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S at u r d ay, S e p t e m b e r 26, 2026

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Pecan Island residents press for answers SpaceX faces concerns over nature, launch schedules, noise

BY JOEL THOMPSON

ed Vermilion Parish community. There to speak to about 100 residents were representatives of The dimly lit interiors of the SpaceX, the aerospace manufacclosed Pecan Island High School turing company that recently anwere crowded with people Thurs- nounced plans to operate a rocket day afternoon, a rare occasion for launch facility along the Louisiana any event held in the unincorporat- coast. Staff writer

The facility is not expected to ofﬁcially open until 2029, but impacts from the announcement have already been felt by some locals. “We’ve seen more cars around than ever before since this announcement,” one resident said.

While many details of the project’s specifications have not yet been publicly revealed, representatives did provide some additional information on the initial plans that could impact nearby residents. According to SpaceX senior manager Ben Lancaster, the company eventually hopes to launch as many as 30 rockets a day, a huge increase

from the 13 test flights that have taken off out of the Starbase launch center in southern Texas. SpaceX clarified that it does not plan to launch at that rate when the facility first opens and said the number of rockets launched on a given day will be subject to further assessments.

ä See SPACEX, page 3A

Released documents reveal Hyundai deals

Ascension Parish officials signed agreements under NDAs to compete for project BY ANNAKATE FREELAND STAFF PHOTOS By BRAD KEMP

Sugar cane is unloaded at the Louisiana Sugar Cane Cooperative on Friday in St. Martinville. More than 70,000 tons of sugar cane have been processed in the first 10 days of this year’s grinding season.

Governor, U.S. agriculture secretary tour sugar mill

Landry discusses labor woes, rising costs farmers face BY JOANNA BROWN

Staff writer

It’s the busiest time of year at the Louisiana Sugar Cane Cooperative in St. Martinville, where more than 70,000 tons of sugar cane have been processed in the first 10 days of this year’s grinding season. The operation hosted Gov. Jeff Landry and U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins on Friday, giving the officials a firsthand look at the harvest while they discussed some of the biggest challenges facing Louisiana sugar cane farmers and agricultural producers nationwide. The discussion focused on high diesel prices, the threat posed by the pasture

Gov. Jeff Landry, left, speaks during a news conference while U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, right, looks on at Louisiana Sugar Cane Cooperative on ä See TOUR, page 3A Friday in St. Martinville.

Staff writer

Ascension Parish has released development agreements related to Hyundai’s $5.8 billion steel mill, detailing over $200 million in government-built infrastructure to support industry in the area as well as the payments the company will make in place of traditional property taxes. The documents, which were protected by nondisclosure agreements, were released Tuesday after a confidentiality period expired. The confidential agreements between parish officials and Hyundai date back to Aug. 10, 2024, seven months before President Donald Trump announced the new mill. In a news release, Parish President Clint Cointment said the nondisclosure agreements allowed the parish to compete with surrounding states to land the project. “We competed for one of the most highly sought-after economic-development projects in the country, and Ascension Parish won,” Cointment said in the release. “We protected legitimate negotiations when confidentiality was required, followed the public process when governmental approval was required, and are releasing the documents now that the confidentiality period has ended.” Cointment could not be reached for further comment on the agreements. The steel mill, which has yet to begin construction because it has not been granted an air permit, will supply Hyundai Motor Group’s automotive plants and other original equipment manufacturers across the U.S., with the goal of using steel produced in Donaldsonville in every Hyundai vehicle assembled in America. The mill, with an estimated completion date of early 2029, will be built on roughly 1,700 acres in the RiverPlex MegaPark. It is expected to create about 1,300 permanent jobs with

ä See DOCUMENTS, page 5A

Former provost says he clashed with Landry over tiger Haggerty: Dispute over stadium appearance led to resignation

BY ALYSE PFEIL Staff writer

LSU’s former top academic leader said under oath that he decided to leave the university after defying Gov. Jeff Landry’s controversial push to bring a live tiger back on the ﬁeld during football games. Roy Haggerty revealed new details about the high-proﬁle dispute

WEATHER HIGH 90 LOW 68 PAGE 6A

during legal proceedings launched by athletes seeking to unionize at Oregon State University, where he is now provost. Haggerty was seeking to draw a contrast between his current employer, where he said academics clearly trump athletics, and LSU, where he argued sports issues exert outsized inﬂuence on university leadership. Haggerty was provost at LSU

from 2022 until 2025, when he left for the same job at OSU. In his testimony, Haggerty said former LSU President William Tate told him and other university leaders in the summer of 2024 that “the governor had ordered him to place the live tiger on the ﬁeld at LSU football games.” Haggerty said LSU’s license for Mike VII, the school’s live tiger

mascot, was under his name as provost and that the School of Veterinary Medicine, which is responsible for Mike’s care, reported to him. Haggerty “I let it be known to the president that if the university forced me to put the tiger on the ﬁeld, I would resign,” he said. “I let it be known to the president that this was inap-

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propriate, illegal and immoral and a number of other objections.” The disagreement “culminated in a meeting in the Governor’s Office with the governor yelling,” Haggerty said. “The governor eventually backed down and ordered his chief of staff to rent a tiger and have that tiger brought to LSU and placed on the ﬁeld at the LSU-Alabama game in fall of 2024.”

ä See TIGER, page 3A

102ND yEAR, NO. 88

2A ● Saturday, September 26, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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Iran proposes deal to reopen strait in 7 days

BRIEFS

FROM WIRE REPORTS

White House network TV pool resumes operations

The U.S. network video pool for the White House was back in operation Friday, for the first time since President Donald Trump banned three news outlets in an extraordinary showdown over media access. At noon on CNN, viewers could see Trump and President Xi Jinping touring the National Archives, along with Melania Trump and Peng Liyuan, Xi’s wife. The banner along the bottom of the screen read: “Trump and China’s Xi Visit National Archives.” It was a routine report from a state visit — but for the fact that CNN had not aired live video of Trump in several days. “As of now, all systems are go,” said a person familiar with the pool, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the fluidity of the situation. The pool consists of five major U.S. broadcast outlets that take turns shooting and sharing video. When the White House banned CNN — which belongs to the pool — from White House grounds, along with MS NOW and Politico, the other four pool providers declined to participate in a show of solidarity. A judge temporarily struck down the ban in an overnight ruling early Thursday, but his ruling didn’t directly address the pool. The networks continued to refrain from covering Trump as part of the pool, even as reporters from all three outlets were allowed back in the White House.

Pakistan: Afghan Taliban personnel killed in clash

ISLAMABAD — Overnight ﬁghting along the southwestern border left at least 13 Afghan Taliban personnel dead, Pakistan said Friday, in a claim Afghanistan denied. It was the latest escalation between the neighbors following Pakistani airstrikes on Afghan territory. Pakistan’s Information Ministry said in a post on X that its forces repelled what it called an “attempted Afghan aggression” in the Gulistan sector of southwestern Balochistan province. It said “at least 13 Afghan Taliban personnel were killed and several injured” Thursday night. The strikes marked a sharp escalation in fighting between the two South Asian countries and risked further complicating international efforts to ease tensions between Islamabad and Kabul. Pakistan routinely accuses Kabul of allowing militants, particularly the Pakistani Taliban, to operate from Afghan territory and launch attacks across the border. Kabul denies the accusation.

Blast near Acropolis in Greece injures 2

ATHENS, Greece — A powerful blast shook the Greek capital’s tourist district of Plaka, near the ancient Acropolis, on Friday morning, causing a building to collapse and injuring at least two people who were rescued from an adjacent building, authorities said. The cause of the explosion wasn’t immediately clear, but local media said that a gas leak was suspected. Rescue crews with a sniffer dog were searching the rubble for potentially missing people, the ﬁre department said. Residents said that two people lived in one of the building’s apartments, and there were media reports that three tourists may have been staying in a short-term rental apartment also in the building. The ﬁre department said that the explosion occurred in an old two-story building in the Plaka district, the historic part of Athens that lies at the foot of the Acropolis hill, Greece’s most visited ancient monument. The building collapsed, while neighboring buildings were also damaged.

CORRECTION An article in Friday’s edition incorrectly stated that Bob Pettit’s 1958 Atlanta Hawks team ended a streak of nine consecutive championships by the Boston Celtics. The Hawks’ championship was the last before the Celtics started their streak. The Advocate | The Times-Picayune regrets the error.

U.S. would have to lift blockade, waive sanctions, observe ceasefire ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By KAyLA WOLF

Voters arrive to cast their ballots on Aug. 11 at Lyons Park in Milwaukee. The Supreme Court on Friday lifted restrictions on a controversial federal voter database before November’s elections.

Justices allow use of voter database Ruling overturns block, OKs use of controversial eligibility list for now

BY ALI SWENSON, JOHN HANNA and LINDSAY WHITEHURST Associated Press

NEW YORK — The Supreme Court on Friday lifted restrictions on a controversial federal voter database before November’s elections, granting President Donald Trump a temporary win in his aggressive campaign against noncitizen voting. The court’s three liberal-leaning justices publicly dissented from the decision. The emergency order allows states, for now, to use the Trump administration’s revamped version of a Department of Homeland Security program, called Systematic Alien Veriﬁcation for Entitlements, or SAVE, in their efforts to verify the eligibility of voters on their rolls. It’s a program that has drawn scrutiny for its use of voters’ sensitive personal data and its tendency to wrongly ﬂag some eligible voters as noncitizens. States’ use of the SAVE program is voluntary, limiting the ruling’s impact on the midterm elections. Existing law also blocks most states from systematically purging voters from their rolls within 90 days of an election, said David Becker, an election law expert who leads the Center for Election Innovation and Research. He said DHS itself has admitted the data is not perfect. Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, a Democrat who has refused to participate in the SAVE program, said the ruling will have no effect in her state because it “does not force states to change the way we run our elections.” The plaintiffs and their lawyers in the case called the ruling “profoundly disappointing” and said it puts “millions of Americans at risk of being unlawfully targeted by the administration’s unreli-

able voter purge database” before the midterms. On X, James Percival, the general counsel for DHS, responded to a post about the decision with, “Yes, you read that right. We had to ﬁle an emergency petition in the Supreme Court just so we could use government data to help states stop noncitizens from illegally voting.” The White House did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment. The court’s order puts on hold a federal judge’s June ruling that had deemed the Republican administration’s recently revamped version of SAVE illegal. U.S. District Court Judge Sparkle L. Sooknanan had blocked the use of the tool, saying it violated Americans’ privacy rights and could result in voters being wrongly removed from the rolls. A federal appeals court let her order stand. But the Supreme Court majority found that a 1996 law explicitly allows DHS to get information about citizenship and immigration from other federal agencies. The federal government also has “an obligation to respond” to states seeking to verify citizenship. “The order below prevents the Federal Government from using the program it believes is best suited to the task,” the majority wrote in the unsigned order. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented, joined by Justices Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor. The database has long been seen to fall under federal privacy laws, she wrote, and there are real risks that legitimate voter registrations could be mistakenly revoked. “The harm caused by burdening or disenfranchising even a few lawful voters outweighs the nonexistent harm that the Government experiences when it is prevented from taking an action that it likely lacks the authority to take,” Jackson wrote. The plaintiffs pledged to do “everything in our power” to ensure the district court decision stands.

Nor’easter to lash East Coast with winds, flooding, rain BY KIMBERLEE KRUESI and LEAH WILLINGHAM Associated Press

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The powerful nor’easter headed to New England intensified Friday, generating storm-force winds and creating massive waves along the East Coast that forecasters warned could create dangerous conditions through the weekend. Millions of people were under warnings associated with the storm, which has already canceled concerts and prompted people on islands near Cape Cod, Massachusetts, to head to the mainland in the days ahead of the nor’easter’s arrival. Dangerous flooding was expected along the Mid-Atlantic coast, particularly near New Jersey and Delaware starting Friday and heading into Saturday, according to the National Weather Service. “The heaviest rain is probably going to be from coastal Jersey, Long Island, up to Rhode Island, and eastern Massachusetts,” said Brian Hurley, senior national forecaster with the weather service’ Weather Prediction Center, adding that the storm was expected to weaken later Saturday. A voluntary evacuation had been issued in some low-lying areas of Manasquan, a coastal New Jersey borough, while the governors of New Jersey and New York declared states of emergency in advance of the storm. “We’re definitely seeing at the high end of moderate and maybe the low end of major flooding,” said Manasquan Mayor Mike Mangan. “That may not mean a lot to people, but that means there is going to

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ROBERT F. BUKATy

Brenda Malloy enjoys a nor’easter storm on Friday in Gloucester, Mass.

be a lot of water in the streets for a long time.” Peak wind gusts could approach 60 to 65 mph on Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket on Friday night and Saturday, compared with about 50 to 55 mph around Boston and 35 to 40 mph farther inland, according to Matthew Belk, a meteorologist with the weather service in Norton, Massachusetts. “It’s deﬁnitely going to be a case of the closer to the coast you are, the more impacts from the storm you’re likely to see,” Belk said. Belk said nor’easters are not unusual as New England moves into fall, but one concern this early in the season is that leaves remain on the trees, creating more wind resistance. That could increase the risk of downed limbs, which in turn can cause power outages and leave debris in roads, he said.

BY CARA ANNA, FARNOUSH AMIRI and AAMER MADHANI Associated Press

UNITED NATIONS — Iran has offered to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and resume talks on its nuclear program in seven days if the United States lifts its naval blockade of Iranian ports, waives sanctions on Iranian oil sales and observes a ceasefire that would include Lebanon. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi detailed the proposal to reporters outside the U.N. Security Council on Friday, saying it would also restart stalled talks with the U.S. on Iran’s nuclear program. “The seven-day timeline will start as soon as the United States accepts this plan,” he said. Araghchi said initial steps would take about four to five days to complete, and the strait would be open on the sixth day. “And on day seven, the talks with the U.S. will be started for the final deal on mutually agreed subjects,” he said, referring to the nuclear program. Iran’s disruption of the strait — through which a fifth of the world’s traded oil and gas transited before the war — has emerged as its main point of leverage. The effects have been felt far beyond the Middle East and posed political problems for President Donald Trump and his Republican Party ahead of November’s midterm congressional elections. The White House said only that U.S. officials are having positive and constructive conversations with mediators on the Iran war. In response to questions, it said the U.S. is facilitating significant oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz.

There was no immediate comment on the proposal from Gulf Arab nations, although a person familiar with the matter, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss private deliberations, told The Associated Press that Saudi Arabia was skeptical of the latest push for a deal. The proposal, conveyed to the U.S. by Qatar, strongly resembles an interim deal reached in June, but with an accelerated timetable. The earlier agreement, which called for a 60day interim period, quickly collapsed as Iran resumed attacks on shipping in the strait. Trump has said he is in no rush to reach a deal, even as high oil prices fuel inﬂation. On the Iranian side, there are questions as to whether the hard-liners who dominate the security forces would accept compromises championed by moderates like President Masoud Pezeshkian. “If Trump calculates this arrangement is worthwhile and can bring political benefit before the midterms and reduce gas prices, perhaps we’ll see ﬂexibility not seen in previous weeks,” said Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute think tank. But he noted “deep suspicion,” especially around the prospect of Iran merely buying time to ship out more of its oil and ease its economic pain. In the latest sign of diplomatic movement, Pezeshkian hosted the prime minister of Qatar early Friday. Qatar has been a key mediator, including during indirect Iran-U.S. talks at the U.N. this week. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday that “if there’s an opportunity to exchange ideas and messages, we will.”

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The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Saturday, September 26, 2026 ● 3A

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TOUR

Continued from page 1A mealybug and efforts to streamline the H-2A temporary agricultural worker visa program. About 100 days remain in the grinding season. Rollins said the White House plans to release a proposal early next week addressing the high costs farmers are facing because of record diesel prices, which reached a national average of $6.52 a gallon this week. “This is a short-term bridge as we continue to hopefully wrap up the conﬂict overseas. We’ll get back to normal prices, hopefully even lower prices, very soon,” she said. On Wednesday, Landry issued an executive order allowing Louisiana farmers and timber workers to use tax-free diesel in on-road vehicles through Oct. 22, providing some relief from fuel costs at the height of harvest season. At the Louisiana Sugar Cane Cooperative, he said that farmers should not be penalized for bringing their crop to the mill at scale, saying the two-tiered diesel system punishes producers. “Thirty years ago when I

TIGER

Continued from page 1A The Advocate obtained a recording of the hearing through a public records request. Haggerty’s testimony was first reported by Sportico. Haggerty did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Neither did Landry’s office. A spokesperson from Rutgers, where Tate is now president, said, “President Tate does not comment on personnel matters and the affairs of another university.” A rented tiger named Omar Bradley was ultimately brought to Death Valley from the Floridabased Worldwide Exotic Animal Talent Agency, paid for by a political group that backs Landry. Omar spent about seven minutes on the field, but the move generated strong backlash from many fans and animal-rights advocates. Predecessors of Mike VII had been taken to the sidelines during home games, but the university stopped the practice years ago. Haggerty said the conflict with Landry over the tiger caused him to look for another job. “I knew that because of the governor’s involvement in, and other powerful individuals’ involvement in athletics in particular at LSU, and my refusal to allow the governor to do what he wanted with athletics at LSU, that I would not survive another calendar year at the university and I chose to seek employment elsewhere,” he said. LSU spokesperson Meg Casper Sunstrom said in a statement that “LSU’s current leadership was not employed by LSU in 2024, so they do not have firsthand knowledge of the specifics described by Haggerty.” “The current environment under the leadership of President Wade Rousse is one of a unified LSU working collectively with our internal and external partners in the best interest of the university and the system as a whole,” Sunstrom said.

Athletics ‘all-encompassing’

STAFF PHOTO By BRAD KEMP

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, left, and Gov. Jeff Landry, center, walk to a news conference after taking a tour of the sugar mill at Louisiana Sugar Cane Cooperative on Friday in St. Martinville. brought cane to this mill, I did so on a tractor. Inside that tractor, I had off-road diesel. Those farmers were not penalized,” Landry said. “There is absolutely a supply disruption right now, so we have

Haggerty from testifying about the tiger drama, saying it wasn’t relevant to the unionization issue at hand. And while he ultimately allowed the discussion, even the judge overseeing the proceedings in Oregon was skeptical. “I can’t imagine how allowing a tiger on a football field across the country has anything to do with whether these employees, or these individuals, are employees or not,” the judge said. But an attorney for OSU argued it highlights the university’s commitment to academics. “The relevance is that this gives a very good contrast to what it looks like when an athletics program runs a university versus when a provost runs a university,” the attorney said. In recent weeks, LSU has come under fire for state officials’ involvement in university athletics. Landry and Attorney General Liz Murrill publicly threw their support behind a group of college athletes in Louisiana who sued the SEC in an attempt to gain one more year of eligibility to play sports at the collegiate level. That prompted the SEC to file a separate lawsuit against LSU and state officials. In that lawsuit, the league accused Landry and Murrill of meddling in LSU athletics and undermining the league’s authority.

A push to unionize Members of the OSU women’s basketball team ﬁled a petition with the Oregon Employment Relations Board seeking to unionize and be recognized as employees in July this year. “The proposed bargaining unit is similar to student worker units and graduate student worker units at Oregon’s public universities,” the petition states. “The nature of the work that these college athlete workers perform is different but no less important than these other student workers who have been unionized under the Public Employee Collective Bargaining Act.” OSU opposes the effort, contending that playing sports in college is part of students’ academic experience, rather than a service that beneﬁts the university. Hearings on the unionization bid were held before an administrative law judge in Oregon on Sept. 14-15. The question of whether college athletes should legally be considered university employees is controversial and complex, with some players pushing to form workers’ unions and many schools strongly opposed to such a change.

Haggerty said that, unlike at OSU, athletics at other universities such as LSU are “much more influential and all-encompassing.” Athletics sometimes impacted the academic mission of LSU, Haggerty said, “mostly through intrusion of prominent and powerful ﬁgures in the state of Louisiana wanting to be associated with LSU athletics in some way.” An attorney for the college Email Alyse Pfeil at alyse. athletes repeatedly tried to stop pfeil@theadvocate.com.

waived the penalty. This has happened before. It’s not unusual.” Rollins shared that while on the tour, she was informed that farmers are continuing to face obstacles in hiring short-term workers

SPACEX

Continued from page 1A

‘Y’all are going to singe my cows’ One of the major questions outstanding is how hunting, fishing and other outdoor recreational activities will be impacted. SpaceX has maintained that there will continue to be ample opportunity in the region to continue these practices. “We’ll allow as much hunting and fishing access as we possibly can,” Lancaster said. “The best fishing in south Texas still takes place off of Boca Chica.” Vermilion Parish also maintains a rich history of cattle farming. Mark Broussard, whose family has raised cattle in the parish for more than 100 years, operates a ranch that is now entirely surrounded by SpaceX property. While SpaceX says launchpad locations have not yet been determined, Broussard fears that they will prove too close to his property to leave his livelihood unaffected. “Y’all are going to singe my cows,” Broussard said. “Cows love rockets,” Lancaster said in response to Broussard’s concerns. “125,000 acres is a lot of land. We’ll make sure we have the necessary buffer.” Additional concerns about how the facility could impact the Mississippi Flyway, a crucial migratory route for birds, were brought up during the meeting. SpaceX has claimed that bird departures from the area are only temporary. “How can they return at 30 flights a day?” one resident questioned. “That is something we will have to figure out at 30 times a day. We don’t know what’s going to happen,” said Katy Groom, director of environmental regulatory affairs.

Noise and property damage Noise impacts on the residents themselves also continue to be a concern. “It’s not something that’s going to damage property. It’s loud, but you will still be able to talk to one another,” Groom told those in attendance. Ongoing lawsuits involving alleged property damages caused by launches at SpaceX’s Texas facility have put these claims into question. SpaceX representatives said the lawsuits had no merit. “We’ve seen no property damage whatsoever at our Texas site,” Lancaster said. However, earlier this year, the Louisiana Legislature passed exemptions for certain aerospace companies shielding them from

through the H-2A visa program. Addressing application processing times, critical for producers who need to hire workers quickly for the harvest season, will be the “first call I make when I leave here,” she said. “We’ll keep working on this with Congress, who has the real pin on this. They’re the ones who really have to go and ﬁx it, but we’re doing everything we can to make sure it’s as seamless as possible for our producers. “Obviously, the H-2A is a really important program for farmers. Hundreds and hundreds of laborers are brought in. They work for three months and a couple days, and then they go home. And that’s the goal of all of these programs: Have Americans fill American jobs, but to have these short-term, temporary opportunities to use other labor, which is what we’re doing,” Rollins said. She also emphasized that lowering the cost of farm labor is a priority for the Trump administration, which lowered the Adverse Effect Wage Rate — the minimum wage that agricultural employers must pay to H-2A workers — from $14.83 set by President Biden, to $9.14. The American Sugar Cane League sued the Department of Labor in 2023, winning a judgment

in 2025 that rolled back the reclassiﬁcation of some farmworkers to higher-wage categories. In addition to rising costs and labor shortages, the invasive pasture mealybug has been a growing threat to sugar cane crops across Texas, Louisiana and the Gulf Coast. Rollins and Landry said that the LSU AgCenter will be an important partner in researching solutions to the pest, and Rollins said that the government is embarking on a similar multitiered response as the one deployed to combat New World Screwworm across the Southwest. The USDA shared its Pasture Mealybug Mobilization Plan, which includes four pillars: “timely detection and diagnostics, accelerated scientiﬁc research, seamless coordination and communication, and proactive management and mitigation.” According to Louisiana Sugar Cane Cooperative manager John Hebert, the pasture mealybug has not been a factor in the harvest so far this year. “I know that gives everyone a little bit of relief, but we will keep battling,” Rollins said.

civil liability relating to noise, trespass, light, etc. Many Pecan Island residents believe the legislation was authored speciﬁcally to prevent similar lawsuits to the ones in Texas from occurring. “If there’s no damage that will be done to our homes, why get rid of the legal protection for residents?” one resident questioned. SpaceX deferred responsibility for the changes to the state Legislature and instead encouraged all residents with property damage to ﬁle claims through emailing insurance@spacex.com.

cle traffic the project will bring. Upgrading the bridge while also maintaining its unique architectural design was discussed as a key priority for the community as infrastructure changes progress. The Humble Canal itself is also important for many residents who use it to access personal property as well as engage in outdoor recreation. SpaceX says it will not restrict access to the canal for residents, while also asserting its need to ensure that local infrastructure is able to meet its standards so that it can use the canal. “We need to make sure that we can access Humble Canal. It’s an important artery to our site,” Lancaster said. SpaceX plans for an exclusion zone of 3-5 miles during rocket launches, which would prevent any outside traffic from accessing the canal at that time. While SpaceX officials maintain that access restrictions will only be temporary, some residents question how, with possibly 30 launches a day, there would be a time frame for them to access the canal. Principal launch engineer Mark Soltys likened the system SpaceX envisions for managed canal access to an airport runway, saying that once a predictable routine was established for launches, they would be able to facilitate canal access during the interim periods.

