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T H U R S D AY, O C T O B E R 8, 2026

TROPICAL STORM

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ISAIAS

Louisiana keeping close eye on Gulf

Area hopes to be spared on busy tourism weekend BY MIKE SMITH, STEPHANIE RIEGEL in the Gulf, but its projected path indicated the state could be spared and JUSTIN MITCHELL

the worst — a huge relief ahead of a busy tourism weekend. Tropical Storm Isaias came as Louisiana is keeping a close eye on what is expected to become the somewhat of a surprise for Gulf season’s ﬁrst hurricane on Thurs- Coast residents more accustomed day as it churns and strengthens to bracing for hurricanes earlier Staff writers

While last-minute shifts cannot be ruled out, forecasts from the National Hurricane Center in the season. But the Gulf’s warm on Wednesday put Isaias’ track waters are helping supply Isaias significantly to the east of Louiwith the momentum it needs to co- siana’s coast. The center of the alesce into what forecasters said forecast cone was located around is likely to be a Category 2 storm, the Alabama-Florida border, while and even near Category 3, before it a hurricane watch was in effect makes landfall late Friday or early from Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, to Indian Pass, Florida. Saturday.

Entergy makes case for new data center power plants

But the effects are not limited to the cone, and Louisiana may not be spared entirely. A tropical storm watch was issued from the Jefferson/Plaquemines Parish line to west of Bay St. Louis. A storm surge watch was also in effect from the mouth of the Mississippi River all the way to

ä See GULF, page 7A

Court sides with N.O. in ruling on Wisner Trust Decision means city likely to get additional revenue

BY BEN MYERS Staff writer

The state Supreme Court on Tuesday appeared to close the book on the long-running legal saga over the Wisner Trust fund, denying writs to the heirs of the late philanthropist Edward Wisner and effectively granting the city of New Orleans sole ownership of oilfield land that generates millions in revenue every year. The decision likely means the city will see an additional annual revenue of perhaps $3 million, a fraction of the city’s more than $760 million operating budget that remains significant as Mayor Helena Moreno’s administration is pinching every dollar to close a $77 million budget deficit next year. “This is a generational victory for the people of New Orleans, confirming the fact that the valuable assets previously under trust now belong to the city and its people for the use of their

ä See WISNER, page 7A

STAFF PHOTO BY PEARL SPURLOCK

Phillip May, CEO of Entergy Louisiana, participates in a hearing for Meta’s proposed data center expansion on Wednesday in Baton Rouge.

Opponents question costs of expansion at hearing BY SAM KARLIN and MEGHAN FRIEDMANN Staff writers

Entergy and opponents of its plans to build enough power to service a massive expansion of Meta’s north Louisiana data center disagreed Wednesday during the start of a multiday hearing over whether the company should spend billions on seven new proposed power plants and other infrastructure. Entergy has already reached a settlement with the staff of the Louisiana Public Service Commission over its plans, which include constructing seven new gas-ﬁred power plants in Richland and Pointe Coupee parishes, along with transmission lines, solar farms and batteries.

WEATHER HIGH 86 LOW 75 PAGE 8A

“We are in a power-first world where speed to power is what will drive who wins economic opportunity for their communities. This is an opportunity to change the trajectory of the state’s economy for generations to come.” PHILLIP MAY, Entergy CEO

An administrative law judge heard arguments Wednesday over whether the deal should be approved, and the Louisiana Public Service Commission will ultimately vote later this year on whether to OK the settlement. The case puts Louisiana at the center of a national debate over artiﬁcial intelli-

gence, the data centers being built to support the technology and the massive amounts of electric infrastructure necessary to power them. Entergy CEO Phillip May testiﬁed Wednesday that the proposal for the data center expansion, known as Hyperion, is a “transformational investment” for Louisiana and has plenty of protections for ratepayers. May also disclosed for the ﬁrst time the amount of power Meta will use, 4,500 megawatts, representing roughly four times the amount of power the city of New Orleans uses. Entergy had closely guarded the figure, over objections from opponents who said it was crucial to understanding whether Entergy’s plans

ä See ENTERGY, page 8A

Alleged Hamas fundraising ring detailed Feds say it spanned 3 continents, ran through La.

BY JAMES FINN Staff writer

A few months into Hamas’ rickety ceasefire with Israel in the Gaza Strip, a senior official in the Palestinian militant group messaged with a New York Police Department detective last year, needling the undercover cop for money. The Hamas official, Saleem Alzaq, for years had led the group’s overseas fundraising efforts from within Gaza, U.S. prosecutors and Israeli intelligence officials allege. Acting as a Hamas

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

ä See HAMAS, page 7A

14TH YEAR, NO. 57

2A F Thursday, October 8, 2026 F nola.com F The Times-Picayune

BRIEFS

FROM WIRE REPORTS

Drone strike kills 4 in Sudan’s Blue Nile state

CAIRO — A drone strike hit homes and a mosque in Sudan on Wednesday, killing at least four women and wounding dozens of other people, a rights group said. Emergency Lawyers, which tracks the conﬂict, blamed the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces for the attack in the Hijra neighborhood of Damazin, the capital of southeastern Blue Nile province. The RSF has been at war with the Sudanese military for more than three years. The group called for those responsible for the strike and other attacks on civilians to be held accountable. There was no immediate comment from the RSF. The strike came days after an airstrike hit two World Food Programme trucks in South Kordofan province, killing a driver, said Denise Brown, the U.N. resident and humanitarian coordinator for Sudan. The convoy was hit in Dilling, an area that has faced repeated attacks by the RSF and its ally, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North, Brown said. The trucks were clearly marked as humanitarian vehicles, had all required travel permits and were carrying “lifesaving assistance to vulnerable populations,” she said.

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Senators push for swift action

the law’s implementation. Bipartisan effort asks administration to tackle Russian sanctions ward With the bipartisan push, Sha-

BY LISA MASCARO

AP congressional correspondent WASHINGTON — Nearly a month after President Donald Trump signed a sweeping Russian sanctions bill named after Lindsey Graham into law, bipartisan leadership in the Senate is urging the administration to clamp down more quickly on the flow of financial resources fueling the war against Ukraine. In a letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the senators said the most urgent priority for the U.S. must be to tackle the “shadow fleet” of tankers that Moscow is using to transport oil and bypass America’s sanctions. They also pushed for a halt of Russia’s emerging satellite system that Ukraine has warned could prove devastating with real-time bombing attacks this winter. “Every day that passes without maximum economic pressure al-

lows Moscow to sustain this military escalation,” wrote Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Republican Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. The senators note that the bulk of the law’s provisions go into effect Oct. 18, the end of the administration’s 30-day review period. The Trump administration has remained mostly quiet since the passage of the bill with large bipartisan majorities in the House and Senate after Graham’s sudden death, with lawmakers urged ahead by Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Trump has been expected to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose birthday is Wednesday, to discuss a possible case of plague at a Siberian research institute. The sanctions package had been a year in the making but was sud-

denly rushed to passage after Graham, the long-serving South Carolina senator, died in July of a likely torn aorta after a whirlwind trip to a NATO summit in Turkey and a stopover in Kyiv. Senators had been negotiating a bipartisan bill that could win robust support but it was only when Graham received the nod of approval from Trump in the days around the senator’s overseas trip that it gained momentum. Zelenskyy had also been pushing the U.S. to act, and he arrived in the Senate after a visit at the White House late in the evening before a key vote that advanced the package. The House gave ﬁnal approval to the bill, sending it to Trump’s desk, but Democrats in both chambers warned that they doubted the president would use the vast tools available to slap back at Russia. In the month since, momentum appears to have stalled without public steps from the administration to-

FBI says it stopped a terror attack at Mall of America

Ex-Marine to face death penalty in mass shooting

BOLIVIA, N.C. — A prosecutor announced Wednesday that he would seek the death penalty against a former Marine charged in a mass shooting last year that left three people dead and several others wounded. “We are not blind to who this defendant is,” Brunswick County District Attorney Jon David said of defendant Nigel Max Edge. “He served this country in Iraq as a Marine, suffered a traumatic brain injury, and has struggled with serious mental illness. Those facts are important and they were weighed, but must be balanced against the circumstances of the crime.” Authorities allege Edge piloted a small motorboat up to a dockside cocktail bar in Southport on Sept. 27, 2025, and opened fire with a short-barreled semiautomatic rifle. He faces three counts of first-degree murder, as well as multiple attempted murder and weapons charges. In April, Superior Court Judge Jason Disbrow ordered Edge to undergo psychiatric treatment after it was determined he was unable to understand his legal proceedings enough to help his lawyers. Defense attorney Matthew Geoffrion filed a motion to continue Wednesday’s hearing, arguing that the extent of Edge’s brain injury will likely make it impossible for him to stand trial. Edge was shot multiple times during a firefight in Iraq, including once in the head.

Militants attack military base in Nigeria

ABUJA, Nigeria — Islamic State group-affiliated militants attacked a military base in Nigeria’s northeast, killing several Nigerian soldiers, military officials said Wednesday. The Islamic State West Africa Province, or ISWAP, attacked the base in the Kukawa area of Borno state on Tuesday, the Nigerian military said in a statement. Troops repelled the assault, but an unspecified number of soldiers were killed, according to the military. It said “over 25 terrorists” were killed and ammunition was recovered in a counteroffensive. A senior military officer told The Associated Press that 10 soldiers were killed in the attack. The officer spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters. Capt. Mohammed Goni, a military spokesperson, said militants attacked troops of 101 Special Forces Battalion “in large numbers from four different flanks.” “Supported by the Air Component, the troops overwhelmed the terrorists, inflicted heavy casualties and forced the surviving elements to flee in disarray,” Goni said.

heen and Wicker in their letter sent late Tuesday are urging the administration to take several specific steps to impose the sanctions regime. Many of the steps are aligned with goals pushed by the Ukrainians. The senators, who were both key to the bill’s passage, said it’s most crucial for the U.S. to focus on the several hundred rogue tankers that are able to “transport Russian oil with impunity and thereby provide the Kremlin a financial lifeline.” It’s also, imperative, they wrote, “that the administration paralyze the global financial networks that allow Russia to evade our sanctions.” They said the Kremlin continues to “move billions of dollars through networks that shield it from scrutiny.” They urged the administration to focus specifically on overseas bank branches, including in Shanghai, and “a growing network of Kyrgyz financial institutions” they said serve as clearinghouses for sanctioned capital.

man who needed to Agents sold teen young be watched,” U.S. Attorney Rosen said. Agents an assault rifle Daniel “were able to detect a

BY ELLEN SCHMIDT and GENE JOHNSON Associated Press

NATIONAL PARKS SERVICE FILE PHOTO BY RON KERBO

Congress passed the Chiricahua National Park Act with bipartisan support. The legislation would create the Chiricahua National Park in Arizona.

Rocky ‘wonderland’ poised to be next park Bill to create Chiricahua National Park preserves tribal access

BY MATTHEW BROWN Associated Press

An area of towering rock spires in southeastern Arizona known among Native Americans as the Land of StandingUp Rocks is poised to become the nation’s newest national park. Legislation to create Chiricahua National Park is expected to be transmitted to the White House in coming days for President Donald Trump’s signature. It passed Congress with bipartisan backing and would be the 64th national park. The 19-square-mile site is within the historical territory of the Chiricahua Apache tribes. It was designated a national monument in the 1920s to preserve hundreds of pinnacle-shaped rocks formed from an ancient volcanic eruption. “We’re the Grand Canyon state, so we know about this kind of landscape,” Rep. Juan Ciscomani, House sponsor of the Chiricahua National Park Act, said Wednesday. “It’s hard to compare anything to the Grand Canyon, but Chiricahua holds its own. This is something that really hasn’t been discovered.” National Park Service officials de-

clined to say if new staff would be hired to address an expected increase in visitors as the new designation elevates the site’s proﬁle. For centuries the site of the proposed park was home to the Apache, nomadic tribes who often resisted European newcomers to North America. They continued clashing with settlers until surrendering to U.S. troops in 1886 and being forcibly removed to the San Carlos Apache reservation. The bill creating Chiricahua National Park preserves tribal access for traditional ceremonies. It allows temporary public closures within the park to protect those cultural uses, although Ciscomani said speciﬁcs have not been decided. San Carlos Apache tribal leaders did not take a formal position on the national park designation, a spokesperson said Wednesday. In response to questions from The Associated Press, the tribe provided its 2024 testimony before Congress, where San Carlos Apache Deputy Attorney General Justine Jimmie asked for uninterrupted access to the site. “National parks have become so packed with tourists,” Jimmie said. “In contrast, we go to our cultural areas in what are now parks to seek sanctuary, pray, and perform ceremonies.” Early settlers called the site Wonderland of Rocks. The name Chiricahua comes from the surrounding mountains.

Flight attendants’ union ﬂags safety concerns over Washington arch BY GARY FIELDS Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The union representing thousands of ﬂight attendants said Wednesday it has safety concerns about President Donald Trump’s proposed triumphal arch that will be on ﬁnal approach to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Association of Flight Attendants-CWA President Sara Nelson said the 250-foot arch compounds multiple safety concerns that she said have gone unaddressed from a deadly January 2025 crash over the Potomac River that killed 67 people. Nelson also criticized Trump’s plan to turn the arch into “a top grade

military complex” able to host drones and snipers while storing ammunition. “DCA is already stretched to its limit, we do not need an obstacle taking up space in our ﬂight path,” said Nelson. “Nor should commercial aviation have to dodge military drones, missiles or snipers while attempting to take off or land at Washington National Airport. Safety ﬁrst always.” Nelson’s statement on behalf of the union, which represents 55,000 flight attendants across 20 airlines, joins the voices of an assemblage of veterans’ groups, Congress members and others with safety concerns and complaints about the memorial’s threat to historic and symbolic sightlines between different landmarks in Washington, D.C.

MINNEAPOLIS — FBI agents thwarted a terror attack by a teenager on the Mall of America after monitoring him for nearly two years and ultimately supplying him with the AK-47 he planned to use, authorities said Wednesday. The 18-year-old had been on the FBI’s radar since December 2024, when he began trading messages with a confidential informant. A criminal complaint says he initially expressed an interest in traveling to Somalia to ﬁght for al-Shabab militants. As his plans to instead attack the mall solidiﬁed, the complaint says, agents sold him the gun and ammunition on Tuesday and arrested him on the spot. “This was a radicalized

threat, and disrupt it, before the defendant carried out his intention to kill, in his words, maybe 30 to 60 people.” Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud was arrested Tuesday in a public park in Richﬁeld, several miles northwest of the Mall of America, after he paid $600 to an undercover FBI employee posing as a member of the Islamic State group for the rifle and 200 rounds of ammunition, the agency said. According to an FBI agent’s sworn complaint, Mohamud repeatedly affirmed in chat messages to the informant that he intended to attack and kill non-Muslims at the mall on Oct. 24, the date of a scheduled arts celebration by the Hmong community, Minnesota’s largest Asian ethnic group.

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Scientists win chemistry Nobel Okinawa governor Discoveries about wants discipline for mirrored molecules led to many drugs U.S. military in Japan BY ADITHI RAMAKRISHNAN, KOSTYA MANENKOV and STEFANIE DAZIO

Official requested details of ongoing training after murder linked to Marine

Associated Press

STOCKHOLM — Scientists Henri B. Kagan and Kenso Soai won the Nobel Prize in chemistry Wednesday for untangling mysterious mirror images in molecules, a discovery that has been used to develop countless drugs and transformed modern medicine. Many molecules come in versions that look alike but are not exactly identical, like right and left hands. Kagan, who is from France, and Soai, from Japan, found ways to make chemistry pick a side, describing and designing reactions to produce the desired mirror image. “The medicines we have today would not be possible without this chemistry,” said Rigoberto Hernandez, president of the American Chemical Society. Soai was shopping at a neighborhood supermarket when he heard he had won. “I’m very excited to receive the very nice news,” Soai told the Nobel committee and journalists by phone. “Of course, this is one of the most exciting days in my life.”

Discovery enabled medicines Mirror images of the same molecule can have different properties. For example, one version of the chemical carvone smells like mint, while the other has a whiff of caraway, a spice often used in rye bread. The alternate versions can also behave differently when interacting with other chemicals. When designing drugs to treat diseases, scientists are choosy about which mirror image they use. They want the version of a molecule to treat a cold, not one that will make the sniffles worse. In the 1980s, Kagan’s work showed there might be a way to design reactions to produce one form of a molecule over the other. Years later, Soai perfected the process. He created the first-ever chemical reaction to efficiently produce only one of a molecule’s mirror images, in what’s now known as the Soai reaction.

BY MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press

TT NEWS AGENCY PHOTO BY FREDRIK SANDBERG

Portraits of Henri Kagan and Kenso Soai are shown on the screen as they are awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in chemistry at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm, Sweden, on Wednesday. “This is probably the coolest experiment in organic chemistry,” said Peter Somfai, a member of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry. Kagan, 95, is affiliated with the Université Paris-Sud in Orsay, France. Soai, 76, is affiliated with the Tokyo University of Science. The Nobel committee described their work as a feat never previously achieved by anyone “other than life itself.” The French Academy of Sciences, where Kagan is a member, congratulated him, as did French President Emmanuel Macron, who called the prize “an immense source of pride for the country” and “a recognition befitting a lifetime of research.” “It might be difficult to say that this drug, or that drug, was developed using this,” Somfai said. “I would say all of them, because we use this as a tool, we use this as an understanding, how to develop catalysts, how they function.” Life, too, prefers one mirror image over the other. DNA twists to the right, and the proteins in human bodies are made of mostly left-handed building blocks. In addition to developing better medicines or perfumes, deciphering the mirror images of molecules can help scientists understand the chemical architecture of life, said chemist Holden Thorp, editor-inchief of the journal Science. “There are still fascinating as-

pects that remain unknown and surely more yet to be discovered,” Soai said at a news conference hosted by his university in Tokyo. “I hope to do what I can, however modestly, to contribute to help advance research in this ﬁeld.” Japan’s largest newspaper, Yomiuri, distributed an extra edition with a headline proclaiming “Nobel Prize Mr. Soai,” with a big photo of the scientist. The papers quickly disappeared as office workers picked them up on their way home.

More prizes still to be awarded The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced the winner in Stockholm. Last year, three scientists won the chemistry Nobel for their development of new molecular structures that can trap vast quantities of gas inside, laying the groundwork to potentially suck greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere or harvest moisture from desert environments. This year’s prizes began with the Nobel for medicine, awarded Monday to three scientists whose work led to a tool that uses light to help unravel how the brain works. The physics award announced Tuesday recognized a scientist’s efforts to demystify a rare group of neutrinos. The literature prize is set to be awarded Thursday. After Friday’s peace prize is awarded, the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences will be announced Monday.

TOKYO — The governor of Okinawa demanded Wednesday that Japan’s central government do more to ensure effective discipline among U.S. service members on the southern island following the arrest of a U.S. Marine on accusations that he robbed and murdered a local woman. Gov. Genta Koja, in Tokyo for the first time since taking office a week ago, conveyed Okinawa’s outrage in his meeting with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, asking her government for further efforts to reduce the burden of hosting U.S. military bases on the small island. “Okinawa has requested preventive measures every time similar crimes were repeated in past, and now we have this case again,” Koja told Takaichi in a guest room at the Prime Minister’s Office packed with reporters. “I must say past disciplinary measures and human rights education implemented by the U.S. military have not worked at all,” Koja said. People in Okinawa have long opposed the heavy U.S. military presence on the island and complained about noise, pollution and crime related to American bases, though some have come to see its strategic value due to what is widely viewed as a growing threat from China. Lance Cpl. Devin Jacob Ballard, a 20-year-old Ohio native belonging to the Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, was arrested over the weekend on suspicion of strangling Anna Yagi,

39, at a hotel and stealing her wallet and backpack. He has denied the allegations, according to Japanese media. Takaichi said she regretted the “heinous crime” and shared the outrage. Noting the new disciplinary measures announced by the U.S. military Tuesday, Takaichi said she expected the American government to take subsequent steps. Japan and the U.S. will discuss “how to implement preventive measures that are effective,” she said. Hours earlier, the U.S. military in Okinawa announced a 48-hour pause of all military operations for training through noon on Friday, as well as restricting the ability of troops to leave their base and prohibiting consumption of alcohol. Lt. Gen. Benjamin Watson, commander of III Marine Expeditionary Force, wrote in a letter posted Tuesday on X that episodes like these “demand we pause for reflection” and that serving on the Japanese island “comes with responsibility.” U.S. troops on Okinawa will be under a curfew from midnight to 5 a.m. for 30 days following the two-day training period, Watson said. Koja said he appreciated prompt response from the Japanese and U.S. governments to the murder case “as a sign they both took the case seriously.” However, he will need to see details of the ongoing training, he said, and requested the Japanese involvement to make U.S. disciplinary measures more effective. A majority of the more than 50,000 U.S. troops stationed in Japan under a bilateral security agreement are based on the island. Earlier Monday, Koja made the same request in his meeting with Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi.

DNC sues administration Nepal ends search for Complaint alleges thousands of ﬂood victims taxpayer-funded ads violate propaganda law

BY ALI SWENSON Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The Democratic National Committee on Wednesday sued President Donald Trump’s administration for recent television advertisements that promoted his political message while costing taxpayers millions of dollars. The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, alleges that the ads are illegal government-sponsored propaganda and accuses Trump of personally directing them. It asks the court to declare the ads illegal and

stop the use of federal funds to pay for them. Trump has faced bipartisan backlash for the ads, which glorify him and echo his campaign pitch as voters cast early ballots with the midterm elections less than a month away. The spots, which began airing in September, already have cost more than $12 million to run, according to the media tracking ﬁrm AdImpact, and a total of $20 million in Homeland Security Department funding has been tapped to pay for them. Responding Monday to the criticism, Trump defended the ads as “positive promotion for our Great U.S.A.” but said he’d pay for them using his MAGA Inc. super PAC going forward. But on Tuesday, the ﬁfth ad in the campaign began airing with the notice “paid for

by the U.S. Government,” promoting Trump’s military actions in Venezuela earlier this year. The same day, Trump made it clear he hasn’t committed to reimbursing any money that has already been spent, telling reporters “we’ll decide.” DNC Chair Ken Martin said in a statement that Trump is misusing taxpayer dollars in “a last-ditch attempt to save Republicans in November.” “Americans deserve better than to have their hardearned tax dollars used for Trump’s illegal schemes,” he added. A person familiar with the campaign who was not authorized to speak publicly said the ad buys placed prior to Trump’s pledge to start paying for them with his super PAC will end this week. Then, outside groups will begin to pay, the person said.

Attorney: Pike angry, confused after surviving execution attempt BY KIM CHANDLER and KRISTIN M. HALL Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Christa Pike was “angry and confused” in the hours after regaining consciousness following Tennessee’s failed execution attempt, ﬁrst asking, “Where am I?” her lawyer said Wednesday. Pike, believed to be the ﬁrst person to survive after receiving lethal injection drugs during an execution, stunningly woke up as plans were being made to remove her from life support, just six days after she was strapped to a gurney in the death chamber, said attorney Randy Spivey. “But on Tuesday, to the shock of everyone ... Christa woke up and began talking,” Spivey said.

Pike, who was sentenced to death for the 1995 beating and stabbing death of classmate Colleen Slemmer, is aware of what happened to her, at least up to a point, Spivey said. Many questions remain, though, about her prognosis for recovery and whether Tennessee will make another attempt to execute Pike, now age 50. Her lawyers said Wednesday that she has suffered enough and want the governor to commute her sentence. A judge in Nashville told the state on Wednesday to save evidence from the execution attempt as Pike’s attorneys try to ﬁnd out more. The failed execution on Sept. 30 has renewed scrutiny of how states carry out the death penalty, in particular the use of lethal injec-

BY BINAJ GURUBACHARYA Associated Press

KATHMANDU, Nepal — The families of thousands of people who remain missing in Nepal weeks after catastrophic floods devastated the country have expressed mixed feelings after the government said this week that it is stopping the search for victims. The office of Prime Minister Balendra Shah decided on Monday that search and rescue operations for victims of the Aug. 26 floods will cease. Instead, authorities will concentrate on rehabilitation and reconstruction including restoring roads and bridges cut off by floods, particularly in remote areas where damaged

infrastructure has made aid deliveries difﬁcult. Rescuers have so far recovered the bodies of at least 1,455 people, but 5,285 others remain missing, including hundreds of foreign nationals. The government estimates reconstruction and recovery will cost $4.77 billion. Nearly 33,000 people have been affected and about 7,500 homes were damaged or destroyed. Hopes for finding survivors were briefly revived after two Nepalese workers were rescued from an underground tunnel at the Trishuli hydropower project on Sept. 4, and again two days later when rescuers found a Chinese man at the same location.

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Pike faces a long recovery Pike’s legal team said she still can’t move her arms or swallow and has some cognitive confusion. She also has pneumonia and a blood clot in her arm, Spivey said. Her hands were extremely swollen when they saw her Tuesday in the hospital, shackled to a bed, he added. Her prognosis remains unclear and she has a long road to recovery, he said. “She is angry and confused about everything right now,” Spivey said during a news conference following a court hearing about preserving evidence.

Families of victims have held protests and vigils in Nepal, calling for search efforts to be improved. “I am so angry at the government for giving up on search and rescue with thousands of people still missing. I just don’t understand how they can do that when we still have hope left that our loved one can still be found,” said Usha Khatri, who has spent days searching for her husband in multiple towns where the river flows and bodies have been recovered.

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U.N. health agency wants more details from Russia Authorities deny death caused by pneumonic plague

Workers allegedly exploited while building U.S. consulate sign deals Record payout secured for laborers in Milan

BY JAMEY KEATEN

BY COLLEEN BARRY

Associated Press

GENEVA — A top ofﬁcial with the World Health Organization said Wednesday it doesn’t know how a lab worker in Siberia died, and she urged Russia to provide more information about a case that prompted global concerns about suspected pneumonic plague. Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO director of Epidemic and Pandemic Management, said the U.N. health agency doesn’t know what the “causative agent” was behind the woman’s Friday death, which unconﬁrmed reports in Russia blamed on pneumonic plague — a less common but severe form of plague that can spread from person to person. In its tersely worded statements, Russia’s public health watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, does not link the case to pneumonic plague, saying only that the lab worker had contracted pneumonia of “unknown” origin and that “extensive” testing found no evidence her illness was caused by any of the pathogens she worked with at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and the Far East. “We don’t understand how she was infected,” Van Kerkhove said. “We need information in a timely way. We need regular information. We need answers to the follow-up of the questions that we have asked.” “We have posed these questions to our colleagues in the Russian Federation. In fairness, they have responded. We’ve gone back with more questions,” she said. The comments suggested the U.N. health agency has more questions than answers about the situation at the lab, which focuses on plague and was founded about a century ago to study the disease in Siberia, where it occurs naturally in wild animals.

Little information released Russian authorities have kept a

Associated Press

PROVIDED PHOTO

Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and Far East workers conduct lab tests in 2019.

“They’re sharing it a little bit with our people. We expect them to share it a lot with our people,” Trump said. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said earlier Wednesday that a Putin-Trump call hasn’t been set yet but could be organized quickly. Asked if the incident was a sign that plague might be developed as a bioweapon, Trump said, “We don’t think so. We’re going to find out soon enough, but we don’t think so.” When asked if the situation was similar to dealing with China on COVID-19 in his ﬁrst term, Trump suggested Russia was staying relatively quiet, just as China did before the virus turned into a pandemic. “China didn’t say much and Russia is not saying much either, but they do say they have it very much under control,” he said. Dr. Erica Schwartz, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said the threat to the U.S. “is extremely low.” She travel from that area of Russia to the U.S. each year is limited — and mostly comes through New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport. Preventive measures underway Government agencies are workU.S. President Donald Trump said ing “to make sure that we know he would discuss the issue during a exactly if anyone from that area call with Russian President Vladi- comes into the United States,” mir Putin because Wednesday is Schwartz said during a Wall Street the Kremlin leader’s 74th birthday. Journal health forum Wednesday.

tight lid on information about the case, which has been surrounded by secrecy. While it has raised global concerns, Russian state TV and other national state-controlled media have largely steered clear of the subject. Some news outlets withdrew earlier reports about the case. Rospotrebnadzor said Sunday the lab worker was diagnosed with “pneumonia of unknown etiology,” meaning its origin was not known. A state TV station in Irkutsk reported she died Friday in a hospital in Shelekhov, a town just outside Irkutsk. Officials have quarantined that hospital and were monitoring the worker’s contacts. Russia has said the pneumonia initially presented as a “typical” acute respiratory viral infection, the WHO has said, acknowledging that pneumonia is commonplace. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Russian authorities had indicated that no case of plague had recently been reported in the Irkutsk region, and that they had placed about 200 contacts in quarantine.

MILAN — Foreign workers building the vast new U.S. consulate compound in Milan signed agreements at a Milan hotel Wednesday securing payouts averaging $50,400 each for alleged labor abuses while working for an American construction company. More than 60 laborers, mostly from India, signed the deals Wednesday to receive their share of a nearly $35 million settlement agreed last month with Alabamabased Caddell Construction. The signings began Tuesday. Prosecutors say it is the largest settlement ever for labor exploitation in Europe. Each worker signed a document seen by The Associated Press agreeing not to discredit Caddell and not to disclose the individual payments. Caddell said in the document that the settlement was not an admission of liability. Individual payments are to be made within 30 days of the signing. The workers saw the potentially life-changing sum in blackand-white for the first time at the signings — with the highest reaching nearly $101,000, said Francesco Brigatti, the court-appointed administrator working to return the consulate construction site to legality. The payouts combine unpaid overtime, reimbursement for housing illegally deducted from their pay and hefty damages personally sought by investigating Prosecutor Paolo Storari, Brigatti said. “The damages component alone amounts to 60–70% of the overtime total,” Brigatti said, well above the 10% to 30% that he said is more customary in such cases. Dilip Ram, a 43-year-old mason

from India, has worked at the Milan consulate site for more than two years. He said the money would go a long way to helping his family of ﬁve back home in the Indian state of Bihar. “Things are better now than before … we get more rest now,” Ram said, after signing the deal. “This has led to a lot of change. This settlement will be good. Because the workers had troubles, that’s why this settlement has been applied.” Over two days, 115 workers signed the deals, with the procedure continuing next week. Prosecutors say workers were paid less than $2 an hour, were illegally docked money for housing and denied overtime for working up to 10 hours a day, six days a week. They also were allegedly subjected to threats and not given proper medical care when they were injured on the job. Most of the workers were from India, but also Nigeria, Kenya and Bangladesh. Workers from India reported having to pay $5,600 to recruiters to get the jobs, but the settlement did not directly address abuses in India, where prosecutors could not investigate, ofﬁcials said. The investigation against Caddell remains open, pending the payouts, which are expected to be completed by February. Two managers under investigation for extortion and facilitating illegal immigration remain under house arrest. Caddell’s settlement includes about $12.5 million for Italy’s social security coffers and workplace injury insurance. Under the deal, the workers are also getting permits to work in Italy even off the Caddell site. Caddell, a major contractor for U.S. embassies and consulates worldwide, said in June that it was cooperating fully with Italian authorities, reviewing its global subcontractors and consultancies for compliance with labor laws, and working with authorities to protect workers on the project.

Interpol environmental Administration proposes fee for students to work operation nets 233 arrests international $70K rule latest Targets were illegal mining, logging and wildlife trafficking

effort to lower foreign enrollment

BY STEVEN GRATTAN

BY ANNIE MA and HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH

Associated Press

BOGOTA, Colombia — An international crackdown on environmental crime across Latin America and the Caribbean led to 233 arrests and uncovered links between large-scale Amazon deforestation and companies across several continents, the international police organization Interpol said Wednesday. The two-month operation targeted illegal logging, gold mining and wildlife trafficking across nine countries, identifying some 148,000 acres of illegally cleared forest — an area 10 times the size of Manhattan Island. But investigators increasingly focused beyond the people cutting trees, mining gold or trafficking animals to the companies, financial networks and international buyers suspected of profiting from environmental destruction. In one investigation originating in Colombia, authorities had identified 11 foreign companies suspected of involvement in clearing more than 128,500 acres of protected Amazon forest. Interpol said intelligence gathered during the latest operation uncovered links to another 161 companies and 65 people across several continents. Investigators found suspected permit fraud and the alleged use of shell companies and foreign investment mechanisms, Interpol said. Colombian authorities arrested 16 people and seized digital evidence, while Interpol issued international notices seeking information or action involving suspects linked to the network. “Following the money,

AP education writers

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO BY GUADALUPE PARDO

Members of the Peruvian Navy destroy a dredge used for illegal mining near the Malinowski River in the Tambopata National Reserve in Puerto Maldonado, Peru, in August. whether from an illegal gold mine in Panama to a buyer in North America, Europe or Asia, helps a case move beyond the individuals physically harvesting the timber, handling the animal or extracting the gold,” Krandall Gullock, head of Interpol’s Regional Bureau for Central America, said in a statement.

Deforestation, pollution Environmental crime has become increasingly intertwined with organized crime across Latin America, particularly in remote forest regions where illegal mining, logging and wildlife trafﬁcking can exploit the same routes and financial networks used for other illicit commodities. Gold is particularly attractive to criminal groups because of its high value, portability and ease of sale. Illegal mining has expanded across parts of the Amazon as gold prices have risen, driving deforestation and contaminating rivers with mercury and other toxic substances. In August, The Associated Press accompanied Peruvian security forces raiding illegal gold mines advancing into the Tambopata National Reserve in the Amazon. Authorities there are increasingly trying to target not only mining equipment but the financial networks behind

the operations, as miners frequently return after raids. Earlier this year, nearly 200 people were arrested in the ﬁrst coordinated crossborder operation targeting illegal gold mining involving Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana and Suriname. The latest Interpol operation underscored the scale of the chemicals feeding the trade. In Costa Rica, authorities seized about 4.6 metric tons of cyanide and 11 containers of mercury, both used in gold extraction. Mercury is highly toxic and can contaminate rivers, wildlife and people, while cyanide can also cause severe environmental damage if improperly handled or released.

Wildlife trafficking The crackdown, known as Operation Madre Tierra VIII, ran from June 1 to July 31 and involved Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua and Panama. More than 330 cases were reported, with 312 people identiﬁed as suspected of involvement in environmental crimes. Wildlife trafficking was another major focus this year. Authorities recovered more than 1,000 live animals, including endangered Bengal tigers, lions, jaguars, ocelots, parrots and macaws.

WASHINGTON — The Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday proposed a $70,000 fee for international students seeking to work in the United States, the latest effort from the Trump administration to crack down on foreign enrollment. A proposed rule would require schools to pay the fee for every student who participates in the optional practice training program, known as OPT, which allows students to work in jobs related to their major during

or after their time in school. Students are generally eligible for one year of work post-graduation, though certain science, technology, engineering and math majors are eligible for an additional two years. Schools would be required to pay the $70,000 for each new student’s initial application to the program, and a $30,000 fee for each renewal. American colleges and universities heavily recruit students from overseas as a source of tuition revenue. Tech companies and other industries also hire many international students for technical roles. The OPT program allows international students to gain hands-on experience and fill labor shortages in high-demand STEM ﬁelds,

said Fanta Aw, CEO of NAFSA, an association that represents international education. “Driving away the talents, perspectives, and aspirations of international students will only hurt American innovation, economic growth, workforce development, and global leadership,” Aw said in a written statement. In a statement, DHS described the fee as a response to fraud and abuse of the visa program, which it called a “pipeline for cheap foreign labor.”

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Wall Street retreats from its record

NEW YORK — U.S. stocks pulled back from their record on Wednesday. The S&P 500 slipped 0.2%, a day after topping its prior alltime high set in August. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 341 points, or 0.7%, while the Nasdaq composite fell 0.2% from its own record. Stocks felt pressure as yields swung in the bond market. The yield on the 10-year Treasury climbed as high as 5.36% in the morning, up from 5.27% late Tuesday and near its highest level since 2002. Higher yields put downward pressure on prices for stocks and other investments. They can also slow the economy by making it more expensive for everyone to borrow money. But the 10-year yield eased back to 5.28% later in the day after the U.S. Treasury sold $39 billion of 10-year Treasury notes at an auction, where the median yield was less than 5.26%. Yields also swung with oil prices, which continue to yo-yo amid uncertainty about when the war with Iran will allow the industry to return to normal. The price for a barrel of Brent crude, the international standard, topped $102 in the morning before falling back later in the day and eventually settling at $100.20, down 0.4%. That’s below the nearly $110 it cost last month, but it remains well above its $72 price from before the war began.

