The Advocate 11-08-2026

BROWNS AT SAINTS • NOON • CBS 1C SOUTHERN EXCELS IN EVERY PHASE TO DOMINATE BETHUNE-COOKMAN 4C

ADVOCATE THE

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

T I D E

BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA

|

S U N D AY, N OV E M B E R 8, 2026

T I G E R S

31

13

No win, no answers

$2.50X

Secrecy around coastal damage settlements questioned Balance between protecting negotiations, public’s right to know debated

BY ALEX LUBBEN and MIKE SMITH Staff writers

STAFF PHOTO BY MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt takes the hit from Alabama defensive back Carmelo O’Neal while running in Saturday’s game at Tiger Stadium.

Likely no CFP for LSU as Tigers fall to Alabama yet again reason why LSU spent millions to pry The word for LSU football on SaturLane Kiffin away from Ole Miss, then day was “no.” spent millions to assemble a champiNo traditional night game in Tiger Stadium as LSU fans would like to onship-caliber roster around him. have against an old rival like AlaThat last no isn’t a firm “No, you won’t get cast as the next James bama. Bond” like I’m sure I’d get from the No victory either for the Tigers — Scott also traditional against the Crimson Rabalais folks at Amazon. If the Tigers (now 6-3, 3-3 Southeastern Conference) Tide — which pulled away from LSU somehow win out against Texas, Tenin the fourth quarter for a shocking, humbling 31-13 victory. nessee and Arkansas, there’s still a chance. And the biggest no of all for the Tigers: ä See RABALAIS, page 4A no trip to the College Football Playoff, the

ä See complete coverage of the Tigers game. PAGE 1C

ä First Lady

Melania Trump launches $7.2M endowment fund at LSU-Alabama game. PAGE 1B

Gov. Jeff Landry’s push to settle dozens of lawsuits seeking to hold the oil and gas industry financially responsible for damage to Louisiana’s coast has gained momentum — but the results so far are impossible to judge. The settlements with major oil companies including Shell, Exxon and BP are being kept secret even though they potentially involve hundreds of millions of dollars or more in public assets, leaving it unclear how much they are worth and to what degree they will benefit coastal restoration. In refusing to release details, state officials have pointed to court orders sealing the settlements from public view until all the cases are completed, and noted that some of the litigation remains ongoing. But the state did not oppose the oil firms’ request for the court orders, giving tacit approval to keeping them sealed. John Carmouche, the lawyer who has spearheaded the lawsuits on behalf of the state and coastal parishes, argued the details must remain secret until all cases are final to allow Louisiana to maintain leverage in negotiations. He said he expects the total amount to top $7 billion. “The public is going to be harmed by this getting out into the public,” he said. “It would minimize the public’s recovery.” Carmouche said that once the settlements have been finalized, he believes the records will be made public. “When this thing is over, I think all the settlements, I think everything is public record,” he said. “It’s not just going to be our word. … It’s going to be the documents.”

ä See SETTLEMENTS, page 7A

Does midterm blue wave leave Landry vulnerable? Democrats see opening, but governor has formidable war chest

have no obvious candidate to challenge Gov. Jeff Landry, who is heavily favored as the race begins. But the narrow miss by Jamie Davis in the BY TYLER BRIDGES and SAM KARLIN Senate race — and the Staff writers repudiation by voters Landry The Louisiana Democratic Party is across the country of candidates backed by President Donald looking for another John Bel Edwards. After Tuesday’s shockingly close U.S. Trump — has given Democratic Party ofSenate election, Democratic Party lead- ficials a fresh burst of optimism that one ers are turning their attention to next of their candidates can defeat Landry in year’s governor’s race. For now, they 2027.

WEATHER HIGH 72 LOW 46 PAGE 8B

For many, Edwards is the obvious choice because, with his election as governor in 2015 and reelection in 2019, he has been the only Democrat to win statewide office in Louisiana since 2008. Davis In an interview, Edwards said his phone blew up Tuesday night and Wednesday with friends calling and texting him about the governor’s race.

ä See LANDRY, page 6A

STAFF FILE PHOTO BY SOPHIA GERMER

The Louisiana coastal damage settlements with oil majors including Shell, Exxon and BP are under wraps even though they potentially involve hundreds of millions of dollars in public assets.

Business ......................1E Deaths .........................3B Opinion ........................6B Classified ..................... 2F Living............................1D Nation-World................2A Commentary ................7B Metro ...........................1B Sports ..........................1C

102ND YEAR, NO. 131

SP READ FU N NOT FLU! NO L !

GET YOUR FLU SHOT TODAY! BATONROUGECL O LINIC.COM

7373 PERKINS ROAD | 225.769.4044 4

2A n Sunday, November 8, 2026 n theadvocate.com n The Advocate

lll

BRIEFS

UKRAINE

FROM WIRE REPORTS

Drone and missile attacks wound 9

Trump asks UFC’s White to be his press secretary WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — President Donald Trump said Saturday that he has offered the job of White House press secretary to his friend and UFC boss Dana White, an announcement unconventional even for the normbusting president. White said Saturday that he plans to meet with Trump on Monday at the White House. Trump, while he was at his golf club in Florida, posted on social media that he made the offer to “the Great Dana White, a violent Fighter and Warrior” to become the Republican president’s chief spokesperson. White, who was in London on Saturday for a boxing event, was asked at a news conference about Trump’s post and responded by saying that he planned to fly to Washington right after and meet with Trump on Monday. When asked how he would balance the job with the current positions he has in the fighting White world, White seemed confused by the question and then said, “Yeah, I got a lot of jobs already.” Before the news conference, the UFC head shared an image of Trump’s post on Instagram, along with an image of himself standing behind the podium in the White House press briefing room with the words “On to the next chapter.”

2 skydivers die midair after parachutes tangle LAKE ELSINORE, Calif. — Two experienced skydivers who were taking part in an organized skydiving event in Southern California were killed after colliding midair and plummeting to the ground. The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office on Saturday identified the two who died as Georgia Jean, 56, of Box Elder, South Dakota, and Levi Pimentel, 29, of Aurora, Illinois. Jean founded the company Circle Evolution, which “is the collaboration between conscious channel Georgia Jean and the non-physical collective The Circle of Light,” according to the company’s website. Jean said in a bio that she started skydiving in 2015 and has had more than 1,700 jumps. Pimentel was a lead instructor at iFLY Naperville, an indoor skydiving company, according to LinkedIn. The accident occurred at about noon Friday at Skydive Elsinore, the company said in a statement. Both were licensed skydivers, the company said. The Riverside County Fire Department said the two had suffered traumatic injuries and were taken to a local hospital in critical condition. Skydive Elsinore says the free fall portion of the dive and the opening of the parachutes were normal, but as they were preparing to land, the two skydivers collided at approximately 150 feet above the ground. “The collision caused their parachutes to become entangled, and both sustained critical injuries when they reached the ground,” Skydive Elsinore said in a statement. They were pronounced dead at the hospital.

Airstrikes in Yemen kill at least 27, Houthis say CAIRO — Airstrikes hit homes in a village near Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, on Saturday, killing at least 27 people and wounding 36 others, mostly women and children, a spokesman for Yemen’s Houthi-run Health Ministry said. Speaking to The Associated Press, Anees al-Asbahi said the death toll is expected to rise as search and rescue efforts continue and accused Saudi Arabia of carrying out the strikes on alShariya. Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, the Houthi military spokesperson, claimed in a statement later Saturday that the group had carried out attacks against Saudi Arabia in response to the strikes on the village as well as another deadly attack Friday on a market in southwestern Yemen. The AP could not independently verify the Houthis’ claims.

because we were in Talks with Russia wall, the corridor. It’s very hard. No sleep, no peace — nothand U.S. ahead ing. The children aren’t

BY DEREK GATOPOULOS, DMYTRO ZHYHINAS and DAN BASHAKOV Associated Press

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO BY BEATA ZAWRZEL

Police cars are parked in a cordoned off area after a shooter opened fire in a market square in Krakow, Poland, on Saturday.

Polish gunman has ‘ultranationalistic’ views, minister says

though that figure may include the gun6 killed in Krakow; family man, who underwent surgery after the members found dead attack. It’s unclear how many of the injured

BY CLAUDIA CIOBANU, STEFANIE DAZIO and BEATA ZAWRZEL Associated Press

KRAKOW, Poland — A Polish man with far-right views drove into a busy central square in Krakow on Saturday and opened fire, killing six people and injuring 15 others before police shot and wounded him, authorities said. The attack, which Poland’s defense minister described as an “act of terror,” happened in Main Square, which is in the heart of Krakow’s Old Town and is a major tourist hub in the country’s secondlargest city. The 25-year-old attacker drove to multiple spots in the square and opened fire at each stop with an automatic weapon, authorities said. Although they didn’t release his name, Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinski said the man holds “very radical” and “ultranationalistic” views. “Everything indicates that he was fascinated by far-right ideologies,” Kierwinski said at a news conference. Hours after the attack, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said authorities found the bodies of three of the suspect’s close family members — two women and a man — inside of his home in Ostrowiec Swietokrzyski, a city about 93 miles northeast of Krakow. “We have the next acts of this tragedy,” Tusk told reporters. Four women and two men were killed in the Krakow attack. At least three of the women were Polish, and one of the dead was a U.K. citizen, authorities said at a news conference. Police were still trying to identify the other two people who were killed.

were shot. Two of them were treated and released within hours of the mass shooting. Two police officers were among the injured, including one whose injuries were serious, Kierwinski said. Also injured in the attack were five non-Poles, police commander Marek Boron said. The attacker wore military-style fatigues and a bulletproof vest, and used a military-type long gun, Krakow police spokesperson Katarzyna Cisło said. Police found many other weapons and ammunition in his car. He kept firing at the police even after being shot himself, she said. The attacker engaged in a “wild ride” around Main Square, which is why people were wounded at several locations, Cisło said. Cisło added that the gunman acted alone and that the public is safe.

