednesday asked Gov. John Bel Edwards to extend his schools closure order through the end of the academic year because of the coronavirus. The request significantly boosts chances that classrooms will remain locked for nearly 720,000 public school students

and that the school year will have effectively ended for many students on March 13. “By not having students return to school facilities this school year combined with social distancing intervention there could be lessening or even prevention of further community spread of the virus,” superintendents said in their request to the governor.

ä See SCHOOLS, page 6A

OTHER OPERATING $656,973,960

GRANTS, CONTRIB., AND FUND TRANSFERS $250,000,000 TOTAL EXPENDITURES $1,471,457,968 The Revenue Estimating Conference, by a unani‐ mous vote of the mem‐ bers on September 10, 2026, adopted the Esti‐ mated Revenues detailed above as the Ofﬁcial Forecast of Revenues for the year 2027. Publication Dates: September 22, 28 and October 1, 2026 NOCP 9319 201543-sept 22-28-oct 13t $140.38 PUBLIC NOTICE --In accordance with Louisiana R.S. 47:6007, the production company 21083 Productions LLC hereby gives notice that principal photography for the movie “Birdsong” wrapped in New Orleans, Louisiana, in April 2024. Any outstanding creditor claims should be mailed to the address: 4008 1/2 Monroe St. Los Angeles, CA 90029 or to morgan‐ bentz@gmail.com by September 30th, 2026. 199954-SEP 8-15-22-3T $187.09 PUBLIC NOTICE --NOTICE OF FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT AND NOTICE OF INTENT TO RE‐ QUEST RELEASE OF FUNDS 9/22/26 Jefferson Parish Consoli‐ dated Government (Jef‐ ferson Parish) Department of Commu‐ nity Development 1221 Elmwood Park Blvd, Suite 605 Jefferson, LA 70123 504-736-6262 These notices shall sat‐ isfy two separate but re‐ lated procedural require‐ ments for activities to be undertaken by Jefferson Parish. REQUEST FOR RELEASE OF FUNDS On or about Friday, Octo‐ ber 9, 2026 Jefferson Parish will submit a re‐ quest to the Louisiana Ofﬁce of Community De‐ velopment-Disaster Re‐ covery (LOCD-DR) for the release of Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR): Resilient Community Infrastruc‐ ture Program (RCIP) funds through the Disas‐ ter Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2022 as (Pub.L.117-43, amended); in Federal Docket No. FR-6303-N-01, to undertake a project known as the Mike Miley Community Oasis Pro‐ f h f

Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speaks during a March campaign rally in Detroit.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTOS

President Donald Trump arrives to speak at a January rally in Washington, D.C.

Sanders drops out, leaving former Vice President Biden the presumptive Democratic challenger to Trump Associated Press

ä See RACE, page 4A

Legal Notices

y gram for the purpose of upgrading the Mike Miley Playground to improve ﬂood mitigation and revi‐ talize the area, in the amount of $4,900,000.00. The project involves up‐ grades to the existing Mike Miley Playground. The upgrades and im‐ provements include in‐ stallation of shade struc‐ tures to increase user comfort, as well as inte‐ gration of green infra‐ structure elements such as bioswales, rain gar‐ dens, and permeable pavement to improve stormwater manage‐ ment and site sustain‐ ability. The estimated total HUD funds is $4,900,000.00.

q procedures (24 CFR Part 58, Sec. 58.76) and shall be addressed to Louisiana Ofﬁce of Com‐ munity Development – Disaster Recovery at Murilo.Martins@la.gov or mail to Louisiana Ofﬁce of Community Develop‐ ment – Disaster Recovery at: Gina Campo 617 N. Third Street Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70802