How much water

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

Residents also expressed concern over the impact the facility could have on the area’s water infrastructure. SpaceX says drinking water will not be affected. However, when asked how much water would be used at the facility, representatives could not give an answer, citing that the project was “still in its design phase.” The issue is important both for access to drinking water for residents and also wetlands protection. “We’re used to working in these ecosystems with a lot of wetlands. Anytime we impact streams or open waters, we have to get the appropriate permits, mitigations and restorations that come along with that.” “The losses of wetlands along the Louisiana coast are happening at the fastest rate of any coastal wetlands loss in the United States, largely due to natural causes,” said Owen McDonough, senior SpaceX promises local investment manager of government affairs at A key promise SpaceX has made SpaceX. “What’s unique is that be- to nearby residents has been incause those losses occur naturally, vestment into both local services we can come in and repair at a and businesses. higher rate than what we impact.” SpaceX officials have said the company plans to provide fundThe Humble Canal ing for local police departments The strain the facility could as well as assisting Pecan Island bring to local infrastructure also in getting a full-time fire departdrew comments from residents ment. Additionally, the company well aware of the congestion that currently has plans for around has taken place in nearby Cam- $100 million in contracts with Vereron Parish as a result of the Ven- milion Parish-based companies for construction of the site. ture Global LNG plant. Soltys clarified that not all conSpaceX says congestion will not be an issue for the new facil- struction work would come from ity, as it plans to initially require within the local area, saying, “It’s anyone attempting to access the a big project. We’re certainly gofacility to board a shuttle. The ing to be hiring out of the state shuttle will leave from a parking people as well.” lot where all workers will have SpaceX has framed the project to station their vehicles. The lo- as crucial not just for the economcation of this lot has not yet been ic interests of Vermilion Parish, but for the nation broadly. made public. “China’s very much ahead of The additional usage Freshwater Bayou Road is likely to re- America in the new frontier. ceive has also given way to ques- We’ve got to stay ahead of them tions about how SpaceX intends for a lot of reasons,” Soltys said. Representatives present at the to handle some of the area’s outdated but historic infrastructure. meeting said future meetings The pontoon bridge that cross- with residents will take place, es the Humble Canal, one of the but did not offer a specific date or few in the nation, is woefully un- time frame for when they might prepared for the increased vehi- occur.

4A ● Saturday, September 26, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

Xi wraps up U.S. visit with look at Constitution lll

Lincicome, vice presiChinese leader Scott dent of general economics at Cato Institute. says he’ll see the“Another summit without tangible results merely alTrump again soon lows China to run out the

BY MICHELLE L. PRICE and FU TING Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Chinese President Xi Jinping wrapped up his state visit to Washington on Friday by announcing that he will meet President Donald Trump two more times before the end of the year, doubling the number of faceto-face discussions between the leaders of the world’s two largest economies in 2026. The promise of more meetings to come capped off a three-day state visit that has been criticized by some in the U.S. for being heavy on pomp and light on substance, though Trump said they discussed the war in Iran. The two leaders have made a show of working to preserve harmony, but there were no major breakthroughs this week on issues such as trade or the safety of artiﬁcial intelligence. Some trade analysts were struck by how few tangible accomplishments seemed to come from the meeting. Little was announced outside of the promise of more meetings and Washington and Beijing agreeing as Xi landed in the U.S. to extend their trade truce only a few months until January. “A lot of pomp and circumstance or sound and fury but signifying nothing. There’s just not a lot there,” said

clock on Trump’s second term without signiﬁcant concessions,” said Jeff Moon, a former U.S. trade ofﬁcial and diplomat in President Barack Obama’s administration who runs the China Moon Strategies consultancy.

Leaders discussed Iran The two leaders met behind closed doors for 90 minutes on Thursday, when they discussed issues such as the Middle East, Ukraine and the Korean Peninsula, according to the ofﬁcial Chinese government readout of the meeting. Trump told reporters on Friday that he and Xi discussed the Iran war, but did not offer additional details. “We had a great meeting. We had a really great meeting. Great for the farmers. Great for everybody,” he said. Though Trump administration ofﬁcials have played down the impact of any assistance that China may be providing to Iran as the war stretches to nearly seven months, U.S. Ambassador to China David Perdue said Friday that Trump asked Xi to avoid providing help to Tehran. “We made it very clear to them weeks ago that, you know, any help that they would give Iran — whether it be direct or indirect, whether it be intelligence or parts or military equipment

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ALEX BRANDON

President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump, China’s President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan, with Bradford Wilson, Archivist of the United States, view the Constitution, Bill of Rights and other documents on Friday at the National Archives in Washington. — was totally unacceptable,” lot.” He later conﬁrmed the Perdue told CNBC in an in- two meetings in a post on soterview Friday. “President cial media. Trump made that very clear National Archives visit again yesterday.” Trump on Friday took Xi to Xi hosting APEC summit visit the National Archives, Xi extended an invitation showing off the sacred texts for Trump and first lady of U.S. democracy to the leadMelania Trump to go to the er of the world’s most powerAsia-Pacific Economic Co- ful communist country. Trump, a Republican, has operation summit in Shenzhen, China, in November been seeking to demonize and noted that they could Democrats as communists meet again a month later at during the run-up to the Nothe G20 summit at the Trump vember midterm elections, a National Doral Miami golf message that has been mudclub in Florida. died by the red-carpet treat“We do welcome Mr. Presi- ment he has given Xi this dent and the ﬁrst lady to visit week. Inside the nation’s vault of China,” Xi said. Trump responded, “We records, where the Declarawill, and we’ll be speaking a tion of Independence, the

BY DAVID A. LIEB Associated Press

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By GREGORy BULL

Darren Montalvo carries sand bags he will use to help keep water out of his restaurant HILO, Hawaii — People on Hawaii’s Big Island on Friday as Hurricane Nolo approaches in are preparing for another potentially lifeHilo, Hawaii. threatening and catastrophic storm as Hur-

Associated Press

ricane Nolo is expected to bring flash floods and extreme surf as it churns just south of the islands through the weekend. Nolo was expected to strengthen to a major hurricane on Saturday. Its maximum sustained winds increased to 105 mph Friday. The storm’s center was located about 185 miles south of Hawaii’s southernmost point. Forecasters warned parts of the Big Island could see rainfall totals up to 15 inches, with a possibility of up to 25 inches. That was down from an earlier forecast that called for up to 35 inches. “People are going to want to kind of shelter in place on the Big Island, be in their safe place, certainly by later today, tonight, well into Saturday,” Michael Brennan, director of the National Hurricane Center, said Friday. “Don’t venture out if you don’t have to into the dangerous flooding environment, but also high winds. We can have trees and power lines down.” Heavy rainfall also was possible on Hawaii’s other islands, the hurricane center said. Maui also could see heavy rainfall and potential life-threatening flooding and mudslides, forecasters said. Crews on the Big Island spent hours Friday trying to build berms to guide water and move large debris ahead of the worst of the rain, said Erika Kapu, Hawaii program manager for the humanitarian nonprofit CORE. CORE and other nonprofit partners spent the week packing and shipping supplies like camp stoves and hygiene products by air cargo from Oahu to the Big Island for a community relief hub that has been active since August’s Hurricane Lala. Hawaii officials told residents to put together emergency kits, and the governor issued an emergency proclamation, activating more than 230 Hawaii National Guard members. Schools were closed in some areas. Hawaii County officials on the Big Island were urging residents in flood-prone areas to

consider taking refuge at shelters being set up or other locations. “We encourage everyone to complete their preparations, stay connected to official alerts and weather updates, and secure safe shelter before flooding strikes,” Mayor Kimo Alameda said in a statement. The heaviest rain from Nolo is likely to fall over the same southeastern region of the Big Island that was hit by Lala and where grounds are still wet from additional precipitation. The storm surge could hit 1 to 3 feet, creating large and dangerous waves and coastal flooding, the hurricane center said. Hawaiian Electric, the state’s primary utility, said crews that had been helping restore power in Kauai after this month’s Hurricane Lowell would return to Oahu, Maui and the Big Island in preparation for the coming storm. Residents and tourists on the Big Island were busy preparing. Hawaii Gov. Josh Green has requested an emergency disaster declaration for four Hawaii counties. Meanwhile, Mexico is under the threat of Hurricane Polo as it heads toward the Baja California peninsula after bringing storm conditions to the southwestern coast. The hurricane center said Polo gained significant force overnight into Friday morning and doused parts of Mexico’s Pacific Coast. No major damage or flooding was reported along the coast overnight into Friday. By midday Friday, attention turned to the peninsula, where the hurricane was slated to arch back and hit between Monday and Tuesday. Local authorities were preparing shelters, and Mexico’s government announced Friday afternoon that they were closing ports in the region as dark clouds swirled overhead. The latest estimated sustained winds were 180 mph.

Woman’s hanging was ‘staged’ after her death in drug dispute, Miss. police say BY ED WHITE and SOPHIE BATES

Tea in the Red Room The Trumps feted their guests Thursday night

High court rejects Missouri house map backed by Trump

Storms in Pacific threaten Hawaii and Mexico with floods, high surf BY EUGENE GARCIA

U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights are kept, Xi peered at the documents behind protective glass as a guide spoke about them. After viewing the Constitution, Trump told reporters waiting nearby that the two leaders discussed how old their nations are. “We’re just comparing,” Trump said. “Ours goes 250 years, which is great, and we’re proud of it. But theirs goes 6,000 years.” He added: “There’s a little difference between 6,000 and 250, but we’re very proud of our 250.”

with a black-tie state dinner attended by technology industry titans. Earlier in the day, Trump gave Xi a personal tour of his White House flourishes, including a gallery wall of presidents and a new 100-foot-long granite helicopter landing pad — and pointed out his ballroom, still under construction. Melania Trump and Peng Liyuan toured the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art. On Friday, Xi’s day began at the White House, where Trump and the first lady hosted the Chinese leader and his wife, Peng Liyuan, for tea in the White House’s Red Room. Their visit fell during China’s Mid-Autumn Festival, a national holiday when families traditionally gather to celebrate the end of harvest, sharing mooncakes, round pastries filled with a sweet paste, over tea. Xi thanked the Trumps for the visit. “The highest courtesies, the most meticulous arrangements,” Xi said in Chinese. “This visit is very successful, and we also feel very satisfied.” Trump grinned when an interpreter relayed what Xi had said. “We’ve had a tremendous visit from two spectacular people, and we really enjoyed it, and I think we’ve made tremendous strides,” Trump said. AP writers Ken Moritsugu in Beijing and Didi Tang, Josh Boak and Paul Wiseman in Washington contributed to this report.

and she fought hard with her attackers before she was killed, Jackson police Associated Press Detective Samuel Dukes JACKSON, Miss. — Tasia For- told the court. Citing the tune was apparently killed medical examiner’s opinion, in a drug dispute before her he also said the hanging was body was hung in a tree in a “staged.” Fortune was Black, and “staged” lynching behind an abandoned home in the Mis- the Aug. 3 discovery of her sissippi capital this summer, hanging body stoked fear a detective testiﬁed Friday. and drew widespread atFortune was killed in a tention because the scene disagreement about drugs, recalled actual lynchings

in the Southern state, which has a long and troubled history of racial violence. Authorities haven’t disclosed the exact cause of Fortune’s death or said why they think her body was hanged afterward, but they ruled it a homicide and arrested two men, both of them also Black, on murder charges. They also issued an arrest warrant for an unnamed third person.

The Supreme Court on Friday turned away an attempt to use a new Missouri congressional map backed by President Donald Trump, potentially putting an end to a long-running legal dispute as absentee voting is underway in the midterm elections. The justices halted a federal appeals court ruling that would have revived the Republican-friendly map for the November elections, which will determine control of Congress. The Supreme Court instead let stand a decision by the Missouri Supreme Court, which ruled earlier this month that a citizen petition prevents the new map from being used unless ﬁrst approved by voters in a November referendum. The decision means Missouri residents will vote under the same congressional districts used in the 2024 and 2022 elections. Republicans had hoped the new House map — which already was used in the August primaries — could help them win an additional seat as part of a nationwide redistricting

battle pushed by Trump to gain an edge in the midterms. A panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Monday that switching districts between the primary and general elections would violate the U.S. Constitution. The panel directed a district judge to bar Missouri from using anything other than the new map but delayed the order’s effect until next Monday to allow time for an appeal to the Supreme Court. The legal wrangling has caused confusion for more than a million potential Missouri voters — nearly 1 in 4 statewide — who were shifted from one district to another, resulting in different candidates on their ballots. Absentee voting began Tuesday under the 2022 congressional districts, though some local election ofﬁcials had urged voters to wait because of the legal uncertainty. Republicans currently hold six of Missouri’s eight House districts. At the urging of Trump and Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe, Missouri lawmakers last September passed revised districts that were intended to help them win seven

seats in the midterms. The redistricting signiﬁcantly reshaped a Kansas City-based district held by longtime Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver. It shed parts of Kansas City to neighboring districts with Republican incumbents and stretched the remainder of Cleaver’s 5th Congressional District far eastward into rural Republican areas. The result was about 59% of potential voters were new to the district, according to an Associated Press estimate. The ripple effects also shifted some voters in most of Missouri’s other congressional districts. Cleaver was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Republican state Sen. Rick Brattin won a six-way Republican primary under the revised districts. They remain the candidates for the general election, even though the district boundaries have reverted to their prior lines. Brattin was a plaintiff, along with Republican Rep. Bob Onder and two other voters, in a federal lawsuit that led to the 8th Circuit’s ruling and the last two appeals to the Supreme Court.

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N.J.’s lieutenant governor Fulton Sheen, a famed radio, TV priest, beatified in St. Louis resigns amid scandal BY PETER SMITH Associated Press

Official faces sexual harassment and ethics complaints BY MIKE CATALINI and PHILIP MARCELO Associated Press

TRENTON, N.J. — New Jersey’s Democratic lieutenant governor resigned Friday, pushed out by the state’s governor after less than a year in ofﬁce over accusations of ethics lapses and inappropriate behavior with women. Gov. Mikie Sherrill, also a Democrat, had given Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell until Friday to resign, seeking to end a scandal that threatened to be a drag on her ﬂedgling administration. Republicans have hammered Sherrill for weeks about the investigation into Caldwell, who served as acting governor in her absence. He also oversaw elections as New Jersey’s secretary of state, and his resignation comes weeks ahead of midterm elections that will decide who controls Congress. At a news conference announcing the resignation, Sherrill said she was committed to changing what she called a long-standing problem in state government of people turning a blind eye to sexual harassment. “There has been a culture

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By MATT ROURKE

New Jersey Democratic Lt. Gov.-elect Dale Caldwell speaks Nov. 4 during an election night party in East Brunswick, N.J. Caldwell resigned Friday over accusations of ethics lapses and inappropriate behavior with women. in Trenton, probably since the birth of our nation, to sweep this under the rug,” she said. “That is not the kind of government I’m running,” she added. “When I say there is a culture change taking place, I mean it.” Sherrill picked Caldwell, a Methodist pastor and former president of Centenary University, as her running mate last year. They took ofﬁce in January, but within four months, Caldwell had become the subject of an anonymous complaint about his behavior with women. She called for him to resign on Thursday after a law firm she hired concluded he behaved inappropriately around women. Caldwell has disputed the allegations and at ﬁrst showed

no signs he would leave ofﬁce willingly. In a statement, his attorney Thomas Calcagni said Caldwell stepped down in order to end a “campaign to discredit his character,” and said they are exploring legal options to challenge the report. In New Jersey, a governor can’t ﬁre the lieutenant governor, but Caldwell could have been impeached and removed by the Legislature. Republican state Sen. Kristin Corrado on Friday questioned Sherrill’s judgment for allowing Caldwell to serve as acting governor when she left the state, even as his conduct was being investigated. “New Jersey residents deserve leadership, transparency, and answers from their government,” she said. “So far, we have gotten none.”

Court appears divided in case over migrants deported to El Salvador prison BY MICHAEL KUNZELMAN Associated Press

WASHINGTON — A panel of appeals court judges appeared to be divided Friday on whether to reverse or uphold an order for the Trump administration to facilitate the return of dozens of Venezuelan migrants who were deported from the U.S. to a notorious prison in El Salvador last year. A three-judge panel from

DOCUMENTS Continued from page 1A

an average salary of $95,000.

Tax payments Under a Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) agreement, Hyundai will make a $3 million annual payment to local governmental entities, beginning in 2026, with the money distributed equally among the Ascension Parish government, School Board and Sheriff’s Ofﬁce. PILOT agreements are arrangements in which an entity makes payments to a local government instead of standard property taxes. Each governmental entity is to receive $1 million annually through July 2029, for a combined $12 million over a four-year period. According to the documents, the agreement can be extended or revised before July 1, 2030.

Roads, rail and water Government ofﬁcials have agreed to build roads in the area and guarantee a certain water supply for the steel mill through an intergovernmental agreement between Ascension Parish and the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development. In the agreement, both the parish and DOTD acknowledge the need for improved infrastructure to support industrial facilities, beyond Hyundai Steel, at the 17,000-square-foot RiverPlex MegaPark. Just last month, CF Industries began construction on a nearly $4 billion ammonia plant. “With the approximate $20 billion in planned new and expanded industrial plant projects, a new connector roadway in this area is a crit-

the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit didn’t indicate how soon they would rule after hearing arguments from attorneys for the government and the migrants who were ﬂown to El Salvador without any notice or opportunity to challenge their removals from the U.S. The Justice Department appealed after District Court Chief Judge James Boasberg in February ordered the Trump adminis-

ical step in the long-range infrastructure and economic solutions to this region,” the agreement states. The agreement lays out three major infrastructure appropriations totaling roughly $232 million. Funding for the projects is contingent on annual approval by the state Legislature until completion, according to the agreement. The plans include adding new road infrastructure to enhance and support La. 1, costing about $66 million. The second phase of the project will cost about $20 million to add a new road connecting La. 405 to the RiverPlex MegaPark. There are also plans to add an overpass at La. 1 to avoid rail infrastructure needed to connect the RiverPlex MegaPark to Union Paciﬁc’s main line, totaling about $146 million. The parish and Hyundai also entered into a cooperative endeavor agreement addressing water and other infrastructure for the steel mill. Under the agreement, the parish is responsible for designing and constructing a two-way surface road and improving potable water infrastructure to serve the facility without additional cost to Hyundai or its afﬁliates. The agreement calls for Ascension Parish to provide Hyundai with up to 156,000 gallons of water per day. Upon completion, Hyundai will be responsible for the costs associated with its water consumption, including installation, service and usage. Hyundai also agreed to provide $2 million for water treatment upgrades and expansion.

tration to make arrangements for some of the deported Venezuelan migrants to return to the U.S. at the government’s expense. Boasberg said the administration has essentially told him to “pound sand.” Two panel members — Judges A. Raymond Randolph and Neomi Rao — appeared to be skeptical that the migrants have a right to return to the U.S. to challenge their March 2025 deportations.

legal dispute over the parish’s handling of records related to development negotiations. Two nonprofit groups, Louisiana Bucket Brigade and Rural Roots Louisiana, requested records related to industrial development projects in September 2025 and sued the parish in December after the records were not provided. In May, an Ascension Parish judge ruled that the parish government must turn over nondisclosure agreements among officials and business leaders related to industrial development projects, but the parish appealed the ruling. Louisiana, through the state, local governments and Entergy, offered incentives worth roughly $2.6 billion to Hyundai, including about $100 million to buy the land where Hyundai will construct the mill. Anne Rolfes, director of the Louisiana Bucket Brigade, said the records released by the parish do not include everything the groups requested. She said the groups also sought communications related to the creation of the agreements. “Now that we are seeing the details of this deal — $100 million direct to Hyundai for building the plant, $232 million to build roads and rail for Hyundai — I understand why they kept it secret,” Rolfes said. “The parish and the state gave away massive amounts of taxpayer money to Hyundai. It’s embarrassing. Of course they wanted to keep it secret.” Many officials say they support the project because of the economic growth that it could bring to the west bank of Ascension Parish. Donaldsonville Mayor Lerow Sullivan called it a “win-win” for Legal battle the city because it would open The release of the docu- up more economic developments comes after a lengthy ment and job opportunities.

ST. LOUIS — As tens of thousands of Catholic worshippers stood Thursday in a football stadium-turnedtemporary cathedral, all eyes focused on a teenage boy walking solemnly toward the makeshift altar, accompanied by his parents and siblings. James Fulton Engstrom carried an ornate vessel containing the relics of his namesake, the man whom the Catholic Church credits with his miraculous survival as a newborn — Archbishop Fulton Sheen, who died in 1979. It was a highlight of a lengthy ceremony of beatiﬁcation for the famed 20thcentury TV prelate, who will now be known as Blessed Fulton Sheen — one step away from sainthood. Catholic devotees converged on St. Louis for the afternoon ceremony, taking place at the Dome at America’s Center after years of delays. The indoor stadium was chosen because there wasn’t a venue large enough in his home Diocese of Peoria, Illinois, to accommodate the anticipated crowd. The ceremony comes 16 years to the month since James was born at home without a pulse and was rushed to the hospital, even as his parents and others prayed earnestly and asked Sheen to add his heavenly prayers, following the Catholic tradition of seeking the intercessions of departed holy people. After a formal inquiry, the Catholic Church determined that James’ resuscitation — when medical workers were about to declare him dead — was a miracle attributable to Sheen’s prayers. To qualify for beatification, the Vatican typically requires one miracle attributed to the candidate.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By KATE MUNSCH

James Fulton Engstrom, center, his mother, Bonnie Engstrom, background center, and other family members present a relic of Archbishop Fulton Sheen on Thursday during Sheen’s beatification at the Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis. James’ mother, Bonnie Engstrom, said before the ceremony that she expected it would feel like a “foretaste of heaven.” She said she’d been praying to Sheen throughout her pregnancy, and “it was just a very natural thing in the hardest hour of our life” to seek his help. The presentation of the relics, placed on a pedestal by the altar, was a highlight of a lengthy service that began with a formal procession of hundreds of priests and scores of bishops, lasting more than half an hour and accompanied by robust organ, choral and orchestral music. About 50,000 tickets were distributed, according to organizers. The halls and exhibit areas were thronged in the morning by pilgrims — priests in cassocks, nuns in habits, families with young children in tow, elderly worshippers who recalled watching Sheen on TV. Scores of bishops, a thousand priests and hundreds of religious order members, seminarians and deacons participated. Many thronged exhibit booths or stood in long lines to give confession. Others

quietly meditated throughout the morning in a makeshift chapel in front of a Eucharist displayed on an altar, including some who knelt on the concrete ﬂoor. Bishops have been seeking to promote this traditional devotion, which Sheen practiced regularly. The Vatican’s top evangelization official, Filipino Cardinal Luis Tagle, the lead celebrant for the Mass, brought greetings from Pope Leo XIV, calling him Sheen’s “fellow Illinoisan.” Tagle called Sheen a model for evangelization, or sharing the faith. Sheen was once a regular presence in the living rooms of millions of Americans — including that of the future pontiff, who says he watched Sheen’s broadcasts while growing up in Chicago. Attendees, many too young to have seen Sheen’s broadcasts, said they’ve taken inspiration from his books and online videos. The service reﬂected the modern media era, with a livestreamed liturgy and electrical signs urging attendees to use the social media hashtag #celebratesheen.

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6A ● Saturday, September 26, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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TODAY

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

Partly sunny

Sunny to partly cloudy

A t-storm around in the p.m.

An afternoon thunderstorm

Partly sunny, a t-storm; humid

Humid with a t-storm or two

HIGH

LOW

HIGH

90° 68°

LOW

HIGH

91° 70°

LOW

91° 70°

Port Arthur 88/73

Baton Rouge 90/66

Lake Charles 89/68

New Orleans 88/71 Houma 87/66

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

Hattiesburg 90/65

Alexandria 90/64

Lafayette 90/68

Beaumont 88/71

10s

20s

30s

40s

50s

LOW

HIGH

LOW

88° 73°

TEMPERATURE Jackson 89/64

Many 90/62

HIGH

89° 74°

YESTERDAY

Lafayette through 5 p.m. Friday

Longview 92/66

-0s

LOW

Monroe 91/65

Shreveport 92/66

-10s

HIGH

89° 73°

Northeasterly winds will continue to filter dry air into Southwest Louisiana. Today, expect a mostly sunny, hot and dry day with a light breeze. Temperatures this afternoon will be just about where they should be, rising into the upper 80s to low 90s. With low dew points and therefore low humidity, temperatures will feel like the mid-90s. If you’ headed to the McNeese State game, expect partly cloudy skies and temperatures near 90 for tailgating and about 85 at kickoff.

60s

70s

80s

90s 100s 110s

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

88°/65° 87°/68° 84°/73° 97° in 1921 52° in 1909

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

Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today

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

HIGH

9:34a 4:52a 4:18a 5:59a 1:34p 11:51a 12:19a

6:58 a.m. 7:00 p.m. 6:54 p.m. 6:50 a.m.

FULL

LAST

NEW

FIRST

SEP 26

OCT 3

OCT 10

OCT 18

City

Austin Boston Dallas Fairbanks Honolulu Las Vegas Louisville Miami Nashville

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

PRECIPITATION

95 60 93 58 89 97 76 88 82

TODAY Lo

68 56 74 33 79 76 52 73 56

pc r pc s sh pc s pc pc

98 61 96 56 87 95 76 87 80

SUN. Lo

72 56 77 32 78 71 53 72 52

pc r t s sh pc pc t pc

FT.

LOW

0.00” 2.37” 4.30” 46.16” 47.98”

FT.

0.5 5:24a 0.5 1.4 10:48a 1.0 2.0 8:29a 1.1 1.5 12:07a 0.9 1.0 5:36a 0.8 1.3 3:43a 0.9 1.1 6:38a 0.9

HIGH

10:52p 5:23p 4:46p 7:02p 10:31p 10:04p 2:42p

FT.

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READING 50 MAIN POLLUTANT Particulates

MAIN POLLUTANT Particulates

SOURCE: LOUISIANA DEQ AND AIRNOW.GOV

LOW

FLOOD

FT.

0.6 4:17p 0.4 1.4 10:21p 1.2 2.2 8:53p 1.3 1.6 12:30p 0.8 1.1 4:54p 1.0 1.4 3:46p 1.2 1.3 5:56p 1.2

Today 11:27a 5:15a 11:49p 5:38p Sunday 12:14p 6:02a ---- 6:25p Monday 12:41a 6:53a 1:06p 7:19p Tuesday 1:37a 7:51a 2:05p 8:18p Wednesday 2:39a 8:53a 3:08p 9:23p Thursday 3:44a 9:59a 4:15p 10:30p Friday 4:50a 11:06a 5:21p 11:37p

New Orleans Orlando Philadelphia Phoenix Pittsburgh Raleigh St. Louis San Diego Tampa

88 85 64 100 72 79 71 82 86

TODAY Lo

71 62 58 80 53 53 60 71 67

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Bertrand Drive roadwork begins Monday Completion expected by spring

BY KRISTIN ASKELSON Staff writer

PHOTOS By ROBIN MAy

The Advocate/The Times-Picayune President and Publisher Kevin Hall addresses the crowd during the Acadiana’s Choice Awards at the Acadiana Center for the Arts on Thursday.