Mass shootings are rare in Poland

Videos posted on social media by witnesses show people running away from the square to take cover on small streets nearby, as well as first responders trying to resuscitate victims. In one video, a police officer is seen repeatedly shooting the attacker, who is lying on the street, only to later slowly collapse himself to the ground. It was not immediately clear whether the firearm used in Saturday’s attack, or the guns found in the perpetrator’s car, were legal. Around 411,000 people hold gun permits in Poland, which has a population of 37 million, and interest in gun ownership has been rising. Mass shootings are uncommon in Poland. However, in mid-October three attacks at schools in the central province of Mazovia took place within four days, leaving one person dead and many People wounded at several locations wounded, including children. Authorities said a total of 13 people Ciobanu reported from Warsaw and were hospitalized in serious condition, Dazio reported from Berlin.

Opposition candidate tapped to form government in Israel Coalition notice is a setback for Netanyahu

BY GIOVANNA DELL'ORTO Associated Press

JERUSALEM — Israeli President Isaac Herzog said Saturday night that he was giving opposition candidate Gadi Eisenkot the first opportunity to form a governing coalition following elections on Oct. 27. Eisenkot, a former military chief who ran as the main challenger to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is now a step closer to ousting Israel’s longest-serving premier. “This is the time to establish a national emergency government. I will do anything possible to prove us worthy,” Eisenkot posted on his X account just after the presidential announcement. He has up to six weeks to form a coalition, a challenging task in a deeply divided country reeling from the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks and the three years of wars that have followed in Gaza and beyond. In discussions with the president this week, representatives from most of Israel’s main parties recommended Eisenkot be tasked with assembling a new government, but putting together the parliamentary majority needed remains fraught.

KYIV, Ukraine — Drone and missile attacks struck across Ukraine on Saturday, wounding at least nine people, as Kyiv and Moscow prepared for new talks next week with the United States. Negotiators from Russia, Ukraine and the U.S. are to meet on Tuesday in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, for talks aimed at ending the war. The new round of negotiations would be the fourth brokered by the Trump administration, the most recent having been in Geneva in February. Western governments backing the peace initiative are seeking a new formula to break the impasse while acknowledging that territorial and security questions remain unresolved. The Russian missiles that hit overnight across Kyiv damaged homes and commercial properties, triggering new power and water outages, national and city authorities said. Kateryna Korniichuk, 64, was at home with her granddaughter when an attack hit. “The first blast wave threw us against that wall and then against the other

sleeping, and neither are we,” she told The Associated Press. “I’m old, I can handle it, but what have the children done wrong?” Strikes also prompted officials to close Kyiv’s Northern Bridge, a major route connecting the city with large residential areas on the east bank of the Dnipro River. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said that work was already underway to repair the Northern Bridge and that water pressure in Kyiv had been stabilized. Earlier Saturday, he had described the city’s energy situation as “extremely difficult, affecting the city’s heating and water supply systems.” In a statement Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia was preparing for trilateral talks by “launching ballistic missiles at Ukraine’s critical infrastructure.” Later, he said Moscow was stepping up strikes to build pressure on Ukraine ahead of the Abu Dhabi talks. “Russia perceives diplomacy in its own peculiar way — as a form of aggression,” he wrote in an online post. Russia’s Ministry of Defense confirmed that it had targeted the Northern Bridge, saying that it facilitated the transport of weaponry, military hardware and specialist equipment for Ukraine’s armed forces.

Netanyahu and his allies lost their majority in parliament in last month’s elections. But the bloc led by Eisenkot also didn’t win a majority. That left Arab-led parties, which made historic gains, as potential but politically fraught kingmakers. An Arab party has been part of a governing coalition just once in Israel’s history. Forming such an alliance could be especially divisive for Eisenkot after more than three years of war in Gaza. Netanyahu has been on a campaign to head off any alliance between Eisenkot and the Arab-led parties, including unsubstantiated claims that Arab parties “stole” the elections. Shortly before Herzog’s announcement, he called for a “national unity government” in a video statement and warned against “hastily swearing in a government with terrorist supporters” — language he uses to refer to the Arab-led parties. Netanyahu and his allies have repeatedly portrayed the Arab-led parties as a threat to national security, while Eisenkot has indicated a willingness to partner with them under certain conditions, including calling Hamas a terrorist group that needs to be destroyed. Eisenkot and Netanyahu, whose Likud is the single largest party in parliament, could seek to create a unity government with major Jewish parties. However, the men have deep differences over many issues that will be difficult to bridge.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO BY DAN BASHAKOV

Kindergarten personnel clean debris inside a heavily damaged class following a missile attack on a residential area in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Saturday.

GET IN TOUCH Customer Service: HELP@THEADVOCATE.COM or 225-388-0200 News Tips / Stories: NEWSTIPS@THEADVOCATE.COM Obituaries: 225-388-0289 • Mon-Fri 9-5; Sat 10-5; Closed Sun Advertising Sales: 225-388-0262 • Mon-Fri 8-5 Classified Advertising: 225-383-0111 • Mon-Fri 8-5 Subscribe: theadvocate.com/subscribe E-Edition: theadvocate.com/eedition Archives: theadvocate.newsbank.com The Advocate (USPS 363-040) is published daily in Baton Rouge and at additional mailing offices. Periodicals postage paid at Baton Rouge, LA. ISSN: 1061-3978. Capital City Press, proprietor. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Advocate, Circulation Accounting, P.O. Box 588, Baton Rouge, LA 70821. Newspaper carriers are independent contractors and not employees of Capital City Press.

All home delivery subscription sales are non-refundable. Should you discontinue your subscription during term, the subscription will end with the expiration date on your subscription, and there will not be a refund of a prorated amount. Subscribers who purchased their subscription before Feb. 1, 2023 and wish to cancel can request a refund of a remaining balance at https://www.nola.com/app/forms/refund-request-form/. Refunds are considered on a case-by-case basis at the discretion of Capital City Press, LLC or its designee. All subscriptions purchased that include a special edition will have the special edition value deducted prior to any refund provided to subscriber upon cancellation of service. Standard subscription rates may be effective upon renewal. All standard subscriptions include digital access and e-Edition, a digital replica of the printed Advocate edition(s). The apps are free for tablets and smartphones. Smartphone apps may not be supported on all devices. The Advocate standard subscription rate is $80.89 per 4-week period, plus tax. The Acadiana Advocate standard subscription rate is $80.89 per 4-week period, plus tax. Standard digital subscriptions include e-Edition with the rate of $31.15 per 4-week period, plus tax starting 1/1/25. Special editions included in home delivery subscriptions are 1/30/26, 3/11/26, 4/15/26, 5/27/26, 7/8/26, 8/19/26, 9/30/26 11/26/26, 1/22/27, 3/10/27, 4/14/27, 5/26/27, 7/14/27, 8/18/27, 9/29/27 and 11/25/27 and are billed at $6.23 each. The Thanksgiving Day edition will be billed at your regular Thursday rate plus $6.23. To opt out of special edition delivery, email help@theadvocate.com or call 225-388-0395. By opting out of special editions you will not receive that day’s newspaper. Thanksgiving Day is not a special edition and opting out for that edition isn’t permitted. Prices shown are in U.S. dollars. Prices subject to change. Other restrictions may apply. We no longer provide credit for temporary delivery stops of 14 days or less. During a temporary delivery stop donations are made to our News in Education program. This program provides newspapers and digital access to schools across Louisiana. This program is paid for by sponsors and temporary stops so that students may use the newspaper for educational purposes in the classroom. During a temporary delivery stop of the print edition subscribers have unlimited digital access to theadvocate.com, nola.com and the apps for tablet and smartphone. Seasonal delivery times from August 2025 through February 2026 will extend to 8:00 a.m. on weekends. Subscribers may also choose to access our digital replica e-Edition of the printed Advocate, Times Picayune | New Orleans Advocate and Acadiana Advocate only. As a highly valued customer, we also value your privacy. All personal information collected by The Advocate will be used for administration and customer verification; it may be used for promotional purposes in accordance with The Advocate’s privacy policy. Please refer to our policy located at https://www.theadvocate.com/ new_policy/ for information regarding the collection, use and disclosure of personal information. By providing your phone number and email address you agree that we can call or email you to confirm delivery service, satisfaction and/or sales promotions as they may occur from The Advocate. The Advocate: 10705 Rieger Road, Baton Rouge, LA 70809 Mailing Address: P.O. Box 588, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-0588

lll

The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Sunday, November 8, 2026 ■ 3A

4A n Sunday, November 8, 2026 n theadvocate.com n The Advocate

lll

Democratic candidates with a Christian message win BY PETER SMITH, KRYSTA FAURIA and HOLLY MEYER Associated Press

Clergy members and other Democratic candidates with an unapologetically Christian message to “love your neighbor” helped their party flip control of Congress. It was a striking midterm victory that demonstrated the strength of the religious left as a counter to the stalwart evangelical support for President Donald Trump and his fellow Republicans. “This attempt to corner the market on Christianity by evangelicals was repudiated,” said Brian Kaylor, a Baptist pastor and editor of a progressive faith and politics site. Instead, American mainline Protestantism, with its lessstrident theology, took the election spotlight. Seminarian James Talarico in Texas, megachurch pastor Adam Hamilton in Kansas and Iowa ministers Sarah Trone Garriott and Lindsay James flipped key seats in the U.S. Senate and House. They’re part of the mainline Presbyterian, Methodist and Lutheran branches with moderate or progressive beliefs. Unlike the nationalists wanting America to privilege a particular Christian worldview in public life, the mainline candidates in keeping with their Christian values backed church-state separation and sought common ground across religions, Kaylor said. “There were so many people in our country who felt so strongly that what was happening in D.C. was not moral,” Hamilton told The Associated Press. “It didn’t reflect our national values.” That’s why he and the other candidates ran, he said, and why they were elected. Mainline denominations have historically been part of the country’s civic establishment as the church home of most presidents and other elites. But membership has

