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BESE agrees to erase vote to take over 2 Baker schools Move part of settlement of litigation brought by city

BY CHARLES LUSSIER Staff writer

Louisiana’s top school board has agreed to erase its March 2025 vote to take over two lowperforming schools in Baker two months after an appellate court found it failed to properly alert the public of the action. The Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education recently settled the litigation brought by the Baker School Board. As part of the consent judgment, BESE has agreed to declare “null and “void” any actions it took on March 12, 2025, “pertaining to the schools under the jurisdiction of the City of Baker School Board, speciﬁcally Baker Heights Elementary School and Baker Middle School.” BESE also agreed to pay attorney fees and court costs to Baker totaling

ä See BAKER, page 4A

Feds: Louisiana man abused kids in Haiti BY PATRICK SLOAN-TURNER

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

A multiyear waterproofing and rehabilitation project at the State Capitol launched last year and is expected to cost over $100 million. Scaffolding has enclosed the exterior of the building for months as crews work to repair the limestone exterior and other building components. The building, whose construction was completed in 1932 and is now a National Historic Landmark, had been in need of repairs for years as falling mortar eroded by water damage threatened visitors’ safety, state officials have said.

Staff writer

A Mansﬁeld man has been charged with sexually abusing several children while doing missionary work in Haiti, according to newly unsealed court documents. Maylon Foshee, 23, an international missionary, engaged in sexual conduct with three Haitian boys during trips to the country from 2023 to 2025, FBI agents said. Investigators said Foshee worked closely with children while in Haiti, helping them attend

ä See HAITI, page 4A

Trump denies asking Xi if China wanted to buy U.S. arms U.S. ambassador reported the offer during TV interview

count from the U.S. ambassador to China. Trump on Monday acted confused when a reporter asked him about Ambassador David Perdue’s remarks over the weekend, sugBY BEN FINLEY, MICHELLE L. PRICE gesting the diplomat was confusing China with Taiwan. But then and DIDI TANG Trump said “maybe it’s a good Associated Press idea” to make such an offer to WASHINGTON — President Donald China. The whiplash over the prospect Trump disputed that he asked Chinese leader Xi Jinping if he of arms sales from the U.S. to its wanted to buy weapons from the ascendant geopolitical rival unUnited States, contradicting an ac- derlines the Trump administra-

WEATHER HIGH 92 LOW 70 PAGE 6B

tion’s often uncoordinated and contradictory approach to China, including Xi’s pomp-filled state visit to Washington last week during which Trump appeared to get little in return on key issues. Perdue, speaking to Shannon Bream on Fox News Channel’s “Fox News Sunday” days after the summit, didn’t specify when the offer was made. But such a proposal, if realized, would upend generations of U.S. policy toward

ä See TRUMP, page 4A

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

President Donald Trump greets China’s President Xi Jinping upon arrival at the White House on Friday. ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JACQUELyN MARTIN

102ND yEAR, NO. 91

2A ■ Tuesday, September 29, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

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Mediators work to broker deal between U.S., Iran

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FROM WIRE REPORTS

$5M bail set for man in death of Miss. woman

JACKSON, Miss. — A Mississippi judge set a $5 million bail Monday for a third man charged in the death of a Black woman whose body was found hanging from a tree in August. Police disclosed Friday that Tasia Fortune, 29, was killed in a drug dispute before her body was placed in a tree behind an abandoned house in Jackson. Fortune was Black, and the discovery of her hanging body stoked fear because the scene recalled actual lynchings in the Southern state, which has a long history of racial violence. Some ofﬁcials had called for a federal civil rights investigation before a Jackson police detective said the scene was “staged.” “People justiﬁably didn’t know if we had a killer on the loose who might hang people for racial reasons,” Judge Jeffery Reynolds said Monday. He said it was a “heinous” act that shocked the state capital. Reynolds presided at a hearing for Eric Clark, 45, who turned himself in Friday. The Hinds County Public Defender’s Office, which is representing him, declined to comment. Clark and two other men charged in Fortune’s death are Black. Later outside the court, Fortune’s mother, Christy Spivey, said Clark approached her at the courthouse last week and hugged her following a hearing for co-defendant Jarques Ratliff. “He never said he did it, but he said he was there to turn himself in for murder,” Spivey told reporters Monday. The body was discovered in a tree on Aug. 3. Jackson Police Chief RaShall Brackney said props were left at the scene “as part of the staging” of Fortune’s death and that more arrests were likely.

Congo’s Ebola outbreak tops 8,000 cases

BUNIA, Congo — The number of conﬁrmed cases of Ebola virus in Congo has surged past 8,000, as the country runs out of health workers to contain the deadly disease, officials said Monday. The outbreak is the country’s 17th and its deadliest. Congo announced an outbreak on May 15, caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus, which has no known treatment or vaccine, and has struggled to contain it. The latest data from Congo’s health ministry released Sunday showed that 8,067 cases have been conﬁrmed, with 3,901 deaths as of Saturday across 63 health zones in seven of the country’s 26 provinces, with a fatality rate of more than 48%. “The continuously high crude case fatality ratio, and especially the continuously high rate of deaths occurring in communities, highlights the seriousness of the disease and the persistent challenges in timely case detection and access to early and adequate patient care,” the World Health Organization said in its latest report.

Man sentenced for calling Erdogan ‘dictator’

ISTANBUL — A Turkish court on Monday sentenced a comedian to more than 19 months imprisonment on charges of insulting religious values and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He was released pending appeal. Deniz Goktas, 32, had been held in prison since July 3 after clips of his routine, which included a reference to Erdogan as a “dictator,” were circulated online. He was convicted Monday of insulting the president and insulting religious values, receiving a combined prison sentence of 19 months and 10 days. Presenting a defense that caused laughter in the Istanbul courtroom, the comedian said he stood by his joke that described Erdogan as having evolved from a “shy dictator” to one “confident in his identity.” Goktas said political humor had been tolerated in the past and the laws regarding insult had not changed. “What has changed? Fragile leaders who can’t handle jokes or criticism,” he said in remarks published in Birgun newspaper and other opposition-backing outlets.

But major hurdles remain

BY SAMY MAGDY, MICHELLE L. PRICE and MATTHEW LEE Associated Press ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ALASTAIR GRANT

Police guard a road Monday leading to RAF Fairford in Fairford, England.

5 booked near U.S.-run base in U.K. out on bail Police probe whether there’s a link to Iran

BY ALASTAIR GRANT and JILL LAWLESS Associated Press

FAIRFORD, England — Five young British men arrested on explosives and terror charges near a U.S.-operated air force base in England were released on bail Monday, and counterterror detectives said they were investigating “multiple lines of inquiry,” including whether there is a link to Iran. The men were detained early Sunday after three vans were spotted in the countryside near RAF Fairford, a U.K.owned base that has been used by American bombers during decades of conﬂicts in the Middle East, including this year’s war with Iran. Investigators haven’t concluded whether the incident was state-backed. They are investigating a possible link to Iran, Russia or nonstate militant groups. RAF Fairford has also been the focus of protests by anti-war campaigners. The five suspects, who haven’t been named, were initially held over suspected explosives offenses, and later also arrested on suspicion of preparing an act of terrorism. Police said the men are all British nationals from London and in their 20s. Britain’s national news agency, PA, reported without citing sources that police had not found viable explosives. Announcing that the suspects had been bailed, the head of U.K. Counter Terrorism Policing, Laurence Taylor, said that the suspects face stringent conditions and “absolutely remain under investigation.” Taylor said lines of inquiry include that the suspected offenses were committed by “proxies or individuals, either knowingly or unknowingly, working on behalf of a foreign state.” Iran denied involvement. The Iranian Embassy in London said that it “categorically rejects and strongly condemns the

recent unfounded and malicious speculations” about the incident. Residents were evacuated from 85 homes in the village of Whelford near the base on Sunday, and army bomb-disposal experts used a robot to examine three white vans. The villagers were allowed to return home late Monday afternoon, though a cordon remained around the three vehicles, police said. Prime Minister Andy Burnham chaired a meeting of the government’s COBRA emergency committee on Monday “to make sure we have the full picture” of the incident, he said. It was unclear whether the arrested men had been on security services’ radar. Local residents described seeing heightened security around RAF Fairford in recent days, with heavy vehicles parked across entrance gates. U.S. President Donald Trump said the suspects had been detained following cooperation between the U.S. and Britain, and had been “under view” for some time. Police, however, said the arrests were triggered by a late-night call about “suspicious vehicles” near the base. A local farmer said she called police after seeing three oddly parked vans as she drove home late Saturday night, and that nearby she came across “a large group of men,” some with their faces covered. She said they scattered when they saw her vehicle. She declined to be identiﬁed to protect her identity because she was describing what she saw as potential security lapses. British Defense Secretary Wes Streeting said the farmer “did exactly the right thing” by calling police but only had “a partial view” of the operation. The arrests came at a time of heightened tensions around the threat from hostile states, with British intelligence services saying Russia and Iran have both used proxies to commit crimes on U.K. soil. In March, officials said the number of national security cases involving activity by hostile states, including Iran, increased by 50% in the six months to December 2025.

CAIRO — Mediators are working with Iran and the United States on trying to broker a deal to end the fighting and open the Strait of Hormuz, three regional officials and two U.S. officials told The Associated Press, but major hurdles remain between the sides. The indirect talks come as the conflict, which is entering its eighth month, has caused global economic damage and badly battered Iran. Multiple efforts to allow safe shipping on one of the world’s most crucial waterways have failed. The officials divulged that the behind-the-scenes efforts continue even after President Donald Trump initially said he spurned an Iranian proposal to reopen the strait in a week if the U.S. agreed to lift its blockade of Iranian ports, release frozen Iranian assets and waive sanctions on Iranian oil sales, among other conditions. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi — who stayed in New York after last week’s gathering of world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly — will meet with Qatari mediators Monday about the latest discussions, Iranian state media reported Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei as saying. Despite Trump’s often bellicose rhetoric, he is open to pursuing a nonmilitary resolution to the conflict if one can be achieved, a senior U.S. official said. But the Trump administration will not reach a deal with Tehran until nuclear issues are addressed, another U.S. official said. Trump is willing to grant sanctions relief to Iran, along with the release of some frozen funds, for concrete progress on nuclear issues, and while Iran has indicated it is flexible on nuclear issues, the sides are far apart on timing

and which side makes the first moves, the official said. All the officials were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity about the behind-the-scenes diplomatic negotiations. Two of the regional officials speaking to the AP confirmed that mediators are working with both sides on a proposal that would include reopening the strait and lifting the U.S. blockade, and then removing sanctions. According to the draft text being discussed, the strait would reopen in accordance with a separate deal that Iran has been discussing with Oman, on the other side of the strait, and it would include no tolls — something Tehran has pursued. That deal seeks to temporarily manage shipping traffic on what was seen as an international waterway before the war. One regional official said the U.S. is seeking Iranian concessions on nuclear issues that include allowing inspectors to enter the country. Under the memorandum of understanding the two sides signed in June that collapsed within days, Iran’s nuclear program was meant to be discussed over a 60-day period. The U.S. officials say the United States is skeptical about whether Iran can be persuaded to ultimately reach Trump’s conditions for a deal and would be serious about any promises it makes, especially after it broke the interim deal by firing on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. officials feel their position is getting stronger as Tehran feels the impact of sanctions. While Iran’s latest proposal echoes the June deal, a key difference is speed. Araghchi told a closeddoor meeting on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly last week that Tehran had pitched the deal as benefiting Trump in the midterm elections. Araghchi later told journalists that “the seven-day timeline will start as soon as the United States accepts this plan.”

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Polo bears down on Mexico, bringing winds and flooding BY MARTÍN SILVA REY and MEGAN JANETSKY

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Associated Press

PUERTO SAN CARLOS, Mexico — Wind whipped Mexico’s northern Pacific coast and water began to flood some streets Monday as Hurricane Polo bore down on Baja California Sur, threatening flash floods and mudslides. Meanwhile, Hurricane Nolo could still bring torrential rain to parts of Hawaii even as the storm edges away from the state. In Puerto San Carlos, a fishing town of about 5,700 people, high tides and pounding waves from Polo were breaching sea barriers as residents worried for their homes in the mostly empty town. Hundreds of people in the region evacuated, hunkering down in nearby shelters in schools and other facilities. “Civil Protection told those of us here in San Carlos to evacuate because this is a high-risk area. With the current tides, the expected waves and the wind, the earthen barriers they built (to prevent flooding) could give way,” Rocío Sánchez, a fisherwoman, said. Polo was a Category 3 storm with top sustained winds of 115 mph Monday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said. It’s expected to produce 6-12 inches of rain across parts of Baja California Sur. Forecasters said it would hit the Mexican mainland after lashing Baja California Sur, and that life threatening winds and flash floods were expected. It could bring heavy rain and flooding to parts of the U.S. Southwest later in the week. The government of the northern Mexican state of Sonora on Monday night announced it would suspend all “non-essential” activities, including school, sports and non-essential work, in the state capi-

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People evacuate their homes Monday as Hurricane Polo approaches Puerto San Carlos, Baja California Sur state, Mexico.

tal and more than a dozen municipalities due to the incoming hurricane. Residents in Baja California Sur were anxiously bracing themselves. Margarita Bobadilla and her family were sheltered in a local school, saying it was safer than weathering the storm in her wooden house. “Material things can be replaced, but family can’t. My children and I decided to come here last night, and now we’re waiting to see what happens.” Others lingered in their mostly emptied town of Puerto San Carlos, crossing their fingers the light flooding and powerful winds would be the worst of Polo. Laura Velázquez, national coordinator of Mexico’s Civil Protection Agency, reported that Polo would make landfall later in the afternoon. With Polo approaching Mexico, the Mexican navy said it had personnel ready across the northern Pacific coast and deployed three vessels that could ship aid to coastal communities isolated by the storm. Local authorities along the Baja California Peninsula said they had shelters at the ready.

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The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Tuesday, September 29, 2026 ■ 3A

Pope says AI safety concerns not ‘fake news’ lll

BY NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press

ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE — Pope Leo XIV said Monday that concerns about artiﬁcial intelligence going rogue are not “fake news” and should be taken seriously, insisting that safety issues raised by AI experts should be discussed and acted on. Leo, who dedicated his ﬁrst encyclical to AI and protecting humanity in its wake, was asked during a news conference about what the United States and China especially should be doing to prevent AI from posing catastrophic risks to humanity. President Donald Trump has called concerns about AI going rogue a “hoax.” “This is a problem that I think we need to sit down and talk about,” the American pope told reporters returning home from France. “We can’t just sit back and pretend nothing is going to happen.” Trump has been a champion of AI, often warning that the United States must remain ahead of China in the technological arms race. He has said efforts to limit the technology were part of a “conspiracy” by his political opponents. Several AI giants, includ-

ing Anthropic, have called for a slowdown in development to give safety measures time to catch up to the fast-moving technology. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, for example, has warned that within six to 12 months AI could be capable of leading a swarm of agents that could take over the entire internet. Trump said on Sunday he planned to have a late dinner with Amodei, but he has not yet commented on the meeting. “If someone were to ask me ‘Am I in panic mode?’ No I’m not. I sleep at night,” Leo said. “I do think that the concerns raised by many of the experts, specialists in AI should be taken seriously.” “I don’t think that that is ‘fake news’ as some have said to try and cause whether financial or other some other kind of benefit,” Leo said. The pope, who called for robust regulation of AI and a slowdown of the technology in his encyclical “Magnificent Humanity,” is up to speed on developments in the field. Despite being at the end of a grueling four-day trip to France, Leo noted a news report Monday afternoon about Nvidia introducing guardrails into AI. He also noted that the company has previ-

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ALBERTO PIZZOLI

Pope Leo XIV speaks to journalists Monday aboard the flight from Metz, France, to Rome at the end of his four-day visit to France. ously resisted outside regulation of AI development. Leo had identified AI as one of t he biggest challenges to humanity within days of his election and took the unusual step of personally launching his own encyclical alongside Anthropic’s cofounder Christopher Olah at a Vatican event in May. The initiative was part of the Vatican’s effort to engage Silicon Valley about the hu-

man costs of AI. “We need to continue to invite political leaders, leaders of AI, social organizations, associations to come together and look at what is happening already and what could be down the road,” he said Monday. “To simply say ‘Oh it’s not going to happen’ and close our eyes to it I think is probably not the most responsible way to go about that,”

he added. With his comments Monday about the legitimacy of safety concerns and AI development, Leo has conﬁrmed another area of disagreement with Trump. The two had a back-and-forth in April over Leo’s opposition to the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran and Leo has also criticized the Trump administration’s migration crackdown. Trump met with Chinese

President Xi Jinping last week in Washington and while Xi said that it was important to ensure AI is “always under human control,” Trump focused more on trying to rebrand it as “superintelligence” and dismissed calls for regulation. However, the two leaders agreed to explore a new “notiﬁcation mechanism” for AI incidents affecting national security. AI has become a major election-year issue in the U.S. as some of the country’s largest companies rush to build a national network of data centers while Americans from both parties increasingly raise alarms about the impact on farmland, water supplies and electricity bills. Worries about AI are continuing to grow inside and outside the industry and reports continue to emerge about increasingly powerful systems that solve problems beyond human capacity but could also go rogue and carry out other, more harmful tasks. The worries have grown so loud that the CEO of OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, said in an interview with Fortune that his company would wait until next year to start selling its stock to investors on Wall Street as it focuses on safety.

Trump announces Prosecutor reopens gang rape probe at Cornell new $15 billion steel plant in Iowa NEW YORK

BY DAVE COLLINS and JOHN SEEWER Associated Press

BY COLLIN BINKLEY Associated Press

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Monday announced a new $15 billion steel plant being built in Iowa, highlighting an economic victory in a key battleground state where Republicans face competitive midterm races. Trump announced the new plant at an Trump Oval Office event alongside steel executives and Iowa Republicans, including two running for ofﬁce. The event highlighted Iowa’s elevated status for Republicans and for Trump, who on Monday pledged to campaign there in coming weeks. “We’re going to do a great rally. We’ll all be there together,” Trump said alongside Rep. Ashley Hinson, who is running for the U.S. Senate, and Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, who is up for reelection. Also joining him were Gov. Kim Reynolds and Sen. Joni Ernst, who are not seeking new terms in ofﬁce. The new steel plant is being built by Mesabi Metallics, a Minnesota company owned by India’s Essar Group, an industrial conglomerate. Trump said the project will become the largest steel plant in the United States. It is expected to produce 10 million tons of

steel a year after it’s fully built out. The plant was projected to begin production in 2030, supplied by a new $2.5 billion iron ore mine that Mesabi developed along Minnesota’s Mesabi iron range. The resulting steel will be produced from start to ﬁnish in the United States, the White House said. Trump said the American steel industry is “roaring back to life,” crediting it to the 50% tariffs on steel imports that he imposed last year. “Everyone is building their plants here because they don’t want to pay tariffs,” Trump said. “It’s really not that complicated.” Trump in June also approved the takeover of iconic American steelmaker U.S. Steel by Japan’s Nippon Steel, a move that had been blocked by Joe Biden, his Democratic predecessor, and initially opposed by Trump as a 2024 Republican presidential candidate. After returning to office, Trump later backed a deal that gave the federal government a say in some company decisions. The Oval Ofﬁce announcement at times took on the tone of a campaign event. Introducing Hinson, Trump described her as a “young lady who is going to be hopefully elected to the Senate.”

Word of Faith leader gets probation in assault case BY JEFFREY COLLINS Associated Press

NORTH CAROLINA

A leader of a secretive North Carolina religious group was sentenced Monday to two years of probation in a plea deal that dropped a felony kidnapping charge, more than nine years after her trial ended without a verdict. Prosecutors said Word of Faith Fellowship leader Brooke Covington led a group of church members in 2013 who choked and beat a young man for two hours while they prayed to expel “homosexual demons.” Covington, 68, pleaded to two misdemeanor charges of false imprisonment and simple assault Monday by entering an Alford plea, according to court records. It’s technically a guilty

plea in which defendants maintain they are innocent while acknowledging prosecutors have enough evidence to convict them at trial. The judge sentenced Covington to 45 days in jail on the false imprisonment charge and 30 days for simple assault, but suspended them so she won’t have to serve the time if she completes her probation. Covington also was ordered to complete 30 hours of community service benefiting children or young adults. Covington’s original case ended in a mistrial after the jury foreman brought his own research into deliberations.

A New York prosecutor has reopened an investigation into gang rape allegations at a Cornell University fraternity in response to a lawsuit filed by a woman who says she was sexually assaulted in 2024 by seven students after being plied with alcohol and drugs. Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten said Monday that his office will present evidence to a grand jury as he faces questions from the public about why there were no criminal prosecutions in the case. The woman, identified only by a pseudonym in the lawsuit, filed the complaint Sept. 16, saying she was sexually assaulted at the Chi Phi fraternity house on the Ivy League campus in October 2024 after being pressured into snorting ketamine, smoking marijuana and drinking alcohol. She became completely incapacitated while frat members were sexually assaulting her, the lawsuit alleges. The lawsuit, the reopening of the investigation and Cornell’s response have sparked a flood of commentary on social media. Many people have criticized the school and the district attorney’s office in their posts, while some have expressed doubt about the lawsuit’s allegations. Some posted photos of the seven fraternity members. The accuser is suing the men, the Chi Phi fraternity, the university, an Ithaca bar and others, seeking undisclosed damages. Her attorney did not immediately respond Monday to messages seeking comment on the prosecutor’s decision. The woman went to campus police at the time, but Van Houten said the accuser did not make any claims of being gang-raped or drugged in her initial sworn statement to authorities. The prosecutor also said he was never contacted by the woman’s attorney about her statement or about reconsidering the decision not to prosecute, but he reached out to the attorney recently. “Seeking justice sometimes requires us to reconsider or reopen cases when we are provided with additional evidence,” Van Houten said in a statement. “I have been asked by the community to revisit the decision whether to pursue criminal charges against the seven fraternity members. I have already begun that process, starting with our conversation with Jane Doe and her attorneys.” The university said in a statement that it supports

the decision to reopen the investigation. The school said it conducted its own investigation and issued sanctions, including expelling some students and suspending others. It also said the on-campus Chi Phi chapter was closed in 2024 and remains barred from campus. School ofﬁcials on Monday declined to release more information on the sanctions, including how many students were expelled and

suspended. Cornell said last week that federal privacy law barred it from disclosing speciﬁc information on individual students. “Any suggestion that the university did not impose consequential punishments for those involved is false,” the university said. “A continuation of the false narrative that there were minimal consequences in this case is irresponsible, will make survivors feel less safe and sup-

ported, and will perpetuate the underreporting of sexual assault.” The national chapter of Chi Phi did not return phone and email messages Monday. The school said it conducted an internal disciplinary investigation in 2024. It said a panel of trained faculty and staff heard evidence over multiple days, and both the woman and the people accused had the opportunity to testify and present evidence.

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4A ■ Tuesday, September 29, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

TRUMP

Continued from page 1A China and Taiwan and expose U.S. technology to a potential foe. The State Department on Monday looked to distance the Trump administration from Perdue’s comments, saying that “U.S. law prohibits arms sales to China and there is no offer or plan to sell arms to China.” Hours later, Trump seemed to be doing the same. “To China? You mean to Taiwan?” he said when a reporter asked him about Perdue’s account. “I never heard of that one. I’m going to have to ask him,” Trump said. He then mused that China would probably like to buy U.S. equipment, which he said was superior, and added: “So maybe it’s a good idea. But we didn’t discuss it. He may have been talking about Taiwan. I think he was probably talking about Taiwan.” Perdue said Sunday that the Republican president was downplaying long-standing U.S. arms sales to Taiwan — which have drawn protest from Beijing for years — by couching it as just one of many sales Washington makes around the world, and even asking Xi if he’d be in the market for U.S. weaponry. Bream had cited concerns from Republican and Democratic lawmakers over delayed aid packages and weapons orders to Taiwan, the self-ruled democracy that seeks to

BAKER

Continued from page 1A $11,710. The consent judgment was signed Thursday by 19th Judicial District Judge Eboni Johnson Rose. J.T. Stroder, superintendent of Baker schools, said he and other local leaders are grateful that the litigation has been resolved. “Throughout this process, our focus has remained on protecting Baker students, preserving the community’s locally elected School Board, and ensuring that decisions affecting our schools are made with the best interests of our students and families in mind,” Stroder said in a statement. Tavares Walker, BESE’s executive director, said the board may make changes in the future in response to the litigation but provided no details. “BESE will continue to review its agenda practices and make adjustments as appropriate to promote transparency, clarity, and compliance with applicable legal requirements,” Walker said in a statement. The agenda for BESE’s meeting on March 12, 2025, made no direct mention of the schools in Baker or the

HAITI

Continued from page 1A school, and some would stay at Foshee’s home in the Caribbean country. All three of the boys were 14 when they were abused and lived with Foshee, ofﬁcials said. At least two of the victims told investigators they were living with the Louisiana man because of troubles at home. Agents first learned of the allegations when they were contacted by separate people who did work similar to Foshee in Haiti. Those two unnamed people told investigators that several children had told them Foshee had engaged in inappropriate sexual contact with them. One of the victims told investigators he was living with Foshee because Foshee was paying for his schooling. The victim told agents that he was sexually abused over several months and wanted to tell Foshee to stop but couldn’t. The same victim said he was afraid of Foshee, who would scream at him and “sometimes would beat him with a belt.” As rumors about Foshee circulated, he left a voicemail with one of the unnamed people who would later speak to the FBI, agents

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ments of leverage, even across the traditional dividing line between allies and adversaries,” Singleton said. Such an offer to Xi also would come in contrast with U.S. obligations under a domestic law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself and deter invasion from Beijing, which has vowed to seize the island by force if necessary. While not recognizing Taiwan as a country, the U.S. is the island’s strongest informal backer and primary arms provider. But multiple U.S. leaders have left ambiguous whether they would commit military force to defend the island should China invade. China has pressed Washington to halt the arms sales, most prominently during a previous summit in May between Trump and Xi in Beijing. After that meeting, the United States paused the sale of a record-breaking $14 billion packASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JACQUELyN MARTIN age — and Trump described arms sales to Taiwan as a “very good neChina’s President Xi Jinping, from left, his wife Peng Liyuan, first lady Melania Trump and President Donald gotiating chip” with China. Trump have tea in the Red Room of the White House on Friday. In their private talks at the White House last week, Xi pressed Trump to oppose Taiwan independefend itself from China’s threat to to say, ‘Hey, we sell arms to other tute. He said the U.S. last sold arms to dence, according to Chinese state invade the island. people around the world,’” Perdue Bream asked if the U.S. is deny- said. “He actually asked President Beijing in the 1980s and resuming media. In Beijing, China’s foreign mining arms to Taiwan to appease the Xi, would he like to buy some, at those sales would be “a shocking policy change.” one point.” Chinese president. istry spokesperson Guo Jiakun Craig Singleton, a senior fellow did not conﬁrm Perdue’s remarks If so, that offer “speaks to Perdue pushed back on the suggestion, stating that Trump “is as (Trump’s) treatment of China in at the hawkish think tank Founda- when asked about the matter on strong on Taiwan as I’ve ever seen almost exclusively commercial tion for Defense of Democracies, Monday. But he told reporters that anybody” and has sold it plenty of terms, even at the potential ex- said the anecdote that Perdue told China has always strengthened its weapons. Perdue also said Trump pense of the U.S. military position offers “a revealing window into national defense capabilities based and Xi continue to talk about fu- in Asia,” said Evan Sankey, an ana- Trump’s transactional worldview.” on its needs and is committed to “He tends to see weapons, tar- maintaining world peace and stature U.S. weapons sales to Taiwan. lyst focused on U.S. policy toward “But President Trump continues China at the libertarian Cato Insti- iffs and market access as instru- bility.

takeovers. Instead, the agenda referenced a report by a BESE committee that met the day before; that committee had recommended taking over the two schools. In July, four of the judges on the ﬁve-judge panel from the Louisiana 1st Circuit Court of Appeal found that approach wasn’t enough to comply with state open meetings law. “The agenda item does not state what actions the committee was to take or consider at the meeting,” according to the panel’s 10-page opinion. “Without any reference to other agendas or outside information, an observer would not be able to discern what actions the committee or BESE as a whole would have taken in the March 12, 2025 meeting with respect to taking control of the two Baker schools.” Starting in June, BESE made modest changes to the way it writes agendas for its regular meetings. It now makes clear that it intends to take “board action” on a previous day’s committee report. And there’s now a weblink that online viewers can click on to see the agenda for that committee. The new agendas, however, still fail to say on the document itself exactly what actions BESE plans to take that day.

Dannie Garrett, an attorney representing the city of Baker School District, credited BESE for the changes it has made to how it writes agendas, but said it may need to make further changes to avoid future litigation. He blamed BESE’s insistence on holding its committee meeting just one day earlier, a structure that makes it difﬁcult to post up-to-date regular meeting agendas at least 24 hours beforehand as the law calls for. “I think they should hold the committee meetings and the BESE (regular) meeting a full week or maybe two weeks apart,” Garrett said. The takeover of Baker Heights Elementary and Baker Middle schools was put on hold soon after BESE approved the idea. The initial state plan was to take over one of the schools, Baker Middle, in May 2025 and hand it over to an Indiana-based charter school network, GEO Academies. The Baker School Board ﬁled two lawsuits. One is the case involving the state open meetings law. The other alleges that BESE failed to follow state laws associated with school takeovers. Ad hoc Judge Michael McDonald ruled on the open meetings case. Filling in for

said. In that voicemail, Foshee told the unnamed person that, except for him initiating sexual contact with one of the underage victims, the others “came onto” him. In the voicemail, he also said he had “ﬁxed the problem,” according to the criminal complaint. On Thursday, the court ordered that Foshee be put into the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service as he awaits a detention hearing set for Tuesday in Shreve-

port. As of Monday morning, he was being held at the Bossier Parish jail. Foshee is being represented by the Federal Public Defenders Ofﬁce, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Ofﬁce for Louisiana’s Western District. Email Patrick SloanTurner at patrick.sloanturner@theadvocate.com.

Rose, who at the time was suspended from the court, McDonald agreed that the wording of the March 12, 2025, BESE agenda “does leave some room for improvement,” but found that it did not violate state open meetings law. The appeals court came to the opposite conclusion. The appellate judges zeroed in on a state law that requires that items on the agenda of a public meeting “shall be listed separately and described with reasonable speciﬁcity.” The judges found that McDonald erred by giving weight to the BESE committee meeting

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in the school district. Helix is a charter group whose president and CEO is Preston Castille. Castille is also a BESE member whose district includes Baker and was once a city resident. Castille was the only BESE member who voted against the Baker school takeovers. Helix’s current schools in Baker — Baker High and Park Ridge Elementary School — both showed notable academic improvement in one year under Helix. Email Charles Lussier at clussier@theadvocate. com.

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the day before the ﬁnal vote; its “agenda and minutes were improperly admitted into evidence,” and that such information is “extraneous to the issue before us.” The only thing that matters is whether the agenda for the March 12, 2025, BESE meeting “lacked the required statutory detail, not whether the agenda and minutes of another committee sitting on a different day complied with the law.” As these lawsuits have advanced through the courts, the Baker school district has taken action on its own, hiring Helix Community Schools to educate children

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The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Tuesday, September 29, 2026 ■ 5A

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Former ‘American Idol’ singer on trial in wife’s killing Caleb Flynn says burglar did it

BY MICHAEL R. SISAK Associated Press

A former Ohio music pastor who once appeared on “American Idol” is on trial on charges that he killed his wife while having an affair more than a decade after gushing to TV viewers about how she encouraged him to chase his dreams on the singing competition. Caleb Flynn, 40, has pleaded not guilty to murder, assault and tampering with evidence charges in the February shooting of Ashley Flynn, 37, a schoolteacher and volleyball coach, at their Tipp City home, north of Dayton. Flynn and their two daughters were home when police arrived. Flynn’s trial, which heads to closing arguments on Tuesday, has featured testimony from a woman who said she and Flynn had been having an affair at the time of his wife’s killing. Jurors also heard AI-generated love songs that prosecutors say he made for his paramour and some of the more than 100,000 text messages that authorities say they exchanged.

Prosecutors say Flynn staged a home invasion to mislead investigators and claimed in a frantic 911 call that a burglar had shot his wife. Flynn’s alleged paramour, 24-year-old Alleigha Botner, testiﬁed that he had remarked that he hated his wife and harbored thoughts of killing her. Botner’s bombshell affair testimony has been the highlight so far. On the witness stand for two days, Botner described how she met Flynn in 2022 while she was a 20-year-old intern at his church and carried on an affair with him that spanned more than a year. She detailed the secret life she says they shared, including candid conversations in which he mused about leaving his wife and wanting her dead. “He told me that he hates her,” Botner testified. “He told me the only reason that he’s still with her is because of the girls.” Botner sobbed as she read some of her text messages with Flynn, saying she regretted telling him: “I want to kill her, Caleb.” Rather than dissuade her from that dark thought, Flynn replied: “That makes two of us.” In August 2025, about six

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO

Caleb Flynn listens Monday to court proceedings inside the Miami County Court of Common Pleas in Troy, Ohio. Flynn, a former ‘American Idol’ singer, is accused of killing his wife. months before the killing, Flynn texted Botner: “I was up until 4 a.m. last night crying, literally trying to think of ways to kill her and not go to jail.” In another text message read in court, Botner said she wasn’t serious, telling Flynn: “I’m not asking that you take her life obviously, because that’s not what you should do, and I know you actually wouldn’t. But to make the divorce happen, it would change everything.” When a prosecutor asked how she felt about Flynn

now, Botner said: “I hate him.” Asked why, she said: “Because I believe that he murdered his wife.” Prosecutors played some of Flynn’s AI-generated love songs, which included lyrics such as: “Age never mattered, when it was you and me,” and “we danced on the edge of a life we could choose, so close to forever, so much left to lose.” They also played audio of Flynn’s 911 call, in which he said someone had broken into his home and killed his wife. He told a dispatcher

that she was shot multiple times in the head and didn’t know whether the intruder was still there. When police arrived, the garage door, a side door and the center console of Flynn’s pickup truck were all open. Flynn told officers he kept a gun in the console, but no weapon was found there, according to a police report. Police say they never found the gun used in the killing. Jurors also saw videos of Flynn’s police interviews. Crying and wearing a sweatshirt that said, “God-Sized

Vision,” he said he was sleeping on the couch when he was awoken by a pair of gunshots. Flynn told investigators that a man had come to the door a day before the killing and handed his wife an American ﬂag while making a “weird sales pitch for America.” In another police interview, Flynn told investigators: “We are a normal married couple who love each other and disagree. I’ve never laid hands on her.” Flynn didn’t testify on his own behalf. Nor did anybody else. After eight days of testimony from 40 prosecution witnesses, including detectives and forensics experts, Flynn’s lawyers decided not to call any witnesses. The prosecution and defense both rested their cases on Monday. That leaves Tuesday for closing arguments, followed by the start of jury deliberations. In an opening statement, defense lawyer Emily Smith acknowledged Flynn’s affair. But, she told jurors: “Caleb is not on trial for being a bad husband. He’s not on trial for cheating. You’re not here to deliberate on whether or not you like Caleb.” Prosecutors opted not to call Flynn’s daughters, ages 10 and 12, as witnesses.

Utah judge orders man who spent decades on death row released DNA tests show no match to him

BY MATTHEW BROWN Associated Press

A 71-year-old man who was convicted of killing a police chief’s aunt and spent decades on death row is being released Monday after prosecutors said newly analyzed DNA evidence doesn’t link him to the crime. A Utah judge ordered Douglas Stewart Carter let out on bail late Monday over objections from the victim’s family. Carter will be required to wear a GPS monitor while he awaits a new trial in the 1985 killing of Eva Olesen. The state Supreme Court ordered a new trial last year, citing misconduct by investigators. Carter has maintained his innocence and says a signed confession was coerced. No physical evidence linked him to the crime scene, but the jury convicted Carter, a Black man, based on the confession and the testimony of two witnesses who said he bragged about killing Olesen, who was White. Those witnesses later recanted. A DNA analysis received Sept. 22 excluded Carter as a possible match to blood found on a doorknob and genetic material recovered from the handle of a knife used to stab Olesen, who was also shot. Judge Derek Pullan said those results further undermined the case against Carter, but a reasonable jury still could conclude that he killed Olesen. Pullan also ordered Carter

2011, when the two witnesses from Carter’s original trial were tracked down in Mexico. They said they had been told to lie in court and had received cash and gifts from police, who told them not to disclose the payments. They also said police and prosecutors threatened them and their son with deportation if they did not implicate Carter. More than a decade of legal wrangling followed before the Utah Supreme Court last SALT LAKE TRIBUNE PHOTO By RICK EGAN year ordered a new trial, citing “multiple instances of inFormer death row inmate Douglas Stewart Carter appears tentional misconduct” by po-

Monday in 4th District Court in Provo, Utah.

to avoid contact with Olesen’s family. Defense attorney Neal Hamilton said Carter was expected to be ﬁtted with the GPS monitor and released Monday night. “If the state of Utah had their way he would have been executed 15, 20 years ago before we discovered the misconduct,” Hamilton said after learning of the judge’s order. He urged prosecutors to seek dismissal of an aggravated murder charge still pending against Carter. Carter will be placed in an extended stay hotel near the family of his son, who was adopted by another family as an infant and didn’t learn about the conviction until years later, Hamilton said. Carter also will need therapy to deal with his extended incarceration, the attorney said. Pullan had scheduled a two-month retrial for 2027, but last week Utah County prosecutors withdrew a notice that they intended to seek the death penalty. Utah County prosecutor Erwin Petilos told the judge Monday that reassessing

Carter’s bail was “necessary and fair” as the state continues to look at the remaining evidence in the case. Carter, a Chicago native, had been living with his mother in Utah at the time of Olesen’s killing on Feb. 27, 1985. Court documents indicate the investigation eventually focused on Carter, who was suspected of killing Olesen during a robbery. By that April, Carter had fled Utah believing he was a suspect in an unrelated assault case, according to court documents. He was apprehended that June in Nashville, Tennessee, where he signed a confession while under interrogation by a Provo detective. Carter said later that he falsely confessed after police repeatedly threatened him. He was convicted and sentenced to death after a trial in which the defense called no witnesses. He was again sentenced to death after a 1992 retrial, and courts in Utah rejected numerous appeals from Carter in subsequent years. A turning point came in

lice and a prosecutor. A DNA analysis of the evidence was conducted in response to that order, and prosecutors said the results arrived last week. They declined Monday to say whether they’re using the DNA evidence to search for other suspects with matching DNA. Carter has been in the Utah County jail while awaiting trial. Carter’s defense attorneys have said witnesses saw a White man ﬂeeing the crime scene and an investigator suppressed evidence point-

ing to other suspects, including the victim’s husband, Orla Olesen. They allege that prosecutors were close to ﬁling charges against the husband, but a Provo police lieutenant asked them not to so he could continue investigating. Carter was identiﬁed as a suspect soon after, according to court documents. Orla Olesen, a painting contractor who died in 2009, told police he found his wife dead in their home, partially undressed and with her hands tied behind her back.