S&P 500 7,801.77 -17.16 -0.22%

EURO 1.1188 -0.0070 -0.62%

CRUDE OIL 88.28 -1.16 -1.30%

GOLD 4,113.80 -45.40 -1.09%

6-MO T-BILLS 4.29 -0.01 -0.23%

30-YR T-BONDS 5.67 0.01 0.25%

Fed minutes: Rate hike likely Another increase expected this year to combat inflation

BY CHRISTOPHER RUGABER

AP economics writer

WASHINGTON — Most Federal Reserve ofﬁcials expect that another interest rate increase will likely be needed this year to combat inﬂation, according to minutes released Wednesday from the central bank’s most recent meeting. The officials unanimously

agreed that inﬂation was still elevated and had not made much progress toward their 2% target in recent months, the minutes said. The Fed increased its key interest rate at the Sept. 15-16 meeting by a quarter-point to about 3.9%, its ﬁrst increase in three years. The increase defied President Donald Trump’s repeated calls for the Fed to cut rates and prompted the president to criticize the Fed’s rate-setting committee, though he still expressed support for Chairman Kevin Warsh, whom he appointed earlier this year. The rate increase comes as Americans are

already struggling with high costs for groceries, gas and housing, and as affordability has taken on a leading role in the upcoming midterm elections, just seven weeks away. Longer-term interest rates for mortgages and other borrowing have also jumped in the past few months for a range of reasons, including rising government debt, heavy borrowing by tech firms to finance data center construction, climbing oil and gas prices, and signs that growth and inflation remain elevated. The Fed’s rate hike has likely played only a limited

role in the increase. Still, key policymakers have said since the meeting that the Fed can take some time to monitor the economy and the impact of last month’s rate hike before making another move. Wall Street investors now forecast the Fed will keep its rate unchanged at its next meeting Oct. 28-29, according to futures pricing, and raise it when they meet in December. Philip Jefferson, vice chair of the Fed’s board of governors, said last week that policymakers “will need to come to our own judgement, which may take more time.”

Joby Aviation hit with $116.9 million verdict A federal jury reached a verdict last week in the latest lawsuit surrounding the burgeoning market for electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft. The jury in Tampa, Florida, found that air taxi startup Joby Aviation owes roughly $116.9 million to aviation supplier Aerosonic after it allegedly breached a confidentiality agreement and mishandled trade secrets. Aerosonic sued Joby last year after selling it air data probes that measure pressure around an aircraft. The Clearwater, Florida-based supplier claimed that Joby used its proprietary designs and data to develop its own probes. Joby shares, which have shed more than 55% so far this year, were were down a further 2.25% at $5.64 at midday Wednesday. According to Aerosonic’s complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, Joby developed its in-house data probes in about two years. Aerosonic said the development process would have taken around a decade if Joby hadn’t relied on the supplier’s trade secrets.

Trump administration investigates Wells Fargo Housing ofﬁcials from President Donald Trump’s administration are launching an investigation into Wells Fargo over efforts to improve Black homeownership, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal. The Department of Housing and Urban Development sent a letter to the bank’s chief executive, Charlie Scharf, saying it is going to look into whether the bank violated fair-lending laws by favoring Black or other minority homeowners, WSJ reported. HUD did not provide a comment as of Wednesday afternoon. Wells Fargo declined to comment. While the new federal probe looks into whether minority buyers received preferential terms, earlier reports this year focused on claims that minority applicants were unfairly turned away. In April, Americans for Financial Reform’s Education Fund released a study stating that the bank’s mortgage rejection rates for minorities in Charlotte and North Carolina far outpaced those of White applicants.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO BY ELLEN SCHMIDT

Diesel averaged $6.30 per gallon across the country on Wednesday, more than 70% higher than one year ago, according to motor club AAA.

Dyed diesel order will offer little relief, farmers and truckers say Trump expands use of fuel reserved for off-road work

BY SARAH RAZA and MAE ANDERSON Associated Press

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — Farmers, truckers and economists say a move to cut taxes on diesel will provide little relief from record-high fuel prices that have soared since the U.S. attacked Iran months ago. Industry groups said they appreciate President Donald Trump’s executive order expanding the use of a diesel now reserved for off-road work, but farmers already have access to the fuel and many have already wrapped up harvest. Truckers will struggle to navigate differing state rules. “In the context of diesel prices that are over $2 more than they were last year, it just doesn’t come close to closing that wound,” said Matt Perdue, president of the North Dakota Farmers Union. With less than a month to go before the November election, diesel prices continue to hit record highs as some farmers transport their crops for processing and others rush to complete their fall harvest. Many have been feeling the squeeze as costs for

inputs like diesel, fertilizer and seed have soared thanks to reﬁnery constraints and supply disruptions amid the Iran war. Diesel averaged $6.30 per gallon across the country on Wednesday, more than 70% higher than one year ago, according to motor club AAA. The executive order defers the $0.24 federal tax per gallon of regular diesel, used for road projects, until the end of the year. Most states also levy their own tax on diesel. “Dyed” diesel is the same as regular diesel, except for its red dye to help law enforcement enforce penalties for on-road use. It’s already allowed for off-road purposes like farming equipment, such as tractors and combines, as well as construction and heating uses. Savings can compound if states take similar actions; many have eased restrictions or waived taxes on dyed diesel, including South Dakota and Iowa. Perdue said North Dakota has waived the tax on regular diesel. But where the state decision is focused on farmers, he believes the federal decision would largely beneﬁt those on other levels of the supply chain. Farmers who will see the most benefit are those who haul their own product, like livestock or fresh produce, on public roads.

Those who have already wrapped up harvesting won’t see savings. “Most of our diesel use is behind us,” said Perdue, who grows spring wheat, durum and canola on his family farm. Both trucking companies and independent truckers may not see much relief either. The effect is likely to be negligible for big trucking companies because the order is on a federal level and states make their own rules, Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, wrote in a social media post. “The largest diesel users are the least likely to use dyed diesel,” he wrote. “A national carrier crossing ﬁve or six states in a day faces enormous risk with a patchwork of rules, legal in one state, and subject to ﬁnes in the next.” Many states exempt road diesel from sales tax but apply sales tax to dyed diesel instead, he said. Easing limits on red-dyed diesel will likely have a minimal effect for small truckers, who pay for fuel up front, said Todd Spencer, president and CEO of trade group the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association. He estimates every $1 increase per gallon in fuel costs independent truckers about $400 more per week.

Walmart drone deliveries coming to Seattle, Denver BY ALEX HALVERSON The Seattle Times (TNS)

A massive retailer plans to bring aerial drone delivery to the Seattle area next year and no, it’s not Amazon. Walmart announced Monday that it will expand its drone delivery service to two new metro areas in 2027: Seattle and Denver. The company is aiming to offer drone delivery from more than 270 stores across the country, though it did not give a timeline. Using drones from Wing, a subsidiary of Google-parent Alphabet, Walmart already offers the service in the Dallas-Fort Worth, Atlanta, Houston and Orlando metro

areas. It’s unclear how many Seattlearea Walmart stores will offer the service, but a Monday news release from Wing featured Federal Way Mayor Jim Ferrell. “Innovation is a part of our way of life in Federal Way and around the Puget Sound. We look forward to Walmart and Wing’s drone delivery service bringing the region an incredible new convenience,” Ferrell said. It’s also likely Tacoma residents will see Walmart bags buzzing overhead next year. Permit applications ﬁled in September with the city of Tacoma describe new fencing and storage for “drone delivery operations,” at the Walmart

Supercenter off State Route 16. Similar permit applications were ﬁled in Federal Way as well. There are no Walmart stores within Seattle’s city limits. Wing said its drones can reach up to 60 mph and can carry up to 5 pounds. Once drone delivery is available in an area, Walmart app customers will automatically see drone delivery as an option. Walmart isn’t the only retailer expanding drone delivery service, but it may beat its ﬁerce rival Amazon to the punch in the Seattle area. Amazon currently serves 10 metro areas with Prime Air, its drone delivery program. Most of those locations are spread across

Arizona, Florida, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Nebraska and Texas, but the company said in August that it plans to reach 500 cities and towns by the end of 2026. The company received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration in 2024 that allowed it to signiﬁcantly expand its drone delivery program. A key part of the approval was allowing Amazon to operate its drones outside of an operator’s direct line of sight. As delivery drones take up more air space, the U.S. Government Accountability Office flagged concerns over how drones will communicate with each other and other aircraft and recommended the FAA set additional guidelines.

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WISNER

betterment for years to come,” Moreno said in a news release. The decision won’t provide immediate budget relief, however, since city ofﬁcials are expecting the Wisner heirs to seek a rehearing from the Supreme Court — a maneuver that Chief Administrative Ofﬁcer Joe Giarrusso described as a long shot, but one the administration and council would need to be prepared for nonetheless. Giarrusso said in an interview the city won’t book the additional revenue until the Wisner heirs have exhausted their legal options. “I try to err on the side of being thoughtfully conservative when it comes to these things. I think the likelihood of a rehearing prevailing is small, but I can’t say it’s non-

GULF

Continued from page 1A Yankeetown, Florida. Surge predictions from the river’s mouth to Ocean Springs were in the range of 3 to 5 feet, while other areas closer to the storm’s center could expect 5 to 7 feet. Local ofﬁcials were monitoring it but largely holding off on any major decisions before more is known about Isaias’ eventual landfall. While of course not wishing harm on any other state, organizers were hopeful of avoiding disruption to a weekend scheduled to feature sold-out hotels and major events, from pro wrestling to a big ophthalmology convention and the Saints-Vikings game in the Superdome on Sunday. A pageant of other festivals and other fundraisers in the New Orleans area were also on the agenda, including Blues and Barbecue, the opening weekend of Oktoberfest at Deutches Haus, Gentilly Fest, Hispanic Heritage Month at Lafre-

HAMAS

Continued from page 1A

state Supreme Court decision in 2024 affirming the council’s right to sue the executive branch. That overturned a 4th Circuit Court of Appeal decision to toss the case. The high court decision to reject the heirs’ appeal, like the earlier one allowing the case to continue, was not unanimous. Two of the seven justices said they would have allowed the heirs’ appeal to be heard in the high court. Explaining his decision in the minority, Justice John Guidry noted a provision of the 1929 revenue splitting agreement entitling the heirs to a slice of the proceeds if the property were ever sold. That indicates the heirs as a “principal beneficiary.” “The only other beneficiary entitled to the proceeds of such a sale, according to the act of donation Split decision executed by Edward Wisner, was The landmark case has under- the City of New Orleans, which is gone numerous twists and turns, also recognized as a principal benincluding a precedent-setting eficiary,” Guidry wrote.

Landrieu’s administration did nothing to change the status quo. Former Mayor LaToya Cantrell then signed a new deal in 2020 that extended the split indefinitely and allowed an advisory board overseeing the proceeds to meet in private. Cantrell did away with the public process for dishing out the city’s portion and unilaterally chose who got the money, and the recipients included a nonprofit that she started. The nonprofit, Forward Together New Orleans, eventually folded in a dispute over who controlled it and $1 million in Wisner funds was returned to the city. The council — which included Moreno and Giarrusso at the time — sued the Cantrell administration in 2022, claiming Cantrell’s 2020 extension was illegal. Settlements were eventually reached with the universities and Salvation Army, but Wisner’s heirs continued litigating over their 40% stake.

“The idea of us giving up ownership and getting nothing in return was completely unworkable, and that’s why we went to the courts,” Giarrusso said. Revenue from the land, along with its market value, tends to fluctuate with oil prices. The last appraisal was conducted in 2013, showing the land was worth between $73 million and $114 million. Giarrusso said a new appraisal is needed to inform future decisions about what to do with the land. “In my mind, the two steps are can we go find peace with the heirs now, and then turn our attention to having conversations with the people who are on the property to find reasonable ways to coexist with just the city as the owner,” Giarrusso said.

8 mph. It is expected to become a hurricane on Thursday, then reach peak strength with around 110 mph winds on Friday as it turns north. Wind shear is expected to increase before Isaias makes landfall, tearing into the hurricane’s structure, though it is likely to remain a Category 1 or 2 storm as it moves ashore, forecasters said. If the track holds, lower Plaquemines Parish could still see significant rainfall and wind. “From Friday through the weekend, the system is expected to produce rainfall amounts of 3 to 7 inches, with localized totals up to 10 inches, across the central U.S. Gulf Coast extending from far southeastern Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle,” hurricane center forecaster Eric Blake wrote. A convergence of factors were helping produce a strong hurriWarm Gulf waters cane at such a relatively late date. The center’s forecast at 4 p.m. While wind shear related to the El Wednesday showed Isaias with Nino weather pattern has helped maximum winds of 65 mph while limit hurricane formation this moving east-northeast at around season, the Gulf’s surface tem-

peratures are also considerably warm — near records for this time of year, forecasters said. The warm water and lighter wind shear were expected to allow Isaias to rapidly intensify. Forecasts were showing shear increasing later in the week.

existent,” Giarrusso said. A lawyer representing the heirs, Terrence Knister, said his clients are reviewing their options.

Continued from page 1A

The Times-Picayune F nola.com F Thursday, October 8, 2026 F 7A

Long battle Legal battles over ownership of the 38,000 acres of land in Port Fourchon stretch back more than a decade, since a 2014 court ruling found that a revenue-sharing agreement had expired and full ownership reverted to the city. The revenue sharing agreement, which had been in place for more than 85 years, split proceeds between the city, Wisner heirs, LSU, Tulane University and the Salvation Army. The city’s share was a little more than one third, roughly $3 million each year, which for years was competitively awarded to nonproﬁts with City Council approval. The revenue split continued after 2014, despite the court ruling, since former Mayor Mitch

niere Park and the National Fried Chicken Festival, which was rescheduled from last weekend due to rain. There is also the roster of less ofﬁcial events long scheduled to take place during what is typically one of the city’s most pleasant times of the year. Engaged couples, for example, have booked churches, reception halls and restaurants for weddings long in advance. As of Wednesday morning, hotel occupancy in the more than 26,000 rooms downtown was projected to top 98% Friday night and 99% on Saturday. “Honestly, it kept me up last night,” said Walt Leger III, president and CEO of New Orleans & Co., the city’s tourism marketing ofﬁce. “This is a big weekend for us, but it is continuing to look a little more promising … with the track heading more to the east.”

usual.” Attorneys for the two brothers have declined to comment. A federal public defender for the two men said they had entered pleas of not guilty. The investigation that ensnared them reached far beyond Louisiana. In Florida, a man named Raed Yousef was indicted last month, accused of sending money to Alzaq through the fake charity. French federal police arrested three men associated with the organization. And hours after a judge unsealed the Adhami brothers’ indictment, a Manhattan federal grand jury charged Alzaq with overseeing more than $1.75 million in Hamas fundraising. Officials say he remains in Gaza. More than 74,000 Palestinians have died in the three-year war there triggered by the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which left 1,200 Israelis dead and 250 taken hostage. Alzaq’s messages to undercover agents about his “friend in Louisiana” appear to have spurred the Adhami brothers’ downfall. A New Orleans-based team of FBI agents scoured messages and bank records, yielding their September indictment on charges of financial fraud and providing material support to terrorists. The story told in the indictment contrasts with how some of their neighbors in suburban St. Tammany Parish knew the brothers. David DeRoche, a retired police officer who lives next door to Abdel Adhami, described him in court Wednesday as a friendly “family man” with three children. DeRoche said he’d eaten dinner at Abdel Adhami’s home several times. During Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, Abdel Adhami told him Trump would be “good for business.” They rarely discussed politics otherwise. DeRoche said he knew Abdel Adhami to be religious. “He told me a long time ago he had friends of every faith,” DeRoche testified as the brothers watched, wearing orange jail suits. “He was a very nice guy.”

supporter living in New York, the undercover cop asked the best way to send him money. Alzaq referred the officer to a trusted stateside lieutenant — a man he called “my friend in Louisiana” named Abdel Adhami. Born and raised in the U.S., Adhami owned a pair of beauty supply stores on the northshore of Lake Pontchartrain. His neighbors knew him as “Adam.” “This young man transfers to me on a monthly basis,” Alzaq wrote to a different undercover agent last December. “God protect you and him.” Thousands of miles from Gaza, from a quiet suburb north of New Orleans, Adhami and his younger brother, Omar, are now accused of propelling what federal prosecutors say is a key prong of Hamas’ survival strategy three years into Israel’s bloody ground invasion of the Gaza Strip. Using social media, the brothers are accused of collecting more than $100,000 from Hamas sympathizers through Bitcoin, PayPal and wire transfers. (Of that amount, Abdel Adhami is charged with raising more than $94,000.) Then, they allegedly sent the money to Hamas officials in Gaza, primarily Alzaq and his associates, officials say. Some of the cash they allegedly laundered through a bogus French charity. “The one who wages Jihad with money is also considered a Jihadist,” Abdel Adhami wrote to one prospective donor in 2023. A trio of newly unsealed federal indictments stemming from the case, which came as part of U.S. prosecutors’ widening effort to stifle Hamas’ overseas donation networks, thrust Louisiana to the center of a counterterrorism investigation that spanned three continents. The case is atypical for New Orleans’ U.S. Attorney’s Office — historically a locus of anti-corruption cases, but hardly counterterrorism work. “This district has not filed Yearslong plot a lot of terrorism cases,” FBI records suggest Abdel said Myles Ranier, a New Adhami and Alzaq first comOrleans-based civil lawyer municated in June 2023. and former federal prosBy that time, the NYPD’s ecutor. “So it’s certainly un- Intelligence Bureau had

been investigating Alzaq for three months, FBI records show, over “pro-Hamas” material posted on his Snapchat accounts and a stream of donations he solicited for Gaza-based causes. Abdel Adhami began raising money for Alzaq in earnest after the Oct. 7 attacks, prosecutors say. “If there is anything we can do, our lives, money, everything are at your service,” he wrote to Alzaq on Snapchat on Oct. 18. So began an alleged monthslong, covert relationship. Apparently a far more prolific fundraiser than his brother, Abdel Adhami allegedly solicited money by posting images of Hamas fighters on his social media accounts. He also relied on word-of-mouth, asking his wife to disseminate Alzaq’s information among her acquaintances, officials say. He repeatedly discussed visiting New Orleans-area mosques to solicit donations, though it’s unclear if he ultimately did so. Prosecutors say the men sought to show that their donations were not intended for purely humanitarian purposes. “I hope you can read between the lines,” Abdel Adhami wrote in a 2024 message to one donor. “The things that we provide do not reach the displaced people only. On the contrary, they also reach the men. I hope you understand what I mean.” Abdel Adhami is accused of sending about $94,000 to Alzaq or his associates using GoFundMe and PayPal over dozens of transactions, according to an FBI tally. Omar Adhami is accused of gathering far less, about $11,000. In January 2024, Alzaq told Abdel Adhami that distributing money within Gaza had become challenging as the Israeli military advanced deeper into Gaza. Internet outages and frequent bombardments were separating Alzaq from the “bread people” — code for Hamas fighters, prosecutors say. “The situation has become very, very difficult,” Alzaq wrote to Abdel Adhami on Snapchat. Nine days later, Alzaq sent Abdel Adhami a Snapchat voice message saying the money had gone through. “Their situation was difficult,” Alzaq said. “They pray for the person who donated

‘Good news for us’ There were few major closures in Louisiana by Wednesday evening. The state Department of Wildlife and Fisheries said it was closing Elmer’s Island Wildlife Refuge near Grand Isle at noon Thursday as a precaution. Otherwise, ofﬁcials in Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard and St. Tammany — all under tropical storm watches to varying degrees — kept a close eye and waited. “We are closely monitoring the storm and staying weather aware as the system continues to develop,” St. Bernard Parish government said in a statement. “Current forecasts show Isaias tracking farther east, but we could still see some rain and gusty winds in St. Bernard Parish.”

this bread; they pray for everything good.” At one point, Abdel Adhami was taking in so much money that he told Alzaq he felt anxious about how to process the donations without drawing government scrutiny, the records show. When he and his family returned to the U.S. from a trip to the West Bank in 2025, Border Patrol agents seized his phone. Abdel Adhami sent his brother a message six month later that seemed to acknowledge that law enforcement were scrutinizing them. Besides the ongoing NYPD operation, Israeli officials had been feeding the FBI intelligence about Alzaq’s status within Hamas, identifying him as a highranking media official in the group’s militant wing. “The man with whom we used to offer our sacrifices is exposed,” Abdel Adhami said.

Surprised neighbors On Sept. 15, a phalanx of FBI agents, Louisiana State Police troopers and local police assigned to the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force swarmed the Adhamis’ businesses and homes in St. Tammany, seizing vehicles and other belongings. The brothers were arrested on com-

President Donald Trump was scheduled to attend the AlabamaGeorgia game on Saturday night in Tuscaloosa. When asked if he would still attend on Wednesday, Trump indicated he was unaware of the hurricane but wouldn’t want to take the focus away if emergency preparedness is necessary. “We’ll have to see. I hadn’t heard about a hurricane,” he said at a White House event. While late August is a cursed timeframe for south Louisiana when it comes to destructive hurricanes — Katrina, Laura and Ida hit then, to name a few — October is not without precedent. Hurricane Zeta, for example, sped across southeast Louisiana after making landfall as a Category 3 on Oct. 28, 2020. This time, hopeful signs were accumulating, at least as far as Louisiana is concerned. “This is good news for us,” said nola.com meteorologist Damon Singleton. “The cone doesn’t even include southeast Louisiana anymore.”

plaints that remained sealed until federal prosecutors obtained the indictment of Alzaq last week in New York. While the Justice Department often ﬁles major counterterrorism cases in New York or northern Virginia, the decision to charge the case in Louisiana may have simply boiled down to geography. “National security cases originate from either an expertise on those types of crimes in that local FBI ofﬁce, or just by sheer proximity that the defendants happen to live in the district,” said Seamus Hughes, a researcher at the University of Nebraska Omaha’s National Counterterrorism Innovation, Technology and Education Center. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Greg Kennedy, a veteran of the New Orleans-based U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana. Kennedy has long worked on national security-related cases, said Ranier, the former federal prosecutor. “Greg Kennedy has worked in national security for years, and is certainly capable of handling a case like this by himself,” said Ranier, the former federal prosecutor. “But the complaints, indictment and in-

ternational nature of the crime indicate significant coordination between law enforcement and prosecutors across the country and possibly the world, as one would expect on a case of this significance.” DeRoche, Abdel Adhami’s neighbor in St. Tammany Parish, said Wednesday that the brothers were born in Ohio and lived both in Florida and the Palestinian territories before settling in Louisiana. At times, DeRoche said, Abdel Adhami gently tried to encourage him to find religion. “One time, we were chatting in his garage. He said, ‘Dave, you’re Christian, right?’” DeRoche recalled. “I say, ‘I’m not very religious.’ “He says, ‘Where I’m from, I study all the religions,’” DeRoche said. “What he asked for me was for me to study the religions and find one that was best for me so that I would go to heaven. He said I was a good man who deserved to go to heaven.”

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8A F Thursday, October 8, 2026 F nola.com F The Times-Picayune

lll

with meteorologist Damon Singleton

TODAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

High thin cloudiness

Some wind and rain

Cloudy

Mostly sunny and warmer

Partly sunny and warm

Peeks of sunshine

HIGH

LOW

HIGH

86° 75°

LOW

HIGH

80° 70°

LOW

77° 68°

84° 70°

Beaumont 92/69 Port Arthur 91/70

Baton Rouge 92/68

Lake Charles 92/68

New Orleans 86/75 Houma 86/72

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

Hattiesburg 89/65

Alexandria 94/64

Lafayette 91/67

10s

20s

30s

40s

50s

LOW

HIGH

88° 70°

LOW

89° 71°

TEMPERATURE Jackson 91/62

Many 94/60

HIGH

New Orleans through 5 p.m. Wednesday

Longview 92/60

-0s

LOW

Monroe 95/60

Shreveport 93/62

-10s

HIGH

We continue to follow Isaias as it makes its way across the Gulf. It is expected to intensify further and make landfall on the Gulf coast east of SELA late on Friday. Otherwise, expect a mostly sunny to partly cloudy, warm and breezy day. Temperatures this afternoon will rise to the mid-80s. Winds are out of the northeast at 15 mph with gusts up to 25 mph. There is rain in the forecast but only about a 20 to 30% chance. There is a Storm Surge Watch, a Tropical Storm Watch and a Small Craft Advisory in effect.

60s

70s

80s

90s 100s 110s

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

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

OCT 10

City

Atlanta Austin Boston Charlotte Chicago Dallas Denver Houston Las Vegas

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

9:00p 5:04a 3:27a 5:49a 11:09a 9:59a 12:17p

Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today NEW

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

HIGH

6:58 a.m. 6:38 p.m. 4:56 a.m. 5:27 p.m.

FIRST

OCT 18

TODAY

85 91 73 85 71 88 84 93 98

66 64 53 61 51 66 56 67 75

FULL

LAST

OCT 25

pc pc pc s pc s s s s

NOV 1

80 91 69 77 70 90 85 91 97

FRI. Lo

62 62 50 59 59 65 55 67 74

pc pc s pc pc s s t s

FT.

LOW

0.00” 2.44” 0.80” 53.95” 51.76”

Continued from page 1A are prudent. “We are in a power-first world where speed to power is what will drive who wins economic opportunity for their communities,” May said at the hearing Wednesday. “This is an opportunity to change the trajectory of the state’s economy for generations to come.” Nonprofit and advocacy groups, including the Alliance for Affordable Energy, the Sierra Club and the Union of Concerned Scientists, have argued against the settlement. They have warned Entergy’s plans could force residents to pick up the tab on unnecessary power bills if Meta leaves at the end of the 20-year contract. Susan Miller, an attorney for the Alliance for Affordable Energy and the Union of Concerned Scientists, noted that some critics argue “data centers are being overbuilt,” will not be proﬁtable and could be a liability in the future. “Has Entergy looked into that at all?” she asked May. “I don’t know that we have exactly looked into that,” May said, countering that Meta receives revenue from sources unrelated to AI. May has argued the contract Meta signed protects ratepayers by ensuring Meta pays for its power even if it leaves early. Melanie Verzwyvelt, the Public Service Commission’s chief administrative law judge, is overseeing the case and is expected to issue a report on the proceedings. The PSC, made up of elected members who have largely supported the Meta data center, will have the ultimate power to approve or reject the plans. A host of states have issued moratoriums on data centers as national polls show public opinion swinging against them, but Gov. Jeff Landry, most of the PSC and many other elected

officials in Louisiana have continued to embrace them. Landry released a video Tuesday in front of Hut 8’s data center being built in St. Francisville, touting it as an economic development win. May, of Entergy, said in an editorial board meeting this week with The TimesPicayune | The Advocate that he’s confident regulators will ultimately approve Entergy’s plans. Those include infrastructure for a multibillion-dollar expansion of Meta’s data center in Richland Parish, bringing the cost of Meta’s data center to $50 billion. The settlement reached by Entergy and the PSC staff, submitted into the record in late September, lets Entergy bypass the traditional rules for building new power plants to speed up the build out. If the settlement gets the greenlight, Entergy can move forward with building seven new gas-fired power plants, three battery storage systems and other infrastructure without being required to go through a bid process typically required to ensure the utility is choosing the lowest-cost option. Three of the power plants will be depreciated over 32 years, meaning customers could be on the hook for several billion dollars in costs if Meta leaves after the 20-year contract is up. Entergy argues the company would still need those power plants for the entire system because of plant retirements in the coming decades. Four of the five members of the PSC have previously voted in support of Entergy’s plans for Meta’s data center, while Democratic Commissioner Davante Lewis has raised concerns about the plans and whether residents will be on the hook for costs at the end of the contract. Entergy’s plans to support Meta’s data center have already caused controversy in north Louisiana and beyond. The company is using expropriation laws to try to buy up properties around where it wants to build

READING 39 MAIN POLLUTANT Particulates

MAIN POLLUTANT Ozone

FT.

HIGH

0.6 5:05a 0.4 1.4 8:34a 1.3 2.1 7:43a 1.4 1.6 11:28a 1.0 1.1 6:12p 0.9 1.4 4:10p 1.1 1.3 7:14p 1.1

FT.

--3:09p 3:08p 5:33p 10:43p 9:53p 11:51p

LOW

FT.

----- --1.6 9:46p 1.1 2.2 8:03p 1.1 1.5 11:48p 0.9 0.9 --- --1.2 --- --1.2 --- ---

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 9:51a Friday 10:32a Saturday 11:15a Sunday 12:24p Monday 12:27a Tuesday 1:20a Wednesday 2:15a

City

Los Angeles 93 Miami 89 Nashville 88 New York City 74 Philadelphia 78 Phoenix 103 St. Louis 83 San Francisco 77 Seattle 70

3:40a 4:21a 5:03a 5:49a 6:39a 7:32a 8:27a

TODAY Lo

68 79 54 54 54 81 59 57 55

10:13p 10:54p 11:37p ---12:51p 1:44p 2:40p

s t s s s s s pc pc

GOOD

SOURCE: LOUISIANA DEQ AND AIRNOW.GOV

86 91 88 70 74 104 89 71 63

4:02p 4:43p 5:26p 6:12p 7:03p 7:57p 8:53p

FRI. Lo

68 78 63 54 53 79 63 59 47

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

ENTERGY

TODAY

GOOD

PRECIPITATION

86°/76° 84°/68° 91°/76° 92° in 2019 45° in 1991

YESTERDAY

s t s s s s s pc sh

FLOOD STAGE

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

34 48 48 35 27 22 17

2.30 25.40 27.60 12.90 7.80 6.21 5.10

-1.13 -0.76 -1.00 -0.10 +0.30 +0.33 +0.42

22.65

+4.11

-1.46

+0.14

18 29 8

-1.17 10.12 3.17

-0.16 -0.28 -0.09

13 15

1.77 0.89

-0.76 +0.22

47 34 29 20 12 6

10.94 7.37 5.87 5.26 4.20 2.60

-0.33 -0.50 +0.10 -0.45 none +0.03

data as of 7 a.m. Wednesday

massive transmission lines, a move that has prompted backlash from landowners. Entergy and Public Service Commissioner Mike Francis held a town hall last week in Jena at which dozens of landowners complained about Entergy’s plans. Entergy’s proposed acquisition of a gas-ﬁred power plant in Texas called Cottonwood drew a rebuke in June from a consultant for the PSC, who analyzed the deal and found it would effectively mean residents foot the bill for some of Meta’s power needs. Meta and Entergy denied the consultant’s report. Plans for the Cottonwood plant are now on pause. May declined to offer an update on the status of the deal Tuesday. Meta and other tech companies have promised to pay for their own power needs, and Landry has sought to quell voter concerns through an executive order. The order makes it a requirement for companies to pay for their own power in order to gain access to a lucrative tax break Landry and state lawmakers approved for data centers. So far, data center developers here have claimed $39 million in sales tax rebates through the new program, according to data provided by the Louisiana Department of Revenue in response to a public records request. The number is expected to grow into the billions in the coming years.

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JEFFERSON • NEW ORLEANS • ST. TAMMANY • RIVER PARISHES ST. BERNARD • TANGIPAHOA • PLAQUEMINES

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N O L A.C O M

T h u r s d ay, O c T O b e r 8, 2026

1bN

AG: Kenner council broke meetings law

Members sent letter with nominations to airport board BY LARA NICHOLSON Staff writer

The Louisiana attorney general found Wednesday that four Kenner City Council members had violated state open meetings law after they sent a letter making nominations to the New Orleans airport board. Attorney General Liz Murrill determined that the members had unlawfully nominated three

had vetoed his name. Jonah Gilmore, director of communications for Moreno, said her appointment was “done in compliance with all applicable laws, intercity agreements and rules.” “This is an issue among the political actors in the city of Kenner that does not otherwise involve the city of New Orleans,” Gilmore said. The airport is owned by the city of New Orleans even though it sits outside the city, mostly in Kenner. Under an agreement between the two cities, Kenner makes three

people to the New Orleans sent to Kenner officials Aviation Board in August on Wednesday, concluded after Kenner Mayor Mithat the violation “renders the letter voidable” in chael Glaser had already court should a citizen ﬁle vetoed a resolution with a lawsuit. those names. She also said It wasn’t immediately the nominating letter declear what Murrill’s deciprived the public of the opportunity to comment Murrill sion means for aviation and amounted to a “means board member Barry Ranto circumvent the intent” of open shi, the nominee that New Orleans meetings law. Mayor Helena Moreno appointed Murrill’s ﬁnding, in a document to the board even though Glaser

nominations for the New Orleans mayor to choose from for one of nine seats on the aviation board. The four council members who nominated Ranshi — Joe Stagni, Tom Willmott, Joey Lahatte and Danny Riehm — previously denied that the letter was sent unlawfully and said that Kenner’s agreement with New Orleans did not give the Kenner mayor the power to recommend or veto aviation board nominees. Stagni, in a response to Murrill,

ä See COUNCIL, page 2B

NORD CEO finalists make pitches

TIME TO REFLECT

Commission to decide between two candidates

BY JONI HESS Staff writer

STAFF PHOTO BY DAVID GRUNFELD

Loyola University New Orleans senior Katherine Mejia is reflected in a mirror intended for use as a prop as she moves equipment across campus in preparation for a senior thesis film shoot. Mejia serves as first assistant director for Julian Burdine’s ‘Blood Vinegar,’ a film set in 1969 about a young woman whose search for love unravels into a deadly love triangle.

H H

ELECTION

Hopefuls vie for St. Tammany Parish School Board seats

She said the board’s greatest Members will serve a challenges have come from “frustrations we are up against with unique five-year term state mandates” from the Board of

BY JIM DERRY Staff writer

Voters in St. Tammany Parish will have plenty to decide in the Nov. 3 election, with two of those elections coming in School Board Districts 6 and 7, which serve much of south and southeast Mandeville, along with Lacombe. Each features a newcomer challenging an incumbent. Members of the St. Tammany Parish School Board will serve a unique five-year term beginning in January — instead of the normal four years — which could play a role in the seven races up for grabs in the Nov. 3 election.

DISTRICT 6 The coverage area includes Old Mandeville and an area just east of Causeway Boulevard and south of Interstate 12.

Amanda Reed Martin Reed Martin, 46, is a stay-athome mom of five children ranging from fifth grade to a freshman at Concordia University in Chicago. A Republican, she is a former stockbroker who has a master’s in microbiology from LSU. She is a first-term incumbent currently serving as the School Board’s president.

Elementary and Secondary Education. “While we’re up against things we cannot control, we have worked well with legislators and our northshore delegation” in state government, Reed Martin said. Reed Martin said the board will have to tackle difﬁcult issues in the upcoming term under intense public scrutiny. “Things have to get better. I will always ﬁght for the kids in this parish, because I have four kids who will be in this school system for the next nine years,” she said. “I was a student in this school system, and so was my husband. My oldest started in the school system and graduated from (Mandeville High). I have seen all the wonderful things this school system has done.”

H H

Candidates face off for St. Tammany sheriff

Superintendent Robert 4 hopefuls answer lice Hodges, retired U.S. Marshal Illing, retired St. Tamquestions at forum Scott many Parish Sheriff’s Ofﬁce

BY JIM DERRY Staff writer

The four candidates running to become St. Tammany Parish’s next sheriff presented their platforms at a forum in Mandeville on Wednesday, with each stressing the importance of restoring trust in an agency that’s been riven by budget worries, ﬂagging morale and a scandal that felled its former leader. Former Louisiana State Po-

Lt. David Maki and ex-Slidell interim Police Chief Daniel Seuzeneau ﬁelded questions at The Greystone from Kyle Beerbohm, a board member of the St. Tammany Chamber of Commerce. During the event, one of multiple forums and debates held ahead of the Nov. 3 election, the candidates largely echoed each other’s points. Each emphasized his long

ä See SHERIFF, page 2B

Erin Oramous Oramous, 67, spent 30 years in the school system’s central ofﬁce as its health insurance coordinator and later headed the employees’ retirement plans. “If someone needed to know something about insurance, they’d say, ‘Call Erin,’ ” she said. Since retiring eight years ago, she works as an assistant in the Hannan High ofﬁce.

ä See HOPEFULS, page 2B

STAFF PHOTO BY CHRIS GRANGER

Candidates for St. Tammany Parish sheriff, from left, former Louisiana State Police Superintendent Robert Hodges, retired U.S. Marshal Scott Illing, retired St. Tammany deputy David Maki and former Slidell interim Police Chief Daniel Seuzeneau stand for an opening prayer at a St. Tammany Chamber of Commerce luncheon at The Greystone in Mandeville on Wednesday.

The two candidates in the running to become the next CEO of New Orleans’ public recreation department said they would deepen its community presence, protect public dollars and create more recreational opportunities for youth and adults. The New Orleans Recreation and Development Commission will decide between former recreation leader Corey Wilson and maritime port executive Patrice Bell behind closed doors Thursday. The two New Orleans natives made their case in a public forum Wednesday on why they’re the best candidate for the job as part of a weekslong process to identify a new leader. The national search has drawn broad interest citywide since longtime CEO Larry Barabino Jr. resigned in June. Many residents said they feel deeply connected to the recreation department they grew up with and want to see it thrive. But they said more needs to be done to address a mountain of problems plaguing the system. “How can we make sure that every park is well attended?” Wilson asked. “It gets back to the benefits that you receive when you are at a park, the benefits you receive when you are at a recreation center. And so we want everybody to reap those benefits, to be able to have mentors, have coaches, work on their social skills and meet other kids from different neighborhoods.” “The impact that NORD has had on my life, on my own children’s lives, on the lives of countless children … I know what NORD can do for this community,” Bell said. In arriving at a choice between Wilson and Bell, the NORD commission narrowed down a group of 10 semifinalists after an initial screening process that drew 176 applications overall. Final interviews were held Wednesday morning and the commission held a public engagement meeting where candidates discussed their backgrounds and fielded questions from residents. Bell previously held an administrative role at Xavier University of Louisiana and was a public information officer for transportation firm Transdev when it managed the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority. Bell applied out of a desire to strengthen opportunities for youth after experiencing the impact NORD programs have had on her own upbringing and the lives of her children.