‘The lifeblood of this community’

Acadiana’s Choice votes surge as residents rally behind local businesses BY KRISTIN ASKELSON Staff writer

More than 371,000 votes were cast this year as Acadiana residents showed just how much they value the local businesses that make this community unique. The winners of the 2026 Acadiana’s Choice awards were revealed Thursday night at the Acadiana Center for the Arts in downtown Lafayette, where hundreds of local businesses were recognized by the people who live, work and shop in Acadiana. “Locally owned businesses, you guys are the lifeblood of this community,” said Kevin Hall, president and publisher of The Advocate. “And clearly you are engaged and you care about supporting each other.” This year’s vote total represents about a 50% increase from the 2025 campaign.

ä See COMMUNITY, page 2B

ä See ROADWORK, page 2B

Acadiana’s Choice Award Winner Hunter Meche poses for photos before the start of the Acadiana’s Choice Awards at the Acadiana Center for the Arts on Thursday.

Sheriff: Missing mother and Baker Hughes fined over daughter case ‘suspicious’ $30K in fatal accident Investigators got tip duo were in Butte La Rose

BY DEAN BOUDREAUX Staff writer

The St. Martin Parish Sheriff’s Ofﬁce is investigating the disappearance of a mother and daughter reported missing in late July as a case of suspicious circumstances. The Sheriff ’s Office said Danielle Escue Lea, 39, and her 10-year-old daughter, Alayna Lea, were reported missing out of Baton Rouge on July 28. The Sheriff’s Ofﬁce is investigating the case, citing “suspicious circumstances,” while the Baton Rouge Police Department investigates it separately as a missing persons case, according to a written statement from SMPSO spokesperson Jordan Lippincott. The Baton Rouge Police De-

Intermittent center-lane closures on Bertrand Drive will begin Monday as Lafayette Consolidated Government moves forward with the first phase of the Bertrand Drive Revitalization Project. The closures between Johnston Street and North College Road are expected to continue through March 30 while construction crews install underground communication infrastructure. The center lane will be closed in sections as crews position equipment in the roadway to perform subsurface boring. The lane will not remain closed along the entire corridor for the six-month construction period, LCG said. Trafﬁc will remain open in both directions, and access to businesses and properties will be maintained throughout construction. Left turns will be restricted only within active work areas where the center lane is closed. Motorists should expect delays, use caution around construction crews and equipment, and use nearby intersections when their normal turning movements are temporarily unavailable. Johnston Street and North College Road are alternate routes around the construction. The utility work is the ﬁrst phase of the $1.9 million Bertrand Drive Revitalization Project. The utility work is proceeding while the larger streetscape portion of the project has been under reevaluation. DPG Construction is handling

partment and Louisiana State Police are assisting the St. Martin Parish investigation, Lippincott said. The case is not being investigated as a criminal matter, she said. SMPSO investigators received a tip on July 28 indicating Lea and her daughter may have been in the Butte La Rose area, then independently conﬁrmed the two had been seen in the area in May via surveillance camera footage. The Sheriff’s Office has not conﬁrmed reports that Lea and her daughter were staying at a camp property in Butte La Rose, Lippincott said in a phone interview. “We actually have not confirmed that,” Lippincott said. “I know that’s what the family is saying, but we have not said this.” Investigators have not recovered a cellphone belonging to Lea and have no information on

ä See MISSING, page 2B

Safety violations revealed by OSHA

BY ADAM DAIGLE

Acadiana business editor Baker Hughes Oilﬁeld Operations was ﬁned more than $30,000 in penalties for two serious violations in a 2023 workplace accident that killed a Crowley man. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited the company for not keeping a workplace free from recognized hazards and for not ensuring that its workplace was kept in an orderly condition following the death of Clayton Richard, 53, at its Broussard facility. The report, which was obtained by The Acadiana Advocate through a Freedom of Information Act request, shows a penalty was assessed of $15,625 for each violation and details the June 7, 2023, incident in which Richard died.

Second arrest made in shooting

Victim tried to rob shooter, police say BY DEAN BOUDREAUX Staff writer

Richard, whose job title was warehouse and yard principal, was moving a 121/ 2-foot downhole flex stabilizer, which weighs about 2 tons and helps control trajectory while drilling. He was moving it from one side of a sawhorse to the other with his hands when he fell on top of some tools on the concrete floor and the flex stabilizer fell on him, according to the report. EMS was called to the scene, and Richard was pronounced dead. The site where Richard was working was congested with tools, OSHA officials said in its report, and left little room for Richard to evacuate. The flex stabilizer was too heavy to be rolled by hand and mobile equipment was available to move it. The company’s operations manual explained the use of mobile equipment needed to move heavy tools instead of their hands, but

Lafayette police have arrested a second suspect in the Sept. 14 fatal shooting on Surrey Street, saying the victim and the newly arrested man tried to rob the person initially charged in the case. Police booked Dawan Calais, 18, of Lafayette, into the Lafayette Parish Correctional Center on one count of second-degree murder, according to a statement issued Friday. The release states that Calais and Ephrim Rose, 22, of Lafayette, had agreed to exchange a ﬁrearm for cash with Asher Cormier, 18, of Rayne. According to the release, Calais and Rose tried to rob Cormier during the transaction, and Cormier shot Rose. Asked whether Cormier’s second-degree murder charge had changed, Cpl. Ken Handy of the Lafayette Police Department said, “Remains the same.” Handy said Calais’s charge stems from the attempted robbery described in the release. “When you attempt to rob someone, you commit a crime at that point, and certain fall under

ä See FINED, page 2B

ä See ARREST, page 2B

2B ● Saturday, September 26, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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Use of state-owned Pontalba apartment under scrutiny Agency won’t divulge names of guests

The Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation & Tourism hid the names of Pontalba apartment guests from state auditors.

BY MEGHAN FRIEDMANN Staff writer

Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser’s Department of Culture, Recreation & Tourism is keeping secret the names of guests who stayed in a French Quarter apartment that is supposed to be used to beneﬁt the state museum system, according to a recent state audit. The agency redacted those names when it submitted a calendar of guest stays to the Louisiana legislative auditor for the auditor’s most recent report on the so-called Irby apartment, which is inside one of the Pontalba buildings on Jackson Square. Since 2020, the auditor has repeatedly accused the agency of allowing guest stays there that may not comply with state law. Nungesser’s office has long argued the apartment can be used for broader purposes related to the lieutenant governor’s role of promoting tourism in the state. Louisiana State Museums fall under Nungesser’s

STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER purview, and stays that beneﬁt his Department of Culture, Recreation & Tourism also beneﬁt the museum, the agency has argued. The apartment is in the stateowned Lower Pontalba Building on St. Ann Street. The latest state report on the building, which revealed that the museum system hid details about stays in the Irby apartment from the legislative auditor, came out Sept. 2. It covers stays from July 2024 through February of this year. In a statement, Rebecca Mackie, director of Louisiana State Museums, said the information was hidden “for security and guest privacy,” but that the agency always

disclosed the purpose of the visits. “The guests who have stayed at the apartment have served the public and the museum on tourism and public outreach initiatives, education, exhibitions, and cultural exchange,” Mackie said. Mackie did not provide the names of the apartment guests to The Advocate | The Times-Picayune, and Nungesser, who is in Japan to promote Louisiana tourism, referred a reporter to Mackie for questions. The auditor’s latest findings represent the fifth time the oversight agency has taken issue with how Nungesser’s office handles the Pontalba stays. Carrie Thompson, a financial au-

dit services manager for the Louisiana legislative auditor, wrote the latest Irby apartment report and the three previous ones. She said redactions were “not an issue” in her earlier reports. The ﬁrst audit, which came out in 2018, found Louisiana State Museums did not maintain a log of who was staying at the apartment. It does not mention redactions. The Lower Pontalba Building differs from the Upper Pontalba Building, which is owned by the city of New Orleans. The Upper Pontalba Building became infamous due to former Mayor LaToya Cantrell‘s use of an apartment there, which was described last year in an 18-count indictment against her. Federal prosecutors alleged Cantrell used the apartment to carry on a romantic relationship with her bodyguard at the expense of taxpayers. Cantrell has pleaded not guilty. The apartment had previously been the subject of fighting between Cantrell and the City Council, which sought to terminate her access to the unit. The two Pontalba buildings sit on

opposite sides of Jackson Square. Guests in the Lower Pontalba Building apartment have included state employees who did not live in New Orleans but were visiting the city on museum business, as well as “museum consultants working on reaccreditation of the State Museum,” Mackie said. “The apartment was also used as fulfillment for fundraising campaigns that directly support the museum.” The legislative auditor, however, found that the museums “did not maintain sufficient documentation as evidence that any of the stays provided a tangible, direct benefit to (Louisiana State Museums).” Part of the clash between the auditor and Nungesser’s office comes down to a fundamental disagreement over what counts as an authorized use of the Irby apartment. The Lower Pontalba Building was given to Louisiana State Museums 100 years ago by William Ratcliffe Irby, who “required that the property and all revenues derived from the property be used for the preservation of the public landmark and for the purpose of the (museums),” according to the latest audit.

Two LSU fraternities have been placed on suspension

The Delta Kappa Epsilon in- the investigations are conducted. erty or disrupting academic per- after the letter was sent out. The University investigating vestigation hearings may result in a revocaBoth fraternities are alleged to formance. stems from multiple hazing allegations, incidents reported this semester, have broken hazing regulations Delta Kappa Epsilon is also un- tion, continuance or modiﬁcation according to a letter sent to the and engaged in coercive behavior der investigation for endanger- of the suspensions. other violations fraternity by Director of the Stu- outlined in the Code of Conduct. “Our goal is that every chapter ment, misuse of alcohol and fail-

BY BLAKE LESCHBER Staff writer

Two LSU fraternities have been placed on interim suspensions while the university investigates allegations of hazing and other violations of its Code of Conduct. The two investigations — which opened on Sept. 17 — involve the Delta Kappa Epsilon and Phi Gamma Delta (FIJI) chapters.

dent Accountability and Advocacy Office Jonathan Sanders, which was obtained by The Reveille. FIJI is under investigation for a single incident reported on Sept. 10. The suspensions mean the fraternities may not have contact between new and initiated members and may not host social events, intramural activities or chapter meetings unless directed by the university. The interim suspensions will remain in effect while

According to the letters, coercive behavior is an act that is intended to demean, disgrace, humiliate or degrade a student. Hazing is an act with implicit or explicit conditions for initiation, admission, afﬁliation or continued membership in a group or organization that could endanger the physical health of a student, involves the consumption of alcohol or drugs, sexual activities, violating laws, destroying prop-

ure to comply, while FIJI is under additional investigations only for complicity regulations. In 2019, Delta Kappa Epsilon was suspended after hazing violations, engaging in coercive behavior and failure to comply with university rules. It was supposed to be suspended until May 2029, but was allowed to return early in 2025. Both chapters will meet with an LSU dean of students designee no later than seven business days

on campus is successful by taking advantage of the resources LSU makes available to all greek organizations,” a statement from LSU reads. “When hazing is reported LSU must take it very seriously and immediately implement our conduct process which is what has occurred with these two fraternities.” The LSU Student Advocacy and Accountability ofﬁce declined to comment on the investigations.

COMMUNITY

FINED

The awards recognize businesses and professionals across more than 200 categories, ranging from restaurants and entertainment to home services, healthcare and professional services. The process began in May, when Acadiana residents were invited to nominate their favorite local establishments and professionals. The community then had the opportunity to vote on the nominees throughout the summer, with the results announced Thursday night. For the businesses being recognized, the awards offer more than a chance to take home a trophy. They also provide an opportunity to connect with other local businesses and celebrate the community they serve. Hall said recognizing

Baker Hughes failed to follow the manual. Also, Baker Hughes did not conduct any refresher training with Richard, who had last been trained on safety procedures seven years earlier, according to the report. The company was also Email Adam Daigle at aware of employees using adaigle@theadvocate.com.

Continued from page 1B

ROADWORK

Continued from page 1B

the work, which is expected to be completed by spring, weather permitting. The project is intended to put communication and utility lines underground, which LCG says will improve reliability, reduce outages and improve the appearance of the corridor. Bertrand Drive connects major destinations including Cajun Field and Moncus Park and runs through Holden Heights, one of Lafayette’s oldest neighborhoods. LCG said the utility work will lay the groundwork for future improvements intended to support

ARREST

PHOTO By ROBIN MAy

Acadiana’s Choice Award winners Stacy Mistric, left, and Angela Morrison enjoy themselves before the start of the Acadiana Choice Awards at the Acadiana Center for the Arts on Thursday. those businesses is part of The Advocate’s broader mission as a Louisianaowned media company. “This event is about networking and shining a

light on the thriving business community in Acadiana,” he said. “And as the largest Louisiana-owned media company, they get to be featured in front of

the state’s largest audience.” The complete list of 2026 Acadiana’s Choice winners is available at acadianaschoice.com.

economic development, improve access and connectivity and encourage walking, biking and other active uses along the corridor. The project has faced opposition from some Bertrand Drive business owners, who have raised concerns about the potential impact of the planned road and streetscape changes on their businesses. In June, business owners asked Mayor-President Monique Boulet to pause the project, with some speciﬁcally objecting to plans to remove the center turning lane. Boulet said at the time that the roadwork and streetscape portion of the project was being reevaluated after she met with business owners.

Boulet said she would continue to gather feedback and would not force the project if it created signiﬁcant problems for businesses. The original plans called for a reduction in the speed limit from 45 mph to 30 mph, additional street parking and green space, raised pedestrian crossings, consolidated business driveways and expanded pedestrian and bicycle facilities. LCG has not said whether all of those elements will remain part of the project following the reevaluation. Residents and businesses can find project designs and construction updates at lafayettela.gov/Bertrand. Road closure information is available at lafayettela.

gov/roadclosure. LCG also has an interactive map showing major infrastructure projects across Lafayette Parish. The map currently includes 28 active projects representing more than $161 million in construction. Email Kristin Askelson at kaskelson@theadvocate. com.

with the sheriff’s criminal investigations division is Continued from page 1B working the case,” Lippincott said. “Search efforts have included watercraft, whether a vehicle belong- K-9 units, drones and depuing to Lea has been located ties canvassing the area.” “Deputies have strategies in St. Martin Parish. “A group of detectives and tools in place for inter-

acting with children with autism and will use them as necessary,” Lippincott wrote. Family members have said Alayna is autistic. Email Dean Boudreaux at dean.boudreaux@ theadvocate.com.

The investigation remains open. Anyone with inforContinued from page 1B mation is asked to call the Lafayette Police Department or Lafayette Crime certain stipulations that, if Stoppers at (337) 232-8477. resulting in a death of some- Callers may remain anonyone, you can get charged mous. with second degree or ﬁrst degree, dependent on the Contact Dean Boudreaux severity of crime,” Handy at dean.boudreaux@ said. theadvocate.com. “It is possible that (Calais) could see additional charges once the district LOTTERY attorney reviews the incident,” he said. THURSDAY, Asked what evidence led SEPT. 24, 2026 police to conclude Rose and PICK 3: 3-3-8 Calais tried to rob Cormier, PICK 4: 9-3-5-0 Handy said it came from “statements and surveilPICK 5: 0-7-0-2-3 lance footage.” Unofficial notification, Police initially described keep your tickets. a disagreement during an attempted exchange of items for money and said Funerals Today no other suspects were involved. Ofﬁcers found Rose Chustz Jr., Joseph Holy Cross Catholic Church at 1pm. dead in the 200 block of Surrey Street after responding Partain, Carla at 8:22 p.m. Sept. 14 to reFountain Memorial Funeral Home, ports of an active shooting. Lafayette at 4:00pm.

.theacadianaadvocate.com Employment

MISSING

their hands while handling tools that weighed over 50 pounds. When asked why Richard was rolling the equipment by hand, the warehouse and yard supervisor, who was not on site during the incident, said it was a regular task. Richard had been employed at Baker Hughes since June 1999.

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The Acadiana Advocate l theadvocate.com l Saturday, September 26, 2026 l 3B

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DOW 51,828.62 478.64 0.93%

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FROM WIRE REPORTS

Court says Pentagon can call Anthropic a risk

In the latest twist in Anthropic’s dispute with the Pentagon, a federal appeals court on Friday rejected the artiﬁcial intelligence lab’s challenge to the government’s labeling of it as a supply chain risk. The decision allows the Pentagon to continue to remove Anthropic’s Claude models from its systems and bar the use of its products for Defense Department work. Judges from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled 2-1 in the Pentagon’s favor. “Today’s DC Circuit Court ruling completely validates the Department’s position,” the Pentagon’s top spokesman, Sean Parnell, wrote in a social media post. The dispute between the AI company and the government broke out in February when President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth accused Anthropic of endangering national security and designated the company a supply chain risk. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei refused to back down over concerns the company’s products could be used for mass surveillance or autonomous armed drones. The ruling is separate from one this summer in California, where a federal judge found the Pentagon acted illegally by punishing the AI company for its criticism of the Pentagon’s views on AI use. This case, which was ﬁled earlier this year in Washington, D.C., focused on a different rule the Pentagon was using to try to declare Anthropic a supply chain risk. The majority opinion states the Pentagon had “ample support” for its actions. It notes that by Anthropic’s own admission, “the company encodes restrictions into Claude that prevent the model from performing tasks that Anthropic wishes to prevent.” An Anthropic spokesperson said in a statement the company “respectfully disagrees” with the court’s decision.

Unemployment benefits claims drop to 197K WASHINGTON — Fewer people applied for U.S. unemployment beneﬁts last week, as U.S. jobless claims remain at historically low levels and most Americans enjoy job security. The Labor Department said Thursday that 197,000 people applied for unemployment checks last week, the fewest since mid-July and down from a revised 198,000 the week before. The four-week average of claims fell to 202,250 last week from 204,000. The American job market has remained sturdy despite higher energy prices that have squeezed businesses and consumers since the ﬁghting with Iran began Feb. 28.

Bill gives Hollywood 20% federal tax credit A bipartisan group of Congressional leaders officially introduced a bill to create a federal film and television tax credit, a long-sought goal for many in Hollywood who say it’s necessary to help bring production back to the U.S. The Motion Picture, Television and Entertainment Revitalization Act would establish a 20% tax credit on U.S. labor for film and TV productions, including post-production and visual effects work. That credit could increase to 30% with several uplifts, including 5% bonus credits for independent productions or those that film at least 30% of principal photography days in a rural qualified opportunity zone or a federally declared disaster area. Feature films, TV shows or TV pilots could qualify for the tax credit if their total cost is more than $1 million and 75% of the principal filming days occur in the U.S., according to the bill. Live sports, daytime dramas, talk shows, news, social media content and advertising and corporate videos would not be eligible.

S&P 500 7,743.41 39.28 0.51%

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CRUDE OIL 92.44 -2.17 -2.29%

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6-MO T-BILLS 4.36 -0.01 -0.23%

30-YR T-BONDS 5.5 0.01 0.09%

A reprieve from rising oil prices Stocks finish week higher

BY STAN CHOE

AP business writer NEW YORK — A cooldown in oil prices on Friday helped release some of the pressure that’s built up on Wall Street, and U.S. stocks closed out their ﬁrst winning week in the last three. Stocks got a boost after the price for a barrel of Brent oil dropped 2.8% to $97.44 per barrel. It’s been yo-yoing on uncertainty about when the war with Iran will allow

oil to ﬂow freely again from the Middle East. Prices go down when hopes rise for a possible deal to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz to oil tankers, and they go up when doubts resurface. But trading was shaky again on Wall Street Friday, particularly after a report on U.S. consumer sentiment sent Treasury yields higher in the morning. The report from the University of Michigan said U.S. consumers are bracing for inﬂation of 4.6% in the coming year, up from their forecast of 4% the month before. It also said that overall sentiment among consumers was not as bad

as economists expected, even if it was the lowest in four months. The rising expectations for high inflation are potentially dangerous for the economy because they could encourage behavior that leads to a vicious cycle that makes the cost of living spiral even higher. Some consumers told the survey that buying some kinds of products now would help them avoid higher prices in the future. If many rush to make such purchases at the same time, it could encourage sellers to raise prices further. Following the report on consumer sentiment, the yield on the 10-year Treasury brieﬂy jumped to

5.22%, near its highest level since 2007. Helping to drive the market higher was Akamai Technologies. The cloud company’s stock rose 3.2% after it announced an $11.6 billion, multiyear agreement with Anthropic, the company behind the Claude AI chatbot. Costco Wholesale climbed 2.9% after the retailer reported a stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. Such strong profit reports from U.S. companies have helped the stock market remain resilient despite all the worries about high inﬂation and oil prices.

N.M. jury ﬁnds Facebook liable for deception about privacy protections Data breach harvested info that led to targeted ads BY MIKELLA SCHUETTLER

Associated Press/Report for America A New Mexico jury on Friday found Facebook liable for deceiving users about privacy protections on the platform in the latest legal setback against the social media giant that has already cost it billions of dollars. The jury found over 43 million violations of state consumer protection law and it is now up to the judge to determine how much the company would pay, with attorneys representing the state asking for the maximum $5,000 penalty per violation. “The verdict marks a significant victory for New Mexico consumers and holds one of the world’s largest technology companies accountable for its conduct,” the New Mexico Department of Justice said in a statement. The two-week trial in Santa Fe centered on accusations that Facebook deceived users about a data breach stemming from a third-party personality quiz that harvested data from roughly 87 million profiles and sold it to a political consulting firm, Cambridge Analytica, to generate targeted ads. The now-defunct firm’s clients included the 2016 campaign for Donald Trump. Jurors sided with prosecutors, finding Facebook made deceptive statements about protecting users’ data that affected New Mexico’s entire population of more than 2 million people. The jury also found Facebook misled the public about investigations into third-party app developers that harvest user data following the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

Facebook claims evidence was ‘outdated’ “We disagree with the verdict and will continue to defend ourselves against efforts to distort our record,” said Alex Burgos, a spokesperson for Meta in an email. During closing arguments, lawyers for Facebook claimed the state’s evidence was outdated and that despite having ﬁve years to gather material, New Mexico found only one other instance of a data breach. The trial also addressed Facebook’s policies for removing harmful content. The state claimed the company favored certain accounts and allowed for violent, or inaccurate, content to proliferate. Facebook denied the claims, arguing the

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JEFF CHIU

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook parent company Meta, speaks during the Meta Connect conference Wednesday in Menlo Park, Calif. A New Mexico jury on Friday found Facebook liable for deceiving users about privacy protections on the platform in the latest legal setback against the social media giant that has already cost it billions of dollars. company has adapted its policies since the state’s lawsuit was ﬁled in 2021 and that it removes 99% of content that violates standards. The jury reviewed 34 statements made by the company about data protections and content policies, ﬁnding the company deceived users about its practices in almost every case. In one of the few wins for the defense, jurors found the state didn’t prove that Facebook made false claims about removing harmful content, including misinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic.

protecting our users’ information and giving them control over their data,” said Burgos.

Judge will decide penalties at later date

The judge will decide on penalties at a later date, but that hearing hasn’t been set yet. It will be up to the state to decide where the money will go. The state is also seeking an injunction to stop similar practices in the future. In August, Meta agreed to pay up to $18 billion to settle a multistate lawsuit involving child safety issues. Buried in the 130-page settlement was an agreement to release Attorney: Profit made from harmful content Meta from future liability related to the In a deposition played for jurors, CEO Cambridge Analytica privacy breach, makMark Zuckerberg said the company had ing New Mexico the only state to decide to robust systems to determine whether con- pursue a case on its own. Florida was the only tent should be taken down. During closing other state that did not sign the settlement, arguments, Randi McGinn, an attorney rep- saying it was not tough enough on Meta, leavresenting the state, argued that Facebook ing the door open for future litigation. Also this year, New Mexico won judgproﬁted off harmful content, which lawyers for the company denied. ments totaling $942 million from Meta in a “Meta’s platforms are forums for free ex- two-phase trial about the company’s safety pression. We have a First Amendment right protections for minors. The court ordered to manage those platforms in a way we be- Meta to implement new safeguards, includlieve best serves the interests of our coming age-veriﬁcation technology and time limmunity. This means prioritizing free speech, its on its platforms.

EU vows pressure on X after U.S. backs court challenge Fine issued against ‘deceptive’ practices BY LORNE COOK and KELVIN CHAN

Associated Press

BRUSSELS — The European Union’s executive arm said Friday it’s prepared to defend a $137 million fine against the social media platform X after the U.S. government threw its support behind a legal effort by Elon Musk this week to have the case dismissed. The European Commission fined X late last year for breaches of the bloc’s landmark digital regulations, stoking tensions with Washington. The U.S. Justice Department said Thursday that it had filed an application to support X’s bid to have the case annulled at the European Union’s General Court. It was the second time in three months that the Justice Department has intervened to defend a company owned by Musk.