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Judge: Trump can’t force election changes by blocking counterterrorism funds BY MARC LEVY Associated Press

HARRISBURG, Pa. — A federal judge on Monday blocked the authority of President Donald Trump’s administration to withhold some federal counterterrorism funding from states that don’t meet its election administration demands. Courts have largely rejected the administration’s previous efforts, which reflect untrue claims about widespread voting fraud and come ahead of November’s midterm elections where Democrats seek to take control of one or both chambers of Congress and check Trump’s power. U.S. District Judge Amir Ali in Washington, D.C., wrote in a 24-page opinion that federal agencies didn’t

have the authority from Congress to add such conditions to the grants, and that the conditions didn’t meet legal thresholds requiring them to relate to the underlying grant purpose. Neither the Department of Homeland Security nor its subagency handling the grants, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, immediately responded to a request for comment. The grant conditions were the latest in a line of actions by Trump’s administration to shape how elections are run, a task that has long been the job of states. The plaintiffs that sued were Columbus, Ohio; Nashville and Davidson County, Tennessee; and El Paso and Harris counties in Texas. Over the summer, a FEMA anti-terrorism grant an-

nouncement included a list of election-related requirements, saying that 20% of grants for states and urban areas would be withheld until they comply. The program includes more than $1 billion for states and local and tribal governments for a variety of programs aimed at preventing terror at crowded places, online, with border security — and around elections. FEMA expects to award 56 grants. The list of items for states includes verifying the citizenship of all registered voters and election workers. Places that use electronic voting systems that use bar codes or QR codes to count votes would have to submit plans to switch to handmarked paper ballots. Every jurisdiction would have to show it audits results.

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Bond yields crank higher, pull stocks down

NEW YORK — Yields in the U.S. bond market cranked higher Monday and again touched their highest levels in roughly two decades, which knocked U.S. stocks further from their record high. The S&P 500 fell 0.8% and gave back much of its gain from last week, which had brought it to the brink of its all-time high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 347 points, or 0.7%, and the Nasdaq composite sank 0.9%. Stocks felt pressure as the yield on the 10-year Treasury briefly topped 5.27% before pulling back to 5.23%, up from 5.17% late Friday. It’s back to where it was in 2007, before the financial crisis and Great Recession sent yields toward zero. The 30-year Treasury yield rose to 5.55% from 5.49% and is back to where it was in 2004. Treasury yields have been rising for a range of reasons, from worries about inflation to Washington’s massive debt load to signs that the U.S. economy remains solid despite its many challenges. That pressures the economy because higher yields make borrowing money more expensive for everyone, while also undercutting prices for stocks and other investments. Monday’s rise in yields followed the latest swings for oil prices, which have been yo-yoing on uncertainty about when the war with Iran will allow tankers to flow freely again through the Strait of Hormuz. That would allow them deliver oil from the Middle East to customers worldwide. The price for Brent crude in the most actively traded part of the oil market briefly climbed above $101 per barrel Monday morning, but it pared its gains as U.S. officials said mediators were still working with Iran and the United States on a deal to end the fighting and open the strait. It settled at $97.83, up 0.4%.

TikTok settles suit with Ala. for at least $100M

TikTok will pay the state of Alabama at least $100 million and must implement a slew of safety features for teens in the state as part of a settlement agreement reached just before the case was set to go to trial. Alabama sued the social media company in 2025 claiming that the platform had negative effects on the mental well-being of youths. The lawsuit argued that TikTok’s “addictive properties” — namely its algorithm that curates highly speciﬁc content catered to users’ interests — were harmful to children and that the company knew of those harms. Through the settlement, TikTok will make several platformlevel changes for teen users in Alabama, including the option for teens to select a non-personalized content feed. The platform will also bar cosmetic procedure ﬁlters for teens, implement a two-hour daily time limit and ban nighttime use from midnight to 6 a.m. Young users in Alabama will also be prompted to take a “productive pause” after 15 minutes of continuous use, and again at 60 and 90 minutes.

Nvidia to increase share buyback plan

Nvidia’s board has cleared the way for the company to spend $150 billion more in share buybacks as the chipmaking giant looks to make use of more of its stellar revenue growth fueled by demand for its high-end artificial intelligence chips. The Santa Clara, California, company said Monday the share buyback increase, which it touted as the largest ever, brings its stock repurchase program to $235 billion. Nvidia said it expects to “execute” the share buyback plan through its fiscal year that ends Jan. 30, 2028. Companies use repurchases, in part, to return cash to investors and support the stock’s price. Earnings per share can increase because there are fewer shares outstanding. Buybacks also signal confidence from leadership about a company’s financial prospects.

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U.S., China release lists for tariff cuts

U.S. Trade Representative Ja- ment. commerce ministry said $60B in nonsensitive inChina’s “This is a positive outcome for a statement the agreement will mieson Greer said in a separate these affected products compared help strengthen trade cooperation. statement the product lists foproducts named after The lists included 1,619 items of cused on “nonsensitive goods on to a smaller tariff cut, and could U.S. goods entering China, ranging each side that could beneﬁt from lead to a more signiﬁcant boost to Trump-Xi meeting from agricultural commodities, more favorable tariff treatment.” bilateral trade,” said Lynn Song,

BY CHAN HO-HIM and KANIS LEUNG Associated Press

HONG KONG — The United States and China on Monday released reciprocal lists of nonsensitive products worth about $30 billion each that will see tariff cuts, from American hair products to Chinese toys, in a deal expected to help bolster bilateral trade. The details came days after Chinese President Xi Jinping met with President Donald Trump in Washington in his ﬁrst state visit to the U.S. since 2015. The U.S. had already reduced tariffs against China after Trump’s tariffs reached as high as 145% at one point last year, as tensions between the two countries eased.

hair and personal care products to timber and medical equipment. Coal from the U.S. will also be included. For Chinese goods exported to the U.S., 77 categories were covered, including fireworks, tableware, toys like dolls and puzzles, glass and wooden Christmas ornaments and soccer balls. Tariff rates on over 90% of the products would be subject to “most-favored-nation” levels, the Chinese commerce ministry said, meaning that country-speciﬁc tariffs will effectively be eliminated. Most-favored-nation rates are the standard tariffs applied under World Trade Organization rules, but they can differ from item to item and are often in the single digits.

The deal could help secure market access for U.S. farmers, manufacturers, businesses and workers, while benefiting American consumers with imports from China including household goods and toys, Greer said. Both countries said they agreed the list may be adjusted later as needed, but amendments were likely to be no more than on an annual basis. The Chinese commerce ministry said the two countries agreed to further cooperate in the agricultural sector, forming a group under the Board of Trade established in May to optimize bilateral trade. Sectors of strategic importance for both countries, such as chips, electric vehicles and batteries, were not covered under the agree-

chief economist for Greater China at ING Bank. The lowered tariffs could be a win for U.S. consumer brands, added Jacob Cooke, CEO of WPIC Marketing + Technologies based in Beijing, as some of the products covered by China’s list of U.S. imports included fast-growing categories like hair care, personal care products and infant formula. With the U.S. list for Chinese products focused more on consumer goods, it could help lower U.S. inﬂation while also allowing Chinese ﬁrms to export more of their overcapacity, said Gary Ng, a senior economist at French bank Natixis. Some experts said, however, the economic impact at $30 billion each way may be limited overall.

U.S. lowers fuel economy standards BY ALEXA ST. JOHN and ANNE D’INNOCENZIO Associated Press

DETROIT — The Trump administration on Monday released new fuel economy standards that relax regulatory requirements for automakers to control pollution from gasolinepowered cars and light trucks. The new rules were released shortly after President Donald Trump rejected an Iranian proposal to open the Strait of Hormuz, sending oil prices soaring. The change furthers Trump’s promise to revoke policies that encouraged or created incentives for the production of electric vehicles and ultimately, will expose Americans to more planet-warming pollution from vehicles. Mileage standards, known as Corporate Average Fuel Economy, or CAFE, requirements, have been implemented since the 1970s energy crisis, and set out how far new vehicles need to travel on a gallon of gasoline. Over time, automakers have gradually improved their vehicles’ average efficiency. The Department of Transportation and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimated that the finalized standards would correspond to a combined industry fleetwide average of roughly 34.9 miles per gallon for passenger cars and light trucks in the 2031 model year. That’s up from 30.1 miles per gallon for model year 2024, but down from a projected 50.4 miles per gallon in 2031 under rules put in place by the Biden administration. “Thanks to President Trump’s leadership, we have finally ended the illegal mandate that forced automakers to produce more expensive electric vehicles that American families didn’t want,” Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy said in a statement touting vehicle affordability. NHTSA had projected last December that the new standards would hover at roughly 34.5 miles per gallon. The news comes amid ongoing tensions as the war in Iran persists, with Trump refusing a deal with Iran to open the Strait as recently as Saturday, impacting the world’s oil supply. News of the revised standards immediately drew rebukes from environmentalists. The DOT said Monday that the rule would cut yearly oil consumption in 2050 by about 1.3 billion barrels as compared to yearly oil consumption in 2024. But when the 2024 standards went into effect, NHTSA estimated they would save 14 billion gallons of gasoline from being burned by 2050. The agency also said that while new fuel-efficient vehicles cost more up front, savings on gasoline over the lifetime of the car or truck would more than make up for that. Environmental groups estimate now, without stricter standards, cars could produce 22,111 more tons of carbon dioxide per year than under the Biden-era rules in 2035.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By DAVID ZALUBOWSKI

The Trump administration on Monday released new fuel economy standards that relax regulatory requirements for automakers to control pollution from gasoline-powered cars and light trucks. The rule also translates to an extra 90 tons a year of deadly soot particles and 4,870 additional tons a year of smog components such as nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds emitted into the air in coming years, experts say. Transportation already accounts for much of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions that warm the planet; 28% as of the last estimate in 2022. It “ignores the feasibility of clean technology and the millions of fuel-efficient cars already on the road,” Dan Becker, director of the Center for Biological Diversity’s Safe Climate Transport Campaign, said of the rule. Since taking office, Trump has also pulled back auto tailpipe emissions rules, repealed fines for automakers that do not meet federal mileage standards and terminated consumer credits of up to $7,500 for EV purchases. The president has repeatedly pledged to end what he falsely calls an EV “mandate,” referring incorrectly to former President Joe Biden’s target that half of all new vehicle sales be electric by 2030. No federal policy has mandated auto companies to sell EVs. According to data from Cox Automotive, EVs accounted for 5.7% of total new-vehicle sales in August, down from 7.4% for all of 2025. Katherine García, director of the Sierra Club’s Clean Transportation for All campaign, vowed the environmental group would fight the rule. “Less fuel-efficient cars mean more gas burned, spending more at the pump, and dirtier air in our communities,” Garcia wrote in a statement. Automakers and industry groups have said the new rules will increase Americans’ ac-

cess to the full range of gasoline vehicles they need and can afford. “NHTSA made the right call to better align fuel economy standards with the law and current market conditions,” John Bozzella, president and CEO of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, which represents the domestic auto industry, said in a statement. He said the previous standards “effectively required a switchover to electric vehicles that was out of step with market realities and customer demand. Today’s ﬁnal rule is an appropriate course correction.” “What the industry needs is long-term regulatory stability that includes balanced, durable and achievable fuel economy standards that continue to reduce emissions and improve fuel economy,” Bozzella added. “This is the formula for preserving consumer vehicle choice and keeping the U.S. auto industry globally competitive.” A spokesperson for Ford Motor Company, maker of the top-selling pickup truck, the F-150, said: “We appreciate Secretary Duffy and the Administration’s work to align regulations with market realities. As we evaluate the ﬁnal rule’s full impact on our business, we’ll continue working with the Administration to build a strong American auto industry.” A General Motors spokesperson said in a statement the company supports the goals of the rule “and its intention to better align fuel economy standards with market realities.” Stellantis also welcomed the changes. “These standards will allow us to offer our customers the freedom to choose from a range of vehicles and powertrains that meet their needs, from brands they love and trust,” a Stellantis spokesperson said in a statement.

Nvidia unveils artificial intelligence security platform BY KELVIN CHAN and ANNE D’INNOCENZIO AP business writers

Nvidia on Monday unveiled a new security platform that the chipmaker said can stop artiﬁcial intelligence agents from going rogue. The company said that its Open Agent Safety Platform includes open source software that “sets boundaries for agents,” and follows a series of revelations from top AI companies about their models escaping and breaking into other organizations. The disclosures sparked furious debate about the safety of

advanced artificial intelligence systems, including self-improving models that some fear could race out of human control. Nvidia executives said in a media brieﬁng that the new system could have prevented a recent incident involving a swarm of OpenAI agents that autonomously hacked into AI company Hugging Face. “From what we know, this new security platform could have stopped the breach if it was being used in frontier labs for model evaluation early on,” said the company’s vice president of enterprise AI, Justin Boitano, referring to companies at the forefront of AI. The Hugging Face incident was

a high-proﬁle breach that inﬂamed the safety concerns about AI, which were followed by similar rogue actions involving OpenAI’s models including breaching an Australian health department website. Anthropic and Meta have also disclosed that their AI systems hacked into other organizations on their own. Nvidia’s software, called OpenShell, lets developers “formally verify an agent has enough authority to do its job and no more,” Boitano said. Because it’s open source, it can be “extended” to run on rival computing platforms including those from Arm and Intel.

The platform also includes a separate security layer called Sentry that runs onboard a chip to continuously monitor AI agent activity and can “intervene instantly” if the agent starts trying to move beyond its target, the company said. “It can quarantine a suspicious agent in milliseconds,” Boitano said. “OpenShell governs the agent’s actions, and then Sentry independently monitors and contains suspicious behavior,” Boitano said. Nvidia said more than 100 organizations are using the platform at its launch, including Microsoft, Perplexity, Accenture and JPMorgan Chase.

The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Tuesday, September 29, 2026 ■ 7A

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Networks in wait-and-see mode over media standoff BY JOCELYN NOVECK

AP national writer

Is the standoff over between the White House and the nation’s main broadcast networks? Not exactly. Are we back to Square One? Also not exactly. One week after three news outlets ﬁled a lawsuit against President Donald Trump and his abrupt ban of CNN, MS NOW and Politico journalists from White House grounds, the extraordinary First Amendment showdown has morphed into a wait-andsee game. For now, the players are the White House and, collectively, the ﬁve major networks that form the TV pool: CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox News. And things have gotten murky. Over the weekend, Attorney General Todd Blanche defended the decision to keep CNN off Air Force One on Saturday as the president traveled to a college football game in Tennessee, despite the fact that it was CNN’s turn to provide pool coverage of Trump. The rest of the pool declined to provide a replacement, in solidarity with CNN. “The president has every right to decide who gets to fly on his plane,” Blanche said in an interview Sunday with ABC. He said Trump

was “sick and tired of certain media outlets just refusing to report accurate news.” And he added that news coverage he described as “misinformation” amounted to a national security issue. “That is what is a national security problem, when you have complete misinformation coming out of the White House,” he said. A federal judge threw cold water on the national security argument in his ruling last week granting a temporary restraining order against the White House ban. “The Court is skeptical … that Defendants’ interest in safeguarding national security is the actual motivation” for removal of access, Judge Timothy Kelly wrote. But the ruling did not directly address the TV pool rotation, even though the news outlets’ lead attorney, Theodore Boutrous Jr., has said he believes the ruling applies to pool access. And now pool access has become the battleground, with networks facing tough choices as the standoff persists with a president who, in his second term, has become increasingly willing to go to extreme lengths — in the courts, in the regulatory system and in his public statements — to quash coverage that he doesn’t like. At one point on Friday,

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ROD LAMKEy

A CNN sound technician walks in front of the White House in Washington on Saturday. it seemed everything was more or less settled. CNN, which had been blocked from its pool duties by Trump’s ban — prompting the other networks to refrain from their own pool coverage in solidarity — was back in. The network fulfilled its pool duty at a visit by Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping at the National Archives. For the ﬁrst time in days, CNN aired live footage of the president. But then came CNN’s Air Force One setback on Saturday.

For now, networks in the pool have decided to address the ongoing standoff on a case-by-case basis, according to a person familiar with the pool’s operation, speaking on condition of anonymity to give details of ongoing discussions. On Sunday, Fox covered a pool event; on Monday, NBC was covering the president in the Oval Office. CNN is not in the rotation until at least Thursday. If CNN is again barred from a pool event, the networks will decide together, presumably

based on the newsworthiness of the situation, whether to provide a replacement or to refrain from coverage as they did previously. The issues at stake are difficult. On the one hand, the networks want to take a stand on behalf of press freedom and against efforts to intimidate coverage. On the other, media outlets have an obvious purpose of providing news to their audiences. “There are not a lot of good options,” said David A. Schulz, director of the

Media Freedom and Information Access Clinic at Yale Law School. Should the White House continue to bar CNN, Schulz said, networks may choose to litigate, or to “exert their market power and say, ‘We’re not going to play ball with you.’ ” The question, Schulz added, is: “Who’s going to back down ﬁrst?” The networks “may well feel like they’re between a rock and a hard place,” noted RonNell Andersen Jones, a law professor at the University of Utah. “Capitulation might be perceived as abandonment of core components of press freedom,” Andersen Jones said. “But the practicalities of lengthy White House news blackouts are also complicated, and refusing to cover major news at the highest levels of government might itself feel like a failure to serve the goals of democracy.” From Blanche’s weekend comments, it did not seem likely the White House was softening its stance. “When it comes to the White House, it is the people’s house,” Blanche said, returning to an argument the administration has made since the beginning. “It is a privilege, and not a right, to be there.”

At U.N., Denmark Owners of Texas camp seek to sell property Mystic was says Greenland pact Camp site of deadly benefits all parties flooding in 2025 BY EDITH M. LEDERER Associated Press

UNITED NATIONS — The security agreement signed by the U.S., Denmark and Greenland last week “strengthens the defense of Greenland, the NATO area, and the American continent,” Denmark’s U.N. ambassador told the U.N.’s annual gathering of world leaders Monday. “The agreement is good for Greenland, for Denmark, for the United States, for NATO and Europe, and for international peace and security,” Christina Lassen said. The agreement bolstering the U.S. military presence in Greenland is aimed at strengthening NATO’s security in the Arctic and North Atlantic. It keeps Greenland as part of Denmark and, at least for the moment, eases tensions over President Donald Trump’s repeated calls for the vast island to become part of the United States. The agreement would still apply if Greenland eventually chooses independence. In brief remarks on the agreement at the end of her speech, Lassen said, “Progress can still be made when we consult the compass.” Trump expressed his desire to acquire Greenland

as long ago as 2019 and, during his current second term, he issued threats to seize the semiautonomous territory from Denmark, a NATO ally. He said the U.S. needed to “take Greenland,” to prevent Russia or China from doing the same, but said he would rather make a deal ” for the mineral-rich territory. Trump’s designs on Greenland strained relations within NATO, with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen warning a U.S. takeover would amount to the end of the Atlantic alliance. It also unsettled many of Greenland’s roughly 56,000 people wary of a U.S. takeover and resource grab. Officials from the U.S., Greenland and Denmark negotiated for months behind the scenes, searching for solutions to address some of Trump’s security concerns about the island and the president gave a thumbs up to the deal. Just before last Tuesday’s signing, at the U.N., Trump said, “This is tremendous for Europe and for the United States and for everybody. And for Greenland, it’s going to be incredible.” He did not respond to questions about whether a U.S. acquisition of Greenland was off the table.

BY JIM VERTUNO Associated Press

AUSTIN, Texas — The owners of Camp Mystic have proposed selling off the riverfront property as part of a bankruptcy plan, with hopes that a buyer will preserve the camp’s “historic mission” following the death of 27 campers and counselors swept away by a 2025 flood. The century-old private Christian girls’ camp filed a Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization plan on Sept. 25 that would auction off the 749 acres it owns and other assets. The sprawling campus, nestled among rolling wooded hills on the banks of the Guadalupe River, had several single-story cabins that housed some of the youngest campers and a recreation hall near the riverfront. A second campus on elevated ground was not flooded. The Eastland family has owned the camp for decades and initially sought to reopen this summer. But they faced fierce opposition from victims’ families and some state lawmakers, lawsuits and legislative investigations into what went wrong. A buyer would likely get a portion of the camp frozen in time. Families of the victims have fought to stop any demolition of damaged cabins and buildings and stop repairs as part of their

lawsuits. The bankruptcy plan said the owners expect a purchaser would be backed by a group of families that support the camp. “Nothing in the plan requires any buyer to operate the property as a camp,” the ﬁling said, “but the plan states an express preference, in determining the highest or otherwise best bid, for a buyer that will maintain the historic mission of the camp.”

Twenty-five campers and two counselors were killed when the river surged over its banks in the predawn hours of July 4, 2025. Camp owner and director Richard Eastland was also killed. At least 136 people were killed along a several-mile stretch of the river. Earlier this month, state police investigators sought search warrants for the electronic communications of the camp’s owners, saying they could provide evidence of

manslaughter, negligent homicide, child abandonment or other crimes. No charges have been brought. A probe by state lawmakers determined the camp’s young and inexperienced counselors were not trained for floods and other emergencies. It said an earlier decision to evacuate could have saved every life. Most of the victims were under age 10, and some were attending camp for the ﬁrst time.

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

Jan Risher

Basketball stars reuniting 60 years later My mother was a bona ﬁde basketball star. She’s told me so my entire life. She played for Sebastopol, a tiny school in central Mississippi. They played a style of basketball called 6-on-6: Three forwards stayed on one end of the court playing against three guards; neither guards nor forwards ever crossed midcourt. My mom graduated from high school in 1961. In the past four years, I’ve heard even more about my mother’s basketball prowess, thanks to Nell Sharkey, a reader who emailed me in 2022 because she grew up in Lake, Mississippi, 9 miles from my hometown. Sharkey moved to Baton Rouge more than 60 years ago. She’s one year older than my mom. In her email, she mentioned a relative who was a friend of my dad’s. My dad called him “Big Tommy.” I felt like I knew her well because many of the same places and people built us both.

T u e s d ay, s e p T e m b e r 29, 2026

1bN

DA candidate defends mailer

the parish to close the defeats in the courtroom — Brad McMorris said the parish Livingston plans forcing account. Cascio was Cashin’ in.” would have to close the account The mailer, which was sent in The checks, however, were and open a new one. weeks, accused Brad Cas- real. So, too, were the dollar Creating the new account and to close exposed recent cio, Mack’s opponent in the 21st amounts, names, bank account rerouting all recurring payments District race, of having numbers and routing numbers is expected to take at least a coubank account Judicial excessively beneﬁted from the visible in the images on the mail- ple of weeks, according to Liv-

parish’s litigation. In addition to his role as an assistant district attorney, Cascio works as a lawyer Staff writer at Moody Law Firm, which the A campaign mailer sent out by parish government pays for ledistrict attorney candidate Sher- gal services. Images of checks lined the edgman Mack revealed the Livingston Parish government’s bank es of the mailer, with bold text account and routing numbers, in the center that read: “While compromising its security and Livingston Parish was suffering

BY GIGI LIMAN

er. Mickey McMorris, the parish’s chief ﬁnancial ofﬁcer, informed the Parish Council’s Finance Committee of the incident Thursday. “The bank contacted us earlier this week and said that compromised our security on that account,” McMorris said.

ingston Parish Deputy Finance Director Gail Housley. “The check was on a mailer? Wow, OK,” said council member Erin Sandefur, who was caught off guard by the revelation. Mack denied that his actions were blameworthy.

ä See MAILER, page 2B

STAFF PHOTO By JAN RISHER

Nelda Risher, left, and Nell Sharkey enjoy an LSU women’s basketball game at the PMAC in 2025.

Sharkey also was quite the basketball star. When my mom visited, I arranged a get-together. At lunch at Parrain’s in Baton Rouge, the two ﬁgured out that in 1960, when Sharkey was a senior and my mother was a junior, Sharkey guarded my mother — in what turned out to be my mother’s highest-scoring game ever. I asked Mom if she remembered how many points she scored that night. “I know exactly — 28,” she said. Jean Harrison Sharp, the team manager and my mother’s best friend since they were infants, kept up with the scores. Usually my mother scored 18 or 20. “In your story, be sure to say this was with no three-pointers,” she said. “Let’s get that straight right now.” Consider it straight, Mom. And know that in reality, my mother is a humble and gentle soul — talking about basketball brings something else out in her entirely. By the time I was playing basketball, high school girls played 5-on5. I wondered when that changed. Kim Mulkey, LSU’s women’s basketball coach, said she wasn’t sure. She said she never saw 6-on-6 played until she went to Oklahoma on a recruiting trip. She also said that Pat Summitt didn’t recruit in Tennessee for years because they played 6-on-6.

ä See RISHER, page 2B

SHIP SHAPE

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

A dustpan dredge named Hurley removes sediment from a navigation channel on the Mississippi River during an operation by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Thursday in Baton Rouge. A dustpan dredge features a large suction head that has high-velocity water jets to loosen the silt and sand.

Meeting set as Amazon drones raise concerns BY IANNE SALVOSA Staff writer

Nearby residents will be able to ask questions and voice concerns about the controversial Amazon delivery drones at a community meeting this week. East Baton Rouge Parish Metro Council member Cleve Dunn Jr. will host a community meeting at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at Broadmoor United Methodist

Church, 10230 Mollylea Drive. Amazon started delivering small packages via drone in Baton Rouge in July as part of an early rollout of its Prime Air program. The mode of delivery has rufﬂed some feathers from residents close to the Amazon fulfillment center at Cortana Place — where the drones fly out of — who worry about the drone’s noise, potential injuries or damages and disturbance to

wildlife. Dunn said he’s received about 15 to 20 calls and 10 to 12 emails, mainly from Broadmoor residents, either complaining or supporting the drone deliveries. His goal for the meeting is to have residents meet with city and Amazon leaders to answer questions and learn more about the program. Dunn will provide the company with recommendations based on the meeting dis-

cussions. “We want it to be as businessand community-friendly as possible,” Dunn said of Prime Air. He said Amazon has been impactful in his district by turning the blighted former Cortana Mall site into a fulﬁllment center, providing jobs for locals. He said businesses like Starbucks, Aldi and Tropical Smoothie Cafe

ä See DRONES, page 2B

LSU Theatre mourns loss of ‘unparalleled’ professor, mentor and friend Director George Judy watches a scene rehearsal at LSU’s Reilly Theatre. Judy, 74, a professor of theater at the university, died Thursday. FILE PHOTO By MARK SALTZ

Judy, 74, a professor of theater at in droves in this morning. They’re George Judy the university, died Thursday night. from all walks of life, and they’re 2009 until his death, he worked expressing their love for him.” a fixture in department From Judy was Ballard’s primary proin the theater department, where since 2009 he also headed the LSU School of fessor from 2010 to 2013, when she

Theatre Master of Fine Art Acting Program and previously served as artistic director of Swine Palace. Staff writer “George Judy was my mentor and Tributes to George Judy by LSU my friend,” Jenny Ballard, assistant School of Theatre students and professor of theatre at Cumberland graduates flooded social media University in Lebanon, Tennessee, throughout the weekend upon news said Monday. “He was part of my family. People are posting about him of his death.

BY ROBIN MILLER

was a graduate student in the LSU School of Theatre’s master of ﬁne arts program. After graduation, she would become the managing artistic director of the former Theatre Baton Rouge, where she invited Judy to direct productions.

ä See JUDY, page 3B

2B ■ Tuesday, September 29, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

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St. Tammany DA tapped to lead probe in AG case BY JOHN SIMERMAN and WILLIE SWETT Staff writers

The Louisiana Supreme Court has appointed Collin Sims, the district attorney over St. Tammany and Washington parishes, to “investigate or prosecute any illegality” in how an Orleans Parish grand jury last month came to Sims indict the state attorney general, Liz Murrill. Initially sealed, the order was signed by Justice Cade Cole under an application from Louisiana State Police. It does not have a date, but according to Sims’ ofﬁce was signed on Aug. 17. The order grants Sims the power to empanel his own grand jury in New Orleans to investigate and potentially bring criminal charges. It said the court would also tap retired judge Robert Chaisson, who brieﬂy oversaw Murrill’s since-dropped indictment, to “exercise all necessary judicial authority over the result.” Sims, who was re-elected this year without opposition, was not

available Friday to comment. His appointment as special prosecutor signals that a criminal investigation is well underway into the circumstances surrounding unusual felony charges that emerged this summer against the Republican attorney general. Gov. Jeff Landry called for Louisiana State Police to investigate after a New Orleans grand jury on July 2 signed off on 16 felony counts of public intimidation and malfeasance against Murrill. For her part, Murrill recommended a joint state and federal investigation. The grand jury that indicted Murrill acted on its own under a littleused state law, according to District Attorney Jason Williams, whose office recused itself on June 1. District Judge Leon Roche appointed a special prosecutor, former criminal court judge Laurie White, who investigated the public intimidation allegations and presented them to the grand jury. The grand jury accused Murrill of crimes related to the letters she sent in May to Williams, Mayor Helena Moreno and five City Council members. In those letters, Murrill claimed the officials were breaking the law and risked their jobs

by calling for an election and an interim pick for a newly combined court clerk in New Orleans. White dropped the indictment in late July under pressure from Murill’s purported victims. Regardless, Landry and Murrill have said they suspect there was political influence on the grand jury and aim to root it out. Attorneys for the Murrill have sued Willilams and White for public records related to the case. “We are pleased that the Louisiana Supreme Court has recognized the need for an independent review of this indictment, and we trust that the process will bring transparency to the people of Louisiana,” said Laura Cannizzaro Rodrigue, an attorney for Murrill. The order appointing Sims, a former federal prosecutor, says that the State Police applied for a “conflict free prosecutor to assist with an active criminal investigation” related to Murrill’s indictment after recusals by Williams and Murrill. White said Sims’ appointment was news to her. “I was unaware of any of this. Glad to learn about it from the media,” she said. Landry’s office declined to comment Friday.

The city released a statement from City Attorney Charline Gipson Friday that accused Murrill’s attorneys of playing a “reckless game of political payback against imagined enemies.” “City officials did not initiate, direct or control any grand jury investigation. If this new inquiry is conducted with integrity and in accordance with the law, it will conﬁrm that truth,” the statement read. “Hopefully, this investigation will also examine whether and how Louisiana’s top prosecutor or her private attorneys (both former prosecutors) obtained the names of grand jury witnesses, the identities of everyday citizens who served as grand jurors, or evidence presented to the grand jury. “Such abusive and disturbing tactics would violate Louisiana law and undermine the very foundation of our justice system.” Rodrigue responded by saying the city has failed to meet deadlines to respond to public records requests and would face a challenge in court. “Information we obtained was given by the district attorney in response to our public records request,” she said.

The Louisiana Supreme Court order does not specify a time frame for Sims’ appointment. The court did not immediately respond to a request for records about special prosecutor appointments, or a copy of the State Police request in Murrill’s case. Rafael Goyeneche, president of the Metropolitan Crime Commission, said he believes the court, not State Police, made the call on Sims as the special prosecutor. “I’ve never seen a case like this before,” he said. “The prosecutor in the parish can’t handle it. And the attorney general that would normally take over when the parish prosecutor is conflicted can’t handle it. This is not going to be resolved quickly.” Sims and Murrill are often aligned politically on criminal justice issues. They teamed last year to end a 15-year hiatus on executions in Louisiana when the state used nitrogen gas to kill death row inmate Jessie Hoffman. Sims and Murrill also joined forces last year to create a task force aimed at child exploitation crimes on the northshore. Staff writer Matt Bruce contributed to this story.

Man, 55, accused of creating St. Landry deputies nude AI images of co-worker arrest Melville mayor BY JOEL THOMPSON

A man is wanted after he allegedly used artiﬁcial intelligence to create nude images and videos of a feCRIME male co-worker, then showed them BLOTTER to her. staff An arrest warreports rant was issued Monday for Bennet Gauthreaux, 55, on one count of unlawful deepfakes, Baton Rouge police said. A woman went to police earlier this month, saying that she had been commuting to work with Gauthreaux. During one ride, he showed her the images and videos on his phone. She told police she had never been in a relationship with Gauthreaux and none of the videos were real. He had made multiple romantic and sexual gestures to her and implied he wanted a sexual relationship with her, according to the arrest warrant. The woman provided text messages she had exchanged with Gauthreaux. He told her he would delete the images and remove them from his phone and the cloud services it was generated on, the warrant said. Gauthreaux also said he “no longer possessed ‘anything resembling’ the woman and that there was ‘no way to retrieve’ or ‘reproduce or remake’ the material.”

19-year-old killed in 9-car crash identified The person who was killed in a nine-vehicle crash on North Foster Drive just before noon Sunday has been identiﬁed. Terrence Rufﬁn, 19, was found dead at the scene, Baton Rouge police said.

MAILER

Continued from page 1B “The check images on the mailer are public record and include the same information any citizen who receives a check from the parish government receives,” Mack said. “In fact, my opponent has been cam-

RISHER

Continued from page 1B So I called coach Haywood Reeves, the high school coach in Forest when I was growing up. He never coached me or taught me, but he always made sure I knew he believed in me, which made a difference through the years. Reeves reminded me about Rover, a 4-on-4 game that came between 6-on-6 and 5-on-5, with one player allowed to run the length of the court. “That was a game that nobody liked,” Reeves said. As best he remembers, 1974 was the ﬁrst season girls played 5-on-5. Tesa Townsend Duckworth conﬁrmed Reeves’ timeline. Her senior season at Florence, 1973-74, was the last one for Rover. She

Seven other drivers were taken to the hospital for treatment, with one in critical condition, as a result of the incident that happened at 11:51 a.m. at the 3900 block of North Foster. Police said two cars were traveling northbound; a 2023 Kia Sorrento was in the left lane and a 2024 Chevrolet Malibu, driven by Ruffin, was in the right lane. The Kia hit the rear driver’s side door of Ruffin’s car, causing both vehicles to cross into the southbound lanes. The Kia then struck a 2004 Mazda Tribute, causing both vehicles to roll over, police said. Ruffin was struck on the passenger side by car headed south and died, police said. This is an ongoing investigation, officials said. Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers at (225) 344-7867.

Pedestrian killed in La. 19 crash in Baker A pedestrian was killed when they were struck by a vehicle in Baker early Monday morning. The crash happened shortly before 6 a.m. on La. 19, Baker police said. Both lanes of the state highway, between Ben Williams and Spur Lanes, will be closed while ofﬁcers investigate, the police department said in an online statement shortly before 8 a.m.

New details released in Point Coupee house fire

Staff writer

The mayor of Melville, Caretta Robertson, was arrested Monday after failing to appear at two separate court hearings involving a garnishment procedure against the town government. The court originally issued a subpoena for Robertson in advance of an Aug. 10 hearing. Robertson was arrested by the St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Ofﬁce after failing to appear at both hearings according to a daily arrest report. The hearing was in connection with a judgment against the town from last year that resulted in the town owing around $10,000 to Plaquemine Credit Inc.

A St. Francisville man has been arrested for arson after allegedly starting an apartment fire by putting books in the oven to burn, the State Fire Marshal’s Office said. Jeff David McAlpin, 42, was arrested on a count of aggravated arson on Sept. 25, the agency said in a news release. The fire broke out at about 11 a.m. on Sept. 24, in an apartment in the 11000 block of Ferdinand Street in St. Francisville. Firefighters with the St. Francisville Fire Department responded to the fire, then asked the fire marshal’s office to assist with an “origin and cause” investigation, the agency said. The investigation remains active, the State Fire Marshal’s Office said.