RABALAIS

Continued from page 1A But about as much chance you or me being able to make a Shaq-like slam dunk. There’s theory and there’s reality, and the latter is where the Tigers dejectedly now reside after yet another home loss to Alabama. If you’re keeping track on a purple and gold box of tissues, LSU is now 1-7 in its last eight home games against Alabama, the only win a 32-31 overtime thriller in 2022. They won’t play next year because of the SEC’s new nine-game conference schedule format, and the Crimson Tide won’t darken Tiger Stadium’s door again until 2030. Maybe things will be different for LSU by then. But why should anyone expect that? You know what they say about doing the same thing over and over again and

been sliding for decades. Despite that shift, the wins show these Protestants can still have significant influence — though not with white evangelicals. Across the board, white evangelical Protestants stayed consistent in their overwhelming midterm support for Republicans. Most Protestants who identify as “liberal” or “moderate,” about 7 in 10, voted for Democrats, according to The AP Voter Poll, a survey of roughly 100,000 midterm voters. The four mainline candidates also got a big boost from voters who reject organized religion. At least 7 in 10 religiously unaffiliated voters supported Democratic Senate and House candidates in Texas, Kansas and Iowa, The AP Voter Poll showed. Others said being a progressive pastor wasn’t the prime factor in these victories. “If I hear a story about the Democratic Party scouting out pastors to run in 2028 based on Talarico and Hamilton, I think they’ve totally missed the upshot from this election,” said Ryan Burge, a professor at Washington University in St. Louis who studies religious demographics. “It’s about economic issues. It’s about disdain for Trump. It’s about high prices.”

Texas: ‘Start flipping tables’ In the longtime GOP stronghold of Texas, Talarico flipped a U.S. Senate seat — the first election in 30-plus years that Democrats won statewide races — by defeating Republican Ken Paxton, an evangelical. Voters also ousted Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, a Republican who chaired Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission and declared, “There is no separation of church and state.” In Talarico’s acceptance speech, the 37-year-old state legislator recounted how his grandfather, a Baptist preacher, taught him about

expecting different results? It’s folly, maybe insanity, certainly the apex of frustration. That’s LSU to a “T” — “T” for Tide — against Alabama. LSU has hired and fired coaches, spent mega millions on buyouts and new contracts and keeps getting the same result, at least against this team. First-year LSU coach Lane Kiffin may eventually be a big winner at LSU. But right now he’s the coach of an underachieving team, and he personally is a combined 0-6 against Alabama between LSU and Ole Miss. Kiffin’s word for the day wasn’t “no” but “disappointing.” LSU fans far and wide are probably using stronger verbiage right now, but if the adjective fits, go with it. Why did the Tigers lose? Despite being outgained 457-285 by LSU, the Tide frequently controlled both lines of scrimmage, didn’t commit a turnover (LSU had two), turned the red zone

them do unto you.” “I can’t not talk about my faith. It’s just, it’s my life. It’s what I eat, sleep, drink and breathe,” he told the AP. But being religious isn’t required to follow biblical injunctions “to do justice, to love kindness.” While campaigning for Hamilton’s Republican opponent, Sen. Roger Marshall, Vice President JD Vance questioned Hamilton’s religiosity. ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO BY ERIC GAY “It was so ridiculous that there was no reason to even Democratic Senate candidate Texas state Rep. James respond to it,” said Hamilton, Talarico concludes a speech at an election night event in who welcomes a conversation Austin, Texas, on Tuesday. with Vance and other critics about faith and theology. Jesus, a “barefoot rabbi” who this conversation,” Burge Black Protestants prevail commanded people to love said. God and neighbor. And not Hamilton, pastor of the naAmong Republicans, clergy just the neighbor who looks, tion’s largest United Method- candidates for Congress also prays or votes like him, the ist congregation, called for prevailed, including Mark Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) “decency” in politics, draw- Harris of North Carolina, a seminarian and former mid- ing on Jesus’ Golden Rule in Southern Baptist pastor, and his victory speech: “Do unto Tim Walberg of Michigan, a dle school teacher said. “Two thousand years ago, others as you would have former pastor. when the people at the top hurt his neighbors, that barefoot rabbi didn’t stay in his room and pray. He walked into the seat of power, and he flipped over the tables of injustice. … Texas, it’s time to start flipping tables,” Talarico said. White evangelical Protestants made up a slightly smaller share of the electorate than in 2024, when Trump was running for president: 21% in 2024, compared with 17% in 2026, The AP Voter Poll showed. That could be due to lower turnout among white evangelicals or higher turnout among other groups. About 2 in 10 voted for Talarico in Texas and Hamilton in Kansas.

Black Protestants vote overwhelmingly Democratic and have long comfortably talked faith and politics in a way White mainliners have not. This year, victorious Democrats included at least two Black clergy members — the Rev. Frederick Haynes III, a Baptist from Texas, and U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II, a United Methodist minister from Missouri. In North Carolina, Democrat LaKesha Womack unseated a Republican incumbent in the U.S. House. She is an ordained deacon in the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, a historically Black Protestant denomination. Womack told the AP her faith prompts her to advocate for “policies that address poverty and immigration and making sure everybody has access to healthcare.” And she defends religious freedom for all.

Order your local seasonal centerpieces and stunning custom autumn bouquets.

Kansas: Call for decency Burge, the professor who studies religious demographics, asserts that the Democratic clergy members who won were strong candidates but also benefited from very favorable political winds. “If you ran Adam Hamilton in 2024, he’s beat by double digits and we’re not having

(inside the 20-yard line) into a no man’s land for LSU and, most importantly, answered adversity when it counted most. The Tigers took their only lead 13-10 with 2:44 left in the third quarter on a 5-yard run by Dilin Jones. Alabama answered just two minutes later with a touchdown to go back up 17-13, then tacked on two more touchdowns in the fourth quarter as LSU imploded and its fans melted away to their tailgate parties to drown their sorrows. “Taking the lead, the stadium was ready to help (LSU) take over and they went down and scored,” Kiffin said. “We played a really bad (last) 18 minutes of football.” No question about that. The question is what do Kiffin and LSU do about it? Against the three best opponents they have played this season — Ole Miss, Kentucky and Alabama — the Tigers didn’t have any answers.

Fresh Fall Flowers, Hand-Delivered

Call to Order Today!

(225) 383-8383

Located in Town Center and Denham Springs 7450 Jefferson Hwy., Baton Rouge (Jefferson at Lobdell) • 121 Bass Pro Blvd., Denham Springs

www.rickeyheromans.com

2026 Z achary ’S

Salute to veteraNS November 13-16 » vietNam traveliNg memorial Wall » Zachary HigH School

Friday, November 13 7:30 am

» Flag raiSiNg CeremoNy » Zachary HigH School

9:00 am

» 2026 Salute to veteraNS parade » route - Zachary HigH to baNk oF Zachary

The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Sunday, November 8, 2026 ■ 5A

lll

THE H T TOWN IS WAKING UP AGAIN. For a while I was the only shop in this area. Before you know it, we’ve got probably five or six new businesses. ace to visit, a great place to shop, and a It’ll be a great place ve. great place to live Lewis Savoie, Owner, Cane Sugar Toffee Company, Donaldsonville, LA

* WalletHub

Learn how big investments bring bigger opportunities OPPORTUNITYLOUISIANA.COM

6A n Sunday, November 8, 2026 n theadvocate.com n The Advocate

LANDRY

Continued from page 1A Edwards said he did not think the constitutional amendment that voters approved Tuesday imposing a limit of two lifetime terms for governors would apply to him retroactively. But he said he has ruled out being a candidate next year for any office. “I am not hiding the ball here,” he said. “I’m not running for governor.” In a follow-up text, Edwards wrote, “The decision isn’t at all rooted in any calculus concerning the likelihood of success, but rather in the fact that Donna and I have decided to return home and to the private sector. I am immensely proud of the work my administration did on behalf of the people of Louisiana over the eight years I had the privilege of being governor.” With Edwards out, Davis may be the most obvious potential choice — although no one can say for sure whether his near-win Tuesday would translate into a strong gubernatorial campaign. “My thought on 2027 is a maybe,” Davis said Friday. “I want to weigh all my options. If I don’t run for governor, I’m definitely running for Senate in 2028,” when Sen. John Kennedy, a Republican, is planning to run for a third term. In a statement Wednesday, Davis said, “Jeff Landry: You are on notice. There are a whole heap of voters who have something to say about how you’ve been running this state.” Countered Landry: “I’m happy to put my record against any Democrat in this state.” Several other prominent Democrats said they are getting calls about possibly running. The name that political insiders mention the most is state Sen. Jay Luneau of Alexandria, who is completing his third term. He acknowledged his interest. So did Davante Lewis, a firstterm member of the Public Service Commission whose district stretches from Baton Rouge to New Orleans; former state Sen. Gary Smith, who lives in St. Charles Parish and served 12 years representing the River Parishes; and Dustin Granger, a financial adviser in Lake Charles who has established a presence on social media after losing races for the state Senate

lll

and for state treasurer. Three well-known Republicans are also mentioned as potential candidates: Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser, state Treasurer John Fleming and former U.S. Rep. Garret Graves. Nungesser and Fleming, who have been at odds with Landry, said they are receiving calls asking them to run. But each one was noncommittal about making the race. Graves did not respond to a text.