In July, the Justice Department ﬁled a motion to intervene in a civil rights lawsuit that alleges Musk’s xAI is illegally running dozens of natural gas turbines to power a $20 billion AI data center in Mississippi. In that case, the NAACP and other groups said xAI failed to get a permit for its power plant — which is located near homes, schools and churches — creating health risks for families in North Mississippi and nearby Memphis and violating the federal Clean Air Act. Trump and the world’s richest businessman appeared to dial down a war of words that stunned Washington and Wall Street alike last year after Musk called Trump’s tax breaks and spending cuts a “disgusting abomination.” Musk on Thursday evening attended a state dinner held by Trump honoring China’s leader Xi Jinping, along with other tech titans. The EU fine against X, which followed a two-year investigation,

was the first penalty issued under the bloc’s digital regulations governing online content. Regulators said X’s blue checkmarks broke the rules because they involved “deceptive design practices” and could expose users to scams and manipulation. European Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier said Friday that it is the EU’s “sovereign right” to draft legislation aimed at protecting its citizens. “We are enforcing our legislation objectively, transparently and with a solid case,” he told reporters. “We are ready to defend our position in court. We have a lot of evidence at our disposal, and it will be for the court to decide as always.” The commission is the top enforcer of the 27-nation EU’s Digital Services Act, which requires tech companies to clean up their online platforms under threat of hefty financial penalties. But the rulebook has become a flashpoint with the Trump admin-

istration, and U.S. officials have criticized it as amounting to online censorship. The Justice Department warned that the fine, if upheld, “may have significant implications” for U.S. online platforms and other companies providing digital services in the EU. Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division said in Thursday’s statement that the “European Commission inappropriately attempted to expand its regulatory authority to reach American companies not present or operating within its jurisdiction.” “We will not tolerate the European Commission engaging in regulatory overreach to try and control American engines of innovation and economic growth,” he said. When asked whether the Justice Department had informed the commission that it intended to back Musk, Regnier said: “We do not need to be informed about anything.”

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

ANOTHER VIEW

ARTISTS’ VIEWS

Democrats have momentum in key U.S. Senate races In July, this column spotlighted four elections in Ohio, Alaska, Michigan and Maine that seemed, at the time, would decide control of the U.S. Senate. Since then, movement has favored Democrats — though races remain close. Worse for Republicans, President Donald Ron Faucheux Trump’s ratings on key issues have hit the skids, and that’s opening new opportunities for Democrats in other states. Michigan. The battle for Michigan’s open Senate seat is an attention grabber. Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed, 41, is a former state health official and an unapologetic progressive. Republican candidate Mike Rogers, 63, is a former FBI agent, state legislator and U.S. House member. El-Sayed is a hip, energetic campaigner. The unhip, conventional and well-funded Rogers is no slouch, though; he came within three-tenths of a point of winning the state’s other Senate seat two years ago. El-Sayed has led all six of the most recent polls by 1 to 7 points. Election handicappers rate the contest as lean Democratic or toss-up. Maine. Republican Sen. Susan Collins, 73, is seeking a sixth term. Her center-right brand has kept her in office for 30 years. But will she finally fall victim to a deeply polarized partisan environment that doesn’t reward moderation? Her Democratic challenger is Troy Jackson, 58, a former state Senate president. Three polls show him ahead by 1 to 4 points; one has Collins up by 1. Handicappers label the race as either a toss-up or lean Democratic. Still, the incumbent has beaten the odds before — and the race is close enough for her to do it again. Ohio. Former Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, 73, who lost reelection in 2024, is trying for a comeback. Republican Sen. Jon Husted, 58, was appointed to the seat when JD Vance became vice president. Trump’s policies are now hurting Republicans in a state he carried three times. Brown leads the four most recent polls by 3 to 6 points. Handicappers rate the race as lean Democratic or toss-up. Alaska. Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan, 61, seeks a third term against Mary Peltola, 52, a former Democratic U.S. representative who beat Sarah Palin for the at-large House seat four years ago. Although Peltola topped Sullivan by 8 points in the Aug. 18 four-way primary, most handicappers still see the November election as a toss-up. Two recent polls put Peltola ahead by 3 to 6 points; one poll puts Sullivan ahead by 3 points. Now for lagniappe: I’m adding two more Senate races to the critical list. That indicates a broadening national battlefield that favors Democrats. Texas. The Lone Star State has been deeply Republican for decades, but Democrats see this year as their opportunity to break the spell. Democratic state Rep. James Talarico, 37, leads the seven latest polls by margins of 1 to 6 points. Republican attorney general Ken Paxton’s personal rating tilts negative, 43% favorable to 55% unfavorable, based on the latest Texas Southern University poll. Pounding attacks have increased Talarico’s negatives as well, but he’s still better off than Paxton, at 47% favorable to 50% unfavorable. Paxton, 63, draws no support from Democrats, while Talarico peels off 7% of Republicans. Most handicappers see a toss-up, with a few giving a slight edge to either Talarico or Paxton. Iowa. Like Texas and Ohio, Iowa has been a Trump state. But this open seat, currently held by a Republican, could turn the tables. Democratic state Rep. Josh Turek, 47, is fighting hard, with Republican U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson, 43, struggling to solidify a lead. Each candidate runs ahead in three polls. But Turek posted an eye-opening 8-point advantage in the latest survey — enough, apparently, to prompt Hinson to distance herself from Trump’s Iran war, which she now says should end immediately. Four other Senate races need attention as well. North Carolina has been a probable Democratic pickup from the beginning, and still is. Republican incumbents in Kansas and South Carolina suddenly find themselves in competitive races, a good omen for Democrats. But in an unexpected break for Republicans, polls for the open seat in Minnesota, now held by a Democrat, have tightened; one has the race tied and another shows a tiny 1-point spread. With only five weeks to go, the odds are turning in favor of Democrats gaining at least the four seats they need to win a Senate majority. In any case, expect the once-august Senate to become a ferocious combat zone throughout the remainder of Trump’s presidency. Ron Faucheux is a nonpartisan political analyst, pollster and writer based in Louisiana.

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GAMEDAY T e X A S A & m A T L S u • 6 : 3 0 p. m . S A T u r d A y • A b c

STAFF iLLuSTrATion by TAnyA rAmireZ/Ap phoTo

‘SMOKE’ SEEKER

LSu safety benefield has traveled from canada to idaho to the bayou to find what he was looking for

BY JON BLAU Staff writer n four words, Ty Benefield relayed his football ambitions to his father. “I want the smoke,” said a 15-year-old Canadian quarterback who believed he was ready to move under his surrogate uncle’s roof in California and compete with Division I prospects in the famed Trinity League. An aggressive streak periodically would bubble out from an otherwise gentle soul. In fifth grade, he dabbled in defensive back drills, telling his father, retired CFL sack artist Daved “Buck” Benefield, that he shut down those “cocky kids who think they can run routes” during a

practice. Then he resumed staring out of his car window. He took a trip to California with Daved for a 7-on-7 tournament at St. John Bosco and locked onto a quarterback. It dawned on Ty, “I’m better than he is.” Cocooned inside a humble teen was an ambitious athlete who would grow into a 6-foot-3, 215-pound LSU safety with Tyrann Mathieu-esque blond dreads atop his head and the feet to chase Heisman hopeful Trinidad Chambliss with Honey Badger-like ferocity. It just took time for this version to be smoked out. “You don’t want this,” his uncle Billy Nealy, who played with Daved at Cal State-Northridge, would reply whenever Ty asked to train with him.

“You’re not ready for this.” ä See LSU, page 2C

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LSU GAMEDAY SEC ‘disappointed’ by Murrill’s attempt to dismiss lawsuit

BROADCAST INFORMATION Texas A&M at LSU 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Tiger Stadium TV: ABC | Line: LSU by 8½ Radio: WDGL-FM 98.1; WWL-AM 870; WWL-FM 105.3; KLWB-FM 103.7

BY JON BLAU Staff writer

TEAM SCHEDULES Texas A&M

LSU Date Opponent 9.5 Clemson 9.12 La. Tech 9.19 at Ole Miss 9.26 Texas A&M 10.3 McNeese 10.10 at Kentucky 10.17 Mississippi State 10.24 at Auburn 11.7 Alabama 11.14 Texas 11.21 at Tennessee 11.28 at Arkansas

Time/TV W, 51-10 W, 45-14 L, 32-24 6:30 p.m./ABC 6:45 p.m./SECN TBD TBD 11 a.m./TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD

Date 9.5 9.12 9.19 9.26 10.3 10.10 10.17 10.24 11.7 11.14 11.21 11.27

Opponent Missouri State Arizona State Kentucky at LSU Arkansas at Missouri The Citadel at Alabama at South Carolina Tennessee at Oklahooma Texas

Time/TV W, 50-0 W, 48-20 L, 31-21 6:30 p.m./ABC 6 p.m. TBD Noon/SECN+ TBD TBD TBD TBD 6:30 p.m./ABC

DEPTH CHARTS LSU

Texas A&M

OFFENSE WIDE RECEIVER

6 WINSTON WATKINS 2 Tre Brown

WIDE RECEIVER

3 EUGENE WILSON 4 Jackson Harris

WIDE RECEIVER

1 JAYCE BROWN 88 Malik Elzy

LEFT TACKLE

77 JORDAN SEATON 65 Sean Thompkins

LEFT GUARD

67 BO BORDELON 70 Devin Harper

CENTER

61 BRAELIN MOORE 50 William Satterwhile

RIGHT GUARD

55 ALIOU BAH 70 Devin Harper

RIGHT TACKLE

75 WESTON DAVIS 69 Darrin Strey

TIGHT END

14 TREY’DEZ GREEN 12 Malachi Thomas 44 Zach Grace

QUARTERBACK

10 SAM LEAVITT 11 Landen Clark 8 Husan Longstreet

RUNNING BACK

13 DILIN JONES 23 Stacy Gage

OFFENSE WIDE RECEIVER

5-10 6-2

182 190

So. Sr.

5-11 6-2

190 202

Jr. Jr.

5-11 6-2

175 217

Sr. Jr.

6-5 6-5

307 308

Jr. Jr.

6-6 6-4

305 312

Sr. So.

6-2 6-3

301 293

Sr. So.

6-5 6-4

327 312

Sr. So.

6-6 6-7

315 314

So. Fr.

6-7 6-3 6-2

237 242 236

Jr. Jr. Jr.

6-2 6-0 6-1

216 195 195

Jr. So. Fr.

5-11 5-10

211 204

So. So.

1 PRINCEWILL UMANMIELEN 55 Lamar Brown

DEFENSIVE TACKLE

90 STEPHIYLAN GREEN 88 Richard Anderson 96 Dominick McKinley

DEFENSIVE TACKLE

99 DEUCE GERALDS 47 Malik Blocton

DEFENSIVE END

29 JORDAN ROSS 97 Dylan Carpenter

LINEBACKER

40 WHIT WEEKS 42 Davhon Keys

LINEBACKER

6 TJ DOTTERY 24 Tylen Singleton

STAR

31 CJ JIMCOILY 28 Jhase Thomas

CORNERBACK

5 DJ PICKETT 21 Michael Turner

CORNERBACK

11 PJ WOODLAND 8 Ja’Keem Jackson

SAFETY

2 TY BENEFIELD 13 Faheem Delane

SAFETY

0 TAMARCUS COOLEY 28 Jhase Thomas

KICKER

6-4 6-5

244 285

Sr. Fr.

6-3 6-3 6-6

296 339 297

Jr. Fr. Jr.

6-1 6-3

279 286

Fr. Jr.

6-5 6-3

246 252

Jr. Jr.

6-3 6-0

223 227

Sr. Jr.

6-2 6-1

225 227

Sr. So.

6-3 6-1

218 175

So. Fr.

6-4 6-1

189 162

So. So.

5-11 6-0

164 188

Jr. Jr.

6-3 6-2

208 213

Sr. Sr.

6-0 6-1

206 175

Jr. Fr.

80 SCOTT STARZYK

PUNTER

90 GRANT CHADWICK 99 Hayden Craig

LONG SNAPPER

39 MACK MULHERN 43 Silas Hall

KICK RETURNER

3 Eugene Wilson 22 Harlem Berry

PUNT RETURNER

3 EUGENE WILSON 1 Jayce Brown

5-9

7 ISAIAH HORTON 18 TK Norman

175

3 AARON GREGORY 8 Ashton Bethel-Roman

208 211

Jr. Fr.

6-1 6-3

224 213

Fr. So.

5-11 5-10

190 193

Jr. Sr.

5-11 5-11

190 175

Jr. Sr.

Jr. Fr.

6-4 6-0

215 186

Sr. So.

6-2 6-0

191 193

Fr. Jr.

6-7 6-4

305 298

Sr. Fr.

6-3 6-4

324 350

Jr. So.

6-4 6-4

307 305

Sr. Jr.

6-4 6-4

335 350

Sr. So.

6-7 6-6

320 340

Sr. So.

6-5 6-4 6-5

252 265 263

Sr. Sr. Sr.

6-1 6-4

185 200

Sr. So.

5-11 5-9

215 200

Sr. So.

6-5 6-3

261 257

So. Sr.

6-3 6-2

293 295

Sr. So.

6-2 6-4

312 307

Sr. Jr.

6-5 6-4

260 255

Sr. Sr.

6-2 6-1

230 233

So. Jr.

6-2 6-3

240 228

Sr. Fr.

5-11 5-11

180 186

Sr. Sr.

6-1 6-0

193 181

Sr. Sr.

6-1 6-2

197 201

Sr. Fr.

6-0 6-1

202 210

Sr. Fr.

6-3 6-1

211 203

Sr. Jr.

LEFT TACKLE 71 TYREE ADAMS 74 Zaden Krempin

LEFT GUARD 52 BLAKE IVY 77 Tyler Thomas

CENTER 54 MARK NABOU 78 Coen Echols

RIGHT GUARD 76 TROVON BAUGH 77 Tyler Thomas

RIGHT TACKLE 75 WILKIN FORMBY 79 Lamont Rogers

TIGHT END 87 HOUSTON THOMAS 84 Richie Anderson 88 Micah Riley

QUARTERBACK 10 MARCEL REED 13 Brady Hart

RUNNING BACK

DEFENSE DEFENSIVE END 10 MARCO JONES 15 Sam M’Pemba

DEFENSIVE TACKLE 5 DJ HICKS 99 Landon Rink

DEFENSIVE TACKLE 92 CJ MIMS 11 Brandon Davis-Swain

DEFENSIVE END 18 TJ SEARCY 14 Anto Saka

LINEBACKER 0 NOAH MIKHAIL 54 Jordan Lockhart

LINEBACKER 21 RAY CONEY 25 Tamarion Watkins

NICKEL 8 JORDAN SHAW 19 Bravion Rogers

CORNERBACK 2 DEZZ RICKS 9 Rickey Gibson

CORNERBACK 6 JULIO HUMPHREY 23 Brandon Arrington

SAFETY 7 DALTON BROOKS 28 Chance Collins

SAFETY

SPECIAL TEAMS

So.

6-5 6-1

180 214

WIDE RECEIVER

3 MARCUS RATCLIFFE 13 Myles Davis

SPECIAL TEAMS

5-9 6-1

WIDE RECEIVER

4 RUEBEN OWENS 2 Jamarion Morrow

DEFENSE DEFENSIVE END

1 MARIO CRAVER 81 Jayden Warren

KICKER 24 DAVID OLANO

5-11

177

Sr.

6-3

225

Sr.

6-1

202

Sr.

5-9

180

Jr.

5-9

180

Jr.

PUNTER 37 TYLER WHITE

LONG SNAPPER 31 SHEA FREIBAUM

KICK RETURNER 1 MARIO CRAVER

PUNT RETURNER 1 MARIO CRAVER

COACHES Lane Kiffin holds a 3-0 record against Texas A&M during his Ole Miss coaching days.

Mike Elko is 21-8 during his third season with the Aggies, including a 2-0 mark vs. LSU.

After a brief respite, the Southeastern Conference’s frustrations with LSU and state officials were again aired publicly Friday. The SEC released an evening statement saying it was “deeply disappointed” by Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill filing a motion earlier Friday to dismiss the league’s federal lawsuit against LSU officials in Alabama. The conference filed its lawsuit on Sept. 8 to assert its right to enforce its own rules and potentially kick LSU out of the league after its football and men’s basketball programs sought to add athletes who previously signed pro contracts. “We are deeply disappointed that this filing came amid efforts to reach a resolution with LSU that would address our other member universities’ concerns about LSU’s commitment to the conference’s rules and shared governance responsibilities,” the conference’s statement read. In its initial filing, the SEC stated it would hold a vote to expel LSU on Sept. 10, but the vote did not

LSU

Continued from page 1C At first, Nealy was right. Benefield grew so homesick in California that he had to be dragged to the field for workouts. The 11th-grade transfer, converted to receiver, played so sparingly for Santa Margarita High School that he volunteered for junior varsity snaps. “I want you to work. You want it? Show me how bad you want it,” Nealy said. “He’s always done a great job of proving me wrong, and I’m OK with it.” Benefield has proven a lot of people wrong. In five years, he transformed from a raw receiver into an instinctive defensive back. He went from zero Division I offers to an NFL prospect. Where he used to rely on four words to express his tenacity, Benefield now stands behind an LSU podium, equal parts chipper and confident, and waxes poetic about what “the smoke” really means. “I want all parts of any fight. I want to go against the best competition. I don’t care who’s in front of me. I want everything,” said Benefield, who transferred from Boise State to play in the SEC — or the “baby NFL,” as he calls it. “I want the hard road. And that’s how it’s going to be the rest of my life.”

A young Buck Ty Benefield wouldn’t exist if his father didn’t have a hard road. Daved, a Los Angeles native, bulked up from a Glendale College safety to a Cal State-Northridge linebacker to an edge rusher with the CFL’s Ottawa Rough Riders and BC Lions. “Buck” nearly stuck in the NFL in 1996, but the 49ers defender tore his meniscus on a kickoff versus the Rams. He leaned too heavily on anti-inflammatories for six weeks, playing hurt to “stay in the show.” He finally had surgery, rehabbed too quickly and wasn’t signed by the Ravens when they had a look at his bloated knee. “I went back to Canada, played the rest of my career there,” Daved said, “and I met Ty’s mom, of course.” The story of how they met is very “Buck” Benefield. His nickname was short for “buck wild,” which, to keep it PG, means he liked to party. His future wife, AJ, was an officer with the Vancouver Police Department. One night, AJ was assigned the lowly task of ticketing cars improperly parked in front of a hiphop venue. She confronted one patron, asking him to quiet his boombox, move his car and reel in a drunken friend who was in the middle of the road. Daved was in line at the club, ready to play hero. The drunken man started cussing at AJ, then leaned back to throw a punch. AJ dodged the punch, pepper-sprayed him and cuffed the man. She handled business, but Daved approached anyway. “I’m Daved,” he said. “OK,” replied AJ, who was calling an ambulance to wash out the drunken man’s eyes. “Daved Benefield,” he tried again, which received another “OK” from AJ, who wasn’t starstruck by a CFL edge rusher who had five sacks

happen and no punishment was levied after LSU football coach Lane Kiffin did not add tight end Dae’Quan Wright and defensive tackle Zxavian Harris to his roster. Wright suited up for the Browns during a preseason game but did not play, while Harris was previously signed by the Saints but did not practice because of a foot injury. There had been two weeks of relative silence as the SEC and LSU worked to find a resolution out of court. Then Murrill filed her motion to throw out the case, arguing the federal court in Alabama had no jurisdiction and the SEC’s complaint failed to “state a claim upon which relief can be granted.” Murrill released a statement Friday saying that she appreciated “attempts by both sides to de-escalate” but the SEC had not moved to end its lawsuit, which included Murrill and LSU officials as defendants. “It is therefore appropriate for me to act in the sovereign interests of the state of Louisiana and move for its dismissal,” Murrill said. “The case is improper and moot.”

in a game. Her family watched basketball. “So I was wondering, how can I take you out for coffee?” Daved asked, more pointedly. AJ explained she’d broken up with someone two weeks earlier. She didn’t need any drama in her life. If Daved really needed to reach her, he could call the Vancouver Police Department. Ask for badge number 1858. “I remember looking in the rearview mirror. My partner’s like, ‘Who was that?’ ” AJ said. “I go, ‘I don’t know. He’s really cute, though.’ ”

Progeny of Buck Ty, the future LSU safety, and Addy, the future University of Washington volleyball player, inherited an incredible mix of athleticism and strong will from their parents. Daved was 6-3, 245 pounds but could snowboard with grace. AJ, who played on her police soccer team and was a tireless swimmer, collided with a tree stump on their ﬁrst run down a slope. Her MCL was torn, but she refused aid. “Hell no,” she said. “I’m not going down on a stretcher.” AJ was tough, hardened by detective work on anti-gang and drug units. Her “Super Bowl” was a year-long assignment in Cambodia interviewing victims of the Khmer Rouge, a radical communist movement that ruled the country in the 1970s. Football was an apt analogy as she told Ty and Addy why she’d only see them once every three months. Like breaks in a four-quarter game. Ty quietly processed the news. Addy interjected bluntly. “Well, Papa got a trophy (in the CFL). What are you gonna get?” she asked. “Well, I’m gonna get the satisfaction of being able to help a country heal from some very awful things that happened in history,” AJ replied. “Oh, OK,” Addy responded. They couldn’t grasp what mom was doing, locating mass graves dug into mountaintops. But they became worldly through AJ’s Canadian-Colombian heritage, one side of her family residing in a poorer area of Bogotá where they fed chickens with corn ground on a rooftop, the other in a gated community with a pool. They visited both. “They really had an appreciation for what we have and how we live and to not take things for granted,” AJ said, “and just being humble.” Ty was also taught to be gentle because his sister was just 15 months younger. If they played rough, AJ scolded him in Spanish, “No tan duro, papito.” (“Not so hard, baby.”) In non-diverse British Columbia, racial differences were pronounced but also obscured. “When you bump into another kid, you’re like, ‘Hey, his hair is cut like mine,’ ” said Daved, who saw Ty bond with athletes, a chef and a science buff who launched rockets. He played quarterback because Daved, also nicknamed “Cheetah” because of how he pursued ball carriers, didn’t think Ty was aggressive enough to hit anyone. He used his athleticism to scramble. He had the touch to throw footballs into trash cans many yards away. But Ty’s feelings on the position were mixed. “Papa,” Ty said, “they don’t clap for the person

STAFF PREDICTIONS JON BLAU

KOKI RILEY

REED DARCEY

SCOTT RABALAIS

LSU 31, TEXAS A&M 20 The good news for LSU is quarterback Marcel Reed isn’t Trinidad Chambliss. The Texas A&M signal caller is a scrambler, and he’s dogged LSU with 170 yards rushing in two meetings. But Reed likely won’t escape sacks with last-second, underhand shovel passes like Chambliss. This is a bet on Princewill Umanmielen and Jordan Ross being athletic enough to contain Reed, and Sam Leavitt having a more consistent day than he did last week. LSU 31, TEXAS A&M 21 LSU should bounce back, in large part because it doesn’t look like Sam Leavitt will have to navigate as much pressure as he did last week. No SEC team has fewer sacks (four) or tackles for loss (14) through three games than Texas A&M. The Tigers just need to run the ball more often than they did against Ole Miss, especially on first and second downs. No need to get cute in a crucial game.

LSU 28, TEXAS A&M 17 Texas A&M just hasn’t been an impressive team through three weeks. The Aggies lost by double digits at home to a rebuilding Kentucky team last Saturday and were outgained by Arizona State the week before. And that’s after a clear talent drain hit College Station this offseason when the NFL drafted 10 Aggies. None of that spells success for Texas A&M in Death Valley against an LSU team equally desperate for a win.

LSU 33, TEXAS A&M 17 If not for all the newcomers on the LSU roster, I’d say this was a revenge game for last year’s 49-25 drubbing by the Aggies. Instead, how about this is just a mustwin game to remain in CFP contention? Marcel Reed has played like an action hero against LSU the past two years, but not the past two games this season. The LSU defense finally asserts itself against him and the Tigers get an emphatic win.

The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Saturday, September 26, 2026 ● 3C

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daily newsletter

OFFENSIVE LEADERS LSU

Texas A&M

PASSING

Player

Cmp-Att-Pct Yards TD Int

Sam Leavitt

57-93-61.3

732

RUSHING

Player

Att

Dilin Jones Sam Leavitt Stacy Gage Landen Clark Winston Watkins Harlem Berry

Net

64 40 15 7 2 5

Avg TD

285 198 56 42 20 13

4.5 5.0 3.7 6.0 10.0 2.6

3 6 0 1 0 0

PASSING

Player

Cmp-Att-Pct Yards TD Int

Marcel Reed

62-104-59.6

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU defensive end Princewill Umanmielen, left, celebrates a fumble recovery with safety Ty Benefield, center, and linebacker TJ Dottery in the first quarter of a game against Louisiana Tech on Sept. 12 at Tiger Stadium. who throws the football, they clap for the person who catches the football.” He just had this persistent itch for something more. It became especially pronounced when the Covid pandemic hit, and Ty was watching social media highlights of American football recruits still playing while Canada was locked down. He’d been begging to train with Uncle Billy for years. He wanted “the smoke.” “I was like, OK, we’ll make it happen,” said Daved, who coached other people’s sons and exported them to the U.S. to chase scholarships. “Now I’m putting my own kid in the fire, and we’ll see what happens.”