A deadly house fire Sunday afternoon in Pointe Coupee parish killed a 36-year old man, the State Fire Marshal’s Office confirmed Monday. The Pointe Coupee Fire District No. 3 and deputies from the Sheriff’s Office responded to a house engulfed in fire about 3 p.m. at the 5900 block of Woodview Lane in Jarreau, where they found the man dead at the scene. The State Fire Marshal’s Investigative Unit was called in to help identify the origin and cause of the fire. They found that the home did not have a working smoke alarm. “This is a heartbreaking tragedy, and we extend our deepest sympathies to this man’s family and everyone who knew and loved him,” State Fire Marshal Chief Chad P. Sonnier said. “Although we cannot change what happened, we can use this tragedy as a reminder of the importance of having working smoke alarms in every home. A functioning smoke alarm can alert people to a fire in its earliest moments and provide critical time to escape before conditions become life-threatening.”

paigning for the last year on taxpayer time while drawing a full-time salary paid for by the taxpayer.” By Friday, Cascio had already posted on Facebook about the incident. “We don’t need this type of backroom recklessness in the District Attorney’s Office,” his post read. Additional questions were raised about how Mack got the images of

the checks, each of which was sent from the Livingston Parish government to Moody Law Firm. McMorris said they were not released through a public records request, as the parish would have redacted the bank account information. “I can assure you with 100% certainty that no one from the Moody Law Firm disseminated those checks, nor did anyone request

them from that ofﬁce,” Cascio said. Mack did not immediately respond to a question about how the images were obtained. The back-and-forth is the latest in the contentious race to replace longtime 21st Judicial District Attorney Scott Perrilloux, who is stepping down after 30 years in the role. Voters decide his successor in the Nov. 3 election.

played 5-on-5 for the ﬁrst time at Mississippi College. Title IX became law in 1972, but her senior year at Mississippi College, 1977-78, was the ﬁrst year women received athletic scholarships. She went on to play two professional seasons, for the Chicago Hustle and the New Orleans Pride. She made $8,000 a season. She played anyway. Duckworth became my coach when my family moved to Magee, Mississippi, the summer before my junior year. Magee did not have a tradition of supporting girls’ sports. Most nights, my parents were just about the only people in the stands. The only other students there were on the boys’ team. One night, a new boy came to watch. Nobody had told him that nobody went to the girls’ games. I still remember seeing him walk across the end of the court and

thinking, “Oh, he doesn’t know.” We played anyway. Today, women players have opportunities Duckworth never saw. “I’m happy for them, but I wish they would appreciate where it’s come from and how quickly it has come,” she said. “Why would you even think that a girl couldn’t play 5-on-5?” Girls in Mississippi started playing full court 13 years after my mom graduated. “Thirteen years,” she said. “Well, good grief.” Twenty years after Sharkey guarded her, my mother sat in mostly empty bleachers and watched me run the length of the ﬂoor. At 83, she’s sure she couldn’t have done it herself. I reminded her that she ran out to midcourt and back. She reminded me that while the play was on the

other end, she had “some standing time.” “But we were on the alert every second,” she said. “Carolyn May could easily throw it from one end of the court to the other. I have stood there and nearly got knocked down by her throwing it.” I told her I still think she could have played full court. “Well, maybe so,” she said. “I just never had to, did I?” Had to or got to? My mom didn’t have the chance to play ball in college. Nobody ever paid her a dime. But basketball did give her something to brag about for 65 years. And six decades after that game against Lake, it gave her something more — a new friend named Nell Sharkey.

Marshal: St. Francisville man set books on fire

The case inquired into whether Melville possessed any property belonging to the defendant Demetria Burks after Plaquemine Credit Inc. executed a 2009 judgment for several thousand dollars she owed the company. Plaquemine Credit claimed in its initial ﬁling that there was reason to believe that the town continued to hold property belonging to Burks, a claim never denied by the town. Neither Melville nor Robertson were represented by an attorney or had any party present on their behalf throughout the case proceedings. The town never responded to any claims made by Plaquemine Credit Inc. or its attorney.

‘Strongest El Niño on record’ may bring wetter winter BY COURTNEY PEDERSEN Staff writer

More than three months into El Niño, the weather phenomenon is breaking records and is anticipated to continue impacting southwest Louisiana. National Weather Service Lake Charles storm warning coordinator Doug Cramer spoke at a recent Calcasieu Parish Local Emergency Planning Commission meeting, highlighting how El Niño could affect the next few months. “It’s the strongest El Niño on record,” Cramer said at the meeting. “It is forecast to continue to be the strongest El Niño ever through the winter, and that typically has ramiﬁcations at these latitudes.” El Niño, which is a warming of

Email Jan Risher at jan.risher@ theadvocate.com.

the ocean surface within the central and eastern tropical Paciﬁc Ocean that happens every two to seven years, is forecast to bring a wetter winter with a higher potential for tornadoes to southwest Louisiana. “(In) south Louisiana, you’re typically going to have more tornadoes,” Cramer said at the meeting. “There’s definitely a signal for strong tornadoes, 2s and 3s potentially. (As well as) a big signal for ﬂooding, (we) typically get increased rainfall through those types of situations.” Agency meteorologist Andrew Tingler said the northern Gulf Coast typically has a more active weather pattern overall, which does mean more storms and lower temperatures.

DRONES

Continued from page 1B opened stores in the area because of Amazon. Tyra Jones, Baton Rouge Prime Air operations manager, spoke at the Rotary Club of Baton Rouge earlier this month, detailing the convenience of drone deliveries and answering questions from attendees regarding the noise and safety of the drones. Representatives from Amazon and the Federal Aviation Administration will be at the meeting, along with Baton Rouge Police Chief T.J. Morse and Parish Attorney John McLindon. Email Ianne Salvosa at ianne.salvosa@theadvocate. com.

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Questions swirl around use of Quarter apartment Politicians listed as staying at state-owned Pontalba Building

Stockstill, Dorothy

Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church, 445 Marquette Ave., Baton Rouge at 10:00am.

Obituaries Lamb, Mother Freddie Mae

Staff writer

JUDY

Continued from page 1B “It was a shock,” she said of his death. “He had not been ill.” A cause of death has not been released.

His favorite projects On his website, gejudy. com, Judy’s list of favorite LSU and Swine Palace theater direction projects include his adaptation of Henrik Ibsen’s “A Doll’s House,” “August: Osage County,” a new stage version of Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice” and the Louisiana premiere of Adrian Hall’s adaptation of Robert Penn Warren’s “All the King’s Men.” He also appeared in the lead role in Swine Palace’s production of “King Lear.” Judy also had a lifelong passion for Shakespeare, which led to his creation of the Swine Palace Summer Festival, featuring 100-min-

Edwards, Ethel

Mount Zion Inner City Baptist Church, Plaquemine, LA at11am.

BY MEGHAN FRIEDMANN Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser’s Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism repeatedly let politicians from Louisiana and other states use a state-owned apartment in the heart of New Orleans’ French Quarter for short stays, a guest log for the apartment shows. The list raises further questions about whether Nungesser’s office consistently follows state law when it uses the so-called Irby Apartment, which is in the Lower Pontalba Building on Jackson Square. The Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s Office has long held that stays there are supposed to directly benefit Louisiana State Museums, which fall under Nungesser’s purview, while Nungesser’s office has said the apartment can be used for more general purposes. When submitting materials for its most recent audit, which was released Sept. 2, Nungesser’s office redacted the names of guests who stayed at the apartment. The Advocate | The Times-Picayune obtained an unredacted copy of the log from a person involved in overseeing Louisiana State Museums. The document says dozens of people used the apartment over the course of more than 60 visits that date from March 2024 to March 2026, including U.S. Rep. Troy Carter, D-New Orleans, Lafayette Parish Mayor-President Monique Boulet and Lee Mallett, chair of the LSU Board of Supervisors. All three of those officials said they reserved the apartment for business purposes. The log also names current and former legislators, several out-of-state politicians, state employees and many visitors who do not appear to hold public office. Some visits only lasted the day, while others lasted multiple nights, according to the log. The guest log gives a purpose for about one-third of the stays, showing some apartment visitors were in town for museum-related events and fundraisers. Other former guests said their reasons for using the apartment ranged from attending meetings about the LSU system and hosting professional development sessions to attending prison programming conferences and meetings with law enforcement. Rebecca Mackie, director of Louisiana State Museums, issued a statement saying the apartment visits support the work of the state’s tourism department “particularly when cultural exchanges or events bring visitors to New Orleans and Louisiana, or during other activities and meetings.”

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STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

The state-owned Lower Pontalba Building flanks the downriver side of Jackson Square in the French Quarter. “Elected officials, local, state, and federal government representatives — to include Louisiana congressional staff residing in the Washington, DC, area — and guests stay at the apartment when participating in those events to represent the Lieutenant Governor at his request or in his absence,” she added. Some of the visits predated Mackie’s tenure as museum director.

Officials on the calendar State Rep. Dustin Miller, D-Opelousas, and state Rep. Larry Bagley, RStonewall, are on the guest log, though Bagley said he did not actually stay at the apartment during the April 2024 dates in question. He was diagnosed with cancer that month, he said, adding that he did stay at the Pontalba once long before that, while touring a state museum. Miller did not respond to requests for comment. The guest log says both legislators stayed there to “build awareness with the Legislature.” The log indicates Nungesser himself used the Irby Apartment four times in 2025. During three of those visits, Nungesser attended museum-related events, including exhibit openings, a hospitality event at The Cabildo Museum and a meeting with the Louisiana Museum Foundation, a spokesperson said. The lieutenant governor did not actually stay at the apartment the fourth time due to a change in plans, according to the spokesperson. In Louisiana, the lieutenant governor, whose job is to promote tourism, is elected separately from the governor. Nungesser is currently in Japan for an event meant to bring more Japanese tourists to Louisiana.

Guests defend use Some high-ranking officials who used the Irby Apartment defended Nungesser’s ofﬁce and said their stays were at least partly related to tourism or state museums. A spokesperson for Carter, the New Orleans-

based congressman, said in a statement that Carter’s ofﬁce used the apartment for professional development sessions lasting a few hours, and that no one stayed overnight. “Staff had an opportunity to engage with the Louisiana State Museum and its role in preserving and promoting Louisiana’s culture and history,” the statement said. Mallett, the LSU board chair, said he stayed at the Pontalba while in New Orleans on LSU business. He applauded Nungesser for supporting LSU, contending that the university system is a key part of tourism in the state. “Everything that we do at LSU, it affects and touches tourism,” he said. “We are part of the culture.” During one of the visits, Mallett said he attended meetings about the University of New Orleans, which recently rejoined the LSU system after a budget crisis. Losing UNO would have hurt tourism in Louisiana, Mallett said. Mallett’s time in New Orleans also pertained to his responsibilities to the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors, he said. He chairs that organization’s commercial board.

Other stays Other politicians on the guest calendar described visits that were for events relevant to their roles as elected ofﬁcials but that did not appear directly related to tourism in Louisiana. Boulet, the mayor-president of Lafayette Parish, used the apartment twice. A spokesperson for Boulet said her first visit was to attend Louisiana Innovation Day, an event centered around economic development. Boulet’s second visit, which the log says lasted only for the day, was to attend a conference and meet with the New Orleans Police Department, according to the spokesperson. Ben Gilmore, a former state senator from Arkansas, said he stayed at the Pontalba while attending a National Conference of State Legislatures event on prison programming,

“tremendous loss not only for the School of Theatre but for the community and ﬁeld at-large.” “He was truly a multifaceted theater artist as an actor, director and playwright,” she said. “In fact, his last project at LSU was a reading of his new work, ‘Clytemnestra Blue,’ that received an enthusiastic response.” But, Sosnowsky continued, Judy’s biggest impact was on the many students that he trained at both LSU and in his previous job at Florida State University. “George was unparalleled as a teacher and mentor,” she said. “Students often mentioned his deep knowledge and understanding of theater and his ability to bring the best out of them. As students graduated and went on to their careers, A tremendous loss many continued to look to Kristin Sosnowsky, associ- George for counsel and adate dean for the LSU College vice, and he was always exof Music and Dramatic Arts, ceptionally generous with added that Judy’s death is a his time and expertise.”

ute versions of Shakespeare’s plays in repertory, including “The Taming of the Shrew,” “The Merchant of Venice,” “Twelfth Night,” “Romeo and Juliet” and “As You Like It.” But it was his attention and generosity that his students and former students most remember. “I just learned a massive amount from him,” Ballard said. “I learned how to be a better actor, a better director. George was incredibly alive, and he was incredibly human. He had an ability to see to the core of somebody, reach in and pull out the best of them, and he knew how to do it on a very individual basis. And he just did that with me and so many others repeatedly. He was family to me, and I really, really loved George.”

and to visit the Elayn Hunt Correctional Center in St. Gabriel. His stay lasted for three nights in May 2024, the guest log shows. Other out-of-state officials named on the log include Michigan Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II and Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin, along with former Indiana Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch and former Delaware Lt. Gov. Bethany Hall-Long. In a statement, Griffin’s office said he stayed at the apartment for a three-day event at the Jackson Barracks Military Museum. Gilchrist, Crouch and HallLong could not be reached for comment. The log says the visits from Gilchrist and Crouch were aimed to “build awareness” with their states. The Irby Apartment has drawn controversy for nearly a decade. In 2017, after Nungesser’s handling of Louisiana State Museums was criticized by the outgoing museums director, Nungesser said he had stayed in the apartment two or three times. And in reports dating back to 2020, the state auditor has told the agency to stop using the Irby Apartment “for its own purposes” unrelated to the state museum system. It has also accused Nungesser’s office of allowing guest stays in the Pontalba that may not comply with state law. Nungesser’s office has pushed back, arguing that any stays that benefit Nungesser’s Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism also benefit Louisiana State Museums. The latest audit found the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism did not provide enough documentation to show whether stays at the Irby Apartment “provided a tangible, direct benefit to the LSM and did not violate the Louisiana Constitution.” Article 7 Section 14 of the constitution prohibits the donation of funds, property or “things of value” owned by the state. Email Meghan Friedmann at meghan. friedmann@theadvocate. com.

Sosnowsky added that Judy will be remembered. “In his almost 20 years at the school, he will be fondly remembered for his dedication to the art of theater, his enduring commitment to his students and his infectious laugh, which could often be heard in the theater,” she said. Ballard echoed Sosnowksy’s comments. “It was just a gift to get to work with him,” she said. “He cared so much for his students. I can even remember on more than one occasion how he paid for students to go to the doctor; he cared that much. And I’m so grateful for the time I had, but I’m so angry for the time that we’ve all lost.” Judy is survived by his wife, Kathy, and their son, Ethan. A memorial service will be announced at a later date. Email Robin Miller at romiller@theadvocate. com.

Mother Freddie Mae Lamb, age 90, was born April 12, 1936 in Watson, Louisiana to Samuel Tilley and Johnella Stewart. She died September 17, 2026. She worked as a mill worker and later as a caregiver. She was a member of First Little Rock Missionary Baptist Church for over 50 years and Mother of the Church since 1988. She leaves children Theresa Connerly, Carolyn Spears, Michael King, Sybil Scott and Andrea McGruder; sisters Lannie Hodges and Alzato Robinson; 28 grandchildren, 34 great-grandchildren and 12 great-great -grandchildren. Viewing: Hall Davis 9348 Scenic Highway, Baton Rouge, La 70807, Tuesday, September 29, 4p-6p Funeral Services: First Little Rock Baptist Church, 312 South 17th Street, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70802, Reverend James Riley Sr. Viewing: Wednesday September 30, 9a-11a following Service: Wednesday, September 30, 11a Interment: Heavenly Gates Cemetery, 10633 Veterans Boulevard, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70807

Pettit, Jr., Robert Lee

Country Club and Baton Rouge Assembly. Bob was an avid reader, art collector and played bridge to keep his mind sharp. He also enjoyed hunting at the Coastal Club and spending his summers in the mountains of Colorado and North Carolina. Despite all of his accomplishments, Bob was the last person to boast about himself or any of his achievements. He was a modest and humble man with a gentle soul. All those who knew him understood this and loved him for it. Above all, the most important things to Bob were his family and friends. He treasured the relationships he built throughout his life and the time he spent with those he loved. He will be dearly missed by all. Bob was preceded in death by his wife of 46 years, Carole Crowell Pettit, his father, Robert Lee Pettit Sr and his mother, Margaret Brandon Pettit. He is survived by his wife, Alma Slatten Pettit; his children, Peyton Pettit Coates (Jonathon) of Tibbie, Alabama, Robert Lee Pettit III (Conway) of Baton Rouge, Mary Pettit Mozingo (Michael) of Baton Rouge; and his 10 adoring grandchildren: Bobby Pettit, Crossland Pettit, Lucy Jane Pettit, Charlie Pettit, Leven Greene, Lydia Greene, LR Greene, Deacon Mozingo, Camille Mozingo, and Mason Mozingo. He was preceded in death by his step-son, Bill Slatten (Jane) and survived by two stepchildren, Scott Slatten (Becky) and Elizabeth Healy (Dunbar), and nine step-grandchildren. A service will be held at St. Martin's Episcopal Church in Metairie, Louisiana, on Friday, October 2, 2026. Visitation will begin at 10:00 a.m. followed by the service at 12:00 p.m. Private burial will follow. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in Bob's name to St. Martin's Episcopal Church, 2216 Metairie Road, Metairie, LA 70001, or to a charity of your choosing.

Viger, Paul R. 'Rusty'

Robert Lee "Bob" Pettit Jr. of New Orleans, Louisiana, passed away peacefully at his home on Wednesday September 23, 2026 at the age of 93. Bob, affectionately referred to as "BB" by his grandchildren, was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on December 12,1932 to Margaret Brandon Pettit and Robert Lee Pettit Sr. Bob grew up in Baton Rouge and spent many summers in Pinckneyville, MS with his Brandon family relatives. He attended Dufrocq Elementary and Baton Rouge High School. It was at Baton Rouge High that his talent and passion for the sport of basketball was developed. Bob frequently said that one of his proudest achievements was winning the basketball state championship for Baton Rouge High School his senior year. Bob attended LSU from 1950-1954 where he earned a degree in Business, was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon Fraternity and excelled as a member of the men's basketball team. Bob starred on the team earning 2x All American honors, 3x First Team All SEC, and lead the Tigers to their first ever NCAA Final Four. His #50 jersey was the first jersey in LSU history, in any sport, to be retired. His years at LSU and the friendships he made there were extremely special to him. In 1954, Bob was drafted by the NBA's Milwaukee/ St. Louis Hawks, beginning a long and accomplished career in the NBA. During his 11-year career, he received many accolades including the NBA's first ever MVP, 11x NBA All-Star, 4x All-Star game MVP and led the Hawks to the 1958 title over the Boston Celtics. Bob retired in 1965 as the leading scorer in the history of the league. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1970 and the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in 1973. After retiring from basketball, Bob enjoyed a successful career as a banker and financial consultant. He enjoyed spending time with friends at The Stratford Club, The Boston Club, The Recess Club, and participated in several carnival organizations in New Orleans as well as being a member of New Orleans

Rusty passed away on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, peacefully at his home in Port Allen, Louisiana at the age of 73. He was a native of Baton Rouge and a resident of Port Allen for the past 33 years. Rusty was a graduate of Baton Rouge High School. He was a retired internal auditor for CBI. Rusty loved LSU sports and enjoyed listening to his collection of classic rock music. In his retirement, he enjoyed maintaining his yard and was meticulous with his landscaping. Throughout his life, Rusty was an avid supporter of organized union labor and long-standing member of UA Local 198 Plumbers and Steamfitters. A loyal husband, father and grandfather, Rusty would always step up in times of need, often lending words of support and wisdom. Rusty is survived by his devoted wife of 46 years Mary Gale Marino, daughter Danielle Nicholson (Eric), granddaughters Hannah and Addison Pittman. Preceded in death by his father, Robert Viger, Sr., Mother, Margaret "Bonnie" Bonnecaze and brother, Steven. Visitation will be on Thursday, October 1 at Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church, 445 Marquette Ave., at 9 am with Mass at 10 am. Burial immediately following at Greenoaks Memorial Park, 9595 Florida Blvd. in Baton Rouge.

4B ■ Tuesday, September 29, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

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

OUR VIEWS

Insurers need to match state’s energy on fortified roofs When the state began offering grants to homeowners to add fortified roofs that would help their property become more resilient to storm damage, we thought officials had unlocked one key to lowering the skyrocketing insurance rates that were strangling communities on the coast. We gave credit to outgoing Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon for championing the program in 2023 after looking around at what other states were doing to stabilize their insurance markets. Only one problem: Three years later, demand for the grants has far outstripped supply. And even though Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple and Gov. Jeff Landry have been staunch advocates of expanding the Louisiana Fortify Homes program, it’s not been enough. This year, the program was set to provide a record 3,000 grants to homeowners after lawmakers approved a bill that sent $50 million in excess Katrina-era emergency bond money to the fortified roof initiative, which has a $30 million annual state allocation. Still, it hasn’t been enough. The demand indicates the desperation of homeowners along the coast to find some solution — any solution — to the inexorably rising cost of insurance. Now, Landry has announced his administration is proposing an additional $20 million in federal money be poured into efforts to expand grants for fortified roofs. The money would be redirected from U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development funds that were set to go toward affordable apartment development in areas affected by Hurricanes Laura, Delta and Ida in 2020 and 2021. While affordable housing is always a vital concern, we believe this shift makes sense. It comes after a statewide assessment in June by the Louisiana Housing Corp., which evaluated future housing needs across the state. We agree the most pressing issue right now is lowering insurance costs so people can stay in their homes. And Landry said this doesn’t mean the state will stop pursuing funds to build affordable housing. Once the number of homes with fortified roofs reaches critical mass in a community, he noted, that can lower property insurance costs for all. If the feds approve the reallocation, the $20 million in funding would go toward a new effort run by state’s Office of Community Development called the Restore Resilient Opportunities for Overhead Fortification, or Restore ROOF, program. We cannot but be impressed by how state officials keep seeking ways to tackle our insurance crisis. We knew in the beginning it was going to be a long battle, but we’d like to see more movement on the insurers’ side. So far, the discounts they offer for fortified roofs have varied widely. Starting in January, however, companies will be required by the state to give an actuarially justified standard discount to homeowners with fortified roofs. Hopefully, this starts turning the tide more quickly. We in Louisiana have done our part. It’s now time for insurers to do theirs.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR ARE WELCOME. HERE ARE OUR GUIDELINES: Letters are published

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

YOUR VIEWS

Dissatisfied with How about Lafayette for current events? Maybe the new Space Academy? a change is in order Thanks to Gov. Jeff Landry for his efforts to attract the proposed U.S. Space Force Academy to our state. Please consider offering multiple Louisiana options in our proposal. While New Orleans would be a great location for all the reasons being reported, certainly there are other places in the state that can offer different but also attractive opportunities. What exactly bends the decision

Voting these days can be confusing because most politicians sound the same, making grand promises about their agendas and trying to paint a future world where they and their party have the solutions to all our current problems. To put things in perspective, I offer a simpler guide of how to vote this November based on the events of right now: If you are angry about gas and diesel prices that are 49% and 70% higher respectively because of an illegal war with Iran, maybe you should vote the political party that controls the White House, House and Senate out of office. If you are frustrated by a trade war against our allies that has caused rising inflation and 7% interest rates, maybe you should vote the political party that controls the White House, House and Senate out of office. If you are horrified by masked men grabbing people off the streets in America and the politicians in Washington staying silent, maybe you should vote the political party that controls the White House, House and Senate out of office. If you are appalled by attacks on press freedom, including demands that certain programs that make fun of certain presidents be canceled, maybe you should vote the political party that controls the White House, House and Senate out of office. And if none of these things bother you, and you feel America is on the right track and you like things just as they are, then you should vote to keep those people in office and in power and expect more of the same. But my guess is you feel differently. Maybe.

in the end may not be known. But unless we are told we can only offer one location, it seems a menu of three or four options will give Louisiana a larger chance. Acknowledging my own bias, I will point out the Lafayette area has many assets to be touted. Please give it some thought.

ANDRE COMEAUX Lafayette

More paperwork makes it harder for eligible voters While the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act did not pass the U.S. Senate, it does not mean our voting process is safe from further disruption. As proposed, this act would fundamentally change how we register to vote. The SAVE Act was presented under the guise of restricting noncitizens from voting. Federal law already prohibits “aliens” from voting in federal elections. The proposed act, however, would change required documentation for U.S. citizens registering to vote. That distinction matters, especially for the legal system-impacted women and girls we serve. It would require people to present proof of citizenship such as passports or birth certificates in person when registering. Half the people in this country don’t have passports. A REAL ID alone would not qualify; neither would military nor tribal IDs. For a woman returning home after incarceration, those requirements are anything but simple. She already faces difficult barriers to rebuilding her life. Documents may have expired or been lost, confiscated, destroyed or simply

never obtained. Depending on charges that resulted in incarceration, some people may not be eligible for a passport. Acquiring a birth certificate can be an exhausting process when a person does not know where it is, cannot afford a replacement or lacks identification needed to obtain a replacement. The issue is not whether citizenship should be verified. The issue is whether an eligible citizen should face barriers to exercising a fundamental right because she cannot readily produce a specific government document. At Operation Restoration, we believe successful reentry means restoring the ability to participate fully in community life. Civic participation is part of that process. We encourage anyone eligible to vote and exercise their right on Nov. 3. Voting is one of the ways we make our voices heard in our communities. Be heard.

SYRITA STEIB founder, president and CEO, Operation Restoration New Orleans

JOSH MAYER New Orleans

What does exit strategy look like in Iran war? TO SEND US A LETTER, SCAN HERE

Seven months into America’s war with Iran, it’s time to ask what the exit looks like. Tehran has now offered one: Reopen the Strait of Hormuz — the chokepoint for a ﬁfth of the world’s oil — within days, if Washington eases military pressure. That isn’t surrender. That’s a deal, and it deserves a serious answer. Here in Louisiana we feel this war at the pump and in our ports. Hundreddollar oil doesn’t just raise gas prices;

U.S. fortunate to have Trump defend us against Iran

it ripples through every reﬁnery shift, every shipping contract every grocery bill in New Orleans. The administration promised strength. Strength is knowing when to bank a win. Diplomacy isn’t weakness — it’s how wars end. Our congressional delegation should say so publicly. Take the Hormuz deal, wind this war down and let Louisiana get back to work.

“We make war that we may live in peace ... those who cannot bravely face danger are the slaves of their attackers.” — Aristotle Iran has threatened America for decades. Finally, someone is doing something about it. We (all Americans) are fortunate to have Donald J. Trump as president of this great country.

KEVAN SMITH New Orleans

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The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Tuesday, September 29, 2026 ■ 5B

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COMMENTARY Trump, good economic news and the midterm elections Did you know that recently released Census Bureau statistics show the poverty rate in the United States fell to a record low in 2025? That’s an extraordinary development, but it has so far not attracted a lot of media coverage and discussion. What about a big White House event featuring Byron President Donald Trump York touting a welcome decline in poverty and increase in income? There hasn’t been one. “I dunno, but if I were president and the poverty rate dropped to the LOWEST RATE ON RECORD, I might make a big deal out of it — a lot bigger deal than the Trump White House is making,” commentator Mickey Kaus, who has been covering poverty and social policy for decades, remarked. One more note — the Census Bureau also announced that real median household income in 2025 was $87,460, an increase of $2,250 from the year before and “the highest on record dating back to 1967.” So Trump could brag about the highest income and the lowest poverty on record. Obviously, the good news comes amid bad news on prices. The yearover-year rate of inflation today is actually higher than it was when Trump took office in January 2005. That is largely due to energy prices. To use new figures from AAA: Last year, the average price for a gallon of diesel was $3.71. Now, it’s $6.53. Last year, a gallon of regular gas was $3.20. Now, it’s $4.47. Those are terrible numbers, especially less than two months away from midterm elections. The poverty and household income numbers could be helpful to Trump because they allow him to argue that there are good signs in the economy to go along with the bad. “The economy is growing, jobs are pretty plentiful, the poverty rate hit its lowest point in modern history, so the economy is doing in many respects quite well; there’s growth, there are

ing Trump’s standing with Hispanics: his ferocious enforcement of immigration laws. Building a border wall can make families feel safer; sending armed and masked ICE agents to patrol American streets and arrest friends and neighbors does the opposite — it threatens their security. “Hispanic Americans — Republican, Democrat and independent — are experiencing a growing sense of isolation, feeling less safe, less welcome and more like strangers in their own country,” Diana Orces, a researcher who studies Hispanic trends, wrote in The Conversation. This growing alienation was crystalized by Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar of South Florida, a Cuban American three-term Republican lawmaker whose latest campaign ad addresses Trump directly: “Mr. President, some of your immigration enforcement efforts have gone too far. ... The same Hispanics who helped you get to the White House in 2024 feel betrayed today.” In an interview with CBS, she explained that Trump’s enforcement policies have failed to distinguish between “the narco and the nanny and the gangster and the gardener.” “Latinos are the enigma that neither Republicans or Democrats have been able to ﬁgure out,” Bobby Pulido, a Democratic candidate for a House seat in Texas, told CNN. Actually, the answer to that “enigma” is increasingly clear: Hispanics care about the same things that motivate all voters. They pay the same gas and grocery bills and will punish any leader who ignores their problems.

Some influencers simply want to persuade and perhaps help others better their lives or their community. Their subject could be politics, economics, music, health or fashion. But social media has become inundated with influencers who harm their devotees, some on purpose. Or make money off their trusting audience by endorsing so-so products. Influencers are people who build followers on social media Froma or other digital platforms. They Harrop use the attention to shape opinions, tastes, or get the audience to buy stuff. They post comments, videos, reviews, or endorsements, often for pay or to get freebies. Those who post outrageous, socially harmful things for clicks, for attention, deserve to be ignored. But often outraged readers only amplify the influencer’s wicked intent by reposting the rot while condemning it. They too get clicks. It’s the nature of the game. And that back-and-forth is why so many of us are so angry. An army of would-be influencers have turned Lindsay Clancy, the Massachusetts mother who killed her three children, into some kind of heroine. One can honestly believe she’s evil or that mental illness made her do it. But she is no hero. A battalion of counter-influencers is now going after Clancy’s apparent fan club. They too are hoping for attention and with it, clicks. One especially grievous example is a weepy woman holding her baby: She’s describing Clancy’s anguish while listing all the medical problems her own child was allegedly suffering. The baby looked bouncy, leading one to ask whether the mother was engaged in Munchausen syndrome by proxy. That is a mental disorder whereby a guardian fabricates illnesses or symptoms in a person under his or her care to draw attention and sympathy from doctors and others. When the exploited victim is young, it is considered a form of child abuse. One angry response on TikTok repeats her entire rant as he rants at it. Note that neither poster gets identified here. But this hunger for “engagement,” a nice word for attention, sometimes reaches tragic levels. In August, a pretty, young Japanese influencer killed herself on a TikTok livestream. Mina Chan had over 300,000 followers on TikTok and 150,000 on Instagram. Her posts revolved around a K-pop group, ENHYPEN. The story goes that she had handed a flower to one of the performers and was then hounded on social media for allegedly pretending to have a close relationship with the group. She apologized on the scene. Chan’s family confirmed her death on Instagram. Celebrity blogger Perez Hilton reportedly livestreamed 15 minutes of self-harm, that is, cutting himself on TikTok. Videos of women sharing intimate details of their romantic problems are rampant. Some announce their impending divorce before their spouse even knows. On a very different subject, many social media addicts are getting fleeced by financial advisers on TikTok. Some of the advice could be good, but a lot of it is claptrap. The Wall Street Journal reported on a study finding “those who use social media for investment advice rated their investment knowledge higher than those who don’t, but perform worse on an objective knowledge test.” These followers were also more susceptible to investment fraud. Many such videos showcase the adviser sitting in their Mercedes or otherwise flaunting their wealth. Their audience tends to be young, much of it Gen Z. YouTube is chock-full of very useful videos offering fashion, computing or other guidance. Trouble is, many include links to buy the things they are praising. That’s OK, one supposes, if they label the content as sponsored. Look, most of us want attention, and social media offers some very clever entertainment, commentary and how-to. But it’s getting wild out there. Clicker beware.

Email Steven V. Roberts at stevecokie@gmail.com.

Froma Harrop is on X, @FromaHarrop.Email her fharrop@gmail.com.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER

A number of economic factors will likely weigh on voters’ minds as the midterm elections approach. the things you want,” Fox News’ Brit Hume said recently. “But this business with prices is just killing this administration and the president’s party.” So what now? For Trump, the point is not to argue that there are no problems with the economy, or that Americans who are deeply upset about prices are being unreasonable. The point is to argue that a number of important factors in the economy are moving in the right direction, and that the Trump administration is working to ﬁx the others. Vice President JD Vance almost got there in a podcast interview last week in which he pointed out the administration’s accomplishments, argued that electing Democrats to control Congress would undo that progress, and asked voters for more time to work on the things that are not going well. “We’ve had an amazing success with the border, with immigration,” Vance said on the “All In” podcast. “We’ve pursued H-1B reform that prioritizes American workers over foreign nationals. There’s a lot of good that’s been

done, but there’s a lot of work left to do. Don’t give power to the people who caused the problems that we’re ﬁxing. Give us another chance, or give us another couple of years, to continue to work on the amazing things that we’ve been doing for the past two years.” It’s not a great idea for a second-term administration, even with the unusual circumstances of the Trump second term, to ask for “another chance” at election time. Voters are not very charitable about that sort of thing. On the other hand, it is reasonable for an administration to cite its progress and ask for more time to ﬁx remaining problems. There is still a high probability that voters won’t buy that one, either — a number of key indicators look terrible for Republicans — but it’s the best the Trump administration can do. And the new poverty and household income statistics help them make the case. Byron York can be reached by email at byork@washingtonexaminer.com.

How Trump betrays Hispanics The flight of Hispanic voters from the Republican Party is one of the most important trends this political season, and a few numbers explain why. In the latest New York Times poll, only 7% of Hispanics say the economy is better than a year ago, while 68% say it’s worse. Fully 80% disapprove of Trump’s economic record. So, while Trump received 46% of the Hispanic vote two years ago, the best showing ever by Steve Roberts a Republican candidate, it’s no surprise that 4 out of 5 Hispanic voters now want Democrats to control the next Congress. In other words, Hispanics are acting pretty much like other voters, sharing the same concerns about rising prices and the same resentment of Trump for failing to control them. “There’s no renewed affinity or love for the Democratic Party. They’re just extremely upset and disillusioned and angry, frankly, with Donald Trump,” Mike Madrid, a veteran strategist who studies the Hispanic vote, told The Guardian. “So they’re gonna leave the Republicans for the exact same reasons that they left the Democrats two years ago.” Madrid is right in saying that Hispanics have “no renewed affinity” for the Democrats, who have long misunderstood their political identity. In the standard Democratic view, Hispanic voters, like Black voters, are people of color first, whose race defines their values and indelibly stamps them as liberals. Joe Biden got 65% of the Hispanic vote in 2020, but that margin masked fissures just under the surface. Many

Hispanics are deeply religious and culturally conservative, and they don’t share leftist views on incendiary social issues. A good example of this Democratic disconnect is the word “Latinx,” popular in intellectual circles as a gender-neutral label, but disdained by ordinary voters. Only 2% of Hispanics embrace the term, according to one poll, and as Domingo Garcia, former president of the League of United Latin American Citizens, put it in 2021: “The reality is there is very little to no support for its use and it’s sort of seen as something used inside the Beltway or in Ivy League tower settings.” Democrats have also misread how shrewdly Trump uses the immigration issue, assuming that Hispanics would be offended by his vows to “Build the Wall” and deport undocumented immigrants. In fact, in many Hispanic communities, especially along the Mexican border, his promise to eradicate criminals and drug dealers made many families feel safer. In 2024, Trump beneﬁtted from the relative youth of Hispanic voters, whose median age of 38 is a full decade younger than the wider population. Almost one-third are under 30, and as Giancarlo Sopo, a Republican media strategist who worked on Hispanic outreach for Trump, told Reuters: “Young Hispanics do not have the same muscle memory as their grandparents who voted for Democrats for 50 years.” This lack of loyalty to the Democrats made young Hispanics more open to Trump’s promise of an economic revival. But as Madrid noted, the identical grievances that boosted Trump two years ago are blasting him now. Moreover, a second concern is erod-

Many influencers are con artists out for a buck

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6B ■ Tuesday, September 29, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

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TODAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

Mostly sunny and warm

Partly sunny with a t-storm

Humid; a p.m. t-storm or two

Humid; an afternoon t-storm

A shower and t-storm; humid

HIGH

LOW

HIGH

92° 70°

LOW

90° 73°

LOW

89° 75°

88° 72°

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

Beaumont 90/78 Port Arthur 89/80

Baton Rouge 92/70

Lake Charles 91/73

10s

20s

30s

Houma 90/70

40s

50s

60s

70s

80s

Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today

90s 100s 110s

LAST

OCT 3

City

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

YESTERDAY

Atlanta Austin Boston Charlotte Chicago Dallas Denver Houston Las Vegas

PRECIPITATION

94°/72° 86°/65° 92°/64° 97° in 1953 43° 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

New Orleans 91/74

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

Hattiesburg 93/62

Alexandria 94/69

Lafayette 91/71

LOW

85° 69°

TEMPERATURE Jackson 93/65

Many 95/68

LOW

Baton Rouge through 5 p.m. Monday

Longview 95/71

-0s

88° 74°

Monroe 96/69

Shreveport 95/71

-10s

LOW

The cloud cover will start returning, and rain chances will inch up, but today, expect another mostly sunny to partly cloudy and hot day with a light breeze. Temperatures this afternoon will rise to the low to mid-90s. Humidity will remain relatively low, so they may only feel like the mid-90s. Winds will be east-southeasterly today, and rain chances will remain at zero. We’re following one tropical system in the Atlantic that is moving away from the U.S.

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

HIGH

9:39a 4:08a 4:11a 5:37a 11:55p 11:16p 12:19a

FT.

FIRST

OCT 10

85 94 67 84 77 94 68 92 81

TODAY Lo

62 76 58 59 63 77 52 78 69

FULL

OCT 18

s t c s pc pc t t t

OCT 25

87 94 68 87 74 92 64 91 92

WED. Lo

67 76 60 62 65 74 51 77 70

FT.