ä See FINALISTS, page 2B

2B ✦ Thursday, October 8, 2026 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune

lll

Sheriff: Man accused of stabbing, raping 16-year-old girl BY MICHELLE HUNTER Staff writer

A Hahnville man was jailed on counts of attempted first-degree murder and first-degree rape after Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office investigators say he stabbed and sexually assaulted a 16-year-old girl he met online. Matthew Zeringue, 21, was arrested Friday night, six hours after the attack which occurred at Kings

HOPEFULS

Continued from page 1B She has spent nearly all of her life in Covington and was born at St. Tammany Hospital. She has often contemplated running for School Board since retiring, but this time, “prayer led me to go for it,” she said. The key platform for Oramous, a Republican, is her desire to lessen workloads for teachers. She says the School Board must work with the state to “cut down on the red tape” and streamline the mandates. “I didn’t treat anyone differently — any teacher, employee, custodian or principal — and they could come to me with their problems when I was there, and I would help them get their issues resolved,” Oramous said. “Sometimes it might not be the answer they wanted, but I was kind enough to explain why it couldn’t happen that way. And they were OK when they left.”

DISTRICT 7 The district includes Lacombe and just outside the eastern edge of Mandeville.

Ben Banchs Banchs, 52, is a union representative for federal employees of the Department of Defense and spent 27 years in the Louisiana Air National Guard as a maintenance mechanic working on F-15 fighter jets. He also is active in the local music scene as a lead singer for three bands. His interest in the School Board began almost two decades ago, when boundaries were being drawn for Lakeshore High School. Two years ago, he became an advocate for teachers and staff in the school system and spoke out regularly in favor of negotiating for more pay, he said. School safety is another major reason for running, said Banchs, who is registered with no political party. The recent events at Lyon Elementary, in which two school administrators pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of failure to report, have led to Banchs appearing at recent School Board meetings, and he was one of 25 speakers at the emergency meeting called Sept. 21. “I’m a big accountability guy, and this plays into everything,” he said. “You cannot have a successful school district if you don’t have a safe school district. Everything ﬂows from the top down.”

Isabelle Moore Moore, 77, is retired educator who spent nearly four decades in the Orleans, Jefferson and St. Tammany Parish school systems. That includes her last 10 years as a principal at Mandeville Elementary, a Blue Ribbon School award winner. Moore, the incumbent, has spent the past five years on the School Board, taking over an unexpired term for Shelta Richardson in 2021 and winning her own term in 2022. She said she has “found the work to be rewarding.” Much of her week before Thursday board meetings includes reviewing the agendas, conducting research and verifying facts to “have everything I need to make informed decisions.” “We obviously need to be ﬁscally responsible,” said Moore, a Republican. “When I took over in 2021 on a temporary basis, I did it because I knew it was a test. I liked it, and I feel like I accomplished quite a bit. I love going back to the schools and being with the kids, helping the kids.” This series will conclude with a look at the races for Districts 9, 11 and 12. Email Jim Derry at jderry@ theadvocate.com.

Grant Playground in Harvey, said Sgt. Brandon Veal, spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Ofﬁce. The victim suffered stab wounds to her neck, face and hands. She was treated for her injuries and released from a hospital, according to authorities. Zeringue and the victim met online through an unidentiﬁed social media platform. It’s not clear how long the two knew one another before they agreed to meet up about

ST. TAMMANY SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATES DISTRICT 6

AMANDA REED MARTIN AGE, BORN, LIVES: 46. Born New Orleans, but has spent nearly all her life in Mandeville, where she lives today. EDUCATION: Graduated from Mandeville High in 1998. Earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s — both in microbiology from LSU. PROFESSIONAL: A former stockbroker, she is a stay-at-home mom with four children still living here and another in college at Concordia University in Chicago. Reed Martin is an incumbent who currently serves as the School Board president. POLITICAL AFFILIATION: Republican

ERIN ORAMOUS AGE, BORN, LIVES: 67. Born Covington; lives in Mandeville. EDUCATION: Graduated from Covington High. Studied at Southeastern Louisiana. PROFESSIONAL: Retired eight years ago. Currently works at Hannan High School in the student center as an assistant. Worked for 30 years at the central office in St. Tammany as the health insurance coordinator and later was in charge of employees’ retirement plans. POLITICAL AFFILIATION: Republican

DISTRICT 7

ISABELLE MOORE AGE, BORN, LIVES: 77. Born in New Orleans; lives in Bayou Lacombe. EDUCATION: Gradated from Warren Easton High School in New Orleans. Earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from LSUNO and a master’s in curriculum instruction from UNO. She also attended Loyola University New Orleans and Xavier New Orleans. PROFESSIONAL: Began teaching in Orleans Parish and spent 13 years in the Jefferson Parish public school system as a teacher and Title I coordinator. From 1983 through 2008, she was as teacher and then administrator in St. Tammany, including as a principal at Mandeville Elementary for 10 years. She has served on the School Board since December 2021. POLITICAL AFFILIATION: Republican

BEN BANCHS AGE, BORN, LIVES: 52. Born Ponce, Puerto Rico; lives in Mandeville. EDUCATION: Graduated from Grace King High School in Metairie. Attended Southeastern Louisiana and UNO and earned a bachelor’s degree in communications from Ashford University in Iowa. PROFESSIONAL: Representative for Laborers International Union of North America local 1776, representing federal employees of the Department of Defense. He also previously spent 27 years in the Army National Guard. POLITICAL AFFILIATION: No party

4:45 p.m. Friday. The teen got into Zeringue’s vehicle. He attacked her when she refused to have sex with him, Sheriff’s Ofﬁce investigators say. Zeringue raped the girl and stabbed her multiple times, Veal said. Her injuries included defensive wounds to her hands. The victim tried several times to get out of Zeringue’s car, but he would not let her go, according to the Sheriff’s Ofﬁce.

The teen ﬁnally managed to ﬁght him off and ran from the vehicle, Veal said. She found a group of people in the park and they called law enforcement for help. Zeringue left the scene. Detectives obtained a warrant for his arrest, and he was taken into custody about 11:30 a.m. at his place of employment, a restaurant in the 4800 block of Veterans Memorial Boulevard, according to court records.

In addition to attempted murder and rape, Zeringue was booked with false imprisonment while armed with a weapon, aggravated battery and obstruction of justice, the Sheriff’s Ofﬁce said. He was being held Tuesday at the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center in Gretna. Bail was set at $819,000. Email Michelle Hunter at mhunter@theadvocate.com.

Law enforcement searches for woman after crash Driver missing since Sept. 30

BY DEAN BOUDREAUX Staff writer

Multiple law enforcement agencies searched along Interstate 10 in Iberville Parish on Tuesday for clues in the disappearance of a 22-year-old Texas woman who was last seen after a crash there, according to Louisiana State Police. Louisiana State Police said Christin Munn-Holliday left the scene of a hit-and-run crash on Interstate 10 in Iberville Parish and has not been seen since. Investigators said they believe she was driving one of the vehicles involved in the crash. “State Police Troop A is investigating the crash, which happened in the early morning hours of Sept. 30 on

SHERIFF

Continued from page 1B experience in law enforcement and the need to restore trust in the Sheriff’s Office. They all acknowledged potential budget issues facing whoever wins the election, stressed an ultimate goal of keeping residents of St. Tammany safe and focused on the need to halt violent crimes before they happen. The luncheon came less than four weeks before the election to see who will fill the remaining term of Randy Smith, who resigned and pleaded guilty to second-degree battery after attacking a critic at a local steakhouse. The term runs through June 2028. Though the tenures of the two past two sheriffs, Smith and Jack Strain, resulted in criminal charges, neither were mentioned by name. They only came up in the first question, when Beerbohm asked the candidates how they perceived the culture inside the Sheriff’s Office. Illing said that although he believed “we have a good Sheriff’s Office,” he said there are problems that exist, and that he would get rid of “the good old boy system.” Maki, who retired from the department in January, said, “I can tell you (the officers) are fearful.” “The previous leadership led by

COUNCIL

Continued from page 1B maintained they did not violate state law and said Murrill’s ﬁndings include “false and misleading” statements about the city’s airport board agreement with New Orleans. He also said the four council members did not meet in private, and that the letter simply reiterated the nominations passed in a council meeting. “This issue is resolved,” Stagni wrote. “The mayor of New Orleans has made her appointment and it has been ratiﬁed by the New Orleans City Council. The Ken-

FINALISTS

Continued from page 1B Bell said she believes her diverse background across industry sectors in government, business, philanthropic organizations and others would be an asset to NORD if she is selected. Under her leadership, she’d focus on strong programming, employee development and building community trust, among other areas, she said. Wilson is an attorney and the former superintendent of the Recreation and Park Commission of East Baton Rouge Parish, a position he held for six years before deciding to let his contract expire in early 2025. Wilson gave a rundown of his background that includes passing

I-10 eastbound near milepost 128,” Trooper Shelby Mayfield said in a statement. Troopers said Munn-Holiday was driving one of the vehicles involved. Preliminary evidence indicates she left on foot after the crash and has not been located, Mayfield said. “Louisiana State Police are utilizing available investigative resources and techniques in an effort to locate her,” Mayfield said. Troopers said they learned Oct. 1 that Munn-Holiday had also been reported missing to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office in Texas. That agency remains the lead investigator in the missing person case, Mayfield said. Troopers are coordinating with Harris County investigators. State Police said both investigations remain active. The agency said it will release no further details to protect the investigations.

Munn-Holiday’s family posted a flyer that lists her age as 22. The flyer says she was last seen in a crash on the Atchafalaya Basin Bridge before the Whiskey Bay exit around 1 a.m. Sept. 30. State Police have not confirmed the location beyond the milepost. Munn-Holiday’s mother said in a social media post that her daughter left home Sept. 29 and texted that she was headed to Louisiana. The mother said she lost contact with her daughter and does not believe she walked away on her own. The mother said the last address she was able to track her daughter’s cellphone to was 5100 Ambassador Caffery Parkway in Lafayette. Anyone with information can call the family at (567) 315-4283 or (346) 678-7504, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office at (713) 221-6000 or Louisiana State Police Troop A.

fear instead of motivation, and I will lead by motivation,” he added. Seuzeneau said the office “has an incredible pool of men and women, which is why this parish is so safe.” “When you change the culture at the top, it permeates all the way to the bottom, and that’s what we need,” he said. Also stressing the quality of deputies and administrators already inside the Sheriff’s Office, Hodges said moving forward “they just need the right leader, someone who has a proven professional law enforcement career and is not tied to politics.” Each of the candidates has spent years in law enforcement, though this is the first run for office for all but Illing, 65, who finished third in the race for sheriff in 2015, behind Strain and Smith. Illing began his career as a state trooper in the mid1980s and then had a three-decade run working in U.S. Customs and then as a U.S. marshal for a short time during the first term of President Donald Trump. Maki, 50, is the only one of the four candidates to have worked in the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office, serving for two decades beginning in 2006 before his retirement. Hodges and Seuzeneau each have experience running a law enforcement agency. Hodges, 54, was the superintendent of the Louisiana State Police for more than two years

and worked as a state trooper for 31 years, while Seuzeneau, 43, was interim Slidell police chief when Randy Fandal became the city’s mayor and has worked in several high-level positions over the past 20 years. The oversight of the Sheriff’s Office budget was a focus of the forum. Each candidate talked about what would happen if he was presented with a one-time, $10 million addition to the $95 million budget in 2027. A quarter-cent sales tax on the voters’ docket for December could add an additional $15 million to $20 million, which would be directed for use in the justice system. “The conditions of our jail right now is deplorable,” Seuzeneau said. “It needs to be fixed … because citizens are tired of this parish and the sheriff fighting over who should do what. The bottom line is it needs to be fixed, not only for the inmates, but for the deputies who work in that environment.” Meanwhile, Hodges said he would use the hypothetical money for “more enhanced training, ensuring you retain the deputies in the jail,” and Maki concurred that he would use a majority of the money for added training. Illing said: “Our philosophy is money goes into personnel first and for operational (matters) second.”

ner council followed state law, the Kenner charter and the Airport Expansion Agreement of 1985.” Lahatte said in a text message that he and other council members were still considering their next steps. A spokesperson for Glaser said the administration is evaluating the letter and its next course of action. Kenner City Council members Kristi McKinney and George Branigan had asked the attorney general last month to intervene on the airport board nominations, saying that their colleagues had overstepped their authority by sending a letter to Moreno without notifying them or the mayor.

Kenner’s city charter says the mayor can remove members of any board and veto any resolution, although elected ofﬁcials disagreed on whether that applied to the airport board. The conﬂict revealed new tensions among Kenner leaders. Stagni argued constituents want to see a more active council after years of rubber-stamping the mayor, while McKinney and others said the opposing members are disrupting a harmonious political dynamic. McKinney said Wednesday that she is happy with the ruling and that “hopefully it makes them realize that we need to all work together.”

a system-wide master plan that outlines park improvements over the next 10 years and a successful public campaign to renew a recreation property tax. Wilson dealt with some criticism during his tenure when BREC ﬁled a 2021 audit years behind schedule in 2024 and it revealed that an employee misappropriated nearly $70,000 in funds on personal expenses. Also under his leadership, the Baton Rouge park system received a National Gold Medal Award for Excellence in Park and Recreation Management in 2022. Asked after the meeting about what he would do to ensure there are better controls to prevent theft and misuse of public funds, Wilson said he’d advocate for stronger disciplinary measures for staff and other checks, such as supervi-

sor sign-offs and audits. “Thieves are always ahead of the curve,” he said. “Our responsibility is to put things in place to limit that risk, to catch people when they do it and take action,” he said.

Email Jim Derry at jderry@ theadvocate.com.

Email Joni Hess at joni.hess@ theadvocate.com.

LOTTERY

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New Orleans Area Deaths Anderson, Edna Dean, Darryl Guth, Paul Kempt, Melba Montero, Susan Sanchez, Stuart Taylor, Jane Williams, Betty

E Jefferson Garden of Memories Taylor, Jane

New Orleans Boyd Family Dean, Darryl

West Bank Davis Mortuary Williams, Betty Mothe Sanchez, Stuart

Obituaries Anderson, Edna Victoria 'Vicky'

Edna Victoria "Vicky" Anderson on was born on February 7,1941 and died peacefully in her home in Whitmar Acres on October 6, 2026. She was 85 years old and a lifelong resident of Hammond, Louisiana. Her parents were Victor Gordon Anderson and Edna Blanche White Anderson. Vicky was an unforgettable force to all who knew her. She was a graduate of Southeastern Laboratory High School and Southeastern Louisiana University where she earned a bachelor's degree in English and a master's degree Plus 30 in Special education. While in undergraduate school Vicky served as head cheerleader at Southeastern. She worked as a teacher in the Tangipahoa Parish public school system for 28 years. She loved spending time with her family at their camp in Manchac, dancing and water skiing. Legend has it that she taught half the population of Hammond how to ski. Formerly married to Gordon Wright Matheny, they had one daughter, Sabra Michelle. Vicky was forever the life of the party and was a third-generation faithful member of First Presbyterian Church of Hammond. She adored her nieces and nephews and participated joyfully in their endeavors. Vicky and her daughter Sabra shared an exceptionally loving bond throughout Vicky's life. Vicky was preceded in death by her parents, her sister Winnifred "Doots" Anderson Reno (Jack), her brother Victor Gordon Anderson, Jr., and his wife Eloise Goudeau Anderson. She is survived by her beloved daughter Sabra Matheney and Sabra's husband Dylan Turner whom she loved as a son, her brother Joseph Thomas "Tom" Anderson (Donna Gay Borden), and multiple generations of exceptional nieces and nephews. Sabra would like to thank Vicky's loving neighbor, Monika Somnerfield, caregiver Kitty Carter, the staff of Richard Murphy Hospice House, her caring physician Dr. Leonard Traenor, and the nurses and staff of Modern Hospice for their collective TLC of Vicky. Visitation with the family will take place at First Presbyterian Church of Hammond on Saturday October 10 from 9:00am until 11:00am with a brief service immediately following. The family requests that memorial donations be directed to Richard Murphy Hospice House or First Presbyterian Church of Hammond, Louisiana. Arrangements have been entrusted to Harry McKneely & Son Funeral

Home and Crematory of Hammond and Ponchatoula.

Dean, Darryl Charles

Darryl Charles Dean passed away on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, at the age of 67. Darryl Charles Dean is survived by his four children: Charles Dean, Derreck Dean, Frances Dean, and Darrylynn Dean; two grandsons, Christopher Dean and Kyler-Dream Dean; daughter-in-law; Kiara Triggs, adopted daughter, Charnell Julia Monique and his former wives, Denise Coffey Dean and Frances Smith-Dean. Also survived by several siblings and host of other relatives and friends. Preceded in death by his parents Joseph Dean and mother Mary Carey Dean. Family and friends are invited to attend the Celebration of Life Service on Saturday, October 10, 2026, for 9:00 a.m. at Bethany United Methodist Church, 4533 Mendez Street, New Orleans, LA 70126. Pastor Eugene M. Boger, officiating. Details of the military burial will be announced later. The family ask that in lieu of flowers please send your donations to the American Legion 82 Post at PO Box 8380 NO LA 701828380 or zelleProudNDeed@outlook.com in memory of Darryl Charles Dean. Guestbook Online: www.anewtraditio nbegins.com (504)282-0600. Linear Brooks Boyd and Donavin D. Boyd Owners/ Funeral Directors.

and the quiet encouragement he offered so generously throughout the years. Those who loved Paul will remember a man of remarkable steadiness and grace, one whose life was filled with accomplishment. He leaves behind a legacy of scholarship, scientific enquiry and warmth that will continue to be felt by all who knew him. His memory will remain a source of comfort and inspiration, and his life stands as a testament to a long life well lived. A visitation will be held at 9:00 AM on 2026-10-09 at E.J. Fielding funeral home, 2260 W. 21st Ave.

Kempt, Melba B.

Sanchez, Stuart David 'Buster' 'Meatball'

Melba B. Kempt born March 17, 1925, entered into eternal rest on September 29, 2026. She is survived by 3 children, 8 grandchildren, 10 great grandchildren and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends. Relatives, friends of the family and members of Genesis M.B. Church are invited to attend a viewing at 5:00 p.m. with services to follow at 6:00pm on October 9, 2026 at Genesis M. B. Church 1820 N. Robertson St. New Orleans, La., and the viewing at 10:00 a.m. with services to follow at 11:00 a.m. on October 10,2026 at Little Zion Baptist Church, 832 E. North St. Opelousas, La. Interment at Bellevue Memorial Park Cemetery Opelousas, La. Arrangements by Dennis Mortuary, 1812 Louisiana Avenue, New Orleans, LA.

Montero, Susan Landry

Guth, Paul S.

Dr. Paul S. Guth,died on October 1, 2026, in New Orleans of natural causes at the age of 95.B_orn on May 29, 1931, in New York. Paul was a man of deep intellect and steady purpose, and he devoted himself to learning, service, and the thoughtful pursuit of knowledge. He was guided by a sincere love of family, a respect for tradition, and a lifelong commitment to understanding the world around him. Paul earned his PhD from Hahnemann Medical School.His professional life included the study of the pharmacology of hearing for 40 years at Tulane Medical School, an area in which he applied his talents with focus and care. Those who knew him professionally remember not only his intelligence, but also his integrity and his calm, measured approach to every challenge. One of his proudest accomplishments is the founding with Skip Dempesy and Barbara M Phee of the charter school, New Orleans Math and Science High School. He was also a member of the Jewish faith, and his beliefs were an important part of the life he built. His values were reflected in the way he treated others, in the dignity with which he carried himself, and in the enduring importance he placed on learning. Outside of his professional and personal commitments, Paul found great joy in sailing. An avid sailor, he appreciated the discipline of the craft, and the peace that came from time spent at sea. Sailing offered him competition, adventure and reflection, and it remained one of the enduring pleasures of his life. Paul is survived by his four sons, Douglas, Gregory, Bradley, and Derek, who will remember him with love and gratitude. He also leaves behind his grandchildren, Nicholas Guth, Amanda Lucas, Leo Guth, Pablo Guth, and Jacob Guth and Mason Guth, each of whom carries forward a part of his legacy. His family will remember his wisdom, his humor,

also like to thank the doctors, nurses, and other caregivers who helped Susan in her final years of life, including the staff at Thibodaux General Rehabilitation Hospital, Baton Rouge General Prairieville and Bluebonnet, and Sunrise of Baton Rouge, especially "her Laura." And finally, special thanks to her sister, Kathy, and her "little friend," Paydan St. Romain, who cared for her deeply up until her passing. There will be a private mass and burial at St. Anne Catholic Church in Napoleonville at a later date where she will be laid to rest in her family's tomb, reuniting her with her love, Buddy. In lieu of flowers, the family ask that donations be made to MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Susan Landry Montero passed away on Thursday, October 1, 2026, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and great grandmother. Susan was born December 22, 1946, to Rufus Joesph Landry, Sr. and Mariella "Beedy" Triche Landry. She attended Assumption High School, graduating in 1965. She was married to Samuel "Buddy" Montero, Jr. until his death in 2011. Susan loved to read and spend time outdoors. She enjoyed gardening, fishing, and spending time at her camp in Grand Isle. She loved being surrounded by her family. Susan was married to Buddy in 1968 and moved to North Carolina while he completed his enlistment in the United States Marine Corp. They then returned home to Assumption Parish where she lived for most of her adult life. Susan and Buddy raised three children: Cherie, Chuckie and Ryan. She was preceded in death by parents, Rufus and Beedy Landry, her in-laws, Samuel Montero, Sr. and Katherine LeBlanc Montero, her husband, Buddy, two brothers, Rufus "Doofy" Landry, Jr. and Kenneth "Nute" Landry, Sr., and brother-in-law, Rick Falgout. She is survived by children, Cherie (Donald) Albro, Chuckie Montero, Ryan (Michele) Montero, grandchildren, Alycia LeBlanc (Tripp), Grant Montero (Amy), Matthew Albro, Declan Albro and Samantha Montero, daughter-in-law, Jenny Montero, three great grandchildren, her siblings Michael Landry (Gwen), Philip Landry (Bernadette), Stephen Landry, Sr. (Carrie), Kathy Yelverton (Jim), and Mark Landry (Kayte), sister-in-law Kitty Lou Falgout, and many special nieces, nephews and cousins. The family would

Stuart David "Buster" "Meatball" Sanchez of Marrero was born in New Orleans on October 17, 1952, and passed away peacefully on Friday, October 2, 2026, at 8:45 pm at The Sanctuary at Passages Hospice. He was 73. He was the beloved husband of Diana Hunter Sanchez for 53 years until his passing. Father of Tara Savannah Sanchez (Eddie Cortez). Son of the late Mervin Luke "Blackie" Sanchez and Alba Ruth Edgecombe Sanchez. Brother of Sara S. Rodrigue (late Rudy), the late Anthony Paul and two unnamed triplets, the late Karen S. Waguespack (Joseph Sr.), and the late Sybil S. Bowshier. Survived by many other loving nieces, nephews, relatives, friends, and two granddogs. Former member of the Structural Ironworkers Union, Local 58 New Orleans. He played tackle on the 1970 AAAA Louisiana State Champion West Jefferson Buccaneers football team, was a member of the Los Isleños Heritage and Cultural Society, and a Mayflower descendant.Stuart was mechanically-inclined and could draft--- and engineer anything. He loved woodworking, refinishing furniture, fishing and gardening. He lived by "reuse, refurbish, recycle, reinvent". Visitation will take place

The Times-Picayune ✦ nola.com ✦ Thursday, October 8, 2026 ✦ 3B

Friday, October 9, 2026, 11am until 1pm at Mothe Funeral Home, 7040 Lapalco Blvd., Marrero, Louisiana with a Funeral Service at 1pm and burial to follow at McDonogh Cemetary in Gretna. Family and friends can view and sign the online guest book at www.mothefunerals.com.

an organization of your choice. Online condolences may be offered at www.ga rdenofmemoriesmetairie.c om.

Taylor, Jane Hart

Williams, Betty Lou Ross

Jane Hart Taylor, age 99, passed away peacefully on September 30, 2026. Born on January 22, 1927 in Albany, GA, Jane was the daughter of the late Charlie and Mae Hart. Jane was preceded in death by her husband of over 63 years, Eddie Robert Taylor. Her legacy continues through her children, Eddie H. Taylor and Glenda T. Napier; 9 grandchildren: Michael, Jennifer, David, Jeremy, Marie, Sherrie, Jeannette, Leona, and Toni; and numerous greatgrandchildren. Jane is also survived by her sister, Nellie Hart Cosey. Jane was also preceded in death by her brothers, Charlie and Jack; her sisters, Francis and Judy; and her granddaughter, Angelique. A graduate of Butler High School, Jane began her career as a telephone operator before devoting herself to her family and community. She was an active member of Highland Baptist Church, where she contributed her time to the Sunday school, choir, and Vacation Bible School. The family extends their heartfelt gratitude to the hospice staff from Care Associates for their care of Jane during her final days. Funeral services will be held on Friday, October 9, 2026 at Garden of Memories Funeral Home & Cemetery, 4900 Airline Drive Metairie, LA 70001. Visitation will begin at 11:00 am with the service starting at 1:00 pm followed by burial. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations made in Jane's memory to

Betty R. Williams departed this life at her residence on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, at the age of 82. She was a native of Gibson, LA and a resident of Marrero, LA. Relatives and friends of the family, also pastors, officers, and members of Rock of Ages Baptist Church and all neighboring churches are invited to attend the Celebration of Life at Rock of Ages Baptist Church, 6533 Acre Rd. Marrero, LA on Friday, October 9, 2026, at 10:00a.m. Pastor T. A. Ranson, Sr. officiating. Visitation will begin at 8:30a.m. until service time at the church. Interment: Woodlawn Park Memorial Cemetery-Westwego, LA. Arrangements by Davis Mortuary Service, 230 Monroe St. Gretna, LA. To view and sign the guestbook, please go to ww w.davismortuaryservice. com.

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OPINION N O L A.C O M/opinions

OUR VIEWS

N.O. school closures will be painful, but what’s the alternative? We fully appreciate that closing a school — any school — is gut-wrenching. Schools serve as community anchors and often command deep loyalty from their graduates. More importantly, closing a school causes disruption for students who must find another place to go and then adjust to it. In New Orleans, where 21 years ago Hurricane Katrina led to an initial system shutdown followed by a full-scale reinvention, the grief over what might be lost when a beloved neighborhood school closes can be particularly acute. Yet while we fully understand the emotion the possibility of closing L.B. Landry High School in Algiers has generated, we urge officials and citizens to consider the challenges that await if NOLA Public Schools do not fully grapple with a downturn in enrollment so severe that it could endanger education for all the students in the mostly charter system. The fact is that Landry — already the product of a difficult merger 13 years ago with O. Perry Walker High — is in real trouble. The building can hold about 1,300 students, but it currently enrolls roughly 500. Last year, it earned a D rating from the state, and the charter organization that has operated it says it will no longer do so after this year. Officials say the school’s ultimate fate is still undecided. More broadly, the system is looking at an enrollment cliff so steep that it cannot support the current number of schools without drastic cuts. Total enrollment has dropped by about 3,000 just since 2019. Each empty seat costs about $12,000. That means less economy of scale, and fewer total dollars in each school to pay for teacher salaries, curriculum and lab materials, social workers, after-school tutoring and reading support staff. Superintendent Fateama Fulmore says that’s why the district will likely need to shutter five or six elementary schools and two or three high schools in the coming years. It’s worth noting that only a handful of people who showed up at a recent meeting about Landry were parents of current students. The charter experiment lets families vote with their feet — which means that low enrollment reflects demand. The stark numbers are driven not just by New Orleans’ stagnant population but by broader demographic trends. Right-sizing is painful but necessary. Suggesting otherwise is simply unrealistic, and politicians who argue for easy answers do their constituents no favors. All this comes as the system is actually showing some impressive improvement. One recent analysis found that New Orleans students are leading the nation in reading and math growth. So as it enters this difficult time, we urge the Orleans Parish School Board to be guided by impartial data with an eye toward results — and to remember that failure to act responsibly wouldn’t protect an untenable status quo. It would just rob the city’s students of the opportunity to attend schools that are positioned to meet their needs and help them succeed.

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

Millions of Americans are facing an impossible situation. They were receiving SNAP — Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — benefits because they qualified under strict government rules. And then that changed. Maybe they had to reapply and got tripped up by new paperwork requests. Or their child turned 14, so their work requirement altered. There are all kinds of reasons, but since July 2025, 5 million Americans have lost their SNAP benefits, 2 million of them children. And 82,000 of those kids are from Louisiana. SNAP is our nation’s most powerful anti-hunger program, helping over 635,000 Louisianans buy groceries amid today’s affordability crisis. Most stay on the program less than a year. Families are losing their benefits after Congress made sweeping cuts to SNAP last year. And it’s about to

get much worse as major structural changes go into effect, putting an unprecedented cost burden on states. Here in Louisiana, we’re facing a potential bill of more than $300 million to keep SNAP running come next October, and — like many families around the kitchen table — we’re going to have to make trade-offs from other essentials to pay that bill. Keep in mind, we’re living in the state with the highest poverty level in the nation, nearly double the national level. Any trade-off to pay any bill is going to come at a high, painful cost. Congress has an opportunity to reverse or delay the most harmful cuts to SNAP before the end of the year. Tell our leaders in Congress that folks in Louisiana are willing to ﬁght to keep this program in place to ensure that families and children won’t go hungry.

RHONDA JACKSON director, No Kid Hungry Louisiana New Orleans

Allow small tours access to cemeteries Re: “Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 in New Orleans is reopening to the public. But ‘no ghost tours,’” Sept. 24. As a tour operator, I am interested in this article. I do not give walking tours of the Garden District and so am not directly affected by the Preservation Resource Center being the only entity currently granted permission to give tours of Lafayette Cemetery No. 1. Those tour companies that do give tours of the Garden District will have to explain to their guests that they are unable to enter the cemetery without also purchasing a cemetery tour through another company.

Small business owners cannot provide these cemetery tours with their Garden District tours, resulting in an unnecessary inconvenience to guests and the loss of revenue to small independent tour businesses. These owners were able to offer cohesive services before one company took over operation of St. Louis No. 1. The small operator has now been left out of the business equation. Hopefully, with the reopening of Lafayette No. 1, reasonable access to cemetery tours will be allowed for both guests and small businesses.

CANDANCE KAGAN Metairie

Kennedy should try being a good public servant TO SEND US A LETTER, SCAN HERE

In-person doctor care vital for safe pill abortion

Fight cuts to SNAP program that aids hungry in Louisiana

Watching Sen. John Kennedy attempting to smear an exemplary public servant makes me wonder why Kennedy doesn’t try being an exemplary public servant. It has to be easier than contorting himself beyond recognition. Kennedy’s histrionics are an embarrassment to America. They only serve to outline the stark contrast between ethical behavior and — well, his behavior.

Kennedy should give up this insane effort to defend Trump’s actions and work to remove Trump from ofﬁce now. Dump all of Trump’s embarrassingly incompetent and malevolent minions. Kennedy should represent his constituents — real people, not corporations and dollars. Sen. Kennedy, be better. Do your job!

The newspaper ran a front-page story on Oct. 1 regarding Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill asking the U.S. Supreme Court to revoke abortion “shield laws” in California, New York and Massachusetts. This action by Louisiana and two other states would end the legal protection of practitioners in other states for prescribing and providing the abortion pills, mifepristone and misoprostol, to women in Louisiana seeking pregnancy termination. Regardless of one’s stance on abortion, the interstate provision of drugs by mail is fraught with problems. Interrupting the direct doctorpatient relationship can be serious. Life-threatening problems may arise with pill-induced terminations. It is estimated that 1 in 10 cases of pill-induced abortion will require further hospitalization or acute medical care for complications such as bleeding, retained fetal tissue and infection. Women with ectopic/tubal pregnancies may experience fatal internal hemorrhage. It was reported earlier this year that as many as 28 women have died after taking the “safe pill” combination since 2000. (Further analysis however, reveals that 10 of these deaths may have been from other causes.) Being under the care of a personal physician when treating pregnancy termination issues is far safer than treatment by a telemarketer. The same holds true for the treatment of cardiovascular disease, hypertension and infections such as pneumonia. Placing a stethoscope upon a patient’s chest is far superior to any treatment provided through the U.S. Postal Service. For this reason, we are against the out-of-state provision of any medications without oneon-one supervision by a healthcare provider.

JOHN E. HEVRON JR., M.D. BENNIE NOBLES, M.D. THOMAS KENNEDY, M.D. New Orleans

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The Times-Picayune F nola.com F Thursday, October 8, 2026 F 5B

COMMENTARY Prosecutors keep persecuting exonerated man from Monroe

A mind-boggling, never-ending “murder” case in Monroe has reached a point where a long-standing idea again has relevance. Namely, it should be easier to penalize abusive prosecutors and investigators. Today, abusive law enforcement continues in the case of Jimmie “Chris” Duncan, released last November after 32 years imprisonment — 27 years on death row — for an alleged rape and murder that not only did he surely not commit, but that probably didn’t take place at all. Now, astonishingly, even after both a new trial judge and the Quin unanimous verdict of the Hillyer Louisiana State Supreme Court has found, after all these years, that Duncan is “factually innocent” of rape and murder, Ouachita Parish District Attorney Robert Tew has reopened the case. With Duncan finally a free man with a good job, Tew reportedly has threatened to exhume the body — after 33 years!! — of deceased toddler Haley Oliveaux. The mind reels at the sheer cruelty of persecuting Duncan, not to mention the cruelty to members of both sides of Oliveaux’s family, including her mother, who all say they firmly believe Duncan is innocent. Three earlier columns here have discussed this case, in which the 23-month-old daughter of Duncan’s then-girlfriend drowned in a partly filled bathtub while in Duncan’s care. Duncan says he was washing dishes in a nearby room for several minutes, only to return and find Haley dead. For years, Duncan’s defenders have noted that little Haley had suffered a series of seizures in the weeks before her death. Doctors specifically had told Haley’s mother, Allison Statham, not to leave her unattended in a bath because another seizure could cause drowning, but Statham said she never passed that message to Duncan. Famed investigative reporter Radley Balko — who has written about this case on and off for 19 years — has noted that a doctor back then also had diagnosed Haley with something called Stevens-Johnson syndrome, which can

PROVIDED PHOTO

Jimmie Duncan, second from left, with family and friends at the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola.

lead to exactly the conditions on the girl’s posterior that prosecutors alleged were a sign of rape. Still, nothing else about her condition indicated rape or abuse of any sort, and there was no blood or other indicators of violence anywhere in or near the house and no cleaning agents that could have been used to wash away evidence. The main supposed physical evidence of a crime (other than negligence) came from “bite mark analysis,” which is now recognized as a pseudoscience. In little Haley’s case, the bite-mark pronouncements were made by two doctors who by now have been widely discredited, and whose testimonies in nine cases led to convictions since overturned by subsequent, hard-evidence ﬁndings. And that’s just part of the large set of ﬁndings that helped exonerate Duncan from Kafkaesque injustice. Anyway, after state Supreme Court justices this year wrote scathingly of the injustice perpetrated for years against Duncan, most decent people would want the wrongfully imprisoned man to keep building his new life in

freedom. But not Tew and his investigators. On Sept. 16, police showed up at the door of Statham, the mother, demanding a DNA sample. They want new samples from Duncan, too. They previously lost the old “rape kit” that was used in the case. And, according to both Statham and the lawyers pleading Duncan’s case, the prosecutors say they will exhume Haley’s corpse, if necessary. After a Sept. 30 court hearing on the matter, District Court Judge Jessica Williams gave each side until Oct. 16 to file briefs in favor or denying the demand for new DNA. This is insane. What, after 33 years, can DNA show now that wasn’t available in 1999? And why put the entire family of the deceased toddler through the added, gut-wrenching trauma of digging up the girl’s corpse? This is abusive. And it’s part of a major problem in the American justice system. Prosecutors, and sometimes investigators, possess vast powers with almost no consequences for misuse. For 18 years I’ve written about prosecutorial abuse and “overcriminalization,” one of the few subjects on whose problematic nature the conservative Heritage Foundation and the liberal American Civil Liberties Union long agreed. Examples are legion, including at least several in Louisiana. Even when malicious investigations or prosecutions don’t result in indictments, they can cost the target huge amounts of money, not to mention reputation, to defend against. In civil courts, lawyers can be heavily penalized for filing frivolous or “nuisance” cases. In criminal courts, it is extremely rare and difficult to punish rogue prosecutors. That must change. Exactly how to change it is unclear, but a group called Protect Ethical Prosecutors is trying. Chris Duncan’s case should be Example One of why PEP deserves to succeed. And Judge Williams should deny the prosecutors’ abusive fishing expedition. Email Quin Hillyer at quin.hillyer@ theadvocate.com.