Landry has many advantages Until now, Landry has appeared to be so formidable — and has earned a reputation for aggressively attacking his opponents — no Democrat has wanted to step up to challenge him. Landry, 55, is a battle-tested politician who was elected in 2015 and 2019 to be attorney general and in 2023 to be governor, without having to contest the runoff election. During his nearly three years as governor, he and the Republicanmajority state Legislature have secured conservative wins by reducing individual income and corporate tax rates (while raising the state sales tax), imposing longer sentences for crimes and approving the LA GATOR program that allows parents to send their children to private schools with taxpayer dollars. Landry has touted plans by companies to invest $250 billion in Louisiana, including Meta’s data center under construction in northeast Louisiana, the SpaceX facility that Elon Musk is planning to build in Vermilion Parish and the Hyundai steel plant that’s being built in Ascension Parish. On Landry’s watch, test scores have risen in Louisiana. Landry has acknowledged Democratic wins elsewhere in the country but has maintained that successes during his tenure mean the state is bucking the trend. “Despite the rough night around the country on Tuesday, Louisiana stood tall and held the line for conservative principles,” he wrote in a letter distributed by the state Republican Party. Landry declined an interview through a spokesperson. “We have the money to deliver a message, and we have a positive message to deliver,” said Brent Littlefield, Landry’s campaign strategist. “From dramatic wins in economic development to putting more money in the pockets of Louisiana people to great education

gains, among many other things. We’re looking forward to spreading that message.” Politicians have especially paid attention to the size of the governor’s war chest. In March, Landry announced he had raised $10 million for his reelection effort. In September, he tweeted that he had raised another $7 million at his annual gator hunt at his camp in St. Martin Parish. “Jeff has a lot of money,” said Jay Dardenne, a former state senator, secretary of state and lieutenant governor who served as Edwards’ chief budget officer. “Incumbent governors have been successful in recent years — Jindal and Edwards. This one could be different, however, with the seeming collapse of the Trump influence nationally. I read somewhere that it wasn’t so much as a blue wave as an orange crush and a red undertow.” Edwards noted that Texas went blue despite Musk spending hundreds of millions of dollars to boost the Republican candidates there, and Atlanta’s former Democratic mayor was elected as Georgia’s governor despite being heavily outspent. “A money advantage is still an advantage,” Edwards said. “But I don’t know that it’s going to be the deterrent that it’s been in the past.”

Data centers a weak point? For months, Landry has been touring Louisiana, using glossy videos to tout the billions of dollars in investment that his administration has welcomed to the state. In early October, he did a live hit on Fox Business while sitting in front of a massive data center being built in West Feliciana Parish, where he called concerns about data centers “fictional.” But the midterm results show economic development deals, which were shaping up to be a key part of Landry’s reelection platform, may actually become a liability. Of at least 45 measures on the ballot nationwide Tuesday to slow or stop the construction of data centers, 44 were approved by voters. And Musk, the billionaire who has partnered with Landry on a $100 billion spaceport in Vermilion Parish, saw his candidates soundly rejected by voters, despite spending nearly half a billion dollars on the election. Exit polls showed data centers were a factor in most voters’ decisions at the ballot box, and that the

vast majority wouldn’t want one built in their community. “It is one of the biggest nonpartisan no-nos in Louisiana that I can remember ever,” said Mary-Patricia Wray, a political consultant in Louisiana who advises candidates of both parties. “Whether you are coming at it from a Democratic Party perspective that seems to be about the environment and potential increases to energy costs or a MAGA-land rights perspective, it’s not popular.” Landry and the Legislature established a tax break for tech giants like Meta and Amazon that build data centers here, and the governor has used hundreds of nondisclosure agreements to negotiate billions of dollars in tax breaks for corporations. And Meta’s “Hyperion” data center in Richland Parish, one of the largest in the world, is causing some angst among some Republican voters in rural Louisiana. Mike Riley, a lifelong Republican in Ouachita Parish, said Entergy threatened to expropriate his property next door to a new substation that has caused havoc in his rural hamlet. He voted for a Democrat — Jamie Davis — for the first time in his life in Tuesday’s midterm, “strictly because of data centers and Entergy,” he said. “I’ll never vote for Jeff Landry,” Riley said. “I just can’t vote for the secrecy. I can’t do it.” Entergy has said it is not passing the cost of data centers on to consumers and notes it is regulated by an elected state board. Louisiana Democratic Party Chair Randal Gaines said he expects data centers to be “pivotal” in next year’s elections. And Wray noted that many Republicans may face primary battles centered around their support for tax breaks for big corporations, as well as their use of nondisclosure agreements that have roiled the electorate.

What some are thinking The extent to which these issues might hurt Landry is part of the calculus for potential Democratic candidates. Luneau said he has received a call from the Democratic Governors Association encouraging him to run. “I’m very well aware of what the job entails and think I would be good at it,” Luneau said. “Is it something I can be successful in in winning the election? Do I want to do that? It’ll take the better part of

ROLLER REFRESH

THE CITY OF BATON ROUGE | PARISH OF EAST BATON ROUGE

HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS

MATERIALS COLLECTION DAY

the year, and it’s a lot of strain on friends and family. I have to make those decisions pretty quickly.” Landry’s potential challengers were not shy about criticizing him. Said Lewis of Landry: “His agenda has been against Louisiana. The chances have increased that he’ll be a one-term governor. He wakes up every day wanting to be Donald Trump’s sidekick and to appear on ’Fox and Friends.’” Said Smith: “The state is moving back to more of a moderate stance with conservative values. I think I fit that bill well.” Said Granger: “Landry has been ramming these data centers, SpaceX and carbon capture down everybody’s throat, without any input from the communities that will be affected, touting economic development when almost none of the money will come to us.” U.S. Rep. Troy Carter, who received the most votes of any congressional candidate in Louisiana on Tuesday and campaigned for Davis, is mentioned as a possible gubernatorial candidate, although he is in line to chair the Congressional Black Caucus. “I love this state, and I love the job I have now,” Carter said. “I will continue to serve in any capacity that advances good policies for the people of Louisiana.” New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno, responding via text, also did not directly address speculation that she might run for governor. “I have the job I want, and that’s serving the people of New Orleans as mayor and delivering real results that improve their lives,” she wrote. Mitch Landrieu, a former lieutenant governor and mayor of New Orleans, is also mentioned as a possible candidate, although he is believed to be planning to run for president. He didn’t respond to a text. Among the Republicans, Fleming said he hasn’t decided on his plans for next year but added that Tuesday’s election results have changed the political dynamics in Louisiana. “I think Jeff Landry and perhaps all Republicans — statewide and locals — will have competitive races next year,” Fleming said. Nungesser agreed, while adding he is currently planning to run for reelection. “People are fed up with being told who to vote for and the nasty lies about candidates,” he said. “The punishing and threatening have got to stop.”

We are proud to feature the “Gold Standard” in commercial roller shades. Hunter Douglas Architectural RB500

GET RID OF YOUR HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS MATERIALS!

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21 | 8 A.M. TO 12 P.M. LSU TOUCHDOWN VILLAGE PARKING LOT LOT LOCATED ON SOUTH QUAD DR. RESIDENTS SHOULD ENTER ON SOUTH QUAD DR. VIA NICHOLSON DR.

ACCEPTED MATERIALS Acids

Fire extinguishers

Aerosol can

Fluorescent tubes

Alkaline, lead acid, NiCD, and rechargable batteries

Glycerol, glycerin

Arsenic Auto products including used oil, antifreeze, brake fluid, diesel, oil and fuel filters, gasoline, gas and oil mixtures Automobile tires

Ammunition, explosives

Latex, oil, and shellac paints, stains, varnishes

Any liquid in containers larger than 5 gallons

Lawn and garden products including pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, fertilizer

Appliances

Lighter fluid Metallic mercury

Cooking oil

Moth balls

Bleach, bowl cleaners

Oven cleaners

Bug sprays

Paint thinner

Cleaning solvents

Polishes

Corrosive cleaners

Pool chemicals

Degreasers

Propane tanks and bottles

Drain cleaners Electronic equipment, ink cartridges, copiers, cell phones, fax machines, computers

Acetylene, Freon, and Helium cylinders

Glue

(limit 5 - rims must be removed)

Disinfectants

PROHIBITED MATERIALS

Turpentine

Commercial waste Construction and demolition debris

Fireworks Furniture Medical waste and medicines Power tools Radioactive devices (smoke and fire detectors)

FREE

IN-HOME CONSULTATION

School lab waste Styrofoam and peanuts

NO COMMERCIAL WASTE ACCEPTED EBR RESIDENTS ONLY, ID REQUIRED

Product engineers at Hunter Douglas Architectural took a fresh look at roller shades, taking the best from decades of experience to create the RB 500+ manual system. Features to solve tricky conditions, ensure smooth and quiet operation, and lift oversize shades with chain or crank operators. Plus, a few hundred fabric choices.

STAY IN YOUR VEHICLE

TVs, stereos Video tapes, floppy disks, digital tapes, CDs, DVDs Wood preservatives

SPONSORS AND PARTNERS

City of Baton Rouge and Parish of East Baton Rouge: Department of Environmental Services, Baton Rouge Fire Department Haz-Mat Unit, Baton Rouge City Police, EMS, Clean Earth Inc., Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ), Interstate Batteries of Greater Baton Rouge, WAFB Ch. 9, Baton Rouge Coca-Cola Bottling Company, East Baton Rouge Parish Library, Republic Services, Gas and Supply, Louisiana State University, Capital Area Corporate Recycling Council

CALL OR TEXT 225-927-4130

4665 Perkins Road • Baton Rouge • LaCoursBR.com Premier Dealer LaCour’s has you covered from fabric selection, factory measuring through expert installation. Call of stop by to get us started on your project today!

Local. Family Owned. Trusted for Generations Since 1969.

H

SETTLEMENTS Continued from page 1A

But there are no guarantees for how long that may take or, if the court orders persist or are extended, to what degree the public will ever know the full details. Settlements have already been reached with all major oil companies except one. Total settlement numbers may also not reflect the actual dollar amounts going to coastal restoration if details remain sealed. Carbon credits and other types of environmental mitigation have formed part of the negotiations as substitutes for cash payments, which some coastal advocates have deemed highly questionable and too advantageous to the industry. Carmouche’s argument for secrecy has met skepticism elsewhere. “It’s very common in litigation for parties to want to keep their settlement agreements confidential, and that’s commonly done. The distinction here, though, is that one of the parties is the state of Louisiana and another party is one of the parishes,” said Keith Hall, a professor of energy law at LSU who has previously represented oil and gas companies. “The public has an interest in knowing how the public business is being conducted. And we’re talking about major money here.”