Rise of Buck Jr. If Billy Nealy had his way, Ty would have come stateside as a high school freshman. But Nealy needed a coaching job at a private school to smoothen the transition, because California public schools don’t approve a transfer unless an entire family relocates. There was also an ongoing dispute within their Cal State-Northridge family. “He’s not a quarterback,” Nealy told the elder Benefield, who insisted his son was. “He’s a helluva athlete playing quarterback.” Nealy landed at Santa Margarita High School, and there was no way a 15-year-old junior transfer from Canada was unseating an established quarterback in the Trinity League, which produces five-stars such as Bryce Young. Moving was difficult enough for Ty. His grandmother, AJ’s mom, was ill when he left Canada. His “Ita” died, and then his “Tata,” AJ’s father, was lost to cancer 10 months later. He’d call home and tell his mom, “I don’t know if I wanna be here.” “Stop saving him,” Nealy told AJ, who then told Ty to just “give it another month.” “It would just kill me to say that,” AJ said. “But I knew this is what he wanted, and he would be disappointed if I said, ‘Yeah, you’re coming home.’ ” Ty learned to love his uncle’s workouts. They became, Nealy said, his “Holy Grail” in pursuit of football immortality. He wasn’t a natural at receiver, but Benefield still had his breakout moment. The stage was set on Oct. 29, 2021, as Mother Nature answered his desire for “the smoke” literally. A fog rolled over Orange Lutheran’s field late in the third quarter. As quarterbacks misfired into a white haze, a 28-28 deadlock couldn’t be broken — until Benefield sprinted up the seam and caught a ball most everyone else couldn’t see. He charged 65 yards through the fog, parking Santa Margarita just short of the goal line. “It was like God made that play for him,” said ex-Santa Margarita head coach Anthony Rouzier, now the defensive coordinator at Merrimack College. AJ believes Ty’s angels, his “Ita” and “Tata,” have watched him flourish. He accepted a move to safety after his junior season, making enough big plays on the 7-on-7 circuit to draw a few D-I offers. He also transferred to a smaller school, Crean Lutheran, to position himself as a growing fish in a slightly shrunken pond. A fierce hitter emerged from his cocoon of shyness. The first time he smacked a ball carrier like his dad would, Nealy responded with a surprised, “Oh, OK, Buck Jr.” “It just kind of stuck, and then he started put-

ting it on his social media,” Nealy said. “Then Daved was like, ‘Wait a minute, since when are you Buck?’ ”

Bucking expectations There’s an astonished tone as Daved recalls his inner monologue from each segment of his son’s athletic career. “Oh, we’re doing that now?” he asked as his son looked like a young Charlie Ward, running around defenses at quarterback. “Oh my God, he’s in the red zone,” the elder Benefield thought as Buck Jr., a Boise State freshman, remained on the field versus a Washington offense led by future Falcons first-round pick Michael. “Like, what the hell?” It’s been a jarring ride. He went from JV receiver to D-I contributor in two years. He was a first-team All-Mountain West performer just two years after that. But there’s still a realness to Ty, who will show up to Crean Lutheran in the offseason, pull players aside and coach them up. He’ll have in-depth conversations with Crean’s coach, Rick Curtis, asking him, “How are you doing? How are you really doing?” Curtis lost his wife to cancer and was recently remarried. The honeymoon was in Canada. “Oh, the people in Canada are just fantastic,” Curtis told Daved Benefield, who is now on Crean’s staff. “They’re kind of like you.” The kindness of the Benefields had Nealy questioning if Ty really should have transferred to LSU. He’s not a “flamboyant” SEC personality, as Nealy puts it. Benefield was literally baptized by Boise State head coach Spencer Danielson. But there’s a chip on Benefield’s shoulder that won’t dissolve. He’s always wanted the “smoke,” the hardest road. He considers the SEC the best conference in America. “I love the fact that you continuously prove me wrong,” Nealy told Benefield this summer after LSU coach Lane Kiffin had him meet Mathieu, because he wanted two “legends” at safety, the Honey Badger and Buck, to link up. Benefield has found belonging at LSU. It’s just a different vibe from Canada and Idaho. “This big Black culture world out here is great,” Benefield said. “The fans are unbelievable. I’ve never been defended in a comment section before on TikTok.” He’s come out of his shell at 21 years old. He jumped out of an airplane over the summer. Benefield just flashed in one of the biggest games of the year, whacking Chambliss in the back on a pressure at Ole Miss to force a gameturning interception. He also corralled him for a 20-yard sack that extended LSU’s rally to tie. Chambliss ultimately pulled away from Benefield on a game-winning touchdown run, but Kiffin notes that holding the edge wasn’t even the safety’s responsibility on that play. Benefield is just so athletic, he was the one closest to Chambliss’ heels. “Any game that I go into, I do it for my coaches, I do it for my teammates,” Benefield said, “and I do it for that little kid that never thought he would be at LSU.” Benefield, who has a perfectionist streak, closed by saying it was “unfortunate” the Tigers lost. It just means they’ll have to “win out.” There’s “smoke” to be had. There’s a hard road ahead to make a College Football Playoff. Benefield wouldn’t want it any other way.

14 15 12 5 3 2 4 6 1

222 207 132 117 70 37 37 21 15

15.9 13.8 11.0 23.4 23.3 18.5 9.3 3.5 15.0

1 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 0

KICKING Player

XPM XPA FGM FGA

Scott Starzyk

Att

Net

Avg TD

45 24 10 16 4 1

186 117 60 56 10 4

4.1 4.9 6.0 3.5 2.5 4.0

Rueben Owens Marcel Reed Carsyn Baker Jamarion Morrow Terry Bussey Brady Hart

1 1 2 1 1 0

RECEIVING

Rec Yards Avg TD

Trey’Dez Green Winston Watkins Eugene Wilson Jackson Harris Phillip Wright Tyree Holloway Jayce Brown Dilin Jones Corey Barber

RUSHING

Player

RECEIVING Player

632

Player

Rec Yards Avg TD

Mario Craver Isaiah Horton Terry Bussey Reuben Owens Jamarion Morrow Kelshaun Johnson Aaron Gregory

19 12 7 5 4 4 3

194 170 92 41 36 34 28

10.2 14.2 13.1 8.2 9.0 8.5 9.3

2 3 0 0 0 0 1

KICKING Player

XPM XPA FGM FGA

David Olano Asher Murray

15 0

3 1

DEFENSIVE LEADERS TACKLES Player

Whit Weeks TJ Dottery Princewill Umanmielen DJ Pickett Ty Beneﬁeld PJ Woodland Jordan Ross Deuce Geralds Tamarcus Cooley Dashawn Spears CJ Jimcoily Faheem Delane Jhase Thomas Davhon Keys Kolaj Cobbins Stephiylan Green

TACKLES

Tot Solo Ast Loss Sk 20 19 15 10 10 9 9 8 7 7 7 7 6 6 6 5

10 9 8 10 6 6 4 6 5 5 1 1 4 2 2 0

10 10 7 0 4 3 5 2 2 2 6 6 2 4 4 5

2.5 1 7.5 0 1 0 4 2 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1

0 0 6 0 1 0 1.5 2 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0

Player

Noah Mikhail Ray Coney Marcus Ratcliffe T.J. Searcy Dalton Brooks Marco Jones Julio Humphrey Anto Saka DJ Hicks Jordan Shaw Bravion Rogers Landon Rink Rickey Gibson Ryan Henderson Jordan Lockhart Myles Davis

INTERCEPTIONS Player

32.0

18 18 15 14 12 8 8 8 6 5 5 5 5 5 4 4

6 5 7 6 5 4 4 2 0 3 3 1 4 3 1 1

12 13 8 8 7 4 4 6 6 2 2 4 1 2 3 3

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

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

INTERCEPTIONS

Tot Yards Avg TD BU

DJ Pickett

Tot Solo Ast Loss Sk

Player

Julio Humphrey

Tot Yards Avg TD BU 1

45.0

TEAM STATS OFFENSE PER GAME Yards gained: 500.6

OFFENSE PER GAME Yards gained: 394.4

Plays: 82.7

Plays: 76.3

PASS 291.3

RUSH 209.3

PASS 34.7

RUSH 48.0

Turnovers: 2.00

PASS 222.7

RUSH 171.7

PASS 37.3

RUSH 39.0

Turnovers: 1.33

INTERCEPTIONS 1.67

FUMBLES 0.33

INTERCEPTIONS 1.00

FUMBLES 0.33

DEFENSE PER GAME Yards allowed: 236.7

DEFENSE PER GAME Yards allowed: 281.4

PASS 203.7

PASS 178.7

RUSH 33.0

Turnovers forced: 1.67

Turnovers forced: 2.00

INTERCEPTIONS 1.00

FUMBLES 0.67

INTERCEPTIONS 1.33

SCORING PER GAME SCORED ALLOWED

RUSH 102.7

FUMBLES 0.67

SCORING PER GAME

SCORED ALLOWED

39.7

40.0

33.8

22.8

21.0

19.8

18.7

17.0

2026

2025

2026

2025

CONVERSION SUCCESS

Third down

Fourth down

55.8%

40.0%

Fourth down 20.0%

44.0% 56.0%

Fail

Convert

44.2%

80.0%

Fail

60.0%

Convert

Fail

Convert

Fail

Convert

COLLEGE FOOTBALL SCHEDULE State

Nation

Saturday’s games

Thursday’s games SOUTH

Lamar (2-1) at Nicholls State (2-2), 3 p.m. UL (2-1) at Charlotte (0-3), 5:30 p.m. Southeastern (2-2) at Northwestern St. (0-4), 6 p.m. Southern Miss (1-2) at Tulane (1-2), 6 p.m. East Texas A&M (1-3) at McNeese (1-3), 6 p.m. Southern (2-2) at Jackson State (3-0), 6 p.m. Texas A&M (2-1) at LSU (2-1), 6:30 p.m. FAU (2-1) at UL-Monroe (0-3), 7 p.m. Prairie View (1-3) vs. Grambling (2-1) at Dallas, 7 p.m.

Top 25 Friday’ games

No. 5 Indiana (3-0) vs. Northwestern (2-0), n

Saturday’s games

No. 1 Texas (3-0) at No. 14 Tennessee (3-0), 11 a.m. No. 2 Georgia (3-0) vs. Oklahoma (2-1), 2:30 p.m. No. 3 Notre Dame (3-0) at Purdue (1-2), 1 p.m. No. 4 Ole Miss (3-0) at No. 21 Florida (3-0), 2:30 p.m. No. 6 Miami (3-0) vs. Cent. Michigan (2-1), 5:30 p.m. No. 7 Ohio St. (2-1) vs. Illinois (2-1), 11 a.m. No. 8 Alabama (3-0) vs. South Carolina (2-1), 6 p.m. No. 10 LSU (2-1) vs. No. 23 Texas A&M (2-1), 6:30 p.m. No. 11 Texas Tech (3-0) vs. Sam Houston State (1-2), 11 a.m. No. 12 USC (4-0) vs. No. 20 Oregon (2-1), 6:30 p.m. No. 13 Penn St. (3-0) vs. Wisconsin (2-1), 4 p.m. No. 15 Utah (3-0) at Iowa St. (2-1), 2:30 p.m. No. 16 Louisville (2-1) vs. Wake Forest (2-1), 11 a.m. No. 17 Iowa (3-0) at No. 18 Michigan (3-0), 2:30 p.m. No. 19 Missouri (3-0) at No. 24 Mississippi St. (3-0), 6:45 p.m. No. 22 SMU (2-1) vs. Missouri St. (1-2), 8 p.m. No. 25 Houston (2-1) at Georgia Southern (1-2), 3 p.m.

Liberty 34, Coastal Carolina 17

Friday’s games EAST

Army 21, Temple 17 Howard (1-2) at Rutgers (0-3), n Harvard (1-0) at Brown (1-0), n

SOUTH

Navy (1-1) at UAB (1-2), n

FAR WEST

Clemson (2-1) at California (2-1), n

Saturday’s games 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. Towson (0-4) at Delaware St. (2-2), 5 p.m. Oklahoma St. (2-1) at West Virginia (3-0), 6 p.m.

SOUTH

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. W. Carolina (2-2) at ETSU (2-2), 2:30 p.m. William & Mary (2-2) at Duke (3-0), 2:30 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. 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. S. Illinois (2-2) at Murray St. (1-3), 6 p.m. Appalachian St. (3-0) at NC State (1-2), 6:30 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. 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.

South Dakota (3-1) at Youngstown St. (2-2), 1 p.m. UConn (2-1) at Miami (Ohio) (1-2), 2:30 p.m. Boise St. (2-1) at W. Michigan (2-1), 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. 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. 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.

4C ● Saturday, Septeember 26, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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THE NATION

THINGS TO WATCH IN WEEK 4 Who, what and where to keep an eye on in this week’s games around the nation

HORNS TAKE FIRST TRIP TO TENNESSEE

Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning finally visits Neyland Stadium, where his uncle Peyton made quite the legacy for himself. Top-ranked Texas (3-0) visits No.14 Tennessee (3-0) in the Southeastern Conference opener for both teams.This is the Longhorns’ first road trip this season and a good test of their maturity.Vols freshman QB Faizon Brandon gets his first major test.The Vols have the nation’s fourth-ranked rushing offense averaging 298.7 yards a game, but star running back DeSean Bishop is dinged up.

OLE MISS, FLORIDA MEET IN SWAMP

The fourth-ranked Rebels’ matchup with No.21 Florida in the Swamp is a chance for two of the SEC’s nine unbeaten teams to show they can handle success — avoid a letdown, really — and get to 4-0 when they meet at Florida Field for the second time in three years. Ole Miss running back Kewan Lacy, who ran for 224 yards and three touchdowns against Florida last year, is considered a game-time decision with a shoulder injury. Florida could have receiver Eric Singleton back after a twogame absence.

HIGH STAKES FOR OREGON, USC

This is a crucial measuring-stick game for a No.20 Oregon team picked to be at or near the top of the Big Ten and for a No. 12 USC team that was expected to be the best one Lincoln Riley has had since he took over five years ago.The focus will be on the Ducks’ offensive line and defense, two areas that struggled mightily against Oklahoma State.The Trojans shut out Fresno State in their second game but otherwise have been unimpressive. Last week they didn’t put away woeful Rutgers in a 42-35 win until the final four minutes. — Associated Press

LSU must put past behind it It was the beginning of the end. There were two indelible sights from last year’s LSUTexas A&M game. One was the Aggies scoring over and over and over again in the second half, making the small comeback from an 18-14 halftime deficit to pound the Tigers 35-7 over the final 30 minutes and rout LSU 49-25. The other was Aggie fans celScott ebrating their Rabalais dominating victory as Tiger Stadium emptied of Tiger fans, many of them who shouted “Fire Kelly” at then-LSU coach Brian Kelly before they left. Many of whom you had to figure wouldn’t be back until Kelly was gone. Before 24 hours passed, Kelly was gone. And a once-promising LSU season melted into disappointment and desolation. “LSU’s dreams died here tonight,” said ABC’s Chris Fowler, sounding more like a mortician than a football announcer. Eleven months later, LSU again hosts Texas A&M in Tiger Stadium this Saturday night (6:30 p.m., ABC), a quirk of the Southeastern Conference’s new nine-game league schedule. Texas A&M is coming off a shocking 31-21 upset at home against Kentucky, a Wildcats team LSU visits in two weeks, so Tiger fans shouldn’t be making too many jokes at the Aggies’ expense just yet. LSU is coming off a 32-24 loss at Ole Miss in the most anticipated game of the entire college football season. More than a game, it became a crusade for the Lane Kiffin-jilted Rebels and observers all across the aggrieved college football landscape who wanted Kiffin to pay for leaving Ole Miss on the eve of the College Football Playoff. It was huge. It was historic. It’s over, or at least for LSU, it needs to be. “I think last week was different than any game we’ll ever play,” Kiffin said Thursday on his weekly radio show. “You had a number of players, a lot of coaches who had been there for a long time and had great memories there. It was a unique setting, probably one that had probably never happened in sports, because even when you used to go back years ago there wasn’t a transfer portal.” Kiffin then got straight to the point of this week’s game. “With that, to make sure a loss doesn’t affect you into the

SEC RATINGS By KOKI RILEy 1. TEXAS Record: 3-0 Previous ranking: 1 Last week: beat UTSA 30-6 This week: at Tennessee, 11 a.m. Saturday (ABC) 2. OLE MISS Record: 3-0, 1-0 SEC Previous ranking: 5 Last week: beat LSU 32-24 This week: at Florida, 2:30 p.m. Saturday (ABC) 3. GEORGIA Record: 3-0, 1-0 Previous ranking: 3 Last week: beat Arkansas 45-17 This week: vs. Oklahoma, 2:30 p.m. Saturday (ESPN) 4. ALABAMA Record: 3-0, 1-0 Previous ranking: 4 Last week: beat Florida State 50-36 This week: vs. South Carolina, 6 p.m. Saturday (ESPN) 5. LSU Record: 2-1, 0-1 Previous ranking: 2 Last week: lost to Ole Miss 32-24 This week: vs.Texas A&M, 6:30 p.m. Saturday (ABC) 6. TENNESSEE Record: 3-0 Previous ranking: 7 Last week: beat Kennesaw State 42-9 This week: vs.Texas, 11 a.m. Saturday (ABC) 7. FLORIDA Record: 3-0, 1-0 Previous ranking: 8 Last week: beat Auburn 44-39 This week: vs. Ole Miss, 2:30 p.m. Saturday (ABC)

STAFF FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU defensive tackle Ahmad Breaux covers his head while walking off the field following a loss to Texas A&M on Oct. 25 at Tiger Stadium.

College Station. A rent-a-win over Samford followed, then the Aggies lost at archrival Texas 27-17 and fell at home to Miami 10-3 in the first round of the CFP. Texas A&M opened this season by knocking over another tomato can in Missouri State, then beat Arizona State 48-20 in a game full of red flags. The Aggies were outgained 369-255 but took full advantage of four Sun Devils turnovers, including two pick-sixes. Then came the loss to UK. That means the Aggies have gone 1-3 in their STAFF FILE PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK last four FBS games dating LSU fans begin to leave in the second half of a game against Texas back to last season, plus the A&M on Oct. 25 at Tiger Stadium. game against South Carolina that should have been a defeat next week, you’ve got to get Dinich reported Thursday that as well. through it,” he said. “You’ve If that thought encourages the CFP committee is adding got to go through everything LSU fans, they don’t have to a data point to its criteria that really hard on film, show them think too long before their will determine the strength of on Monday everything, then at dreams of victory are haunted each conference based on the 10 a.m. Monday we move on to schedule strength of each team by A&M quarterback Marcel the new opponent. We don’t go Reed. within that league. Long story backwards, except when you Reed has completed just 59% short, if your league is tough have a radio show and you’re of his passes in Power Four enough — LSU and A&M are asked questions about it and games dating back to Texas this two of 10 ranked SEC teams in you have to go backwards.” this week’s AP poll — then per- past season, with four touchKiffin smiled. Perhaps a rehaps you stand a better chance down passes, seven intercepof making the 12-team CFP lieved smile. tions and just one touchdown field with the right 9-3 record. For LSU and Kiffin, the best run. But he’s gone from Clark While Texas A&M, especially Kent to Superman against LSU, revenge — the only revenge for a wounded Texas A&M, is still all the hate and derision that’s trading his suit and glasses for a dangerous opponent, clearly been heaped on school and a cape and big “S” on his chest. coach — will be living well. Liv- something hasn’t been quite Reed came off the bench for three rushing touchdowns in a ing well means winning. Living right with the Aggies since 38-23 comeback win in 2024 and well means staying alive for the they torpedoed the Kelly era last year. had 310 total yards and four toCollege Football Playoff hunt. After beating LSU, A&M took tal TDs in the rout of LSU this Both teams come into this out No. 22 Missouri 38-17 on the past season. one 2-1 and 0-1 in SEC play. road. At that point, the Aggies That means someone is leavThe Tigers can’t afford to let peaked. A&M then had to rally that happen this season. Not if ing Tiger Stadium on Saturday from 30-3 down at halftime for they want this to be the beginnight with what will probably an improbable 31-30 win over be a pretty crippling defeat. ning of the end of LSU’s sevena losing South Carolina team in year CFP drought. Well, maybe. ESPN’s Heather

TV HIGHLIGHTS 11 a.m. Texas at Tennessee ABC 11 a.m. San Diego St. at Toledo CBSSN 11 a.m. Virginia Tech at Boston Coll. ACCN 11 a.m. Wake Forest at Louisville ESPN 11 a.m. Colorado at Baylor ESPN2 11 a.m. Illinois at Ohio St. Fox 11 a.m. Sam Houston St. at Texas Tech TNT 11:45 a.m. S. Alabama at Kentucky SECN 12:30 p.m. UCLA at Maryland BTN 1 p.m. Notre Dame at Purdue NBCSN 2 p.m. Cent. Arkansas at Florida St. ACCN 2 p.m. Hawaii at Wyoming CW 2:30 p.m. Ole Miss at Florida ABC 2:30 p.m. Iowa at Michigan CBS

2:30 p.m. 2:30 p.m. 2:30 p.m. 2:30 p.m. 2:30 p.m. 3 p.m. 3:15 p.m. 4 p.m. 4 p.m. 5 p.m. 5 p.m. 5:30 p.m. 6 p.m. 6 p.m.

N. Mexico at N. Mexico St. CBSSN Oklahoma at Georgia ESPN Boise St. at W. Michigan ESPN2 Utah at Iowa St. Fox TCU at UCF FS1 Houston at Georgia SouthernESPNU Vanderbilt at Auburn SECN Nebraska at Michigan St. BTN Wisconsin at Penn St. NBCSN Delaware at Virginia ACCN Incarnate Word at Texas St. USA Cent. Michigan at Miami CW South Carolina at Alabama ESPN Kansas St. at Cincinnati ESPN2

6 p.m. 6:30 p.m. 6:30 p.m. 6:30 p.m. 6:30 p.m. 6:30 p.m. 6:45 p.m. 8 p.m. 9 p.m. 9:30 p.m. 9:30 p.m. 9:30 p.m. 10 p.m.

Oklahoma St. at West Virginia FS1 Texas A&M at LSU ABC Arizona at Washington St. CBS Troy at Utah St. CBSSN Appalachian St. at NC State ESPNU Oregon at Southern Cal NBC Missouri at Mississippi St. SECN Missouri St. at SMU ACCN Rice at Fresno St. CW Georgia Tech at Stanford ESPN N. Arizona at Montana St. ESPN2 Air Force at Nevada FS1 Minnesota at Washington Fox

8. MISSISSIPPI STATE Record: 3-0, 1-0 Previous ranking: 10 Last week: beat South Carolina 41-34 This week: vs. Missouri, 6:45 p.m. Saturday (SEC Network) 9. TEXAS A&M Record: 2-1, 0-1 Previous ranking: 6 Last week: lost to Kentucky, 31-21 This week: at LSU, 6:30 p.m. Saturday (ABC) 10. KENTUCKY Record: 2-1, 1-1 Previous ranking: 13 Last week: beat Texas A&M 31-21 This week: vs. South Alabama, 11:45 a.m. Saturday (SEC Network) 11. MISSOURI Record: 3-0 Previous ranking: 11 Last week: beat Troy 27-17 This week: at Mississippi State, 6:45 p.m. Saturday (SEC Network) 12. OKLAHOMA Record: 2-1 Previous ranking: 9 Last week: beat New Mexico 14-6 This week: at Georgia, 2:30 p.m. Saturday (ESPN) 13. AUBURN Record: 2-1, 0-1 Previous ranking: 12 Last week: lost to Florida 44-39 This week: vs.Vanderbilt, 3:15 p.m. Saturday (SEC Network) 14. SOUTH CAROLINA Record: 2-1, 0-1 Previous ranking: 14 Last week: lost to Mississippi State 41-34 This week: at Alabama, 6 p.m. Saturday (ESPN) 15. VANDERBILT Record: 3-0 Previous ranking: 15 Last week: beat NC State 35-31 This week: at Auburn, 3:15 p.m. Saturday (SEC Network) 16. ARKANSAS Record: 1-2, 0-1 Previous ranking: 16 Last week: lost to Georgia 45-17 This week: vs.Tulsa, 7 p.m. Saturday (SEC Network+)

OFFICIAL NEWS PARTNER OF THE LOUISIANA RAGIN’ CAJUNS

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

S at u r d ay, S e p t e m b e r 26, 2026

SPORTS

5CN

U L A T C H A R L O T T E • 5 : 3 0 P. M . S A T U R D A y • E S P N +

‘A BIG DEAL’

STAFF PHOTO By BRAD KEMP

UL coach Michael Desormeaux leads his team onto the field against UAB on Sept. 19 at Our Lady of Lourdes Stadiium. Desormeaux has placed a big priority on the Cajuns getting their first win on the road this season against Charlotte on Saturday in Charlotte, N.C.

Cajuns looking to capture first road win of season at 0-3 Charlotte BY KEVIN FOOTE

MORE ON PAGE 7C

Staff writer

To some outsiders, UL’s nonconference road trip to play the Charlotte 49ers at 5:30 p.m. Saturday at Jerry Richardson Stadium doesn’t qualify as a significant game for the Ragin’ Cajuns. Don’t throw that line of thinking UL coach Michael Desormeaux’s way. “We’ve got a chance to get our first road win of the year,” Desormeaux said. “That’s a big deal to get that.” The Cajuns (2-1) will play a Charlotte squad hungry for its first victory. The 49ers lost to The Citadel 43-41 in triple

n Sun Belt Conference power rankings n Cajuns statistics, schedule n Kevin Foote’s game prediction overtime in the opener before falling to Ole Miss 41-9 and at Appalachian State 26-21 last Saturday. “This is also the last game before we start conference play,” Desormeaux said. “We need to be clicking whenever we start conference play, and there’s certainly no better way to do that than coming off a win.”

The good news is the Cajuns are getting healthier. On offense, Desormeaux said tight end Caden Jensen, wide receiver Trenton Chaney and offensive guard Matt Broussard are expected to play.. “I don’t know if we play any of those guys as much as maybe they normally would, but certainly expect to play them,” he said. Wide receiver Shelton Sampson’s availability is a game-time decision. On defense, the Cajuns are expecting to get nose tackle Brodrick Stewart back. “Brodrick has looked really good this

Eight teams thinking they have title shot BY DOUG FEINBERG AP basketball writer

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By CAROLINE BREHMAN

Undrafted rookie RB Donaldson a ‘beast’ for Saints when blocking Staff writer

When an undrafted rookie running back is getting shout-outs from the offensive line, something must be going right. Cesar Ruiz is impressed by what Saints rookie C.J. Donaldson is doing right now, and not in the way most people would think when it comes to running backs. Donaldson has rushed for just 6 yards in his short professional career, but he’s proven extremely useful when he doesn’t have the ball in his hands. Just go back and look at what he

ä See CAJUNS, page 7C

WNBA PLAYOFFS

Saints running back C.J. Donaldson carries the ball against the Los Angeles Rams in a preseason game on Aug. 22 in Inglewood, Calif.