Grim prognosis for the post-literate future Supposed menaces multiply rapidly not just unwilling; they are unable to as technologies — smartphones, articomprehend sophisticated, nuanced narratives. As deep reading becomes, ficial intelligence — mutate. But the Marriott says, a “rare, even esoteric most menacing development involves accomplishment,” our culture no exotic technology, so it is disbecomes unmoored “from regarded. its foundations in the written But not by James Marriott. word.” This British thinker warns us: Marriott thinks the “digital An artifact that enabled moderbombardment” from smartnity — skepticism, rationality, science, democracy — is now of George phones is “the major culprit” rapidly dwindling importance. in producing “a post-literate Will This artifact, which onlookers future that resembles the presaid “addicted” its early adoptliterate past: mystical, tribal and autocratic.” He might, however, be ers, was: the book. insufficiently pessimistic. So, read one. This one: Marriott’s Yes, “the moronic inferno of social slender “The New Dark Ages: The media” partly explains the “fading of Death of Reading and the Dawn of the the written word.” Post-Literate Society.” But perhaps a large and growing In the 18th century, suddenly many people began to read widely, especially majority is pathetically nostalgic for what was, until recently, normal: the books. Although it was not until late mental lassitude of pre-literate people in the next century that adult literacy who flinch from the imaginative and became nearly universal in North Atcreative act of immersive reading. lantic nations, in the previous century, Such reading is demanding. It is a kind reading spread far beyond the minusof work. It is, however, exhilarating becule sliver of society that could read, or afford, books. cause it is not passive. It is the opposite Print culture involved what Marriott of what screens offer their enervated, calls “the imaginative and participaglassy-eyed grazers. The invention of writing emancipated tory quality of reading.” This “astonishingly recent phenomenon,” he says, humanity from enslavement to memfostered the rising prestige of reason, ory. Societies without vibrant writing and the retreat of superstition. cultures are timid, hidebound, uncuriEngaging with the printed word in ous. “When we write our ideas down book form, Marriott writes, “changed we externalise part of our minds,” how people thought.” Long-form prose Marriott says. Written, ideas can be strengthened the mental muscles nec“analysed, challenged and improved.” Print culture, a still brief and perhaps essary for prolonged concentration on arguments and complexities: Readers, ending chapter in the human story, deMarriott says, began to question remocratized information, which hitherto ceived ideas: “Where does power come had been controlled by the powerful. from? How should we classify whales? Imagine how augmented their power will be when they do not need to bother How do we know the Bible is true?” rationing information to an uninterToday, numerous literature professors report that they formerly exested, nonreading public. “It is difficult,” Marriott writes, “to pected students to read a novel a week, but no longer assign such masterpieces appreciate how central reading was once to almost every aspect of life.” as George Eliot’s “Middlemarch” or When the novelist Victor Hugo died James Joyce’s “Ulysses.” Students are

in 1885, 2 million Parisians filled the streets. When the heroine of Samuel Richardson’s 1740 novel “Pamela” married, Marriott says, church bells rang across England. But Samuel Johnson (1709-1784), who flourished when reading did, nevertheless said, “People in general do not willingly read if they can have anything else to amuse them.” Today, Marriott says, amusement “has been blitzed by the food-blender forces of the algorithm to its most easily digestible form.” To gauge the leakage of complexity and nuance from our culture, compare the lyrics of Cole Porter with those of Justin Bieber. Or note, as the Economist has, that sentences in popular books have become shorter by almost a third since the 1930s. Marriott recalls that in the 1950s, Lionel Trilling’s collection of literary essays, “The Liberal Imagination,” sold more than 100,000 copies. Bestselling novels in the 1960s included Saul Bellow’s “Herzog” and Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa’s “The Leopard.” “On the page,” Marriott says, “invective quickly becomes tedious.” On screens, “intransigence and madness” proliferate. We are attempting “to run a democracy without a grown-up conversation.” We are learning this: Reason, tolerance and progress are contingent, not inherent, facets of humanity’s story. Is it possible, Marriott wonders, “to run the most advanced civilisation in the history of the planet with the intellectual apparatus of a pre-literate society”? He notes that, in proposing a grotesquely gargantuan Arc de Trump, “the first post-literate president reached instinctively for a visual style that defined autocratic politics before the age of mass literacy.”

Cutting off a parent doesn’t have to mean cruelty An in-law, age 95 and on her deathbed, was having some ﬁnal conversations. She brought up a memory of her own mother, who had lost a 2-year-old daughter to a childhood disease. When she misbehaved as a child, the elderly woman recalled, “My mother would say, ’I wish you had died instead of Alice.”’ She Froma then tried to reason that her Harrop mother, enduring a hard life on an Indiana farm, was probably just expressing grief. Possibly true, but the hurt haunted the surviving daughter until her last breath, nearly a century after the words were spoken. A trend has grown in recent years of children cutting off one or both allegedly toxic parents from all contact. My in-law had endured an extreme example of verbal abuse. But she grew up in a culture where family members were triple knotted together. Despite it all, a faded photograph of the cruel matriarch always hung in her parlor. Nowadays, Americans seem to place more value on individual happiness and self-esteem. Older children who cut contact with their parents will cite abuse, ranging from emotional to physical to sexual. Some remain incensed that their parents never apologized for past meanness or that they continue to bully, belittle and invade their privacy. The trend has ignited a countermovement of estranged parents who afﬁx blame on ex-spouses, therapists and the children themselves. A study at Ohio State University found that nearly 80% of the estranged mothers surveyed believed that an ex-husband or son- or daughter-in-law had turned a child against her. These complaints sometimes seem fair in the eyes of outside observers. Sometimes they do not. Same goes for the children who are ghosting a parent. A Connecticut mother named Laura Wellington has built a media empire upon her rage. Her Facebook group is called “Doormat Mom No More.” She does TikToks, wrote a book and was featured in People magazine. As Wellington tells the story, her daughter uninvited her to her wedding in Australia. Wellington then messaged the groom to say that she was taking back an earlier blessing of the marriage. (Adding a martyred touch, she also wished the couple well.) And she’s railed against her daughter as an “ungrateful little bastard.” Reading Wellington does not automatically elicit sympathy. Many such parents accuse their children of being “spoiled,” citing the enormous sums spent on their education, sports and cultural enrichment. However, some success-driven parents show little patience for offspring wired differently. They see children as extensions of themselves who must excel in all competitions. Interestingly, indulged children frequently resent their upbringing. Parents who shielded children from everyday challenges often raise adults unable to solve their own problems. When they do wrong, their parents cover up for them. True story: A man in his 30s living in his own apartment called his mom, three states away, when he needed an electrician. An electrician magically arrived at his door. “The safest way to make a child unhappy is to accustom him to get everything he wants,” French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau wrote 264 years ago. Austrian psychiatrist Alfred Adler expanded on that idea in the 20th century. He said that the “pampered child” is often resentful toward a mother who indulged him. The children tend not to connect their anger at being spoiled, but rather on what they saw as the parent’s insistence on invading their space or hovering, which may also be the case. Skilled therapists can help in reconciling the warring parties. To succeed, everyone’s ears must be open and overactive egos parked in the garage. In the end, this must be said: Parting ways with cruel people, parents included, can be a form of self-preservation. Froma Harrop is on X, @FromaHarrop. Email her at fharrop@gmail.com.

Email George Will at georgewill@washpost.com.

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Grants to boost Louisiana school security Program awards $5M for campus safety upgrades

BY CHARLES LUSSIER Staff writer

Twenty-three schools in the Baton Rouge region are among 119 across Louisiana that recently received state grants of up to $50,000 to upgrade security on their campuses. The grants program, now in its fourth year, awards roughly $5 million each year to cover physical improvements to school buildings, such as new doors or fences, updating emergency plans and better training for staff. The latest awards, announced in mid-September, are drawn from a pool of nearly 600 applicants who applied in spring 2025. A total of 117 schools were initially given money in summer 2025 from that same pool of applicants. The grants are given out each year by the Louisiana Center for Safe Schools. The center, which opened in 2023, was created by

the state Legislature in the wake of the deadly shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, which killed 21 people and injured 17 more. The Baton Rouge region’s 23 awardees are the most in the state, followed by 20 in northeast Louisiana and 19 in the New Orleans area. “We’re trying to make sure it’s fair across the state,” said Robert Martin, the director of the center. In the Baton Rouge region, Ascension, East Baton Rouge and Livingston parishes have five schools each that won awards, followed by four each in Iberville and Pointe Coupee parishes. The winners are a mix of traditional public, charter and private schools. Originally part of the Louisiana Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, this year the school safety center was transferred to the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement. The price tag for the last batch of 119 school safety awards is $5.4 million. They average $45,488, ranging from as little as $7,500 to

as much as $50,000. Martin said demand for the grants each year is much higher than available funding. He said the more improvements schools make now, the lower the potential for danger when security incidents arise later. “Our goal is to protect everyone as much as we can; we are looking forward to growing this program,” he said. “We are trying to take proactive solutions as much as we can to protect the state.” Schools winning grants will be reimbursed for eligible costs. They have to complete projects within a set amount of time, usually about 12 months. In some cases, the grants are the sole source of money for the project, while in other cases, the school district pairs the grant with other money. The East Baton Rouge Parish school system, the state’s secondlargest traditional district, has two winning schools located in the parish: Belfair Montessori Magnet School and BR FLAIM — short for Baton Rouge Foreign Language Academic Immersion Magnet. Both schools are using

the money to modernize entryways with new management systems for school visitors as well as purchasing new communication equipment, signs and cameras. Last year, the parish school system had nine winners — four elementary, two middle and two high schools. They’ve used the money — $50,000 each — to make improvements to their security, including installing new alarms, doors, gates and fences. To qualify, applicants had to submit school maps, ﬂoor plans, site safety assessments, emergency plans and an inventory of the safety measures they were already using. The other three schools in East Baton Rouge Parish earning security grants are Baker High and Baton Rouge Ochsner Discovery, both charter schools, and Sacred Heart of Jesus School, a private school. Across Louisiana, 81 of the winning schools are traditional public schools, 25 are private schools and 13 are charter schools. Charter schools are public schools run privately via charters, or contracts. The five schools in Ascension

Parish receiving school safety grants this year are Ascension Christian Elementary, Ascension Christian High, Ascension Diocesan Regional, St. Amant High and East Ascension High. In Livingston Parish, the winning schools are Doyle High, French Settlement High, Live Oak Junior High, North Corbin Junior High and Springﬁeld Middle. In Iberville Parish, the schools receiving grants are Dorseyville Elementary, Iberville Elementary, North Iberville Elementary and Plaquemine High. In Pointe Coupee Parish, the winning schools are False River Academy, Rosenwald Elementary, Rougon Elementary and Upper Pointe Coupee Elementary. Applications will begin in the spring for the next set of school safety grants. Martin said his ofﬁce is developing standards over time for the kind of products and improvements it is willing to support. “We want to make sure we are not wasting funds,” he said.

Email Charles Lussier at clussier@theadvocate.com.

LSU women’s basketball event kicks off season Supporters meet team, buy coach’s outfits

BY JAN RISHER Staff writer

On Tuesday night, more than 600 people gathered on the ﬂoor of the Pete Maravich Assembly Center for an event called “The Premiere.” The event’s goal was to help the LSU women’s basketball team kick off the season, have supporters meet the team and raise money for name, image and likeness licensing. Coach Kim Mulkey said the event, which has been held just after the season

ends and others potentially entering the transfer portal. The evening included dinner, drinks, a silent auction and LSU-themed retail, including a booth called “Kim’s Closet” with an array of outfits and sweaters for sale straight from Mulkey’s closet. Most were LSU-themed Queen of Sparkles pieces. Mulkey spoke to the PROVIDED PHOTO BY KRISTEN YOUNG crowd, saying that she has big expectations for this LSU women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey kicks off ‘The Premiere’ at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on Tuesday. season. She shared her standing Mulkey introduced her 11-woman roster to more than seven rules of excellence, 600 supporters while raising money for name, image and starting with “play hard” and “be on time,” followed likeness deals. by her three rules for this ended in years past, was able to participate — with particular team — commoved to the preseason to some players moving to the municate, condition and a ensure all of the players are pros as soon as the season reminder of the season’s

theme, “Today matters.” After her opening remarks, Mulkey introduced the team. The 11-woman roster took the stage and then answered questions. Anna Minaeva, a 17-yearold newcomer from Russia, stole the show. She charmed the crowd with her take on the wonders of attending tailgating and a sideline view of an LSU football game. Returning guard MiLaysia Fulwiley discussed her 3-on-3 play this summer with LSU teammate Mikaylah Williams. They teamed up with South Carolina’s Joyce Edwards and Oklahoma’s Sahara Williams to win a gold medal for Team USA. ZaKiyah Johnson said not only does she plan to bring

top-level basketball this season but she also plans to bring more style and perhaps a new hair color for every game. The evening ended with a live auction. A prized gameday parking space went for $10,000, and a ride down Victory Hill on the Mardi Gras Mike ﬂoat before the LSU-Texas football game topped out at $12,000. Email Jan Risher at jan. risher@theadvocate.com.

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OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

SPORTS

N O L A.C O M

T h u r s d ay, O c T O b e r 8, 2026

LSU shifts leadership duty to Dottery

1cN

VIKINGS AT SAINTS • NOON SUNDAY • FOX

Ole Miss transfer steps up following Weeks’ injury BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer

TJ Dottery wore the green dot at Ole Miss last year. That meant Dottery was responsible for relaying defensive play calls from Pete Golding, the Ole Miss defensive coordinator who was promoted to ä LSU at head coach in the postseaKentucky 6 P.M. son after Lane Kiffin left SATURDAY, ESPN+ for LSU. Through a radio installed in his helmet, the linebacker acted as an extra coach on the field for the defense. “Pete is a great coach,” Kiffin said. “He has a lot of information in his system, so Pete is amazing at this. He (gave) so much information to TJ. At times, it was great because TJ could tell everybody else what to do.” But it wasn’t always great for TJ himself. With so much information being spouted at him, Kiffin said it was harder for Dottery to play fast and free. That’s why when Dottery left Ole Miss this offseason and reunited with Kiffin in Baton Rouge, LSU decided not to give him the green dot. Star linebacker Whit Weeks held the role

ä See LSU, page 3C

Saints quarterback Tyler Shough looks to make a pass during a game against the Atlanta Falcons on Monday at the Caesars Superdome. STAFF PHOTO BY DAVID GRUNFELD

Saints prepare for historically blitz-heavy Vikings BY LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer

STAFF PHOTO BY MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU linebacker TJ Dottery flexes after making a play against Louisiana Tech in the first quarter on Sept. 12 at Tiger Stadium.

Kentucky outcome will reveal much about ’26 LSU If Saturday’s LSU-Kentucky game were decided by a popularity poll, the Tigers would lose. In a rout. You don’t have to be Knute Rockne to know why. To most college football zealots outside of Louisiana, LSU is the evil empire. Led by Lane Kiffin, who is Darth Vader in a white visor. Kentucky is the plucky little engine that could, led by 37-year-old first-year Scott coach Will Stein, who looks Rabalais like he just stepped out of the prom and onto the sidelines. In basketball terms, the preferred language of Wildcats fans, UK is Hickory from “Hoosiers” and LSU is mighty South Bend Central. If this was men’s basketball, LSU would be the bright little upstart that everyone would pull for against the Kentucky monolith. Oh, that’s right. Will Wade is back at LSU. Never mind. Everyone loves an underdog. “Upset” is perhaps the favorite word in our national sports lexicon. This matchup fits that definition to a T. But it’s more than that. A nation waits for

ä See RABALAIS, page 3C

There is no secret about what is in store for Tyler Shough and the New Orleans Saints offense this Sunday: Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores is going to have a creative pressure plan ready, and he’s going to use it over and over again. “Everyone knows their theme as far as their ability to pressure the quarterback and blitz,” Saints coach Kellen Moore said. “They do an excellent job, better than anyone in this league.” This is Flores’ fourth season as the Vikings defensive play-caller, and his defense is on track to lead the NFL in blitz rate for the fourth consecutive season. But even for a blitz-heavy play-caller such as Flores, what he’s doing this year represents a new frontier. Through four weeks, the Vikings are blitzing on an astounding 67.9% of their defensive snaps. It is far and away the highest blitz percentage by any NFL team this season — the Washington Commanders rank second at 44.5% — and is also the highest blitz percentage by a comfortable margin since Next Gen Stats began

tracking these rates in 2018. Minnesota is responsible for four of the ﬁve highest blitz rates in single games this season. “(Flores) has always done a phenomenal job of attacking your pressure plans and stressing you and putting you in hot situations,” Moore said. “We’re going to have to deﬁnitely have a good plan for these guys and handle it accordingly. There’s going to have to be different types of ways in which you handle it. It can’t be just one way or they’re going to attack that.” The results speak for themselves. Minnesota leads the NFL in virtually every pressure metric — 16 sacks, 10.3% sack rate and 47.4% pressure rate, according to Next Gen Stats — and it has ridden its hyper aggressive defense to a 4-0 record. The traditional numbers also are impressive through four weeks. The Vikings rank top 10 in every major defensive category, including NFL-best performances on third down (22.6% conversion rate), in the red zone (18.2%) and overall defensive scoring (12.8 points per game).

ä See SAINTS, page 4C

Tulan ne needs these players to steep up in league play BY GUEERRY SMITH Contributing writer

Tulane safety Jack Tchienchou AP FILE PHOTO

Desspite having reached four consec cutive conference championship gam mes, Tulane is given little chance by outssiders to make it ﬁve in a row entering itss league opener at Army. The Green W Wave (2-2) simply did not play well enou ugh in September to warrant much supp port, needing fourth-quarter comebackss at home to avoid losing to lightly regarrded South Alabama and Southern Miss. E ESPN’s Bill Connelly’s SP+ formula, for on ne, ranks the Green Wave 96th out of 138 F FBS teams and 11th out of 14 in the Ameriican Conference. None of thatt negativity will matter, though, if Tulan ne wins Saturday in West Point, New York k (11 a.m., CBS Sports Network). Junior sa afety Jack Tchienchou anticipates a diffe erent feel in October. “Those ﬁrst fo our games, we always call them preseason n,” he said. “They matter, for o su sure. e. You ou wa want to win every game you

ä Tulane at Army

11 A.M. SATURDAY, CBS SPORTS NETWORK strap it up for, but at the end of the day, nothing that we set out for us this year is off the table. “It’s our second season. We’re ready to go. The intensity’s up there. The attention to detail is there. We know what’s at stake.” Tulane has allowed 422 yards per game — the 15th-worst total in the FBS — while forcing only one turnover. Opponents have converted 48.4% of their third-down opportunities, placing the Wave 131st in that category. Even with a pair of 200-yard rushing performances by Jaylin Lucas (against South Alabama) and Maurice Turner (against Southern Miss), Tulane is 105th nationally in offense. Duke, South Alabama and Southern Miss allowed their

ä See TULANE, page 3C

2C ✦ Thursday, October 8, 2026 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune

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IN BRIEF

BROADCAST HIGHLIGHTS On TV COLLEGE FOOTBALL 6 p.m. Missouri St. at W. Kentucky CBSSN 6 p.m. Sam Houston St. at Liberty ESPNU 6:30 p.m. South Florida at UTSA ESPN 6:30 p.m. S.Alabama at Arkansas St. ESPN2 MEN’S COLLEGE HOCKEY 6 p.m. Niagara at Notre Dame NBCSN WOMEN’S COLLEGE SOCCER 6 p.m. Virginia at Notre Dame ACCN

6 p.m. Alabama at Florida SECN 9:30 p.m. Illinois at Southern Cal BTN WOMEN’S COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL 5:30 p.m. Nebraska at Indiana BTN 7:30 p.m. Wisconsin at Illinois BTN GOLF 7 a.m. Open de España GOLF 2 p.m. Korn Ferry Championship GOLF 10 p.m. PGA: Baycurrent Classic GOLF HORSE RACING noon America’s Day at the Races FS2

FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

MLB 4 or 7 p.m. Cleveland at Chicago White Sox TBS 7 p.m. Tampa Bay at N.Y.Yankees* TBS NBA PRESEASON 6:30 p.m. Washington at New York NBATV 9:30 p.m. Sacramento at L.A. Lakers ESPN2 NFL 7:15 p.m. Tampa Bay at Dallas PRIME TENNIS 11 p.m. Beijing Quarterfinals TENNIS * if necessary

Bench gets Pels going in first exhibition The New Orleans Pelicans played their preseason opener Tuesday night, beating the Oklahoma City Thunder 116-110 in a game played in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It was the first Rod Walker glance of the Pelicans under new coach Jamahl Mosley, who was celebrating his 48th birthday. Here are ﬁve things we learned about the Pelicans during the exhibition game.

there is still plenty of work to be done on that end. The starters didn’t have much success slowing down OKC. That should probably be expected after just six practices. The Pelicans trailed 67-52 at halftime, and the Thunder torched the Pels on 3-pointers, knocking down 10 of its first 13 3-pointers and 13 of 21 in the first half (61.9%). Most of those were clean looks that defensive-minded teams don’t allow. The defense wasn’t pretty for the starting five. “A lot of it was the breakdown of individual defense,” Mosley said. “Now we’re having to force help. And now there’s rotations. And that’s why OKC shot the heck out of the ball for the entire game.”

Who’s starting? The starters Tuesday were Dejounte Murray, Herb Jones, Trey Murphy, Zion Williamson and Yves Missi. Mosley said at Saturday’s practice not to read too much into the lineups seen at practice or in these exhibition games. He reiterated that point during pregame Tuesday night. Despite those words, I’d expect the starting ﬁve Tuesday night to be the same one used when the Pelicans host the Indiana Pacers on Oct. 21 in the season opener. The starters didn’t play particularly well against an OKC squad that didn’t suit up any of its core players (two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams and Alex Caruso were among the ones who didn’t play for the Thunder). The OKC starting five consisted of Jared McCain, Bennett Stirtz, Ajay Mitchell, Aday Mara and former Pelican player Kenrich Williams. It would have been good to see the Pelicans starters handle business against that OKC unit, but they didn’t.

Zion from 3 One of the more interesting parts of practice has been watching how much time Zion Williamson has spent shooting 3-pointers. But would that translate to the games? Williamson attempted only four 3-pointers last season. It didn’t take long to get an answer. Williamson’s first 3-point attempt came at the 10:48 mark of the first quarter, but he missed it. His second attempt came in the first two minutes of the third quarter. He drained that one and ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO BY JOEY JOHNSON finished the night 1-for-2 shooting from long distance. New Orleans Pelicans guard Jordan Poole, center, shoots past Just seeing that he’s willing to Oklahoma City Thunder guard Ajay Mitchell, left, during a game on take those shots is a plus.

Tuesday in Tulsa, Okla. Poole and his fellow reserves sparked the Pelicans to a 116-110 win in the exhibition.

the NBA. The unit of Jeremiah Fears, Jordan Poole, Bennedict Mathurin, Saddiq Bey and Derik Queen sparked an 18-0 run in the third quarter that helped the Pels climb back after they trailed by The bench squad as many as 24 points. One of the I probably should have listed highlights was Fears defending this one ﬁrst because the second and forcing a shot-clock violaunit ﬂipped the game. tion. The Pelicans have a chance to Every player on the bench had have one of the better benches in a positive plus/minus ratio. None

Free-throw woes

The Pelicans got to the freethrow line often, which is a good thing — until the misses started racking up. The Pels were 13 of 21 in the first half from the line and finished 34 of 47. Hitting more of these would make things much easier. Defensive struggles Next up: Thursday preseason One of the main reasons Mos- game at the Miami Heat. ley was hired was because he can help the Pelicans improve defen- Email Rod Walker at rwalker@ sively, but the first game showed theadvocate.com. of the starters did. Mathurin led the Pels with 13 points to go with five rebounds. Fears, Murphy and Williamson scored 12 each. Queen finished with 10 points and nine rebounds.

EuroLeague teams reject NBA offer to merge BY JEROME PUGMIRE AP sportswriter

PARIS — EuroLeague basketball owners have rejected a formal offer from the NBA to merge into a single European operation following a meeting in Italy, Barcelona conﬁrmed Wednesday. The decision not to accept the NBA’s proposal of a single Europe entity was made Tuesday in Cernobbio during a gathering of the EuroLeague’s 13 shareholder clubs. They include Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Olympiakos, Milan, Tony Parker -owned ASVEL in France and two Istanbul-based clubs. A statement on the EuroLeague’s website said they met to “discuss and align on key strategic decisions regarding the fu-

ture of their collective property,” without mentioning the NBA. Barcelona told The Associated Press in an emailed response that a formal merger offer from the NBA had been rejected. In a statement, the club conﬁrmed that Barcelona president Joan Laporta attended the meeting and that club owners “took several decisions regarding the future of the competition.” “Among those decisions was the rejection of the NBA’s proposal as it currently stands. Should that proposal be amended in the future, the clubs and the EuroLeague will reconsider it,” the statement read. It’s not clear how each club voted. The EuroLeague declined to comment and pointed to its initial statement.

The NBA did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The 20-team EuroLeague is comprised of 13 shareholder clubs immune from relegation. The rest either qualify through their domestic leagues or through invitation. The NBA, in partnership with FIBA, is eying a 16-team model. French sports daily L’Equipe reported that the NBA offered each future member 400 million euros ($448 million). At Tuesday’s EuroLeague meeting, club owners agreed to move forward with converting the current 10-year licenses into franchises for the shareholder clubs. They also agreed to continue plans to increase the number of franchises.

European ambition France’s Victor Wembanyama, Greece’s Giannis Antetokounmpo and Slovenia’s Luka Doncic are among the biggest stars worldwide. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver reafﬁrmed in January that the league was pressing forward on plans to bring a new league to Europe. The NBA was targeting October 2027 as a potential launch date, with franchises paying what is expected to be a substantial entry fee. Media reports indicated the NBA was looking for at least a $500 million fee. Many European basketball teams, including some in the EuroLeague, have struggled ﬁnancially. The system has often relied on wealthy owners to cover team debts each year.

Rahm says he is through with any form of LIV Golf

Spanish star Jon Rahm won’t be part of the next version of LIV Golf, dealing a setback to the beleaguered circuit as it tries to emerge from bankruptcy and forge a new path without the ﬁnancial muscle of Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund. John Beck, the attorney Rahm hired for LIV’s bankruptcy proceedings, said during a Wednesday hearing in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court of New Jersey that Rahm reviewed the proposed terms of LIV 2.0 and decided he would not be participating in 2027. Rahm, a Masters and U.S. Open champion and the last player to be No. 1 in the world before Scottie Scheffler, was among the biggest and most stunning acquisitions by LIV Golf at the end of 2023 when he was the reigning Masters champion.

Gauff cites ‘no energy’ in loss at China Open

Coco Gauff said she had “no energy” in her loss to Elise Mertens at the China Open on Wednesday. The 6-3, 6-3 defeat to a player Gauff had beaten in all ﬁve of their previous matchups came days after she had received what she described as an “insane” amount of racist comments on social media after a controversial point in the preceding round. Later Wednesday, the Wuhan Open announced that Gauff withdrew from the upcoming tournament. It quoted Gauff, the defending champion, as saying: “After a long year, my body needs some time to rest and recover.” Against the 19th-ranked Mertens, Gauff dropped her serve four times, committed 34 unforced errors and had eight double faults.

Eagles O-lineman Jurgens heads to Ravens for picks

The Philadelphia Eagles traded offensive lineman Cam Jurgens to the Baltimore Ravens on Wednesday for second- and ﬁfth-round draft picks. Philadelphia receives a ﬁfth-round selection in 2027 and a secondrounder in 2028. Baltimore also gets a seventh-rounder in 2027 in the deal. The 27-year-old Jurgens has played center and guard, and the Ravens can use help at both. Baltimore’s top three options at center are out with long-term injuries. The Ravens moved rookie guard Vega Ioane over to center, but now guard Andrew Vorhees is also injured. Minter said Jurgens has been going through concussion protocol and is expected to be ready next week. Jurgens was a Pro Bowler the past two seasons.

Ravens QB Jackson misses practice with injured ankle

Lamar Jackson missed practice for the Baltimore Ravens on Wednesday, three days after injuring his ankle. Jackson also wasn’t available before practice when he usually talks. “There is a lot of time between now and Sunday,” coach Jesse Minter said. “To Lamar’s credit, he is getting a lot of treatment and doing things. There will be a point later in the week where we will ﬁgure out kind of where it is at.” Jackson’s ankle rolled under an opposing player near the end of the ﬁrst half Sunday, and he did not return. Baltimore plays at Atlanta on Sunday night. Tyler Huntley is Jackson’s backup. He led the Ravens to wins over Chicago and Green Bay last season.

Collier faces a big choice about returning to Lynx Texans head coach Ryans BY DAVE CAMPBELL AP sportswriter

MINNEAPOLIS — Napheesa Collier had a particularly late start to her eighth season with the Minnesota Lynx, following surgery on both ankles that delayed her 2026 debut until just before the All-Star break. After an abruptly disappointing finish for the Lynx in the WNBA playoffs, the smooth-shooting and defensively tough forward the team has tried to build a title contender around is uncertain to return. Collier will be one of the most prominent players in the league to enter free agency before the 2027 season, along with Indiana Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell and Las Vegas Aces guard Jackie Young. Collier signed a one-year contract with Minnesota following the new collective bargaining agreement that

brought a surge of higher salaries to the sport’s biggest stars. “Whatever she decides, we’re both going to be OK,” head coach and president of basketball operations Cheryl Reeve said after the Lynx were swept in two games by the New York Liberty in the ﬁrst round of the playoffs. Collier was drafted with the sixth overall pick in 2019 out of Connecticut, two years after the Lynx won their last of four Collier WNBA championships. “What ‘Phee’ has given this franchise, we’re super proud of. And we’re super proud of the work we’ve poured into her,” Reeve said. “If she lands on being here, great.

And if there’s something better for her, that’s life.” Collier, for her part, was not ready to dive into such a major decision during her exit interview session with reporters so soon after the last game. “I can tell you that I love it here. I love the organization. I love my team and everything like that, but I just haven’t had the time to give that any thought,” said Collier, who was limited to 16 games during the regular season and watched WNBA Rookie of the Year Olivia Miles carry the club in her absence. The ﬁve-time All-Star and 2024 Defensive Player of the Year award winner had plenty of adjustments to make once she rejoined the lineup, with a true point guard in Miles and veteran Courtney Williams moving to the shooting guard spot. After the Lynx lost Game 1 to

the Liberty, Reeve said she thought Collier needed to be more assertive on offense, one of many shortcomings for them in the series. Collier is eager for a full offseason to work on her game without the rehabilitation process dominating her time. The 30-year-old expressed conﬁdence that the Lynx with their current core are good enough to win a title, despite a second straight early exit from the playoffs as the No. 1 seed. But there’s a possibility they’ll take their next swing without her. “Of course I don’t want that to be my last game with ‘Phee,’ and she knows that, but I also want her to ﬁgure out what this next chapter looks like for her and make the best decision for her,” teammate Kayla McBride said. “I want that to be here of course, but I just want her to choose her.”

to call defensive plays

Houston coach DeMeco Ryans is taking over defensive play-calling duties for the winless Texans. Ryans announced Wednesday that he’d take over calling plays from defensive coordinator Matt Burke as the 0-4 Texans prepare to visit the winless Titans. “I’m going to take over the playcalling for the defense, and I’m going to make sure that communication is right,” Ryans said. “If our guys are saying communication is not right, then ultimately it falls on me.” The Houston defense has taken a huge step back this season after leading the NFL in yards allowed (277.2) and ranking second in points given up (17.3) last season. This season the Texans are allowing 343.8 yards and 27.3 points a game.

The Times-Picayune ✦ nola.com ✦ Thursday, October 8, 2026 ✦ 3C

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Longhorns, Sooners bring sputtering offenses to rivalry BY JIM VERTUNO AP sportswriter

STAFF PHOTO BY SOPHIA GERMER

Tulane wide receiver Anthony Brown-Stephens misses a catch with Southern Mississippi cornerback Malakai Murphy close behind during the first half on Sept. 26 at Yulman Stadium.

TULANE

Continued from page 1C

“I have to slow things down and go back to the basics, fully watching the ball into my hands. ... I’ll make sure I do what I need to do to make those plays.””

fewest points to an FBS foe when they faced the Wave. Regardless of how coach Will Hall handles his quarterbacks on Saturday or which running back steps up in a deep room, Tulane ANTHONY BROWN-STEPHENS, has plenty to fix coming off an Tulane wide receiver open date. Here are three players who can make a huge differTulane’s edges lost containment ence if they elevate their perfortoo often against South Alabama mance. quarterback Bishop Davenport Tchienchou (eight carries, 71 yards factoring After reminding his teammates out one sack) and Kansas State in the locker room to keep their quarterback Avery Johnson (12 head high at the end of a 31-20 carries, 152 yards). Army quarloss at Kansas State on Sept. 19, terback Cale Hellums rushed a it is time for Tchienchou to deliv- career-high 38 times for a personer. With 27 tackles and one pass al-best 163 yards versus the Wave breakup through four games, he last season. “It’s all about having clean has been solid but not all-confereyes, doing the little details and ence caliber as expected. He made what remains a ca- not getting bored with the bareer-high-tying nine tackles in a sics,” Lewis said. “Army is going 24-17 win against Army last sea- to keep running it and running it. son and will play a pivotal role in The one time you don’t do your run support and remaining ready job, they are going to get a big for the few deep shots Army play.” takes against unsuspecting defenses after pounding them with WR Anthony Brown-Stephens its option-based ground game. Targeted 14 times against “They have a lot of things go- Southern Miss, Brown-Stephens ing on pre-snap and post-snap,” caught a 47-yard touchdown he said of the Black Knights. pass early but did not make the “The biggest thing is just seeing most of those myriad opportuniwhat you need to see, play your ties, finishing with five grabs. He key and knock them off schedule, dropped a perfect deep pass that forcing them to switch up what would have gone for a huge gain they normally do.” early in the second quarter, and he had a shorter throw glance off DE Josh Lewis his hand in the third quarter. Tulane’s leading returning reLewis saved Tulane from facing likely overtime against Southern ceiver, Brown-Stephens needs to Miss, getting a hand up to block play to his ability on Saturday. His a 21-yard tying field goal attempt 11 catches for 144 yards and one with 1:45 left. He needs to build touchdown in September were on that momentum and play the lower than the Wave expected. “I have to slow things down best game of his career. More than once last season, for- and go back to the basics, fulmer coach Jon Sumrall praised ly watching the ball into my Lewis as a true freshman talented hands,” he said. “I can’t look enough to contribute right away away from the ball and try to for teams with less depth up front run. I’m fully confident I can than the Wave had. A year later, make those plays. Whether I’ve Lewis has started every game, got to catch 200 balls a day, I’ll but he is capable of raising his make sure I do what I need to do to make those plays.” production (six tackles).