‘Public needs to know’ The legal battle involving 42 lawsuits, initially filed by Carmouche on behalf of coastal parishes and later joined by the state, stretches back to 2013. Chevron is the last major oil company not to settle, though a number of cases involving smaller companies are also still being litigated. The Chevron case reached the U.S. Supreme Court earlier this year following a $745 million verdict against it in Plaquemines Parish. The Supreme Court justices essentially sided with Chevron, which argued that the case belonged in federal court. The latest settlement emerged in October, when Landry and BP announced an agreement but released no details. Landry spokesperson Kate Kelly and Carmouche said that settlement has not yet been finalized. “As governor I have worked to responsibly and ethically clean up the litigation environment that has impacted one of our largest employers — the oil and gas industry,” Landry said in a statement released by BP on Oct. 23 announcing the agreement. “This is just another step in fulfilling my promise.” Settlements with Shell, Exxon and others have been finalized, but the details are sealed by the court orders. While some occurred before Landry became governor, he was directly involved at the time as attorney general. The secret nature of the deals has led to growing concern among coastal ad-

STAFF FILE PHOTO BY SOPHIA GERMER

The Lake Borgne Surge Barrier near New Orleans is seen on June 3, 2023. vocacy groups, particularly as restoration efforts face a severe funding shortfall in the coming years. For some, it has also played into broader transparency concerns, including the widespread use of nondisclosure agreements in connection with industrial projects. Louisiana’s land loss crisis is projected to become more complex as sea level rise accelerates, combining with the erosion and subsidence that has already robbed the coast of around 2,000 square miles over the past century — roughly the size of Delaware. The state has been losing a football field of land every 84 minutes on average. In recent years, the state has used funds related to the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill to build largescale restoration projects. But that money — around $8.5 billion in total — expires by 2032. The state’s coastal master plan calls for spending at least $1 billion annually on projects, made possible recently only because of the BP dollars. “If we’re going to plan for the future of this coast, we actually need to know what money is in the pipeline,” said Mark Davis, of the Tulane Institute on Water Resources, Law and Policy. “The public needs to know the amount of money the state is getting and what it can use it for. That’s pretty basic to functioning government, and it’s essential if we’re going to know what to do with our coast.” Haley Gentry, assistant director at the Tulane Institute, said the cases are so unique it’s hard to know whether the protective orders sealing the settlements would survive court challenges. But she noted that payments made to the state are typically considered public information.

‘Should be transparent’ The suits allege violations of a state law that took effect in 1980 guiding coastal permitting and development, saying the companies polluted and damaged the coast without repairing it. The companies deny they were in violation of any laws in effect at the time and say they cannot be held liable for damage. They also say production during World War II was necessary to help the war effort. A separate 2022 law governs how proceeds from such violations should be distributed, directing 75% to the state’s coastal fund and 25% to local or parish governments after deducting expenses related to enforcement of the statute. It is unclear if that law will be applied to the settlements or, if it is, how those disbursements will be monitored to ensure compliance given the protective orders sealing the details. An early settlement in the coastal cases may provide clues to the negotiations in other lawsuits. Settlement terms announced in 2021 with Freeport-McMoRan were technically worth $100 million, but $76.5 million of it was tied to the sale of “environmental credits” to offset the amount owed. The state was also required to pass laws to enable the full implementation of the settlement, and it is unclear whether that ever occurred. One aspect of the Exxon agreement has become public because it paved the way for SpaceX to acquire land in the Pecan Island area, on the central Louisiana coast, to build a $100 billion spaceport. State officials said the $100 million SpaceX paid for the land, previously owned by Exxon, will go to

coastal restoration, but details have not been released and questions remain over the arrangement. To Carmouche, building an enormous spaceport on

lll

The Advocate n theadvocate.com n Sunday, November 8, 2026 n 7A

the coast constitutes coastal restoration in itself. “They’re going to put back land that we don’t have right now,” he said, stressing, too, that SpaceX will have to pay mitigation fees for filling in wetlands. Landry has also suggested that the Exxon deal could include plugging abandoned oil wells — a major problem along Louisiana’s coast. Carmouche asserts that plugging orphaned wells is an appropriate use of settlement funds, arguing that taxpayers would ultimately have to pay for it otherwise. “Our lawsuit is to restore the property to its original condition,” he said, adding that cleaning up old wells could also allow for economic development. But arguments such as those raise serious concern for others. Coastal advocacy organizations say that environmental mitigation, such as plugging oil wells, and restoration are two separate issues.

Addressing orphan wells, while important, is not in the state’s coastal master plan, and coastal advocates argue the industry should be held separately responsible for that. “Somebody should have to take care of these orphan wells, and it should be the people who benefited from it,” said Davis, of the Tulane Institute. “It’s not coastal restoration as we have defined the term up to this point.” The Restore the Mississippi River Delta coalition of conservation groups, a prominent voice on coastal restoration, said the issue was too important to keep the public in the dark. “These revenues should be transparent and publicly disclosed so Louisianans can understand the resources available to invest in our coast’s future,” the coalition said in a statement. Email Alex Lubben at alex. lubben@theadvocate.com.

OUR LARGEST LUXURY BEAUTY & FRAGRANCE EVENT OF THE SEASON!

UNLOCK THE ULTIMATE LUXURY!

EARN UP TO $200

IN BEAUTY/FRAGRANCE REWARD CERTIFICATES.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13 DILLARD'S MALL OF LOUISIANA ALL DAY IN OUR COSMETICS DEPARTMENT AT THE EVENT, *RECEIVE A $25 BEAUTY/FRAGRANCE REWARD CERTIFICATE WITH EVERY $100 YOU SPEND IN BEAUTY & FRAGRANCE UP TO $800**. Redeem your certificate in Beauty & Fragrance the day of the event through November 25, 2026. **Qualifying purchase must be before tax. In store only. Call 1-800-345-5273 to find a Dillard’s store near you.

Introducing EZ Checking Open Online Today!

4 No transaction limits 4 No monthly service fees with eStatements 4 No monthly minimum balance required

Scan to learn more!

| InvestarBank.com Account offered online only. Minimum to open $100. No transaction limits. No minimum balance requirement. No monthly service fee with eStatement enrollment. A $2 monthly paper statement fee applies if the account is not enrolled in eStatements.

8A n Sunday, November 8, 2026 n theadvocate.com n The Advocate

lll

Black Mississippians on cusp of history State hasn’t had Black senator since Reconstruction BY BILL BARROW and SOPHIE BATES Associated Press

JACKSON, Miss. — Democrat Scott Colom hasn’t won Mississippi’s U.S. Senate race, but the local prosecutor was welcomed as a historic figure Friday as he strolled through the Farish Street business district where civil rights leaders once organized. “It’s so wonderful! It’s so wonderful to have Scott Colom as our representative,” said Maati Jone Primm, who owns Marshall’s Music & Bookstore in Jackson. The state is still tallying ballots that could make Colom the first Black senator from this Deep South state since post-Civil War Reconstruction. The possibility of Colom defeating Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith puts many Black voters somewhere between cautious optimism and outright celebration in a state where nearly 40% of the population is Black but the top representation for generations has been White. “I’m so glad we are at the point where we are,” said Sorie Tarawally, a 76-yearold attorney who has long known Colom’s father. He called the 43-year-old candidate “the man, our messiah, our savior.” The contest remains too early for The Associated Press to call, and Colom’s historic bid will hinge on a tedious process playing out

in elections offices across Mississippi’s 82 counties. Local officials are receiving and examining absentee and provisional ballots, called affidavit ballots, before deadlines this week. Volunteers and lawyers representing each campaign look on in anticipation of potential litigation. “We’re going to make sure everything is followed according to the law, and I have confidence in those local officials,” Colom said. “They’re doing their jobs. Got to be patient with them.” Colom said ballots tallied since Tuesday’s election lean in his favor, and he chided Hyde-Smith for not explaining her strategy going forward. “She’s still our senator. Where is she?” Colom asked. “Why can’t she explain what her pathway to success is?” Hyde-Smith has not appeared publicly since election night, when she essentially declared victory despite a razor-thin margin with ballots still uncounted. “We are not backing down,” she posted Friday on social media. “This election is not over.”

Outstanding ballots The pool of outstanding ballots includes absentee ballots, which can be counted in Mississippi as long as they are received by Tuesday, five business days after the election. The rest are affidavit ballots, which are cast at the polls when there’s

a glitch: Perhaps the person’s name was not on the rolls or the person did not have proper identification, or a poll worker determined the person’s identification did not precisely match the name on the list. Citizens who had identification issues have until Tuesday to address those matters in person at their local elections office. For people who were not on a precinct’s rolls, local officials can verify a person’s status using previous records and information on the affidavit that person filed when filling out a ballot. Counties have until Friday to certify complete results to the secretary of state. Mississippi law has no provision for a statewide recount.

Seismic effect in state White conservatives have dominated the Mississippi Statehouse and congressional delegation for nearly 150 years. Through Jim Crow segregation and the Civil Rights era, those leaders were nearly all Democrats. After the Civil Rights Movement, they overwhelmingly shifted to Republicans. For Black Mississippians, the result was the same: a lack of proportional representation at the top levels of state government and in Washington. Colom was initially viewed as a long shot, and it wasn’t until late October that Senate Democrats’ top cam-

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO BY ELLEN SCHMIDT

Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate Scott Colom, right, talks with owner Maati Jone Primm during a campaign stop at Marshall’s Music and Book Store, which is recognized as the oldest Black-owned bookstore in the U.S., Friday in Jackson, Miss. paign group started spending on advertising to support him. But the midterms revealed a broad backlash against redistricting efforts in the South that were aimed at boosting Republicans and, by extension, reducing Black representation. Primm’s bookstore, where Colom visited on Friday, opened in the 1930s. She said the Farish Street neighborhood still represents Black Mississippians’ “first migration, from the plantation to the city.” Having Colom there as a potential senator “makes us so proud, and it gives us someone to aspire to. Our youth

need to see the possibilities for their lives, and we do when we see our next senator from Mississippi.” As he campaigned, Colom emphasized that he can represent all Mississippians, and he said President Donald Trump’s policies — the war with Iran and tariffs, especially — cut across all demographic lines. He even celebrated the extended ballot counting process as a benefit to the state’s 2.95 million residents. “I’m so glad the national press is getting to see the beauty of our state,” he said. Colom ended his campaign with an ad set at the Jackson

home of Medgar Evers, the civil rights leader who was gunned down in 1963 in his own driveway, dying in front of his wife and children. “It’s a powerful reminder of the sacrifice to gain the ballot, and nobody sacrificed more than Medgar Evers and his family,” Colom said Friday. “What was important to me about that ad is we didn’t ask people to vote for me. We just talked about the sacrifice, talked about the story,” he continued. “We just wanted that to be the closing ad because I wanted that to be the last message that the people of Mississippi heard.”