0.8 8:57p 0.2 2.0 1:04p 0.5 2.1 10:21a 0.2 1.6 2:11a 1.5 1.6 9:57a 0.3 2.0 8:23a 0.4 1.8 10:59a 0.4

6:57 a.m. 6:52 p.m. 8:39 p.m. 10:03 a.m. NEW

LOW

0.00” 0.00” 4.14” 44.47” 47.60”

s t pc s r t r t s

HIGH

MODERATE

READING 97 MAIN POLLUTANT Ozone

MAIN POLLUTANT Ozone

SOURCE: LOUISIANA DEQ AND AIRNOW.GOV

FT.

LOW

FT.

--- ----- ----- ----- --8:22p 2.5 10:59p 2.2 11:15p 1.8 2:04p 0.2 --- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ---

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

Today Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday

City

1:33a 7:47a 2:35a 8:49a 3:40a 9:55a 4:46a 11:02a 5:50a 12:05p 6:49a 12:35a 7:43a 1:29a

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

89 84 87 71 75 83 84 76 64

TODAY Lo

66 75 56 59 60 68 65 56 51

2:01p 8:14p 3:04p 9:19p 4:11p 10:26p 5:17p 11:33p 6:21p ---7:19p 1:04p 8:10p 1:57p

s t s c c t s s r

TODAY

MODERATE

88 87 93 75 80 86 90 78 66

WED. Lo

66 77 64 64 63 73 70 54 50

s t pc pc pc sh pc pc pc

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

MISSISSIPPI Memphis Vidalia-Natchez Red River Landing Baton Rouge Donaldsonville Reserve New Orleans OHIO Cairo COMITE Near Olive AMITE Near Darlington Denham Springs Port Vincent TICKFAW Montpelier Holden ATCHAFALAYA Simmesport Melville Krotz Springs Butte La Rose Bayou Sorrel Morgan City

FLOOD STAGE

34 48 48 35 27 22 17

MON. 24-HOUR STAGE CHANGE

9.60 16.30 19.00 7.00 4.40 3.41 3.00

+2.57 +0.38 +0.10 +0.20 +0.20 -0.10 +0.12

27.19

+0.43

-1.74

-0.06

18 29 8

-1.30 9.75 1.91

-0.01 -0.03 -0.52

13 15

2.43 0.58

-0.01 -0.01

47 34 29 20 12 6

6.80 4.48 3.52 3.52 2.70 3.09

-0.33 -0.35 -0.01 -0.32 -0.30 +0.05

data as of 7 a.m. Monday

Report dings state for slow air pollution violation response Groups say DEQ fines in jeopardy

the new time frames, particularly “large and complex facilities with extensive compliance histories.” Despite the improving trends Lang argued were occurring, the groups attempted to highlight the consequences of slow action.

BY DAVID J. MITCHELL Staff writer

A new analysis contends state environmental regulators have been exceedingly slow in responding to most air quality violations in a heavily industrialized area of southwest Louisiana while also issuing weak penalties when investigations are complete. The analysis was carried out by the Washington, D.C.-based Environmental Integrity Project and Micah 6:8 Mission, a local community and environmental nonprofit based in Sulphur. The state Department of Environmental Quality argues the analysis was too limited to capture the full picture since it focused on the largest facilities in the Lake Charles area. Its findings show three out of five formal air enforcement actions issued in the region between January 2021 and August 2026 came more than five years after the earliest cited violation. The groups added that the slow reactions may have jeopardized the agency’s ability to obtain civil penalties due to statutory deadlines. Even when DEQ did propose civil penalties, the fines averaged $66,300 for companies typically worth hundreds of millions to billions of dollars, they noted. Cynthia Parker Robertson, executive director of Micah 6:8 Mission, said the state agency must require industries “to correct the causes of their violations and prove they are protecting the people who live downwind.” “Our communities are breathing the consequences of an enforcement system that responds too slowly and demands too little,” she said in a statement released with a letter to DEQ. DEQ’s top enforcement official, Jerry Lang, said the analysis only looked at a “limited portion of LDEQ’s overall enforcement workload” and focused on a collection of facilities that are among “the largest and most complex industrial operations in the Lake Charles area.” A more complete analysis would have looked at the agency’s full

5 years to assess penalties

STAFF FILE PHOTO By TRAVIS SPRADLING

and another 50 informal actions, such as warning letters.

Phillips 66 example In one example, the analysis pointed to the Phillips 66 oil refinery in Lake Charles, which documented hundreds of its own air pollution exceedances from 2020 to 2023 for state regulators in federally required quarterly reports. But DEQ took until late 2025 — almost five years after some of the initial reports — to file a 68-page compliance order to try to force corrections for those and several other alleged violations. The exceedances were for chemicals known to contribute to ground-level ozone, create rotten egg smells and fine particulates that cause regional haze, and irritate breathing for asthmatics and young children, according to the compliance order. Other selfreported problems were for unspecified hazardous or other air pollutants. The analysis also noted two cases, one at Phillips 66 and another at

The state generally has five years from the first notification of a potential environmental problem to assess penalties, but the analysis found cases where “delayed action could prevent the department from obtaining appropriate penalties.” In March 2025, the state notified Indorama Ventures Olefins in Westlake about potential penalties for alleged violations from 2016 to 2019. Citing documents in DEQ records, the environmental groups noted an Indorama attorney told DEQ in April that DEQ had missed the five-year window to assess penalties for the alleged violations. “Whether or not that defense ultimately succeeds, the matter illustrates that delayed enforcement is not merely an administrative concern,” the environmental groups say. A U.S. spokesperson for Indorama declined to comment Friday. For the Phillips 66 order mentioned in the analysis, the company and the state agreed to enter into dispute resolution in January, according to a notice. In a letter, the company has put forward a number of defenses, including that many of the alleged violations were temporary and are no longer occurring. In one case, the company argued DEQ missed the five-year window to bring an enforcement action. A company spokesperson declined to comment on the “ongoing administrative process.” “Phillips 66 is committed to safe, environmentally responsible operations and compliance with applicable environmental requirements,” company spokesperson Stef Adams said. A spokesperson for Equistar wasn’t immediately able to comment.

Equistar Chemicals Lake Charles Polymers Facility, in which alleged air violations from the early to mid-2000s were not self-reported by the companies for about a decade and a half. “These examples illustrate the importance of inspections and other compliance monitoring activities that can identify violations independently, rather than relying solely on facilities to report them,” the letter states. The groups said their analysis was an attempt to follow up on the 2021 auditor’s report, which reached similar conclusions on the speed and potency of DEQ’s inspection and enforcement actions statewide. The DEQ’s Lang noted that the state auditor “found that LDEQ had implemented its recommendation concerning timely review of required self-monitoring reports,” Lang added. He acknowledged that the agency’s improvements won’t mean David J. Mitchell can be “every individual enforcement reached at dmitchell@ matter” will be resolved within theadvocate.com.

SPORTS

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

T u e s d ay, s e p T e m b e r 29, 2026

1CN

Saints must get Dome in order

Team can’t afford to lose to Falcons on Monday The Las Vegas Raiders’ wild-and-woolly 35-27 win over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday overshadowed what has become a troubling trend for the boys in black and gold. The Caesars Superdome has been anything but super for the Saints lately. The loss was the Saints’ 12th in their past 18 home games. The lowly TennesJeff see Titans are the only Duncan NFL team to be more hapless at home in the ä Atlanta at past three seasons. Such a losing stretch New Orleans, would have been unheard 7:15 P.M. of a few years ago, when MONDAy, ESPN the Superdome widely was considered one of the most hostile venues in the NFL for visiting teams. Somehow, “Dome sweet Dome” has turned into “Doom sweet Doom” for the

ä See DUNCAN, page 4C STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU coach Lane Kiffin gestures to the Tigers to relax in the third quarter against Texas A&M on Saturday at Tiger Stadium.

‘Freaked’ out

Kiffin could rest some key players after cluster of injuries BY KOKI RILEY

ä McNeese at LSU. 6:45 P.M. SATURDAy, SEC NETWORK

Lane Kiffin was freaked out. Liinebacker Whit Weeks had hurt his leg. Charles Ross, a top backup at the position, also injured his leg earlier in the game. Star tight end Trey’Dez Green, starting safety Dashawn Spears and a host of other players were already unavailable, if not out for the entire season. He wasn’t going to test his luck any further. With LSU up 35-6 against Texas A&M in the fourth quarter on Saturday, Kiffin pulled his starters. “I took our guys out earlier in that game than I did in our previous home game,” Kiffin said, “because of just what was going on and that just freaked me out.” At 3-1, LSU has played well enough that a trip to the College Football Playoff could be in the cards. But Kiffin knows to get there, the roster can’t keep suffering injuries. That’s why Kiffin is open to resting players when LSU hosts McNeese State on Saturday in the final nonconference game of the regular season. “We’ll be extremely cautious this week all around,” Kiffin said, “because it’s just the schedule you play with. Once you go to nine (conference games on the schedule), it’s another SEC game. I mean, it feels like we’ve played a whole season already, but we have seven SEC games to go.” Kiffin’s caution likely starts at quarterback, where Sam Leavitt played most of Saturday’s game with a hamstring

injury that cut off his mobility. Leavitt had his best game of the year as a passer, completing nearly 74% of his throws for 312 yards and two touchdowns, but his injury raises the question of whether he’ll play against a 2-3 FCS team from the Southland Conference. Kiffin wouldn’t say whether Leavitt would sit Saturday, but he has shown confidence in backup quarterback and Elon transfer Landen Clark. He didn’t complete a pass in relief of Leavitt against Texas A&M, but two of his throws to the end zone were dropped. Kiffin also has used his legs in the red zone on multiple occasions, replacing Leavitt on certain plays when games have been in the balance. Clark has 83 yards rushing and three touchdowns, two of which he scored against the Aggies. “Landen’s done a great job,” Kiffin said. “He goes into the games (and) he finds a way to make plays. I joked with him that he’s got to be the first player in the history of quarterback (and) the history of football to actually throw two touchdowns that are in guys’ hands and throw another completion in the game and somehow be 0 for 5.” LSU also may be careful with Ty Benefield, Princewill Umanmielen and Jordan Seaton, its remaining healthy stars at critical positions on both sides of the ball.

Staff writer

White Sox, Astros collide in unlikely playoff pairing BY KRISTIE RIEKEN AP sportswriter

ä See LSU, page 2C

HOUSTON — The Houston Astros are the ﬁrst team to reach the postseason without a winning record. The Chicago White Sox are the only team in major league hisä White Sox tory to follow consecutive 100-loss seasons with a at Astros, playoff berth. 4 P.M.TUESDAy, Now these two improbNBC, PEACOCK able playoff teams will meet in a best-of-three AL Wild Card Series starting Tuesday in Houston. The Astros are led by AL MVP favorite Yordan Alvarez, who won the AL batting title, ranked second with 106 RBIs and was tied for second with 42 homers. Chicago features three 30-homer stars, led by Japanese rookie slugger Munetaka Murakami, who hit 35; Miguel Vargas with 33; and Colson Montgomery, who had 31. The White Sox lost at least 100 games in each of the past three seasons, with the low point coming when they dropped 121 games in 2024, setting the record for most losses since 1900. Will Venable

ä See MLB, page 5C

Pelicans see alterations without many changes BY ROD WALKER Staff writer

The team looks pretty much the same. The results need to look a whole lot different. The New Orleans Pelicans begin training camp Tuesday with the hopes of spitting out the bitter taste of backto-back disappointing seasons. They won 26 games last season, the ﬁrst under executive vice president of basketball operations Joe Dumars. They won just 21 games the year before that. So Pelicans guard Dejounte Murray very well could have been speaking on behalf of everyone in the organization when he spoke at the Pelicans media day Monday.

“I’m here to win games,” Murray said. “I don’t want to continue to just talk about it or bull**** about it. I want to win as bad as the fans want to win.” Can the Pelicans improve despite making minimal offseason changes? The biggest addition was the signing of Bennedict Mathurin in free agency. Outside of that, the team will rely on the core of Zion Williamson, Trey Murphy, Herb Jones, Murray, Saddiq Bey, Yves Missi, and second-year players Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen. “We are all looking forward to it,” Dumars said. “Everybody is excited about this season, the possibilities. We have a good group. We have a group that is really, really thirsty to turn things around and have a winning season. We’re going to do everything in our power to make this a much better

season than last year. I feel good about it.” It helps that the Pelicans are fully healthy heading into training camp. In years past, there seemed to be a player or two rehabbing an injury at the start of camp. Dumars said the players have worked “twice as hard” this offseason than they did a year ago. Videos on social media of players working out became an everyday thing. And players took the time to work out with each other. Williamson and Bey paired up in South Carolina. Murray and Fears did the same in Seattle. Queen and DeAndre Jordan worked out in California. Those sessions built some camaraderie that wasn’t there in

ä See PELICANS, page 4C

STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

Pelicans guard Dejounte Murray talks with the media during media day on Monday at the Smoothie King Center.

2C ■ Tuesday, September 29, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

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THREE AND OUT: SCOTT RABALAIS ASSESSES LANE KIFFIN’S ANSWERS ON MONDAy

SAM OR ANOTHER MAN? Will LSU rest quarterback Sam Leavitt against McNeese State because of his hamstring injury against Texas A&M? Lane Kiffin wouldn’t say whether Leavitt or backup Landen Clark would start, but he revealed he would be “extremely cautious” with Leavitt this week. “I took guys out earlier in (the Texas A&M) game than I did the previous home game (with Louisiana Tech) because of what was going on (with injuries) just freaked me out,” Kiffin said.

COACH ‘EM UP Kiffin has decried the nine-game Southeastern Conference schedule and the demands it puts on rosters that have lost depth in the NIL/portal era. Still, he isn’t letting himself or his coaches off the hook. “I challenge our coaches,” Kiffin said. “That’s part of why you’re supposed to be good coaches and get paid a lot. It’s not just coaching the elite player, but now how can you fit our system to players that are going to need to play?”

FUN WITH ACCOUNTABILITY With basketball goals and fire extinguishers on the sideline, Kiffin said he strives to have a fun program “that has a swagger to it, so people watch and say, ‘I want to go play there’ ” while still maintaining discipline. The key is not to go too far and have taunting penalties like Texas linebacker Colin Simmons had Saturday at Tennessee. “you have to be really careful to have discipline so they can’t carry that over,” Kiffin said.

Bucs QB Mayfield to miss games with injured thumb

Baker Mayfield received some good news after dislocating his right thumb on Sunday in Tampa Bay’s loss to Minnesota, but the two-time Pro Bowl quarterback is expected to miss at least three weeks. Undrafted rookie quarterback Jalon Daniels will start this weekend against the Green Bay Packers. Easton Stick is on the practice squad and likely will be promoted unless the Buccaneers add a veteran quarterback. Mayﬁeld was injured when his throwing hand hit Vikings linebacker Blake Cashman on a desperation pass on fourth down that was intercepted late in a 23-16 loss. An MRI revealed that Mayﬁeld didn’t suffer ligament damage or a fracture. He avoids surgery and possibly won’t be placed on injured reserve, which means he would have to miss four games.

Vikings trade QB McCarthy to Giants for 5th-round pick

LSU NOTEBOOK

The New York Giants acquired quarterback J.J. McCarthy from the Minnesota Vikings for a 2027 ﬁfthround pick, adding another young player at the most important position in football less than a week after learning Jaxson Dart would be out for the rest of the regular season. Jameis Winston started and the Giants beat Tennessee on Sunday, despite not scoring a touchdown and having just 238 yards of offense. McCarthy, the 10th pick in the 2024 draft, lost the starting job in Minnesota to Kyler Murray and fell behind Carson Wentz on the depth chart. McCarthy started 10 games last season, completing 57.6% of his passes for 1,632 yards, 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

SEC: Tennessee’s onside kick officiated incorrectly

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU defensive tackle Deuce Geralds dances on the sideline in the first quarter against Texas A&M on Saturday in Tiger Stadium. Geralds was named the SEC Freshman of the Week after recording two sacks against the Aggies.

DT Geralds recognized for 2-sack outing BY REED DARCEY AND JON BLAU Staff writers

LSU defensive tackle Deuce Geralds was named the SEC Freshman of the Week on Monday. Geralds recorded two sacks on Saturday against Texas A&M, which means he’s already up to four sacks on the season. The Georgia native also had a twosack night when the Tigers beat Louisiana Tech in Week 2. No FBS freshman has more sacks this season than Geralds, who’s emerged as a starter. Through four games, he’s played 19 more snaps than any other defensive tackle on the team, which means his emergence is a key reason why the Tigers enter Week 5 with the second-best rushing defense in the nation. Miami is the only other team that’s allowed fewer rushing yards than LSU. Geralds was the third-most highly rated recruit to sign with the Tigers in 2026, according to 247Sports composite rankings, behind University High defensive end Lamar Brown and Edna Karr defensive tackle Richard Anderson. He was a fringe top-50 national prospect. Geralds is also responsible for

LSU

Continued from page 1C

one of the three fumbles LSU has forced this season.

Update on Weeks LSU linebacker Whit Weeks will be out for “a while” after he reportedly fractured his right leg Saturday in a win over Texas A&M, coach Lane Kiffin said Monday. Kiffin said that he still isn’t sure whether Weeks can return to the Tigers at some point this year, though On3 reported Monday that LSU is optimistic that the star linebacker won’t become the second defensive starter lost to a season-ending injury. Defensive back Dashawn Spears is already out for the year after he tore his ACL against Ole Miss in Week 3. “That’s a tough one,” Kiffin said, “not just because of the player that (Weeks) is. It’s the mentality and what he brings around him and how he is. That’s really probably why I was in the mood that I was in after the game, just knowing the impact and feeling horrible for him.” Tight end Trey’Dez Green is out indefinitely with a knee injury he suffered against the Rebels. The Tigers also have lost defensive end Gabe Reliford (ACL), corner-

Ailments forcing Leavitt or any member of that trio off the ﬁeld likely would derail the season. The Tigers put a lot of resources into their team — an estimated $47 million to $50 million, according to The Athletic — but Kifﬁn staunchly believes cobbling together a deep roster in Year 1 is impossible. Even with LSU’s resources, the transfer portal and NIL have made building depth much harder than it was a decade ago. That’s why Kiffin has been spooked lately by the injuries. “These injuries are more significant than they used to be,” Kiffin said, “because you don’t have the great players at the bottom of your roster that you used to be able to have when you could stockpile (talent).”

Beneﬁeld moved from safety to the star position on Saturday to replace Spears, who tore his ACL against Ole Miss. He played well in his new role, accumulating nine total tackles against the Aggies, but his health becomes more crucial than ever with Spears and Weeks out of the lineup. Umanmielen has been LSU’s most valuable defensive player with seven sacks in just four games. He’s driven the strong play up front, while Seaton arguably has been their best player on the opposite side of the line of scrimmage. He’s allowed just three quarterback pressures and no sacks through four contests at Email Koki Riley at koki.riley@ left tackle. theadvocate.com.

back Aidan Anding (Achilles), kick returner Phillip Wright and linebacker Charles Ross (ACL) to season-ending injuries. Ross went down in the win over the Aggies. Weeks already has suffered two fractures in the same leg he injured Saturday: one in LSU’s 2024 Texas Bowl win over Baylor and another in its 2025 loss to Ole Miss. The latter injury did not require surgery, and it shelved the star linebacker for only four games. It’s unclear exactly how long Weeks will have to sit this time. LSU will have to play without the heart of its defense for the foreseeable future. Weeks is one of LSU’s longesttenured players. He’s a three-year starter who led the team in tackles (20) before the game against Texas A&M, thanks to his sidelineto-sideline speed and his downhill rushing ability. LSU is expected to start junior Davhon Keys next to Ole Miss transfer TJ Dottery at linebacker. Dottery and Keys were the Southeastern Conference’s top two tacklers in 2025, so the Tigers still have talent and experience at that spot. Kiffin thinks that LSU is now “extremely” thin at linebacker.

Ross, he said, was fourth on the depth chart before he was injured Saturday. “With this amount of long-term injuries,” Kifﬁn said, “we’ve got to feature our defensive line in situations because we are so low at linebacker.”

Kentucky kickoff time LSU and Kentucky will play under the lights in the Bluegrass State. Their Oct. 10 contest will kick off at 6 p.m. and will broadcast on ESPN, according to an SEC news release. Both teams could be 4-1 by the time they face off in Lexington, Kentucky. The Wildcats (3-1, 1-1 SEC) head on the road to face 2-2 South Carolina, which will be without top edge rusher Dylan Stewart because of a suspension. Kentucky, led by ﬁrst-year head coach Will Stein, bounced back from a loss in its SEC opener against Alabama with double-digit wins over Texas A&M and South Alabama. No. 11 LSU (3-1, 1-1 SEC) will face McNeese State in Tiger Stadium on Saturday after sending the Aggies to their second straight conference defeat.

No. 17 Tennessee’s successful onside kick against top-ranked Texas was incorrectly officiated, according to the Southeastern Conference. The kick with 1:22 left on Saturday should have been flagged for a 5-yard penalty and the down replayed because the ball was not kicked from the 35-yard line, the conference said in a statement Monday. The ball also should not have been moved once was it was deemed ready for play by the officials. The onside kick came after Tennessee quarterback Faizon Brandon threw a 30-yard TD pass to Mike Matthews to pull the Vols within 20-17. Tennessee punter Jackson Ross pulled off the onside kick by faking right and drop-kicking it to the left.

Warriors center Porzingis out with a health issue

Center Kristaps Porzingis will be out indeﬁnitely for the Golden State Warriors with a health issue, and general manager Mike Dunleavy offered no further details but wasn’t ready to call this a longterm concern. Dunleavy was informed about Porzingis’ status on Sunday. The big man already had been working out at Chase Center recently. “He was in last week, doing well and everything. I don’t have a timeline on it,” Dunleavy said at media day Monday. “Hopefully he will be back soon.” Porzingis wasn’t set to travel with the team to Hawaii for training camp. In March when Porzingis missed time with a medical issue and illness, coach Steve Kerr referred to it as “mysterious.”

Lynx collect WNBA awards for top rookie and coach

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt walks off the field after the Tigers’ win over Texas A&M on Saturday at Tiger Stadium.

The Minnesota Lynx have received two major WNBA awards, with point guard Olivia Miles as Rookie of the Year and Cheryl Reeve as Coach of the Year for a league-record fifth time. The WNBA announced the awards on Monday, before the Lynx traveled to New York for an elimination game in their best-ofthree first-round playoff series on Tuesday. Miles was an unanimous selection after she set the WNBA rookie scoring record. She played in 40 of 44 games and averaged 19.8 points, 6.0 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals while shooting 49.2% from the field, 38.8% from 3-point range and 87% from the free-throw line. Reeve previously won the award in 2011, 2016, 2020 and 2024.

The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Tuesday, September 29, 2026 ■ 3C

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LSWA FOOTBALL POLLS Class 5A School (ﬁrst-place votes) Rec. Pts. Prev. 1. Karr (10) 4-0 131 1 2. Ruston 3-1 116 2 3. St. Augustine (1) 4-0 114 4 4. Rummel 4-0 98 6 5. Brother Martin 4-0 73 8 6. John Curtis 2-2 71 5 7. Alexandria 3-1 69 3 8. St. Thomas More 3-1 57 NR 9. Acadiana 3-1 30 7 10. West Monroe 3-1 29 NR Others receiving votes: Jesuit 22, CatholicBaton Rouge 15, Mandeville 11, Ouachita 11, Barbe 5, Central 5, Thibodaux 1.

Class 4A School (ﬁrst-place votes) Rec. Pts. Prev. 1. Westgate (8) 4-0 128 1 2. Neville (2) 3-1 117 3 3. North DeSoto (1) 4-0 111 2 4. Shaw 3-1 99 4 5. Lake Charles Prep 4-0 91 5 6. Franklin Parish 3-1 74 6 7. Madison Prep 2-2 63 7 8. John F. Kennedy 3-1 58 8 9. Belle Chasse 4-0 31 9 10. Cecilia 3-1 27 10 Others receiving votes: Plaquemine 26, Opelousas 22, Salmen 13, Lafayette Renaissance 11, Leesville 1.

Class 3A School (ﬁrst-place votes) Rec. Pts. Prev. 1. St. James (9) 4-0 130 1 2. St. Charles (2) 3-1 123 2 3. Jena 3-1 105 4 4. University 2-2 89 5 5. Sterlington 2-2 86 3 6. Jewel Sumner 3-1 76 7

7. Loyola Prep 3-1 66 8 8. Marksville 4-0 61 9 9. Eunice 4-0 37 10 10. West Feliciana 4-0 35 NR Others receiving votes: Vandebilt Catholic 28, Iowa 12, Northwest 7, Jennings 3, Carroll 1.

Class 2A

School (ﬁrst-place votes) Rec. Pts. Prev. 1. Calvary Baptist (11) 4-0 132 1 2. Notre Dame 4-0 117 3 3. Mangham 3-1 105 4 4. Dunham 2-2 98 2 5. Lafayette Christian 3-1 92 6 6. Amite 3-1 75 5 7. Newman 3-1 58 10 8. Catholic-New Iberia 2-2 46 8 9. Lake Arthur 4-0 38 NR 10. Mansﬁeld 3-1 36 9 Others receiving votes: Oak Grove 33, Loreauville 10, Covenant Christian 5, Kinder 4, Vinton 3, West St. Mary 3, Country Day 1, Green Oaks 1, Homer 1.

Class 1A

School (ﬁrst-place votes) Rec. Pts. Prev. 1. Ouachita Christian (7) 4-0 128 1 2. Riverside Academy (4) 4-0 124 2 3. Ascension Catholic 4-0 111 3 4. Haynesville 3-1 84 5 5. Logansport 4-0 82 6 6. Southern Lab 3-0 70 7 7. Kentwood 4-0 69 8 8. Jeanerette 3-1 57 4 9. Westminster-Laf. 4-0 48 9 10. Cedar Creek 4-0 35 10 Others receiving votes: East Feliciana 20, South Plaquemines 11, Ascension Episcopal 6, Catholic-Pointe Coupee 4, St. Mary’s 1.

REPORT STAFF PHOTO By PEARL SPURLOCK

St. James defensive back Kendrick Joseph, left, goes to tackle Dunham wide receiver William Dantin on Friday at Dunham Stadium.

St. James stays atop 3A poll BY JACKSON REYES Staff writer

A new LSWA prep football poll is out, and St. James remains No. 1 in Class 3A. The Wildcats overcame injuries to outlast Dunham 12-7 on the road on Friday. St. James received nine ﬁrst-place votes in this week’s poll. University High moved up a spot in Class 3A to No. 4 after a 44-7 victory against Livonia.

West Feliciana also entered the Class 3A top 10 at No. 10 after a 41-23 win over Carencro, helping the Saints start the year 4-0. In the other classes, no Baton Rouge-area schools cracked the top 10 in Class 5A. In Class 4A, Madison Prep remained ranked at No. 7 after a 61-0 victory over Broadmoor. In Class 2A, Dunham fell to No. 4 after its loss to St. James. The Tigers have been without Alabama

commitment Elijah Haven for the past two weeks. The quarterback is likely to miss one more week, coach Neil Weiner said. Ascension Catholic remained No. 3 in Class 1A. The Bulldogs took down South Lafourche 5714 in Week 4 to remain unbeaten. Southern Lab moved up a spot to No. 6 after its 45-6 win over Ferriday. Kentwood also moved up one spot to No. 7 after the Kangaroos defeated Loranger 45-6.

SWAC NOTEBOOK

Louisiana native off to ﬂying start in SWAC play

Week 5 football schedule All games at 7 p.m. unless noted.

Thursday North Iberville vs. Thrive Academy at Olympia Stadium Collegiate Baton Rouge vs. Helix Mentorship Academy at Baker High School Ferriday at Kentwood

Friday Live Oak at Denham Springs Glen Oaks at Port Allen Highland Baptist at Central Private Southern Lab at East Iberville St. Michael at Scotlandville St. John at White Castle Madison Prep vs. McKinley at Belaire High School Independence at Istrouma Capitol at Northeast Parkview Baptist at East Feliciana Ouchita Parish at Central Belaire at Livonia Broadmoor at Tara Woodlawn vs. Donaldsonville at Floyd Boutte Memorial Stadium Liberty at Alexandria Ben Franklin at Springﬁeld Catholic at Madison-Ridgeland Academy (Mississippi) Prairieville at Dutchtown East Ascension at Walker Zachary at St. Amant Ascension Catholic at Assumption Brusly at Plaquemine Lutcher at Franklinton University High at Teurlings Catholic Episcopal at Albany Baker at West St. John St. James at Lord Beaconsﬁeld Landry West Feliciana at St. Helena Catholic-PC at Catholic-NI

Dunham at Parklane Academy (Mississippi) Ascension Christian at Houma Christian Central Catholic at Slaughter Community Charter

Volleyball Week 4 Monday’s results

North Iberville 3, Louisiana School for the Deaf 1 (25-11, 23-25, 25-19, 25-13) Willow School 3, Lycee Francais de la Nouvelle Orleans 0 (25-1, 25-12, 25-4) St. John 3, Liberty 0 (25-17, 25-16, 25-16) Slaughter Community Charter 3, Collegiate Baton Rouge 0 (25-16, 25-13, 25-9) University 3, Madison Prep 0 (25-12, 25-21, 25-7) West Feliciana 3, Scotlandville 0 (25-15, 25-16, 25-16) McDonogh #35 3, Woodlawn 1 (25-18, 2225, 25-20, 25-19) Zachary 3, Central 1 (25-13, 25-22, 15-25, 27-25)

Tuesday’s matches

Collegiate Baton Rouge at Ascension Christian, 5 p.m. East Iberville at North Iberville, 5 p.m. Baker at Tara, 5 p.m. Glencoe Charter at LSD, 5:30 p.m. Broadmoor at Slaughter Community Charter, 6 p.m. Ponchatoula at Central, 6 p.m. Donaldsonville at Istrouma, 6 p.m. False River at Livonia, 6 p.m. Glen Oaks at Madison Prep, 6 p.m. West Feliciana at McKinley, 6 p.m. Brusly at Plaquemine, 6 p.m. St. Charles at Prairieville, 6 p.m. GEO Next Generations at Southern Lab, 6 p.m. Central Private at St. John, 6 p.m.

BY TOYLOY BROWN III

Staff writer

A freshman running back from Louisiana is not only emerging as a name to watch in the Southwestern Athletic Conference but also earning national recognition. Alabama A&M freshman tailback Byron Perrilliat was named the FCS Freshman Player of the Week after a dazzling performance in his team’s 40-21 win Saturday at Florida A&M (1-4, 0-1 SWAC). The Jefferson native rushed for a career-high 223 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries. Perrilliat, who is 5-foot-11 and 182 pounds, averaged 13.9 yards per attempt. Both of his touchdowns came in the fourth quarter, and his longest run was a 52-yard gain up the middle in the first quarter for Alabama A&M (4-1, 1-0). “Byron, man, you know, stepped in there, true freshman, and just did a really good job,” Alabama A&M coach Sam Shade said on Monday’s SWAC coaches call. “Had really good vision and was hitting the holes and finding creases. And you know, he also had some tough yardage that he picked up inside also.” Perrilliat, a Riverdale High School product, is not just the best freshman running back in the SWAC but one of the most impressive rushers regardless of class. In five games, he’s fourth in total rushing yards (315) and first in yards per carry (10.2) in the league.

Body checkup Alabama State is a contender for the conference title, living up to the preseason hype as the SWAC East favorite. But the Hornets (3-1, 1-0) played their ﬁrst game without star quarterback Andrew Body during a 41-15 win over Mississippi Valley State (1-4, 0-1) on Saturday. The reigning SWAC Offensive Player of the Year sat out because of a sprained wrist initially suffered in Week 2. On Monday, coach Eddie Robinson didn’t say whether Body will be available at Bethune-Cookman (22, 0-0) at 3 p.m. Saturday. In three games, Body has completed 61.6% of his passes for 410 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. He also has 24 carries for 79 yards rushing. Last year, he played in only eight games. The Hornets had freshman Aaron

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

Plaquemine athlete John Walker, center, catches a pass in the middle of the University High defense on Sept. 17 in Plaquemine.

Former LSU men’s gym coach Vega dies at 90 STAFF FILE PHOTO By BRETT DUKE

Riverdale running back Byron Perrilliat springs for a touchdown against Bonnabel in Metairie on Nov. 7. Perrilliat is showing out during his freshman season at Alabama A&M. Frye ﬁll in as the starting quarterback. The Pinson, Alabama, native completed 10 of 27 passes for 137 yards, one touchdown and one interception against the Delta Devils. “Aaron Frye started off the game at quarterback, played the entire way,” Robinson said. “Young guy, freshman that has had to step up and take on that role, and he did a good job. Had an interception but also threw a touchdown, so he’s learning on the ﬂy. But he’s a very confident kid, and we’ll get him ready to go down there to BethuneCookman.”

Dramatic Alcorn State

“We hadn’t played our best football,” second-year Alcorn State coach Cedric Thomas said. “This team is still just scratching the surface. We got a really good team, and you know we’re shooting ourselves in the foot with some untimely penalties, and just some explosives defensively. But just excited being able to play the way we play and still coming out with wins.” The Braves were ahead 27-12 at halftime and led 34-12 with 5:30 remaining in the third quarter. Texas Southern (1-3, 0-2) battled back, tying the game at 34-34 with 4:37 remaining and forcing overtime with a 25-yard ﬁeld goal. Texas Southern quarterback Cam’Ron McCoy played a major role in the comeback. The Southern transfer went 20-of-31 passing for 319 yards and two touchdowns along with 86 yards rushing and two touchdowns. Alcorn State leaned on Jaylon Tolbert, who went 26-of-41 passing for 332 yards and two touchdowns along with 79 yards rushing.

For the second time this season, Alcorn State competed in a thrilling conference game, and the Braves came out on top again. Alcorn State (3-2, 2-0) hung on to beat Texas Southern 43-40 in overtime on Saturday. After limiting the Tigers to a 48-yard ﬁeld goal in overtime, Alcorn won on a 1-yard touchdown run by redshirt sophomore Fredrick Robertson, a Louisiana Tech transfer. Two weeks prior, the Braves beat Arkansas-Pine Bluff 53-51 in Email Toyloy Brown III at double overtime. toyloy.brown@theadvocate.com.

Staff report

Armando Vega, who enjoyed a tremendous career as the LSU men’s gymnastics coach from 1972-84, died recently at his home in Dallas, the university announced. He was 90 years old. Vega, who was inducted into the LSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2021, produced teams that ﬁnished in the NCAA top 10 nine times. The NCAA Gymnastics Coach of the Year in 1977 and 1978, he developed 58 All-Americans during his LSU tenure. Vega, a native of Hurley, New Mexico, led the Tigers to 12 straight Southern Intercollegiate Gymnastics League championships, and he was named SIGL

Coach of the Year in 1973 and 1976. He was inducted into the U.S. Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 1977. Vega traveled throughout the world during his coaching career, conducting gymnastics clinics and promoting LSU. As a gymnast at Penn State, he won six NCAA titles — including twice in the all-around — in 1957 and 1959. In the AAU Championships, Vega won 11 titles between 1957-64, earning seven silver and seven bronze medals. Vega was a member of the 1956 and 1964 U.S. Olympic gymnastics teams that competed in Melbourne and Tokyo, respectively, and he served as head coach of Mexico’s 1968 Olympic squad.

– SINCE I842 –

4C ■ Tuesday, September 29, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

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SAINTS NOTEBOOK

Moore says RB Etienne to miss time

BY LUKE JOHNSON

either miss obvious penalties or let the game play out rather than throw a flag. Moore on Monday declined to openly discuss his feelings about the officiating. “We had our opportunities in this game, ultimately,” Moore said. “We’ll have those conversations, we all know that those conversations are private with discussions about that sort of stuff. There are elements that are out of our control, and there was a flow in that game that was a challenge for everyone, but we had our opportunities.”

Staff writer

Of the four players the New Orleans Saints lost to an injury during Sunday’s loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, at least one is likely to miss Monday Night Football against the Atlanta Falcons. “Travis (Etienne) will be time lost with the (hamstring),” coach Kellen Moore said Monday. “We’ll see ultimately what that timeline looks like.” Etienne pulled up at the end of a 16-yard run in the third quarter, reaching for his left hamstring before getting knocked out of bounds. It was the same hamstring that had him limited in practice earlier in the week. Sunday was Etienne’s best game in a Saints uniform. The Jennings native rushed for 57 yards and added 13 as a receiver. Moore did not rule out the possibility of Etienne landing on injured reserve. “We’ll see here shortly,” Moore said. The Saints have three other running backs on their 53-man roster in Alvin Kamara, Kendre Miller and C.J. Donaldson. They also have Zamir White on their practice squad. Kamara enjoyed a bounce-back performance against Las Vegas after struggling in his 2026 debut the week prior, rushing nine times for 36 yards with a long of 11. Miller’s four carries went for 14 yards. The Saints made Miller inactive for the Ravens game in Week 2, which was explained to him as a byproduct of a numbers crunch on the roster. “Whatever they’ve got for me, I’m ready,” Miller said Monday. “Hopefully Trav’s good, but I’m going to step up.” Moore said the Saints will use

Just for kicks

STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

Saints running back Travis Etienne is tackled by Raiders linebacker Nakobe Dean after making a ﬁrst down Sunday in the Caesars Superdome. Saints coach Kellen Moore said Etienne will miss some time with a hamstring injury. the added day of rest ahead of the Monday game to gather more information on injured defenders Pete Werner (stinger), Carl Granderson (ankle) and Anfernee Jennings (knee).