AUSTIN, Texas — Top-ranked Texas and Oklahoma square off this week in their annual rivalry, bringing two elite defenses to the Cotton Bowl. They will need them. Offensively, the Longhorns (40, 1-0 Southeastern Conference) and Sooners (2-2, 0-1) have struggled and sputtered through long stretches behind units that were expected to deliver much more punch than the penalties, punts and blooper-reel turnovers they have so far. “I see flashes of who we want to be,” said Texas coach Steve Sarkisian, who remains the play-caller in his sixth season with the program. “My biggest critique is the consistency.” Texas enters the game ranked No. 1 for the past month after beating previous No. 1 Ohio State on Sept. 12. But since then, quarterback Arch Manning has been wildly inconsistent, the offensive line has struggled to protect him and penalties have stalled drives. Oklahoma, meanwhile, is searching for anything from struggling quarterback John Mateer to jumpstart a unit that ranks No. 104 nationally and complement a defense that can hold out only so long. Put these teams on the field Saturday and a scene like Oklahoma’s classic 14-3 win in 2001, sealed with Teddy Lehman’s deflected pass interception in the final minutes, may be set for a replay. It might seem a stretch to critique an undefeated No. 1 with the best resume over the first month of the season. But the Texas offense has been anything but the well-oiled machine that was expected from the sum of its expensive parts. Sarkisian used the offseason to load up on transfer playmakers he could sprinkle throughout the offense around Manning. He landed wide receiver Cam Coleman, and running backs Raleek Brown and Hollywood Smothers. And he bragged that the program

LSU

Continued from page 1C instead, but after he suffered a right leg injury against Texas A&M, Kiffin and defensive coordinator Blake Baker handed the green dot back to Dottery. This Saturday against Kentucky (6 p.m., ESPN) will be his second week back in the role. “It seemed to work fine,” Kiffin said. “We didn’t re-discuss it after the (McNeese State) game because it seemed like there was no problems with it.” Since reassuming the green dot role, Dottery doesn’t believe the responsibility has slowed him down on the field. Working with a group of players who understand their assignments has made his job easier. “There’s a little bit more communication,” Dottery said. “But it hasn’t been anything to slow me down.” Having a new voice in his ear

RABALAIS

Continued from page 1C — or more directly prays for — LSU and Kiffin to fail. And this is certainly a pass/fail matchup. Both teams come in 4-1. Kentucky is 2-1 in the Southeastern Conference; LSU is 1-1. The Tigers are more than a touchdown favorite to go to Lexington, Kentucky, and win for the first time since, believe it or not, the Bluegrass Miracle in 2002. Thanks to the inexplicable former SEC football schedule format, the Tigers are making only their third trip to Lexington since then (2007, 2021). A loss could deal a fatal blow to LSU’s hopes of returning to the College Football Playoff for the first time since 2019. Sure, LSU could still make it with two losses, but the Tigers would have to run the table after Lexington with four ranked teams — Mississippi State, Alabama, Texas and Tennessee — left to play. Maybe this is the year a 9-3 team finally breaks into the 12-team CFP field, but it’s not something any team should hang its helmet on. This game looks like a referendum on Kiffin and LSU. At least that’s the narrative. “This is the game where we decide whether LSU is up in the upper echelon of the conference, or whether they’re in the middle

STAFF PHOTO BY MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU coach Lane Kiffin waits for the offense to return to the sideline in the third quarter of a game against McNeese on Saturday at Tiger Stadium. of the pack in the SEC,” The Athletic’s Ari Wasserman said this week. It’s a lock that the LSU-hating college football nation would relish seeing this Kentucky team beat Kifﬁn’s team, the man Paul Finebaum called a “con man.” I wouldn’t say Kifﬁn isn’t feeling the pressure. People can and do say many things about him, but they can’t say he’s anyone’s fool. He knew he would reap that whirlwind when he left

Ole Miss last November on the eve of the CFP. The Tigers are a middling 29-23 in SEC play with only one SEC championship game appearance since Joe Burrow stubbed out his national championship victory cigar, but the expectation is still to win big every year. Kifﬁn gave an interesting quote at his Monday news conference illustrating his conﬁdence in where he sees LSU going. “I feel great about the future,”

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO BY SARA DIGGINS

Texas quarterback Arch Manning runs the ball during the first half against Tennessee on Sept. 26 in Knoxville, Tenn. upgraded at each position. Coleman leads the team in touchdown catches with four but had just one catch in the last game against Tennessee for 30 yards. Brown scored two touchdowns against Tennessee, and he and Smothers have rushed for 394 total yards. Yet the Longhorns are averaging less than 4.0 yards per attempt and haven’t shown much of a breakaway threat since Smothers went for 45 yards on the ﬁrst play of the season. Manning led the electric 21-point, fourth-quarter comeback against Ohio State but completed just 50% of his passes a week later against Texas-San Antonio. Against Tennessee, Manning was twice penalized for attempting a pass beyond the line of scrimmage. He also was sacked six times, and Texas had eight offensive possessions of six plays or fewer in a game in which the Longhorns totaled just 262 yards. “What we’ve done well is we won,” Sarkisian said. “I feel like we’ve had moments where we needed to be at our best and we responded.”

Manning certainly expects more from the offense than it’s produced so far. “We’ve got a mature group. We need to be at our best more often in the game,” he said. “Not just when we need it.” Oklahoma made the College Football Playoff last season and the hope was that another year with a healthy Mateer could get the Sooners offense up to par. The hype around him in preseason training camp teed up the expectations. Nothing has worked so far. The Sooners have topped 17 points just once and that came in the opener against UTEP. Mateer has six turnovers, including three on consecutive possessions in a 4113 loss at No. 2 Georgia. One was a fumble near the Bulldogs’ end zone that was returned for a touchdown. Oklahoma coach Brent Venables acknowledged that there were discussions about replacing Mateer at halftime. “The fact that I haven’t performed is disappointing,” Mateer said. “But I’m blessed to play ball today and to get better.”

hasn’t been a problem, either. “Blake, I think his knowledge for the game is awesome, and his knowledge for the position as well,” Dottery said. “Him actually (having played) (line)backer, it’s just been awesome.” What hasn’t helped Dottery and the defense is missing Weeks’ presence on the ﬁeld. He had 23 total tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss before his third-quarter injury against the Aggies. Junior Davhon Keys, who also replaced Weeks last season while he was dealing with an ankle injury, has ﬁlled in next to Dottery at linebacker. Dottery believes Keys and his backup, Tylen Singleton, have traits that can help mask what the defense is missing without Weeks, including what Weeks brought to the defense as the green dot. Keys was one of the leading tacklers in the Southeastern Conference a year ago and is a strong rotational player in his own right.

Singleton had ﬁve tackles, including a tackle for loss, against McNeese. “I think his instincts of the game and knowledge of pre-recognition of formations and knowing what’s coming is awesome,” Dottery said about Keys. “And his communication (skills).” After facing an overmatched opponent last Saturday, Dottery and the LSU defense will face a stiffer test this weekend in Lexington against a familiar foe, former LSU and current Kentucky offensive coordinator Joe Sloan. Baker is familiar with how Sloan calls plays, having worked on the same staff under Brian Kelly for two seasons in Baton Rouge. How Dottery takes in his directions and gets his teammates on the same page may determine how effective Baker’s game plan is against his former colleague. “We talk about a standard,” Dottery said. “And no matter who’s in on defense, there’s a standard.”

he said. “I know what that is. We put together this team in that short amount of time without any background with them. I know what next year and the year after will look like. That has nothing to do with how this season is going. I just know it’s a great combination of all these things coming together. That’s why we came here.” LSU and Kifﬁn should be judged on his total tenure instead of just this season. But he is who he is, and LSU has spent too much for big expectations not to exist ‚ even with key injuries to star players Whit Weeks, Trey’Dez Green and Dashawn Spears. Wasserman is correct, at least pertaining to this season. And this season, the Tigers are in a glut of seven SEC teams with one conference and overall loss, along with Ole Miss, Missouri, Tennessee, Florida, Mississippi State and Kentucky. Saturday’s Georgia-Alabama loser — assuming that game gets played with a hurricane bearing down on the Alabama coast this weekend — falls into that group as well. The LSU-Kentucky loser falls out of that group. The nine-game SEC meat grinder that Kifﬁn has

harped on is quite real. At most there will be just two unbeaten teams left in the conference after this weekend — the GeorgiaBama survivor and Texas if it beats offensively challenged Oklahoma in Dallas. Looking at the CFP from way too far out, we can break down the ﬁeld this way: The ACC gets one team in Miami. The Big 12 gets two, right now BYU and Texas Tech. A Group of Six team gets a bid, and that looks like Boise State. Notre Dame should get another. That leaves seven spots between the SEC and Big Ten. The top heavy Big Ten may just get three in, currently Ohio State, Indiana and let’s say Oregon. That leaves four for the SEC. Based on those numbers, you don’t want to be a team with a second loss on its ledger this early. That is the task before LSU. Upper echelon or waiting on next year? Contender or kingmaker? Fortunately for the Tigers, this one won’t be decided on a popular vote, but on the ﬁeld.

SPORTS

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4C ✦ Thursday, October 8, 2026 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune

Commanders QB Moore: Saints rest Daniels pledges to uninjured WR Olave ‘embrace the brace’ lll

BY MATTHEW PARAS, LUKE JOHNSON and RASHAD MILLIGAN

BY ANDREW GILLIS AP sportswriter

Staff writers

The New Orleans Saints gave Chris Olave a day off from practice Wednesday after he took a hard hit late in Monday’s loss to the Atlanta Falcons. Olave was slow to get up after Falcons linebacker and former LSU standout Harold Perkins hit him with two minutes left, but coach Kellen Moore insisted Wednesday that Olave is not injured and was just rested. The Saints held only a walkthrough in the afternoon, opting for a lighter session in the wake Notebook of the night game. For that reason, Wednesday’s injury report was an estimation, but New Orleans was still down several notable players. In addition to Olave, running back Alvin Kamara (back), wide receiver Barion Brown (thigh), edge rusher Anfernee Jennings (knee) and linebacker Kaden Elliss (calf) all missed practice. Jennings and Elliss were previously injured. In good news for New Orleans, defensive end Carl Granderson (ankle) and tight end Noah Fant (abdomen) participated after missing the Falcons game. Moore was asked several times about Olave’s status, insisting that it was rest and not a knee injury. On Monday, the coach faced questions about the decision to leave Olave in the game given the Saints trailed 45-17. Moore said then that he thought about pulling his starters “a little bit,” but he appreciated his players’ willingness to keep competing. “Just trying to get ourselves an opportunity to just play some clean football at the end of the game,” Moore said when asked why he kept in the starters. Moore said Kamara told the training staff he was dealing with back soreness, which is different from the knee injury that knocked him out of Monday’s contest for a brief stretch.

Give him a hand Tyler Shough showed up on the injury report with a left hand injury, but the quarterback brushed the injury off as nothing to worry about. “I just got it banged up in the game, nothing different than anybody else is dealing with quite honestly,” Shough said. Shough was limited on the Saints’ Wednesday practice participation report. It is not clear when Shough suffered the injury to his nonthrowing hand, but Moore said he anticipated Shough would prac-

STAFF PHOTO BY BRETT DUKE

New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave catches the ball against the Atlanta Falcons on Monday.

served as a core special-teamer in New Orleans. The Saints selected Styles in the fifth round of the 2026 draft out of Ohio State but placed him on injured reserve Sept. 1 with a calf injury. The rookie defensive back Practice window opens is expected to mostly work in on Two young Saints defenders special teams. who opened the season on injured reserve took part in their first Vikings sign OBJ regular-season practice with the Odell Beckham Jr., a New Orleans team Wednesday. native and LSU legend, signed New Orleans opened the 21-day with the Minnesota Vikings pracpractice window for linebacker tice squad on Wednesday. Jaylan Ford and defensive back LoBeckham’s first game could be renzo Styles. Those players are al- an immediate homecoming, as lowed to practice with the team the Vikings face the New Orleans for the next three weeks without Saints at noon Sunday in the Caecounting against the roster, but if sars Superdome. the Saints choose to activate one Beckham played for Vikings or both of them, they will have head coach Kevin O’Connell and ofto make a corresponding roster fensive coordinator Wes Phillips move. when he was on the Los Angeles Ford enjoyed a strong training Rams in 2021. Beckham also joins camp, but he suffered an undis- an organization with fellow legclosed injury in the team’s pre- endary LSU receiver Justin Jefferson. The New York Giants cut Beckseason finale. In three preseason games, Ford recorded 14 tackles ham, 33, on Sept. 29 after he had and an interception. He’s also zero catches in three games.

tice without limitations later in the week. “It’s a shorter week, so I’m obviously sore today, but it’s not going to limit me really at all,” Shough said.

SAINTS

ASHBURN, Va. — Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels is back with a newly healed left elbow, a brace to accompany it and, perhaps, a new catchphrase. At his news conference Wednesday ahead of Washington’s matchup with the New York Giants, Daniels relayed his new mentality for this week’s game and potentially the remainder of the season. “I’m going to embrace the brace,” Daniels said. If he starts at home against the Giants (3-1), Daniels would be returning to the lineup three weeks after he dislocated his left elbow when he tried to brace himself on a fall against Dallas in Week 2. It was the second elbow dislocation for Daniels, who missed most of the second half of last season with the same injury. Daniels was listed as a full participant in Wednesday’s practice, indicating he is on track to start. He sported a brace on his left arm during practice that he’ll wear moving forward. The team has also been focused on ways in which Daniels can protect himself as he prepares for his expected return, coach Dan Quinn said before practice. “Think of it like a running back who clasps the ball,” Quinn said. “Rolling to the ground. I thought of him as that player, and that’s the way we explained it. Those are honestly just some practice drills that we’ll be doing today. It’s deﬁnitely something we talk about. We’re going to practice it, and this is him moving forward and how we’ll play.” While making sure he doesn’t put himself in precarious spots is paramount, the brace is meant to offer protection when Daniels needs it to prevent the recurring dislocation. “Just trying to get used to it, it’s kind of part of me now,” Daniels said

of the brace. “For the time being, as long as I’m on that field. Just getting used to it, trying to find the different ways where it’s most comfortable and I’m not really just thinking about it, I’m out there playing.” Daniels later added that he’s still trying to get used to the protection for his arm and find the ways in which it’s most comfortable for him to wear and play effectively with. He wore a different kind of brace last season after he first dislocated the elbow. Giants coach John Harbaugh says his team is preparing for Daniels to start, and players are well aware of the situation. “With the injury he has, we want him to run,” Giants edge rusher Abdul Carter said. “We kind of encourage it, just to see how he reacts. Is he going to play comfortably? Is he going to play normal?” Daniels has completed 56.9% of his passes this season and has thrown for 260 yards through a game and a half. He’s also rushed for 100 yards on 12 carries.

Mariota, McLaurin miss practice The Commanders (1-3) turned to Marcus Mariota in Daniels’ absence. But Mariota suffered an MCL injury in Washington’s loss to the Colts last Sunday in London and was replaced by rookie Athan Kaliakmanis. Mariota will not be placed on injured reserve, Quinn said, though he did not participate in Wednesday’s practice. No matter who is throwing the ball for Washington on Sunday, it’s unclear if receiver Terry McLaurin will return to potentially help out his usual starting quarterback. He popped up on the injury report late last week and missed the game against the Colts with a hamstring injury. McLaurin did not participate in practice on Wednesday. Receiver Stefon Diggs also sat out practice with a hamstring issue.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO BY ALASTAIR GRANT

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels looks to hand the ball off at practice in Hertfordshire, England, on Friday.

Bengals depth tested with WR Chase, Higgins injured BY CHARLIE GOLDSMITH

Continued from page 1C

Associated Press

“They’re bringing it on all downs, and they do a good job of mixing it up. It makes it really hard for offenses to get a good feel for it,” Shough said. “And they’re extremely sound, all 11 players play as one.” Shough has navigated the blitz fairly well this season outside of a rough first half in the season opener against Detroit. He’s completed 31 of 48 attempts against the blitz for 275 yards, five touchdowns and one interception, good for a 105.8 passer rating. He’s also taken seven sacks against the blitz despite posting an NFL-quickest 2.42-second average time to throw. But through 15 starts, Shough never has faced a team that blitzed on more than 40% of his drop backs — something that will almost certainly change this week. “That’s their formula, and it’s STAFF PHOTO BY DAVID GRUNFELD obviously working for them,” Saints offensive tackle Taliese Fuaga, left and offensive tackle Asim Shough said. “We’ve got to be able to handle that and have a plan, and Richards help up quarterback Tyler Shough after being sacked against more importantly do our job and the Las Vegas Raiders on Sept. 27 at the Caesars Superdome. focus on that. Don’t ride the roller coaster that they may bring.” jured Kelvin Banks, and Taliese “We’re going to have That may be easier said than Fuaga have struggled. Both are to definitely have a good allowing pressures on more than done for a New Orleans team that has struggled to protect its prized 12% of their pass sets, which plan for these guys and young passer in recent weeks. puts each in the bottom 10 among handle it accordingly. The turning point in the Saints’ their peers. There’s going to have to be “The game took a course where loss to the Las Vegas Raiders happened when the Raiders began different types of ways in it became a little bit more of a to heat Shough up in the fourth drop-back game than we’d like,” which you handle it.” quarter, generating most of their Moore said. “Tyler, as a result, had pressure in that final push when to move around the pocket a numKELLEN MOORE, they forced turnovers on four ber of times, faced a few more Saints coach straight possessions. The Atlanpressure opportunities than we ta Falcons kept it going all game, would’ve liked.” pressuring Shough on nearly half man pressures. of his drop backs Monday (49%), Offensive tackles Asim Rich- Email Luke Johnson at most of which came with four- ards, who is filling in for the in- ljohnson@theadvocate.com.

CINCINNATI — Cincinnati Bengals wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins did not participate in practice on Wednesday, and coach Zac Taylor has labeled them each as “day to day” leading up to Sunday’s game against the Miami Dolphins. Chase is in the concussion protocol, and Higgins has an adductor injury. With No. 3 receiver Andrei Iosivas on injured reserve with a thumb injury and with No. 4 receiver Colbie Young battling a knee injury, the Bengals’ receiver depth is being significantly tested. Dohnte Meyers and Mitchell Tinsley are the Bengals’ top two healthy receivers at the moment. “I don’t have any concerns how we will put the plan together,” Taylor said. “We will make it work and emphasize the guys we think will be available.” Before this season, Meyers spent two years in the Canadian Football League. He had a terrific training camp this summer with the Bengals to make the team, and he opened the season as a depth receiver and primarily as a punt and kick returner. He made the most of the rare chances that he got, which set him up for when he had to step into a much more expanded role following the injuries to Chase and Higgins. “We all are familiar with the offense,” Meyers said. “Whatever play is called, we’re expected to execute. That was the mindset we had on that last drive. It’s unfortunate when you see one of your brothers go down, but it’s next man up. To have his back and fight for him, the best thing you can do is make plays for them.” Meyers made two significant

catches down the stretch on big plays in the fourth quarter last week in the Bengals’ loss to the Jaguars. His speed and understanding of the offense are both assets. “There has been little to no error in terms of assignment alignment,” offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher said. “It feels like every time the ball has gone his way, I think with the exception of maybe one play in Pittsburgh, since he’s really shown up in January, whenever the heck it was, he has made plays. So it’s hard to keep a guy like that off the ﬁeld. And now we need him.” Tinsley spent the 2025 season as the Bengals’ No. 4 receiver behind Chase, Higgins and Iosivas. But then in training camp, Meyers beat out Tinsley for the ﬁnal spot in the wide receiver room. Tinsley signed with the Houston Texans’ practice squad. Then when Iosivas and Young were injured in late September, there was an open spot on the Bengals’ 53-man roster and Tinsley re-signed with the team. Along with Meyers, he closed out last week’s game as a starting receiver. “Mitch is here because he’s dependable for us, he’s a really hard worker, takes advantage of his opportunities,” Taylor said. “That’s what we all saw from Mitch. We had really difficult decisions to make with our receiver group at the end of training camp. And unfortunately, we just couldn’t keep enough receivers. But he is a guy we trusted to be on the team.” Young was limited on Wednesday with the knee injury that has kept him out, and his status for Sunday’s game is uncertain. If Young is out, the Bengals would need to further tap into their tight end depth and count on Mike Gesicki and Tanner Hudson to make plays in the passing game.

The Times-Picayune ✦ nola.com ✦ Thursday, October 8, 2026 ✦ 5C

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THE VARSITY ZONE

‘I like being physical’ Haynes RB Cribby grew up playing hockey; now he’s a football star

ATLANTA — Andy Pages drove in two runs with a bases-loaded single in the seventh inning to give Los Angeles the lead, and the Dodgers beat the Atlanta Braves 4-1 on Wednesday night to clinch their NL Division Series. The Dodgers won backto-back games in Atlanta to take the best-of-five matchup 3-1 and advance to the National League Championship Series as they seek to become the first NL team to win three straight World Series. Pages lined a 3-2 pitch from Robert Suarez up the middle to drive in Teoscar Hernández, who singled off starter Tyler Mahle, and pinch-runner Tommy Edman for a 3-1 lead. Didier Fuentes walked pinchhitter Josue De Paula and Kyle Tucker to load the bases. Edman ran for De Paula. Max Muncy’s solo shot off Raisel Iglesias in the ninth padded the lead and gave the slugger 19 postseason homers with the Dodgers, extending his franchise record. Dodgers right-hander Tyler Glasnow, making his first start since Sept. 24, allowed only one hit but walked five batters in 4 2/3 innings. After he issued two walks in the fifth, lefthander Alex Vesia ended the inning on Matt Olson’s groundout to second base. The missed opportunity left the Braves with 18 walks in the series, and none scored.

Staff writer

ALDS STAFF FILE PHOTO BY JOHN McCUSKER

Haynes running back Brady Cribby runs through an opening against Thomas Jefferson on Oct. 10 in Harvey. Cribby rushed for 2,031 yards last season and has helped lead the Yellow Jackets to a 5-0 start this year. After rushing for 2,031 yards last season, Cribby has 106 carries for 720 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns this year. He’s added 11 receptions for 227 yards and three touchdowns. “In my opinion, Brady Cribby is one of the best running backs in the state of Louisiana,” coach P.J. Sprunk said. “He’s proven that week in and week out over the years. He’s not a huge guy by stature, but his vision is incredible. Some of the best I’ve ever seen.” The 5-foot-8, 170-pound

WEATHER THREAT PROMPTS TEAMS TO MOVE GAMES TO THURSDAY NIGHT Several New Orleans area high schools are moving their games to Thursday because of an inclement weather forecast for the weekend. Among them is the Catholic League game between John Curtis and Edna Karr, which will be played at 7 p.m.Thursday at Muss Bertolino Stadium. Other changes include Jesuit at Chalmette and St.Augustine against Holy Cross. Thursday’s games

All games at 7 p.m. unless noted.

District 6-5A

Covington at Mandeville Hammond at Slidell Ponchatoula at Fontainebleau

District 7-5A

Destrehan at Thibodaux Terrebonne at Hahnville

District 8-5A

East Jefferson vs. West Jefferson at Memtsas, 4 p.m. Riverdale vs. Bonnabel at Yenni Higgins vs. Warren Easton at Pan American, 7:30 p.m.

District 9-5A

St. Augustine vs. Holy Cross at Pan American, 3 p.m. Edna Karr vs. John Curtis at Bertolino Jesuit at Chalmette, 7:30 p.m.

District 7-4A

Franklinton at Hannan Salmen at Pearl River

District 9-4A

Carver vs. McMain at Morris F.X. Jeff Sr. Stadium McDonogh 35 vs. Abramson at Joe Brown

Dodgers top Braves, advance to NLCS By The Associated Press

BY SPENCER URQUHART Haynes Academy running back Brady Cribby embraces football’s physical nature but it wasn’t the first contact sport that he grew to love. Born in Naples, Maine, Cribby played multiple sports growing up and was in a competitive household with two older brothers. He loved playing hockey while in Maine but decided to find a new favorite sport when his family moved to Louisiana. The Cribby family moved to Kenner when Brady was 8 after his dad received a promotion at work. Cribby began playing tackle football for the first time in seventh grade and liked it right away. “I just like being physical,” said Cribby, who rushed for more than 2,000 yards last season at Haynes. “(My older brothers and I) were always wrestling and doing things that we probably shouldn’t have been, but that made me a lot tougher. They’re four years older than me, so I was always trying to keep up with them and their friends.” Now a senior at Haynes, Cribby has long since traded his hockey stick for football gear. He became the starting running back as a junior and has been a key to Haynes’ 5-0 start this season. Cribby said he sometimes misses playing hockey but has taken to life in south Louisiana. “I like the heat a lot better than the cold,” he said. “(You) don’t have to shovel snow. Also, the food (in Louisiana) is a lot better — a lot more seasoned. I like the culture overall better here.” Cribby took over as the workhorse running back last season for a run-heavy Haynes offense in place of Lochlen Claverie, the school’s all-time leading rusher. “Having (Claverie) as a mentor was huge to develop me,” Cribby said. “He believed in me when I didn’t even believe in myself.”

MLB PLAYOFFS

District 10-4A

Kenner Discovery at Young Audiences

District 8-3A

Loranger at Pope John Paul II

Cribby competes daily in practice with senior linebacker Carter Sternberger, both of whom were All-Metro selections last season. Sternberger already has 51 tackles and three sacks this season. “(Cribby and I) always go head to head,” Sternberger said. “We’re always (trying to get) the best of each other, but we have fun. We’re best friends. We’re always hanging out, always having a good time.” Haynes is averaging 40.8 points per game this season

BY CHRISTOPHER DABE

District 11-3A

Top-ranked Mandeville had four chances to close out the second set but never put down the point it needed. That left the door open for No. 2 Dominican, which took advantage with Olivia Anderson’s tip and Hadley Bonifacic’s block in a 25-17, 29-27, 25-18 sweep Tuesday at Dominican. In a matchup between the two highest-ranked teams in the Division I power ratings, Dominican built large leads early in the first and third sets. All the tension came in the second, when the teams played through 13 ties. “We kept coming back to the middle and telling ourselves, we do not let up off the gas,” Bonifacic said. “We keep our pedal to the metal.” Bonifacic finished with 10 kills and two blocks, scoring most of her points while helping Dominican build leads of 16-8 and 15-3 in the first and third sets. Her cross-court kill came just before Aubrie Dalton’s ace closed out the first set. In the third, Mandeville

Cohen vs. Sophie B. Wright at Gormley, 3:30 p.m. L.B. Landry vs. Thomas Jefferson at Memtsas, 6:30 p.m.

District 10-2A

Covenant Christian vs. Fisher at Yenni, 4 p.m. Northlake Christian at Independence

District 11-2A

Country Day at Houma Christian

District 10-1A

St. Martin’s at Riverside

Nondistrict

Morris Jeff at Newman, 3:45 p.m. Ben Franklin at Central Private Erath at Lakeshore John Ehret at Belle Chasse Sarah T. Reed at South Plaquemines

Friday’s games District 6-5A

St. Paul’s at Northshore, 4 p.m.

District 9-5A

Rummel vs. Brother Martin at Gormley, 3:30 p.m.

District 10-4A

Shaw at Willow, 4 p.m.

District 11-3A

Patrick Taylor vs. Jefferson Rise at Yenni

District 10-1A

West St. John at Ascension Catholic

Nondistrict

East St. John at Denham Springs, 6 p.m. Bogalusa vs. Booker T. Washington at Pan American, canceled Open date: De La Salle, Haynes, Kennedy

Christopher Dabe

this week. The Yellow Jackets will return next Thursday against Higgins before beginning district play in Week 8 against Sarah T. Reed. “(The open date) is a good chance to get guys some rest and touch up on some things that we need to work on,” Sprunk said. “The physicality has really stood out with this group. Each week, you see them getting better and better.” Email Spencer Urquhart at surquhart@theadvocate.com.

Dominican seizes chances, sweeps by No. 1 Mandeville

District 9-3A

Lutcher at Berwick St. Charles at St. James Vandebilt at Patterson

with Cribby leading the way on offense along with 6-3 sophomore quarterback Brees Westerﬁeld, who was named after Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees and wears jersey No. 9. Cribby is hoping to continue playing football in college and has an offer from Millsaps. “I think I’m pretty versatile (as a running back),” Cribby said. “I can go out and catch the ball, run somebody over or juke them.” Haynes has an open date

Staff writer

LATE TUESDAY VOLLEYBALL rallied to get within 21-15 before Dominican coach Jessica Chatellier called timeout. Dominican settled in, and Kaitlyn Byrd’s tip ended the match. “I really was proud of the way that we played defense in big moments,” Chatellier said. “At one of the timeouts, I was like, ‘The ball is going to the middle. No matter what, we dig this ball.’ And we did it.” Other top Dominican scorers included eighth grader Elle Diley, who had 10 kills, six blocks and three aces; and Hazel Roots, who had six kills and two blocks. Anderson ﬁnished with eight kills, one block and one ace. Ella Baker had 39 assists, and Aurore Tortorich had 39 digs. “I think defense knew where to be in the correct spots because our block was very disciplined,” Tortorich said. “We had a game plan going in, and we knew to spread, which helped create no holes at all.” The sweep came on the heels of a pair of five-set matches for Dominican,

which beat Mount Carmel on Thursday before losing to E.D. White on Saturday. Mandeville, like Dominican, frequently faces some of the best teams in the state. Mandeville’s other two losses came against the No. 1 teams in the Division II and Division V power ratings, St. Thomas More and Westminster Christian. Coach Danny Tullis is in his ﬁrst season at Mandeville after coaching Slidell to the past two Division I state titles, beating Dominican in both ﬁnals. Mandeville missed several chances during a backand-forth second set. “The bottom line is we continue to not terminate the ball when it’s time to terminate the ball to win the game,” Tullis said. “If you’re afraid to terminate the ball, it doesn’t matter how many times you dig it, how many times you pass it. We had four swings at game point and we didn’t swing at any of them.” Top Mandeville scorers included Farrah Provance and Chloe Carter, who had nine kills each, and Maelle Markovic, who had eight. Mikaela Duncan had 30 digs.

GUARDIANS 9, WHITE SOX 3: In Chicago, Jo Adell and José Ramírez powered Cleveland with a pair of two-out triples, and the Guardians avoided an AL Division Series sweep by cooling off the Chicago White Sox in Game 3. Adell’s three-run triple gave Cleveland a 4-1 lead in the third inning. Ramírez’s three-bagger drove in Travis Bazzana and Patrick Bailey for a 7-3 advantage in the eighth. The Guardians recorded two triples in a postseason game for the first time in franchise history. They became the first major league team to accomplish the feat since the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 1 of the 2024 World Series. Adell, Ramírez, Bailey and Brayan Rocchio each had two of the team’s 11 hits — a complete turnaround for the AL Central champions after they managed just three runs and seven hits in the first two games of the series combined. Game 4 is on Thursday. Chicago won its first four games in a surprising postseason appearance after going 60-102 last year. It was backed by a frenzied crowd of 40,590 for the franchise’s first home playoff game since 2021, but there wasn’t much for the fans to cheer in the final innings. The White Sox struck out 19 times and went 2 for 11 with runners in position. Their bullpen faltered after coming up big in their fast postseason start. Chicago jumped in front on Kyle Teel’s RBI double off Daniel Espino with one out in the first. But Espino fanned Chase Meidroth before Foster Griffin struck out Tristan Peters looking, stranding runners on second and third.

6C ✦ Thursday, October 8, 2026 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune

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SCOREBOARD Odds

Rushers

NFL

Walker, KC Cook, Buf Henry, Bal Taylor, Ind Warren, Pit Tuten, Jac Jeanty, Las Hampton, LAC Pollard, Ten C.Brown, Cin Receivers

Thursday FAVORITE at DALLAS

Sunday

OPEN TODAY O/U 3½ 8½ (47½)

UNDERDOG Tampa Bay

FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG at JACKSONVILLE 1½ 7½ (42½) Philadelphia Houston 3½ 7½ (37½) at TENNESSEE at NEW ENGLAND 8½ 3½ (45) Las Vegas at NY JETS 2½ 1½ (40½) Cleveland at WASHINGTON 2½ 3½ (43½) NY Giants Chicago 3 2½ (45½) at GREEN BAY Minnesota 1½ 1½ (42½) at N.O. at PITTSBURGH 2½ 2½ (44½) Indianapolis Cincinnati 5½ 6½ (42½) at MIAMI Denver 2½ 3½ (42½) at CHARGERS Detroit 8½ 5½ (54½) at ARIZONA at SEATTLE 3½ 3 (46½) San Fran. at ATLANTA 4½ 3½ (43½) Baltimore

Monday

FAVORITE at L.A. RAMS

OPEN TODAY O/U 3 3 (54½)

College football

UNDERDOG Buffalo

Thursday

FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG at LIBERTY 13½ 13½ (52½) Sam Hou. at W. KENTUCKY 2½ 2½ (56½) Missouri St. at ARKANSAS ST. 1½ 1½ (60½) S. Alabama at UTSA 6½ 7 (50½) S. Florida

Friday

FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U at LOUISVILLE 7½ 3½ (59½) at SAN JOSE ST. 6 6 (43½) at WASHINGTON 1½ 3½ (41½) at UTAH ST. 1½ 5½ (44½) at BYU 14½ 10½ (46½)

Saturday

UNDERDOG Florida St. Wyoming Iowa Wash. St. Iowa St.

FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG at BO. GREEN 6½ 7½ (44½) Sacra. St. Arizona 3½ 3 (61½) at WEST VA. Indiana 8½ 7½ (49½) at NEBRASKA Wake Forest 2½ 3½ (59½) at NC ST. at OKLA. ST. 9½ 10½ (53½) UCF at PITTSBURGH 4½ 3½ (47½) N. Carolina at ARMY 6½ 3½ (48½) Tulane at MISSOURI 1½ 3½ (48½) Texas A&M at N’WESTERN 34½ 36½ (52½) Ball St. at FLORIDA 14½ 12½ (60½) S. Carolina at APP. ST. 5½ 9½ (49½)Old Dominion Miami (OH) 2½ 2½ (47½) at UMASS Ole Miss 10½ 8½ (56½) at VANDY E. Michigan 5½ 6½ (52½) at AKRON Virginia Tech 11½ 9½ (53½) at CAL at KANSAS ST. 1½ 2½ (55½) Houston Illinois 2½ 2½ (48½) at MICH. ST. at W. MICHIGAN 13½ 13½ (43½) Kent St. at TOLEDO 17½ 21 (54½) Buffalo Duke 5½ 6½ (44½) at GA. TECH Texas 6½ 7½ (39½) at OKLA. at NOTRE DAME 35½ 38 (54½) Stanford at NORTH TEXAS 24½ 28½ (57½) Charlotte at NAVY 3½ 2½ (48½) Tulsa at OREGON 12½ 11½ (58½) UCLA at OHIO 3½ 3 (46½) C. Michigan at TEMPLE 3 3½ (54½) UConn at E. CAROLINA 9½ 10 (47½) Rice at OHIO ST. 37½ 34½ (56½) Maryland Tennessee 14½ 13½ (51½)at ARKANSAS at OREGON ST. 14½ 14½ (53½) San Diego St. at MARSHALL 2½ 3 (58½) C. Carolina Nevada 9½ 9½ (49½) at UTEP LSU 10½ 8½ (51½) at KENTUCKY at MEMPHIS 16½ 14 (53½) UAB North Dakota St. 1½ 3½ (48½) at UNLV Air Force 12½ 7½ (46½) at N. ILLINOIS at LA. TECH 1½ 3 (47½) UL at VIRGINIA 6½ 9½ (50½) Syracuse at PENN ST. PK 1½ (54½) USC James Madison 10 7½ (51½) at GA. SO. at ALABAMA 2½ 1½ (51½) Georgia Minnesota 5½ 2½ (50½) at PURDUE at UTAH 13½ 15½ (51½) Kansas Boise St. 10½ 6½ (48½)at FRESNO ST. at ARIZONA ST. 17½ 20½ (50½) Hawaii

College football Scores, schedule

Tuesday’s score Troy 55, Southern Miss 34 Wednesday’s games Jacksonville St. (3-2) at Kennesaw St. (1-3), n New Mexico St. (2-3) at FIU (2-2), n Thursday’s games Sam Houston St. (1-3) at Liberty (4-1), 6 p.m. Missouri St. (1-3) at W. Kentucky (1-4), 6 p.m. South Florida (4-1) at UTSA (4-1), 6:30 p.m. South Alabama (3-2) at Arkansas St. (2-3), 6:30 p.m. Friday’s games Columbia (2-1) at Marist (3-2), 6 p.m. Florida St. (3-2) at Louisville (2-3), 6 p.m. Wyoming (2-3) at San Jose St. (3-2), 8 p.m. Iowa (4-1) at Washington (3-2), 8 p.m. Washington St. (1-4) at Utah St. (1-4), 8 p.m. Iowa St. (3-2) at BYU (4-0), 9:15 p.m.

State schedule

Saturday’s games Tulane (2-2) at Army (2-2), 11 a.m. UL (4-1) at Louisiana Tech (2-2), 6:30 p.m. Southern (2-4) at Prairie View (2-4), 2 p.m. Southeastern (3-2) at UTRGV (2-3), 7 p.m. Open dates: Nicholls State, McNeese State, Northwestern State, UL-Monoe

Pro football NFL glance AFC East

Buffalo New England N.Y. Jets Miami South Jacksonville Indianapolis Tennessee Houston North Cleveland Baltimore Pittsburgh Cincinnati West Kansas City Las Vegas Denver L.A. Chargers

NFC East

N.Y. Giants Philadelphia Dallas Washington South Carolina Atlanta New Orleans Tampa Bay North Minnesota Chicago Detroit Green Bay West San Francisco Seattle L.A. Rams Arizona

W 3 2 1 0

L 1 2 3 4

T 0 0 0 0

Pct PF PA .750 127 107 .500 65 77 .250 76 84 .000 46 101

W 3 2 0 0

L 1 2 4 4

T 0 0 0 0

Pct PF PA .750 104 53 .500 102 104 .000 55 83 .000 84 109

W 3 3 2 2

L 1 1 2 2

T 0 0 0 0

Pct PF .750 81 .750 116 .500 77 .500 97

W 4 3 2 0

L 0 1 2 4

T Pct PF PA 0 1.000 118 77 0 .750 115 84 0 .500 74 94 0 .000 67 106

W 3 2 2 1

L 1 2 2 3

T 0 0 0 0

Pct PF PA .750 82 79 .500 75 93 .500 122 112 .250 88 122

W 2 2 1 0

L 2 2 3 4

T 0 0 0 0

Pct PF PA .500 121 109 .500 96 92 .250 105 128 .000 76 96

W 4 3 2 2

L 0 1 2 2

T Pct PF PA 0 1.000 86 51 0 .750 112 65 0 .500 119 127 0 .500 73 105

W 4 3 2 1

L 0 1 2 3

T Pct PF PA 0 1.000 122 64 0 .750 105 73 0 .500 85 83 0 .250 87 117

Thursday’s game

PA 95 96 87 85

Sunday’s games

Philadelphia vs. Jacksonville at London, 8:30 a.m. Chicago at Green Bay, noon Cincinnati at Miami, noon Cleveland at N.Y. Jets, noon Houston at Tennessee, noon Indianapolis at Pittsburgh, noon Las Vegas at New England, noon Minnesota at New Orleans, noon N.Y. Giants at Washington, noon Denver at L.A. Chargers, 3:05 p.m. Detroit at Arizona, 3:25 p.m. San Francisco at Seattle, 3:25 p.m. Baltimore at Atlanta, 7:20 p.m. Open: Kansas City, Carolina

Monday’s game

Buffalo at L.A. Rams, 7:15 p.m.