Parton’s manager moves to drop complaint against her nephew of threatening estate BY ANDREW DALTON

parent settlement brought a sudden, unexpected and unexplained end to an ugly rift in the beloved Dolly Parton’s longtime man- country superstar’s inner circle that ager moved Thursday to drop a began while she was sick with cancomplaint that accused the late cer and spilled into public view in singer’s nephew who acted as her the weeks after her Aug. 25 death. head of security with threatening The manager, Danny Nozell, who her estate and its employees. runs She’s Alive, an entity founded The proposed dismissal and ap- to manage and protect Parton’s AP entertainment writer

estate, had secured a temporary restraining order against Bryan Seaver and his security company, Squadron Augmented Protection Services, in September. Nozell was seeking to turn the order into a permanent injunction against Seaver. A very brief filing in a Tennessee court Thursday gives no reason why the complaint is being

L & SUPPORT YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS A C O L P O ! SH

H

Celebrating

H

H

53 Years!

BROADMOOR HIGH

Arts & Crafts

Festival H

Saturday

NOVEMBER 21, 2026 9 AM- 6 PM Broadmoor High School Campus HANDMADE ORNAMENTS | LOCAL ART HANDMADE CRAFTS | BOUTIQUE CLOTHING HA NG GIFT BASKETS | WINTER WONDERLAND PICTURES WITH SANTA | SNOW PLAY AREA HOT COOC/ COFFEE | FOOD TRUCKS FACE PAINTING | CANDLES & MUCH MORE E!

Admission: $3.00 | Parking: $3.00 0 Visit www.facebook.com/BHSArtsCraftsFestival for vendor and event information

Come for the Shopping Stay for the Fun!

withdrawn. It says only that a proposed order was being drafted for the judge’s approval to dismiss the case without prejudice, meaning it can be refiled again. She’s Alive terminated Seaver and SAPS in early September, and the following week petitioned for the restraining order against him, arguing that his “terrorizing con-

duct made their continued retention untenable.” The petition said that starting shortly before Parton’s death and continuing after, Seaver made threats and aimed them directly at She’s Alive’s “personnel, counsel, and business partners. In writing, he vowed to ‘destroy the entire brand.’”

The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Sunday, November 8, 2026 ■ 9A

lll

WEDNESDAY, 11/11 SPECIALS

VETERANS DAY CAR WASH: FREE $24 BEST WASH OIL BAY: 50% OFF OIL CHANGES B-QUIK: FREE FOUNTAIN DRINK OR CUP OF COMMUNITY COFFEE

Car Wash: 7am-8pm Oil Bay: 8am-6pm B-Quik: 24 Hours

FOR ALL VETERANS & MILITARY PERSONNEL

10A n Sunday, November 8, 2026 n theadvocate.com n The Advocate

lll

Arrest made in stabbing of Brooklyn jogger New York Daily News (TNS) NEW YORK — A 27-year-old former NYPD cop who worked with children as a city substitute school aide has been arrested for the murder of Brooklyn jogger Katie Suarez, who was stabbed to death during a run along the Brooklyn waterfront, police said Saturday. Sayed Mohassib has been charged with second-degree murder, tampering with physical evidence and weapons possession for fatally stabbing Suarez, 28, in the neck during a Friday night jog a week ago, department officials confirmed. Mohassib has a history of emotional problems.

Meanwhile, New York Police Department investigators were searching a garbage dump in New Jersey, hoping to find the murder weapon, which they believe Mohassib tossed in the trash, police sources said. Suarez, a Brooklyn bank teller, was a dedicated runner. She was trying to meet up with her parents for their regular afterwork run when she was attacked. In October 2022, Mohassib graduated from the NYPD police academy and walked the beat in the Bronx for one month before he resigned to join the Marines, police sources said. A month later, he was discharged from the military for psychological reasons, police sources said.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO BY GUSTAVO GARELLO

Pope Leo XIV greets the faithful as he arrives to celebrate Mass at Parque Paris Londres in Paysandú, Uruguay, on Saturday.

Leo XIV urges faithful to build bridges of fraternity He says faith ‘must be passed on to future generations’ BY ISABEL DEBRE, NICOLE WINFIELD and NYARA BATSCHKE Associated Press

PAYSANDÚ, Uruguay — Pope Leo XIV urged Uruguayans on Saturday to build bridges of fraternity and faith, as he delivered an ode to the region’s beloved mate tea and raised the profile of the Catholic Church in Latin America’s most secular country. Leo spent his first full day in Uruguay pointing to the church’s historic roots in the country and the work it’s doing today. He drew an estimated 100,000 people at a prayer vigil and visited a violence-ravaged neighborhood of Montevideo where church groups have built homes, provided job opportunities and run drug rehabilitation programs. The aim, on the first stop of his three-nation South American tour, is to propose the Catholic faith as a response to today’s challenges and the church a willing helper in a country where even Catholic holidays have secular names and God cannot be mentioned in oaths of office. Leo traveled first to Paysandú, in western Uruguay on the border with Argentina, for his first Mass in South America. The Vatican

guay on Friday, is urging the people in South America’s most secular country of 3.5 million to turn to the Catholic faith for strength in confronting today’s problems and challenges. In his homily, Leo asked the faithful to build bridges of fraternity, recalling the nearby bridge over the Uruguay River that connects Uruguay and Argentina and over which many pilgrims crossed to attend the Mass. He also pointed to the ritual of drinking mate, the bitter herbal tea that Uruguayans and their neighbors carry everywhere, as a poignant symbol of unity and encounter that he suggested should be applied to spreading the faith. “It teaches us to share and to be together, strengthening the bonds that unite us as brothers and sisters,” he said. “It is a sign of welcome, integration and shared values.” Mate, a cherished national symbol in Paraguay, Argentina and Uruguay, is above all a sharing ritual. The leaves are steeped in a hollowed gourd and the drink is sipped through a metal straw called a bombilla, and the gourd passes from hand to hand among friends, family and sometimes strangers, refilled for hours. Everyone drinks from the same straw, and Uruguayans drink more mate per person than people anyone else, roughly about 20 pounds of Ritual of drinking mate the dried leaf a year, accordLeo, who arrived in Uru- ing to industry estimates.

said 40,000 people — many from Uruguay but also from neighboring Argentina and Brazil — came out, despite the morning rain and blustery gray skies. The crowd erupted in the stadium chant of “Olé, olé, olé, olé, pope, pope!” when Leo’s plane landed in Paysandú, around 230 miles from the capital, Montevideo. They cheered again, blew horns and waved yellow handkerchiefs when he arrived in his open-sided popemobile at the Mass site in a park. Speaking to the crowd in Spanish, Leo reminded them that the Catholic faith had been “part of the life of the Uruguayan people since their earliest days, and it must be passed on to future generations with creative courage!” Because of its accessible location on the Uruguay River, the city was chosen to host Leo’s first Mass at the start of his 12-day South American tour that was in doubt after he underwent lung cancer surgery on Oct. 13. “He’s the representative of Christ but he’s human. And we weren’t sure if he could make it, but he pushed through for us,” said Soledad Sánchez, 73, who had driven to Paysandú from northern Uruguay, her eyes filling with tears. “He made it here to give us a message of peace because he knows our world needs it right now.”

U.S. military says it fired on vessel attempting to breach Hormuz blockade By The Associated Press JERUSALEM — U.S. Central Command said late Saturday it disabled a St. Kitts-flagged ship after it ignored multiple warnings and attempted to leave the region after visiting an Iranian port. U.S. forces have been enforcing a naval blockade on Iran for months in and around the Strait of Hormuz.

Saturday’s disclosure comes in the wake of at least two instances in which U.S. Central Command did not announce military strikes it has taken in the region and officials at the command declined to confirm strikes when asked about local reports of explosions. Iran state media also reported on Saturday evening the sound of explosions on

THE WEST BATON ROUGE MUSEUM INVITES THE PUBLIC TO A SPECIAL

Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz, as well as several explosions in the port of Jask. It wasn’t immediately clear what the cause of the explosions was and the U.S. military didn’t immediately respond to an Associated Press request for comment. President Donald Trump said Friday that the U.S. military had carried out new limited strikes against Iran.

FREE

Classic sic Eats Eats,Timeless ,Timeless Mem Memories ories

Now offering Catering

Perfectt for f r parties, rti s events ts & more 7633 JEFFERSON HWY HWY. | BATON ROUGE 225.924.1391 | DEARMANSDINER.COM CONTACT@DEARMANSDINER.COM

Nomination deadline extended for Baton Rouge Top Workplaces ces

There’s still time to earn recognition as a Top Workplace in the Baton Rouge metro area. Submitted article by Energage

T

his is the second year The Advocate will shine a spotlight on outstanding workplaces in the Capital Area, as viewed by workers. Any organization with 35 or more employees in the region is eligible to seek a Top Workplaces award. Companies will be honored in spring 2027.