Then the flag landed on the field. Game officials penalized Stutsman for roughing the passer, giving Las Vegas a new set of downs and clearing the way for a touchdown on the next play. ‘Tough play’ Stutsman’s roughing penalty For a moment in the second was one of several to draw the ire quarter, Saints linebacker Danny of football fans around the league Stutsman appeared to make an im- this week. Though Stutsman’s hit on Couspact play when he drilled Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins as he was ins appeared to use perfect techthrowing a pass on third down nique — indeed, if he had hit any near the Saints goal line. Cousins’ other player it would have been pass floated incomplete, and New considered clean — the NFL proOrleans looked like it had forced hibits defenders from landing with their full body weight on top of a a field goal.

When the Saints sent their kickoff team out to start the second half, kicker Daniel Carlson said he was trying to hide himself on the bench before he thought better of it — Las Vegas was going to quickly realize he wasn’t out there. The Saints used starting safety Justin Reid to handle the opening kickoff of the second half. It is a role that he has handled several times throughout his career, dating back to his time with the Houston Texans. The idea is fairly straightforward: Reid, who played soccer growing up, has the ability to place the kickoffs, and he also adds an element that teams don’t typically get from the kicker — he can tackle, and return units typically do not have to account for an 11th man to block. The Saints had planned to use Reid as a kickoff specialist earlier in the season against Detroit but backed out of it after the Lions got out to a 21-0 lead.

quarterback. By rule, defenders are supposed to make an attempt to roll to the side or break the fall rather than landing directly on the quarterback. “There were 10 roughing the passers this week so far; I’ve watched those 10 — and this is me saying this — body weight is going to be a big point of emphasis,” Moore said. “It’s a tough play for the defenders. You’ve got to do everything you can to get to your side.” It was one of several costly penalties against the Saints. There were also several instances in Email Luke Johnson at which game officials seemed to ljohnson@theadvocate.com.

NBA teams strive to earn a short summer DUNCAN

BY TIM REYNOLDS AP basketball writer

After being on opposite sides of an NBA Finals that ended just 31/ 2 months ago, New York guard Jalen Brunson and San Antonio center Victor Wembanyama found themselves with the exact same mindsets on Monday. As proof, consider the descriptions offered about their summer vacations. “It was short,” Wembanyama said. “The longest, shortest summer ever,” Brunson said. Short offseasons are the goal for every team in the NBA because they want to play as long as possible, like the champion Knicks and runner-up Spurs did last season. And the journey toward potential title runs have started in earnest around the league, with media days being held for most teams on Monday and practices for everybody happening on Tuesday. “Right now, the best team in the NBA is the New York Knicks,” Miami forward Giannis Antetokounmpo said at Heat media day Monday, tipping his cap to the reigning champions. “And they have one of the best players, Jalen Brunson. But we’re going to do our job. We’ve got to do our job, man. If

PELICANS

Continued from page 1C years past. “We can be best friends all we want,” Williamson said. “If we don’t yield results, it doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things.” Dumars hired new coach Jamahl Mosley to help turn things around. The expectation is for the defensiveminded Mosley to bring a level of toughness that the team was lacking. Mosley has been impressed with what he’s witnessed in the offseason workouts. “The work ethic,” Mosley said. “I think there is a commitment by each guy to put in this work to understand exactly how much you have to do just to be even in this league.” Dumars spent his first

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By CHRIS SZAGOLA

Philadelphia 76ers forward LeBron James smiles during the team’s media day on Monday in Camden, N.J. we do our job and we win games, then we’ll see.” It worked wonders for the Knicks last season when they ended a 53-year title drought for the franchise. “Not being satisfied, I think, is the biggest takeaway moving forward,” Brunson said. “You still want to ﬁgure out how you can grow as a person and as a player.” There is no shortage of teams with confidence that they can contend, especially in this era of parity — with eight different franchises having won titles in the past eight seasons. Among the key moves from recent months was Philadelphia loading up by

adding LeBron James and Jaylen Brown; Miami adding Antetokounmpo and Klay Thompson; the Toronto Raptors bringing back Kawhi Leonard; LaMelo Ball heading to Minnesota; and DeMar DeRozan pairing up with Nikola Jokic in Denver. James — the NBA’s alltime leading scorer, entering Year 24 of his career — was asked what he can do for the 76ers. “Whatever the team needs for me to do,” James said, wearing his new 76ers uniform in public for the ﬁrst time. “I think the luxury of my game is I can do everything. Literally, I can do everything.”

season in New Orleans assessing the organization from top to bottom. With that assessment came some changes, starting with the firing of Willie Green as head coach just 12 games into the season. Dumars also made some changes in the front ofﬁce, including on the medical staff. “Internal improvement,” Dumars said. “We’ve got to get better inside the building first. I don’t think all of your improvements are from outside. We didn’t make a ton of moves. But we like the moves we made.” Inevitably, the franchise’s success will depend on the roster Dumars has built. It’s a roster he’s pleased with at this point. “We brought in some guys that have a tough, competitive spirit about them,” Dumars said. “It wasn’t really so much about the quantity

but the quality of the type of guys we brought in. We are deep enough on this team now that we don’t have to put it all on anybody’s back. Whether it’s Zion or Trey or whoever, that’s just not the way I believe in building teams.” Dumars doesn’t have a win total in mind that would make this season a success. “We’d like to be a playoff team,” Dumars said. “We have people in the building that want to win. Before you become a successful team, everybody in the building has to believe that we can do this. If you have people in your building doubting that, it’s hard to win. “We are putting in the work. Twenty-nine other teams are putting in the work as well. So we are almost required to work just as hard as anyone else to change our fortunes here in New Orleans.”

While the Eastern Conference is loaded with depth, it’s two Western Conference teams — the Spurs and the Oklahoma City Thunder — that are favorites to win the 2027 championship, according to most sportsbooks. Here’s a good sign for the Thunder and a bad sign for the remainder of the NBA: “I feel like I got better this summer, for sure,” backto-back NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said at Oklahoma City media day. Wembanyama said the Spurs grew from the pain that came with losing to the Knicks. “I’ve had a few sleepless nights; maybe not sleepless nights, but hard to find sleep sometimes or hard emotions. Haunting, sometimes,” Wembanyama said. “But there’s just a point where you accept that you have to go through it and you have to feel all of it.” At Golden State’s media day, Stephen Curry — a perennial All-Star and the league’s all-time 3-point king — said the Warriors’ expectations will remain high. “Championship mentality is always a part of who you are, but we’re not putting that type of pressure on ourselves on Day 1,” Curry said. “Let’s figure out what good basketball looks like for this team, and we’ll figure that out as we go.”

Players have bought in. Individually, the talent exists, but success will be determined by how those pieces ﬁt together. “Everybody’s got to understand it’s a collective unit,” Murray said. “It’s not tennis, a one-on-one game. We need everybody to do their job from top to bottom, bottom to top. I don’t really want to talk too much. But I really want to see and feel what it’s like to be in this city and win.” There hasn’t been much of that. The franchise has won two playoff series in its history. The 2026-27 Pelicans can’t erase their past, but they know it’s there. “For us, it’s a new season,” Murphy said. “So you don’t think about the past. You just think about what’s in front of you.” Email Rod Walker at rwalker@theadvocate.com.

Continued from page 1C Saints. For whatever reason, they have played their worst football at home the past few years and saved their best for the road. Their best game last season was a 24-20 win at Tampa Bay. The year before that, it was a rout of the Cowboys in Dallas. This season, it was their 24-17 win in Baltimore in Week 2. For a while on Sunday, it seemed like old times at the Dome. It’d been nine months since the Saints had played a regular-season home game, and the excitement was tangible. You could feel the energy in the air during pregame warmups. The Saints put the stadium on tilt during a 15-minute stretch in the second and third quarters when they erased a 13-6 deficit with touchdowns on three consecutive possessions. “Stand Up and Get Crunk” was pulsing over the publicaddress system, fans were dancing in the stands, and Saints players were feeding off of the energy. The Raiders looked overwhelmed and overmatched, but they managed to regain the momentum with a controversial strip-sack of Tyler Shough late in the third quarter and finished the game on a stunning 19-0 run. It was not the way the sellout crowd of 70,006 wanted the team’s home opener to end. It was even more disappointing for the Saints, who entered the game looking to re-establish the home-field advantage they’d enjoyed in years past. “I thought the atmosphere was awesome,” Saints coach Kellen Moore said. “I thought our guys really rallied off of it. And so obviously we’re all bummed. Our whole community, our whole team’s bummed that we weren’t able to get this one done.” An uncharacteristic avalanche of turnovers fueled the turnaround. Shough lost two fumbles and threw an interception. Juwan Johnson also fumbled the ball away on the Saints’ final possession. It marked just the second time in team history that the Saints had committed four turnovers in a quarter. “I thought (the home crowd) was awesome,” Shough said. “The energy

in the Dome, the fans were active the whole game. I mean, we appreciate their support.” It would be imprudent to overreact to one fluky loss. The fourth-quarter implosion seems like an outlier, especially in the 12 games since Shough has assumed the starting job. But the loss did have a déjà vu feel to it. The Saints were 3.5-point favorites against the Raiders and had an 88.7% win probability late in the third quarter. The loss marked the fourth time the Saints have lost as home favorites since 2024. The good news is the Saints won’t have to wait long to rid the bad taste from their mouths. Their next two games are at home, starting with their highly anticipated matchup against the archrival Atlanta Falcons when Monday Night Football will be in town to commemorate the historic post-Katrina Domecoming game in 2006. That unforgettable night 20 years ago kick-started the most successful run in Saints history. During the 15-year Sean PaytonDrew Brees era, the Saints enjoyed one of the biggest home-field advantages in the NFL. At times, they were seemingly unbeatable at home. In 2011 and 2013, they went 8-0 there. From 2017-20, they went 25-7 there in the regular season. In fact, the Saints have had only six losing seasons since reopening the Dome two decades ago. Four of them, though, have come in the last five years: 2021 (35), 2022 (4-5), 2024 (3-6) and 2025 (3-5). “It’s going to be another big game coming up next for obvious reasons,” Shough said of the Falcons game. “We’re going to need everybody showing out, and we’re going to put it together this week, have a great week of practice and get after them.” We know Saints fans will do their part. They’ll stand up and get crunk for four quarters. With special appearances lined up by Trombone Shorty and Steve Gleason, it has all the makings of a special and emotional night. If the Saints can’t rediscover their Dome-field advantage in this one, I’m not sure they ever will. Email Jeff Duncan at jduncan@theadvocate.com.

The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Tuesday, September 29, 2026 ■ 5C

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MLB POSTSEASON Padres, Cubs switch scenes this postseason BY BERNIE WILSON Associated Press

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ERIK S. LESSER

Atlanta Braves pitcher Chris Sale delivers to a Cincinnati Reds batter during the first inning of a game on Wednesday in Atlanta.

Braves put their trust in Sale against Phillies BY CHARLES ODUM AP sportswriter

ATLANTA — The Atlanta Braves battled through a long list of pitching injuries that left their rotation depleted for their National League Wild Card Series against the Philadelphia Phillies. That’s why manager Walt Weiss and Braves players are glad to have ace left-hander Chris Sale on the mound for Tuesday’s opening game in the best-of-three series. “For sure, it’s a different feeling when a guy like that is taking the mound on a big day,” Weiss said Monday. Added first baseman Matt Olson: “It’s a great feeling. He’s been nothing short of amazing for us ... just the teammate and the pitcher and the bulldog he is on the mound. I wouldn’t want anyone else starting for us.” The NL East champion Braves (94-68) went 9-4 against the second-place Phillies (88-74) and ﬁnished six games ahead of them in the regular season. Sale (14-9, 2.16 ERA) was 4-0 versus Philadelphia with a 2.08 ERA. “He’s got to be one of the top two lefties in the league, top few pitchers in the league, so yeah, he pres-

ents a whole set of problems. But we’ve seen him a little bit,” Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly said. “You know, we haven’t been great against him, but we’ll see. Tomorrow’s a new day.” Phillies All-Star left-hander Jesús Luzardo (14-5, 2.86) will start as an opener after being used for a scoreless eighth inning in Sunday’s 7-3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays that clinched the third NL wildcard spot. Luzardo returned from a stint on the injured list with left shoulder inflammation. The wild-card opener will be his first start since throwing his first career shutout in a 1-0 home win over Atlanta on Sept. 7. Right-hander Tyler Mahle likely will be Atlanta’s Game 2 starter. Left-hander Martín Pérez could have been the third starter before landing on the 15-day injured list Thursday with lower back inflammation. The Braves also have lost starting pitchers Spencer Schwellenbach, Spencer Strider, Reynaldo López and Hurston Waldrep this season. Luzardo might remain in the game longer than a normal opener if he comes close to the form he showed in recording 12 strikeouts

in the shutout win over the Braves. Mattingly said Monday he was glad Luzardo logged the inning Sunday so he could “see the bounce-back today.” When asked whether it was necessary to use Luzardo in the relief role if starting the Wild Card Series opener was an option, Mattingly said he wasn’t taking any chances in Sunday’s must-win situation. “I don’t think it was a 100% had to,” Mattingly said. “But, you know, in that game, you’re not gonna let anything get away, right? You’re not going to let this thing creep back into a game, that type of thing.” Mattingly said second baseman Luis Arraez will not be on the Wild Card Series roster after spraining his left ankle on Thursday. Righthander Jonathan Bowlan (groin) will be available. Braves right-hander Bryce Elder, expected to miss three to four weeks after surgery on his right knee Sept. 8, threw batting practice Monday but will not be on the roster for the series. Weiss indicated Elder might have a chance to return if the Braves advance to the Division Series.

MLB

Continued from page 1C took over as manager before last season and Chicago went 60-102 in 2025 before this season’s huge turnaround to 84-78 that was enough to earn the ﬁnal American League wild card. “There was a moment (Sunday) after the game where we just paused for a second and said, hey, we understand we have the playoffs coming up, we understand this is all behind us as far as the regular season, but we’re proud of the fact that we were able to get 84 wins and all the progress that has really led to that,” Venable said Monday. Though the Astros didn’t clinch their playoff berth until Sunday, going 81-81 to outlast Texas for the AL West title, their recent history is much different than that of the White Sox. Houston fought through an injury-plagued season to reach the playoffs for the ninth time in 10 years after missing out last season. It’s a remarkable stretch in which the Astros reached the American League Championship Series seven straight times from 2017-23 and advanced to the World Series four times, winning championships in 2017 and 2022. “I’ve been here for almost a decade and just how this team just rallies around adversity, they don’t run from it. They actually run to it,” manager Joe Espada said. “They know that it’s going to happen. And watching them choose not to fold — they choose to ﬁght, they choose to help one another — is very satisfying. It brings joy to see … their best version when things get tougher.” Espada’s contract expires at season’s end and owner Jim Crane said Monday the team’s playoff berth will be “something to con-

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By KEVIN NG

Houston Astros designated hitter yordan Alvarez hits an RBI single against the Seattle Mariners on Sept. 22 in Seattle. sider” when deciding on the skipper’s future. The White Sox return to the playoffs for the ﬁrst time since 2021, when they were eliminated by the Astros in four games in their Division Series. Houston’s last trip to the postseason was a short one when the team was swept by the Detroit Tigers in a 2024 Wild Card Series. The Astros are hoping to make a lot more noise this time around. “Everyone starts from zero,” shortstop Jeremy Peña said. “The records in the regular season, they don’t matter now. Everyone’s starting from scratch, and it’s a short tournament. So, (let’s) see what happens.” Both teams will go with a bullpen game in Tuesday’s series opener. The Astros will open with rookie AJ Blubaugh and the White Sox hadn’t said who will open for them. “Depending on how some guys feel and as we are trying to match up availability with how these guys are feeling, we’ll map it out a little bit more with more certainty,” Venable said. “But you can expect more of a bullpen-type game from us.”

The 26-year-old Blubaugh is 8-4 with a 3.16 ERA in 11 appearances with three starts across two seasons. Alvarez led the majors and set a franchise record with 33 intentional walks this season. When teams first began issuing Alvarez free passes, Isaac Paredes, who bats behind him, felt it. “I felt like they were kind of disrespecting me as a hitter,” Paredes said in Spanish through a translator. “But I felt as the season went on, I stopped taking it personal because Yordan is truly the greatest hitter right now in baseball so there was no reason for me to take it as a lack of respect towards myself.” Paredes fouled a ball off his knee Saturday and played Sunday despite being sore. But he said he was feeling great on Monday and doesn’t think it will affect him in Game 1. He ranks third on the team with 25 home runs and second with 94 RBIs. The 26-year-old Murakami signed a two-year, $34 million deal in December to join the White Sox after they paid a $6,575,000 posting fee to the Yakult Swallows.

SAN DIEGO — Back in 1984, Tony Gwynn, Steve Garvey and the San Diego Padres used the energy from their home crowd at Jack Murphy Stadium to rally from a 2-0 deficit in the National League Championship Series and stun Ryne Sandberg, Gary Matthews and the Chicago Cubs to reach their first World Series. The players, stadium and playoff round are different now. But Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado and the Padres hope to tap that home energy once again when they open a Wild Card Series against NL MVP frontrunner Pete Crow-Armstrong, Alex Bregman and the Cubs starting Tuesday night at Petco Park. From the Padres’ standpoint, it’s way better than last year, when they lost 2-1 to the Cubs in the wild-card round at Wrigley Field in Chicago. The fourth-seeded Padres will host every game in the best-ofthree series against the fifthseeded Cubs. The winner will face the NL Central champion Milwaukee Brewers in a best-offive Division Series. The Padres had 66 sellouts, and their total attendance of 3,347,081 this season was second in the majors behind the rival Los Angeles Dodgers at 4,034,219. “It’s great. It’s nice to feel 45,000 people behind you, waving the yellow towels,” rookie manager Craig Stammen said Monday. “It’s just a good feeling when you go out there and get the lineups announced that we’re at home. There are no boo-birds and the whole fan base is for us and not against us.” Chicago left-hander Matthew Boyd (10-5, 3.91 ERA) and Padres right-hander Michael King (1210, 3.21) are scheduled to start Tuesday night. Crow-Armstrong, who grew up

in the Los Angeles area, made his case for NL MVP by becoming the first Cubs player to join the 40-40 club, with 45 home runs and 41 stolen bases. Machado hit 30 homers for the eighth time in his big league career and fourth time in his eight seasons in San Diego. Tatis had an unfathomable home run drought to start the season, taking until his 56th game at Washington on May 30, to connect for the first time. He’s now recorded his fourth 25-homer season and has 38 stolen bases. The Cubs dominated San Diego 5-1 in the season series, including handing the Padres their worst loss ever, 23-3 at Wrigley Field on July 1, when they hit eight home runs. But the Padres turned it around after the All-Star break, going 43-23, the second-best mark in the majors, to clinch their clubrecord third straight postseason berth and, at 91-71, their third consecutive 90-win season. “I think we’re firing on all cylinders,” King said. “I think the last two months, 21/ 2 months, the offense has possibly been the best in baseball. We’ve really come together as a starting rotation, and the bullpen is obviously a strong piece. I think that, when you look at us, we don’t really have many weaknesses.” Bregman went 4 for 4 with two home runs and four RBIs as the designated hitter Sunday in his second game back from a frightening injury when a foul ball hit him in the face. Bregman took grounders at third base during Monday’s workout, but manager Craig Counsell isn’t sure when he’ll return to third base. “I haven’t made a decision there yet,” Counsell said. “I think today was a much better day than kind of how he looked in Tampa. I think it’s just a sign on like how he’s feeling just overall.”

Red Sox, Yankees ready for more drama BY RONALD BLUM AP baseball writer

NEW YORK — Yankees-Red Sox matchups have produced plenty of melodrama, with video clips of Bucky Dent, Pedro Martínez, Aaron Boone, Curt Schilling and Dave Roberts becoming a staple of videoboards and TV broadcasts. Boone’s 11th-inning walk-off home run for New York against Boston in Game 7 of the 2003 American League Championship Series became the defining moment of his baseball career and perhaps his life. “I understand that a lot of people have an amazing story, a lot of those that I’ve heard, tied to that moment,” the Yankees manager said Monday on the eve of his team’s best-of-three Wild Card Series against the Red Sox. Payton Tolle starts Tuesday night’s opener for Boston and Cam Schlittler will be on the mound for the Yankees. This will be the seventh postseason meeting between the longtime rivals and second Wild Card Series in a row. “A real slobber knocker,” Tolle said. New York (93-68) finished second in the AL East behind Tampa Bay (98-64), and the Red Sox (8775) were third. The first-round winner advances to a Division Series against the Rays. Tolle got one out in last year’s Wild Card Series, a month after his major league debut. “Walking out there to the ‘pen last year, you see how much the fans interact, how bought-in they are,” he said. “You see how much it means. You get to hear how loud it gets and just try and turn that into white noise the best you can.” New York hosts all three games because of its better finish in the standings. Yankee Stadium’s short porch in right field could be a factor for left-handed hitters, similar to how Fenway Park’s Green Monster in left is an inviting target for right-handed batters.

AP PHOTO By ANGELINA KATSANIS

New york yankees pitcher Cam Schlittler prepares to throw during the second inning of a game against the New york Mets on Sept. 13 in New york.

“I think in an ideal situation, we’re at home in front of our fans,” said Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony, a leadoff hitter who bats from the left side. “I’m not trying to just go out there and pull home runs, right? I think for me and for everyone, it’s about getting on base and manufacturing runs.” Aaron Judge (calf strain), Giancarlo Stanton (calf strains in both legs) and Trent Grisham (right hamstring) all took live batting practice at Yankee Stadium on Monday, hoping to be included on the series roster. “I’ve been doing a lot of convincing, I feel like, so I’m going to keep doing that,” Judge said just after arriving at the stadium. “The most important thing is just making sure I’m healthy and ready to go for this long stretch. We’ve got another month of baseball to play.” Left-hander Garrett Crochet, who won last season’s opener against the Yankees by allowing one run and four hits in 72/ 3 innings, could be a bullpen option for Boston. He has not pitched since April 25 because of left shoulder inﬂammation. “He’s worked very hard to get everything back strong the way it needs to be, but we’re still going to be evaluating him daily to see where he’s at,” manager Chad Tracy said.

6C ■ Tuesday, September 29, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

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Fever return home after sound beating BY MARK ANDERSON AP sportswriter

The Fever are used to playing road games that often feel like they’re at Gainbridge Fieldhouse or at least a neutral facility of the team’s strong national following. That wasn’t the case Sunday when Indiana took the Las Vegas court in the face of a hostile crowd that even booed Caitlin Clark when she had the ball. The results weren’t pretty. The third-seeded Aces, behind a spectacular performance from A’ja Wilson, trounced the No. 6 Fever 102-85 to take a 1-0 lead in the bestof-three opening-round WNBA playoff series. That means the Fever might be getting ready to play their last game of the season at home. They must win Tuesday night to force a deciding Game 3 back in Las Vegas. “Certainly, we need to prioritize some things we did on the defensive end of the ﬂoor,” Fever coach Stephanie White said. “But we also need to prioritize offense because Vegas is a great offensive team. They’re going to make tough shots, and some of the ones they made early were

96.0 points per game; the Aces were second at 91.5. “That’s not a team you want to give any life to,” Aces coach Becky Hammon said. “They can just score in bunches. So stick to the game plan, be patient with each other on both ends and then just work hard on defense. You’re just going to have to work.” It doesn’t hurt Las Vegas that the world’s best player is on its roster. Wilson dominated the Fever by ﬁnishing with 38 points, 16 rebounds and four blocked shots. If that Wilson shows up in Game 2, the Fever likely will be headed to an earlier offseason than they hoped. But it’s not just Wilson. Guards Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young are decorated veterans, and the trio has been the core of the Aces’ dynastic run. “I think there’s a commitment ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By STEVE MARCUS there to want to play and be great Indiana Fever forward Monique Billings and guard Caitlin Clark, center, and try to pull the best out of each put pressure on Las Vegas Aces center A’ja Wilson during the second half other, and that’s something that in Game 1 of a first-round playoff series on Sunday in Las Vegas. takes time,” Gray said. “It takes trust. When we’re getting on each tough shots.” and 2025, the years the Aces won other, we know it comes from a good place, and that doesn’t just The Aces, who have won three titles. of the past four WNBA champiAnd now Las Vegas will try to do happen overnight. There’s a comonships, are tough when they get it again while facing the league’s mitment there to want to continue up on an opponent. They went 9-4 highest-scoring team in the regu- our legacy in this uniform and in close-out games in 2022, 2023 lar season. The Fever averaged doing it together and doing some-

thing special.” Both coaches criticized the firstround format, saying it should be five games and the league should consider staging series before the finals within each conference to cut down on the travel. Maybe that changes in future years, but this is the situation and it’s a familiar one. The Aces had to go through Indiana in last season’s semifinals before sweeping Phoenix in the WNBA Finals. But the Fever made Las Vegas work for it, taking the Aces to overtime of the deciding Game 5. Maybe the Fever, backed by their home crowd, can push the Aces again and force a Game 3. Indiana can’t do anything about what happened in the first game. “I think in a series, you flush (the result) regardless,” Fever All-Star post player Aliyah Boston said. “You come off a win, you’re like yes, that’s great, but you have another game. They’re going to come out and they’re going to play hard. We’re looking at it like we didn’t play our best basketball. It wasn’t great (Sunday), but we have another chance at home. So we just have to be ready to go, and that’s our focus right now.”

SCOREBOARD Hole-in-one

No. 2 Golden State 1, No. 7 Dallas 0

Tim Melancon

Course: The University Club Hole: No. 16 Yardage: 102 yards Club: Sand Wedge Witnesses: Ross Berthelot, Mark Matthews, Ian McKnight, Mike Davis

Odds

Thursday Sunday

No. 3 Las Vegas 1, No. 6 Indiana 0

Sunday, Sept. 27: Las Vegas 102, Indiana 85 Tuesday, Sept. 29: Las Vegas at Indiana, 5:30 p.m. (Prime) x-Thursday, Oct. 1: Indiana at Las Vegas, TBD (TBD)

No. 4 Atlanta 1, No. 5 Washington 0

Sports Betting Line NFL FAVORITE Pittsburgh

Sunday, Sept. 27: Golden State 104, Dallas 80 Wednesday, Sept. 30: Golden State at Dallas, 8 p.m. (ESPN) x-Friday, Oct. 2: Dallas at Golden State, TBD (TBD)

OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG 3 2½ (38½) at CLE

FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG Indianapolis 1½ 3½ (47½) at WASH at BUFFALO 3 6½ (48½) New Eng LA Rams 2½ 2½ (46½) at PHILA Green Bay 1½ 3½ (39½) at TAMPA at BAL 8½ 11½ (43½) Tennessee Arizona 7 1 (44½) at GIANTS at CIN 2½ 2½ (51½) Jax at HOUSTON 2½ 2½ (47½) Dallas at CHICAGO 8½ 3 (43½) NY Jets at MIN 7½ 10 (39½) Miami at SEATTLE 3 6½ (43½) Chargers at SAN FRAN 2½ 2½ (46½) Denver Kansas City 5½ 4½ (47½) at VEGAS Detroit 3 3½ (50½) at CAR

Sunday, Sept. 27: Atlanta 92, Washington 77 Wednesday, Sept. 30: Atlanta at Washington, 6 p.m. (ESPN) x-Friday, Oct. 2: Washington at Atlanta, TBD (TBD)

Semiﬁnals (Best-of-5)

Sunday, Oct. 4: Game 1, TBD

Major League Baseball

WNBA Finals (Best-of-5)

MLB Postseason Glance

Saturday, Oct. 17: Game 1, TBD

x-if necessary

Pro football

WILD CARD SERIES (Best-of-3)

NFL Glance AMERICAN CONFERENCE East

American League Houston vs. Chicago White Sox

Buffalo N.Y. Jets New England Miami

L 0 2 2 3

T Pct PF PA 0 1.000 101 78 0 .333 64 61 0 .333 36 51 0 .000 36 86

College Football

South

W 3 1 1 0

Thursday

Jacksonville Indianapolis Tennessee Houston

W 2 1 0 0

L 1 2 3 3

T 0 0 0 0

Pct .667 .333 .000 .000

PF PA 82 36 72 91 37 59 54 75

Pittsburgh Baltimore Cleveland Cincinnati

W 2 2 2 2

L 1 1 1 1

T 0 0 0 0

Pct .667 .667 .667 .667

PF PA 53 60 92 78 54 71 80 63

Kansas City Las Vegas Denver L.A. Chargers

W 3 3 2 0

L 0 0 1 3

T Pct 0 1.000 0 1.000 0 .667 0 .000

PF PA 88 50 88 54 60 70 44 76

Philadelphia N.Y. Giants Dallas Washington

W 2 2 1 1

L 0 1 2 2

T Pct 0 1.000 0 .667 0 .333 0 .333

PF PA 48 42 46 55 88 82 75 92

Carolina New Orleans Atlanta Tampa Bay

W 1 1 1 0

L 2 2 2 3

T 0 0 0 0

Pct .333 .333 .333 .000

PF PA 89 83 81 83 51 68 62 79

Minnesota Detroit Chicago Green Bay

W 3 2 1 1

L 0 1 1 2

T Pct 0 1.000 0 .667 0 .500 0 .333

PF PA 71 41 93 95 62 46 56 91

Monday FAVORITE at N.O.

FAVORITE at NMSU at TULSA

Friday

OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG 2½ 2½ (48½) Atlanta

OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG 1½ 2½ (55½) W. Kent 3½ 1½ (57½)North Texas

FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG Liberty 6½ 7 (49½) at DEL at VA TECH 5½ 3½ (53½) Pittsburgh Penn State 7 2½ (45½) at NWSTRN

Saturday

FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG Notre Dame 23½ 21 (47½) at UNC Syracuse 7½ 6½ (52½) at UCONN at AIR FRCE 1½ 3½ (46½) Navy at SMU 20½ 21 (56½) B. College Alabama 3 5½ (60½) at MISS ST at HOU 11½ 12½ (51½) UCF at IOWA ST 1½ 3½ (52½) W. Virginia at KANSAS 21½ 18½ (50½) M. Tenn at W.F. 11½ 12½ (53½) Stanford Michigan 8½ 5½ (43½) at MIN at WISC 9½ 10½ (43½) Mich St at GEORGIA 23½ 24½ (51½) Vanderbilt W. Michigan 16½ 13½ (47½) at BUFFALO Toledo 13½ 19½ (51½) at BALL ST Virginia 1½ 2½ (51½) at FSU at NDSU 21 18½ (45½) Wyoming Ohio State 14 13½ (45½) at IOWA at GSU 1½ 1½ (51½) Old Dom Louisville 7½ 5½ (58½)at NC STATE Ohio 3½ 3 (50½) at KENT ST at TEN 7½ 7 (54½) Auburn at UMASS 2½ 4½ (48½) E. Mich at UNLV 1½ 2½ (53½) Cal Memphis 22½ 20½ (54½) at CHAR at MIA (OH) 15½ 13½ (43½) B. Green Florida 2½ 5½ (56½) at MISSOU at C. MICH 5½ 6½ (47½) Akron at J. MADISN14½ 17½ (55½) Marshall at NEBRSKA 11½ 14½ (52½) Maryland at NMS 21½ 22½ (48½) UTEP at ILLINOIS 9½ 9½ (60½) Purdue at S. CAR 7 2½ (53½) Kentucky Oregon Ste 5½ 5½ (61½) at CSU Ga Southern 1½ 2½ (54½) at C. CAR at TEX A&M 15½ 14 (51½) Arkansas at S. BAMA 15½ 13½ (56½) UL Monroe BYU 5½ 6½ (48½) at TCU UTSA 10½ 11½ (54½) at RICE Texas Tech 15½ 13½ (50½) at COL Miami (FL) 7 17½ (48½) at CLEMSN at USC 10 9½ (58½) Wash Army 3½ 2½ (46½) at LA TECH at BOISE ST 20½ 19½ (51½) Utah State at S. FLA 6½ 5½ (51½) Temple Indiana 23½ 23½ (56½)at RUTGERS at UL 5½ 6½ (46½) Arkans St at WASH ST 1½ 2½ (46½) Fresno St at ASU 4½ 4½ (50½) Baylor Texas St 3½ 4½ (58½) at SDSU at ARIZONA 8½ 7½ (54½) Cincinnati

MLB

Tuesday

NHL

FAVORITE at CAROLINA at TORONTO at BOSTON at EDMONTON at VEGAS

West

NATIONAL CONFERENCE East

South

North

West

San Francisco Seattle L.A. Rams Arizona

Thursday’s Games

W 3 2 1 1

L 0 1 2 2

T Pct 0 1.000 0 .667 0 .333 0 .333

PF PA 98 50 75 50 61 63 63 81

LINE -130 -115 -116 -286 -267

UNDERDOG Chi White Sox Boston

LINE +109 +118

UNDERDOG Philadelphia Chicago Cubs

LINE +164 +106

UNDERDOG Florida Montreal N.Y Rangers Vancouver Chicago

LINE +107 -108 -106 +225 +211

Pro basketball (x-if necessary) First Round (Best-of-3)No. 8 New York 1, No. 1 Minnesota 0

Sunday, Sept. 27: New York 91, Minnesota 75 Tuesday, Sept. 29: Minnesota at New York, 7:30 p.m. (USA) x-Thursday, Oct. 1: New York at Minnesota, TBD (TBD)

Tuesday, Sept. 29: Chicago at Houston, 4:10 p.m. (Peacock/NBCSN) Wednesday, Sept. 30: Chicago at Houston, 4:10 p.m. (Peacock/NBCSN) x-Thursday, Oct. 1: Chicago at Houston, 4 p.m. (Peacock/NBCSN)

New York vs. Boston

Tuesday, Sept. 29: Boston (Tolle 9-6) at New York (Schlittler 14-6), 7:15 p.m. (NBC/ Peacock) Wednesday, Sept. 30: Boston (Gray 18-5) at New York (Fried 5-5), 7:15 p.m. (NBC/ Peacock) x-Thursday, Oct. 1: Boston (Suarez 8-5) at New York (Cole 10-9), 7 p.m. (NBC/Peacock)

National League

Atlanta vs. Philadelphia Tuesday, Sept. 29: Philadelphia (Luzardo 14-5) at Atlanta (Sale 14-9), 1:15 p.m. (NBC/ Peacock) Wednesday, Sept. 30: Philadelphia at Atlanta, 1:15 p.m. (NBC/Peacock) x-Thursday, Oct. 1: Philadelphia at Atlanta, 1 p.m. (NBC/Peacock)

San Diego vs. Chicago Cubs

Tuesday, Sept. 29: Chicago at San Diego (King 12-10), 9:10 p.m. (Peacock/NBCSN) Wednesday, Sept. 30: Chicago at San Diego, 9:10 p.m. (Peacock/NBCSN) x-Thursday, Oct. 1: Chicago at San Diego, 9 p.m. (Peacock/NBCSN)

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

Thursday’s games SOUTHWEST

North Texas (2-2) at Tulsa (3-1), 8 p.m.

FAR WEST

W. Kentucky (1-3) at New Mexico St. (1-3), 7 p.m.

Friday’s games EAST

Liberty (3-1) at Delaware (2-2), 6 p.m.

SOUTH

Pittsburgh (4-0) at Virginia Tech (4-0), 6 p.m. MIDWEST Penn St. (3-1) at Northwestern (2-1), 7 p.m.

Atlanta 35, Green Bay 14

FAR WEST

Buffalo 24, L.A. Chargers 16 Cleveland 21, Carolina 18 Detroit 31, N.Y. Jets 24 Indianapolis 19, Houston 17 Jacksonville 35, New England 6 Kansas City 24, Miami 10 N.Y. Giants 12, Tennessee 7 Pittsburgh 30, Cincinnati 27 Washington 33, Seattle 31 Minnesota 23, Tampa Bay 16 San Francisco 36, Arizona 30 Baltimore 34, Dallas 31, Rio de Janeiro, BRA Las Vegas 35, New Orleans 27 Denver 30, L.A. Rams 26

Saturday’s games EAST

Montana St. (5-0) at Idaho (0-4), 9:30 p.m.

Sunday’s Games

Monday’s Games

Chicago 27, Philadelphia 7

American League FAVORITE LINE at HOUSTON -131 at N.Y YANKEES -143 National League FAVORITE LINE at ATLANTA -202 at SAN DIEGO -128

Tuesday

North

Kickoff Returns 5-113 4-107 Interceptions Ret. 1-26 2-66 Comp-Att-Int 30-55-2 17-34-1 Sacked-Yards Lost 4-24 1-7 Punts 4-44.75 5-49.6 Fumbles-Lost 0-0 1-0 Penalties-Yards 13-91 5-38 Time of Possession 34:29 25:31 INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS RUSHING—L.A. Rams, Williams 15-88, Corum 6-15, Stafford 2-13. Denver, Dobbins 17-49, Waddle 1-14, Nix 4-7, Harvey 2-6, Badie 1-2. PASSING—L.A. Rams, Stafford 30-55-2-390. Denver, Nix 17-34-1-186. RECEIVING—L.A. Rams, Higbee 8-62, Adams 7-137, Williams 6-70, Mumpﬁeld 4-93, Allen 2-19, Corum 2-0, Ferguson 1-9. Denver, Harvey 6-41, Sutton 3-46, Bryant 2-44, Waddle 2-10, Franklin 1-21, Badie 1-12, Adkins 1-8, Dobbins 1-4. MISSED FIELD GOALS—Denver, Lutz 43.