AFC leaders Burrow, Cin Stroud, Hou Allen, Buf Mahomes, KC Cousins, Las Rodgers, Pit L.Jackson, Bal G.Smith, NYJ D.Watson, Cle Maye, NE

Att 157 151 119 128 144 153 96 117 115 117

Com 112 93 79 82 93 88 68 85 80 73

Benson, Las Wetjen, Pit Wester, Bal Dortch, Buf Noel, Hou M.Jones, NE Dike, Ten Remigio, KC Williams, NYJ Meyers, Cin Kickoff Returners Laube, Las McGowan, Ind R.Sanders, Cle Harvey, Den C.Moore, Bal Wright, Mia Abdullah, Jac Scoring Touchdowns Allen, Buf Henry, Bal Taylor, Ind Walker, KC 8 tied Kicking

No 25 18 13 15 24 22 16 15 16 11 17

Yds 401 352 284 270 270 268 246 233 228 219 219

Avg LG TD 16.0 29 1 19.6 54t 2 21.8 60 2 18.0 40 1 11.3 32 2 12.2 33 0 15.4 59 2 15.5 42 1 14.3 32 2 19.9 55 2 12.9 30 0

NFC

Lg 69 59 81 72 68 62 65 67 62 60

Avg 52.3 51.7 51.4 50.4 49.7 49.4 49.2 49.1 48.7 48.4

No 5 7 7 8 6 7 8 6 5 5

Yds 68 69 65 70 51 59 57 42 31 28

AvgLong TD 13.6 23 0 9.9 17 0 9.3 24 0 8.8 25 0 8.5 17 0 8.4 19 0 7.1 14 0 7.0 27 0 6.2 15 0 5.6 15 0

No 7 11 10 6 8 10 6

Yds 234 324 293 175 229 282 166

Avg LG TD 33.4 53 0 29.5 66 0 29.3 74 0 29.2 37 0 28.6 42 0 28.2 79 0 27.7 35 0

TD Rush 7 7 7 7 6 6 6 4 3 3

Rec Ret Pts 0 0 42 0 0 42 0 0 36 2 0 36 0 0 18

PAT FG 9/10 11/11 9/9 10/10 10/10 9/9 13/13 7/9 11/11 7/9 14/14 6/8 13/14 6/6 7/7 8/8 9/9 7/8 6/6 7/10

Shrader, Ind Gay, Las McPherson, Cin Butker, KC C.Little, Jac Loop, Bal Bass, Buf Szmyt, Cle Fairbairn, Hou Boswell, Pit

Young, Car Goff, Det Shough, NO Stafford, LAR Prescott, Dal Love, GB Purdy, SF Brissett, Ari Hurts, Phi Mayﬁeld, TB Rushers

Avg LG TD 6.2 76 4 6.0 35 3 4.2 32t 7 4.1 24t 6 5.6 35 0 4.6 20 2 3.4 19 0 4.0 17 3 4.1 18 1 3.6 13 1

No Yds 12 627 12 620 16 822 15 756 19 945 18 889 21 1034 18 884 18 876 12 581

Araiza, KC Sanchez, Ind Bojorquez, Cle Cole, Las Crawshaw, Den Johnston, Pit Townsend, Ten Kroeger, Hou McNamara, NYJ Cooke, Jac Punt returners

Quarterbacks

Yds 537 421 374 353 309 277 264 238 221 207

LG 58 59 58 46 55 64 46 56 58 56

Pts 42 39 37 34 32 32 31 31 30 27

Att 162 161 180 162 150 154 113 152 114 96

Com 101 109 121 99 105 87 79 103 68 61

Yds TD Int 1268 9 2 1214 9 0 1203 9 3 1189 6 6 1065 8 1 1041 8 3 1007 11 1 818 6 4 713 7 3 615 2 2

Att 85 80 60 69 61 72 54 56 68 62

Yds 494 353 324 311 306 297 294 241 235 231

Avg LG TD 5.8 59t 4 4.4 21 5 5.4 61t 3 4.5 32 3 5.0 32 3 4.1 20 1 5.4 30 3 4.3 38 1 3.5 13 1 3.7 22 5

Bi.Robinson, Atl Gibbs, Det Monangai, Chi Swift, Chi Hubbard, Car A.Jones, Min Williams, LAR Irving, TB Skattebo, NYG J.Williams, Dal Receivers

No Yds Avg LG TD Lamb, Dal 37 498 13.5 49 4 Olave, NO 35 491 14.0 47 1 Smith-Njigba, Sea 32 481 15.0 82t 6 Adams, LAR 22 390 17.7 64 2 McMillan, Car 26 385 14.8 32t 2 D.London, Atl 20 370 18.5 68 0 Watson, GB 20 331 16.6 81t 4 St. Brown, Det 31 303 9.8 34 5 Golden, GB 18 274 15.2 45 2 Mi.Wilson, Ari 25 258 10.3 24 1 Punters No Yds Lg Avg Stout, NYG 16 810 78 50.6 Waitman, SF 11 540 61 49.1 Mann, Phi 19 931 64 49.0 Whelan, GB 18 870 66 48.3 Evans, LAR 14 666 67 47.6 Way, Was 19 897 60 47.2 Fox, Det 15 708 62 47.2 Martin, Car 13 613 61 47.2 Bailey, Atl 13 603 62 46.4 Thorson, Min 10 458 62 45.8 Punt Returners No Yds AvgLong TD Price, Min 9 181 20.1 86t 1 Moore, GB 8 128 16.0 63 0 Branch, Atl 6 83 13.8 25 0 Covey, Phi 10 135 13.5 41 0 Lane, Was 7 84 12.0 19 0 T.Johnson, TB 7 80 11.4 16 0 Turpin, Dal 8 90 11.3 17 0 Raymond, Chi 8 84 10.5 24 0 Smith, LAR 7 69 9.9 19 0 Shaheed, Sea 9 79 8.8 14 0 Kickoff Returners No Yds Avg LG TD K.Johnson, TB 7 214 30.6 48 0 Price, Min 14 423 30.2 68 0 Duvernay, Ari 6 177 29.5 40 0 Melton, GB 6 170 28.3 59 0 Turpin, Dal 15 422 28.1 48 0 Berrios, NYG 5 138 27.6 30 0 Moore, GB 11 302 27.5 43 0 Scoring Touchdowns TD Rush Rec Ret Pts Gibbs, Det 7 5 2 0 42 Smith-Njigba, Sea 6 0 6 0 36 J.Williams, Dal 6 5 1 0 36 Hubbard, Car 5 3 2 0 30 Bi.Robinson, Atl 5 4 1 0 30 St. Brown, Det 5 0 5 0 30 6 tied 4 0 4 0 24 Kicking PAT FG LG Pts Reichard, Min 6/6 12/12 56 42 Fitzgerald, Car 10/13 9/9 53 37 Aubrey, Dal 12/13 8/11 60 36 Bates, Det 14/14 7/7 54 35 McLaughlin, TB 7/7 9/9 59 34 Santos, Chi 13/13 7/8 50 34 Ryland, Ari 9/9 8/9 60 33 Zvada, NYG 5/5 9/9 52 32 Folk, Atl 10/10 6/9 51 28 Stevens, Was 7/9 7/9 57 28

Major League Baseball Postseason glance

Tampa Bay at Dallas, 7:15 p.m.

Quarterbacks

Higgins, Cin Flowers, Bal Boston, Cle Kincaid, Buf Wilson, NYJ Tate, Ten Kelce, KC Tucker, Las Washington, Jac Thornton, KC Washington, Mia Punters

Att 87 70 89 86 55 60 78 59 54 58

Yds TD Int 1171 7 3 1141 5 0 1039 6 3 1037 9 2 1026 11 4 999 7 4 967 6 1 902 5 0 855 6 2 854 4 7

Cleveland 9, Chicago White Sox 3 Cleveland

Chicago ab r hbi ab r h bi Kwan cf-lf 6 1 1 1 Antonacci dh 2 1 1 1 Ramírez 3b 4 2 2 2 Vargas 3b 4 0 1 0 DeLauter rf 4 1 1 1 Murakami 1b 4 0 0 0 Adell dh 4 0 2 3 Teel c 4 0 1 1 Lowe 1b 2 1 0 0 Meidroth 2b 4 1 1 0 Martínez lf 4 0 0 0 Peters cf 4 0 1 1 Halpin cf 0 1 0 0 B.Montgmry rf 3 1 0 0 Bazzana 2b 2 2 0 0 Grichuk lf 4 0 1 0 Genao 2b 1 0 1 1 C.Montgomry ss3 0 0 0 Bailey c 4 1 2 0 Rocchio ss 4 0 2 1 Totals 35 911 9 Totals 32 3 6 3 Cleveland 004 010 022 — 9 Chicago 100 101 000 — 3 DP — Cleveland 1, Chicago 3. LOB — Cleveland 10, Chicago 8. 2B — Ramírez (1), Genao (1), Teel (1), Meidroth (1), Peters (1). 3B — Adell (2), Ramírez (1). SB — Ramírez (1), Rocchio (1). S — Rocchio (1). IP H R ER BB SO Cleveland 2 Espino ⁄3 2 1 1 1 2 Griffin W,1-0 22⁄3 2 1 1 0 7 2 Armstrong H,1 ⁄3 0 0 0 0 1 2 Cantillo H,1 1 ⁄3 1 1 1 2 1 1 Gaddis H,1 ⁄3 1 0 0 0 0 Herrin H,1 1 0 0 0 0 3 C.Smith 2 0 0 0 0 5 Chicago Newcomb 2 1 0 0 0 1 1 Hudson L,1-1 ⁄3 2 3 3 1 0 2 H.Smith ⁄3 1 1 1 2 1 Schultz 3 2 1 1 2 1 Davis 1 1 0 0 1 1 Sandlin 1 2 2 2 2 1 Martin 1 2 2 2 2 1 HBP — Griffin 2 (Antonacci,Peters), Gaddis 2 (C.Montgomery,Antonacci). WP — Schultz. ABS Challenge — Griffin (Ball-Overturned to Strike); Hudson (Ball-Confirmed); Hudson (Ball-Confirmed); Griffin (Ball-Overturned to Strike); Smith (Ball-Overturned to Strike); Smith (Ball-Overturned to Strike). Pitch timer violations — Sandlin (pitcher). Umpires — Home, Todd Tichenor; First, Jansen Visconti; Second, Vic Carapazza; Third, Tom Hanahan; Right, Gabe Morales; Left, Cory Blaser. T — 3:16. A — 40,590 (40,241).

L.A. Dodgers 4, Atlanta 1 Los Angeles Atlanta ab r hbi ab r h bi Betts ss 4 0 0 0 Harris cf 3 1 2 0 Freeman 1b 4 0 0 0 Acuña rf 3 0 0 0 Smith c 4 0 0 0 Olson 1b 4 0 0 0 Ohtani dh 3 1 0 0 Albies 2b 4 0 1 0 T.Hernndz lf 4 1 1 0 Baldwin dh 4 0 0 0 Hy.Kim 2b 0 0 0 0 Yastrzemski lf 1 0 0 0 Muncy 3b 4 1 1 1 Thomas ph-lf 1 0 0 0 E.Hrnndz 2b 2 0 0 0 Tellez ph 1 0 0 0 De Paula ph 0 0 0 0 Dubón ss 3 0 0 0 Edman 2b 1 1 0 0 Riley 3b 3 0 0 0 Tucker rf 3 0 1 0 Murphy c 3 0 0 0 Pages cf 3 0 2 2 Totals 32 4 5 3 Totals 30 1 3 0 Los Angeles 010 000 201 — 4 Atlanta 100 000 000 — 1 E — Murphy (1), Dubón (1). DP — Los Angeles 0, Atlanta 1. LOB — Los Angeles 4, Atlanta 7. 2B — Albies (2), Harris (2). HR — Muncy (3). SB — Harris (1). IP H R ER BB SO Los Angeles Glasnow 42⁄3 1 1 1 5 5 2 Vesia ⁄3 1 0 0 0 0 2 Henriquez W,1-0 1 ⁄3 1 0 0 0 0 Scott H,2 1 0 0 0 0 2 Díaz S,2-2 1 0 0 0 0 1 Atlanta 1 Mahle L,0-1 6 ⁄3 3 2 1 1 4 1 Fuentes ⁄3 0 1 1 2 0 1 Suarez ⁄3 1 0 0 0 0 Lee 1 0 0 0 0 1 Iglesias 1 1 1 1 0 0 WP — Glasnow. ABS Challenge — Albies (Strike-Conﬁrmed); Baldwin (Strike-Conﬁrmed). Umpires — Home, Tripp Gibson; First, Jim Wolf; Second, Mike Estabrook; Third, Roberto Ortiz; Right, James Hoye; Left, Chris Guccione. T — 2:54. A — 41,173 (41,149).

Late Tuesday San Diego 4, Milwaukee 3 Milwaukee

San Diego ab r hbi ab r h bi Chourio lf 4 0 0 1 Tatis rf 4 0 0 1 Bauers 1b 4 0 0 0 Merrill cf 4 1 1 0 Contreras c 4 2 3 1 Machado 3b 3 0 1 1 Lara pr 0 0 0 0 France 1b 4 0 0 0 Turang 2b 4 0 1 0 Salas c 3 0 0 0 Yelich dh 4 0 2 1 Bogaerts ss 3 1 1 0 Mitchell cf 4 0 0 0 Harris lf 2 0 0 0 Pratt ss 4 1 2 0 Andujar ph 1 0 0 0 Frelick rf 4 0 1 0 Bowen pr-lf 0 0 0 0 Ortiz 3b 2 0 1 0 Taylor dh 3 1 1 0 Hamiltn 3b 1 0 1 0 Cronenwrth 2b 2 1 2 1 Totals 35 311 3 Totals 29 4 6 3 Milwaukee 000 110 100 — 3 San Diego 002 011 00x — 4 E — Pratt (2). DP — Milwaukee 0, San Diego 1. LOB — Milwaukee 11, San Diego 4. HR — Contreras (2), Cronenworth (1). SB — Taylor (1), Merrill (1). SF — Chourio (1). S — Ortiz (1), Cronenworth (1). IP H R ER BB SO Milwaukee May 3 3 2 2 2 3 Romero L,0-1 12⁄3 1 1 1 0 2 Senzatela 1 1 1 0 0 1 Hall 11⁄3 1 0 0 0 1 Uribe 1 0 0 0 0 0 San Diego Pivetta 41⁄3 5 2 2 0 4 1 Adam ⁄3 1 0 0 1 0 Matsui W,1-0 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 Rodriguez H,2 1 ⁄3 3 1 1 0 3 King S,1-1 2 1 0 0 2 1 May pitched to 2 batters in the 4th, Senzatela pitched to 3 batters in the 6th, Matsui pitched to 4 batters in the 6th. WP — Hall. ABS Challenge — May (Ball-Confirmed); Pivetta (Ball-Confirmed); Ortiz (Strike-Overturned to Ball); Senzatela (Ball-Overturned to Strike); Contreras (Strike-Confirmed); King (Ball-Confirmed). Umpires — Home, Alfonso Marquez; First, Nic Lentz; Second, Quinn Wolcott; Third, Brennan Miller; Right, Lance Barrett; Left, Nick Mahrley. T — 3:22. A — 47,708 (40,222).

Pro basketball WNBA playoff glance Semiﬁnals

(Best-of-5; x-if necessary)

Golden State 1, Las Vegas 0

Oct. 4: Golden State 71, Las Vegas 60 Wednesday: Las Vegas at Golden State, n Friday: Golden State at Las Vegas, 8:30 p.m. x-Sunday: Golden State at Las Vegas, TBA x-Oct. 14: Las Vegas at Golden State, TBA

Atlanta 2, New York 0

Oct. 4: Atlanta 92, New York 82 Wednesday: Atlanta 101, New York 98, OT Friday: Atlanta at New York, 6:30 p.m. x-Sunday: Atlanta at New York, TBA x-Oct. 14: New York at Atlanta, TBA

DIVISION SERIES

Pro hockey

American League Chicago White Sox 2, Cleveland 1

NHL glance

(Best-of-5; x-if necessary)

Oct. 3: Chicago White Sox 3, Cleveland 0 Monday: Chicago White Sox 4, Cleveland 3 Wednesday: Cleveland 9, Chicago White Sox 3 Thursday: Cleveland at Chicago White Sox, 4 p.m. or 7 p.m. (TBS/TruTV/HBO Max) x-Saturday: Chicago White Sox at Cleveland, 4 p.m. (TBS/TruTV/HBO Max)

Tampa Bay 2, N.Y. Yankees 0

Oct. 3: Tampa Bay 1, N.Y. Yankees 0 Monday: Tampa Bay 5, N.Y. Yankees 2 Wednesday: Tampa Bay at New York, n x-Thursday: Tampa Bay at N.Y. Yankees (Rodón 7-3), 7 p.m. (TBS/TruTV/HBO Max) x-Saturday: N.Y. Yankees at Tampa Bay, 7 p.m.

National League L.A. Dodgers 3, Atlanta 1

Oct. 3: L.A. Dodgers 5, Atlanta 3 Oct. 4: Atlanta 3, L.A. Dodgers 2 Tuesday: L.A. Dodgers 3, Atlanta 1 Wednesday: L.A. Dodgers 4, Atlanta 1

Milwaukee 2, San Diego 1

Oct. 3: Milwaukee 3, San Diego 2 Oct. 4: Milwaukee 4, San Diego 3 Tuesday: San Diego 4, Milwaukee 3 x-Wednesday: Milwaukee at San Diego, n x-Friday: San Diego at Milwaukee, 3:30 p.m.

Tuesday’s games

Detroit 5, Ottawa 3 Buffalo 3, Minnesota 2, OT Toronto 5, Nashville 4, OT Utah 5, New Jersey 3 Carolina 6, Montreal 4 N.Y. Rangers 5, N.Y. Islanders 2 Chicago 4, St. Louis 2 Vegas 6, Seattle 2 Florida 2, Los Angeles 1

STAFF PHOTO BY PEARL SPURLOCK

LSU basketball coach Will Wade speaks at a Rotary Club of Baton Rouge event on Wednesday.

Wade keeping faith in ‘unconventional’ roster build in return to LSU BY TOYLOY BROWN III Staff writer

and their contracts are more than our kids’ contracts. I tend to feel pretty good about our chances.” Wade admits he doesn’t know how long the process will take for 20-year-old Croatian forward Michael Ruzic, 22-year-old Italian-Senegalese wing Saliou Niang, 23-year-old French center Brice Dessert and 24-year-old Israeli center Gilad Levy. The only player Wade didn’t allude to was former St. John’s star RJ Luis, who has been practicing with the team since being granted a preliminary injunction on Aug. 24 in his lawsuit against the NCAA. The former Big East Player of the Year fought in court after going undrafted in the 2025 NBA Draft, signing a two-way NBA contract and playing in preseason games. Shortly after his injunction, the Southeastern Conference implemented rules preventing member schools from adding players such as Luis who sign an NBA or G League contract. Although Wade didn’t directly discuss Luis, he said he plans on following the rules. “I know everybody thinks we’re like some fly by the seat of our pants,” Wade said. “But look, we’re gonna abide by the SEC and the NCAA rules. We’re not cutting any corners with the SEC rules or their stuff. We’re not cutting any corners with the NCAA rules and what they got going on because they’re sure as hell looking at us, both entities (men’s basketball and football). We’re not trying to bring some sort of undue attention.” Wade has no intentions of repeating this type of roster build next season. He said LSU “took advantage of a loophole” and that this method of taking “calculated risks” gave the team the best chance to compete quickly. “Everybody else took one or two of these kids,” he said. “We took five or six of them. I understand we went a little bit overboard, but everybody else has one or two of them. Nobody’s complaining about them. “I figure if you’re going to dive in, you might as well not dip your toe. Just dive head first and let’s go.” A crowd member asked Wade how much money he had to build his roster in comparison to the reported $50 million Lane Kiffin had for football. While initially resistant, Wade provided a range. “We spent north of 10 (million) and south of 15,” Wade said. “Somewhere in there. That’s going to put us somewhere between nine and ... 12 in the SEC.” The most laughs and claps came from a joke Wade made about NIL four years after being fired for cause by LSU when paying players wasn’t allowed. “We were just a little ahead of our time with NIL,” he said. “Everybody says it’s ‘name, image and likeness.’ I say ‘now it’s legal.’ ”

Among the quips, laughter and applause, Will Wade addressed the topic everyone was itching to know more about. Who is on his LSU basketball team? The new coach, who previously led the program from 2017-22, expressed confidence his “unconventional” roster will be set for the season opener. “I believe that on November 3, we will roll out there with every player eligible that is within those guidelines, that’s within the SEC guidelines,” Wade said. “And I believe all the international kids, all the fifth-year kids, will be eligible.” Wade spoke to members and guests of the Rotary Club of Baton Rouge about his team during a 30-minute talk Wednesday, then answered a few questions for the audience without speaking to the media. With an official roster of just four players since June, LSU will play its first of three exhibitions at 6:30 p.m. Thursday against McNeese State at Townsley Law Arena in Lake Charles. Wade said about eight players will play against McNeese, including “basically three walkons” as the program waits to learn the fate of other scholarship players. “We’re not going to do anything that sacrifices what we’re trying to do long term,” he said. “The thing (Thursday) is to raise money for McNeese. If we win, that’s great. We lose, not great, but life’s going to move on. It doesn’t go on our record.” Wade didn’t say who’ll play Thursday, but those listed on the roster are senior guard Abdi Bashir (Kansas State), junior guard Divine Ugochukwu (Michigan State), senior forward Mo Dioubate (Kentucky) and fifthyear senior guard Austin Nunez (UTSA). Nunez had a medical redshirt year after playing four games in 2024-25. Wade also said that one or two of his fifth-year players might play against McNeese. Besides Nunez, LSU has a pair of fifth-year UCLA transfer guards in Donovan Dent and Skyy Clark. They were a couple of the more than 70 plaintiffs to gain an additional year of eligibility through a temporary restraining order in a lawsuit filed in California against the NCAA. What will determine the status of their eligibility is a court hearing for a preliminary injunction on Oct. 20. Wade explained that his confidence in his four international signees being available is based on their former overseas teammates at other schools already getting cleared by the NCAA Eligibility Center. “We feel like almost all of them are going to be eligible,” Wade said. “It’s going to be hard to deny our kids when their teammates are eligible, and we know Email Toyloy Brown III at their (international) contracts toyloy.brown@theadvocate.com

Wednesday’s games

Colorado at Winnipeg, n Pittsburgh at Washington, n Edmonton at Anaheim, n

Thursday’s games

Dallas at Buffalo, 6 p.m. Minnesota at Tampa Bay, 6 p.m. Nashville at Montreal, 6 p.m. Philadelphia at Ottawa, 6 p.m. Utah at Boston, 6 p.m. Vancouver at Carolina, 6 p.m. Chicago at N.Y. Islanders, 6:30 p.m. San Jose at St. Louis, 7 p.m. Colorado at Calgary, 8 p.m. Toronto at Vegas, 9 p.m. Los Angeles at Vegas, 9 p.m.

– SINCE I837 –

LIVING

N O L A.C O M

T h u r s d ay, O c T O b e r 8, 2026

1dN

Vampire’s Blood Cake, Friendly Witches’ Special Spirit, plus a spooky French Quarter tale? Bring Halloween into the kitchen for a scary good time

TNS PHOTO BY LINDA GASSENHEIMER

Portobello Mushroom Panini with Arugula Salad

Bring the restaurant home with paninis BY LINDA GASSENHEIMER Tribune News Service (TNS)

Hot, crispy paninis are a simple dinner that’s warm and welcoming. This vegetarian version features meaty portobello mushrooms tucked into crusty ciabatta bread. Ciabatta is the traditional bread for paninis. Its name comes from the Italian word for “slipper,” a fitting description of its long, rustic shape. You don’t need a special panini press to make this sandwich. Simply place it in a skillet and press it down with a lid or a smaller skillet that fits inside. Continue pressing as it cooks until the bread is golden and crisp and the filling is hot and savory. It’s an easy way to enjoy a restaurant-style sandwich right at home.

PHOTO BY MONICA BELTON/STAFF ILLUSTRATION BY CHRISTOPHER MARTIN

YOU ARE GOING TO LOVE EVERY

Portobello Mushroom Panini Yields 2 servings. Recipe is by Linda Gassenheimer. 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 ciabatta bread (about 8 ounces) 8 ounces sliced portobello mushrooms (about 31⁄3 cups) 1 teaspoon minced garlic ½ cup sliced, canned drained roasted red peppers ½ cup crumbled goat cheese (about 2½ ounces) 8 fresh basil leaves Olive oil spray 1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet and add the mushrooms and garlic. Saute 1 minute. Remove to a plate. 2. Cut bread into 2 (5-inch) pieces and slice them open. 3. Spread the mushrooms, garlic and oil over the bottom slices. Place roasted red pepper over the mushrooms. Sprinkle goat cheese over the red pepper and top each one with 4 basil leaves. 4. Cover with the top half of the bread. 5. Heat the same skillet over medium-low heat and spray with olive oil spray. Add the paninis and press down with a lid or bottom of another skillet. Saute 3 minutes. Turn them over and press again. Saute another 3 minutes. The cheese should be melted and the crust golden. Cook a few more minutes, if needed. 6. Divide between 2 dinner plates and cut paninis in half. NUTRITION INFO PER SERVING: 502 calories (34 percent from fat), 18.8 g fat (8.8 g saturated, 5.7 g monounsaturated), 28 mg cholesterol, 21.8 g protein, 62.4 g carbohydrates, 3.9 g ﬁber, 716 mg sodium.

Arugula Salad Yields 2 servings. Recipe is by Linda Gassenheimer. 3 cups washed, ready-to-eat salad 2 cups fresh arugula 2 tablespoons reduced-fat salad dressing 1. Place salad in a bowl. Add arugula. Toss with dressing. 2. Divide in half and serve on the dinner plates with the panini. NUTRITION INFO PER SERVING: 28 calories (41 percent from fat), 1.3 g fat (0.1 g saturated 0.4g monounsaturated), 1 mg cholesterol, 1.5 g protein, 3.7 g carbohydrates, 1.8 g ﬁber, 16 mg sodium.

Kevin Belton

RECIPES ä Vampire’s

Blood Cake ä Friendly Witches’ Special Spirit

rowing up in New Orleans, my cousins and I were constantly in and out of each other’s houses, a rotating cast of characters moving through the city as if we owned it. My cousin Lorna was always part of that crew, but she moved away years ago. Recently, she has come back home. She says it’s because she missed New Orleans, but I think maybe she missed all of us, the family dinners and the shared stories and the way this city gets into your blood and won’t let go. As I think about Halloween, New Orleans and my cousin Lorna (who loves dessert and beverages), this story came to me.

Lorna and the midnight mask Lorna had always loved the masks in the shop windows along Royal Street, the elaborate Mardi Gras creations with peacock feathers and glittering sequins. But she’d never noticed the small shop tucked between a praline shop and an antique dealer until Halloween night. The sign above the door read: Madame Laveau’s Masks — Since 1835. ä See HALLOWEEN, page 2D

Cider Cup cocktail a Prohibition-era classic Cider Cup Cocktail, RECIPE 2D

VORACIOUS/ ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO BY CAITLIN BENSEL

BY TIFFANIE BARRIERE Voracious

This spin on the Cider Cup is from my cocktail book “Good Spirits”; the original drink has roots going back to the early 20th century. In Jacques Straub’s 1914 book, “Drinks,” cider, brandy, curaçao, maraschino liqueur, pineapple and citrus fruits came together like a pre-Prohibition party in a glass. During Prohibition, when

bartenders had to get scrappy, cider-based cocktails like the Cider Cup gained real traction — lower-proof, easy to disguise, but still full of ﬂavor and ﬁnesse. Over in the U.K., the Cider Cup became a staple of British garden parties — light, cold and fruity, perfect for warm afternoons. This version takes its cues from Julian Anderson’s bar at the Montana Club, in Helena,

ä See COCKTAIL, page 2D

2D ✦ Thursday, October 8, 2026 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune

lll

Leaving food out for wildlife

PHOTOS BY MONICA BELTON

Vampire’s Blood Cake Serves 15. FOR THE CHERRY SAUCE: 1 pound fresh or frozen cherries, pitted ½ cup sugar ½ cup water 2 tablespoons cornstarch ¼ teaspoon kosher salt FOR THE CAKE: Cooking spray 1 cup sugar 1½ sticks butter, softened ½ teaspoon kosher salt 3 large eggs, room temperature 2 teaspoons almond extract 2 teaspoons baking powder ½ teaspoon baking soda 3 cups all-purpose flour, divided 1¾ cups buttermilk, room temperature, divided FOR THE TOPPING: 1½ cups heavy cream 3 tablespoons powdered sugar 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1. Start the cherry sauce, which can be made one day ahead. In a small pot, combine cherries, sugar, water, cornstarch and salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and cook, mashing occasionally, until cherries are broken down and mixture is thickened, about 2 minutes. 2. Remove from heat and

let cool. Using an immersion blender (or standard blender), puree until smooth. 3. After cooling, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before using. 4. Start preparing the cake. Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a 13-by-9-inch pan with cooking spray and line with parchment paper, letting some of it hang over on two sides. 5. In the large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in another large bowl, using an electric mixer), beat sugar, butter and salt on mediumhigh speed until pale and fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes. 6. Add eggs one at a time, beating to blend after each addition, then add almond extract, baking powder and baking soda. Beat 45 seconds more to ensure they are totally combined. 7. Add half of the flour and half of the buttermilk to the egg mixture. Mix on low speed until just combined. Using a rubber spatula, fold in remaining flour and buttermilk. Pour batter into prepared pan. 8. Bake cake until risen

HALLOWEEN

Friendly Witches’ Special Spirit

Continued from page 1D A bell chimed as she entered. The shop stretched back impossibly far, deeper than the building’s exterior suggested. Masks covered every wall, hundreds of them, each unique. Some were beautiful. Others were grotesque. All of them seemed to watch her. “Welcome, cher.” An old woman emerged from the shadows, wearing a purple tignon headwrap. Her eyes were the color of the Mississippi at midnight, dark and full of secrets. “I’m just looking,” Lorna said. “Everyone who comes here is looking for something,” the woman replied. Lorna’s eyes fell on a mask hanging alone on the far wall, exquisite porcelain painted in ivory and gold with delicate ﬁligree around the eyes. Unlike the others, this mask seemed to glow. “How much?” Lorna heard herself ask. The old woman’s smile didn’t reach her eyes. “That one shows you who you really are. Who you could be. But there’s a price.” “I have money.” “Not that kind of price, child. You wear this mask from midnight until dawn on All Hallows’ Eve, and it will grant you one night as your truest self. But when you take it off at sunrise, you must leave something behind.” “Leave what behind?” “Whatever the mask decides you can spare.” Lorna should have walked away, but she thought about her life, the job that barely paid rent, the loneliness of being new to the city, and the feeling that she was pretending to be someone she wasn’t. “I’ll take it,” she said. At exactly midnight in Jackson Square, she put on the mask. The world transformed. Colors became vivid. Sounds sharpened. She

and firm to the touch, 25 to 35 minutes. While still warm, using the handle of a wooden spoon, poke holes all over the cake, spacing about 1 inch apart and forming a grid of about 12-by-8 holes. 9. Set aside ¼ cup of cherry sauce for serving. Using a small spoon or a piping bag, fill holes with the remaining cherry sauce. Sauce may soak into the cake after sitting for a few minutes, leaving room for more sauce. Continue to fill the holes as much as possible. 10. Let cool completely, then cover and refrigerate overnight. 11. Prepare the topping. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on high speed, whip cream, powdered sugar and vanilla until medium peaks form. 12. Using the overhanging parchment paper, remove the chilled cake from the pan. 13. Spread whipped cream over the cake. With a wooden spoon, poke holes in the whipped cream to resemble fangs, then fill with reserved cherry sauce. Splatter cake with remaining cherry sauce as desired.

Serves 1.

Ice 3 ounces Empress 1908 Indigo Gin 3 ounces sparkling lemonade ½ ounce Blue Curaçao 1 fresh rosemary sprig

Friendly Witches’ Special Spirit could hear conversations from blocks away, smell the river and night-blooming jasmine and something ancient in the city’s bones. She felt powerful. Conﬁdent. Free. Lorna danced through the French Quarter as if she owned it. She spoke to strangers with easy charm, moved through crowds like water. At a bar on Frenchmen Street, a jazz singer called her up on stage. Lorna had never sung in public, but with the mask on, a voice like honey and smoke poured out. The crowd erupted. Hours passed like minutes. She wandered down Esplanade Avenue, through the Garden District where mansions dreamed behind iron gates. She felt connected to everything, the living city and the dead one beneath it. Then she saw the sky lightening over the river. Panic seized her. She had to get the mask off before dawn. She ran back toward Royal Street, but the streets had rearranged themselves. Nothing looked familiar. She turned down Dauphine, then Chartres, then streets with no names. The sun broke over the horizon. Lorna tore the mask from her face. It crumbled to dust in her hands. She stood gasping in an alley off Decatur Street, feeling ... different. Lighter somehow.

1. Fill a tall glass with ice. Add gin, then top off with sparkling lemonade. 2. Very carefully and slowly pour curaçao into the glass, letting it settle on the bottom. 3. Garnish with rosemary. It wasn’t until she got back to the house and was asked what was wrong that Lorna realized what the mask had taken. She couldn’t remember her own face. She looked in the mirror and saw features that were familiar but distant, like a photograph of someone she used to know. She knew her name, her history, her life, but when she tried to picture herself, there was only a blank space where her reﬂection should be in her memory. The mask had shown her who she could be. In exchange, it had taken who she was. For weeks, Lorna searched Royal Street for the shop, but it was never there. Sometimes, late at night, she dreams of the mask, dancing through the French Quarter, powerful, free and not quite human. And when she wakes, she can’t remember if the face in the dream was hers or someone else’s entirely. Kevin Belton is resident chef of WWL-TV and has taught classes in Louisiana cooking for 30 years. The most recent of his four cookbooks, “Kevin Belton’s Cookin’ Louisiana: Flavors from the Parishes of the Pelican State,” was published in 2021. Email Chef at chefkevinbelton@gmail. com.

nothing to prevent mosquiDear Heloise: I don’t know where you live, but it’s toes from hatching. The fea violation of municipal males glue nearly invisible law in many counties and eggs above the waterline, recommended so outside containpublic-safety ers must be thorpolicies to leave oughly scrubbed out “safe drinking every day. — Lisa G., water” for wildlife. in Los Angeles This is harmful for Lisa, there’s a many reasons. For lot of debate about Hints from leaving out food example, it breeds Heloise and water for stray mosquitoes that carry potentially animals. If it’s left life-threatening diseases, out, wildlife can get at it, destructively alters the as well as stray cats and survival instincts and dogs. A great many cities patterns of wild animals, also have “trap, neuter and attracts wildlife that and release” programs to threatens neighboring pets help stray cats and dogs. and people (especially se(If everyone would spay and neuter their pets, the niors and small children). In short, it feels compas- stray population of animals would diminish signiﬁsionate, but you’re harming the wildlife that you cantly.) think you’re helping and However, I do understand potentially hurting your your concerns and don’t neighbors. At minimum, think food and water should people need to realize that be left out in excess. And I tossing out “old” water and deﬁnitely agree with your replenishing the bowl does claim about scrubbing pet

bowls thoroughly. — Heloise

In lieu of flowers Dear Heloise: A long time ago, there was a discussion in your column about sending flowers to a funeral. If the obituary says “in lieu of flowers,” they shouldn’t be sent. Usually, a charity is listed where a donation can be made to in the deceased’s name instead. There could be religious restrictions about flowers, or the family only wants their own there. No matter what the reasons are, the family’s wishes should be respected. — Beverly, in Wisconsin Beverly, I agree with you. Respecting the family’s wishes is really the best way to go because they usually know what the person wanted at their funeral anyways. — Heloise Send a hint to heloise@ heloise.com.