The nomination deadline has been extended to Dec. 18, 2026. Anyone can submit a nomination. Participating employers can be public, private, non-profit, a school, or a government agency. To nominate an employer or for more information on the awards, just go to theadvocate.com/nominate. There is no cost to participate. To qualify as a Baton Rouge Top Workplace, employees evaluate their workplace using a 26-question survey that takes just a few minutes to complete. Companies will be surveyed through January.

C E L E B R AT I N G T H E E X H I B I T

From Brusly to Grambling: g: Celebrating the legacy of Charles P. Adams

Friday, November 20, 2026 • 6-8pm m KEYNOTE SPEAKER

DR. MARTIN LEMELLE, JR.

with live music by saxophonist

Justin Rendell

Energage, the Pennsylvania-based research partner for the project, conducts Top Workplaces surveys for media in 70 markets nationwide and surveyed more than 2 million employees at more than 8,000 organizations in the past year.

President of Grambling State University

Nominate an employer. Go to theadvocate.com/nominate or scan the QR Code.

lll

The Advocate n theadvocate.com n Sunday, November 8, 2026 n 11A

Jay Rockefeller, last member of political dynasty, dies He was former W.Va. governor and U.S. senator

BY JOHN RABY Associated Press

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Jay Rockefeller, the last member of his family’s political dynasty — and the only Democrat — who served as West Virginia’s governor and later a longtime U.S. senator, has died. He was 89. Rockefeller died Thursday night at his home in Washington, said Mary Stewart, vice president for external affairs at WETA, the public broadcasting station where Rockefeller’s wife, Sharon, serves as president and CEO. Rockefeller came from one of the nation’s richest families to spend a half century in public service in one of the poorest states. He arrived in 1964 as a worker in an anti-poverty program, was elected governor a dozen years later and served two terms, then spent 30 years as a U.S. senator. “I could not imagine a more rewarding career,” Rockefeller said upon his retirement in 2015. He was born John D. Rockefeller IV in New York City. His great-grandfather, Standard Oil Co. founder John Rockefeller, died a month

ocratic state, Rockefeller overcame suspicions of political opportunism and rose from state legislator to secretary of state to governor. A turning point came after Rockefeller’s only political defeat in the 1972 governor’s race to Republican Arch A. Moore Jr., whose daughter, Republican Shelley Moore Capito, was elected in 2014 to Rockefeller’s Senate seat upon his retirement. Capito on Friday called Rockefeller “a true gentleman” who treated her with respect, kindness and encouragement. After the defeat, RockASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO BY JOE MARQUETTE efeller remained in West President Bill Clinton, left, and Sen. Jay Rockefeller, Virginia, a decision he called D-W.Va., arrive at the West Virginia State Capitol in the most important of his Charleston, W.Va., on Aug. 9, 1993. career. He became the first without a theological degree before Rockefeller’s birth. that Rockefeller said proved to become president of West Virginia Wesleyan College in His father, John D. Rocke- transformative. “It explains every policy 1973. His popularity there — feller III, was a well-known philanthropist. Uncles Win- I pursued and every vote I and a change in his stance to throp (Arkansas) and Nelson have cast. It was where my embrace strip mining — (New York) were Republi- beliefs were bolted down, can governors. Another un- and where my passions met cle, David Rockefeller, ran my principles,” he said in an emotional farewell speech Chase Manhattan Bank. from the Senate floor on Detour from family’s path Dec. 4, 2014. While he intended for his Jay Rockefeller went in a stay in the state to be brief, different direction. A few years out of col- Rockefeller broke from his lege at age 27, Rockefeller family’s Republican tradimoved to the West Virginia tion and was elected to the mining community of Em- state House of Delegates mons to participate in the as a Democrat in 1966. By Volunteers in Service to combining money with hard America program, a time work in a traditionally Dem-

translated to a landslide win over Republican Cecil Underwood in the 1976 governor’s race. As governor, Rockefeller emphasized development of the state’s infrastructure, such as roads, sewers and bridges. Those issues, he said, are “not very sexy things, I grant you but very, very necessary in West Virginia.” Current Gov. Patrick Morrisey said Rockefeller helped shape the state and left a lasting mark on the lives of generations of West Virginians.

Onward to Washington After Rockefeller defeated Arch Moore in a rematch in 1980, he won a U.S. Senate seat in 1984 after the retirement of longtime Democrat Jennings Randolph. Rockefeller and his wife, Sharon, daughter of former Republican Sen. Charles Percy of Illinois,

fit easily into the capital’s social scene, purchasing a multimillion-dollar estate for their family. Never shy or apologetic about using his inherited $150 million fortune to win his races, he spent millions upon millions from his own pocket. He won by comfortable margins in each of his five terms. Rockefeller carved his own path of influence in Sen. Robert C. Byrd’s immense shadow. As chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, he championed consumers’ rights, upgrading broadband infrastructure and sponsoring a bill to block companies from tracking online activity of their customers. He authored legislation in 1997 that created the Children’s Health Insurance Program, which assists poor families whose incomes are too high to qualify for Medicaid.

DESTREHAN PLANTATION 54th Annual

FALL FESTIVAL

Trump threatens Democrats over plans BY KEVIN WHITELAW Bloomberg News (TNS)

President Donald Trump blasted Democrats for threatening to investigate his administration and Republican donors, saying he ordered the Department of Justice to launch its own probe against them. As Democrats prepare to take control of both chambers of Congress in January following their decisive victory in the midterm elections, they have vowed to

launch multiple probes into the Trump administration, warning key figures to “lawyer up.” Trump criticized Democrats for “threatening a lot of people” with impeachment, calling it “extortion” and saying people should be held accountable, although he didn’t specify what crimes he was referring to. “This is Weaponization and Lawfare at another level,” he wrote in a social media post. “I am ordering the Department of Justice to look

into this criminal act, immediately!” Democrats have signaled they’ll use their new investigative powers to dig into a wide range of subjects, including evidence about the disgraced, late financier Jeffrey Epstein and how the Trump administration handled the review of documents Congress required to be released. They have also pledged probes of Trump’s tariffs, immigration policies and stock trades, among other targets.

November 14-15, 2026 9 AM - 4 PM

150+ Arts & Crafts Booths Antiques Food Court Children’s Activities Live Music House Tour $8 Adults & Teens

Free 12 & Under

House Tours: Additional $15

Free 12 & Under

FREE PARKING

13034 River Road Destrehan, LA 70047 (985) 764-9315 www.destrehanplantation.org

IF YOU’RE OVER THIRTY THIS IS THE BEST TREATMENT YOU CAN USE FOR YOUR

NOW AVAILABLE: A NON-SURGICAL METHOD OF RELIEVING PAIN...

SCIATICA, BACK PAIN, AND HERNIATED DISCS! The conditions this amazing treatment has proven successful are: • SCIATICA • DISC HERNIATIONS • LOWER BACK PAIN • NUMBNESS IN THE LEGS AND FEET • RADIATING HIP PAIN • NECK PAIN Nothing’s worse than feeling great mentally, but physically feeling held back from life because you hurt and the pain just won’t go away. We understand what it feels like tolive in pain, because we see it every day. We are Dr. Scott LeBlanc and Dr. Dana LeBlanc of LeBlanc Spine Center. We’ve helped hundreds of patients with disc herniations and sciatica leave our office pain free. When cushions in your back joints, called discs, get injured or wear out, they begin to degenerate and cause pain. Bulging and herniated discs begin to form, pressing on the nerve roots. The most common invasive treatment for disc herniations is surgery. Even with health insurance the patient is left with their own portion of the bill, in excess of $10,000 - $15,000, and sometimes more.In addition, the recovery time and missed work can be anywhere from 3 to 6 months, not to mention the obvious severe risks associated with all surgeries. Before You go Under the knife And Opt For Spinal Surgery... You should seriously consider a less invasive approach called spinal decompression. Nonsurgical spinal decompression is a new technology that has been proven to help disc herniations. It creates a vacuum effect on the disc, which pulls the disc back into its normal position and brings in a fresh blood supply to promote healing. Proof This Treatment Works While non-surgical spinal decompression is a rather new treatment, there’s plenty of research to back up its claims. Here’s just a handful of scientific studies...

CALL TODAY! Kenner & Baton Rouge Locations

225-763-9894

FOR YOUR FREE CONSULTATION ($250 VALUE)

“We thus submit that decompression therapy should be considered first, before the patient undergoes a surgical procedure which permanently alters the anatomy and function of the affected lumbar spine segment.” -Journal Of Neuroscience Research “86% of the 219 patients who completed the therapy reported immediate resolution of symptoms.” -Orthopedic Technology Review “vertebral axial (spinal) decompression was successful in 71% ofthe 778 cases” -Journal of Neurological Research “good to excellent” relief in 86% of patients with Herniated discs” -The American Journal of Pain Management “decompression therapy reported a 76.5% with complete remission and 19.6% with partial remission of pain and disability: -Rio Grande Hospital, Department of Neurosurgery Another study presented at the American Academy of Pain Management in 2007 showed... “Patients reported a mean 88.9% improvement in back pain and better function...No patient required any invasive therapies (e.g. epidural injections, surgery).” As you can see, spinal decompression has a high success rate. What this means for you is that in just a matter of weeks, you could be back on the golf course, enjoying your love life, or traveling again.

We have two offices located in Baton Rouge Could This Be Your Sciatica And Back Pain Solution It’s time for you to find out if spinal and Kenner, LA. Call 225-763-9894, and our amazing staff will get you scheduled. No charge decompression will be your sciatic pain solution. For 7 days only, we are running a special offer at all and you don’t need to buy anything- but you where you will find out if you are a candidate will find out if you qualify for this revolutionary for spinal decompression. This offer is normally new therapy. priced at $250. What does this offer include? Everything. Here’s what you’ll get... • An in-depth consultation about your health and wellbeing where we will listen... really listen...to the details of your case. Offer OfferExpires Expires11/15/26 6/11/2026 (a $250 VALUE) •A complete neuromuscular examination. •A full set of specialized x-rays (if clinically necessary) to determine if a spinal problem is contributing to your pain or symptoms. •A thorough analysis of your FOR YOUR FREE CONSULTATION exam and x-ray findings so we can start mapping out your plan to be pain free. • You’ll get to see everything first hand. We’ll answer all of your questions about spinal decompression and will let you know if this amazing treatment will be your back pain solution, like (located between Perkins and Highland) it has been for so many other patients.