Late Sunday Denver 30, L.A. Rams 26 L.A. Rams 7 9 0 10 — 26 Denver 0 0 16 14 — 30 First Quarter LAR—Higbee 5 pass from Stafford (Mevis kick), 4:55. Second Quarter LAR—FG Mevis 36, 13:17. LAR—FG Mevis 35, 4:43. LAR—FG Mevis 40, :00. Third Quarter Den—Bryant 5 pass from Nix (Waddle pass from Nix), 7:44. Den—Adkins 8 pass from Nix (Bryant pass from Nix), 2:15. Fourth Quarter LAR—FG Mevis 48, 8:40. Den—Hufanga 66 interception return (Lutz kick), 4:49. LAR—Mumpﬁeld 48 pass from Stafford (Mevis kick), 3:38. Den—Nix 1 run (Lutz kick), :47.

A—76,333.

First downs Total Net Yards Rushes-yards Passing Punt Returns

LAR 26 482 23-116 366 2-26

Den 20 257 25-78 179 3-39

Syracuse (1-2) at UConn (2-2), 11 a.m. Wagner (1-3) at CCSU (0-3), 11 a.m. Brown (1-1) at Rhode Island (2-3), 11 a.m. Merrimack (2-3) at Yale (1-1), 11 a.m. Princeton (1-1) at Columbia (2-0), 11 a.m. Fordham (1-4) at Lehigh (5-0), 11 a.m. Mercyhurst (1-4) at LIU Brooklyn (0-5), 11 a.m. Cornell (1-1) at Georgetown (0-3), 11:30 a.m. Richmond (4-1) at Lafayette (1-3), 11:30 a.m. W. Michigan (2-2) at Buffalo (2-2), noon Elon (4-1) at New Hampshire (1-4), noon Morgan St. (3-1) at Villanova (2-3), noon Towson (0-5) at Monmouth (NJ) (3-2), noon Penn (1-1) at Dartmouth (0-2), 12:30 p.m. Norfolk St. (3-2) at Robert Morris (2-2), 1 p.m. Delaware St. (3-2) at Albany (NY) (2-3), 2:30 p.m. E. Michigan (2-3) at UMass (4-0), 2:30 p.m. Sacred Heart (1-3) at Maine (1-4), 2:30 p.m. NC A&T (1-4) at Bryant (3-1), 5 p.m. Colgate (4-1) at Harvard (2-0), 6 p.m. Indiana (4-0) at Rutgers (1-3), 7 p.m.

SOUTH

Stanford (2-2) at Wake Forest (3-1), 11 a.m. Notre Dame (4-0) at North Carolina (2-1), 11 a.m. Alabama (4-0) at Mississippi St. (4-0), 11 a.m. Vanderbilt (3-1) at Georgia (4-0), 11:45 a.m. Marist (2-2) at Stetson (1-3), noon Valparaiso (1-3) at Morehead St. (1-3), noon St. Thomas (Minn.) (4-1) at Presbyterian (1-3), noon Mercer (3-2) at VMI (0-5), 12:30 p.m. The Citadel (1-3) at SC State (5-0), 1 p.m. Wofford (2-3) at Furman (2-3), 1 p.m. Alcorn St. (3-2) at Grambling St. (2-2), 2 p.m. Prairie View (2-3) at MVSU (1-4), 2 p.m. Hampton (1-4) vs. Howard (1-3) at Washington, D.C., Md., 2 p.m. Samford (1-3) at UAB (2-2), 2:30 p.m. Louisville (2-2) at NC State (2-2), 2:30 p.m. Holy Cross (1-4) at William & Mary (2-3), 2:30 p.m.

Auburn (3-1) at Tennessee (3-1), 2:30 p.m. Memphis (3-1) at Charlotte (0-4), 2:30 p.m. Virginia (3-1) at Florida St. (2-2), 2:30 p.m. Chattanooga (3-2) at ETSU (3-2), 2:30 p.m. Old Dominion (1-3) at Georgia St. (3-1), 2:30 p.m. Marshall (3-1) at James Madison (4-0), 2:45 p.m. Alabama St. (3-1) at Bethune-Cookman (2-2), 3 p.m. Kentucky (3-1) at South Carolina (2-2), 3:15 p.m. New Haven (1-4) at Austin Peay (4-1), 4 p.m. Jackson St. (4-0) vs. Alabama A&M (4-1) at Mobile, Ala., 4 p.m. Campbell (4-1) at NC Central (2-3), 5 p.m. Gardner-Webb (1-4) at Charleston Southern (2-2), 5 p.m. North Alabama (3-2) at E. Kentucky (1-3), 5 p.m. Tennessee Tech (4-0) at W. Carolina (2-3), 5 p.m. Texas Southern (1-3) at FAU (3-1), 5 p.m. Ark.-Pine Bluff (2-2) at Southern U. (2-3), 6 p.m. Louisiana-Monroe (0-4) at South Alabama (2-2), 6 p.m. Georgia Southern (1-3) at Coastal Carolina (1-3), 6 p.m. Miami (4-0) at Clemson (3-1), 6:30 p.m. Temple (1-3) at South Florida (4-0), 6:30 p.m. Army (2-1) at Louisiana Tech (1-2), 6:30 p.m. McNeese St. (2-3) at LSU (3-1), 6:45 p.m. Arkansas St. (2-2) at Louisiana-Lafayette (3-1), 7 p.m.

MIDWEST

Middle Tennessee (2-2) at Kansas (1-2), 11 a.m. Michigan (3-1) at Minnesota (3-1), 11 a.m. West Virginia (3-1) at Iowa St. (2-2), 11 a.m. Michigan St. (2-2) at Wisconsin (3-1), 11:30 a.m. Dayton (3-0) at Drake (1-3), noon Murray St. (1-4) at North Dakota (4-1), 1 p.m. Toledo (3-1) at Ball St. (1-3), 1 p.m. Indiana St. (2-3) at South Dakota (3-2), 2 p.m. Akron (1-3) at Cent. Michigan (2-2), 2:30 p.m. Ohio (2-2) at Kent St. (2-2), 2:30 p.m. Florida (4-0) at Missouri (3-1), 2:30 p.m. Wyoming (2-2) at N. Dakota St. (4-0), 2:30 p.m. Bowling Green (0-4) at Miami (Ohio) (2-2), 2:30 p.m. Ohio St. (3-1) at Iowa (4-0), 2:30 p.m. Maryland (2-2) at Nebraska (4-0), 3 p.m. Tennessee St. (1-3) at W. Illinois (2-3), 3 p.m. Purdue (1-3) at Illinois (2-2), 3:15 p.m. Youngstown St. (3-2) at S. Illinois (3-2), 4 p.m. S. Dakota St. (4-1) at Illinois St. (4-1), 6 p.m.

SOUTHWEST

Boston College (2-2) at SMU (3-1), 11 a.m. UCF (3-1) at Houston (3-1), 11 a.m. Incarnate Word (2-2) at Stephen F. Austin (5-0), 5 p.m. UT Rio Grande Valley (2-2) at East Texas A&M (1-4), 6 p.m. UTSA (3-1) at Rice (1-3), 6 p.m. Chicago State (1-4) at Tarleton St. (4-0), 6 p.m. Northwestern St. (0-5) at Lamar (3-1), 6 p.m. Arkansas (2-2) at Texas A&M (2-2), 6 p.m. Nicholls (2-3) at Houston Christian (2-3), 6 p.m. BYU (3-0) at TCU (2-2), 6 p.m. West Florida (3-1) at Abilene Christian (1-4), 7 p.m.

FAR WEST

Navy (1-2) at Air Force (2-1), 11 a.m. California (2-2) at UNLV (2-2), 2:30 p.m. Davidson (2-3) at San Diego (1-3), 3 p.m. N. Colorado (2-3) at Montana (4-1), 3 p.m. UTEP (1-3) at New Mexico (3-1), 3 p.m. Oregon St. (2-2) at Colorado St. (2-2), 5 p.m. Washington (3-1) at Southern Cal (4-1), 6:30 p.m. Texas Tech (4-0) at Colorado (2-2), 6:30 p.m. Utah St. (1-3) at Boise St. (3-1), 6:30 p.m. Weber St. (2-3) at Cal Poly (3-2), 7 p.m. S. Utah (1-4) at Utah Tech (0-5), 7 p.m. N. Arizona (3-2) at Idaho St. (4-0), 7 p.m. Fresno St. (3-1) at Washington St. (1-3), 8:30 p.m. E. Washington (1-4) at UC Davis (3-2), 9:30 p.m. Baylor (3-1) at Arizona St. (2-1), 9:30 p.m. Texas State (2-2) at San Diego St. (1-3), 9:30 p.m. Cincinnati (4-0) at Arizona (3-1), 10 p.m. Sunday, October 4

FAR WEST

San Jose St. (2-2) at Hawaii (1-3), 11 p.m.

FCS Top 25 Poll

RANK REC. PTS. PREV. 1. Montana St. (25) 5-0 625 1 2. South Dakota St. 4-1 590 2 3. Tarleton St. 4-0 568 3 4. Montana 4-1 550 4T 5. Stephen F. Austin 5-0 521 6 6. Lehigh 5-0 484 7 7. North Dakota 4-1 467 8 8. Tennessee Tech 4-0 429 10 9. Austin Peay 4-1 420 11 10. Youngstown St. 3-2 386 13 11. Illinois St. 4-1 370 4T 12. South Carolina St. 5-0 329 14 13. Lamar 3-1 322 15 14. Idaho St. 4-0 311 16 15. UC Davis 3-2 236 9 16. South Dakota 3-2 223 12 17. Richmond 4-1 196 19 18. West Florida 3-1 193 20 19. Northern Arizona 3-2 175 17 20. Colgate 4-1 155 23T 3-2 117 23T 21. Mercer 22. Harvard 2-0 82 25 23. Jackson St. 4-0 72 NR 24. Campbell 4-1 71 NR 25. Southern Illinois 3-2 57 NR Dropped Out: Yale (18), Rhode Island (21), Villanova (22) Others Receiving Votes: Elon, 55; Yale, 22; Alabama St., 19; Prairie View A&M, 17;

Southeastern Louisiana, 14; UT Rio Grande Valley, 7; Furman, 6; Monmouth (N.J.), 6; Chattanooga, 5; Stony Brook, 5; Cal Poly, 4; Dartmouth, 4; St. Thomas (Minn.), 4; Cal Poly, 4; Delaware St., 3; Villanova, 2; Bryant, 1; Northern Iowa, 1; UIW, 1.

Tennis ATP World Tour Chengdu Open Results

Monday At Chengdu Center Chengdu, China Purse: $1,210,115 Surface: Hardcourt outdoor CHENGDU, CHINA (AP) _ Results Monday from Chengdu Open at Chengdu Center (seedings in parentheses):

Men’s Singles

Semiﬁnals Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (2), Spain, def. Nikoloz Basilashvili, Georgia, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3. Hubert Hurkacz (5), Poland, def. Denis Shapovalov (7), Canada, 6-7 (8), 6-3, 6-3.

Men’s Doubles

Semiﬁnals Andre Goransson, Sweden, and Robert Galloway (4), United States, def. Albano Olivetti and Theo Arribage (1), France, 6-4, 4-6, 10-4.

ATP Hangzhou Open Results

Monday At Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Tennis Centre Hangzhou, China Purse: $1,039,090 Surface: Hardcourt outdoor HANGZHOU, CHINA (AP) _ Results Monday from Hangzhou Open at Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Tennis Centre (seedings in parentheses):

Men’s Singles

Semiﬁnals Andrey Rublev (2), Russia, def. Kyrian Jacquet, France, 7-6 (0), 6-1. Daniil Medvedev (1), Russia, def. Roman Saﬁullin, Russia, 7-5, 6-4.

Men’s Doubles

Semiﬁnals David Pel and Sander Arends, Netherlands, def. Evan King, United States, and Bart Stevens (4), Netherlands, 6-3, 7-6 (4). Francisco Cabral, Portugal, and James Tracy (3), United States, def. Jean-Julien Rojer, Netherlands, and Theodore Winegar, United States, 6-4, 7-6 (3).

Hockey NHL Glance Sunday’s Games

No games scheduled

Monday’s Games

No games scheduled

Tuesday’s Games

Florida at Carolina, 4 p.m. Montreal at Toronto, 6 p.m. N.Y. Rangers at Boston, 7 p.m. Vancouver at Edmonton, 9 p.m. Chicago at Vegas, 9:30 p.m.

Transactions Major League Baseball

American League MINNESOTA TWINS — Released pitching coaches Pete Maki and Luis Ramirez. National League ST. LOUIS CARDINALS — Claimed RHP Chase Hampton off waivers from Washington.

BASKETBALL

National Basketball Association MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES — Signed Carson Cooper to a two-way contract.

FOOTBALL

National Football League CAROLINA PANTHERS — Re-signed G Saahdiq Charles to the practice squad. DETROIT LIONS — Signed TE Miles Kitselman to the practice squad. Released DB Natrone Brooks from the practice squad. GREEN BAY PACKERS — Signed G Laken Tomlinson from Dallas’ practice squad to the active roster. Signed G Mekhi Becton to the practice squad. Placed OL Zach BakoBewele on injured reserve. Released DT Eric Johnson II from the practice squad. LAS VEGAS RAIDERS — Signed WR Tyler Scott to the practice squad. Released WR Ronnie Bell from the practice squad. MIAMI DOLPHINS — Placed RB De’Von Achane on injured reserve. Waived DT Keith Cooper Jr. Released DE Clelin Ferrell and DL Jordan Miller from the practice squad. NEW YORK GIANTS — Acquired QB J.J. McCarthy from Minnesota in exchange for a 2027 ﬁfth-round draft pick. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES — Elevated TE Zach Ertz and LB Chance Campbell from the practice squad to the active roster. HOCKEY

Hockey

National Hockey League DALLAS STARS — Loaned C Oskar Hyry to Texas (AHL). EDMONTON OILERS — Loaned C David Samanski to Bakersﬁeld (AHL). NASHVILLE PREDATORS — Signed C Tyson Jost to a one-year contract. Placed Jost on waivers. NEW YORK ISLANDERS — Placed C Mathew Barzal on non-roster injured reserve. OTTAWA SENATORS — Released D Ben Hutton from his professional tryout agreement. PITTSBURGH PENGUINS — Placed C Tristan Broz on non-roster injured reserve. Designated LW Andrei Kuzmenko as a non-roster player. Placed RW Bryan Rust on injured reserve. ST. LOUIS BLUES — Placed D Tyler Tucker and D Logan Mailloux on injured reserve. WINNIPEG JETS — Claimed G Clay Stevenson off waivers from Washington.

LIVING

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

T u e s d ay, s e p T e m b e r 29, 2026

1dN

Hard-to-kill pothos is a humble plant with teaching opportunities Pothos is the kind of plant that people bring to the office to make the fluorescent lighting and cubicles feel a little more welcoming. It’s also a popular choice for folks who are interested in growing plants for the first time as well as those trying to dress up that corner of the living room that just needs … something. Why is pothos the GARDEN go-to plant for NEWS all of these situations? First and foremost, it’s hard to kill. That’s not to say it’s impossible — but pothos is notoriously forgiving. And for such a low-maintenance plant, it is remarkably attractive, offering tropical flair with its heart-shaped leaves and vining stems. Pothos can teach us a lot, too. Ideal for beginners who need to hone the fundamentals of plant care, it can eventually inspire confidence to branch out to other plants. Its ease of propagation makes it a perfect vehicle to learn how to start new plants from cuttings.

Keepin’ it fresh

LSU AGCENTER PHOTO By OLIVIA McCLURE

Pothos is a popular houseplant that’s easy to care for and easy to propagate.

And, if you feel that you’ve already graduated beyond pothos with your gardening abilities, or if the plant seems a bit too pedestrian for your taste, consider the wide variety of cultivars out there. Each brings unique colors and variegated patterns; maybe it’s time to try a different one. For the uninitiated, pothos (Epipremnum aureum) is a vine that likes to climb and uses aerial roots for support. Also known as pothos ivy, devil’s ivy and money plant, it is native to French Polynesia and has become naturalized in tropical and subtropical regions around the world. Although it can live outdoors in warm weather, we typically see pothos grown as a containerized houseplant. (Note that all parts of pothos are toxic, so keep it away from children and pets.) It can live for several years, sometimes decades — and indefinitely through cuttings. One of the most recognizable pothos cultivars is Golden, which is flecked with yellow. Others include solid dark green Jade, solid lime-green Neon and subtly variegated Global Green. Pearls and Jade, Marble Queen and Njoy all have white variegations. Pothos needs little in the way of special care, explaining its popularity with gardening rookies and in offices and other places where people are busy with more pressing matters. It prefers bright, indirect light, but some cultivars can get by with lower levels of light. Direct, intense sunlight tends to scorch the leaves. As with all plants that are grown in containers, it’s important to water pothos regularly — but not excessively. Water only when the top inch of the potting mix feels dry to the touch. You can train pothos to climb onto trellises, moss poles, walls

ä See POTHOS, page 2D

STAFF PHOTOS By PEARL SPURLOCK

Owner TJ Malveaux stands inside his Draft Picks Barbershop on Sept. 15.

Meet the self-made Baton Rouge barber cutting hair for LSU players, NFL stars and beyond BY JOY HOLDEN Staff writer

TJ Malveaux first picked up a pair of hair clippers in 1991 when he was 13 years old. His older cousin, who had always cut his hair, had gone off to college, so Malveaux tried to do it on his own. Now he owns three barbershops in the Baton Rouge area, is about to open a fourth location in Houma and ﬂies all over the country to cut professional athletes’ hair. He opened his ﬁrst Draft Picks Barbershop in 2017 with a team of eight. Today, Malveaux has a team of 24 barbers who range from ages 25 to 40 across three locations. The name of the business comes from former LSU defensive lineman and current New Orleans Saints player Davon Godchaux, who started going to Malveaux in 2014 when he was a student at LSU. Godchaux would tell him, “Get me draft day fresh.” He did eventually get drafted in 2017. “I’ve worked really hard for brand awareness,” Malveaux said. “I know for a fact that a lot of the college students and community in Baton Rouge know that athletes

Dylan Surtain gets his hair cut by barber Darren Broussard at Draft Picks Barbershop. come here. They can’t get close to them on the ﬁeld, but, here, they’re in the chair right next to you.” Bennie Logan, former LSU defensive tackle and NFL player, met Malveaux in 2014, and he has been a client since then. The two have become so close that Logan ﬂew

Malveaux out to Mexico to cut his hair for his wedding last year. He credits Malveaux’s work ethic and loyalty for Draft Picks’ success. “You really see the work that he puts into making things happen

ä See BARBERSHOP, page 2D

Folk Art Gallery inspires free programs for public The LSU Museum of Art’s Folk Art Gallery is the inspiration for the museum’s free ‘Art Break’ programs for teens and adults. The next program will be Oct. 24. PROVIDED PHOTO By LSU MUSEUM OF ART

BY ROBIN MILLER Staff writer

The LSU Museum of Art is giving teens and adults opportunities to explore their creative sides this fall through free “Art Break” programs connected to its Folk Art Gallery. “The goal of this program is specifically designed for teens and adults, giving them a chance to come to the museum and just

relax and make some art,” said Callie Smith, curator of Education and Public Programs. “So, each month we’ll feature an art activity on our third ﬂoor of the Shaw Center.” Pre-registration is not required, and the museum provides all art supplies. “Everyone can just drop in and make art,” Smith said.

ä See PROGRAMS, page 2D

2D ■ Tuesday, September 29, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

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Stop making ‘perfect’ as a response happen Dear Miss Manners: I find the word of the clients answered the ques“perfect” is now overused to tions and also buried a “perfect” the point of confusion. It seems in their responses. They assumed to have replaced “OK,” that I would interpret that “thank you” and even “perfect” as “Let’s book “message received.” it.” So I ended up with a I hear “perfect” as I’m double booking. filling out forms or giving When you add a vague someone information. But “perfect” to the daily the speaker doesn’t mean onslaught of 100+ emails, Judith “no mistakes” or “that’s which get read quickly, Martin confusion results. correct.” It just means MISS that I have the information Gentle reader: Indeed. And MANNERS that is needed. Miss Manners is among This lack of clarity put those who find little me in a difficult position recently, changes in language grating, not resulting in a double booking for only when the usage is confusing, a couple of clients I do occasional but when the word is overused work for. When I had asked sever- — such as “amazing,” and before that, “awesome.” And many more. al clarifying questions about the But she knows — and reminds availability of a certain date, one

you, as a comfort — that language always evolves, and that this too shall pass. Dear Miss Manners: My daughter completed her master’s degree, and my husband and I decided to celebrate with a small luncheon at a local restaurant, to which we invited immediate family. She received a card and/or gift from each guest, which she opened at the luncheon with her loved ones around her. I expected that she would get the thank-you notes out in a timely manner. After a week or so had gone by, I asked if she had gotten around to thanking people. Now it has been three weeks, and she still has not sent out the thank-you cards. She said that she didn’t

have time, and that she was now waiting for “Halloween-themed thank-you cards” to be in the shops. I am mortiﬁed she would even consider such a thing, but my daughter sees nothing wrong with this. I told her that she should have already sent out the cards, and that it should not be Halloween-themed, but a general, allpurpose card — or even a blank one — to write her thanks ﬁtting of the celebration. I have no idea what to tell my family, should they ask about why they got a Halloween thank-you card. Gentle reader: If it is any comfort, your daughter is not going to send Halloween cards. It should

not be too much comfort, though, because she is not going to send any cards. She just threw that in to ﬂummox you. And it worked. Mind you, Miss Manners is no more amused by this than you are. Your daughter would have been better off arguing that, for small presents given in person by close relatives, verbal thanks was sufﬁcient. Send questions to Miss Manners at her website, www. missmanners.com; to her email, dearmissmanners@gmail.com; or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.

TODAY IN HISTORY By The Associated Press Today is Tuesday, Sept. 29, the 272nd day of 2026. There are 93 days left in the year. Today in history: On Sept. 29, 1954, Willie Mays of the New York Giants made a running, over-the-shoulder catch of a ball hit by Vic Wirtz, of the Cleveland Indians, in Game 1 of the 1954 World Series; “The Catch” would become one of the most famous plays in baseball history. Also on this date: In 1789, Congress ofﬁcially established a regular army under the U.S. Constitution. In 1938, British, French, German and Italian leaders concluded the Munich Agreement, which was aimed at appeasing Adolf Hitler by allowing Nazi annexation of Czechoslovakia’s Sudetenland. In 1982, Extra-Strength Tylenol capsules laced with deadly cyanide claimed the ﬁrst of seven victims in the Chicago area; the case, which led to legislation and packaging improvements to deter product tampering, remains unsolved. In 1990, the construction of Washington National Cathedral concluded, 83 years to the day

after its foundation stone was laid in a ceremony attended by President Theodore Roosevelt. In 2005, John G. Roberts Jr. was sworn in as the nation’s 17th chief justice after winning Senate conﬁrmation. In 2018, Tesla and its CEO, Elon Musk, agreed to pay a total of $40 million to settle a government lawsuit alleging that Musk had duped investors with misleading statements about a proposed buyout of the company. In 2021, a judge in Los Angeles suspended Britney Spears’ father from the conservatorship that had controlled her life and money for 13 years, saying the arrangement reﬂected a “toxic environment.” Today’s birthdays: Former NASA administrator and ex-Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., is 84. Actor Ian McShane is 84. Jazz musician Jean-Luc Ponty is 84. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Lech Walesa, former president of Poland, is 83. Olympic gold medal runner Sebastian Coe is 70. Rock musician Les Claypool is 63. Actor Zachary Levi is 46. Actor Chrissy Metz (TV: “This Is Us”) is 46. Actor Kelly McCreary (TV: “Grey’s Anatomy”) is 45. Football Hall of Famer Calvin Johnson is 41.

PROGRAMS

dia activity for each program,” Smith said. “And we’ll have live Continued from page 1D music at each program.” On Nov. 21, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., the museum will host “Art Funded by Art Bridges as an act of IDENTITY,” where Funding for the “Art Break” participants will create collages programs are included in the inspired by the work of Mose Art Bridges grant that funded Tolliver. Music will be provided the loan of works in the Folk Art by D.J. Darling Dior. Gallery, which opened on June 30. The gallery features work by More to come such artists as Jimmy Lee SudThe museum will end the year duth, Mose Tolliver, David But- with “Art as an act of CARE” with ler, Sam Doyle, Purvis Young and participants making textile artMary T. Smith. work inspired by Mary T. Smith The museum enhanced the ex- from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 12. Muhibit with works from its own col- sic will be provided by Jarrett lection by Natchitoches folk artist Gustafson. “We’re planning more monthly Clementine Hunter, among others. The artists and their works are programs for spring,” Smith focal points for the “Art Break” said. “We’ll have docents in the themes, which began with the Folk Art Gallery during these program, “Art as an act of SPIR- programs. Those participating IT,” inspired by the spiritual art- will be able to go upstairs, walk work of Purvis Young. The pro- through and learn more about it.” Though the “Art Break” program featured music provided by Lady DeeJay. grams’ focus is teens and adults, Next up will be “Art as an act of kids also are welcome with parFREEDOM,” from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. ents and guardians. Oct. 24. This program is inspired “No one needs to identify as an by the work of self-taught artist artist or have any art experience David Butler, whose cutouts and to participate,” Smith said. “The dynamic forms are a reminder activities are designed to be very that freedom is something that welcoming.” can be shaped by hand. Participants will shape their For more information, visit own cutout sculpture while lis- lsumoa.org. tening to live music by Rayne Jackson. Email Robin Miller at “We’re planning a different me- romiller@theadvocate.com.

POTHOS

Continued from page 1D and other means of support. Or you can let its vines cascade downward and trail over the edges of the pot and perhaps even the shelf it’s sitting on. With time, pothos vines can become quite long and get in the way. Periodic trimming can tidy things up while providing material for propagation. To start new plants from cuttings, use clean, sharp pruners to clip off a healthy, vigorously growing vine. Next, cut the vine into smaller sections. Each cutting needs to have at least one leaf and root node (the bump on the stem opposite the leaf and where new roots will emerge). Cuttings with a few nodes have better odds of rooting. Remove the lower leaves, keeping just one or two at the top, to make it

easier to plant. You can stick cuttings directly into potting mix, either in new containers or in an existing container of pothos to create a fuller look. Or you can water propagate by placing your cuttings in a cup, jar or other vessel of water and allowing them to develop roots before transplanting. Change the water when it gets cloudy. You should see roots begin to grow within a few days. Wait until the roots are at least 1 to 2 inches long, which could take a few weeks, before transplanting into potting mix. With either approach, keep the cuttings near indirect light, and make sure the root nodes stay below the potting mix or water surface. Not every cutting will make it, but that’s OK. This propagation method works for many houseplants. But ﬁrst, give it a try with pothos — an excellent, patient teacher — to get the hang of it.

STAFF PHOTOS By PEARL SPURLOCK

Gavin Engleton, 5, gets his hair cut by barber Corvion Smith at Draft Picks Barbershop.

BARBERSHOP Continued from page 1D

and being there for people. It’s pretty spectacular,” Logan said. “To see him continue building his business is not surprising because I’ve gotten to know him and his creative ideas.”

The makings of an entrepreneur In middle school, Malveaux started cutting his and his brother’s hair at their home in Morgan City. Then, other friends started requesting haircuts. By high school, it became a side job for Malveaux. He was going to give up his side hustle while in college at Grambling State University to focus on academics, but soon people were asking him where he got his hair cut, and his clientele grew again. After graduating from Grambling, Malveaux took a job with the Louisiana Office for Juvenile Justice as a juvenile probation officer for a couple of years, but the cubicle office life wasn’t for him. He decided to complete the Louisiana Barber Apprenticeship Program. He got his license in 2006 and opened his first shop in his hometown. He sold that shop and moved to Baton Rouge in 2014, working at a barbershop called Tapered Cutz. To help get his feet off the ground, Malveaux’s friend Vernon Norwood, Olympic gold medalist and fellow Morgan City native, connected him with LSU athletics. Norwood was running track at the time, and he told the athletes about Malveaux, who had been cutting his hair since middle school. “Vernon told me, ‘Look, when you get here, I’m gonna put you on,’” Malveaux said. “Those were his exact words. I took advantage of the opportunity that was given to me. It was LSU, that’s the athletes that helped build the brand.” Malveaux said he became so popular that the LSU players would drive from campus to Pecue Lane to get their hair cut by him. That’s when he realized he could start his own shop. He opened the first Draft Picks location in 2017 on Jefferson Highway, the second in 2021 on Lee Drive, moved the original to O’Neal Lane in 2023 and opened one in the Prairieville Walmart on Airline Highway in 2025. He attributes part of Draft Picks’ success to the increasing popularity of barber videos on Instagram and TikTok — barbers post short videos of before-and-after transformation with their clients. “I know for a fact social media changed my life,” Malveaux said.

Ethan Carrillo has his hair cut by barber Raven Woods at Draft Picks Barbershop. “It changed the entire industry as a whole. It helps us tremendously. It’s free advertising. You can reach celebrities. I get a lot of my jobs just reaching out through Instagram.” He encourages his barbers to be active on social media, and if the music is clean in the video, to tag the shop.

Family atmosphere Malveaux sees each of his locations as hubs for fathers to bring their sons to learn life lessons that go beyond the clippers. Yes, a young man learns grooming etiquette at the barbershop, but he also learns patience, the value of community, respect, the art of listening and more. Malveaux also knows single moms who bring their sons, too, and he counts it as a privilege for barbers to build up young men. “He’s very talented,” client and New Orleans Pelicans player Trendon Watford said, “but I think his success is the culture — the family sort of atmosphere that he has in his shop.” Although Malveaux said that barbershop culture is different everywhere, one constant is the variety of roles that a barber can play in a given day. “We uplift. We’re like counselors. We’re like social workers,” Malveaux said. “You’d be amazed at the things that a client shares with you. He’s glad to be here with someone that listens to him and makes him feel good when he leaves.” For this reason, Malveaux said that he chooses barbers partly off of skill, but he most values character. “You can be an average barber, and you can always get better, but attitudes don’t always change,” he said. Corvion Smith, one of Draft Picks’ barbers, has worked with

Malveaux at the Lee Drive and O’Neal Lane locations for four years. He describes himself as a “people person,” so he enjoys the community aspect of the job. He has been cutting hair for 10 years, and although his clients range in age, he is comfortable cutting children’s hair, specifically children with special needs. He credits his patience to being a father of four. Smith says that the atmosphere with his co-workers is what keeps him coming back for more. “It’s a positive workspace for sure,” Smith said. “We’re like brothers. I’m excited to come to work and talk with them.”

Have clippers, will travel Malveaux takes the positivity with him when he travels to cut clients’ hair around the country. Between LSU and Southern University football players, the New Orleans Saints and other athletes around the country, Malveaux’s schedule gets jam-packed during football season. He met many of his clients while they were playing football for LSU. He’s still barber to Godchaux, Logan and Jamal Adams, former LSU linebacker and current Minnesota Vikings player. When Marshall Faulk, former NFL player and current Southern University head coach, and Ryan Clark, former LSU and NFL player, are in town, they call Malveaux for their cuts. “A barber is something special and unique,” Logan said. “As a guy, you don’t let everyone in your hair because everybody doesn’t possess the same skill. So once you ﬁnd that one you really like, you build a relationship with them. That little time in the barber shop is like your escape from life.” Email Joy Holden at joy.holden@ theadvocate.com.

The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Tuesday, September 29, 2026 ■ 3D

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FrAnK And erneSt

roSebUdS

zItS

zodIAC LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Put your energy behind your imagination and see what transpires. Move things around at home to add to your enjoyment, creativity or comfort. Refuse to let impulse lead to overspending. SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) Control your emotions, and keep your thoughts to yourself. Focus on improving your skills and using what you enjoy doing most to bring in extra cash. Choose romance and passion over anger. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Pay attention. Comfort is important when you have emotional differences to figure out. Assess your financial situation and adopt a budget that puts your mind at ease and money in the bank. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Stick close to home and make comfort and convenience your objectives. Refuse to let anyone interfere with your plans or talk you into something you don't need. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) If you lower your overhead, you'll feel good about yourself and your lifestyle. Too much of anything is the enemy, but if you adopt a minimalist attitude, it will put your mind at ease and extra cash in your pocket. PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) Take a moment to go over your personal and financial situation carefully. You stand to gain if you get rid of expenses that aren't necessary. Tidy up any unfinished business. ARIES (March 21-April 19) Put your strength and energy to work for you. If

you help, the experience you encounter will enrich you. Your ability to think quickly and offer solutions will allow you to become the go-to person in your circle. TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Emotional drama won't assist you in gaining respect or getting ahead. Put more thought and love into self-improvement projects and helping others look, feel and do their best. GEMINI (May 21-June 20) If you jump in and try something new, what you learn and how you incorporate it into your expertise will help you excel. Be careful what you share with others. CANCER (June 21-July 22) Pay more attention to your needs. Being a people pleaser will attract people who want to take advantage of you. It's time to comfort yourself and take care of your needs. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) If you put your ego aside and make a point to listen and learn, the outcome will be unique, which you can incorporate into your plans to further your agenda. Know when to let go of the past. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Don't try to fix what isn't broken. Working with what you've got and with the people who share your beliefs will offer a chance to pick up information and skills that can help you fine-tune your attributes. The horoscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact. © 2026 by NEA, Inc., dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication

For better or For WorSe WonderWord

peAnUtS

SALLY Forth

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

TODAy'S CLUE: J EQUALS M

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

SherMAn’S LAGoon FAMILY CIrCUS

dooneSbUrY

4D ■ Tuesday, September 29, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

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Hi and LoiS

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

BaBY BLueS

BLondie

THe wiZard oF id

nea CroSSwordS

La TimeS CroSSword

The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Tuesday, September 29, 2026 ■ 5D

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Bridge BY PHILLIP ALDER John Wilson, a Scottish philosopher who died in 1854, said, “Would you repeat that again, sir, for it soun’s sae sonorous that the words droon the ideas?” Today’s deal “souns” like yesterday’s, with one key change. How does that alter how South plays in three no-trump after West leads the heart queen and East signals encouragingly with his seven? North’s two-diamond rebid was a reverse because when South wished to give preference to North’s first-bid suit, he had to rebid at the three-level. The reverse promised a maximum opening bid: a good 17 to 20 high-card points. The simplest agreement is that a reverse is game-forcing. You will occasionally get too high, but maybe the defense will be imperfect. (The tournament world uses a responder’s rebid of fourth suit or two no-trump, whichever is the cheaper, as a signal that the responder’s hand is very weak. But that is complicated.) North’s threeheart continuation, a variation of fourthsuit forcing, asked South to bid three notrump with a heart stopper. South has seven top tricks: two spades, one heart, one diamond and three clubs. He gets that total up to at least nine if either clubs are 3-2 or the diamond finesse works.

garfield

Pearls Before swiNe

hagar the horriBle

Yesterday, with the spade king in the dummy, declarer had to choose between the two. But now he can try both. He wins with his heart ace and tries dummy’s top clubs. When they split badly, South crosses back to his hand with a spade and runs the diamond queen. The odds of success have risen to 83.9 percent. © 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 — AFIELD: un-FEELD: Away from home; abroad.