This will ruin the friendship Dear Miss Manners: When plain to her why I cannot my friend of over 50 years spend time with her at her and I lived only home when I travel an hour and a half back. What should from each other, I do? I spent a great Gentle reader: One deal of time at her can understand the house. This includfeeling that honored spending time ing the promise Judith with her husband, to your friend’s Martin husband is a test of and we all got along MISS very well. your own word, not MANNERS But on their 45th his right to make wedding anniversasuch a request. But there is a limit to ry, which was my last time what can be expected of to visit as I was moving away, her husband proposi- such a promise, given in tioned me. I said no, twice. a moment of surprise. If your friend asks why you Then he asked that I not say anything to her. I said I are suggesting meetings that exclude the husband, wouldn’t. you can eventually say that I feel everything has your friendship is with her, changed, but I cannot ex-

not him. Miss Manners realizes this invites a direct question, but in doing so it clears your conscience: If your friend poses that question, you can now answer it; if she does not, it is reasonable to conclude that she knew something of her husband’s character all along. 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 Thursday, Oct. 8, the 281st day of 2026. There are 84 days left in the year. Today in history: On Oct. 8, 1871, the Great Chicago Fire began; more than 300 people died and more than 17,000 structures were destroyed during the three-day blaze. Also on this date: In 1862, Union forces beat back a Confederate offensive in the Battle of Perryville, Kentucky’s biggest and bloodiest engagement of the Civil War, leading to hundreds of casualties but ensuring the state would remain under Northern control. In 1956, Don Larsen pitched the only perfect game in a World Series as the New York Yankees beat the Brooklyn Dodgers in Game 5, 2-0. In 1967, Bolivian forces wounded and captured guerrilla leader Ernesto “Che” Guevara, who was attempting to spark a revolution in the South American country. He was executed the next day.

In 1997, scientists reported that NASA’s Mars Pathﬁnder had yielded what could be the strongest evidence yet that Mars might once have been hospitable to life. In 2002, a federal judge approved President George W. Bush’s request to reopen West Coast ports, ending a 10-day labor lockout that was costing the U.S. economy an estimated $1 billion to $2 billion a day. In 2005, a magnitude 7.6 earthquake on the Pakistan-India border killed an estimated 86,000 people. In 2016, Hurricane Matthew made landfall on the South Carolina coast, triggering heavy ﬂooding and several deaths in the Carolinas only days after a devastating rampage through the Caribbean where it killed more than 500 people in Haiti alone and others elsewhere. In 2022, an explosion caused the partial collapse of a bridge linking the Crimean Peninsula with Russia, damaging an important supply artery for the Kremlin’s war effort in

southern Ukraine. In 2024, two pioneers of artiﬁcial intelligence — Canadian John Hopﬁeld and American Geoffrey Hinton — won the Nobel Prize in physics for helping create the building blocks of machine learning that is revolutionizing the way people work and live. Today’s Birthdays: Actor Paul Hogan is 87. Comedian Chevy Chase is 83. Author R.L. Stine is 83. Actor Sigourney Weaver is 77. Musician Robert “Kool” Bell (Kool & the Gang) is 76. Producer-director Edward Zwick is 74. NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott is 71. Comedian Darrell Hammond is 71. Actor Kim Wayans is 65. Gospel singer CeCe Winans is 62. Olympic gold medal swimmer Matt Biondi is 61. Actor Karyn Parsons is 60. Singer-producer Teddy Riley is 59. Actor Matt Damon is 56. Actor-TV host Nick Cannon is 46. Singersongwriter Bruno Mars is 41. Actor Angus T. Jones is 33. Actor-singer Bella Thorne is 29. Actor Gordon Cormier is 17.

Cider Cup Cocktail Recipe is from “Good Spirits” by Tiffanie Barriere. 2 tablespoons superfine sugar ½ ounce water Dash Angostura bitters (optional) 1 ounce fresh lemon juice 1 ounce white curaçao ½ ounce cognac or brandy 1 pint hard cider, chilled Ice cubes, for serving (optional)

COCKTAIL

Continued from page 1D Montana, where the drink became more reﬁned and intentional with fewer fruit juices and a touch of brandy to make it more cozy. Make sure that your cider is really cold. If using a can, toss it in the fridge

1. Start with a pint or stemmed beer/cider glass and add the superﬁne sugar and water to dissolve it. Give it a swirl with your barspoon to make a quick syrup right in the glass. 2. Here is where you add the Angostura bitters if you’d like that extra layer of spice ﬂavor. Add the lem-

on juice, then pour in the white curaçao and a splash of cognac or brandy. 3. Stir gently to bring it all together. Now top it off with a pint of ice-cold hard cider, pouring slowly to keep those bubbles bright. Add a little ice if you want it extra cold. That’s it — simple, smart, and refreshing.

for a few hours, or even the freezer for a bit. A little slush isn’t harmful at all. Serving this one on ice is also A-OK! Calvados can sub in for the cognac or brandy for less sweetness, or rum (light or aged) for more sweetness. Optional add-ins for seasonal or signature ﬂair: Add mint, rosemary or thyme for a garden vibe; use seasonal fruits like

sliced apples, pears or citrus wheels for more texture and aroma; in the fall, add a touch of cinnamon or cardamom for spice.

The Times-Picayune ✦ nola.com ✦ Thursday, October 8, 2026 ✦ 3D

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zodIAC LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Refuse to let laziness take over when action is necessary if you plan to excel. Inspiration will manifest if you surround yourself with people from different backgrounds. SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) Play by the rules, and give your best performance. Rely on your attributes, intelligence and the ability to outmaneuver the competition fairly. That's how you win and why others respect you. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Get comfortable where you are. Home is where the heart is, and spending more time there will give you a sense of belonging. Do-it-yourself home improvements will give you a boost. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Refuse to let outsiders upset you or lead you astray. Be willing to walk away from people and situations that compromise integrity or accelerate your stress. Pay attention to investments. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Take a back seat and observe. Gathering information will position you for advancement. Set yourself up for financial freedom by having high standards. Take your time and be yourself. PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) Pay attention to your spending habits, investments and how well you take care of yourself. It's important to get your finances and lifestyle in order if you want to get ahead mentally and physically. ARIES (March 21-April 19) Set your sights on your goal, and don't look back. How you approach what you want to achieve

will set the stage for how much you accomplish. Push for the maximum return. TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Agree only to what's possible. Getting caught in someone else's dream can set you back. Look inward and consider how to improve your profile and your image. Find the peace you desire. GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Pick up the pace, and rise and shine. It's a new day, and your actions, dedication and curiosity will help you achieve whatever you set out to do. Home improvements won't please everyone. CANCER (June 21-July 22) Think twice before you agree to attend an event. You will gain access to better ideas and solutions through talks with individuals rather than sitting in a crowded room listening to one person pontificate. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Put your energy where it counts. Arguing is a waste of time, but putting in the effort and taking care of unfinished business will be gratifying. Focus on relieving stress. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Speak from the heart and resolve issues. A kind gesture will help restore a misunderstanding. You don't need to change; you need to adjust to allow everyone in your life the same freedom you want. 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: E EQUALS I

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

SherMAn’S LAGoon FAMILY CIrCUS

dooneSbUrY

4D ✦ Thursday, October 8, 2026 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune

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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 Times-Picayune ✦ nola.com ✦ Thursday, October 8, 2026 ✦ 5D

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Bridge BY PHILLIP ALDER F. Scott Fitzgerald said, “All good writing is swimming under water and holding your breath.” That is an interesting concept. I wonder how he typed while swimming. When the card play has finished, the contract will either be underwater or have floated safely ashore. If it has been defeated, though, declarer should not worry about how far it has sunk, as long as he took his best shot to make the contract. (Yes, if you are playing in a pair event scored by matchpoints, that is not necessarily true.) In this deal, South is in three no-trump. After West leads the diamond king, how should declarer swim? North’s jump-shift rebid guarantees extra values and forces to game. South starts with six top winners: four hearts, one diamond and one club. In addition, he hopes to take either four club tricks or three clubs and one spade. First, South should hold up dummy’s diamond ace until at least the second round to confirm the split. Yes, it is likely to be 6-0 or 5-1 because otherwise West would probably have led a different suit (presumably spades). Declarer takes the second trick with dummy’s diamond ace, cashes his hearts and runs the club 10. East wins with his king and shifts to a low spade. What should South do?

garfield

Pearls Before swiNe

hagar the horriBle

If West has the spade ace, the contract will drown. So declarer should play his spade king. Here, it wins and the contract comes up for air. But if the king loses, South has potentially gone down two instead of down one — a small price to pay for trying to collect a vulnerable game bonus. © 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 — BEDAZZLE: bih-DAZ-ul: Enchant; fascinate.

Bizarro

marmaduKe

Average mark 18 words Time limit 25 minutes Can you find 22 or more words in BEDAZZLE? YEstERDAY’s WoRD — sEntIEnt seen seine sent sine site snit stein stent stet stint nene

nest nine teen tenet tennis tense tent test tine tint inset

intense intent

loCKhorNs hidato Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

today’s thought “What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits toward me?” Psalms 116:12

Do you ever think like this? Think it over. — G.E. Dean

6D ✦ Thursday, October 8, 2026 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune

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

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

jump Start

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

Get fuzzy

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

ken ken

animal crackerS

DuStin

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

Wallace the brave

Drabble

WiShinG Well breWSter rockit

luann

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

The Times-Picayune ✦ nola.com ✦ Thursday, October 8, 2026 ✦ 7D

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classifieds.nola.com Search & Place Ads Ads Onlines at classifieds.nola.com • Call Monday Us Monday - Friday 8AM - 5PMatat(504) (504)636-7435 636-7435 Search & Place Onlines at classifieds.nola.com - Friday 8AM - 5PM 70072, please contact attorney Ronald L. Faia, Jr., at 6565 Vicksburg St., New Orleans, LA 70124; Phone: 504-908-9328; Email: rfaiajr@gmail.com. 203273-Oct 8-10, 3t $127.90

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Anyone with knowledge of the whereabouts of Joseph Nemes, please contact Atty. Alex J. Bellow at 504-544-4055. 203276-Oct 8-10, 3t $69.10 SOUL OF A LION, LLC

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WE ARE APPLYING TO THE COMMISSIONER OF THE OFFICE OF ALCOHOL & TOBACCO CONTROL OF THE STATE OF LOUISIANA FOR A PERMIT TO SELL BEVERAGES OF HIGH AND LOW ALCOHOLIC CONTENT IN THE PARISH OF ORLEANS AT THE FOLLOWING ADDRESS: SOUL OF A LION, LLC D/B/A VOODOO CHICKEN & DAIQUIRIS, 629 CANAL STREET, NEW ORLEANS, LA 70130. LENNY K. MOTWANI, MEMBER. 203277-October 8, 1t $94.90 The Caribbean Night Club & Patio, LLC d/b/a Caribbean Night Club is applying to the Ofﬁce of Alcohol & Tobacco Control of the State of Louisiana for a permit to sell beverages of high and low alcohol content at retail in the Parish of Jefferson, at the following address: 904 Brown Ave, Harvey, LA 70058, The Caribbean Night Club & Patio, LLC Caribbean Night Club Member: Bobbly Wilkerson 203307-Oct 8, 1t $97.06

Anyone knowing the whereabouts of Anderson Hawkins, Toni Taylor, or Macolm Robinson, l/k/a 816 Lizardi St., N.O., LA; call Raashand Hamilton, Esq. 504-940-1883. 203249-Oct 8-10, 3t $81.70 Anyone knowing the whereabouts of Ann Moore Wiltz A/K/A Ann Marie Wiltz and Sharon Wiltz Butler. Please contact Attorney Ariane N. Shanks 318-771-9872. 203143-Oct 6-8, 3t $81.70 Anyone knowing the whereabouts of New Philippeans Missionary Baptist Church please contact Irving Shnaider, Atty at (504)484-6416. 203256-Oct 8, 1t $39.70 Anyone knowing the whereabouts of Shirley Marshall Washington, please contact Leandre M. Millet, Attorney at Law, 518 Belle Terre Boulevard, LaPlace, LA 70068, Phone Number 985.652.8101. 203248-Oct 8 & 15, 2t $69.80 Anyone knowing the whereabouts of the heirs of Nakia Gaines/or Jordyn Gaines and Madison Gaines, please contact Attorney Kandice Doley Meyers at 504-943-7071. 203107-Oct 6-8, 3t $81.70 Anyone knowing the whereabouts of Timothy Jehrrod Hasson a/k/a Timothy J. Hasson and/or Tajh A. Hasson a/k/a Tajh Hasson, of 2077 Lincolnshire Drive, Marrero, LA

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8D ✦ Thursday, October 8, 2026 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune Public Notices

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

PUBLIC NOTICE --ADVERTISEMENT: INVITATION TO BID CITY OF NEW ORLEANS

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

The District reserves the right to reject any or all Responses to Request for Proposal whenever such rejection is in its best in‐ terest in accordance with law. The provisions and requirements of this ad‐ vertisement shall not be waived.

TITLE: AIRPORT AIRFIELD PAINTING AND ACCUMULATED RUBBER REMOVAL ANNUAL MAINTENANCE

The Bureau of Purchas‐ ing uses commodity codes to notify suppliers of the release of a sourc‐ ing event and subse‐ quent modiﬁcations via addendum. Note that you would receive those noti‐ ﬁcations if you selected the following commodity code(s) before the re‐ lease of the sourcing event:

EVENT NO: 4785

COMMODITY CODE(s): 913-27

TYPE OF SOLICITATION: NON-PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

The City of New Orleans is an equal opportunity employer and strongly encourages minorityowned and womenowned businesses, so‐ cially and economically disadvantaged busi‐ nesses and small busi‐ nesses to respond to this solicitation, or to partici‐ pate in subcontracting opportunities pursuant to this solicitation. Any person with disabilities requires special accom‐ modation must contact the buyer listed within the bid no later than seven (7) days prior to bid opening.

SPONSORING DEPT: NOAB

SLDBE OPPORTUNITY: WAIVED RELEASED ON: Thursday, September 24, 2026, at 8:00 AM CST DEADLINE TO RESPOND: Friday, October 16, 2026, at 1:00 PM CST PRE-BID CONFERENCE & SITE VISIT: N/A Dates are subject to changes via an adden‐ dum posted by the Bu‐ reau of Purchasing on the City’s supplier portal. If you wish to receive no‐ tiﬁcation of addendum posted by the Bureau of Purchasing about this event, register as a sup‐ plier or update your sup‐ plier account (if already registered) and select the following commodity code(s): COMMODITY CODE(s): 905-60 The City of New Orleans strongly encourages mi‐ nority-owned and women-owned busi‐ nesses, socially and eco‐ nomically disadvantaged businesses and small businesses to respond to this solicitation, or to participate in subcon‐ tracting opportunities pursuant to this solicita‐ tion. For more information about this event, go to www.nola.gov and click on “BRASS Supplier Por‐ tal” under “BIDS & CON‐ TRACTS”. Once on the Supplier Portal, search “Open Events.”

For more information about this sourcing event, go to www.nola. gov and click on “BRASS Supplier Portal” under “BIDS & CONTRACTS”. Once on the Supplier Por‐ tal, search “Open Events.” Thank you for your inter‐ est in doing business with the City of New Or‐ leans. Chief Procurement Ofﬁcer Advertising Dates: October 1, 8 and 15, 2026 NOCP 9353 202698-oct 1-8-15-3t $123.45

PUBLIC NOTICE --ADVERTISEMENT TO INVITATION TO BID CITY OF NEW ORLEANS SPONSORING DEPARTMENT: DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS TITLE: DPW824 CITYWIDE MINOR STREETS #1

Thank you for your inter‐ est in doing business with the City of New Or‐ leans.

SOURCING EVENT NO.: 4820

Kai L. Wells, Assistant Purchasing Administrator

TYPE OF SOLICITATION: CONSTRUCTION SERVICES

Advertising Dates: September 24, October 1 and 8, 2026 NOCP 9336 202006-sept 24-1-8-3t $99.21

PUBLIC NOTICE --ADVERTISEMENT TO INVITATION TO BID CITY OF NEW ORLEANS SPONSORING DEPARTMENT: Department of Public Works TITLE: DPW825 Citywide Major/ Minor Street #2 SOURCING EVENT NO.: 4826 TYPE OF SOLICITATION: Construction DBE OPPORTUNITY: YES (35%) RELEASED ON: Oct 8, 2026 DEADLINE TO RESPOND: Nov 4, 2026 PRE-BID CONFERENCE via TEAMS: Oct 21, 2026 Dates are subject to changes via an adden‐ dum posted by the Bu‐ reau of Purchasing on the City’s supplier portal. If this solicitation is fed‐ erally funded, prospec‐ tive bidder/respondent must pay particular at‐ tention to all applicable laws and regulations of the Federal government and the State of Louisiana. The Bureau of Purchas‐ ing uses commodity codes to notify suppliers of the release of a sourc‐ ing event and subse‐ quent modifications via addendum. Note that you would receive those noti‐ fications if you selected the following commodity code(s) before the re‐ lease of the sourcing event: COMMODITY CODE(s): 912-32, 913-27, 913-50, 925-49 The City of New Orleans strongly encourages mi‐ nority-owned and women-owned busi‐ nesses, socially and eco‐ nomically disadvantaged businesses and small businesses to respond to this solicitation, or to participate in subcon‐ tracting opportunities pursuant to this solicita‐ tion. For more information about this sourcing event, go to www.nola. gov and click on “BRASS Supplier Portal” under “BIDS & CONTRACTS”. Once on the Supplier Por‐ tal, search “Open Events.” Thank you for your inter‐ est in doing business with the City of New Or‐ leans. James C. Simmons, Jr. Chief Procurement Officer Advertising Dates: Oct 8, 15, and 22, 2026 NOCP 9368 203393-oct 8-15-22-3t $108.30 PUBLIC NOTICE --ADVERTISEMENT TO INVITATION TO BID CITY OF NEW ORLEANS SPONSORING DEPARTMENT: Department of Public Works TITLE: DPW823 - Citywide Major & Minor Streets #1 SOURCING EVENT NO.: 4817 TYPE OF SOLICITATION: CONSTRUCTION DBE OPPORTUNITY: YES (35%) RELEASED ON: October 1, 2026 DEADLINE TO RESPOND: October 27, 2026 at 1:30 PM PRE-BID CONFERENCE: October 13, 2026 at 1:30 PM https://teams.microsoft. com/meet/29036587845 0264?p=2n73HibNM8y

lll

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

DBE OPPORTUNITY: YES (35%) RELEASED ON: OCTOBER 08, 2026 DEADLINE TO RESPOND: November 06, 2026 @1:30 P.M. PRE-BID CONFERENCE: October 23, 2026 @ 1:30 P.M. TEAMS ONLY: https://teams.microsoft. com/meet/29058798021 1045?p=C0MAusJEOhv Lqm6CI0 Dates are subject to changes via an adden‐ dum posted by the Bu‐ reau of Purchasing on the City’s supplier portal. If this solicitation is fed‐ erally funded, prospec‐ tive bidder/respondent must pay particular at‐ tention to all applicable laws and regulations of the Federal government and the State of Louisiana. The Bureau of Purchas‐ ing uses commodity codes to notify suppliers of the release of a sourc‐ ing event and subse‐ quent modifications via addendum. Note that you would receive those noti‐ fications if you selected the following commodity code(s) before the re‐ lease of the sourcing event: COMMODITY CODE(s): 913-27 The City of New Orleans is an equal opportunity employer and strongly encourages minorityowned and womenowned businesses, so‐ cially and economically disadvantaged busi‐ nesses and small busi‐ nesses to respond to this solicitation, or to partici‐ pate in subcontracting opportunities pursuant to this solicitation. Any person with disabilities requires special accom‐ modation must contact the buyer listed within the bid no later than seven (7) days prior to bid opening. For more information about this sourcing event, go to www.nola. gov and click on “BRASS Supplier Portal” under “BIDS & CONTRACTS”. Once on the Supplier Por‐ tal, search “Open Events.” Thank you for your inter‐ est in doing business with the City of New Or‐ leans. Kai Wells Assistant Purchasing Administrator Advertising Dates: October 08, 16 and 22, 2026 NOCP 9366 203373-oct 8-16-22-3t $129.54 PUBLIC NOTICE --ORLEANS PARISH SCHOOL BOARD Procurement Department 2401 Westbend Parkway, Suite 5055 New Orleans, Louisiana 70114 ADVERTISEMENT REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL NO. 27-0043 STRATEGIC PLAN RE‐ FRESH Electronic Responses to Request for Proposal rel‐ ative to the above will be received via email sub‐ mission to the Procure‐ ment Department for the Orleans Parish School Board (“OPSB” or “the District”) at 2401 West‐ bend Parkway, Suite 5055, New Orleans, Louisiana 70114 until 10:00 A.M. (CST) on Tues‐ day, October 27, 2026. Specifications and quali‐ fications are found in the RFP documents and may be obtained by visiting the District’s website at www.nolapublicschools. com. All questions re‐ garding this RFP shall be directed to the Executive Director of Procurement at procurement@nol apublicschools.com. The District will host a Virtual Pre-Proposal meeting to be held on Friday, October 9, 2026, at 10:00 A.M. (CST). The Vir‐ tual link can be found below:

5RdTnFN

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

https://us06web.zoom. us/meeting/register/ TKLhmpj4Q_ e7LHCCzbzB_Q

NOLA Public Schools shall make every effort to provide reasonable ac‐ commodations for per‐ sons with disabilities. The requests for any rea‐ sonable accommodation shall be submitted in writing to the Executive Director of Procurement, no less than seven (7) days in advance of any meetings. Paul A. Lucius Executive Director of Procurement FIRST INSERTION DATE: THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2026 SECOND INSERTION DATE: THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2026 THIRD INSERTION DATE: THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2026 201757-sep 24-oct 1-8-3t $127.24

PUBLIC NOTICE --ORLEANS PARISH SCHOOL BOARD Procurement Department 2401 Westbend Parkway, Suite 5055 New Orleans, Louisiana 70114 ADVERTISEMENT REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL NO. 27-0062 PROJECT AND CON‐ STRUCTION MANAGE‐ MENT SERVICES Electronic Responses to Request for Proposal rel‐ ative to the above will be received via email sub‐ mission to the Procure‐ ment Department for the Orleans Parish School Board (“OPSB” or “the District”) at 2401 West‐ bend Parkway, Suite 5055, New Orleans, Louisiana 70114 until 11:00 A.M. (CST) on Thursday, October 22, 2026. Speciﬁcations and quali‐ ﬁcations are found in the RFP documents and may be obtained by visiting the District’s website at www.nolapublicschools. com. All questions re‐ garding this RFP shall be directed to the Executive Director of Procurement at procurement@nol apublicschools.com. The District will host a Virtual Pre-Proposal meeting to be held on Friday, October 9, 2026, at 11:00 A.M. (CST). The Vir‐ tual link can be found below: Register in advance for this meeting: https://us06web.zoom. us/meeting/register/TVr 3q0U2SmeF3w4cxmv6Cw The District reserves the right to reject any or all Responses to Request for Proposal whenever such rejection is in its best in‐ terest in accordance with law. The provisions and requirements of this ad‐ vertisement shall not be waived. NOLA Public Schools shall make every effort to provide reasonable ac‐ commodations for per‐ sons with disabilities. The requests for any rea‐ sonable accommodation shall be submitted in writing to the Executive Director of Procurement, no less than seven (7) days in advance of any meetings. Paul A. Lucius Executive Director of Pro‐ curement FIRST INSERTION DATE: THURSDAY , SEPTEMBER 24, 2026 SECOND INSERTION DATE: THURSDAY , OCTOBER 1. 2026 THIRD INSERTION DATE: THURSDAY , OCTOBER 8 , 2026 201799-sep 24-oct 1-8-3t $128

PUBLIC NOTICE --ORLEANS PARISH SCHOOL BOARD Procurement Department 2401 Westbend Parkway, Suite 5055 New Orleans, Louisiana 70114 ADVERTISEMENT REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL NO. 27-0058 EC ADVERTISEMENT AND MARKETING Electronic Responses to Request for Proposal rel‐ ative to the above will be received via email sub‐ mission to the Procure‐ ment Department for the Orleans Parish School Board (“OPSB” or “the District”) at 2401 West‐ bend Parkway, Suite 5055, New Orleans, Louisiana 70114 until 11:00 A.M. (CST) on Tues‐ day, October 27, 2026. Speciﬁcations and quali‐ ﬁcations are found in the RFP documents and may be obtained by visiting the District’s website at www.nolapublicschools. com. All questions re‐ garding this RFP shall be directed to the Executive Director of Procurement at procurement@nol apublicschools.com. The District will host a Virtual Pre-Proposal meeting to be held on Friday, October 9, 2026, at 11:00 A.M. (CST). The Vir‐ tual link can be found below: Register in advance for this meeting: https://us06web.zoom. us/meeting/register/aCD 5l7pUTPCccaje1vXysQ The District reserves the right to reject any or all Responses to Request for Proposal whenever such rejection is in its best in‐ terest in accordance with law. The provisions and requirements of this ad‐ vertisement shall not be waived. NOLA Public Schools shall make every effort to provide reasonable ac‐ commodations for per‐ sons with disabilities. The requests for any rea‐ sonable accommodation shall be submitted in writing to the Executive Director of Procurement, no less than seven (7) days in advance of any meetings. Paul A. Lucius Executive Director of Procurement FIRST INSERTION DATE: THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2026 SECOND INSERTION DATE: THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2026 THIRD INSERTION DATE: THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2026 201725-sep 24-oct 1-8-3t $126.22

PUBLIC NOTICE --PUBLIC NOTICE REGIONAL TRANSIT AUTHORITY FERRY TRANSIT SERVICES REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP) #2026-033 Project Description: The Regional Transit Author‐ ity of New Orleans in‐ vites qualiﬁed vendors to provide Ferry Transit Ser‐ i f k

Public Notices Bids/Proposals p y vices per scope of work listed in RFP 2026-033. How to obtain a copy of the RFP: Scope of Work and further information concerning the RFP may be obtained September 23, 2026 from the RTA’s Procureware website at https://norta. procureware.com/home. You will be required to first register on this web‐ site. The RFP can also be obtained at Regional Transit Authority’s web‐ site at http://www.norta. com and at 2817 Canal Street, New Orleans, LA 70119. A Pre-Proposal Confer‐ ence will be held in the RTA Board Conference Room on Tuesday, Octo‐ ber 13, 2026, at 2:00 PM with a Site-Visit immedi‐ ately following. Clarifications: Any ques‐ tions or further informa‐ tion concerning this IFB must be submitted https://norta. through procureware.com/home PM on Thursday, October 20, 2026. Only written questions submitted through Procureware site shall be considered offi‐ cial. All answers to ques‐ tions shall be by formal addenda posted to the website under IFB 2026033 Responding to RFP: Pro‐ posals shall be submit‐ ted thru the RTA’s Pro‐ cureware website on or before 2:00 P.M., Thursday, Octo‐ ber 27, 2026. Any ques‐ tions or further informa‐ tion concerning the RFP may be submitted Via https://norta. procureware.com/home, beginning on September 23, 2026. RTA in accordance with 49 Code of Federal Regu‐ lations (CFR) Part 26 has an obligation to ensure nondiscrimination of Dis‐ advantaged Business En‐ terprises (DBEs) and to comply with all federal, state and local regula‐ tions relative to utiliza‐ tion of DBEs on publicly funded projects. The RTA is committed to utiliza‐ tion of DBEs on all feder‐ ally funded projects to‐ ward attainment of the agency's established overall goal of 32%. A specific DBE goal has not been established for this project as there are no subcontracting opportu‐ nities on this project. Notice to all offerors is hereby provided that in accordance with all ap‐ plicable federal, state and local laws the RTA will ensure that DBEs are afforded full opportunity to submit offers and re‐ sponses to this solicita‐ tion and to participate in any contract consum‐ mated pursuant to this advertisement. Addition‐ ally, no offeror will be discriminated against on the basis of age, sex, race, color, religion, na‐ tional origin, ethnicity or disability. As such, award of the contract will be conditioned on meeting the requirements of the federal, state and local laws for Equal Opportu‐ nity including compli‐ ance with the policies of DBE Program. The RTA reserves the right to accept or reject any and all submittals. Ronald G. Baptiste, Jr. Interim Chief Financial Officer Regional Transit Authority 202210-oct 1-8-2t $740.44 PUBLIC NOTICE --PUBLIC NOTICE REGIONAL TRANSIT AUTHORITY INVITATION FOR BID (IFB) 2026-036 MATERIAL LIFT ELEVATOR REPLACEMENT Project Description: The Regional Transit Author‐ ity of New Orleans is seeking qualified ven‐ dors to provide replace‐ ment of a material lift el‐ evator per specifications in IFB 2026-023. How to obtain a copy of the IFB: Specifications and further information concerning the IFB may be obtained on October 8, 2026, from the RTA’s Procureware website at https://norta. procureware.com/home. You will be required to first register on this web‐ site. The IFB can also be obtained at the Regional Transit Authority’s web‐ site at http://www.norta. com. Clarification Deadline: Any questions or further information concerning this IFB must be submit‐ ted through https:// norta.procureware.com/ home by 1:00 PM on Oc‐ tober 27, 2026. Only writ‐ ten questions submitted through the Procureware site shall be considered official. Responding to IFB: Bids shall be submitted through the RTA’s Pro‐ cureware website or de‐ livered to 2817 Canal Street, New Orleans, LA 70119 on or before 2:00 P.M., No‐ vember 5, 2026. Mandatory Site Visit: Vendors must attend a site visit in order to be considered eligible for award at 8200 Willow St, New Orleans, LA 70118 at 9:00 A.M. on October 21, 2026. A Bid Opening will be held in the RTA Board Room located at 2817 Canal Street, New Or‐ leans, LA 70119, on Thursday, November 5, 2026, at 2:00 PM. Any questions or further in‐ formation concerning the IFB may be submitted via https://norta. procureware.com/home, beginning on October 8, 2026. RTA in accordance with 49 Code of Federal Regu‐ lations (CFR) Part 26 has

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

an obligation to ensure nondiscrimination of Dis‐ advantaged Business En‐ terprises (DBEs) and to comply with all federal, state and local regula‐ tions relative to utiliza‐ tion of DBEs on publicly funded projects. The RTA is committed to utiliza‐ tion of DBEs on all feder‐ ally funded projects to‐ ward attainment of the agency's established overall goal of 32%. No DBE goal has been estab‐ lished for this project as there are no subcon‐ tracting opportunities on this project. Notice to all offerors is hereby provided that in accordance with all ap‐ plicable federal, state and local laws the RTA will ensure that DBEs are afforded full opportunity to submit offers and re‐ sponses to this solicita‐ tion and to participate in any contract consum‐ mated pursuant to this advertisement. Addition‐ ally, no offeror will be discriminated against on the basis of age, sex, race, color, religion, na‐ tional origin, ethnicity or disability. For additional information contact the RTA’s Small Business Of‐ fice at 504-827-8301. The RTA reserves the right to accept or reject any and all proposals submitted. Ronald Baptiste Jr. Interim Chief Executive Officer Regional Transit Authority 203080-OCT 8-22-2T $ 730.70 PUBLIC NOTICE --PUBLIC NOTICE REGIONAL TRANSIT AUTHORITY INVITATION FOR BID (IFB) #2026-034 SAMSUNG GALAXY TABLETS (Rebid) Project Description: The Regional Transit Author‐ ity of New Orleans seek‐ ing qualified vendors to provide Samsung Galaxy Tablets per specifica‐ tions in IFB 2026-034. How to obtain a copy of the IFB: Specifications and further information concerning the IFB may be obtained September 23, 2026, from the RTA’s Procureware website at https://norta. procureware.com/home. You will be required to first register on this web‐ site. The IFB can also be obtained at Regional Transit Authority’s web‐ site at http://www.norta. com Clarification Deadline: Any questions or further information concerning this IFB must be submit‐ https:// ted through norta.procureware.com/ home by 2:00PM on Octo‐ ber 14, 2026. Only written questions submitted through the Procureware site shall be considered official. All answers to questions shall be by for‐ mal addenda posted to the website under IFB 2026-034. Responding to IFB: Bids shall be submitted through the RTA’s Pro‐ cureware website or de‐ livered to 2817 Canal Street, New Orleans, LA 70119 on or before 2:00 P.M., October 21, 2026. A Bid Opening will be held in the RTA Board Room located at 2817 Canal Street, New Or‐ leans, LA 70119, on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, at 2:00 PM. RTA in accordance with 49 Code of Federal Regu‐ lations (CFR) Part 26 has an obligation to ensure nondiscrimination of Dis‐ advantaged Business En‐ terprises (DBEs) and to comply with all federal, state and local regula‐ tions relative to utiliza‐ tion of DBEs on publicly funded projects. The RTA is committed to utilization of DBEs on all federally funded projects toward attainment of the agency's established overall goal of 32%. No DBE goal has been es‐ tablished for this project as there are no subcon‐ tracting opportunities on this project. Notice to all offerors is hereby provided that in accordance with all ap‐ plicable federal, state and local laws the RTA will ensure that DBEs are afforded full opportunity to submit offers and re‐ sponses to this solicita‐ tion and to participate in any contract consum‐ mated pursuant to this advertisement. Addition‐ ally, no offeror will be discriminated against on the basis of age, sex, race, color, religion, na‐ tional origin, ethnicity or disability. For additional information contact the RTA’s Small Business Of‐ fice at 504-827-8301. The RTA reserves the right to accept or reject any and all proposals submitted.

Public Notices Bids/Proposals g of the Crescent City. Notice is hereby given that a Request for Pro‐ posals for the Safe Streets for All Supple‐ mental Transportation Safety Action Plan for the DDD. Proposals will be re‐ ceived by the Downtown Development District of the City of New Orleans (DDD) located at 201 Saint Charles Ave, Ste. 3912, New Orleans, LA, 70170 until October 28, 2026, at 2:00 pm, central time or via electronic manner to rpastorek@ downtownnola.com For more information send name, address, phone number and email address to René Pas‐ torek, Chief Economic Development Ofﬁcer at rpastorek@downtownnol a.com The DDD reserves the right to accept or reject any and all items or por‐ tions of items received. Seth Knudsen President & CEO Advertising Dates: September 24, 2026 October 1, 2026 October 8, 2026 201524-sep 24-oct 1-8-3t $66.87 PUBLIC NOTICE ---

The mission of the DDD is to drive the development of Downtown New Or‐ leans and be the catalyst for a prosperous, stimu‐ lating, innovative heart f h i

203242-oct 8-1t $118.71

201950-SEP 28-OCT 8-11T $1,405.06

PUBLIC NOTICE ---

PUBLIC NOTICE -- -

PUBLIC NOTICE ---

The Louisiana Ofﬁce of the State Museum is re‐ questing proposals for a Public-Private Partner‐ ship project to design, build, furnish, operate, and maintain an in‐ door/outdoor café at the New Orleans Jazz Mu‐ seum. For more informa‐ tion go to opportuni‐ tiesinlouisiana.com.

CITY PLANNING COMMISSION PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE

202695-oct 2-20-t $93.29

Legal Notices

PUBLIC NOTICE --ADVERTISEMENT TO INVITATION TO BID CITY OF NEW ORLEANS SPONSORING DEPARTMENT: DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS TITLE: RE-BID - DPW693 INSTALLATION OF SCHOOL ZONE FLASHING BEACONS UPGRADES CITYWIDE SOURCING EVENT NO.: 4821 TYPE OF SOLICITATION: CONSTRUCTION SERVICES DBE OPPORTUNITY: YES (35%) RELEASED ON: OCTOBER 08, 2026 DEADLINE TO RESPOND: NOVEMBER 06, 2026 @2:30 P.M. PRE-BID CONFERENCE: October 23, 2026 @ 2:30 P.M. TEAMS ONLY:

com/meet/26323607552

Qm5SArh Dates are subject to changes via an adden‐ dum posted by the Bu‐ reau of Purchasing on the City’s supplier portal.

NOCP 9352 202694-oct 1-8-2t $58.06

HOUSING AUTHORITY OF NEW ORLEANS INVITATION FOR BIDS IFB NO. 26-911-20 Downtown Scattered Sites – Fortified Roof Re‐ placement The Housing Authority of New Orleans (HANO) is seeking licensed and bonded contractors to perform Fortified roof re‐ placements located at the following addresses: 1. 1112 & 1114 N. Rocheblave Street 2. 1866, 1868, 1870, & 1872 N. Miro Street 3. 1874, 1876, 1878, & 1880 N. Miro Street 4. 2114, 2116, 2118, & 2120 Allen Street 5. 1821, 1823, 1825, & 1827 N. Galvez Street 6. 1124, 1126, 1128, & 1130 N. Tonti Street HANO strongly encour‐ ages all qualified con‐ tractors, including mi‐ nority-owned and women-owned busi‐ nesses, socially and eco‐ nomically disadvantaged businesses and small businesses to respond to this IFB, or to participate in subcontracting oppor‐ tunities pursuant to this solicitation.