BY LUKE JOHNSON

week,” Desormeaux said. “Getting him back is big for us. We were very excited with how he played in camp.” The 49ers have a senior quarterback in Cole Gonzales who has thrown for 661 yards and three scores with ﬁve interceptions. “Their quarterback throws a lot of RPO access throws,” Desormeaux said. “If he’s got it, he’ll take it and it’s not necessarily because we have too many in the box. But if there’s a lot in the box, he’s deﬁnitely throwing it. “They will take their shots, so we’ve

ä Raiders at Saints.

3:25 P.M. SUNDAy, CBS

did to Baltimore Ravens All-Pro linebacker Roquan Smith in the second quarter of last week’s game. With the Saints facing a third-and-8, Donaldson lined up in the backﬁeld to quarterback Tyler Shough’s right and identiﬁed from where the pressure was coming. Smith barreled through the A gap, only to get completely wiped out by Donaldson. “I knew that blitz was coming before we snapped the ball,” Donaldson said. “I was anticipating in-

stead of reacting, and I beat him to the spot.” The block cleared a wide-open passing lane for Shough, who ﬁred an 11-yard strike to Chris Olave to set up the Saints’ ﬁrst score of the game. “He got props from me on that exact play,” Ruiz said. “I looked at him and said, ‘Hey man, I like that.’ It’s great to see him out there clearing things up and getting dirty.” Ruiz is not the only Saints player to heap praise on the rookie out of Ohio State. Donaldson has earned his way

ä See SAINTS, page 8C

NEW YORK — The race for WNBA playoff seeding went down to the wire, illustrating just how evenly matched the eight teams heading into the postseason are. It’s why every coach, player and fan base in the playoffs say they have a legitimate shot to win the title. “It really doesn’t matter what seed you are. We have homecourt advantage. We all fight for that. There’s a reason why we all fight for that. But no, I don’t think anybody should be surprised at any outcomes,” Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve said. “I know the betting people will have favorites and that sort of thing. I wouldn’t pay attention to any of it. I wouldn’t be surprised by anything that happens because I think all the teams are that good.” Reeve doesn’t have to look far to find that reality. The Lynx open the playoffs against the Liberty. The teams met for the WNBA title two years ago and now New York is an eight seed. No. 2 Golden State will play seven seed Dallas, third seed Las Vegas will play No. 6 Indiana and fourth seed Atlanta will host No. 5 Washington as the playoffs get underway Sunday. The Liberty, Mystics and Fever all won the regular-season series against their first-round oppo-

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOP

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark, who has scored 20 or more points in eight of her past 10 games, will lead the Fever against the Los Vegas Aces in a first-round playoff series starting Sunday.

nents. The Valkyries swept the Wings. Every series has star power and intriguing storylines. A’ja Wilson is looking to lead Las Vegas to its fourth title in ﬁve years and starts by taking on Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever. Clark is back in the playoffs after missing last season with an injury, while former LSU star Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers will be making their debuts in the postseason.

ä See WNBA, page 8C

6C ● Saturday, September 26, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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BROADCAST HIGHLIGHTS 6 p.m. 9 p.m.

ä College football TV. PAGE 4C.

On TV

AUTO RACING 9 a.m. NASCAR Cup: Practice TRUTV 10:10 a.m.NASCAR Cup: Qualifying TRUTV noon NASCAR Truck Series FS1 6 p.m. Supermotocross Worlds NBCSN WOMEN’S COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL 8 p.m. Ohio St. at Nebraska BTN GOLF 7 a.m. Presidents Cup GOLF 8 a.m. Open de France GOLF 8 a.m. Presidents Cup NBC

Senior QB ruled eligible to play for Teurlings BY MIKE COPPAGE Contributing writer

Teurlings Catholic senior quarterback DJ Kelly became eligible to make his season debut this week after the LHSAA overturned its earlier ruling regarding his eligibility. Three hours after a hearing in Baton Rouge on Thursday, the Kelly family was notified that his appeal was successful. “First of all, I want to thank the LHSAA for being very professional and hearing only the facts of the case,” said Daniel Kelly, DJ’s father. “They heard the facts, not assumptions.” DJ Kelly, who helped Ascension Episcopal to the Division IV select semifinals as a junior receiver, was expected to be the Rebels’ starting quarterback until the LHSAA initially ruled that he was ineligible, finding that he transferred “for athletic purposes.” That ruling, issued not long before preseason scrimmages, forced the Teurlings Catholic coaching staff to make a change that relegated Kelly to working with the scout team in practice. “We’re excited and thankful to God for the opportunity to watch our son be at a school and community he loves and play the sport he loves,” Daniel Kelly said. “We’re also thankful for the three years he spent at Ascension Episcopal.” Before declaring Kelly ineligible during the summer, the LHSAA conducted an in-home visit to ensure that the family was residing in Teurlings Catholic’s zone. Daniel Kelly, a pastor, said his family moved to be in closer proximity to his church on the north side of Lafayette. “The LHSAA committee members were understanding and apologetic that it took so long to get him eligible,” said Kelly, who thanked Teurlings Catholic principal Lauren Schomaker. “Ms. Shomaker did the bulk of the talking and explained the facts at the appeal.” DJ Kelly was expected to be the starting quarterback Friday night as the Rebels (0-3) traveled to Lafayette Christian in a nondistrict game. “He has taken a lot of mental reps to get ready,” Daniel Kelly said. DJ Kelly, who is also a standout basketball player, issued the following written statement: “I am grateful for the opportunity that God is giving me to play football. I want to give God the glory in everything that I do. Thank you to everyone who has supported me. I have learned so much from this test.” Daniel Kelly reiterated his thanks to the Teurlings Catholic administration and the community, adding that over 200 emails were sent in support of his son.

DJ Kelly.

IN BRIEF

FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

PROVIDED PHOTO

3 p.m. 11 a.m. noon noon 3 p.m. 6 p.m. 2 p.m.

LPGA Tour HORSE RACING America’s Day at the Races America’s Day at the Races MLB Pittsburgh at Detroit Atlanta at Miami Baltimore at N.y.yankees NHL PRESEASON Pittsburgh at Buffalo

GOLF FS1 FS2 MLBN MLBN FOX NHLN

St. Louis at Chicago NHLN San Jose at Vegas NHLN MEN’S SOCCER 7:50 a.m. Slovenia vs. Scotland FS2 1:30 p.m. England vs. Spain FS2 3:30 p.m. U.S. vs. Peru TNT WOMEN’S SOCCER 7:25 a.m. Man City at Charlton Athletic CBSSN 11:30 a.m.Denver at Kansas City CBS 5:30 p.m. Angel City at Washington ION 7:45 p.m. Houston at Portland ION TENNIS 7 a.m. Laver Cup TENNIS

Westminster-Lafayette steamrolls Centerville BY KEVIN FOOTE

ASHBURN, Va. — The Commanders have not discussed putting Jayden Daniels on injured reserve with the quarterback’s return from a dislocated left elbow apparently a possibility within the next month, Washington general manager Adam Peters said Friday. “As of right now, surgery is not on the table, and we haven’t discussed IR,” Peters said on 106.7 The Fan. “So it’s just a matter of how we’re going to get him back on the ﬁeld. That’s still to be determined.” Peters said Daniels returned late Thursday night and was meeting with the Commanders on Friday. Team officials have talked with medical ofﬁcials around the country, and Peters called it a medical decision that Washington is working through.

RB Chubb signs one-day contract, retires with Browns

STAFF PHOTO By BRAD KEMP

Westminster-Lafayette running back Pierce Gable, left, runs for a touchdown during the Chargers’ 54-14 win over Centerville on Thursday in youngsville. at Acadiana, we had offensive lines that could make adjustments to whatever the defense is doing. That makes it easy as a play caller. They can make you right.” The Chargers improved to 4-0 with the win, while Centerville dropped to 2-2. Westminster-Lafayette will now travel to meet Vermilion Catholic in Abbeville next Friday. “I think offensively again, I say this a lot, but I think we’re well-rounded, but we got to go show that we can throw the football and complete some passes and execute that because we have a good quarterback and good receivers,” Gable said. “We got to consistently go show that we can execute in the pass game as well.”

The other big upgrade for the Chargers this season is on defense. Until the reserves entered the game, WestminsterLafayette limited Centerville to one ﬁrst down and 42 total yards in the ﬁrst half. “We have the ability to get pressure,” Gable said of his defense. “Our D-line and our linebackers are able to create hurries, and that really helps the secondary. We’ve got some secondary guys that can cover. “So defensively, I think we’re pretty well-rounded and that’s what I really wanted to see tonight against a big physical team that’s 95% running football.” Email Kevin Foote at kfoote@theadvocate.com.

ESA pleased with effort in loss to STM BY MIKE COPPAGE Contributing writer

Coaches always say there is no such thing as a good loss, but certainly there were silver linings for Episcopal School of Acadiana after its home volleyball match against St. Thomas More on Thursday. The young Falcons — with only three seniors — hung tough with Division II No. 1 St. Thomas More, which has five won straight state titles, before falling 25-23, 25-19, 25-17. “I’m as happy as you can be with a loss,” ESA coach Sarah Robichaux said. “I have mixed emotions. I’m obviously happy with how we played, but we want to make sure that in those moments, we finish.” ESA (6-4, No. 3 in Division V) scored five consecutive points in the first set to take a 12-6 lead. Kellen Giglio assisted on four kills by Lauren Conroy and served an ace during that stretch. “Kellen’s location today was fantastic,” Robichaux said of the setter, who finished with 25

MEDINAH, Ill. — Ryan Fox and Nick Taylor each delivered clutch moments Friday that carried the Internationals to another stunning sweep in foursomes at the Presidents Cup, giving them a 7-3 lead going into the weekend as they look to end more than two decades of losing. “It was an incredible day for us,” International captain Geoff Ogilvy said. It was the second straight time the Americans were shut out in foursomes. Unlike two years ago at Royal Montreal, they had swept the opening session and could afford getting blanked. Now the Internationals have their largest lead after two sessions since Royal Melbourne in 1998, the only year they won the Presidents Cup.

Commanders QB Daniels not on IR despite injury

Staff writer

Westminster-Lafayette coach Kent Gable had the Chargers ready for a fight in their District 7-1A opener against Centerville on Thursday. As it turned out, the visiting Bulldogs weren’t quite up to the task, as the Chargers demolished Centerville 54-14 at Acadiana Renaissance. “We told them it was going to be a war, and they took it as a challenge,” Gable said. “They wanted to come out and prove to everybody that we play hardnosed football, and the kids did that tonight.” The Chargers’ veer rushing attack produced big play after big play throughout the game, which was shortened with running time in the second quarter. Pierce Gable’s 32-yard run set up Andre Greene’s 5-yard touchdown to get the scoring underway. Gable added scoring runs of 4 and 78 yards to make the score 26-0 with 2:58 left in the first quarter. Those touchdown efforts were sandwiched around an explosive 88-yard touchdown sprint by quarterback Zade Prejean. Prejean then finished out the first-half scoring with an 18yard touchdown pass to brother Zeph Prejean. Gable finished the game with 211 yards and three touchdowns on eight carries, while Zade Prejean added 136 yards and two scores on three attempts. Gable also added 51/ 2 tackles, a sack and 21/ 2 stops behind the line on defense. “He’s faster this year,” Gable said of his son’s improvement. “I think the big thing is he’s kind of seeing everything better. Last year was really his first year playing football. He was a baseball kid his whole life. “He had a really good offseason. It was his first offseason training for football.” As a team, the Chargers rushed for 434 yards, including emptying the bench in the second half. “I think offensively, we’ve been pretty good all year,” Gable said. “Up front, the biggest thing this year from previous years is that they know how to make adjustments. When we were really good when I was

International sweep puts U.S. in 7-3 hole at Presidents Cup

assists and 11 digs. “She was putting up killable ball after killable ball.” Moving forward, the Falcons have options at setter with starter Cam Besse cleared to play after a broken wrist. Giglio is also a defensive stalwart. “With our passing, we gave Kellen a lot of options to be successful, and she did a great job,” Robichaux said. “We’ve been working really hard on blocking and serve receive.” In the second set, ESA led 15-8 before the Cougars rallied. Senior Avery Monica served two aces, and Camille Herrington added a block for an early 7-1 Falcons lead. Monica (eight kills) and Conroy (13) led the offense. “I felt like we did a good job keeping up with them,” Robichaux said of the Cougars. “They’re a machine. They do a great job keeping the ball off the ground and with blocking. They were always over the net making it hard on us.” ESA will be without senior libero Scarlet Girouard for the season. Sophomore Emery Fur-

garino, who stepped into the starting role, produced seven digs and two assists. Moncia and Giglio tallied 12 and 11 digs. Conroy chipped in nine. “Scarlet is continuing to be a leader off the court,” Robichaux said. “Every day, she comes in, rallies the girls and keeps the vibes high.” Seventh grader Aubrey Drew added three kills, ﬁve digs and two aces. “Aubrey could’ve played varsity last year, but you’re not allowed to pull up sixth graders,” Robichaux said. “We’ve been coaching her in club volleyball for a while. She’s a star we’re really happy about.” Metairie Park Country Day, which has dominated Division V for the past decade, moved up to Division IV, which sits well with Robichaux and the Falcons. “I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy,” Robichaux said. “You still have Westminster Christian and Central Catholic, a couple of heavy hitters, but hopefully we’re peaking at the right time.”

BEREA, Ohio — Nick Chubb had a unique relationship with Cleveland, a city he grew to adore and one that loved him back. On Friday, Chubb announced that he was retiring with the Browns, who signed him to a one-day contract so they could celebrate his career. Over seven seasons as a star running back with the Browns, Chubb, a four-time Pro Bowler, rushed for 6,843 yards and scored 51 touchdowns for Cleveland while becoming one of the most beloved players in franchise history. Selected in the second round of the 2018 draft by the Browns out of Georgia, Chubb ran for 996 yards as a rookie and was on track to become one of the NFL’s all-time greats before suffering a left knee injury against Pittsburgh in 2023.

Cubs 3B Bregman back after injuries from foul ball

BOSTON — Alex Bregman was back in the Chicago Cubs’ lineup, ﬁve days after he suffered facial fractures when struck on the face in the on-deck circle. Bregman was 0 for 4 with a strikeout as a designated hitter Friday in a 4-3 loss to Boston in a doubleheader opener. He was hurt at Cincinnati last Sunday, sustaining several fractures from the ball off the bat of teammate Michael Busch. Bregman missed three games. A two-time World Series champion, Bregman will be playing in his 10th straight postseason since missing out as a rookie with Houston in 2016. He said he’s not concerned over Chicago’s opponent for the best-of-three first round matchup, which starts Tuesday.

Sparks fire coach Roberts after missing playoffs again

LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Sparks ﬁred coach Lynne Roberts on Friday, a day after her team missed the playoffs for the second straight year under her leadership. Roberts was hired in 2024 and the Sparks went 37-51 in her two seasons in charge of the team. “We are grateful to Lynne for the commitment and determination she brought to the role, which was evident all the way through our last game last night,” Sparks special adviser Farhan Zaidi said. The Sparks will rebuild around Cameron Brink and two potential lottery draft picks. The team has a new general manager in Ariana Andonian, who was hired last month to replace Raegan Pebley.

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GAMEDAY TEAM STATS

OFFENSE PER GAME Yards gained: 389.0 PASS 184.3

RUSH 204.7

PASS 23.0

RUSH 41.3

Turnovers: 1.67 INTERCEPTIONS 1.00

FUMBLES 0.67

DEFENSE PER GAME Yards allowed: 302.0 PASS 187.3

RUSH 114.7

Turnovers forced: 2.00 INTERCEPTIONS 1.67

FUMBLES 0.33

SCORING PER GAME 29.2

26.0

23.3

SCORED ALLOWED

2026

2025

LEADERS PASSING Lunch Winfield 73.02%, 511 yards, TD, 2 INTs Daniel Beale 66.67%, 42 yards, INT RUSHING Lunch Winfield 42 carries, 267 yards, 6.4 avg, 5 TDs Anthony Reagan 22 carries, 108 yards, 4.9 avg, TD RECEIVING Russell Babineaux 11 catches, 115 yards, 10.5 avg, TD Teddy Gawlik 6 catches, 59 yards, 9.8 avg Caden Jensen 5 catches, 77 yards, 15.4 avg DEFENSE Conor McPherson 25 tackles, 2 for loss, 0.5 sacks

SCHEDULE SEPTEMBER 5 Lamar W, 38-7 12 at USC L, 49-30 19 UAB W, 21-14 26 at Charlotte 5:30 p.m./ESPN+ OCTOBER 3 Arkansas State 7 p.m./ESPN+ 10 at La. Tech TBD 17 Troy TBD 24 at Southern Miss TBD NOVEMBER 7 South Alabama TBD 12 at UL-Monroe 8 p.m./ESPN 21 Coastal Carolina TBD 28 at Georgia State TBD

PREDICTION UL 34, CHARLOTTE 17: UL coach Michael Desormeaux didn’t mince words during the week. He called Saturday’s game at Charlotte a “virtual mustwin” game for the Cajuns. If that’s an indication of how little of a chance there is for the Ragin’ Cajuns to overlook this 0-3 opponent, it’s a good sign. Charlotte quarterback Cole Gonzales has three touchdowns and five interceptions, and the 49ers are averaging only 131.7 yards rushing a game. Both teams are struggling on third down — 37% for Charlotte and 36% for UL. If the Cajuns can avoid turnovers and more special teams mishaps, it’s a winnable road game. Kevin Foote

SUN BELT STANDINGS Conf. W L App State 0 0 JMU 0 0 Ga. State 0 0 Marshall 0 0 Coastal Ca. 0 0 Ga. Southern 0 0 ODU 0 0

UL South Ala. Troy Ark. State La. Tech So. Miss UL-Monroe

UL at CHARLOTTE

5:30 p.m. Saturday, Charlotte, N.C. TV: ESPN+ | Radio: KPEL-FM, 103.3 Line: Cajuns by 10 (Over/Under: 48½)

First Sun Belt battle a doozy BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer

Plays: 64.3

29.7

The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Saturday, September 26, 2026 ● 7C

Conf. W L 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

East PF 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

PA 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Games W L PF PA 3 0 108 48 3 0 133 29 2 1 120 71 2 1 58 95 1 2 83 60 1 2 65 53 1 2 69 74

West

Saturday’s Games

Games PF PA 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

W 2 2 2 1 1 1 0

L 1 1 1 2 2 2 3

PF PA 89 70 104 78 75 65 83 80 113 87 77 94 68 126

South Alabama at Kentucky, 11:45 a.m. N. Illinois at Georgia St., 1 p.m. Gardner-Webb at Marshall, 2:30 p.m. Houston at Georgia Southern, 3 p.m. James Madison at Old Dominion, 5 p.m. UL at Charlotte, 5:30 p.m. Kennesaw St. at Arkansas St., 6 p.m. Southern Miss. at Tulane, 6 p.m. Troy at Utah St., 6:30 p.m. Appalachian St. at NC State, 6:30 p.m. FAU at UL-Monroe, 7 p.m.

When coaches, players and media met in New Orleans for Sun Belt media days in July, it was predicted that the James Madison-Old Dominion showdown might be the most signiﬁcant game on the league schedule. Who knows if it will turn out that way by December, but the 5 p.m. Saturday game in Norfolk, Virginia, is an intriguing September showdown. They were the Sun Belt’s top two teams a year ago. The Dukes own a 4-2 edge in the rivalry, including a four-game winning streak. Every other team in the conference playing this week faces another tune-up before Sun Belt play begins. This weekend also marks the last chance for a Sun Belt to upset a Power Four school: South Alabama at Kentucky, Houston at Georgia Southern and Appalachian State at NC State. The Sun Belt has 12 such wins since 2022 but none this season. The bulk of the league will try to improve its 10-6 record against other mid-major programs this season.

1. James Madison Record: 3-0 Last week: Defeated San Diego State 26-13 This week: at Old Dominion, 5 p.m. ESPN+ Extra points: The Dukes led 19-0 last week in a game where the total yardage was close at 417-401. Quarterback Camden Coleman threw for 246 yards and two scores, and George Pettaway rushed for 82. The long trip made it quite a win for JMU, but there’s still some mystery of whether the Dukes will dominate the Sun Belt race.

2. Troy Record: 2-1 Last week: Lost at Missouri 27-17 This week: at Utah State, 6:30 p.m. CBSSN Extra points: The notion was to move the Trojans in a different direction if the trip to Missouri went wrong. As it turned out, Troy was pretty impressive, holding an early 10-0 lead. The Trojans also led 18-13 in ﬁrst downs and 323-230 in total yards. Troy held a 37:34-22:26 edge in time of possession. A 68-yard punt return gave No. 20 Missouri some needed separation. Utah State is 0-3, but that includes a 16-14 loss at Washington.

3. Old Dominion Record: 1-2 Last week: Lost to East Carolina 2017 This week: vs. James Madison, 5 p.m. ESPN+ Extra points: The Monarchs offense is starting to become a concern. The total yards in last week’s loss was 276-274. Quarterback Quinn Henicle was 8-of-20 passing for just 94 yards. Running back Devin Roche did rush for 102 yards, but it’ll take a much better effort to muster much of an offense against James Madison, which is typically only vulnerable against the pass.

4. Louisiana Tech Record: 1-2 Last week: Lost at Baylor 36-19 This week: Open date Extra points: The Bulldogs are 1-2, but the two losses are to LSU and Baylor. The Bulldogs’ final tuneup is against Army next weekend before opening league play against UL in Ruston. Tech trailed Baylor 29-7 in the third quarter. Quarterback Trey Kukuk threw for 223 yards and ran for 75 in relief of the

CAJUNS

Continued from page 5C got to play tight coverage on the outside and we’ve got to tackle well.” Charlotte is averaging 131.7 yards rushing a game behind Khamani Alexander (33-168, 3 TDs) and Chance Williams (20116). “I’d say schematically, they’re more like USC,” UL linebackers coach Scott Stoker said. “They’re about 60-40 pass in their ﬁrst three games. They like to run the ball, but they’ve got two wideouts they try to get into space ... get it to them quick to where your safeties and cornerbacks have to tackle out in space.”

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

Former UL and Florida coach Billy Napier will coach his first Sun Belt Conference game for James Madison on Saturday at Old Dominion. injured Blake Baker. The defense appears good enough for the Sun Belt. Time will tell whether the offense is as well.

SUN BELT RANKINGS

PNU Extra points: It’s kind of hard to figure out how Georgia Southern Record: 2-1 lost last week. The Eagles held a Last week: Defeated UAB 21-14 This week: at Charlotte, 5:30 p.m. 13-minute advantage in time of posESPN+ session, and led in first downs 22-17 Extra points: At halftime on Satur- and total yards 369-302. A 75-yard day, the Ragin’ Cajuns were in po- punt return TD with 8:16 left did sition to push into the No. 4 spot. them in. Still, the defense is showThen the second half happened. ing vast improvement. Now the EaAfter the encouraging offensive ef- gles brace for the first Power Four fort at USC, the UL defense had to team ever to visit Statesboro in hold on after the offense struggled Houston, coached by former Geormightily against the Blazers. The gia Southern coach Willie Fritz. Cajuns need both a win and a few 9. South Alabama more style points at Charlotte. Record: 2-1 6. Appalachian State Last week: Defeated Ohio 41-36 This week: at Kentucky, 11:45 a.m. Record: 3-0 Last week: Defeated Charlotte 26-21 SEC Network Extra points: South Alabama isn’t This week: at NC State, 6:30 p.m. the best team in the Sun Belt like ESPNU Extra points: Leading 26-7 in the Kentucky’s coach suggested, but fourth quarter, App State hung on the Jaguars do deserve much reto beat the 49ers. The stats were spect for last week’s win without lopsided, with App State leading starting quarterback Bishop Davin total yardage 435-247 and limit- enport. Backup Jared Hollins was ing Charlotte to 36 yards rushing. 13-of-20 passing for 192 yards and a Quarterback Malachi Singleton score. The Jaguars led 38-21 in the continued to shine with 331 yards fourth quarter and collected 458 toand two TD passes. App State will tal yards. Kentucky is hoping to not face an angry NC State squad fresh overlook the Jaguars after stunning off one of the biggest gaffes in col- Texas A&M 31-21 on the road. lege football history when a fumble in the end zone on the game’s 10. Georgia State last play resulted in a 35-31 loss to Record: 2-1 Vanderbilt. Last week: Lost at Central Florida 44-30 7. Marshall This week: vs. Northern Illinois, 1 p.m. ESPN+ Record: 2-1 Extra points: The Panthers are showLast week: Defeated Missouri State 30-24 ing signs of being a dark horse in This week: vs. Gardner-Webb, the Sun Belt East race. Georgia 2:30 p.m. ESPN+ State was tied 27-27 in the third Extra points: The Marshall defense quarter at UCF, and it wasn’t fluky. remains a major question mark The Panthers led in time of posafter giving up 506 yards, but the session by seven minutes, in first Herd still figured out a way to beat downs 25-17 and in total yards Missouri State. The big thing is 485-390. The Panthers did throw Carlos Del Rio-Wilson returned three interceptions. Still, Cameran and threw for 179 yards and a score Brown was 30-of-47 passing for while rushing for 73 and another 282 yards and two scores. NIU is touchdown. The Herd were slowed 0-3 with losses to Iowa and Arizoby 11 flags for 87 yards. Gardner- na. If Georgia State can get to 3-1, Webb’s quarterback is Cole Pen- it might be time to take this team nington, the son of former Marshall seriously. quarterback Chad Pennington.