Bizarro

marmaduKe

Average mark 19 words Time limit 20 minutes Can you find 22 or more words in AFIELD? YEstERDAY’s WoRD — EPIGEAL eagle

plage

alee

page

plea

leap

pail

plie

liege

pale

gale

peal

gape

peel

glee

pile

agile

loCKhorNs hidato Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

today’s thought “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he has redeemed from the hand of the enemy;” Psalms 107:2

Tell others about the Lord. They need Him too. G.E. Dean

6D ■ Tuesday, September 29, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

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ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS Sealed bids will be re‐ ceived for the State of Louisiana by the Division of Administration and shall be directed to the Office of Facility Planning and Control, 1201 North Third Street, Claiborne Office Building, Suite 7160, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 70802 or P.O. Box 94095, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 70804-9095. The deadline for receipt of bids is 2:00 PM on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, at which time bids will be opened and read aloud in a public meeting in the Claiborne Office Building, Conference Room 1-145. FOR: Roof Replacement Basic Science Building L Louisiana State Univer‐ sity Pennington Biomed‐ ical Research Center Baton Rouge, Louisiana PROJECT NUMBER: 19-671-22-01, F.19002493 & 01-107-24-03, F.01004762 (Supplement) Complete Bidding Docu‐ ments for this project are available in electronic form. They may be ob‐ tained without charge and without deposit from Gros Flores Positerry, LLC. Printed copies are not available from the Designer but arrange‐ ments can be made to obtain them through most reprographic firms. Plan holders are respon‐ sible for their own repro‐ duction costs. Questions about this pro‐ cedure shall be directed to the Designer at: Gros Flores Positerry, LLC 12032 Bricksome Avenue Baton Rouge, LA 70816 Telephone: 225-293-6964 E-mail: Brian Falcon (bfalcon@gfpdesign. com) All bids shall be accom‐ panied by bid security in an amount of five per‐ cent (5.0%) of the sum of the base bid and all al‐ ternates. The form of this security shall be as stated in the Instructions to Bidders included in the Bid Documents for this project. The successful Bidder shall be required to fur‐ nish a Performance and Payment Bond written as described in the Instruc‐ tions to Bidders included in the Bid Documents for this project. A PRE-BID CONFERENCE WILL BE HELD at 9:00 AM on Thursday, October 08, 2026 at Louisiana State University Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Build‐ ing L Gathering Space Room L-1036, 6400 Perkins Road, Baton Rouge, LA 70808. Bids shall be accepted from Contractors who are licensed under LA. R.S. 37:2150-2166 for the classification of Building Construction or Roofing and Sheet Metal, Siding. Bidder is required to comply with provisions and requirements of LA R.S. 38:2212(B)(5). No bid may be withdrawn for a period of forty-five (45) days after receipt of bids, except under the provisions of LA. R.S. 38:2214. The Owner reserves the right to reject any and all bids for just cause. In ac‐ cordance with La. R.S. 38:2212(B)(1), the provi‐ sions and requirements of this Section and those stated in the bidding documents shall not be waived by any entity. When this project is fi‐ nanced either partially or entirely with State Bonds or financed in whole or in part by federal or other funds which are not readily available at the time bids are received, the award of this Con‐ tract is contingent upon the granting of lines of credit, or the sale of bonds by the Bond Com‐ mission or the availabil‐ ity of federal or other funds. The State shall incur no obligation to the Contractor until the Con‐ tract Between Owner and Contractor is fully exe‐ cuted. Facility Planning and Control is a participant in the Small Entrepreneur‐ ship (SE) Program (the Hudson Initiative) and the Veteran-Owned and Service-Connected Dis‐ abled Veteran-Owned (LaVet) Small Entrepre‐ neurships Program. Bid‐ ders are encouraged to consider participation. Information is available from the Office of Facility Planning and Control or on its website at https:// www.doa.la.gov/doa/ f

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If you have a disability and would like to request an accommodation in order to participate in this meeting, please con‐ tact Cheryl Schilling at Cheryl.Schilling@la.gov or (225) 342-6060 as soon as possible but no later than 48 hours before the scheduled meeting. STATE OF LOUISIANA DIVISION OF ADMINISTRATION FACILITY PLANNING AND CONTROL MATTHEW H. BAKER, DIRECTOR 201174 Sept. 22, 29, Oct. 6, 2026 3t $169.08 PUBLIC NOTICE --BIDS TO BE OPENED: October 16, 2026 @ 2PM CST NOTICE TO PROPOSERS Notice is hereby given that sealed proposals will be received by City of Baton Rouge and the Parish of East Baton Rouge until October 16, 2026 at 2:00 PM local time in Room 826 of City Hall, 222 Saint Louis Street, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70802 for: RFP SOLICITATION NO. 2026-12-2010 - Janitorial Services for Baton Rouge City Courthouse Building A mandatory pre-pro‐ posal conference and job site visit will be held in person on October 1, 2026 at 10 AM CST. The manda‐ tory pre-proposal confer‐ ence and job site visit will be held at the City/Parish Purchasing Division, 222 St. Louis Street, 8th Floor, Room 806, Baton Rouge, LA 70802. A company repre‐ sentative must be in at‐ tendance at the pre-pro‐ posal meeting and job site visit to receive an award for this project. Copies of the Request for Proposal may be ob‐ tained from LaPAC (https://wwwcfprd.doa. louisiana.gov/osp/lapac/ dspBid.cfm?search=dep artment&term=102), Central Bidding (http:// www.centralauctionh ouse.com) or by email re‐ quest to: RFP2010BRCCJanServ@ brla.gov *Note: The City-Parish has elected to use LaPAC, the state’s online electronic bid posting and Central Bidding noti‐ fication system, in addi‐ tion to its standard means of advertising this requirement. LaPAC is resident on State Pur‐ chasing’s website at https://wwwcfprd.doa. louisiana.gov/osp/lapac/ pubmain.cfm and is available for vendor selfenrollment. NOTE: This RFP is not available to submit online via Central Bidding; submissions MUST be mailed or hand delivered to the address mentioned in the RFP. In that LaPAC and Central Bidding provides an im‐ mediate e-mail notifica‐ tion to subscribing bid‐ ders that a solicitation and any subsequent ad‐ denda have been let and posted, notice and re‐ ceipt thereof is consid‐ ered formally given as of their respective dates of posting. Though not re‐ quired if receiving solici‐ tation and addenda no‐ tices from LaPAC and Central Bidding the CityParish will email ad‐ denda to all vendors con‐ tacting our office and re‐ questing to be put on our office Vendor Listing for this solicitation. The deadline for receiv‐ ing written inquiries is October 2, 2026 by 5 PM CST. Proposals received after the above specified time will not be considered. The right to reject any and all proposals and to waive irregularities and informalities is reserved.

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The City of Baton Rouge and Parish of East Baton Rouge has established a Socially and Economi‐ cally Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (SEDBE) program in ac‐ cordance with Revised Statute RS 33:2233.4. It is the policy of the Parish to ensure that Eligible Business Enterprises EBE’s, certified in accor‐ dance with the Parish program, have an equal opportunity to receive and participate in parish contracts. For this project the EBR Parish Purchasing office has directed a review of the scope of work and participation is strongly encouraged but not re‐ quired. The City-Parish is an equal opportunity em‐ ployer and encourages the participation of Dis‐ advantaged Business En‐ terprises (DBE) in all of its projects. Pro‐ posers/Prospective Con‐ tractors are strongly en‐ couraged to make posi‐ tive efforts to utilize mi‐ nority subcontractors for a portion of this project. Proposers are requested to include in their pro‐ posal a description of plans for minority partic‐ ipation under this Con‐ tract as suppliers or sub‐ contractors. All questions concerning the Solicitation and Con‐ tract Documents MUST be received in accor‐ dance with the Schedule of Events cited in section 1.3 of the Solicitation documents and as further defined in section 1.7.2 Proposer In‐ quiry Period of the same document. Though not required if receiving solicitation and addenda notices from LaPAC, the City of Baton Rouge, Parish of East Baton Rouge will e-mail or mail addenda to all vendors contacting our office and requesting to be put on our office Ven‐ dor Listing for this solici‐ tation. 200543-SEP 15-22-29-3T $197.25 PUBLIC NOTICE --CITY OF MONROE REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL Separate sealed PROPOS‐ ALS for RFP - Transit 35’ Bus Repower Project will be received by the City of Monroe, at the Purchas‐ ing Division, located at 1014 Grammont Street, Monroe, Louisiana 71201. Proposals will be re‐ ceived until 2:00 P.M., on Tuesday, October 13, 2026. The CONTRACT DOCU‐ MENTS, consisting of Re‐ quest for Proposal, Infor‐ mation for Proposers, SPECIFICATIONS, and AD‐ DENDA, may be exam‐ ined at the following lo‐ cation: City of Monroe Purchasing Division 1014 Grammont Street Monroe, LA 71201 All Proposers MUST ob‐ tain copies of Proposal Documents from the City of Monroe Purchasing Di‐ vision by emailing the Purchasing Division at purchasing@ci.monroe. la.us, thereby being added to the Proposers’ List. Proposals from ven‐ dors not on the Pro‐ posers’ List will not be accepted. The name of the vendor must match that of the name on the Proposals’ List, under which the Request for Proposal was requested. Sealed proposals must identify on the outside envelope the name of the vendor. The OWNER reserves the right to reject any or all proposals for just cause per State Public Bid Law. A corporate resolution authorizing a representa‐ tive of the corporation to sign the proposal must accompany the proposal if the proposer is a cor‐ poration. Such activities will be in accordance with Title 38:2237 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes.

Advocate: 09/15/2026, 09/22/2026 and 09/29/2026 Dispatch: 09/15/2026, 09/22/2026 and 09/29/2026 200389-sept 15-22-29-3t $914.41 PUBLIC NOTICE --NOTICE TO BIDDERS RECEIPT OF SEALED BIDS WILL BE RECEIVED BY THE OWNER, McNEESE STATE UNIVERSITY, PUR‐ CHASING DEPARTMENT, SMITH HALL, ROOM 120, 150 LAWTON DR., LAKE CHARLES, LA 70605, or MSU BOX 92415, LAKE CHARLES, LA 70609, UNTIL THE DATE AND TIME INDICATED FOR THE FOLLOWING BID: BID NO. S2700020 DATE DUE: WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2026 TIME: 10:00 A.M. CAMPUS GATEWAYS, McNEESE STATE UNIVERSITY, LAKE CHARLES, LOUISIANA

MANDATORY PRE-BID CONFERENCE SCHEDULED FOR OCTOBER 7, 2026 AT 10:00 A.M. A NON-MANDATORY SITE VISIT CAN BE ARRANGED BY CONTACTING RICHARD RHODEN AT 337475-5887 or email facilities@mcneese.edu. FRONT-END BIDDING DOCUMENTS MAY BE OB‐ TAINED AT THE STATE OF LOUISIANA WEBSITE VEN‐ DOR CENTER, LaPAC, AT https://doa.louisiana. gov/doa/osp/vendorresources, LaPAC Bids Opportunities from State of Louisiana and local agencies. FOR ADDI‐ TIONAL ASSISTANCE AND TO OBTAIN PLANS, SPECI‐ FICATIONS, DRAWINGS, etc., EMAIL REQUEST TO facilities@mcneese.edu. FEES FOR SET OF DOCUMENTS: NONE A CASHIER’S CHECK, CER‐ TIFIED CHECK, OR AC‐ CEPTABLE BIDDER’S BOND PAYABLE TO Mc‐ NEESE STATE UNI‐ VERISITY IN AN AMOUNT NOT LESS THAN FIVE PER‐ CENT (5%) OF THE BID SUBMITTED MUST AC‐

THE SUCCESSFUL BIDDER WILL BE REQUIRED TO FURNISH A PERFOR‐ MANCE BOND IN AN AMOUNT EQUAL TO 100% OF THE CONTRACT AMOUNT AND IN ACCOR‐ DANCE WITH R.S.38:2219. BIDS SHALL BE ACCEPTED ONLY FROM CONTRAC‐ TORS WHO ARE LICENSED UNDER LA. R.S.37:21502163 FOR THE CLASSIFI‐ BUILDING CATION OF CONSTRUCTION. NO BID MAY BE WITH‐ DRAWN FOR A PERIOD OF THIRTY (30) DAYS AFTER RECEIPT OF BIDS, EXCEPT UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF LA. R.S.38:2214. THE OWNER RESERVES THE RIGHT TO REJECT ANY AND ALL BIDS AND TO WAIVE ANY INFOR‐ MALITIES INCIDENTAL THERETO. EVIDENCE OF AUTHORITY TO SUBMIT THE BID SHALL BE REQUIRED IN ACCORDANCE WITH R.S.38:2212 (A)(1)(C) AND/OR R.S. 39:1594 (C)

ORDINANCE 2026-17 ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE CITY OF ZACHARY TO AMEND CHAPTER 86 OF THE CITY’S CODE OF ORDINANCES TO ADDRESS CHANGES TO UTILITIES FEES AND CHARGES FOR THE CITY OF ZACHARY AND FOR RELATED MATTERS WHEREAS, the City of Zachary (the “City”) has historically established certain fees and changes for the operation and provision of utilities to its citizens which proceeds were used to promote the uniform and efficient operation of the City Utilities office, and WHEREAS, it has been recommended that certain changes and amendments to be made to the fees associated there with as being in the best interests of the City and in order to maintain applicable fees consistent with such fees and charges imposed by surrounding cities and municipalities, BE IT ORDAINED by the Mayor and City Council of the City of Zachary, Louisiana that Section 86-9 of the Code of Ordinances, City of Zachary, Louisiana, is hereby amended to read as follows: Sec. 86-9. - Fees and charges associated with provision of utility related services. *** (b) Other miscellaneous charges for utility-related services. *** (2) Reconnecting a service after disconnection for non-payment, failure to make a deposit, or fraudulent use, the charge will be $50.00 plus 10 percent of the billed monthly total. (3) Reconnecting a service after business hours and on weekends after disconnection for non-payment, failure to make a deposit, or fraudulent use, the charge will be $75.00. This Ordinance shall become effective at the expiration of ten (10) calendar days after publication by the City Council for the City of Zachary unless the referenced ordinance shall specify another effective date, all pursuant to § 2-10 (C) of the Home Rule Charter adopted by the electors for the City of Zachary. INTRODUCED FOR ADOPTION by the City Council of the City of Zachary as a regular meeting of the said Council held on the 8th day of September, 2026. SUBMITTED FOR FINAL APPROVAL AND ADOPTED by the City Council of the City of Zachary at a regular meeting of the said Council, after being duly noticed and publicized, held on the 22nd day of September, 2026 and upon which the foregoing ordinance was read in full, the roll was called on the adoption thereof, and the Ordinance was adopted. _______________________ David McDavid, Mayor

ATTEST: _________________________ Karen Burdette Clerk, City Council Tempore

_________________________ Brandy Westmoreland Mayor Pro Tempore

Ordinance 2026-17 PRESENTED TO THE MAYOR PURSUANT TO HRC § 2-11(A), this ____ day of _______________, 2026 at ____:___, ___ M.

An award shall be made to the responsible offeror whose proposal is deter‐ mined in writing by the governing authority of the City of Monroe to be the most advantageous, taking into consideration price and other evalua‐ tion factors set forth in the request for propos‐ als.

_______________________ Karen Burdette – Clerk, City Council

MINORITY-OWNED FIRMS AND SMALL BUSINESSES ARE ENCOURAGED TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS RE‐ QUEST FOR QUALIFICA‐ TIONS.

_______________________ David McDavid, Mayor ________________________________________________________________

RFP Reference No. 2027-00000017

SUBSCRIBE TODAY

News Star: 09/15/2026, 09/22/2026 and 09/29/2026

Date /s/ Richard Moore, Director of Administration

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

g (2)(D). McNEESE STATE UNIVERSITY DANITA SLATE ASSISTANT PURCHASING DIRECTOR dslate1@mcneese.edu Phone: (337)475-5090 201386 Sept. 22, 29, Oct. 6, 2026 3t $115.05

PUBLIC NOTICE --VOUCHER #2026-13-1200 BIDS TO BE OPENED 11/13/26 NOTICE TO PROPOSERS Notice is hereby given that sealed proposals will be received by City of Baton Rouge and the Parish of East Baton Rouge until November 13, 2026 at 2:00 PM CST in Purchasing Division, Room 826 of City Hall, 222 Saint Louis Street, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70802 for: RFP 2026-13-1200 LIBRARY PROFESSIONAL LANDSCAPING Mandatory prebid con‐ ference/site visits will be necessary and will be of‐ fered for two days. The i i i l i i i ill b

store.nola.com

y initial site visit will be on October 20,2026 at 9:00 am CST at the Goodwood Library at 7711 Good‐ wood Boulevard – 3rd Floor Board Room. Only companies represented at the the prebid confer‐ ence and all site visits shall be considered for award. Copies of the Request for Proposal may be ob‐ tained from LaPAC (https://wwwcfprd.doa. louisiana.gov/osp/lapac/ dspBid.cfm?search=dep artment&term=102), Central Bidding (http:// www.centralauctionh ouse.com) or by email re‐ quest to email: RFP2026131200LibLand‐ scaping@brla.gov *Note: The City-Parish has elected to use LaPAC, the state’s online electronic bid posting and Central Bidding noti‐ ﬁcation system, in addi‐ tion to its standard means of advertising this requirement. LaPAC is resident on State Pur‐ chasing’s website at https://wwwcfprd.doa. louisiana.gov/osp/lapac/ pubmain.cfm and is available for vendor selfenrollment. NOTE: This RFP is not available to submit online via Central Bidding; submissions MUST be mailed or hand

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

delivered to the address mentioned in the RFP. In that LaPAC and Central Bidding provides an im‐ mediate email notifica‐ tion to subscribing bid‐ ders that a solicitation and any subsequent ad‐ denda have been let and posted, notice and re‐ ceipt thereof is consid‐ ered formally given as of their respective dates of posting. Though not re‐ quired if receiving solici‐ tation and addenda no‐ tices from LaPAC and Central Bidding the CityParish will email ad‐ denda to all vendors con‐ tacting our office and re‐ questing to be put on our office Vendor Listing for this solicitation. The deadline for receiv‐ ing written inquiries is October 28, 2026 at 4:00 PM CST. Proposals received after the above specified time will not be considered. The right to reject any and all proposals and to waive irregularities and informalities is reserved. All questions concerning the Solicitation and Con‐ tract Documents MUST be received in accor‐ dance with the Schedule of Events cited in the So‐

ORDINANCE PERTAINING TO THE DECLARATION OF INTENT BY THE CITY OF ZACHARY TO HAVE CERTAIN MOVABLE PROPERTY DECLARED TO BE SURPLUS AND ALLOWING FOR THE DISPOSAL, DONATION OR ABANDONMENT IN PLACE WHEREAS, the Zachary Police Department for the City of Zachary (the “City”) owns certain movable property referenced on the attached Exhibit “A” which was used in its municipal operations and, upon a determination that the property was no longer needed, did exchange the surplus property for credit with Baton Rouge Police Supply; WHEREAS, the City of Zachary through the City Council does hereby ratify and declare that the cost of repair and/or required maintenance will exceed the value and usefulness to the City and therefore does declare the referenced movable property to be surplus property of the City and to dispose of thee property; BE IT ORDAINED that the City Council for the City of Zachary hereby ratifies and declares that the referenced properties are surplus property of the City, and as such after any and all applicable notice, hearing and legal delay be disposed of, donated or abandoned or sold in accordance with law. This Ordinance shall become effective at the expiration of ten (10) calendar days after publication by the City Council for the City of Zachary, unless the referenced ordinance shall specify another effective date, all pursuant to § 2-10 (C) of the Home Rule Charter adopted by the electors for the City of Zachary. INTRODUCED FOR ADOPTION by the City Council of the City of Zachary as a regular meeting of the said Council held on the 8th day of September, 2026. SUBMITTED FOR FINAL APPROVAL AND ADOPTED by the City Council of the City of Zachary as a regular meeting of the said Council after being duly noticed and publicized public hearing held on the 22nd day of September, 2026 and upon which the foregoing ordinance was read in full, the roll was called on the adoption thereof, and the Ordinance was adopted. _______________________ David McDavid, Mayor

ATTEST: _________________________ Karen Burdette, Clerk of the City Council

_________________________ Brandy Westmoreland, Mayor Pro Tempore

Ordinance 2026-18 PRESENTED TO THE MAYOR PURSUANT TO HRC § 2-11(A), this ____ day of _______________, 2026 at ____:___, ___ M. _______________________ Karen Burdette, Clerk of the City Council I DO HEREBY ACT TO ____ ADOPT / ____VETO THIS ORDINANCE, this ____ day of ____________, 2026 at ____:___, ___ M, by my signature below. _______________________ David McDavid, Mayor EXHIBIT “A” FIREARMS INFORMATION:

I DO HEREBY ACT TO ____ ADOPT / ____VETO THIS ORDINANCE, this ____ day of ____________, 2026 at ____:___, ___ M, by my signature below.

ORDINANCE 2026-18 CITY OF ZACHARY PARISH OF EAST BATON ROUGE STATE OF LOUISIANA

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The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Tuesday, September 29, 2026 ■ 7D

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8D ■ Tuesday, September 29, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate Legal Notices

Legal Notices

REQUISITION 11297783

Legal Notices

1t: September 29th, 2026

OFFICIAL PUBLIC NOTICE OF THE METROPOLITAN COUNCIL OF THE PARISH OF EAST BATON ROUGE AND THE CITY OF BATON ROUGE Notice is hereby given to all citizens of the City of Baton Rouge, Parish of East Baton Rouge and to all other interested persons, of the introduction at the regular meeting of the Metropolitan Council of the City of Baton Rouge and Parish of East Baton Rouge, held on September 23, 2026 of the proposed resolutions/ordinances, the titles of which are set forth hereinafter, and that public hearing will be held thereon by the Metropolitan Council at 4:00 P.M., Wednesday, October 14, 2026, in the Council Chambers (Room 348) on the third floor of the City-Parish Governmental Building in this City, these proposed resolutions/ordinances being entitled as follows: RESOLUTION A resolution approving the calling of a special election by Fire Protection District No. 6, Parish of East Baton Rouge, State of Louisiana (the “District”), on Saturday, April 17, 2027, for the purpose of authorizing the renewal of the levy and collection of a special five (5) mills ad valorem tax (the “Tax”), with the avails or proceeds of said tax to be used entirely and exclusively for the development, operation and maintenance of the fire protection facilities of the District including the cost of obtaining water for fire protection purposes and fire hydrants within the District; and providing for other matters in connection therewith. By Fire Protection Distric No. 6. ORDINANCE Amending Title 1 (Municipal and Parish Organization), Chapter 4 – Regulation of Departments, Sections 1:609.7 – Hearing Procedure and 1:609.10 – Additional Remedy; so as to provide for an increase in the administrative hearing costs and establish a tax roll collection surcharge. By Development Director. ORDINANCE Amending Title 12 (Nuisances), Chapter 8. – Dangerous Buildings, Section 12:522 – Condemnation Order; Demolition, and Section 12:525 – Costs of Demolition to be a Lien on Property, so as to establish administrative costs associated with Condemnations. By Development Director. ORDINANCE Amending Title 12 (Nuisances), Chapter 5. – Weeds, Section 12:351 – Removal Required and Section 12:353 – Failure to Remove, so as to provide for an increase in the penalties and fines for violations and related weed cutting liens. By Development Director. ORDINANCE Amending Title 6 (Public Health), Chapter 4 – Disposal of Garbage and Other Wasted Matter, Section 6:381.1 – Penalty for violation of Sec 6:381, so as to provide for an increase in the penalties and fines for violations. By Development Director. ORDINANCE Amending Title 6 (Public Health), Chapter 4 – Disposal of Garbage and Other Wasted Matter, Section 6:406.1 – Penalty for violation of Sec 6:406, so as to provide for an increase in the penalties and fines for violations. By Development Director. ORDINANCE Amending Title 12 (Nuisances), Chapter 6. – Miscellaneous, Section 12:405 – Maintenance of Property and Section 12:405.1 – Maintenance of Property – Unoccupied Structures, so as to resolve conflicting sections and provide for an increase in the penalties and fines for violations. By Development Director. RESOLUTION A resolution approving, pursuant to Act no. 177 of the 2025 Regular Session of the Louisiana Legislature (amending Ls. R.S. 33:2740.70.5), the rebate of local sales and use taxes collected on the sale of admission tickets, concessions, and parking for major events to be held on in connection with two events proposed for East Baton Rouge Parish: (1) an event to be held in Baton Rouge at LSU’s Alex Box Stadium in March 4, 2027 (“Event One”); and (2) an event to be held in Baton Rouge at Tiger Stadium in March 6, 2027 (“Event Two”), pursuant to the recommendation of Visit Baton Rouge and in recognition of the events’ expected economic impact; and otherwise to provide with respect thereto. By Councilman Rowdy Gaudet. ORDINANCE Amending Title 9 (Licensing and Regulation of Trades and Occupations), Chapter 27 (Tire Businesses) so as to amend Section 9:1505 (Storage of Tires) to increase the amount of stored tires. By Councilman Darryl Hurst.

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Legal Notices

ORDINANCE Amending Title 12 (Nuisances), Chapter 2 (Noise), Section 12:101 (Same-Enumerated), so as to add a decibel threshold to residential area and Section 12:104 (Penalty) to provide for Issuance of a warning. By Councilman Aaron Moak. RESOLUTION Authorizing the Mayor-President to entering into a Cooperative Endeavor Agreement with the Louisiana Department of Public Safety, Office of State Fire Marshall and Louisiana Urban Search & Rescue (USAR) Task Force 2 Operated by the Baton Rouge Fire Department to appropriate funding the amount of $250,000 for USAR equipment. By Fire Chief. RESOLUTION Authorizing the Mayor-President to approve and adopt the Capital Region Area Floodplain Taskforce (CRAFT) multi-jurisdictional program for public information (PPI) document, for credit under the Community Rating System (CRS) of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). By Development Director. RESOLUTION Authorizing the Mayor-President to execute a Professional Services Agreement with City Detect for an amount not to exceed $549,000 for a contract period of October 1, 2026 through December 31, 2029; to provide data collection equipment and AI technology for the detection of blight. By Development Director. RESOLUTION Authorizing the Mayor President on behalf of the Division of Human Development & Services Ryan White Program to accept funding from the US Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, for the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program which includes Ryan White Ending the HIV epidemic (EHE) funding in an amount of $895,225.00 for the grant period of March 1, 2026 through February 28, 2027, and authorizing the execution of all documents in connection therewith. By Human Development & Services Director. RESOLUTION Authorizing the Mayor President, on behalf of the Division of Human Development and Services for the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program which includes Part A and the Minority AIDS Initiative to accept funding from the US Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, in an amount of $148,975.00 for the grant period of March 1, 2026 through February 28, 2027, and authorizing the execution of all documents in connection therewith. By Human Development & Services Director. RESOLUTION Authorizing the Mayor-President to execute an amendment, on behalf of the East Baton Rouge Parish Library, to add $15,000 to the two -year promotional programming contract with Movee Media, LLC for a revised total not to exceed $64,250. To be paid out of the East Baton Rouge Parish Library’s existing budget. By Library Director. RESOLUTION Authorizing settlement of the pre-litigation claim of Adrienne and Timothy P. Gale for damages resulting from a sewer back-up in claimant’s home, for a total amount of $24,027.30, which shall be paid from the account designated “Insurance - General Liability” (1000. 4700. 10. 0550. 0000. 0000. 000000.644110). *This matter may be discussed in Executive Session. (In Proper Person). By Parish Attorney. RESOLUTION Authorizing the Mayor-President to execute an agreement with BE-CI, Inc. and Neal Johnson LLC, A Joint Venture for Architectural Design Services in connection with EBR City Hall Wind Retrofit (Restart), being City Parish Project No. 21-ASD-CP-1294 in an amount not to exceed $22,302.50. This will bring the current amount to $731,247.50. By Building and Grounds Director. RESOLUTION Rescinding and directing the clerk of court to cancel the Notice to Attend recorded on January 12, 2026, at Original 19 of Bundle 13413 and the Decision and Order recorded on May 19, 2026, at Original 866 of Bundle 13434 in the matter of “City of Baton Rouge VS. Prudent Acquisitions, L.L.C.” – Condemnation Proceeding No. 11779 (4051 Mohican St., Lot L, Babin Subdivision). Reason for rescission: The property is being renovated. By Councilwoman Harris. RESOLUTION Authorizing the Mayor-President to execute a Contract for Engineering Design Services with Bonton Associates LLC, for services associated with MovEBR Enhancement Projects Harry Dr Sidewalk (Airline Hwy - N Airway Dr) and Tara Blvd Safety Enhancements, being City-Parish Project No. 26-EN-HC-007 and No. 26-EN-HC-0020, respectively, in an amount not to exceed $176,424.65. By Transportation and Drainage Director.

RESOLUTION

Authorizing the Mayor-President to execute an agreement amendment between the City of Baton Rouge, Parish of East Baton Rouge, on behalf of the Office of Community Development, and the EBR Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (CJCC), to add $196,000 for a total amount not to exceed $456,000.00 and extend the contract end date from June 30, 2026 to December 31, 2026, and further authorizing the execution of all related documents. By Community Development Director.

Authorizing the Mayor-President to execute a Supplemental Agreement for Professional Engineering Services with Neel-Schaffer, Inc, for additional services associated with MOVEBR Enhancement Project Synchronization and Communication Signal Rebuilds – Group 3, CityParish Project Nos. 20-TS-HC-0081, 20-TS-HC-0082, 20-TS-HC-0083, 20-TS-HC-0084, 20-TS-HC-0085, and 20-TS-HC-0086, in an amount not to exceed $21,333.83. (Account No.9217100063-4371-000000000000000-653240). By Transportation and Drainage Director.

RESOLUTION Receiving the third quarter 2026 report from the East Baton Rouge Parish Communications District. By Councilman Rowdy Gaudet. RESOLUTION Authorizing the Mayor-President to execute and enter into and execute grant agreements for Subrecipients and Developers awarded in the Fiscal Year 2026 Annual Action Plan to the U.S. Housing and Urban Development for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) in the amount of $3,346,995.00; HOME Investment and Partnership Program (HOME) in the amount of $1,450,716.46, Housing Opportunities for People with AIDS (HOPWA) in the amount of $2,397,770.00 and Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) in the amount of $281,178.00 totaling $7,486,659.46 plus $1,088,000.00 in estimated program income. By Community Development Director.

RESOLUTION Rescinding and directing the clerk of court to cancel the Notice to Attend recorded on March 4, 2026, at Original 344 of Bundle 13421 and the Decision and Order recorded on June 17, 2026, at Original 238 of Bundle 13440 in the matter of “City of Baton Rouge VS. Prudent Acquisitions, L.L.C.” - Condemnation Proceeding No. 11789 (5056 Clayton St., Lot 7+ (Lot 7 and the East 10 Ft. of Lot 6), Sq. 19, North Highlands Addition Subdivision). Reason for rescission: The property is being renovated. By Councilwoman Harris. RESOLUTION Authorizing the Mayor-President to execute a Supplemental Agreement for Professional Engineering Services with Neel-Schaffer, Inc, for additional services associated with MOVEBR Enhancement Project Synchronization and Communication Signal Rebuilds Phase 2 – Group 4, City-Parish Project Nos. 21-TS-HC-0022, 21-TS-HC-0023, 21-TS-HC-0024, and 21-TS-HC-0025, in an amount not to exceed $14,383.63 (Account No.

Legal Notices

9217100063-4371-00000-0000000000-653240). By Transportation and Drainage Director. RESOLUTION Authorizing settlement of the pre-litigation claim of Azielle Moore for damages resulting from an auto accident caused by a Mosquito Abatement and Rodent Control employee, in the amount of $11,545.04, which amount shall be paid from the account designated “Insurance Auto Liability” (1000.4700.10.0550.0000. 0000.000000.644120). *This matter may be discussed in Executive Session. (In Proper Person). By Parish Attorney. RESOLUTION Authorizing settlement of the pre-litigation claim of Renew Church for damages resulting from a sewer back-up in claimant’s facility, for a total amount of $36,294.05 which shall be paid from the account designated “Insurance - General Liability” (1000. 4700. 10. 0550. 0000. 0000. 000000.644110). *This matter may be discussed in Executive Session. (In Proper Person). By Parish Attorney. RESOLUTION Authorizing the Mayor-President to execute a Supplemental Agreement for Professional Engineering Services with Urban Systems Associates, Inc for additional services associated with MOVEBR Enhancement Project Synchronization and Communication Signal Rebuilds Phase 2 – Group 1, City-Parish Project NOs. 21-TS-HC-0008, 21-TS-HC-0009, 21-TSHC-0010, 21-TS-HC-0011, and 21-TS-HC-0012, in an amount not to exceed $10,818.48. (Account No.9217100063-4371-00000-0000000000653240). By Transportation and Drainage Director. RESOLUTION Authorizing the Mayor-President to execute a Supplemental Agreement for Professional Engineering Services with Vectura Consulting Services, LLC, for additional services associated with MOVEBR Enhancement Project Synchronization and Communication Signal Rebuilds – Group 1, City-Parish Project NOs. 20-TS-HC-0070, 20-TS-HC-0071, 20-TSHC-0072, 20-TS-HC-0073, 20-TS-HC-0074, and 20-TS-HC-0075, in an amount not to exceed $22,417.17. (Account No. 9217100063-437100000-0000000000-653240). By Transportation and Drainage Director. RESOLUTION Authorizing the Mayor-President to execute a Supplemental Agreement for Professional Engineering Services with Vectura Consulting Services, LLC, for additional services associated with MOVEBR Enhancement Project Synchronization and Communication Signal Rebuilds Phase 2 – Group 2, City-Parish Project NOs. 20-TS-HC-0013, 20-TS-HC-0014, 20-TS-HC-0015, 20-TS-HC-0016, and 20-TS-HC-0017, in an amount not to exceed $22,417.17. (Account No. 9217100063-4371-000000000000000-653240). By Transportation and Drainage Director. RESOLUTION Authorizing the Mayor-President to execute a Cooperative Endeavor Agreement and Donation with the Housing Authority of East Baton Rouge for donation of property associated with MOVEBR Capacity Project Ardenwood, being City-Parish Project No.20-CP-HC-0017. (Account No. 921700065-00000-4371.00000-0000000000-653240). By Transportation and Drainage Director. RESOLUTION Authorizing settlement of the matter entitled “Shawana Duncan & Estate of Victor Duncan V. Jones, et al consolidated with Brianna Duncan, et al”, Suit no. 744,702 on the docket of the 19th Judicial District Court, in the amount of $299,999.99, plus court costs in the amount of $1,186.66, for a total amount of $301,186.65, which amount shall be paid from the account designated “Insurance – General Liability”(1000. 4700. 10. 0550. 0000. 0000. 000000.644110). * This matter may be Discussed in Executive Session. (Attorney of Record is Michael Clegg, Brent Boxill and Marks & Lear, PLC). By Parish Attorney. RESOLUTION Authorizing the Mayor-President to execute an agreement with The Luster Group, LLC for Demolition and Abatement Services, Package A24 in an amount not to exceed $53,705.00. By Development Director. RESOLUTION Authorizing the Mayor-President to execute an agreement with ABG Contractors, Inc. for Demolition and Abatement Services, Package A25 in an amount not to exceed $65,762.40. By Development Director. RESOLUTION Authorizing the Mayor-President to execute an agreement with ABG Contractors, Inc. for Demolition and Abatement Services, Package A26 in an amount not to exceed $65,762.40. By Development Director. RESOLUTION Authorizing the Mayor-President to execute an agreement with ABG Contractors, Inc. for Demolition and Abatement Services, Package A27 in an amount not to exceed $63,967.76. By Development Director. CONDEMNATION INTRODUCTIONS Veronica Andrews-Payne and Harold M. Payne 4364 Sycamore St., Lot 18, Square 16, Schorten Place - Council District 5 - Hurst Jessie B. Stewart, Jr. and Stephanie Denise Moore 5763 Hartford Ave., Lot 14, East Fairlane Subdivision - Council District 5 - Hurst Corey Kinchen 3946 Sherwood St., Lot 245, North Highlands Estates Subdivision - Council District 7 - Harris Almo Barker 1254 N. 36th St., Lot 18, Sq. 24, Eden Park Subdivision - Council District 7 - Harris Ulysses Z. Addison, Jr. 1693 N. 47th St., Lot 19, Sq. 29, Greenville Extension Subdivision - Council District 7 - Harris Introduce for public hearing/meeting on October 14, 2026 Initial Time Log Initial Inspectors Report Initial Picture

202252-692148-Sept. 29-1t $ 648.70

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Public Notices Bids/Proposals

licitation documents. Though not required if receiving solicitation and addenda notices from LaPAC, the City of Baton Rouge, Parish of East Baton Rouge will email or mail addenda to all ven‐ dors contacting our of‐ ﬁce and requesting to be put on our ofﬁce Vendor Listing for this solicita‐ tion. 202250-sep 29-oct 6-13-3t $139.62 PUBLIC NOTICE --VOUCHER# 26-000310 BIDS TO BE OPENED: 10/06/26 NOTICE TO BIDDERS Electronic or sealed bids will be received by the City of Baton Rouge and i h f

Public Notices Bids/Proposals y g Parish of East Baton Rouge, Purchasing Divi‐ sion, City Hall Building, Room 826, 222 Saint Louis Street, 8th Floor, Baton Rouge, La. until 11:00 A.M. October 6, 2026, for the following: A26-0310 PIPES & CUL‐ VERTS (REINFORCED CONCRETE) Ofﬁcial bid documents are available at Central (https://www. Bidding centralauctionhouse. com/rfpc10656-city-ofbaton-rouge.html) or by request from the City of Baton Rouge at lcan‐ non@brla.gov. Bids shall be submitted electronically via www. centralbidding.com or on the solicitation bid forms furnished by the City of Baton Rouge and Parish of East Baton Rouge prior to the bidding deadline.