Responses to this solici‐ tation shall be delivered in a sealed envelope or box to the Housing Au‐ thority of New Orleans (HANO), Department of Procurement and Con‐ tracts, no later than No‐ vember 2, 2026, at 2pm to the following address: Housing Authority of New Orleans Department of Procure‐ ment and Contracts Attn: Paul Marquette, Se‐ nior Procurement Spe‐ cialist 1555 Poydras Street, Suite 1800 New Orleans, Louisiana 70112 The full scope of work and single copies of the IFB package may be downloaded from HANO’s website at https://www.hano.org/ business/solicitations/ ActiveSolicitations or at Housing Agency Market‐ place. All responses submitted are subject to the In‐ structions, Supplemental Instructions to Offerors, General and Supplemen‐ tal Conditions, and all other requirements con‐ tained therein, all of which are made a part of the Invitation for Bids by reference. HANO reserves the right to reject any or all offers for just cause and waive any formalities in the submission process if it is in the best interest of the public to do so. 202545-oct 1-8-15-3t $118

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2026

PUBLIC NOTICE ---

PUBLIC HEARING: 1:30 P.M.

LA Goons Film LLC gives notice that principal pho‐ tography for the motion picture Goons was com‐ pleted on August 30, 2024. Any person or busi‐ ness with an outstanding claim arising from the production should sub‐ mit a written description of the claim and support‐ ing documentation by October 30, 2026 to:

CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS 1300 PERDIDO STREET 1st FLOOR THE CITY PLANNING COMMISSION, IN ACCOR‐ DANCE WITH PROVISIONS OF THE CITY OF NEW OR‐ LEANS SUBDIVISION REG‐ ULATIONS, WILL HOLD A PUBLIC HEARING ON OC‐ TOBER 13, 2026 ON THE FOLLOWING MATTER: SUBDIVISION DOCKET 108-26 SD108-26 Resubdivision of Lots 27, 28, 12, and 13 into Lot 27-A in Square C, Third Municipal District and bounded by Danube Road, Wales Street, Mul‐ let Street, and Lincoln Beach Boulevard. Munici‐ pal addresses are 8004 Danube Road and 8007 Mullet Street. (Policy A) THE CITY PLANNING COMMISSION WILL HEAR PROPONENTS AND OPPO‐ NENTS TO THE ABOVE PROPOSED SUBDIVISION. ALL INTERESTED PARTIES ARE ENCOURAGED TO AT‐ TEND AND ALL RELEVANT COMMENTS CONCERNING THE PROPOSED CHANGES ARE ENCOURAGED. THE CPC HAS ESTABLISHED PUBLIC HEARING RULES WITHIN ITS ADMINISTRA‐ TIVE RULES, POLICIES, & PROCEDURES, WHICH ARE AVAILABLE ON THE CPC WEBSITE: WWW. NOLA.GOV/CPC. YOU MAY ALSO SUBMIT WRITTEN COMMENTS TO THE EX‐ ECUTIVE DIRECTOR IN ADVANCE BY MAIL (1300 PERDIDO STREET, 7TH FLOOR, NEW ORLEANS, LA 70112) OR EMAIL CPCINFO@NOLA.GOV. ALL WRITTEN COMMENTS MUST BE RECEIVED BY CLOSE OF BUSINESS ON THE MONDAY, EIGHT DAYS PRIOR TO THE HEARING DATE. October 1 and October 8, 2026

Whereas Frances Rigsby administratrix of the es‐ tate of Patricia Annete Dykes has made an ap‐ plication to the Court for the private sale of the immovable property owned by decedent Pa‐ tricia A. Dykes namely: land and improvements located at Municipal Nos. 5125-27 Frenchman Street, New Orleans, Louisiana 70122; recorded in MOB 2275 Folio 326 and COB 734 Folio 492 by the Clerk of Court for the Parish of Orleans. Notice is hereby given to all parties to whom it may concern, including the heirs, legatees, and creditors of the decedent and her estate are or‐ dered to make any oppo‐ sition which they have or may have to such appli‐ cation, at any time prior to the issuance of the order or judgment autho‐ rizing, approving and ho‐ mologating such applica‐ tion, and such order or judgment may be issued after the expiration of seven (7) days from the date of the last publica‐ tion of such notice, all in accordance with law. 202645-OCT 1-8-2T $260.66

Public Notices Successions

PUBLIC NOTICE ---

LA Goons Film LLC 12820 Panama Street Los Angeles, CA 90066 An outstanding obliga‐ tion is not waived if a creditor does not submit a claim by that date. 202640-oct 1-8-15-3t $232.96 PUBLIC NOTICE --NOTICE On September 30, 2026 Susan Bonnett Bour‐ geois, Secretary of Louisiana Economic De‐ velopment, determined that records pertaining to an active negotiation for the purpose of retain‐ ing, expanding, or at‐ tracting economic or business development in the state, referred to as Project Conclave, shall be conﬁdential until con‐ clusion of the negotia‐ tion, in accordance with La.R.S.44:22.

CIVIL DISTRICT COURT FOR THE PARISH OF ORLEANS STATE OF LOUISIANA NO. 2023-00746 DIVISION F-14 SUCCESSION OF FRANCIS JOHN LAVIOLETTE A/K/A JOHNNY LAVIO‐ LETTE FILED: DEPUTY CLERK NOTICE OF APPLICATION FOR AUTHORITY TO EX‐ CHANGE SUCCESSION INTEREST IN IMMOVABLE PROPERTY AND CASH Notice is hereby given that the Jill Forrest Roe, Administratrix of the Succession of Francis John Laviolette a/k/a Johnny Laviolette, has petitioned this Honorable Court for authority to ex‐ change all of the succes‐ sion’s undivided right, title and interest in the following described im‐ movable property and $5,000.00 cash, in ex‐ change for the Succes‐ sion of Earl Daniel Lavio‐ lette, Proceeding #P2601479 of the 27th Ju‐ dicial District Court Parish of St. Landry, re‐ linquishing any and all rights the Succession of Earl Daniel Laviolette has to the remaining assets belonging to the Succes‐ sion of Francis John Lavi‐ olette a/k/a Johnny Lavi‐ olette, in accordance with the provisions of Ar‐ ticles 3191 and 3281 of the Code of Civil Proce‐ dure: All of the Succession of Francis John Laviolette’s undivided right, title and interest in and to the fol‐ lowing described prop‐ erty, to wit: That certain parcel of ground, to‐ gether with al buildings and improvements thereon, and all rights, ways, privileges, servi‐ tudes, appurtenances and advantages there‐ unto belonging and all appurtenances thereof, situated in Section 147, Township 7 South, Range 4 east, St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, sometimes re‐ ferred to as “Prairie Lau‐ rent,” and containing and measuring five (5) acres, more or less, and being described as Item No. One (1) in that sale dated November 12, 1937, and recorded under Entry no. 168072 in Conveyance Book Q-6, Page 377, Clerk of Courts Office, St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, and having a width run‐ ning East and West on its Northern extremity of 390 feet by a depth run‐ ning South of 558.6 feet and together with a right of way or servitude of passage, approximately 21 feet in width, which is the Southern continua‐ tion of a public lane (now known and designated as Fuselier Road) over and across said five (5) acre tract to access the remaining 14.2 acres to the south. See Entry No. 592276 in Conveyance Book A-20, Page 259, dated September 25, 1075, clerk of Court’s Of‐ fice, St. Landry Parish, Louisiana. MUNICIPAL ADDRESS: 296 Fuselier Road, Opelousas, Louisianan 70570 and $5,000.00 CASH Any heir or creditor who opposes the proposed exchange must file his or her opposition within seven (7) days from the date on which the last publication of this notice appears.

203051 Oct. 7, 8, 9, 2026 3t $44.86

PUBLIC NOTICE --Social Spider LLC wrapped principal pho‐ tography for SOCIAL SPI‐ DER on March 25, 2025. All vendors and creditors have been paid. For in‐ quiries send correspon‐ dence to Social Spider LLC, 1536 Magazine Street, New Orleans, LA 70130 by (date ad ends)."

GEORGE PIVACH, II (10798) PIVACH, PIVACH, THRIFFI‐ LEY & DUNBAR, LLC 8311 Highway 23, Suite 104 Belle Chasse, LA 70037 Telephone: (504) 394-1870 E-mail: gpivach@ pivachlaw.com

202628-oct 1-8-15-3t $156.43

203137-OCT 8-29-2T $117.42

If this solicitation is fed‐ erally funded, prospec‐ tive bidder/respondent must pay particular at‐ tention to all applicable laws and regulations of the Federal government and the State of Louisiana. The Bureau of Purchas‐ ing uses commodity codes to notify suppliers of the release of a sourc‐ ing event and subse‐ quent modiﬁcations via addendum. Note that you ld i h i

PUBLIC NOTICE Notice is hereby given that Jefferson Parish Government intends to apply for a federal grant for operating assistance and/or capital assistance to provide the Formula Grant Program for Enhanced Mobility of Seniors and Individuals with Disabilities of a nonemergency, ambulatory nature for the FY 2027-2028 program year. The application for assistance is pursuant to the Formula Grant Program for Enhanced Mobility of Seniors and Individuals with Disabilities Program of 49 CFR 5310. Services will generally be between 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m., Sunday through Saturday, in the area encompassing Jefferson Parish, Louisiana. Transit services are provided without regard to race, color, and national origin in accordance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. Written comments on the proposed services may be sent within 15 days to Jefferson Parish Transit Administration, 118 David Drive, Metairie, LA 70003 and to the Program Manager, Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, P.O. Box 94245, Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9245. Comments must be received by October 23, 2026. 203224-694985-oct 8-1t $ 76.78

PUBLIC NOTICE ---

The Jefferson Housing Services Development District (HSDD) is solicit‐ ing proposals to secure professional advisory services to assist it with strategic planning, asset modernization, and fed‐ eral compliance. The se‐ lected Consultant will play a critical role in sup‐ porting and expanding affordable housing op‐ portunities, optimizing operational perfor‐ mance, and ensuring strict adherence to the regulations of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the State of Louisiana. All interested parties can request a complete proposal packet with detailed in‐ structions by emailing D’Andre@jphsdd.org. Telephone and in person request will not be con‐ sidered. The deadline for submission of proposals is on or before November 10, 2026 by 2:00 p.m. (CST).

202687-oct 1-8-2t $143.20

PUBLIC NOTICE ---

This solicitation will have a voluntary pre-bid con‐ ference at 2:00 pm, Octo‐ ber 9, 2026, at 2114, 2116, 2118, & 2120 Allen St. New Orleans, LA 70119.

103381-oct 8-16-22-3t $133.56

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.

1195?p=Z2GFMNaUoep

Safe Streets for All Supplemental Trans‐ portation Safety Action Plan RFP #2026 - 20 - 01

Thank you for your inter‐ est in doing business with the City of New Or‐ leans.

Advertising Dates: October 08, 16 and 22, 2026 NOCP 9367

202212-oct 1-8-2t $684.30

Downtown Development District of the City of New Orleans

For more information about this sourcing event, go to www.nola. gov and click on “BRASS Supplier Portal” under “BIDS & CONTRACTS”. Once on the Supplier Por‐ tal, search “Open Events.”

Legal Notices

Robert Rivers, Executive Director

PUBLIC NOTICE ---

For: Banking Services

https://teams.microsoft.

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

COMMODITY CODE(s): 968-83, 550-80, 550-85, 550-88, 550-89, 550-96, 968-77, 968-82, 914-38

Kai Wells Assistant Purchasing Administrator

Notice is hereby given that a Request for Pro‐ posals for Banking Ser‐ vices (RFP No. 001-092026) will be received by FINANCE NEW ORLEANS until November 10, 2026, at 4:00 PM. The complete RFP is available at www. ﬁnanceauthority.org or by email request to pro‐ curement@ﬁnanceauth ority.org.

Legal Notices

y would receive those noti‐ ﬁcations if you selected the following commodity code(s) before the re‐ lease of the sourcing event:

REQUEST FOR PROPOS‐ ALS

Ronald G. Baptiste, Jr. Interim Chief executive Ofﬁcer Regional Transit Authority

PUBLIC NOTICE ---

Legal Notices

PUBLIC NOTICE OPPORTUNITY FOR REQUESTING A PUBLIC HEARING All interested persons are hereby advised that the Jefferson Parish Government has applied to the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development for project funding under Federal Transit Administration (Section 5310 and/or 5311) for the following: PROJECT: Jefferson Parish Government is preparing to replace existing equipment to continue transportation services in the Parish. Further details relative to the project are available from Joanna.Miller, Contract Monitor, 118 David Drive, Metairie, LA 70003, (504)364-3452. Interested persons are advised that they may request that a public hearing be conducted to provide a means for the public to express their views relative to the proposed project on the probable social, economic, and environmental effects involved. In lieu of requesting a public hearing, interested persons may submit their comments in writing. Written requests for a public hearing and/or submittal of comments must be postmarked on or before October 30, 2026, and should be addressed to: Jefferson Parish Government Attn: Joanna Miller 118 David Drive Metairie, LA 70003 Should a public hearing be required, a public notice will be published stating the date, time, and location of the hearing. 203240-695003-oct 8-23-2t $ 163.60

The Times-Picayune ✦ nola.com ✦ Thursday, October 8, 2026 ✦ 1S

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THE TIMES-PICAYUNE

Oct. 8, 2026

Cozy Marigny cafe expanding to Magazine Street page 5

WWE brings Money in the Bank to New Orleans page 3

2T ✦ Thursday, October 8, 2026 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune

don’t miss lll

northshore beer fest Under the oak trees at the Mandeville Trailhead, ticket holders receive unlimited pours from dozens of Gulf Coast microbreweries from noon to 3 p.m. Sunday, with VIP entry at 10 a.m. The regional tasting event that raises funds for special-needs youth sports programs will also have food trucks and live music. Tickets start at $10 for designated drivers and $50 for general admission. northshorebeerfestival.com.

oktoberfest Deutsches Haus along Bayou St. John kicks off the autumn season with traditional Bavarian beer, live oompah brass music and authentic German fare, including bratwurst, schnitzel and oversized soft pretzels, from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and 1 p.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday. Admission is $10 at the gate. oktoberfestnola.com.

gumbo fest Culinary masters will be cooking pot after pot of authentic seafood, chicken and sausage gumbos from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday at the Westwego Farmers & Fisheries Market in Jefferson Parish. The event will feature live Cajun and swamp-pop bands, carnival rides and traditional pageants. Admission is free, with food and ride tickets available on-site. gumbofest.com.

Rescheduled festivals

As always, weather can scramble plans for outdoor events. The National Fried Chicken Fest was pushed to this weekend, from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, with a slight lineup change. Headliners include 2 Chainz, Keri Hilson and Dillon Francis. Tickets start at $21 for Friday general admission and $70 for Saturday or Sunday. friedchickenfestival. com. In Slidell, the Wild Game, Seafood & BBQ Cook-Off was moved to 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday in Olde Towne Slidell. Tickets start at $20 for general admission sampling. Map at cccslidell.org/wild-game-seafood- bbq-cook-off.

que pasa fest This vibrant celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month at Lafreniere Park in Metairie brings music, art and the ﬂavors of Central and South Americas to Jefferson Parish. The familyfriendly weekend, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, features Latin bands, folkloric dance performances, interactive visual arts displays and food vendors serving authentic regional dishes. Admission is free. quepasafest.org.

neighborhood festivals Two distinct areas are celebrating their communities over the weekend. Our Lady of the Lake, 312 Laﬁtte St., in Mandeville is hosting Festival of the Lake from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday with live music, kids’ activities, food and drink. festivalofthelake.com. Meanwhile, Gentilly Fest runs from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, noon to 9 p.m. Saturday and noon to 8 p.m. Sunday at historic Pontchartrain Park, featuring constant music and food vendors. Admission to both festivals is free. gentillyfest.com.

events

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The Times-Picayune ✦ nola.com ✦ Thursday, October 8, 2026 ✦ 3T

‘Only one way down’

Je’Von Evans flies at Dragon Lee during a WWE match.

BY ALEX RAWLS

PROVIDED PHOTO

After moving WresleMania back to Vegas, WWE brings Money in the Bank to N.O.

the event to Las Vegas without explanaContributing writer tion. “We love New Orleans, and we love our partnership with them,” Chief ConThis year during WrestleMania, Je’Von Evans had a problem. He was in tent Officer Paul Levesque said at the a ladder match for the WWE Intercontime. “We were able to grow that parttinental title, and he had climbed the nership with them along through this ladder high enough to grab the title belt process, as well. So I think it’s a win for hanging over the ring, but everybody.” not high enough to detach it WWE’S MONEY It didn’t feel like a win for from its holder. local wrestling fans, who IN THE BANK weren’t going to get the Then one of his opponents knocked the ladder over, biggest event on the profes4:30 p.m. Saturday sional wrestling calendar leaving him hanging 8 or so Smoothie King Center, in 2026. Local businesses feet above the mat. “It’s a little nerve-wrack1501 Dave Dixon also would miss out on the ing,” he remembered recent- Drive, New Orleans estimated $322.2 million impact the WWE ly. “But it’s exciting, because (504) 587-3663 economic claimed the 2025 Wrestlethere’s only one way down.” Tickets start at $72 Mania had on the Las Vegas Evans could easily face that same predicament on economy. Saturday when he and five other WWE WWE declined to comment on the Superstars compete in Money in the change and future plans in New OrBank. A briefcase with a contract will leans. hang above the ring, and the person Originally from Greenville, South who ends up with it can request an imCarolina, Evans — whose real name is Malachi Jeffers — is 22, the youngest mediate championship match, even if competitor in the men’s and women’s the champion just finished a punishing Money in the Bank matches, and he match against someone else. has been on the WWE main roster only It gives the winner an advantage since January. He’s 6 feet, 5 inches and worth risking an 8-foot drop. has a gangly, infectious energy that has Money in the Bank will be the first already made him a fan favorite. time the WWE brings one of its major Almost everything is new to him, events to New Orleans since 2018, including New Orleans — “I’m going to when WrestleMania 34 took place in see if I can stay an extra day, especially the Caesars Superdome. On Feb. 21, if I win,” he said, laughing. 2025, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson anHe’s focused on the match in front nounced that WrestleMania 43 would of him. There are ways to do wrestling return to New Orleans in 2026, but moves to make them less painful than three months later, the WWE moved

ABOUT LAGNIAPPE

The Lagniappe section is published each Thursday by The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate. All inquiries about Lagniappe should be directed to the editor. LAGNIAPPE EDITOR: Lauren Walck, lauren. walck@theadvocate.com COVER DESIGN: Andrea Daniel CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Alex Rawls, Keith Spera, Poet Wolfe

they look, but not where ladders are involved. “It is metal, you know,” he said. The fact that he’s working matches like these so early in his career isn’t lost on Evans. When he thinks about

what to do, he gets in touch with his inner fan. “I always put myself back in little Je’Von, like, ‘How would Je’Von react to this?’ You know what I mean? Usually it works,” he said.

NEW ORLEANS GIFTS • LOCAL ARTISTS & DESIGNERS

GET LISTED IN LAGNIAPPE

Submit events to Lagniappe at least two weeks in advance by sending an email to events@theadvocate.com.

ON THE COVER

People ﬁll Lafayette Square during the 2024 Crescent City Blues and BBQ Fest in New Orleans. Photo by Matthew Perschall. Music writer Keith Spera has this weekend’s lineup on Page 6.

4432 MAGAZINE ST | 504-502-6206 |

4 ✦ Thursday, October 8, 2026 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune

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The Times-Picayune ✦ nola.com ✦ Thursday, October 8, 2026 ✦ 5T

Honey’s expands with second cafe HONEY'S Uptown

4332 Magazine St. Opening soon; 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday

Marigny

2400 St. Claude Ave. 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday

BY POET WOLFE Staff writer

Long before she opened her own cafe in New Orleans, Elizabeth Hess was a barista and manager at HEY Café on Magazine Street, where coffee was served in a shotgun house wedged 8 inches between Casamento’s Restaurant and Ms. Mae’s. Hess is returning to that Uptown building six years later after the latest tenant, Undergrowth Coffee, closed earlier this year. The homecoming also marks a moment of growth: Hess is opening a second location for Honey’s, the Marigny cafe she founded in 2022. Honey’s second location is expected to open the ﬁrst week of October, serving coffee, house-

made pastries and cakes along with seasonal specials. She was exploring options in other neighborhoods when she was offered the lease for the Uptown space where she once worked. “It was a dream come true and felt very serendipitous,” she said. The expansion comes as New Orleans’ baking scene keeps growing — in a culinary landscape that has long been deﬁned by ﬁne dining and restaurants. That growth is especially evident along Magazine Street, where La Boulangerie, District Donuts and Levee Baking Co. line the thoroughfare from Uptown to the Lower Garden District. Honey’s is the latest addition, with a menu spanning breakfast, lunch and dinner — from break-

fast sandwiches on focaccia to rotating pasta specials — as well as vegan and gluten-free options. The menu will feature several more items than the Marigny location, though its classics will remain. Its focus is “light, healthy fare,” Hess said, a category that can be hard to come by in New Orleans, where fried plates, red gravy and butter-laden dishes dominate. The cafe also will offer cakes and tarts, with ﬂavors changing with the seasons. Past cake ﬂavors have ventured beyond the conventional, ranging from orange and ricotta to matcha raspberry. Many of the ingredients, as well as the coffee, are locally sourced, with Hess spending Sunday mornings shopping for produce at the farmers market in City Park.

PROVIDED PHOTO

Honey’s second cafe opening Uptown will offer cakes and tarts, with flavors changing with the seasons.

New Special Exhibit on Display Now! See original WWII cartoons and reflect on how one illustrator helped generations of Americans understand the war—one drawing at a time.

SCAN TO LEARN MORE AND BUY TICKETS

6T ✦ Thursday, October 8, 2026 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune

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Samantha Fish, Booker T Jones, Ruthie Foster, more round out free Crescent City Blues & BBQ Fest BY KEITH SPERA Staff writer

If you could teleport a weekend at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival’s Blues Tent to early fall, what would you have? The 2026 Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival. Like Jazz Fest, the Crescent City Blues & BBQ Fest is owned by the nonproﬁt New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation. Unlike Jazz Fest, admission to the Blues & BBQ Fest is free. The 20th anniversary event takes over Lafayette Square across St. Charles Avenue from Gallier Hall from Friday to Sunday, unless tropical weather interferes. The roster reads like a couple of great days at the Blues Tent. Ruthie Foster, the hard-hitting blues and folk singer from Texas, caps off the appetizer-sized program on Friday evening. She’s preceded by harmonica man and accordionist Johnny Sansone. That’s it for Friday. The festival serves up a full menu of music all day on Saturday and Sunday, with music alternating on two stages from 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. It’s a homecoming for headliner

Samantha Fish on Saturday. Born in Kansas City but based in New Orleans for years, she spends much of her time on tour. She’s built a national and international audience with her mix of grit, grace and guitar skills. This year, she released “Paper Doll Live,” a concert recording taken from the tour in support of her 2025 studio album “Paper Doll.” Recorded at the Bijou Theater in Knoxville, Tennessee, last fall, “Paper Doll Live” ﬁnds Fish and her rock-solid band reviving up a mix of covers and original compositions from throughout her catalog. On Oct. 1, Fish was a featured performer for Buddy Guy’s sold-out 90th birthday celebration at New York’s Radio City Music Hall. The bill also included Eric Clapton, John Mayer, ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons, Joe Bonamassa, Susan Tedeschi, Derek Trucks, Jon Batiste and Ivan Neville, among many others. After her rare hometown show this weekend, Fish will spend the remainder of 2026 touring up and down both the West and East coasts. Saturday’s festival lineup also includes Cedric Burnside, Linda Gail Lewis, Jimmy “Duck” Holmes, the Washboard Chaz Blues Trio, Erica Falls & Vintage Soul and the Zac Schulze

Samantha Fish

Gang. At noon Saturday, an all-star band will pay tribute to the late Scott Aiges, the music critic turned music manager and festival producer who died of glioblastoma on April 7 at age 63. Aiges was The Times-Picayune’s ﬁrst full-time pop music critic. Later, as the

Jazz & Heritage Foundation’s director of programs, marketing and communications, he produced the Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival and other events, launched the Sync Up music business conference and oversaw construction of the George & Joyce Wein Jazz and Heritage Center in a former funeral

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Terrance Simien

Little Freddie King THE 2026 CRESCENT CITY BLUES & BBQ FESTIVAL SCHEDULE “Duck” Holmes 3:15 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.: ST. CHARLES AVE. STAGE Linda Gail Lewis 5:30 p.m. to 6:45 p.m.: 5:45 p.m. to 7 p.m.: Cedric Johnny Sansone Burnside 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.: Ruthie ST. CHARLES AVE. STAGE Foster Noon to 1 p.m.: All-Star SATURDAY Tribute to Scott Aiges CAMP STREET STAGE 2 p.m. to 3:15 p.m.: Erica 11 a.m. to noon: Washboard Falls & Vintage Soul Chaz Blues Trio 4:30 p.m. to 5:45 p.m.: Zac 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.: Jimmy Schulze Gang

FRIDAY

home on North Rampart Street. He managed the Continental Drifters, Royal Fingerbowl and other bands. A guitarist, he also co-founded Jamaican Me Breakfast Club, which recast ’80s rock and pop hits with a reggae ﬂavor. Sunday night headliner Booker T.

Jones was still a teenager when Booker T. & the M.G.s’ instrumental “Green Onions,” powered by Jones’ distinctive organ ﬁlls, became a hit in 1964. His multifaceted career as a musician and producer includes producing and arranging Willie Nelson’s jazztinged masterpiece “Stardust” in 1978. Twenty years later, Jones Jones won a Grammy for Best Instrumental Album for his 2009 album “Potato Hole,” recorded with the Drive-By Truckers and Neil Young. A pair of Mississippi musicians —

7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.: Samantha Fish

SUNDAY CAMP STREET STAGE 11 a.m. to noon: Dexter Allen 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.: Kenny Brown 3:15 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.: Terrance Simien and the Zydeco Experience featuring

guitarists Dexter Allen and Kenny Brown — kick off Sunday at the Camp Street Stage. The rest of the day’s lineup up until Jones consists of Louisiana acts: Marc Stone, Mia Borders, Terrance Simien & the Zydeco Experience featuring Marcella Simien, George Porter Jr. & Runnin’ Pardners and Little Freddie King. Additionally, the festival’s Oral History Stage on the ﬁrst ﬂoor of Gallier Hall will host conversations with four featured musicians. On Saturday, Scott Barretta will chat with Linda Gail Lewis at 2 p.m. and

Marcella Simien 5:45 p.m. to 7 p.m.: Little Freddie King ST. CHARLES AVE. STAGE Noon to 1 p.m.: Marc Stone 2 p.m. to 3:15 p.m.: Mia Borders 4:30 p.m. to 5:45 p.m.: George Porter Jr. & Runnin’ Pardners 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.: Booker T. Jones

Jimmy “Duck” Holmes at 3:30. On Sunday, WWOZ’s DJ Soul Sister will sit down with George Porter Jr. at 2 and Booker T. Jones at 3:30. All interviews are slated for 30 minutes. Festival admission is free. Food and beverages will be available for purchase. No outside food and beverage is allowed. And though this might sound like a weekend at the Blues Tent, there is no actual tent to keep the sun and rain off the audience. So bring an umbrella just in case, and stay tuned to the potential tropical system in the Gulf that could disrupt weekend plans.

8 ✦ Thursday, October 8, 2026 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune

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What a Night! C a a S elebrating the rt of the meriCan outh

Seated dinner + Silent & live auctionS + dancing

Patron Party thurSday, oCtober 15, 2026

Gala Evening Saturday, oCtober 17, 2026

2026 opuS award HonoreeS:

2026 gala co-cHairS:

Francis X. Pavy

Suzie & Ted Bloch III, M.D.

•

Stacey & Michael Burke

Beverly Dale & Dayna Haynie Scan the QR code to learn more about the evening and to purchase tickets!

925 Camp Street, New Orleans | 504.539.9650 | ogdenmuseum.org | @ogdenmuseum

music Keith Spera SOUND CHECK

$UICIDEBOY$

WEDNESDAY, SMOOTHIE KING CENTER Nihilistic rap duo $uicideboy$ is a different sort of New Orleans success story. Scott “$crim” Arceneaux Jr. hails from Marrero and honed his DJ skills while attending Delgado Community College. His first cousin Aristos “Ruby Da Cherry” Petrou grew up in Metairie near Fat City, is a 2008 graduate of Jesuit High School and played in punk bands as a teen. They both idolized Lil Wayne and were well-versed in New Orleans rap vernacular. They introduced themselves as $uicideboy$ in 2014 via Soundcloud. Their aesthetic is often grimy, abrasive and apocalyptic, with elements of trap-metal. Lyrics traffic in hopelessness, death, depression, drugs, suicide and addiction. Their first release was an EP called “Kill Yourself Part 1.” They named their 2018 full-length debut “I Want to Die in New Orleans.” The independent duo’s 2025 album “Thy Kingdom Come” debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200. $uicideboy$ embarked on the first “Grey Day Tour” in 2019. The 2025 edition was one of the highest-grossing rap tours of the year. Arceneaux and Petrou bring their “Grey Day Tour 2026” to the Smoothie King Center on Wednesday with special guests Destroy Lonely, $lim Gucci, Black Kray, DRAIN and Shakewell. Reserved seat tickets start at $39. Standing room only floor tickets are $297.

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The Times-Picayune ✦ nola.com ✦ Thursday, October 8, 2026 ✦ 9T

Unless inclement weather pulls the plug on some shows, it will be another busy October week of music in New Orleans thanks to several festivals and touring acts passing through town. $uicideboy$

Hayley Williams

OTHER NOTEWORTHY SHOWS

at Snug Harbor Jazz Bistro. Tickets are $35.

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

Oscar Rossignoli was classically trained in his native Honduras but is also ﬂuent in the jazz traditions of his adopted hometown of New Orleans. He often backs John Boutte and other bandleaders but will anchor his own quartet — with Steve Lands on trumpet, Martin Masakowski on bass and Peter Varnado on drums — at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Thursday

Layla Musselwhite and Jimmy Robinson team up for a post-Crescent City Blues & BBQ Fest show at Chickie Wah Wah; tickets start at $20. Catch Keller & the Keels at Tipitina’s. Tickets are $27 plus fees.

SATURDAY From noon to 10:30 p.m., the Maple

Leaf Bar hosts a celebration of life for its late talent buyer, Doug “Douggie” Trager, who died of cancer this year. Scheduled performers include George Porter Jr. & Runnin’ Pardners, the Desert Nudes, the Honey Island Swamp Band, Funk Monkey, River Eckert and more. There’s also a second-line at 4:20 p.m. Instead of a weekendlong festival, Gretna Fest organizers are staging a monthlong series of Saturday concerts at the Riverfront Amphitheater in downtown Gretna. This Saturday’s

headliner is the current incarnation of The Spinners. In the 1970s, the group’s R&B and pop hits included “Mighty Love,” “Then Came You,” “Games People Play” and “The Rubberband Man.” The current version of the Spinners contains no original members. New Orleans Soul Queen Irma Thomas opens the Gretna Festin’ show at 5 p.m. Admission is free. Also on Saturday, Paramore singer Hayley Williams brings her solo tour, dubbed “The Haley Williams Show,” to Champions Square. Magdalena Bay and Rico Nasty are also on the bill. Showtime is 7 p.m. Per Williams’ wishes, tickets can only be resold for the original price through Ticketmaster’s Face Value Exchange. Prices start at $97. Jazz guitarist Norman Brown plugs in at the New Orleans Jazz & Blues Market at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Tickets to the late show start at $41.

ä See SOUND CHECK, page 11

10 ✦ Thursday, October 8, 2026 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune

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PRESENTS

NOLA FUNK FEST FRIDAY OCTOBER 16

GALACTIC

FEATURING JELLY JOSEPH WITH SPECIAL GUESTS JOJO HERMANN AND DOMINGO "SUNNY" ORTIZ DUMPSTAPHUNK, MARC BROUSSARD, NEW ORLEANS SUSPECTS WITH BIG SAM JOURDAN THIBODEAUX ET LES RÔDAILLEURS, ROBERT MERCURIO & CRAIG KLEIN PRESENT FUNKSTICATION, BRASS A-HOLICS, NEW ORLEANS LEGACY COALITION , SOUL PROJECT, THE WASHINGTON TATTOO

SATURDAY OCTOBER 17

A TRIBUTE TO ALLEN TOUSSAINT

FEATURING THE ALLEN TOUSSAINT ORCHESTRA WITH SPECIAL GUESTS: IRMA THOMAS, IVAN NEVILLE, DAVELL CRAWFORD, CYRIL NEVILLE, DEACON JOHN, JOHN BOUTTÉ , NEAL FRANCIS, ANDERS OSBORNE, JOHN "PAPA" GROS, ELAINE FOSTER DAVID TORKANOWSKY, AND MORE! NEAL FRANCIS, LOST BAYOU RAMBLERS WITH THE LPO, TONY HALL BAND FEATURING MAHOGANY BLUE, JOJO HERMANN & FRIENDS, BONERAMA, CJ CHENIER & THE RED HOT LOUISIANA BAND, NEVILLE SONS, SLUGGER, THE QUICKENING

SUNDAY OCTOBER 18

GEORGE PORTER JR & RUNNIN’ PARDNERS SUPA’ SET WITH SPECIAL GUESTS STANTON MOORE, CYRIL NEVILLE, JEN HARTSWICK, EDDIE ROBERTS, MARK MULLINS, CRAIG KLEIN, JOJO HERMANN, DOMINGO ORTIZ, CHALI 2NA, JACKIE GREENE & MORE

GET TICKETS

CIMA FUNK, ANDERS OSBORNE WITH JACKIE GREENE, THE BREAKS. ERICA FALLS WITH MARCUS MACHADO AND CHALI 2NA, RIVER ECKERT, CC ADCOCK & THE LAFAYETTE MARQUIS, BIG CHIEF JUAN PARDO'S TRIBAL GOLD, ORIGINAL PINETTES BRASS BAND, POCKET CHOCOLATE

TICKETS AVAILABLE AT NOLAFUNKFEST.COM

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The Times-Picayune ✦ nola.com ✦ Thursday, October 8, 2026 ✦ 11T

SOUND CHECK

kins Jr. leads a birthday tribute to drumming icon Art Blakey at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $30.

Continued from page 9

MONDAY Johnny Sketch & the Dirty Notes, the madcap New Orleans rock/jazz/punk collision of a band, celebrates its 25th anniversary at Tipitina’s. Tickets are $17. For nearly 50 years, Astral Project has trafﬁcked in high-ﬂying modern jazz in New Orleans. Saxophonist Tony Dagradi, guitarist Steve Masakowski, bassist James Singleton and drummer Johnny Vidacovich hold court at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. at Snug Harbor; tickets are $40. Guitarist Papa Mali is at Chickie Wah Wah. Tickets start at $20. Parcels, the Australian-born, BerlinJohnny Sketch & the Dirty Notes based contemporary funk band, grooves at the Saenger Theater with the Booyah Kids. Tickets start at $36. Forever” — teams up with the Electric Yat Quartet for an early, 5 p.m. show at SUNDAY the New Orleans Jazz & Blues Market. Tickets start at $30. The Walrus: A New Orleans Beatles ExperiThe California Honeydrops bring the ence — which just released an album of “Sweet Like That Tour” to Tipitina’s Fab Four songs called “Elysian Fields

forever your favorite

Sir Tom Jones

with Jontavious Willis. Tickets are $35. The “Nickel-a-Dance” afternoon series at Snug Harbor has banjoist Don Vappie & the Creole Jazz Serenaders at 3 p.m. Later on Sunday at Snug Harbor, New Orleans jazz drummer Gerald Wat-

The ever-charismatic, charming and conﬁdent Sir Tom Jones brings his “Come Gather Round” tour to the Saenger Theatre, which will be full.

TUESDAY See Bright Eyes plus Lullaby For the Working Class at Tipitina’s. Tickets start at $56.

110TH SEASON

perfectwhitetee

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BY NEILSIMON Directed by Scott Burrell 7732 m a p l e 865 . 9625 mon - sat 10 - 5:30

shop @gaetanasnola

Preview October 1

Oct 2 – 18, 2026

BoxOffice@LePetitTheatre.com 504-522-2081 x 1

LePetitTheatre.com

12 ✦ Thursday, October 8, 2026 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune

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ChEeSE & WINE TAStINg at roUses on tChoUp 70 + SAMPLINGS OF CHEESE, WINE & CHARCUTERIE!

MEeT ThE EXpERtS! LIVE ChEF DEMOS

OCt 9 & 10 Th

ROuSES IN NEW ORlEaNs 4500 TCHOUPITOULAS ST.

FrI 4pM - 6pM Chef Charly Pierre of Fritai

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