5. UL

bers weren’t pretty in the loss at TCU. The Red Wolves were outgained 468-261, and the Horned Frogs had a nine-minute edge in time of possession. No one expected the Red Wolves to beat TCU, though. Kennesaw State lost to Georgia State 31-17 and to Tennessee 42-9. With Sun Belt play about to start, this matchup should be a much better indicator of how much noise Arkansas State is capable of making.

12. Coastal Carolina Record: 1-3 Last week: Lost at Delaware 22-14 This week: Lost to Liberty 34-17 on Thursday Extra points: The encouraging opening loss at West Virginia is starting to fade for the Chanticleers, who fell to 1-3 on Thursday night. Coastal was outscored 24-0 in the second half. Quarterback Deuce Bailey settled for 17-of-34 passing for 213 yards with two TDs and two interceptions. He was sacked four times. Liberty outgained Coastal 485-292.

13. Southern Miss Record: 1-2 Last week: Lost to Connecticut 48-20 This week: at Tulane, 6 p.m. ESPN+ Extra points: All of the pour-mouthing the Golden Eagles did at Sun Belt media days in July is beginning to look a little more believable after last week’s blowout loss. Even the ﬁnal score was deceiving, because Southern Miss trailed 41-6 in the third quarter. Tulane may not offer much relief, although the Green Wave is 1-2. The losses have been to Duke 17-3 and Kansas State 31-20, with a 28-24 win over South Alabama in between.

14. UL-Monroe

Record: 0-3 Last week: Lost to Southeastern, 38-35 This week: vs. Florida Atlantic, 7 p.m. ESPN+ Extra points: The Warhawks really needed to beat Southeastern, but it didn’t happen. The Lions led 31-13 in the third quarter in Monroe. It was the ultimate frustration for the Warhawks, who outgained Southeastern 511-279. The Lions scored 11. Arkansas State on an 11-yard interception return 8. Georgia Southern and a 78-yard punt return. Florida Record: 1-2 Atlantic won’t likely offer much Last week: Lost at TCU 31-7 Record: 1-2 This week: vs. Kennesaw State, relief with a 2-1 record, including a Last week: Lost at Jacksonville loss to Florida and wins over Navy 6 p.m. ESPN+ State 31-27 Extra points: As expected, the num- and Florida International. This week: vs. Houston, 3 p.m. ES-

The offensive line powering that attack “really comes off the ball well,” according to UL defensive tackle Ashton Wright. “I like the way they come off the ball, so we’ve got to go be physical with them,” Wright said. Desormeaux said the most impressive thing on ﬁlm is the Charlotte defense. “They’re defensive line is really good,” he said. “They’ve got some twitch inside, and they’ve got some good size inside. “Their backers are really active. I don’t use the word very often, but I think they’re linebackers are great blitzers. They blitz hard, hit the gap and they play off each other really tight.” The Cajuns are led by quarterback Lunch Winﬁeld, who is completing 73% of his passes

for 511 yards and one score with 267 yards rushing and ﬁve more touchdowns. “Lunch is doing a great job,” UL running back Steven Blanco said. “He puts us in a great position every time and tells us what’s coming and what’s not coming. He’s doing a great job as a coach.” Blanco (21-78, 3 TDs) is part of a committee of four running backs, along with Anthony Rea-

gan (22-108, 1 TD), Darrell Smith (18-98, 2 TDs) and JJ Garner (14-63). “I feel like it’s been good,” Blanco said. “All four of us could go in and do different things. We know we can all get in and play to our best ability, and it’s going to keep us fresh toward the end of the season.” Email Kevin Foote at kfoote@ theadvocate.com.

8C ● Saturday, September 26, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

lll

SCOREBOARD Prep volleyball Thursday’s Results

St. Thomas More def. ESA, 3-0 Carencro def. New Iberia, 3-0 Lafayette High def. St. Martinville, 3-0 Acadiana def. Hanson, 3-0 Beau Chene def. Family Christian, 3-0 Pineville def. Opelousas, 3-0 Church Point def. Church Point, 3-1 St. Louis def. Notre Dame, 3-1 Lafayette Christian def. Sulphur, 3-2 Catholic-NI def. Southside, 3-0 Acadiana Renaissance def. WestminsterLafayette, 3-0 Marksville def. St. Edmund, 3-0 Acadiana Christian def. Patterson, 3-1 Lafayette 25-25-25, St. Martinville 14-10-7 Iota 18-25-26-25, Westlake 25-22-24-14. Catholic-NI 25-25-25, Southside 23-16-16

Monday’s schedule

Acadiana Renaissance at Ascension Episcopal, Carencro at LaGrange, St. Edmund at Notre Dame, Opelousas Catholic at Beau Chene, Delcambre at North Vermilion, Westgate at Highland Baptist, Northside Christian at Westlake, Leesville at Eunice.

Prep football Ascension Episcopal 31, Jeanerette 30 Delcambre 56, Highland Baptist 13 Ellender 35, Morris Jeff 6 Elton 44, DeQuincy 0 Haynes Academy 41, Thomas Jefferson 7 Joaquin, Texas 42, Mansﬁeld 34 Jonesboro-Hodge 42, Lincoln Preparatory School 20 Karr 31, Holy Cross 0 Lake Charles College Prep 62, Kinder 28 Mandeville 37, Hammond 13 Minden 39, Bossier 0 Morgan City 32, Acadiana Christian 22 North DeSoto 55, Woodlawn (SH) 0 North Iberville 52, Capitol 12 Ouachita Christian 56, Oak Grove 20 Parkway 29, Huntington 6 Rosepine 35, Oberlin 8 Rummel 35, Chalmette 0 Sacred Heart 17, Opelousas Catholic 10 Southside 56, New Iberia 0 St. John 49, East Iberville 14 Vinton 47, Grand Lake 0 Westminster Christian (LAF) 54, Centerville 14

Odds Sports Betting Line NFL Sunday

FAVORITE OPEN at DETROIT 9½ at BUFFALO 2½ Seattle 3½ Houston 2½ at NY GIANTS 3 Kansas City 7 Carolina 2½ Cincinnati 1½ at JA 1½ Minnesota 1½ at SAN FRAN 11½ Baltimore 2½ at N.O. 3 LA Rams 3

TODAY O/U UNDERDOG 6½ (48½) NY Jets 7½ (50½) Chargrs 7½ (40½) at WASH 1½ (42½) at IND 2½ (38½) Tennessee 10½ (45½) at MIAMI 2½ (42½) at CLE 3½ (42½) at PITT 3 (46½) New Eng 1½ (42½) at TAMPA 8½ (48½) Arizona 3½ (53½) at DALLAS 3½ (43½) Las Vegas 2½ (44½) at DENVER

FAVORITE OPEN Philadelphia 1½

TODAY O/U UNDERDOG 4½ (41½)at CHICAGO

Monday

College Football

FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG at BAYLOR 6½ 9½ (55½) Colorado at PITT 49½ 52½ (63½) Bucknell Texas 6½ 5½ (54½) at TEN at UTSA 10½ 14 (56½) Colrado St Virginia Tech 14½ 14 (47½) at B. COLL at LOUSVLLE 13½ 13½ (57½) W. Forest UNLV 13½ 13½ (52½) at AKRON at OHIO ST 26½ 27½ (54½) Illinois at TEX TECH 40½ 34½ (56½) Sam Hou at KENT ST 3½ 3 (50½) Ball State at TOLEDO 3½ 2½ (51½) Sdsu at KENTUCKY 20½ 20½ (54½) S. Albama at E. MICH 28½ 25½ (51½) Lindenwd UCLA 1½ 1½ (56½) at MRYLND Notre Dame 27½ 27½ (57½) at PURDUE at GSU 8½ 10½ (56½) N. Illinois at FSU 43½ 45½ (63½) C. Arkan Hawaii 5½ 2½ (43½) at WYMNG at GEORGIA 10 13½ (44½) Oklahoma Utah 11½ 8½ (47½) at IOWA ST Boise State 7½ 7½ (50½) at W. MICH at MICHIGAN 4½ 5½ (38½) Iowa at OHIO 37½ 33½ (53½) Stonehill at DUKE 43½ 43½ (62½)Will & Mary

WNBA

Continued from page 5C Here’s a look at the four firstround series. They will play a bestof-three format.

Lynx vs Liberty Minnesota still stings from losing in overtime in a decisive Game 5 to New York two years ago in the WNBA Finals. Many of the key players are back for both teams with Napheesa Collier, Courtney Williams and Kayla McBride leading the Lynx. They are led by expected WNBA Rookie of the Year Olivia Miles, who has had a dynamic ﬁrst season in the league. Minnesota was the best team in the league for most of the season, rising to the top of the standings without Collier, who was sidelined after offseason sur-

SAINTS

Continued from page 5C onto the active roster and played a critical dirty-work role for the Saints in his ﬁrst two games as the shortyardage back and Shough’s personal protector on third downs. Of the 20 snaps Donaldson played last week in Baltimore, 13 came on third down, many of those featuring him in pass protection. “He’s a beast,” Shough said. “He’s ﬁtting the A gap on Hall of Fame, Pro Bowl level guys every single week. It’s been awesome to see, especially from a rookie, an undrafted guy. His physicality, his preparation, it’s been really cool.” Coming into this summer, Donaldson was not on many radars. He went undrafted after a solid college career, where he racked up 2,419 yards and 40 touchdowns on the ground between West Virginia and Ohio State. He seemed buried near the bottom of a talented group of Saints running backs.

at FLORIDA 1½ New Mexico 13½ at BUFFALO 28½ at MARSHLL 26½ at MIAMI (OH) 5½ TCU 1½ Houston 20½ at E. CAR 31½ at AUBURN 8½ at PENN ST 11½ Nebraska 5½ South Florida 14½ J. Madison 1½ at VIRGINIA 21½ at TSU 30½ at FLA INTL 34½ UL 13½ at MIA (FL) 42½ at TULANE 16½ at JAX ST 12½ at ALABAMA 11½ at W. KENT 37½ Kansas St 6½ at ARKAN ST 5½ at W VIRGINIA 2½ at LSU 3 Oregon 5½ at NC ST 11½ at N. TEXAS 38½ at UTAH ST 1½ Arizona 12½ at MISS ST 1½ Florida Atl 11½ at ARKANSAS 10½ at SMU 34½ Oregon St 10½ UMass 5½ at FRESNO ST 12½ Georgia Tech 5½ Air Force 3½ at WASH 8½

MLB

3½ 11½ 28½ 23½ 3½ 3 17½ 36½ 9½ 10 5½ 17½ 6 19½ 30½ 36½ 10 41½ 18 7 12½ 40½ 6½ 6½ 2 8½ 3 14 38½ 3 10½ 5½ 11½ 7 34½ 10½ 4½ 13½ 3½ 6 10½

(58½) Ole Miss (48½) at NMSU (45½) R. Morris (52½) Grdnr-Wbb (51½) UConn (48½) at UCF (56½) at GA SOU (56½) N. Car Cent (55½) Vanderbilt (43½) Wisconsin (49½) at MSU (49½)at B. GREEN (44½)at OLD DOM (52½) Delaware (64½) Incrn Word (53½) LIU (48½) at CHAR (54½)C. Michigan (52½) South Miss (51½) M. Tenn (54½) S. Carolina (56½) Mrcyhrst (55½) at CIN (52½) Kennsw St (61½) Oklah St (52½) Texas A&M (61½) at USC (55½) App St (60½) Hou Christ (47½) Troy (48½)at WASH ST (58½) Missouri (58½) at ULM (50½) Tulsa (60½) Missouri St (56½) at UTEP (48½) at SAC ST (44½) Rice (48½) at STNFRD (50½) at NEVADA (46½) Minnesota

Saturday

American League FAVORITE LINE Texas -114 at KANSAS CITY OFF at SEATTLE -192 at ATHLETICS OFF National League FAVORITE LINE LA Dodgers -331 N.Y Mets -134 at MIAMI OFF at MILWAUKEE -191 at SAN DIEGO OFF Interleague FAVORITE LINE at DETROIT OFF at TORONTO OFF at WHITE SOX -233 at PHILA OFF at BOSTON OFF

UNDERDOG LINE at MINNESOTA -107 Cleveland OFF LA Angels +160 Houston OFF UNDERDOG at SAN FRAN at WASH Atlanta St. Louis Arizona

LINE +263 +113 OFF +159 OFF

UNDERDOG Pittsburgh Cincinnati Colorado Tampa Bay Chicago Cubs

LINE OFF OFF +191 OFF OFF

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

L 14 16 16 18 28 33 33

Pct .682 .636 .636 .591 .364 .250 .250

GB — 2 2 4 14 19 19

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

W 33 32 31 27 17 16 16 8

L 11 12 13 17 27 28 28 36

Pct .750 .727 .705 .614 .386 .364 .364 .182

GB — 1 2 6 16 17 17 25

WESTERN CONFERENCE

x-clinched playoff spot Thursday’s Games

Connecticut 95, Toronto 81 Washington 101, Chicago 93 Minnesota 86, Indiana 66 Las Vegas 100, Phoenix 82 Golden State 76, Los Angeles 75

L 0 1 1 2

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

PA 62 16 30 62

Jacksonville Tennessee Houston Indianapolis

W 1 0 0 0

L 1 2 2 2

T 0 0 0 0

PF 47 30 37 53

PA 30 47 56 74

L T Pct PF 0 0 1.000 53 1 0 .500 58 1 0 .500 23 1 0 .500 33

PA 33 47 33 53

Major League Baseball

PA 40 27 44 52

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

W 96 92 86 78 77

L 63 67 74 81 82

Pct .604 .579 .538 .491 .484

GB — 4 10½ 18 19

W 83 82 75 74 68

South

North

Cincinnati Baltimore Pittsburgh Cleveland

West

W 2 1 1 1

W 2 2 1 0

Kansas City Las Vegas Denver L.A. Chargers

L 0 0 1 2

Pct .500 .000 .000 .000

T Pct PF 0 1.000 64 0 1.000 53 0 .500 30 0 .000 28

NATIONAL CONFERENCE

No games scheduled.

Saturday’s Games

No games scheduled.

Pro football NFL Glance AMERICAN CONFERENCE East

gery on both ankles. With her back, the Lynx look to win their first title since 2017. New York changed coaches during the offseason and have been beset by injuries for most of the year. They still have the talented trio of Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu and Jonquel Jones, who led them to the franchise’s first championship in 2024. Jones rolled her ankle in the regular-season finale and her health will be critical to the Liberty’s success. After winning the title in 2024, New York was surprisingly eliminated in the first round by Phoenix last year.

East Division

Central Division

Philadelphia N.Y. Giants Dallas Washington

L 0 1 1 2

T Pct PF 0 1.000 48 0 .500 34 0 .500 57 0 .000 42

PA 42 48 48 61

z-Cleveland z-Chicago Minnesota Detroit Kansas City

L 76 77 84 85 91

Pct .522 .516 .472 .465 .428

GB — 1 8 9 15

Carolina New Orleans Atlanta Tampa Bay

W 1 1 1 0

L 1 1 2 2

T 0 0 0 0

PF 71 54 51 46

PA 62 48 68 56

Pct .497 .497 .465 .396 .384

GB — — 5 16 18

L T Pct PF 0 0 1.000 48 1 0 .500 62 1 0 .500 62 2 0 .333 56

PA 25 71 46 91

W L Houston 79 80 Texas 79 80 Seattle 74 85 Athletics 63 96 Los Angeles 61 98 x-clinched division y-clinched wild card z-clinched playoff berth

W L T Pct PF 2 0 0 1.000 44 2 0 0 1.000 62 1 1 0 .500 35 1 1 0 .500 33

PA 17 20 33 45

South

North

Minnesota Detroit Chicago Green Bay

West

Seattle San Francisco L.A. Rams Arizona

W 2 1 1 1

Pct .500 .500 .333 .000

Thursday’s Games

Atlanta 35, Green Bay 14

Sunday’s Games

Carolina at Cleveland, noon Cincinnati at Pittsburgh, noon Houston at Indianapolis, noon Kansas City at Miami, noon L.A. Chargers at Buffalo, noon N.Y. Jets at Detroit, noon New England at Jacksonville, noon Seattle at Washington, noon Tennessee at N.Y. Giants, noon Arizona at San Francisco, 3:05 p.m. Minnesota at Tampa Bay, 3:05 p.m. Baltimore vs Dallas at Rio de Janeiro, BRA, 3:25 p.m. Las Vegas at New Orleans, 3:25 p.m. L.A. Rams at Denver, 7:20 p.m. Philadelphia at Chicago, 7:15 p.m.

Late Thursday Atlanta 35, Green Bay 14

Atlanta 7 10 7 11 — 35 Green Bay 7 0 0 7 — 14 First Quarter GB—Watson 4 pass from Love (Smack kick), 5:10. Atl—Bi.Robinson 3 run (Folk kick), 1:32. Second Quarter Atl—FG Folk 44, 4:48. Atl—Hooper 5 pass from Penix (Folk kick), :57. Third Quarter Atl—Br.Robinson 7 run (Folk kick), 3:38. Fourth Quarter Atl—FG Folk 31, 10:57. GB—Golden 15 pass from Love (Smack kick), 8:18. Atl—Bi.Robinson 2 run (Blair pass from Penix), 3:33. First downs Total Net Yards Rushes-yards Passing Punt Returns Kickoff Returns Interceptions Ret. Comp-Att-Int Sacked-Yards Lost Punts Fumbles-Lost Penalties-Yards Time of Possession INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Atl GB 25 18 498 328 41-242 9-17 256 311 2-22 0-0 3-76 7-180 1-17 1-5 18-25-1 28-53-1 0-0 1-1 2-45.5 5-50.0 0-0 1-0 6-83 6-45 37:05 22:55

tistically the best defensive team in the league, holding teams to 78.8 points a game, led by Gabby Williams and Veronica Burton. The Valkyries were swept in the ﬁrst round last season, but gained valuable experience and have the deepest bench in the league. Dallas had one of the biggest turnarounds in WNBA history, winning 17 more games this season than last year. Led by Bueckers, the Wings are back in the postseason for the first time in three years. Bueckers has Arike Ogunbowale has a running mate, giving Dallas two great shot-makers. The team’s health could be an issue though: No. 1 pick Azzi Fudd is sidelined for the season with a knee injury and Alanna Smith has been out with a left leg injury.

Golden State became the first expansion team to reach the postseason in its inaugural season last year and the Valkyries followed Aces vs. Fever that up by competing for the No. 1 The Las Vegas-Indiana matchup spot this year. Golden State is sta- offers the most star power of any

But almost as soon as he got in, running backs coach Joel Thomas noted how quickly Donaldson picked up the pass protection principles. As training camp progressed and the team traveled to California for joint practices with the Rams and Cowboys, the Saints saw his performance match his understanding. “He had a pressure pickup against the Cowboys that was very similar to what he did in the game last Sunday,” Thomas said. “You know you can trust him.” Donaldson is easily the biggest back on the roster, checking in at 6-foot-1 and 230 pounds. His physical style matches his frame, which is why the Saints feel comfortable giving him the ball in short-yardage situations (Donaldson has converted all three of his carries for ﬁrst downs). But it’s not just the size and physicality, Thomas said. Defenders have to account for Donaldson’s length as a blocker, presenting a different target than most running backs. Donaldson also has a keen un-

American League

W 2 1 1 0

East

A—76,955.

Friday’s Games

Valkyries vs. Wings

W 2 1 1 0

Monday’s Games

W 30 28 28 26 16 11 11

RUSHING—Atlanta, Bi.Robinson 29-194, Br.Robinson 10-50, Penix 2-(minus 2). Green Bay, Lloyd 4-11, K.Johnson 4-6, Love 1-0. PASSING—Atlanta, Penix 18-25-1-256. Green Bay, Love 28-53-1-312. RECEIVING—Atlanta, D.London 9-194, Bi.Robinson 2-19, Hooper 2-11, Zaccheaus 2-9, Dotson 1-11, Branch 1-7, Pitts 1-5. Green Bay, Watson 7-96, Golden 5-100, Kraft 4-26, Moore 3-31, Sturdivant 3-22, Smith 2-16, Lloyd 2-7, K.Johnson 1-10, C.Brooks 1-4. MISSED FIELD GOALS—Green Bay, Smack 47.

Buffalo New England N.Y. Jets Miami

derstanding of how pressure plans work and how to mix up what he’s doing as a blocker. That is a product of his time at West Virginia with running backs coach Chad Scott. By his own account, Donaldson said he struggled in pass protection early in his college career. It was Scott who helped Donaldson understand the geometry of pressure packages — how the defense replaces a void in coverage when it sends a rusher from a certain spot, for example. Donaldson was learning how to arm himself with information before the snap to increase his odds of success in protection. That one skill has translated into an NFL roster spot. “So much of what this league is now on third downs is attacking your protection plans and trying to keep the running back in to create challenging matchups for them,” Saints coach Kellen Moore said. “I thought he did an awesome job, to go against that Baltimore defense. Those linebackers are really physical and really talented, and he was right there.”

West Division

Chicago White Sox 9, Kansas City 1 Texas 3, N.Y. Mets 1 Cleveland 1, Boston 0 N.Y. Yankees 6, Tampa Bay 4 Houston 7, Athletics 5 L.A. Angels 6, Seattle 4 Boston 4, Chicago Cubs 3, 1st game Baltimore 10, N.Y. Yankees 2, 1st game Boston 2, Chicago Cubs 0, 2nd game Pittsburgh at Detroit, n Tampa Bay at Philadelphia, n Baltimore at N.Y. Yankees, n, 2nd game Cincinnati at Toronto, n Cleveland at Kansas City, n Colorado at Chicago White Sox, n Texas at Minnesota, n Houston at Athletics, n L.A. Angels at Seattle, n

Saturday’s Games

Pittsburgh (TBD) at Detroit (Verlander 0-1), 12:10 p.m. Cincinnati (Lowder 6-12) at Toronto (Miles 6-2), 2:07 p.m. Texas (TBD) at Minnesota (Ober 7-6), 3:10 p.m. Cleveland (Bibee 6-15) at Kansas City (Wacha 9-9), 6:10 p.m. Colorado (Quintana 2-3) at Chicago White Sox (Martin 9-7), 6:10 p.m. Chicago Cubs (Boyd 10-5) at Boston (Sandoval 1-7), 6:15 p.m. Tampa Bay (Jax 8-10) at Philadelphia (TBD), 6:15 p.m. Houston (TBD) at Athletics (Perkins 3-12), 8:40 p.m. L.A. Angels (Johnson 5-9) at Seattle (Anderson 2-2), 8:40 p.m.

National League x-Atlanta Philadelphia Miami Washington New York

W 93 87 78 75 73

L 66 72 81 84 86

Pct .585 .547 .491 .472 .459

GB — 6 15 18 20

x-Milwaukee y-Chicago Pittsburgh St. Louis Cincinnati

W 100 88 81 77 74

L 59 72 78 82 85

Pct .629 .550 .509 .484 .465

GB — 12½ 19 23 26

W x-Los Angeles 97 y-San Diego 89 Arizona 85 San Francisco 65 Colorado 57 x-clinched division y-clinched wild card

L 62 70 74 94 102

Pct .610 .560 .535 .409 .358

GB — 8 12 32 40

West Division

Boston 4, Chicago Cubs 3, 1st game Boston 2, Chicago Cubs 0, 2nd game Pittsburgh at Detroit, n Tampa Bay at Philadelphia, n N.Y. Mets at Washington, n Cincinnati at Toronto, n Atlanta at Miami, n Colorado at Chicago White Sox, n St. Louis at Milwaukee, n Arizona at San Diego, n L.A. Dodgers at San Francisco, n

Saturday’s Games

Pittsburgh (TBD) at Detroit (Verlander 0-1), 12:10 p.m. Cincinnati (Lowder 6-12) at Toronto (Miles 6-2), 2:07 p.m. L.A. Dodgers (Snell 4-1) at San Francisco (Wilkinson 1-3), 3:05 p.m. N.Y. Mets (Tong 2-2) at Washington (Irvin 2-9), 3:05 p.m. Atlanta (TBD) at Miami (Alcantara 13-11), 3:10 p.m. Colorado (Quintana 2-3) at Chicago White Sox (Martin 9-7), 6:10 p.m. St. Louis (Mathews 2-3) at Milwaukee (May 7-9), 6:10 p.m. Chicago Cubs (Boyd 10-5) at Boston (Sandoval 1-7), 6:15 p.m. Tampa Bay (Jax 8-10) at Philadelphia (TBD), 6:15 p.m. Arizona (Burnes 0-0) at San Diego (Buehler 9-6), 7:40 p.m.

Major League Baseball

Friday’s Games

Central Division

Friday’s Games

Transactions

Thursday’s Games

East Division

Pittsburgh 2, St. Louis 1 Chicago Cubs 2, Miami 1 Texas 3, N.Y. Mets 1 Arizona 12, Colorado 8 Milwaukee 5, Philadelphia 1 Cincinnati 7, Atlanta 6 San Diego 4, L.A. Dodgers 2

Thursday’s Games

opening series with Wilson, Clark and Kelsey Mitchell leading the way. Wilson had another MVP-level season, dominating on both ends of the court. Clark has been impressive for the past month, scoring more than 20 points in eight of the past 10 games. Her backcourt mate, Mitchell, had a WNBA record 27 straight games scoring 20 or more points. The teams met in the playoffs last season with Clark sidelined by injuries. The Aces came away with an exciting OT victory in the decisive Game 5 of their semiﬁnal series.