FINDING OF NO SIGNIFI‐ CANT IMPACT Jefferson Parish has de‐ termined that the project will have no significant impact on the human en‐ vironment. Therefore, an Environmental Impact Statement under the Na‐ tional Environmental Pol‐ icy Act of 1969 (NEPA) is not required. Additional project information is contained in the Environ‐ mental Review Record (ERR) on file at Jefferson Parish Consolidated Gov‐ ernment, Department of Community Develop‐ ment, 1221 Elmwood Park Blvd, Suite 605, Jefferson, LA and may be examined or copied weekdays 8:30 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. PUBLIC COMMENTS Any individual, group, or agency may submit writ‐ ten comments on the ERR to Jefferson Parish Department of Commu‐ nity Development. All comments received by Thursday, October 8, 2026 will be considered by Jefferson Parish prior to authorizing submis‐ sion of a request for re‐ lease of funds. Com‐ ments should specify which Notice they are addressing. ENVIRONMENTAL CERTI‐ FICATION Jefferson Parish certifies to The Louisiana Office of Community Develop‐ ment-Disaster Recovery (LOCD-DR) that Stephanie Brumfield in her capacity as Jefferson Parish Director of Office of Community Develop‐ ment consents to accept the jurisdiction of the Federal Courts if an ac‐ tion is brought to enforce responsibilities in rela‐ tion to the environmental review process and that these responsibilities have been satisfied. Louisiana Office of Com‐ munity Development’s approval of the certifica‐ tion satisfies its respon‐ sibilities under NEPA and related laws and authori‐ ties and allows Jefferson Parish to use Program funds. OBJECTIONS TO RELEASE OF FUNDS Louisiana Office of Com‐ munity Development-Dis‐ aster Recovery will ac‐ cept objections to its re‐ lease of funds and Jeffer‐ son Parish’s certification for a period of fifteen days following the antici‐ pated submission date or its actual receipt of the request (whichever is later) only if they are on one of the following bases: (a) the certifica‐ tion was not executed by the Certifying Officer of Jefferson Parish; (b) Jef‐ ferson Parish has omit‐ ted a step or failed to make a decision or find‐ ing required by HUD reg‐ ulations at 24 CFR Part 58; (c) the grant recipient or other participants in the development process have committed funds, incurred costs or under‐ taken activities no au‐ thorized by 24 CFR Part 58 before approval of a release of funds by OCD; or (d) another Federal agency acting pursuant to 40 CFR Part 1504 has submitted a written find‐ ing that the project is un‐ satisfactory from the standpoint of environ‐ mental quality. Objec‐ tions must be prepared and submitted in accor‐ dance with the required d (

Potential objectors should contact Louisiana Office of Community De‐ velopment – Disaster Re‐ covery to verify the ac‐ tual last day of the objec‐ tion period. Stephanie Brumfield Director, Jefferson Parish Office of Community De‐ velopment 201340-SEP 22-1T $100.52 PUBLIC NOTICE --Public Notice is hereby given by TMAS Produc‐ tions LLC. Production has wrapped for “Tell Me A Secret". Any vendors or employees that have out‐ standing claims for this production are asked to send their claims no later than October 5, 2026 to 1536 Magazine St, New Orleans LA 70130. 200501-sept 15-22-29-3t $156.43 PUBLIC NOTICE --RFP No. 3000026720 The Coastal Protection and Restoration Author‐ ity (the CPRA) gives pub‐ lic notice that it is re‐ questing proposals from interested, qualified per‐ sons or firms (including public agencies and in‐ stitutions) for “General Real Estate and Oyster Lease Appraisal Ser‐ vices”. • RFP available https:// wwwcfprd.doa.louisiana. gov/osp/lapac/pubMain. cfm http://coastal.la. gov/resources/rfps-rsiqscontracts/contracts-andgrants/. It may also be obtained by e-mailing CPRAcontracts@la.gov. • Proposals must be re‐ ceived no later than 3:00 p.m. Central Standard Time on October 23, 2026, after which time and date they will not be ac‐ cepted. 201429-sep 22-1t $35.34

Reporting you can trust on stories that matter

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PUBLIC NOTICE JEFFERSON PARISH SHERIFF’S OFFICE Joseph P. Lopinto, III in his capacity as Sheriff of Jefferson Parish, hereby notifies his intent to donate, auction, retain or destroy unclaimed property in accordance with JP Ordinance 31-8 unless otherwise claimed by the owner within 30 days of publication of this notice. Property may be claimed by contacting the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office Property and Evidence Division, located at 1801 West Bank Expressway, Harvey, LA 700548, or by calling 504-376-2384. All claimants must provide proof of ownership before any property may be released. Item # I-15447-21 A-07662-21 G-17737-21 J-18998-21 F-10546-21 K-01381-21 J-02515-21 J-10637-21 J-10637-21 J-08312-21 K-06816-21 H-01318-21 K-03564-21 I-04291-21 J-11571-21 J-17108-21 J-19305-21 J-02476-21 I-21797-21 L-10113-21 J-09658-21 J-09658-21 J-09658-21 K-20348-21 K-20348-21 K-20348-21 K-20348-21 A-01556-22 L-08713-21 L-08713-21 K-20348-21 K-16908-21 K-12608-21 J-17999-21 l-02614-21 K-06040-21

K-20348-21

K-15385-21 K-12608-21

BY WILL WEISSERT

Superintendents want schools to stay closed

PERSONAL SERVICES $546,258,535

L-03619-21 K-14720-21

Staff writer

The 2027 Proposed Rev‐ enue Budget includes $250,000,000 in Intergov‐ ernmental non-recurring revenue. This is in antici‐ pation of potential addi‐ tional appropriations of federal, state, and local grants; special funds; and/or fund balance.