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

Electronic bids for the solicitation will be down‐ loaded by the City of Baton Rouge and Parish of East Baton Rouge, Pur‐ chasing Division. Begin‐ ning as soon as feasible after the bid closing time all electronic bids will be downloaded and publicly read aloud along with all paper bids received, if any, in Room 806 immedi‐ ately after the 11:00 a.m. bid closing. Bidders or their authorized repre‐ sentatives are invited to be present. Note: The City-Parish has elected to use LaPAC, the state's online electronic bid posting and notiﬁca‐ tion system, in addition to its standard means of advertising this require‐ ment. This Invitation to Bid is available in elec‐ tronic form at the LaPAC website https:// wwwcfprd.doa.louisiana. gov/osp/lapac/dspBid. f h d

MINUTES CITY COUNCIL MEETING CITY OF BAKER PARISH OF EAST BATON ROUGE STATE OF LOUISIANA COUNCIL CHAMBERS 3325 GROOM ROAD, BAKER, LOUISIANA 70714 www.youtube.com/@bakerforward September 22, 2026 - 6:00 p.m. The City Council of the City of Baker, Louisiana, met in regular session on September 22, 2026, with the following members in attendance at the meeting: MAYOR Darnell Waites COUNCIL MEMBERS Desiree Collins Rochelle Dunn Cedric Murphy Robert Young ABSENT Dr. Charles Vincent CALL TO ORDER – Mayor Waites presided. The invocation was given by Council Member Murphy. The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Council Member Dunn. ***Public comment shall be observed before a vote is taken on any agenda item. Such comments shall not exceed 3 minutes and shall be confined to the agenda item and any proposed disposition thereof.*** DISPOSITION OF THE MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING The motion was made by Council Member Dunn, seconded by Council Member Murphy to approve the minutes of the meeting held on September 8, 2026. The mayor called for public comments or questions. Vote was called for. YEAS: Collins, Dunn, Murphy, Young NAYS: None ABSENT: Vincent ABSTAIN: None The motion passed with a vote of 4-0. The motion was made by Council Member Young, seconded by Council Member Murphy to add a resolution of the Council of the City of Baker requesting that the office of the Attorney General reconsider and supplement its opinion in AG opinion No. 25-0118 to the agenda under Resolutions and Proclamations. The mayor called for public comments or questions. Vote was called for. YEAS: Collins, Dunn, Murphy, Young NAYS: None ABSENT: Vincent ABSTAIN: None The motion passed with a vote of 4-0. RECOGNITIONS PLANNING AND ZONING MATTERS RESOLUTIONS AND PROCLAMATIONS 1. Proclamation declaring September 2026 World Alzheimer’s Month in the City of Baker (Vincent) The proclamation was read by Aneatra Boykin. The motion was made by Council Member Dunn, seconded by Council Member Young to accept the proclamation. The mayor called for public comments or questions. Vote was called for. YEAS: Collins, Dunn, Murphy, Young NAYS: None ABSENT: Vincent ABSTAIN: None The motion passed with a vote of 4-0. 2. Proclamation declaring October 2026 Breast Cancer Awareness Month in the City of Baker (Vincent) The proclamation was read by Aneatra Boykin. The motion was made by Council Member Murphy, seconded by Council Member Dunn to accept the proclamation. YEAS: Collins, Dunn, Murphy, Young NAYS: None ABSENT: Vincent ABSTAIN: None The motion passed with a vote of 4-0. 3. Resolution of the Council of the City of Baker, Louisiana, requesting that the office of the Attorney General reconsider and supplement its opinion in AG opinion No. 25-0118 (Mayor) The title of the resolution was read by Aneatra Boykin. Ms. Boykin provided an overview of the resolution. The motion was made by Council Member Murphy, seconded by Council Member Dunn to adopt the resolution. The mayor called for public comments or questions. Vote was called for. YEAS: Collins, Dunn, Murphy, Young NAYS: None ABSENT: Vincent ABSTAIN: None The motion passed with a vote of 4-0. NEW BUSINESS 1. Introduce Ordinance 2026-29, an ordinance setting forth regulations regarding 18 wheelers, tank and/or transport vehicles parking on private or public property within the City of Baker and to provide or other matters regarding to the same (Mayor) The title of the ordinance was read by Aneatra Boykin. The mayor explained the purpose/reason behind the proposed ordinance. The motion was made by Council Member Collins, seconded by Council Member Murphy to introduce Ordinance 2026-29. The mayor called for public comments or questions. Vote was called for. YEAS: Collins, Dunn, Murphy, Young NAYS: None ABSENT: Vincent ABSTAIN: None The motion passed with a vote of 4-0. 2. Schedule work session to discuss tiny homes in the City of Baker (Dunn) The motion was made by Council Member Dunn, seconded by Council Member Collins to schedule a work session to discuss tiny homes in the City of Baker on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. The mayor called for public comments or questions. Vote was called for. YEAS: Collins, Dunn, Murphy, Young

Public Notices Bids/Proposals g p p p cfm?search=departm ent&term=102. Bids, amendments to bids or request for with‐ drawal of bids received after time speciﬁed for bid openings shall not be considered for any cause whatsoever. Inquiries will be received up until 5 pm on October 2, 2026. Full information may be obtained upon request from the above address or by telephoning Latisha Cannon at (225) 389-3259, Ext. 3271, or via email lcannon@brla.gov. Any vendor who would like to listen to the open‐ ing of this bid can access the following link, at the date and time of this bid opening: NOTE: The only vendor information shared at

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

the bid opening will be the reading of the names of those vendors who submitted bids. Join by phone +1-408-418-9388 United States Toll Access code: 263 373 080 (followed by the # but‐ ton) Alternate numbers to call if number above is not available, which may occur due to network trafﬁc (use the same Ac‐ cess Code, followed by the # button): United States Toll (Boston) +1-617-315-0704 United States Toll (Chicago) +1-312-535-8110 United States Toll (Dallas) +1-469-210-7159 United States Toll (Denver) +1-720-650-7664

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

United States Toll (Jacksonville) +1-904-900-2303 United States Toll (Los Angeles) +1-213-306-3065 These numbers will pro‐ vide you with live audio access to this bid open‐ ing. 201412 Sept. 22, 29, 2026 2t $104.54

PUBLIC NOTICE --“ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS Sealed bids will be re‐ ceived and publicly read by the Purchasing De‐ partment of The Univer‐ sity of Louisiana Monroe, via mail or delivered to Coenen Hall 140, 4014 LaSalle Street, Monroe, LA 71209-2250 at 2:00 P.M.

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

October20,2026 following:

for

the

Bid #50006-013 – ULM Baseball Field Lighting Complete Bidding Docu‐ ments may be obtained from: The University of Louisiana at Monroe, Purchasing Department, 4014 LaSalle St., Room 140, Monroe, Louisiana, 71209-2250, via fax re‐ quest at 318.342.5218 or the State of Louisiana LaPac page: https:// wwwcfprd.doa.louisiana. gov/osp/lapac/pubmain. cfm. Used bid #50006013. All bids shall be accom‐ panied by Bid Security in an amount of ﬁve per‐ cent (5.0%) of the sum of the base bid and all al‐ ternates. The form of this security shall be as stated in the Instruction to Bidders included in the Bid Documents for

NAYS: None ABSENT: Vincent ABSTAIN: None The motion passed with a vote of 4-0. 3. Schedule work session to discuss scooters in the City of Baker (Young) The motion was made by Council Member Young, seconded by Council Member Murphy to schedule a work session to discuss scooters in the City of Baker on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. The mayor called for public comments or questions. Vote was called for. YEAS: Collins, Dunn, Murphy, Young NAYS: None ABSENT: Vincent ABSTAIN: None The motion passed with a vote of 4-0. PUBLIC MEETING ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS 1. Update on projects (Mayor) The mayor asked Kevin Gravois and Chris Davezac to provide updates on various projects throughout the city.

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

this project. The successful Bidder shall be required to fur‐ nish a Performance and Payment Bond written as described in the Instruc‐ tion to Bidders included in the Bid Documents for this project. Bids shall be accepted from Contractors who are licensed under LA R.S. 37:2150-2192 in the areas of Electrical. Bid‐ der is required to comply with provisions and re‐ quirements of LA R.S. 38:2212(A)(1)(a). No bid may be withdrawn for a period of thirty (30) days after receipt of bids, ex‐ cept under the provi‐ sions of LA R.S. 38:2214. The Owner reserves the right to reject any and all bids for just cause. In ac‐ cordance with LA R.S. 38:2212(B)(2), the provi‐ sions and requirements i h f hi

Council Member Collins reminded everyone that the Rotary Club of Baker and Interact Greater Baton Rouge in partnership with the City of Baker host free ACT prep courses every Monday in the Civic Room in the Municipal Auditorium at 6:00 p.m. She said they currently have students from several area high schools participating in the program. This resource is available for all interested 9th – 12th graders. Council Member Collins thanked the mayor for making the facility available to them, and Jermaine Adams for always having the building accessible to them. 2. District 2 announcements (Dunn) Council Member Dunn stated the Buffalo Festival Beauty Pageant was well attended and commended Cynthia Grimes, and all those who worked on the event, on a job well done. She said it was beautifully done and everyone did a great job. Council Member Dunn thanked Mr. Calvin Jyles and the Public Works Department for their help and support. Council Member Dunn asked that the city coordinate with the library to make sure that none of the areas around the park and walking track remain overgrown. She asked that the grass be cut and overgrowth removed. Council Member Dunn stated that Highway 19 looks very good.

PUBLIC NOTICE --ADVERTISEMENT OF BID BIDS TO BE OPENED: 10am – Thursday – Octo‐ ber 15, 2026 NOTICE

DISPOSITION OF MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING The meeting was called to order and the motion was made by Commissioner Waites, seconded by Commissioner Murphy to approve the minutes of the meeting held on September 8, 2026. Commissioner Waites called for public comments or questions. Vote was called for. YEAS: Collins, Dunn, Murphy, Waites, Young NAYS: None ABSENT: Vincent ABSTAIN: None The motion passed by a vote of 5-0. PUBLIC NOTICE NEW BUSINESS

2. Other Reports

Council Member Collins thanked Council Member Dunn for her support of the community dinner held under the big tent – No judgement, just grace: understanding addiction and supporting recovery.

Legal Notices

CALL TO ORDER – Commissioner Waites presided.

Chris Davezac provided an overview of other projects being undertaken in and by the city.

Council Member Collins acknowledged and thanked all the city employees who worked to make the Buffalo Festival a success.

201498 Sept. 22, 29, Oct. 1 2026 3t $77.31

ABSENT Dr. Charles Vincent

OTHER NECESSARY BUSINESS 1. Monthly Business Report

ANNOUNCEMENTS/COMMENTS 1. District 3 announcements (Collins) Council Member Collins commended Cynthia Grimes for her work on the Buffalo Festival Beauty Pageant. She thanked her for her dedication and commitment to her work.

q of this Section, those stated in the advertise‐ ment for bids, and those required on the bid form shall not be considered as informalities and shall not be waived by any public entity.

Cedric Murphy Darnell Waites Robert Young

Kevin Gravois, Forte & Tablada, provided an overview of the capital projects currently underway, as well as those being proposed.

Cynthia Grimes, Museum Director/Pageant Coordinator, announced that Hope in the Midst, the City of Baker’s violence prevention program, will host a violence prevention session for women and girls on Thursday, September 24, 2026, at 5:30 p.m. The session will be held at city hall.

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

3. Items Requiring Action ADJOURN There was no other business to come before the commission. The motion was made by Commissioner Waites, seconded by Commissioner Dunn to adjourn. YEAS: Collins, Dunn, Murphy, Waites, Young NAYS: None ABSENT: Vincent ABSTAIN: None The motion passed by a vote of 5-0. CITY OF BAKER PARISH OF EAST BATON ROUGE STATE OF LOUISIANA I, Angela Canady Wall, certify that I am Clerk of the Council for the City of Baker, Louisiana, and that the above and foregoing is a copy of the minutes of a regular meeting of the Board of Commissioners for the Norman E. “Pete” Heine Memorial Gardens held on September 22, 2026. _________________________________ Angela Canady Wall, LCMC Clerk of Council MINUTES BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BAKER CONSOLIDATED UTILITIES SYSTEM CITY OF BAKER PARISH OF EAST BATON ROUGE STATE OF LOUISIANA 3325 GROOM ROAD BAKER, LA 70714 September 22, 2026 The City Council of the City of Baker, Louisiana, sitting as the Board of Commissioners for the Baker Consolidated Utilities System, met in regular session on September 22, 2026, with the following members attending: COMMISSIONERS Desiree Collins Rochelle Dunn Cedric Murphy Darnell Waites Robert Young

The mayor thanked everyone who worked to make the Buffalo Festival the success that it was and called the event amazing. Council Member Young thanked everyone for their hard work on the Buffalo Festival and thanked Mrs. Grimes for choosing him to be the escort at the Buffalo Festival Beauty Pageant.

ABSENT Dr. Charles Vincent

APPOINTMENTS TO BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS CONDEMNATIONS

CALL TO ORDER – Commissioner Waites presided.

REPORTS ON BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS 1. Planning and Zoning Commission 2. Annexation Review Committee 3. Economic Development Team 4. Heritage Museum/Related Committees 5. ABC Board 6. Other Special Committees a. Buffalo Festival b. Prayer Breakfast c. Strategic Planning Committee d. Citizens Advisory Board to Law Enforcement e. Main Street District Committee

DISPOSITION OF MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING The meeting was called to order and the motion was made by Commissioner Waites, seconded by Commissioner Dunn to approve the minutes of the meeting held on September 8, 2026.

ADJOURN The motion was made by Council Member Collins, seconded by Council Member Dunn to adjourn. The mayor called for public comments or questions. Vote was called for. YEAS: Collins, Dunn, Murphy, Young NAYS: None ABSENT: Vincent ABSTAIN: None The motion passed with a vote of 4-0. CITY OF BAKER PARISH OF EAST BATON ROUGE STATE OF LOUISIANA I, Angela Canady Wall, certify that I am Clerk of the Council for the City of Baker, Louisiana, and that the above and foregoing is a copy of the minutes of a regular meeting of the Council for the City of Baker, Louisiana held on September 22, 2026. ____________________________________ Angela Canady Wall, LCMC Clerk of Council MINUTES BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS NORMAN E. “PETE” HEINE MEMORIAL GARDENS CITY OF BAKER PARISH OF EAST BATON ROUGE STATE OF LOUISIANA 3325 GROOM ROAD BAKER, LA 70714 September 22, 2026 The City Council of the City of Baker, Louisiana, sitting as the Board of Commissioners for Norman E. “Pete” Heine Memorial Gardens, met in regular session on September 22, 2026, with the following members in attendance at the meeting: COMMISSIONERS Desiree Collins Rochelle Dunn

Commissioner Waites called for public comments or questions. Vote was called for. YEAS: Collins, Dunn, Murphy, Waites, Young NAYS: None ABSENT: Vincent ABSTAIN: None The motion passed by a vote of 5-0. PUBLIC NOTICE NEW BUSINESS OTHER NECESSARY BUSINESS 1. Monthly Business Report 2. Other Reports 3. Items Requiring Action ADJOURN There was no other business to come before the commission. The motion was made by Commissioner Waites, seconded by Commissioner Dunn to adjourn. Commissioner Waites called for public comments or questions. Vote was called for. YEAS: Collins, Dunn, Murphy, Waites, Young NAYS: None ABSENT: Vincent ABSTAIN: None The motion passed by a vote of 5-0. CITY OF BAKER PARISH OF EAST BATON ROUGE STATE OF LOUISIANA I, Angela Canady Wall, certify that I am Clerk of the Council for the City of Baker, Louisiana, and that the above and foregoing is a copy of the minutes of a regular meeting of the Board of Commissioners of the Baker Consolidated Utility System held on September 22, 2026. _________________________________ Angela Canady Wall, LCMC Clerk of Council

202213-692048-Sept. 29-1t $ 706.86

10D ■ Tuesday, September 29, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate Legal Notices

Legal Notices

The Purchasing Division, East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office, Suite 200, Jackie Cochran Building, Parish of East Baton Rouge will receive sealed bids, until 10am / Thurs‐ day – October 15, 2026 for the following: “CHEVROLET SILVERADO” At precisely 10am / Thursday – October 15, 2026 they will be publicly opened and read aloud in Suite 200, Jackie Cochran Building. Bid proposals, amendments to bid or re‐ quest for withdrawal of bids received after time specified for bid opening shall not be considered for any cause whatso‐ ever. Bidders or their au‐ thorized representatives are invited to be present. No other information or tabulations will be avail‐ able until awards are made after all bids are fully checked as to speci‐ fications and accuracy. We reserve the right to divide items to avail our‐ selves of the low bid. The bid proposal is firm for a period of sixty (60) days from the opening of the bids and no bid pro‐ posal can be withdrawn for any reason during this period of time. Full information and bid specifications may be obtained upon request from the Purchasing Divi‐ sion, East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office, P. O. Box 3277, Baton Rouge, La 70821 by phone at (225) 389-4833, and infor‐ mation also available on‐ line and bids may also be submitted online at https://www.centralbidd ing.com The right to reject all bids and waive informali‐ ties is reserved. Bid# 1113 EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SHERIFF’S OFFICE Stephin Henderson, Pur‐ chasing Department 200467-SEP 15-29-2T $54.68 PUBLIC NOTICE --Burns & McDonnell on behalf of Cloud Connec‐ tor, LLC is requesting au‐ thorization to construct a natural gas pipeline be‐ tween an interconnect station near Melville, Louisiana in St. Landry Parish, and Venture Global Plaquemines LNG, LLC and Plaquemines Ex‐ pansion, LLC Terminals in Plaquemines Parish. The U.S. Army Corps of Engi‐ neers (CEMVN) will be accepting public com‐ ments on the project until October 8, 2026. To further review and/or provide comments, addi‐ tional information and plans related to the pro‐ posal may be obtained at the following website: www.mvn.usace.army. mil/missions/regulatory/ public-notices (see Ref#: MVN-2026-00308-BV). If you have any questions or would like additional information, please con‐ tact Courtland Vice with CEMVN, Regulatory Divi‐ sion at (504) 862-1349 or at courtland.l.vice@ usace.army.mil. A certifi‐ cation that the proposed activity will not violate applicable water quality standards will be re‐ quired from the LDEQ be‐ fore a Department of the Army permit could be is‐ sued. 201952-SEP 28-OCT 8-11T $1,405.06

PUBLIC NOTICE --Early Notice and Public Review of a Proposed Activity in the FFRMS Floodplain and Wetland Area To: All interested Federal, State and Local Agen‐ cies, Groups and Individ‐ uals This is to give notice that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban De‐ velopment (HUD) under 24 CFR Part 50 has deter‐ mined that the following d i d

g proposed action under HUD Section 202 Support‐ ive Housing for the El‐ derly Program and a HUD Community Project Fund‐ ing Grant is located in the Federal Flood Risk Management Standard floodplain, and HUD will be identifying and evalu‐ ating practicable alterna‐ tives to locating the ac‐ tion within the floodplain and the potential im‐ pacts on the floodplain from the proposed ac‐ tion, as required by Exec‐ utive Order 11988 and Ex‐ ecutive Order 11990 in accordance with HUD regulations at 24 CFR 55.20 Subpart C Proce‐ dures for Making Deter‐ minations on Floodplain Management and Protec‐ tion of Wetlands. Lotus Village at the Lakes is new construc‐ tion of 49 rental housing for elderly on an approxi‐ mately 6.205-acre tract of land. No CISA data is available for this area. The proposed project is located at 15300 Plank Rd, Baker, LA. According to flood insurance rate maps from FEMA’s Map Service Center, there is a 100-year floodplain (or ‘1percent-annual-chance floodplain’) located on part of the project site as indicated on FEMA Map 22033C0180E, effective 5/2/2008. Therefore, a portion of the site is in the FFRMS Floodplain. This map shows the BFE to be 72 feet. This is not a critical action, Using FVA, add 2 feet to the BFE to get the FFRMS BFE of 74 feet. The affected area of the FFRMS floodplain is approximately 6 acres. A wetland delineation was prepared on the sub‐ ject site and a nearby site to the north. On the subject site there are ap‐ proximately 0.3 acres of non-jurisdictional wet‐ lands. Natural and beneficial functions of the flood‐ plain which may be ad‐ versely affected by the proposed project include natural flood and erosion control, surface water quality maintenance, groundwater recharge and biological productiv‐ ity. The FIRM and Wet‐ land delineation are at‐ tached to this document. There are three primary purposes for this notice. First, people who may be affected by activities in floodplains and wetlands and those who have an interest in the protection of the natural environ‐ ment should be given an opportunity to express their concerns and pro‐ vide information about these areas. Com‐ menters are encouraged to offer alternative sites outside of the floodplain and wetlands, alternative methods to serve the same project purpose, and methods to minimize and mitigate impacts. Second, an adequate public notice program can be an important pub‐ lic educational tool. The dissemination of infor‐ mation and request for public comment about floodplains and wetlands can facilitate and en‐ hance Federal efforts to reduce the risks and im‐ pacts associated with the occupancy and modi‐ fication of these special areas. Third, as a matter of fairness, when the Federal government de‐ termines it will partici‐ pate in actions taking place in floodplains, it must inform those who may be put at greater or continued risk. Written comments must be received by HUD at the following address on or before October 15, 2026: HUD, Multifamily Southwest Region, 400 State Avenue, Suite 200, Kansas City, KS 661012406, Office: 913-5515821, Attention: Kristina Stine, Program Environ‐ mental Specialist. A full description of the project may also be reviewed from 9:00 am to 4:00 PM, Tuesday and Thursday at the above address. Com‐ ments may also be sub‐ mitted via email at

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Legal Notices

Kristina.m.stine@hud. gov Date: September 29, 2026 202234 Sept. 29, 1t $456.71

PUBLIC NOTICE Louisiana Department of Conservation and Energy Ofﬁce of Permitting and Compliance PUBLIC NOTICE OF DRAFT CLASS VI INJECTION WELL PERMIT AND PUBLIC HEARING Gulf Coast Sequestration, LLC — Goose Lake Project, Calcasieu Parish Draft Order No. UIC 2026-12 GS — Application Nos. 45039 and 45040 The Louisiana Depart‐ ment of Conservation and Energy (C&E) has prepared a Draft Class VI Injection Well Permit for the referenced applica‐ tions and will conduct a public hearing to receive comments. The Draft Per‐ mit addresses both pro‐ posed wells. This notice is issued pursuant to La. R.S. Title 30 and LAC 43:XVII Chapter 36. Gulf Coast Sequestration, LLC (GCS) of 5599 San Fe‐ lipe, Suite 1450, Houston, TX 77056, has applied to C&E for permits to drill, construct, and operate two Class VI injection wells for the geologic se‐ questration of carbon dioxide (CO2). The pro‐ posed wells, Goose Lake CCS Well No. 001 (GL CCS 1) and Goose Lake CCS Well No. 002 (GL CCS 2), will be located in Section 36, Township 11 South, Range 11 West, Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana. The surface coordinates (NAD 27) for the pro‐ posed wells are 30°03'41.34" North, 93°26'30.71" West (GL CCS 1) and 30°03'41.22" North, 93°26'30.46" West (GL CCS 2). GCS proposes to inject and permanently store approximately 22.4 mil‐ lion metric tons of CO2 over a 15-year opera‐ tional period using two Class VI wells. GL CCS 1 is a vertical well with a proposed total depth of approximately 11,470 feet. GL CCS 2 is a direc‐ tional well with a pro‐ posed total depth of ap‐ proximately 12,480 feet measured depth (11,752 feet true vertical depth). Both wells will inject CO2 into the Upper Frio For‐ mation between approxi‐ mately 10,140 and 11,727 feet true vertical depth. The base of the lower‐ most underground source of drinking water (USDW) is located at ap‐ proximately 1,110 feet. Depths are measured from the kelly bushing. The Draft Permit, fact sheet, and application materials are available for viewing on the C&E website at https://www. dce.louisiana.gov/page/ class-vi-permits-and-app lications. Documents for Application Nos. 45039 and 45040 are associated with Site ID Code 8009. Requests for copies or additional information regarding the applica‐ tions, and submission of written comments, should be directed to Gavin Broussard, OPC Engineering Division, 617 North 3rd Street, 8th Floor, Baton Rouge, LA 70802; by telephone at (225) 342-5515; or by email to Injection-Min‐ ing@la.gov. Comments submitted by email or mail must reference GCS Goose Lake – Draft Order No. UIC 2026-12 GS.

PUBLIC HEARING: Thursday, November 5, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. West Cal Events Center 401 Arena Road Sulphur, LA 70665 At the public hearing, C&E will provide any in‐ terested person the op‐ portunity to present tes‐ timony, facts, or oral or written comments rela‐ tive to the Draft Permit. The purpose of the hear‐ ing is to receive com‐ ments for inclusion in the

For the Meeting of Mayor and Council City of Zachary, LA Council Chambers, 4700 Main Street Tuesday, September 08, 2026, 6:30 P.M. A. CALL TO ORDER Mayor McDavid called the meeting to order at 6:33 p.m., on Tuesday, September 08, 2026, at the Zachary City Hall located at 4700 Main Street, Zachary, LA. B. INVOCATION AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Invocation by Councilwoman Landry Pledge of Allegiance by D’Monda Hill C. OPENING PROCEDURES 1. ROLL CALL

MAYOR David McDavid COUNCIL MEMBER Brandy Westmoreland – District 1 John LeBlanc– District 2 Ambre DeVirgilio – District 3 Jennifer Landry – District 5 MEMBERS ABSENT James Graves – District 4

2. READING OF CITY POLICY RELATIVE TO OPEN MEETINGS Before proceeding with the meeting, Mayor McDavid read a statement into the record regarding the Open Meetings Law, and citizens’ right to participate in public meetings. The statement sets forth general rules of conduct of the public meeting and outlined the process through which a citizen can have items placed on the Council agenda. A copy of the rules is available at City Hall, Mayor’s Office or by calling the Clerk of the City Council. The rules will also be available at every Council meeting. 3. CHANGES/ADDITIONS TO AGENDA D. READING OF THE MINUTES 1. Approval of Minutes August 25, 2026, regular meeting, and approve them as written. The motion was made by Councilwoman Westmoreland The motion was seconded by Councilwoman DeVirgilio To approve the minutes of August 25, 2026, regular meeting, and approve them as written. YEAS: Westmoreland, LeBlanc, DeVirgilio, Landry NAYS: None ABSENT: Graves ABSTAINED: None E. HONORS, RECOGNITIONS, AND INTRODUCTIONS 1. Proclamation of September as Suicide Prevention Month. Councilman LeBlanc declared September as Suicide Prevention Month Dr. Chris Yandle and Licensed Counselor Myiesha Spears-Beard were present to speak as advocates for suicide prevention and to raise awareness of suicide prevention efforts. F. CONTRACT ITEMS/CONTRACTS OR ITEMS RELATING TO PROJECTS 1. Street/Road Projects 2. Sewer 3. Subdivision Inspections 4. Water and Gas Projects 5. Other Projects G. PRESENTATION OF DELEGATIONS 1. Request to Speak a) Presentation of Vietnam Moving Wall and Veterans Day Historical Archives to the City of Zachary. Councilwoman DeVirgilio presented the Mayor and Administration with historical photographs and articles pertaining to the Vietnam Moving Wall and Veterans Day. 2. Hardship Waivers

Public Notices Meet/Hear/Min

Legal Notices

administrative record. The hearing will be con‐ ducted in accordance with LAC 43:XVII.3611.G. The public comment pe‐ riod will begin on Sep‐ tember 29, 2026, and close at 4:30 p.m. on No‐ vember 6, 2026. Written comments may be sub‐ mitted to the contact identified above by email to Injection-Mining@la. gov or by mail and must reference GCS Goose Lake – Draft Order No. UIC 2026-12 GS . Follow‐ ing the close of the pub‐ lic comment period, C&E will evaluate all com‐ ments received before making a final permit de‐ cision and will respond to all relevant comments in a written report. All interested persons are hereby notified. By order of:

Dustin H. Davidson, Secretary Louisiana Department of Conservation and Energy Accommodations will be provided upon request. To request an accommo‐ dation for the hearing, please contact Shannon Hunt at Shannon.Hunt2@ LA.GOV or (225) 342-4522. 202271 Sept. 29, 2026 1t $76.78

PUBLIC NOTICE --PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE The City of St. Gabriel City Council will hold a Public Hearing Meeting on Thursday, October 15, 2026, at St. Gabriel City Council Chambers – Room 32 – 5035 Iberville Street, St. Gabriel, La 70776 at 6:00 pm. During the public hear‐ ing, all interested parties will be given the right to appear and be heard on the matters of: 1. Ordinance establishing ﬁlm production regula‐ tions and guidelines for the City of St. Gabriel Advertisement Date: 9/29/26, 10/6/26 & 10/13/26 202339 Sept. 29, Oct. 6, 13, 2026 3t $33.51 PUBLIC NOTICE --REQUISITION 11297784 OFFICIAL PUBLIC NOTICE OF THE METROPOLITAN COUNCIL OF THE PARISH OF EAST BATON ROUGE AND THE CITY OF BATON ROUGE Notice is hereby given to all citizens of the City of Baton Rouge, Parish of East Baton Rouge and to all other interested per‐ sons, of the introduction at the regular meeting of the Metropolitan Council of the City of Baton Rouge and Parish of East Baton Rouge, held on September 23, 2026 of the proposed resolutions/or‐ dinances, the titles of which are set forth here‐ inafter, and that public hearing will be held thereon by the Metropol‐ itan Council at 4:00 P.M., Wednesday, September 30, 2026, in the Council Chambers (Room 348) on the third ﬂoor of the CityParish Governmental Building in this City, these proposed resolu‐ tions/ordinances being entitled as follows: RESOLUTION Establishing health in‐ surance rates and plan design for employees and retirees, effective January 1, 2027. By Human Resources Direc‐ tor. 202260 Sept. 29, 1t $42.91

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PUBLIC NOTICE --NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING City of Baker, Louisiana In accordance with the Open Meetings Law at R.S. 42:26, et seq. The Mayor and Council of the City of Baker, Louisiana, will meet on October 13, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. at the Baker City Hall in the Council Cham‐ bers, 3325 Groom Road, Baker, Louisiana 70714 and via www.youtube. com/@bakerforward, at which time a public meeting will be held for adoption of the follow‐ ing:

Public Notices Meet/Hear/Min y p cial assistance, please contact Angela Norman at (225) 228-3200 or email angela.norman@ stgeorgela.gov, to re‐ quest the assistance re‐ quired." 202283-SEP 29-1T $23.64

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PUBLIC NOTICE --NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING Parish Council Meeting October 22, 2026 5:30pm COMMERCIAL SITE PLAN APPEAL REQUEST

NEWS 24/7 ON

File #C2026-2: Applicant: Bradford Engineering and Services, LLC. c/o PARR

Ordinance 2026-29, an or‐ dinance setting forth regulations regarding 18 wheelers, tank and/or transport vehicles park‐ ing on private or public property within the City of Baker and to provide or other matters regard‐ ing to the same (Mayor) (Introduced 9/22/2026) Ordinances can be viewed in full at City Hall, 3325 Groom Road, Baker, Louisiana 70714, Monday through Thursday from 7:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.

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Industrial Complex Location: 1161, 1181, & 1233 Cajun Dr. Port Allen, La 70767

g be held at 5:30 p.m. in the West Baton Rouge Parish Council Meeting Room, 880 N. Alexander, Port Allen, LA 70767

Request: Appeal for a Waiver for rear setbacks and Fencing Require‐ ments when I-1 is abut‐ ting an AG district or zone. A PUBLIC HEARING will be held by the West Baton Rouge Parish Council relative to the aforementioned re‐ quest(s).

Run in The Advocate- 3 times- September 29, Oc‐ tober 6 & 13, 2026 202243 Sept. 29, Oct. 6, 13, 2026 3t $53.73

Date: Thursday, October 22, 2026 Time: 5:30 pm All Public hearings will b h ld i h

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In accordance with the rules of conduct of the Baker City Council meet‐ ings, any person desiring to be heard relative to any of these ordinances and matters for public hearing may contact the Clerk of the Baker City Council, P. O. Box 707, Baker, Louisiana, 707040707, in writing, and an opportunity will be of‐ fered to speak during this public hearing. In accordance with the Americans with Disabili‐ ties Act, if you need spe‐ cial assistance, please contact Ashley Williams at 225-778-0300, describ‐ ing the assistance that is necessary. Angela Canady Wall, LCMC, Clerk of Council City of Baker, Louisiana cc: Mayor and Council Members City Attorney Department Heads Advocate 202214 Sept. 29, 1t $27.34 PUBLIC NOTICE --ST. GEORGE CITY COUN‐ CIL SPECIAL MEETING AGENDA September 30, 2026 at 5:00 p.m.

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St. George City Hall 11207 Proverbs Ave St. George, LA 70816 Broadcast Live at https://youtube.com/@ costgeorgela I. Preliminary Business (1) Call to Order (2) Pledge of Allegiance (3) Invocation (4) Roll Call II. Items for Public Hear‐ ing and Action 1. Consider the Zoning Commission Case No. A26-0001 Amendment – To Rezone Tract X, Lots LRK,LLC –3 and Lot 9-A-1 of the Leon R. Kleinpeter property to the New Base Zoning District and to provide for related mat‐ ters. 2. Other Business: An‐ nouncements • City Council Meeting Tuesday, October 13, 2026 at 5:00 pm • Board of Adjustment Meeting - Monday, Octo‐ ber 5, 2026 at 5:00 pm • Planning Commission Meeting - Monday, Octo‐ ber 5, 2026 at 6:00 pm • Zoning Commission Meeting - Monday, Octo‐ ber 5, 2026 at 6:00 pm • Sundays in St. George Concert Series – High‐ land Road Park, October 11 & 18 from 2-6:00 pm • Food Truck Festival BREC (Airline Hwy) Satur‐ day, November 21, 2026 from 11-6:00 pm ADJOURNMENT "In accordance with the Americans with Disabili‐ ties Act, if you need spe‐ i l i l

3. Other Variances 4. Exceptions of Regulations H. ACTION MANDATED BY HOME RULE CHARTER I.

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PLANNING & ZONING MATTERS 1. Receive Minutes of the Regular meeting of ___________, of the Planning Commission and the Minutes of the Regular meeting of ____________, of the Zoning Commission. 2. Planning matters REQUIRING a Public Hearing 3. Planning Matters NOT requiring a Public Meeting 4. Zoning Matters REQUIRING a Public Hearing 5. Zoning Matters NOT Requiring Public Hearing 6. Other Matters

J. RECEIVE RECORD OF PAYMENT OF ACCOUNTS PAYABLE 1. Receive the accounts payable report as of August 2026. The motion was made by Councilwoman DeVirgilio The motion was seconded by Councilwoman Westmoreland To approve receiving the accounts payable report as of August 2026. YEAS: Westmoreland, LeBlanc, DeVirgilio, Landry NAYS: None ABSENT: Graves ABSTAINED: None K. BUDGET AND FINANCIAL MATTERS L. OLD BUSINESS PENDING FOR FINAL ACTION M. OLD BUSINESS PENDING N. NEW BUSINESS 1. Introduction of Ordinance 2026-17 ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE CITY OF ZACHARY TO AMEND CHAPTER 86 OF THE CITY’S CODE OF ORDINANCES TO ADDRESS CHANGES TO UTILITIES FEES AND CHARGES FOR THE CITY OF ZACHARY AND FOR RELATED MATTERS. The motion was made by Councilwoman DeVirgilio The motion was seconded by Councilwoman Westmoreland To approve Introduction of Ordinance 2026-17 - ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE CITY OF ZACHARY TO AMEND CHAPTER 86 OF THE CITY’S CODE OF ORDINANCES TO ADDRESS CHANGES TO UTILITIES FEES AND CHARGES FOR THE CITY OF ZACHARY AND FOR RELATED MATTERS. YEAS: Westmoreland, LeBlanc, DeVirgilio, Landry NAYS: None ABSENT: Graves ABSTAINED: None 2. Introduction of Ordinance 2026-18 - ORDINANCE PERTAINING TO THE DECLARATION OF INTENT BY THE CITY OF ZACHARY TO HAVE CERTAIN MOVABLE PROPERTY DECLARED TO BE SURPLUS AND ALLOWING FOR THE DISPOSAL, DONATION OR ABANDONMENT IN PLACE. The motion was made by Councilwoman DeVirgilio The motion was seconded by Councilwoman Westmoreland To approve Introduction of Ordinance 2026-18 - ORDINANCE PERTAINING TO THE DECLARATION OF INTENT BY THE CITY OF ZACHARY TO HAVE CERTAIN MOVABLE PROPERTY DECLARED TO BE SURPLUS AND ALLOWING FOR THE DISPOSAL, DONATION OR ABANDONMENT IN PLACE. YEAS: Westmoreland, LeBlanc, DeVirgilio, Landry NAYS: None ABSENT: Graves ABSTAINED: None 3. Discussion of Administrative Check Signing/Disbursement Policy. Councilwoman DeVirgilio led a discussion with the Council regarding the Administrative Check Signing/Disbursement Policy. Discussion included check signing procedures, participation by Council members in the check-signing process, and access to CEA information. The Mayor stated that he would like check

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signing to be a team effort with participation from all Council members and that the Council has access to the CEA information. 4. Discussion and possible resolution of speed bumps in 25 mph areas starting with Roosevelt Street. The motion was made by Councilwoman DeVirgilio The motion was seconded by Councilwoman Landry To table discussion and possible resolution of speed bumps in 25 mph areas starting with Roosevelt Street. YEAS: Westmoreland, LeBlanc, DeVirgilio, Landry NAYS: None ABSENT: Graves ABSTAINED: None O. CONDEMNED BUILDINGS – PUBLIC HEARINGS OR OTHER ACTION REGARDING BUILDINGS BEING CONSIDERED FOR CONDEMNATION Attorney Wilson stated there will be a meeting at the end of this month. P. REPORTS FROM DEPARTMENT HEADS 1. Receive the August Monthly Inspection Report. The motion was made by Councilwoman Landry The motion was seconded by Councilwoman Westmoreland To approve receiving the August Monthly Inspection Report. YEAS: Westmoreland, LeBlanc, DeVirgilio, Landry NAYS: None ABSENT: Graves ABSTAINED: None Q. COUNCIL DISCUSSION OF BUSINESS NOT ON AGENDA (No Action May Be Taken Unless Declared an Emergency) Councilwoman Landry announced that the District 4 and District 5 Joint Quarterly Community Meeting will be held on September 15, 2026, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Zachary Branch Library. The Mayor announced that a Water Management class will be held in October in Alexandria, Louisiana, and encouraged Council members to attend. R. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 7:19 p.m. Karen Burdette Clerk of City Council CITY OF ZACHARY PARISH OF EAST BATON ROUGE STATE OF LOUISIANA CERTIFICATION _____________________________ Karen Burdette Clerk of the City Council CITY OF ZACHARY PARISH OF EAST BATON ROUGE STATE OF LOUISIANA

_____________________________ David McDavid, Mayor

I, Karen Burdette, do hereby certify that I am the duly appointed Clerk of the City Council for the City of Zachary, Parish of East Baton Rouge, Louisiana. I further certify that the above and foregoing is a true and correct copy of the minutes of the regular meeting of the Mayor and Council of the City of Zachary, Louisiana, held on Tuesday, September 08, 2026, a proper quorum being there and then present. _____________________________ Karen Burdette, Clerk of the City Council 202240-692107-Sept. 29-1t $ 363.83