Dream vs. Mystics Both Atlanta and Washington lately haven’t had any luck in the playoffs, but that will change for someone. The Dream added to their roster this year with the acquisition of Reese and DeWanna Bonner, giving Atlanta two major

American League CHICAGO WHITE SOX — Placed RHP Luis Castillo on the 15-day IL. Recalled RHP Tyler Davis from Charlotte (IL). KANSAS CITY ROYALS — Placed RHP Steven Cruz on the paternity list. Recalled RHP Spencer Bivens from ACL Royals. LOS ANGELES ANGELS — Placed RHP Ben Joyce on the 15-day IL, retroactive to Sept. 21. Recalled RHP Trevor Martin from Salt Lake (PCL). NEW YORK YANKEES — Placed RHP Clarke Schmidt on the 15-day IL, retroactive to Sept. 21. Recalled RHP Bradley Hanner from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (IL). SEATTLE MARINERS — Placed SS Brock Rodden on the 10-day IL, retroactive to Sept. 23. Recalled 3B Leo Rivas from Tacoma (PCL). TAMPA BAY RAYS — Optioned RHP Mason Englert to Durham (IL). Selected the contract of RHP Jake Woodford from Durham. National League ATLANTA BRAVES — Selected the contract RHP Elieser Hernández. PITTSBURGH PIRATES — Recalled LHP Evan Sisk from Indianapolis (IL). Optioned RHP Khristian Curtis to FCL Pirates. SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS — Claimed RHP Camilo Doval off waivers from Pittsburgh. Transferred RHP Blade Tidwell to the 60-day IL.

BASKETBALL

National Basketball Association ATLANTA HAWKS — Waived G Keon Johnson. DETROIT PISTONS — Waived G Jordan Riley. LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS — Waived F Johni Broome. MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES — Waived Fs Payton Sandfort and Nate Santos. NEW ORLEANS PELICANS — Signed F Julian Reese to a two-way contract. PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS — Waived F Keylan Boone and Gs Barry Dunning and Mark Sears. SAN ANTONIO SPURS — Waived G Miles Barnstable. TORONTO RAPTORS — Waived G AJ Hoggard. UTAH JAZZ — Waived C Ibrahima Diallo and G Justin Harmon.

FOOTBALL

National Football League CHICAGO BEARS — Signed LS Beau Gardner to the practice squad. LOS ANGELES CHARGERS — Signed WR Gary Jennings to the practice squad. MIAMI DOLPHINS — Signed WR A.J. Henning to the practice squad. NEW YORK GIANTS — Placed QB Jaxson Dart on injured reserve. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES — Signed CB Shaun Wade to the practice squad. TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS — Waived DL Deshawn MckKnight with an injury settlement.

pieces to an already stacked lineup that features Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray. With Reese and Bonner, the Dream hope to win a playoff series for the ﬁrst time since 2016. They’ve been knocked out of the postseason in the opening round the past three seasons. Reese gives them added toughness and is the best rebounder in the WNBA. Bonner provides playoff experience and veteran leadership. Washington, which is the youngest team in the league, is back in the postseason for the ﬁrst time since 2023. Like the Dream, the team hasn’t had any success in the playoffs since winning the franchise’s lone title in 2019. The young core led by Shakira Austin, Kiki Iriafen and Sonia Citron have anchored the second-best defense in the league and have shown they can play with anyone in the league

YEARS

11 teams. 6 conferences. 1 state.

SATURDAYS 10AM & 10:30AM

MONDAYS 5PM

KLPB 24

www.lpb.org

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LIVING

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

Terry Robinson FAITH MATTERS

S at u r d ay, S e p t e m b e r 26, 2026

9CN

“I’ve always been evangelistic. I’ve always tried to reach people and did a lot of door-to-door visitation over all these years of pastoring churches. I’ve knocked on thousands of doors.” LESLIE FOGLEMAN

New Interfaith Federation director learned lessons at home Long before Ma’at Latham ever imagined becoming executive director of the Interfaith Federation of Greater Baton Rouge, she learned how different faith traditions could coexist in her own family. On any given Sunday growing up, Latham might find herself at a Church of God in Christ congregation with her grandmother. On another occasion, she might learn about her mother’s East Indian spiritual practices. Then, her father brought Rastafarian beliefs into the mix. Latham also practiced Islam for a couple of years. “I grew up in a household where my mother allowed us to explore Latham the spiritual path that felt the most comfortable to us,” said Latham, who was formally introduced to the community last week during the Interfaith Federation’s 40th annual prayer breakfast. It wasn’t until she was about 20 years old that she found her path back to Christianity. “It just kind of worked for me,” said Latham, a member of United Christian Faith Ministries. “I think with Christianity, because there are so many places to worship, it made it a natural decision for me.” For Latham, 47, her experience not only exposed her to different traditions but shaped how she views people and their spiritual journeys. She says she’s not judgmental of anyone’s beliefs, and she expects the same respect. That philosophy aligns with the mission of the Interfaith Federation, which was founded in 1986 as a gathering point for people of all faiths to strengthen and cultivate unity, justice and peace in the community and beyond. Latham was born in Oklahoma but has lived in several areas, including New York, Atlanta, Houston, Dallas, Monroe, Lafayette and Baton Rouge. She graduated from Grambling State University with a degree in political science and went on to earn a master’s degree in administration. Three years ago, she earned a doctorate in public policy from Southern University. But her first career was in education, following the example of her mother. “I was kind of a campus baby. I’ve been in the classroom my whole life,” she said. “My mother made it such a natural fit for me to be a teacher.” As an educator, Latham came to appreciate the deeper meaning behind her names and its reflection on her calling. Her first name, Ma’at, comes from the ancient Egyptian goddess of truth and justice. Her middle name, Emayana, means “one who loves everyone” from the African language. “I never wanted anyone’s child to feel unwelcome on my campus. So I felt grateful that my mother named me ‘one who loves everyone,’ because I fully believe that to my core,” she said. After about 12 years in education, Latham moved on to the nonprofit sector. She came to Baton Rouge about three years ago and most recently was with the National Minority

ä See MATTERS, page 10C

STAFF PHOTOS By JUDy BERGERON

Leslie Fogleman prays with Jody Johnson, of Loranger, outside Bohning’s Supermarket in Loranger on Sept. 18. Johnson took home four crosses for herself and her three children.

FAITH ON THE GO

Meet Leslie Fogleman, the 83-year-old pastor who takes his cross ministry on the road

BY JUDY BERGERON

around Fogleman as he stood under his shelter in the parking lot of Bohning’s Supermarket in ruwice a week, Leslie Fo- ral Loranger. A ﬂoor fan whirled gleman hits the road to next to a camp chair. Pamphlets, prayer sheets and Jesus keychains save souls. He’s the guy behind covered a folding table. The pasthe wheel of a white tor, water bottle in hand, wore a TNissan Murano, pulling a shirt, shorts and Skechers. black trailer stacked with “I’ve always been evanwooden crosses. A sign gelistic. I’ve always tried secured to his tow reads: to reach people and did a “Free crosses. 985-974lot of door-to-door visita3960. Call. I’ll pull over.” tion over all these years of And they do. Some are pastoring churches. I’ve looking for spiritual salvaknocked on thousands of doors,” Fogleman, a Coltion, others for a moment Fogleman of prayer, still others just fax native who now lives want a “Jesus is Lord” cross for in Ponchatoula, said, adding that their yard. the results weren’t that effective. On these days, Fogleman, 83, who He pivoted to a prayer ministry has been the pastor of New Beulah at New Beulah, stationing himself Baptist Church just outside Ham- outside near U.S. 190 East, where mond for seven years, also sets up he’d hold up a sign to attract drivhis red tent for a few hours at vari- ers to park and pray with him. ous locations in Tangipahoa and This expanded to installation of a Livingston parishes. This time, the 14-foot-tall cross close to the road drivers pull over for him, “Brother where prayer requests and names are posted. Now there’s a pavilion Les” as he likes to be called. On a recent 92-degree Friday with two benches. Also located afternoon, love bugs swarmed there is a blessings box where Staff writer

After a day of doing his cross ministry, Leslie Fogleman prints the names of all those who visited him on one sheet of paper and posts it to the prayer cross outside New Beulah Baptist Church. those in need can pick up nonperishable food items and water. It empties out daily, and Fogleman replaces the supplies … daily. “That prayer ministry just evolved until I met a Texas man

ä See FOGLEMAN, page 10C

Specially built cabin façade enhances BR exhibit Daniel Shaw, left, and Kaylyn Shaw, owners of Shaw Remodeling of Baton Rouge, place the final details on a cabin façade they constructed to complement the Louisiana Art & Science Museum’s exhibit ‘Preserving Paradise: The Vision of C.C. Lockwood.’ STAFF PHOTO By ROBIN MILLER

BY ROBIN MILLER Staff writer

The cabin in the C.C. Lockwood exhibit surely will be the Louisiana Art & Science Museum’s No. 1 selﬁe spot in coming months. “That’s what we’re hoping for, anyway,” museum curator Tracey Barhorst said. The structure is part of the “Preserving Paradise: The Vision of C.C. Lockwood,” the

museum’s retrospective exhibit celebrating the Louisiana photographer’s 55-year career. The cabin, essentially a façade with a front porch, window, door and tin roof will greet visitors at the entrance when the show opens on Sept. 25. But in the week preceding the opening, builders Daniel and Kaylyn Shaw were busy putting the ﬁnishing touches

ä See CABIN, page 10C

10C ● Saturday, September 26, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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Making anniversary fudge Dear Heloise: My husband and I and salt. Spread this into an 8-inch are celebrating our 30th wedsquare greased pan. Chill for at least 1½ hours before cutting it ding anniversary, and although it’s being catered, I into bite-size squares. — wanted to make your Heloise Chocolate Philly Fudge Walker accidents for the occasion. It’s my husband’s favorite. Dear Heloise: As a healthOver our 30 years tocare worker for over 40 years and a caretaker gether, my husband has Hints from of both my parents for been wonderful to me. I Heloise many years, I want to got lucky the day that I inform anyone who uses a agreed to marry him. So, walker with a seat that’s built in I do little things that he really (or anyone who cares for someenjoys, and this fudge recipe is one of his all-time favorites. one who uses one) to never use it Would you reprint it for me? — as a wheelchair! These walkers Connie G., in Schenectady, New York weren’t designed to be used this Connie, I’d be delighted to reway and can be very dangerous. I’ve had many patients in the print this recipe for you. Sending emergency room and attended you my best wishes for another to several in the field who were 30 years together! being pushed in a walker, hit CHOCOLATE PHILLY FUDGE a bump or crack, and were 4 cups sifted powdered sugar tipped over. This caused them 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, to hit their heads on the floor or softened sidewalk/pavement. Each time, 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, the patient was facing the permelted ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans son who was pushing them, so 1 teaspoon vanilla the back of their heads hit the Dash of salt ground first. The results were Add sugar gradually to the soft- fractured skulls, concussions, and injured neck vertebrae, as ened cream cheese, mixing well well as a great deal of blood. — after each addition. Next, mix Margaret, in Connecticut the warm chocolate thoroughly into the sugar and cream cheese mixture. Stir in the nuts, vanilla Send a hint to heloise@heloise. (chocolate fudge needs vanilla), com.

RELIGION BRIEFS FROM STAFF REPORTS

Difference Makers 225 holds conference

spiritual mobilization effort. The initiative began at sundown Sept. 10 and continues through sunDifference Makers 225 will host the “Breaking down Nov. 1. Baton Rouge Barriers Walking Boldorganizer Sandra Pate said participants from all ly” Women’s Conference 50 states and more than from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. 100 nations are taking Saturday at Holiday Inn part. Sept. 29 has been South, 9990 Airline High- Weber designated as Louisiana’s way, Baton Rouge. The conference will feature a special fasting day. A National Mall Sacred Assemkeynote message by TV talk show host and author Shirley Weber, bly will be held Oct. 31 in Washalong with a panel discussion on ington, D.C. For more informafacing fear and stepping into your tion, visit na52.org. purpose. To register, visit gottobedifferent. com or call (225) 933-5816.

Nehemiah Alliance 52 Days of Prayer

Baptist church celebrates milestone

First Emmanuel Missionary Baptist Church, 575 Education St., Baton Rouge, will celebrate People of faith in Louisiana and its 94th church anniversary at around the world are participating 8 a.m. Oct. 18. The guest speaker will be the in 52 days of prayer, fasting and repentance through the Nehemiah Rev. Perry Wright of Promised Alliance, a nationwide Christian Land Baptist Church.

TODAY IN HISTORY By The Associated Press Today is Saturday, Sept. 26, the 269th day of 2026. There are 96 days left in the year. Today in history: On Sept. 26, 1960, the ﬁrst nationally televised debate between presidential candidates took place as Democrat John F. Kennedy and Republican Richard M. Nixon faced off in Chicago. Also on this date: In 1777, British troops occupied Philadelphia during the American Revolution. In 1954, the Japanese commercial ferry Toya Maru sank during a typhoon in the Tsugaru Strait, claiming more than 1,150 lives. In 1986, William H. Rehnquist was sworn in as the 16th chief justice of the United States, while Antonin Scalia joined the Supreme Court as its 103rd member. Rehnquist died in 2005 and Scalia in 2016. In 1990, the Motion Picture Association of America announced it had created a new rating, NC17, to replace the X rating. In 1991, four men and four women began a two-year stay inside a sealed-off structure in Oracle, Arizona, called Biosphere 2; they emerged from Biosphere 2 on this date in 1993. In 2000, thousands of antiglobalization protesters clashed with police in demonstrations during a summit of the International Monetary Fund and the

MATTERS

Continued from page 9C Supplier Development Council, an organization that helps connect corporations with certiﬁed minority-owned businesses. She discovered that running a school helped her to run nonprofits because both involve many of the same components, such as raising funds, working with grants, developing partnerships,

World Bank in Prague. In 2005, Army Pfc. Lynndie England was convicted by a military jury in Fort Hood, Texas, on six of seven counts stemming from the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal. In 2020, President Donald Trump nominated Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court to fill the seat left vacant by the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. (Barrett would be confirmed the following month.) In 2022, NASA’s Dart mission became the first spacecraft to ram an asteroid in a dress rehearsal for deflecting a space object’s trajectory. In 2024, Helene, a major Category 4 hurricane, made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region. It went on to cut a swath across Georgia and South Carolina before triggering historic flooding in North Carolina and Tennessee, causing an estimated $78 billion in damage and 219 deaths. Today’s birthdays: Country singer David Frizzell is 85. Singer Bryan Ferry is 81. Author Jane Smiley is 77. Singer-guitarist Cesar Rosas (Los Lobos) is 72. Actor Linda Hamilton is 70. Actor Melissa Sue Anderson is 64. Actor Jim Caviezel is 58. Singer Shawn Stockman (Boyz II Men) is 54. Hockey Hall of Famers Daniel and Henrik Sedin are 46. Tennis player Serena Williams is 45. Singer-actor Christina Milian is 45. Actor Zoe Perry is 43.

creating strategic plans and bringing people together. She compares it to cooking. “I can cook,” she said. “When it comes to running organizations, it’s different ingredients, but I still have to come up with a good dish.” Preparing good dishes and feeding the community have been staples of the Interfaith Federation outreach almost since its inception. Latham has been impressed by the Interfaith Federation board and its programs, including Holy

STAFF PHOTOS By JUDy BERGERON

From left, siblings Kollin Singleton, Maleigha Varnado and Konnor Singleton, all of Husser, pray with Leslie Fogleman on Sept. 18 in Loranger before taking home a wooden cross.

FOGLEMAN

Continued from page 9C online named Leo Lytle. He gives away these crosses. He came and spent a week with me in March 2025, and we gave away almost 1,000 in a week,” he said. “And so I was hooked from then on.” Like Lytle, Fogleman picks up his supply of wooden crosses from Trinity Baptist Church in Lufkin, Texas. Donations from those who stop for crosses cover his expenses, and he gives the remainder to Trinity Baptist. New Beulah also contributes to the Texas church. “They’ve had a tremendous ministry for 15 years. They’ve made over a million and a half of these crosses, so they’re all over. They give away as many as we need,” he continued. Fogleman and his wife of 58 years, Joyce, who’s 81, make the five-hour-plus drive to Lufkin about every two months. They ﬁt 411 of the large crosses, measuring 42 inches by 30 inches, in the trailer, sandwiching small ones (half that size) in between. Another 45-50 large crosses can ﬁt in the back of the SUV. The smaller crosses aren’t as popular, Fogleman noted. “We don’t make it home with all those, though,” he said. “We get pulled over several times on the way back.” On this particular afternoon, Fogleman had 41 visitors, and gave away 43 large crosses and eight small ones. Jody Johnson, of Loranger, stopped by at about 4 p.m. to pick up four large crosses for herself and her three children. As is his routine, the pastor printed Johnson’s name in a small notebook. Fogleman then posed the question — “If you were to die tonight, would you go to heaven?” “I hope so. I gave my life to Jesus a long time ago. He’s been my rock,’ ” Johnson answered. “Well, I mean, we all sin and we ask for forgiveness, so I pray every day

CABIN

A blessings box is part of the prayer pavilion on the grounds of New Beulah Baptist Church outside Hammond. Non-perishable food and water bottles are available in the box for those in need. that I do because I want to see my family.” Tearing up, Johnson related several miracles she said she and her family have experienced in their lives. “So I know he’s real and he’s there and he’s doing miracles every day,” she said. The pastor prayed with Johnson. She accepted a couple of Jesus keychains and a 90-day devotional booklet before leaving. “So the people I pray with now, I put all (of their names) on one piece of paper and I nail all their names to the cross (back at the church). It’s just covered with names,” he said. Siblings Maleigha Varnado and Konnor and Kollin Singleton, of Husser, stopped at the tent soon after. Varnado had noticed Fogleman earlier on the roadside. “And then I saw him again and I was like, ‘OK, God’s telling me I need to stop and get one,’” she said. Fogleman asked the salvation question to each of them. Varnado responded that she had been baptized but her younger brothers had not. Fogleman led them in a simple

on their work. The Baton Rouge husband and wife own and operate Shaw Remodeling, a business that grew about 10 years ago from a decision to take on the job of remodeling their own home. The cabin came to fruition when assistant curator and museum preparator Beth Welch, who knew the Shaws, suggested them for the job. Though the cabin is the Shaws’ ﬁrst museum project, they have previous experience building similar façades. “This is our first time to build something exactly like this,” Daniel Shaw said. “But we do a lot of different kinds of projects, especially during Halloween, when we always have something like this going on at our house. As a matter of fact, when

we started building the cabin, all of our neighbors got really excited, because they thought this was part of this year’s Halloween decoration. So they were a little disappointed when they found out it was leaving.” And it might not be leaving the museum at the conclusion of the exhibit next September. Barhorst said the museum staff is thinking about moving the cabin to the children’s area, Discovery Depot. Built at the Shaws’ home, the cabin is constructed of dog-eared cypress slats from a neighbor’s fence project. “I was trying to ﬁgure out a way to make it look a little more authentic, and our neighbors came to me with this fence,” Daniel Shaw said. “It was nicely weathered and had moss on it, and it looked really good.” The tin for the roof was purchased from Facebook Marketplace, and fish and game traps embellishing the porch belong to Kaylyn Shaw’s grandfather.

Grill feeding opportunities in Zion City and the prayer breakfast. Experiencing her ﬁrst prayer breakfast in less than a month on the job gave Latham a glimpse of the organization’s impact. About 60 different faith groups and organizations were represented at the event at Boudreaux’s Catering on Government Street. “You can tell that is very personal to them,” she said. “One person who came said she had never been this proud of her city before — just seeing all the dif-

ferent communities come together. She was mesmerized.” As she looks to the future of the Interfaith Federation, Latham is focused on deepening existing partnerships, establishing new ones and creating events to reach broader populations, namely youth. In October, Latham plans to hold a series of meet-and-greet meetings in the community, including a video highlighting the Interfaith Federation’s 40 years of service that was also shown at

Continued from page 9C

prayer, having them repeat each phrase after him. The minister, who also delivers a weekly sermon to the handful of Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church members in Hammond as a volunteer, aims to continue all his ministries as long as he’s physically able. He’s a third-generation preacher who’s been a pastor for 50-plus years. His plans also include expanding his cross ministry to Baton Rouge and McComb, Mississippi. The Foglemans also will be stationed at the Tangipahoa Parish Fair in Amite on Wednesday. “The Lord won’t leave me alone,” Fogleman concedes. “And so he just keeps using me and I just keep volunteering and I just continue on and he keeps me strong and faithful to that. So I’m so thankful. Keeps me healthy. For an 83-yearold man, I’m healthy.” To ﬁnd out where Fogleman will be next, follow him on Facebook, @leslie.fogleman.5 Email Judy Bergeron at jbergeron@theadvocate.com.

“He’s 80, and he still has a commercial ﬁshing license,” she said. As for the porch and its steps, they’re built of newly purchased lumber, all of which are sturdy enough to support museum visitors in pursuit of selﬁe portraits. The Shaws numbered every part of the façade, moved it from their home to the museum, then pieced it all together like a puzzle. “The deck framing is the only thing that we brought in one piece,” Daniel Shaw said. Now it stands as the gateway to Lockwood’s world, where cypress trees are silhouetted by the blues, oranges and pinks of Louisiana sunsets. “Preserving Paradise: The Vision of C.C. Lockwood,” will be on exhibit through Sept. 1, 2027, at the Louisiana Art & Science Museum, 100 Lafayette St. Visit lasm.org. Email Robin Miller at romiller@ theadvocate.com.

the prayer breakfast. “We have volunteer opportunities,” she said. “For people who aren’t a part of a congregation or part of an organization that can support us, we are still looking for individual volunteers who just want to come feed people within the community.” For more information, visit www.ifedgbr.com, call (225) 2675600 or contact info@ifedgbr.com. Contact Terry Robinson at terryrobinson622@gmail.com.

The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Saturday, September 26, 2026 ● 11C

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FrAnK And erneSt

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zodIAC LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) — Don't look back with regret; take what you learned and move forward with optimism and the knowledge to conquer what outmaneuvered you in the past. Pay it forward. SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) — Take the back roads if they will help you dodge someone who tends to mess with your mind. Take some "me" time to rethink your past, present and future. Looking back will offer insight into what is best for you. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) — Do what you do best. If you let your energy and charisma take over, your people will find you. A positive change will lead to a higher income. Mix business with pleasure, and negotiate on your own behalf. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) — Give yourself a chance to breathe. Retreat from controversial situations and anyone or anything that creates concern or doubt. Put greater emphasis on your physical well-being. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — Sign up for something that excites you, and explore new possibilities. Opportunities are apparent, but it's up to you to take advantage of what's available. Put money aside or start saving for something. PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) — Take your time, dream, set a budget and put a feasible plan in place. Don't feel the need to overspend or to make unnecessary physical changes to please someone else. ARIES (March 21-April 19) — Trust your instincts, and don't hesitate to ask per-

tinent questions if you feel there may be a discrepancy. Remain cautious in crowded settings or with people who don't share your beliefs. TAURUS (April 20-May 20) — Be careful what you wish for. Not everyone or everything you encounter will live up to your standards or expectations. Take your time, and let situations unfold before you make a commitment. GEMINI (May 21-June 20) — Dig your heels in and don't stop until you are satisfied with the results you get. Whether it's business or a competitive pleasure, if you give your all, you won't be disappointed. CANCER (June 21-July 22) — Protect your rights, possessions and health. Avoid people and situations that make you feel uncomfortable. Pay attention to how you look, feel and present yourself to those you encounter. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) — A trip or plans you make with a friend or relative will have a profound impact on you. Gather information and explore lifestyle possibilities that captivate your imagination. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) — Put greater emphasis on investments, health and contracts. Take care of paperwork that has a deadline and concerns that can disrupt your plans. Be a friendly observer, but don't be a follower. 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

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beetLe bAILeY CeLebrItY CIpher Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present. Each letter in the cipher stands for another.

TODAy'S CLUE: B EQUALS F

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

SherMAn’S LAGoon FAMILY CIrCUS

dooneSbUrY

12C ● Saturday, September 26, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

CurTiS

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

BaBY BLueS

BLondie

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La TimeS CroSSword

The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Saturday, September 26, 2026 ● 13C

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B.C.

Bridge BY PHILLIP ALDER James Joyce said, “A man of genius makes no mistakes. His errors are volitional and are the portals of discovery.” This week, we have seen deals featuring errors by players who are not bridge geniuses, from which we can learn. And here is another. What do you think of the bidding and what should happen in four spades after West leads the heart three? North’s jump to three spades showed four-card support but less than gameinvitational values. With a stronger hand, North would have made a threeheart cue-bid raise. This is an excellent idea because it allows the advancer (or the responder, if South had opened and West overcalled) to show either a weak, distributional raise or a high-card raise. Should East have rebid four hearts? Yes, perhaps that contract was making. No, because it was almost certain to push South into bidding four spades, which East could not be sure of defeating. Here, though, South was going to bid four spades regardless. Since West had supported hearts, his low-heart lead guaranteed at least one honor in the suit. East, hoping that honor was the king, took the first trick with his aceandreturnedaheart.However,South won with the king and cashed his two top

garfield

Pearls Before swiNe

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trumps. When the queen dropped, South claimed. At trick two, East should have shifted to his singleton diamond. Here, that would have worked perfectly. West would have won with his ace and given his partner a diamond ruff. East would then have cashed the club ace for down one. © 2026 by NEA, Inc., dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication

wuzzles Each Wuzzle is a word riddle which creates a disguised word, phrase, name, place, saying, etc. For example: NOON GOOD = GOOD AFTERNOON

PiCKles

Previous answers:

mallard fillmore

word game InstRuctIons: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed. 3. Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.

toDAY’s WoRD — noMInAtE: NOM-ih-nate: Designate; name.

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Average mark 38 words Time limit 60 minutes Can you find 53 or more words in NOMINATE? YEstERDAY’s WoRD — cEREBRAL cable carb care career carer carrel cereal clear clearer crab creel

earl race racer rale rare real rear rebar rebel reel bale

bare barer barre barrel bear bearer beer blare blear brace able

abler acre alee lace leer

loCKhorNs hidato Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

today’s thought “Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man.” Psalms 108:12

God is the one we need. He can meet our every need. G.E. Dean

14C ● Saturday, September 26, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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