PRESIDENT

BY SAM KARLIN

COVID-19

TOTAL REVENUE $1,471,457,968

ELEC TION 2020

Unemployed to get $600 more per week from stimulus package

BY WILL SENTELL

PRINT ADVERTISING WORKS

SEVEN DAyS l HOME DELIVERED l LOUISIANA OWNED

7th year, No. 241

CORONAVIRUS: THE LATEST

XII. ADJOURNMENT

E-EDITION

Additional jobless pay set to begin

OTHER FINANCING SOURCES $15,000,000

DEBT SERVICE $18,225,473

LATE BIDS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.

Bids are due Friday, Octo‐ ber 9, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. at which time bids re‐ ceived on time and in the correct location will be considered. Bid Docu‐ ments may be obtained online at https://www. centralauctionhouse. com/Category/10822/ NewOrleansErnestNMo rialConventionCenter or by contacting the Con‐ tracts Department at (504) 582-3562 or via email at contracts@ mccno.com. All Bids must be submit‐ ted in accordance with the Bid Documents.

MISCELLANEOUS REVENUES $18,993,746

B) Jaclyn Hotard/Peter Montz – Resolution – R26131 – A Resolution authorizing St. John the Baptist Parish to adver‐ tise and solicit bids for Mem‐ brane Filters for the Re‐ verse Osmosis Unit

The digital edition of today’s paper is always at your ﬁnger tips with

HIGH 88 LOW 65 MORE ON 4C

FINES & FORFEITS $11,978,241

ESTIMATED EXPENDITURES 2027

Bids will be publicly opened on October 8, 2026, at 11:30 AM (Central Time) in the Procurement Conference Room, Rm 131, located at 625 St. Joseph St., New Orleans, Louisiana 70165.

The Ernest N. Morial New Orleans Exhibition Hall Authority is requesting sealed bids for C-2204 Furnish & Install Sodexo Check-in Area.

SERVICE CHARGES $119,339,866

A) Jaclyn Hotard/Peter Montz – Resolution – R26130 – A Resolution authorizing St. John the Baptist Parish to reject all bids received for Membrane Filters for the Reverse Osmosis Unit

VIII. REPORTS A) President’s Report B) Jaclyn Hotard – Monthly Financial Report (August 2026)

Legal Notices

K-20348-21 K-13881-21 L-10727-21 K-21167-21

Description Gray iphone with blk otter box Iphone w/ gray case Ink pen and pocket knife Knife Knifes and tools Backpack with personal items Tracking device Flip flops Handcuffs and baton Blk Samsung phone unk SN: Blue back pack with clothes Samsung note 10+ Pocket knife and lighters ZTE cell phone Saw all, blades, battery and catalytic converter Catalytic converter Silver I phone Wire and metal x-Box SN: 051…648 Sony camcorder Air pump DeWalt drill Drill Master circular saw Silver Andis shaver White nike comfort shoes Happy teen gift card Toy gun Wallet with personal items Keys with tags HP laptop SN: SCD…RD9 Powerlight extension outlets Black box cont. personal items Iphone unk SN 2 unk cell phone 1 unk magazine with ammo 1 Meibo watch in blk box, smartphone, plastic bag of peronal items, plastic bag of electronic items 2 white shirts with image of owls Unk cell phone I phone white with loopy finger band Wallet with personal items Gray and black cord with yellow wall adapter Blk and yellow reading glasses Shirt Wallet with personal items Backpack with items

201155-688906-sept 22-1t $ 124.74

Owner Found Carl Benoit Nicholas Dupre Hunter Sylve Joshua Carroll Found Found Noah LeBlue Charles Brown Found Found Found Aarn Gandy Found Found Found Found Michael Marks Found Found Found Found Found Found Found Found Found Evan Smith Found Found Found Found Found Found Found Chad Bates

Found Found Found Cedric Clements Found Found Derrick Belton Jarvis Adams Christopher Flowers