The

FREE 17-Point

“Smashed-Disc” Qualifying Assessment

CALL TODAY! 225-763-9894

LeBlanc

Spine Center

10245 Siegen Lane, Suite A, BR, La 70810

1900 W Esplanade, Suite 101, Kenner LA

12A n Sunday, November 8, 2026 n theadvocate.com n The Advocate

lll

House Democrats focus Trump’s grip on party in on healthcare, Iran war question after wipeout

Obstacles abound Passing those bills should not be a problem with such a large Democratic House majority. Getting them signed into law most certainly could be. A 60-vote threshold in the Senate looms for the legislation, as does a potential presidential veto. Following those early votes, Jeffries said five working groups are develop-

‘Two years of paralysis’

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said going into the election that a Democratic majority in the next Congress would amount to “two years of paralysis.” “I don’t think that’s good for anybody,” Thune said. But Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York is insisting that Democrats will push their agenda with or without the Republican president’s help. “If he vetoes it, it will show the divisions. As much as we didn’t want to shut down, when we shut down the government for a month over healthcare, people knew we were on their side,” Schumer said in an interview with The New York A return to past fights Times’ podcast “The Daily.” Schumer said he believes Democrats are trying to reverse Medicaid changes Democrats can gain some that are expected to cut Republican votes on restormore than $900 billion from ing the enhanced subsidies the program over a decade. for ACA plans. The Republican-approved cuts helped offset some of Progressives’ expectations the costs of Trump’s big tax Progressive groups call and spending cut bill that the agenda outlined by Jefwas signed into law last fries a good early start, but year. The Medicaid changes they have much greater exin the bill imposed new ad- pectations for Democrats ministrative requirements this Congress. “It’s perfectly fine if the and added conditions for eligibility, including work Senate and the House are unified and Donald Trump is requirements. Some of the most substan- standing in the way because tial changes have yet to take that sets up another tidal effect. Still, enrollment in wave election in 2028,” said Medicaid has dropped by Adam Green, co-founder about 5 million, or about of the Progressive Change 7% since July 2025, when Campaign Committee, a the bill was signed into law, Democratic-aligned group according to KFF, a health that backs progressive canpolicy research and news didates and policies. organization. At the same time, he said Reversing those cuts Schumer cannot be content would likely require Trump to let bills die in the Senand the Republicans to ate because of the 60-vote abandon the hard-fought threshold. changes they made to cut “It will require the Demoentitlement spending in crats to get rid of the filibustheir signature tax bill. It’s ter,” Green said. “There’s no an unlikely proposition. doubt about it.”

Stop cleaning-out your gutters this season

Debris Buildup Stands No Chance U L E YO U R

Pinecones

Storm debris

EXPIRES: 11/30/2026

Intensifying infighting The GOP infighting is poised to intensify quickly. When Republicans return to Capitol Hill this week, they’ll have to choose between Reps. Steve Scalise of Louisiana and Jim Jordan of Ohio to lead the party in

THE BEST

N

Custom Fit To Your New or Existing Gutters

AN ADDITIONAL

*Promotional offer includes 25% off plus an additional 10% off for qualified veterans and/or seniors. Cannot be combined with other offers. See representative for full warranty details. DC 420223000087, AZ ROC 344027, AR 0366920926, CA 1035795, CT HIC.0671520, FL CBC056678, ID RCE-51604, IA C127230, LA 559544, MD MHIC164488, MA 213292, MI 262300331, MI 262300330, MI 262300329, MI 262300328, MI 262300318, MI 262300173, MN IR2025-810524, MT 266192, NE 50145-24, NV 0086990, NJ 13VH13285000, NM 408693, ND 47304, OR 218294, PA PA179643, RI GC-41354, TN 10981, UT 10783658-5501, VT 174.0000871, VA 2705169445, WA LEAFFLH763PG, WV WV056912, WI 537-DCFRR

BURGERS on $89+ MILY PRO FA

100%

E IS

Get a FREE full gutter inspection and estimate: 1-877-855-8610 Promo: 285

8 FREE Omaha Steaks Smash Burgers (3.2 oz.) 82792CBN PACKAGE PRICE $89

SMASH M

Discount For Seniors + Military

2 Bacon-Wrapped Filet Mignons (5 oz.) 2 Butcher’s Cut Top Sirloin Filets (5 oz.) 4 Air-Chilled Boneless Chicken Breasts (4 oz.) 4 Boneless Pork Chops (5 oz.) 4 Classic Jumbo Franks (3 oz.)

GET 8 FREE GUARANTEE O

Y

*

The fallout for the GOP is broad, according to The AP Voter Poll, an expansive survey of about 80,000 voters in all 50 states. Younger Republican voters who supported the Republican candidate in their House race were less likely to approve of the way Trump is handling his job as president, and more likely to say he worsened the economy with his policies. About two-thirds of Republican voters under 30 said they approved of how Trump was handling the presidency, compared with about 9 in 10 Republican voters age 65 and older. Roughly half of Republican voters under 30 said the country’s backing of Israel was “too strong,” compared with about 1 in 10 voters 65 and older.

WHEN YOU WANT

Butcher’s Deluxe Package

25% OFF + 10% LeafFilter

As has been the case for the past decade, the central question is the role Trump will play in shaping the party’s future. His insistence on loyalty reached a zenith this year as he intervened in GOP primaries and pressed voters to make the elections

Acorns Stainless Steel Micromesh

Seed pods

Trump’s future role

Age gaps in voter survey

I SPECT

uPVC Frame

Pine needles

WASHINGTON — Republicans aren’t holding back. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis described this week’s elections as an “extinction-level event” for the GOP. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz likened it to a “Watergate-level repudiation.” Former Vice President Mike Pence called it a “reckoning.” For all the apocalyptic talk emerging from a midterm that relegated Republicans to their thinnest ranks on Capitol Hill in decades, there’s little agreement on how the party should move forward. A return to the bedrock fiscal Trump and national security conservatism that defined Republicans under President Ronald Reagan risks alienating the more hard-line conservatives welcomed into the party under President Donald Trump under the “Make America Great Again” banner. But leaning even further into Trump’s coarse brand of politics could lead to more voter rejection. “We have soul-searching to do,” Alex Latcham, the executive director of the Senate Leadership Fund, which spent $810 million to support Republicans, said in an interview.

the House. They may weigh whether to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. There could also be tough votes on defense spending and keeping the federal government open after Dec. 11. Already a leadership fight is brewing at the Republican National Committee, where there are early conversations about limiting Trump’s influence in picking the next chair. KC Crosbie, currently the co-chair, circulated a letter this week calling the midterms a “serious setback” and announcing plans to run for chair at the committee’s January meeting in Arizona. Trump announced his support Friday for the party’s current chair, Joe Gruters. That’s to say nothing of the contest for the 2028 Republican presidential nomination. Vice President JD Vance, seen as a leading contender, will likely face a broad range of opponents if he enters the race.

YOU WANT OMAHA STEAKS

IN

Heavy leaves

Associated Press

a referendum on his second term. He held dozens of rallies in the final weeks of the campaign for candidates, most of whom lost. Since Tuesday’s election, he’s refused to acknowledge any responsibility, placing blame on the candidates. His public events have focused on his pet projects in Washington, which have proven unpopular with voters. On Friday, he elevated Stephen Miller, the architect of some of his most contentious policies, to White House chief of staff. In an interview, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, a Republican, said the election results were “shocking” but that Trump could still steer the conversation around issues such as immigration. The governor described the GOP’s current dynamic as a natural process for a party whose leader is deep in his second term. “It just tells you that the American people, after 10 years, they’re pretty much tired of whoever’s in office,” Stitt said. “I think people want a little more stability. They want people to be nice to people, to say, ‘Hey, we’re all Americans.’” Others were more blunt. John Sununu, a Republican who lost his bid for a Senate seat in New Hampshire, blamed Trump. “It seems like he or his family is in on every transaction and deal that goes on in Washington,” Sununu told John Kasich, a former Republican congressman from Ohio, on SiriusXM.

O

SCH

With LeafFilter

ED

BY STEVEN SLOAN and THOMAS BEAUMONT

U

IT

WASHINGTON — House Democratic leaders are placing an early emphasis on healthcare as they discuss their immediate priorities upon the swearing-in of the new Congress on Jan. 3. Early votes in the House next year are expected to focus on boosting Medicaid and restoring an enhanced tax subsidy that is designed to lower the cost of Affordable Care Act health plans for millions of enrollees. Democrats are also promising swift action on legislation to stop the war with Iran and to reverse some of President Donald Trump’s trade tar- Jeffries iffs. “We’re going to get out of the gate fast,” said New York Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic leader who is in line to become the next House speaker. The legislative flurry carries enormous stakes for Democrats as they seek to translate their sweeping victories in the midterms — their numbers will exceed 250 in the 435-member House — into achievements that deliver on their promises to lower the cost of living.

ing plans to put forward bills that would lower costs in areas such as housing, energy, groceries and caregiving. Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., said Democrats will at some point take up legislation dealing with artificial intelligence and data centers. He is part of a group of lawmakers working on a document that will lay out priorities for Jeffries to consider. “House Republicans last year made a conscious decision to let the AI industry run wild, and that was a bad decision politically and a bad decision on policy,” Lieu said. “Two things will change next term. We will hold public hearings on AI. We will pass legislation, reasonable guardrails on AI, and specifically data centers.”

R

Associated Press

OU

BY KEVIN FREKING

WILL LOVE

OmahaSteaks.com/Deluxe4171 | 1.833.935.2400 Ask for 8 FREE smash burgers on $89+ orders with offer 82792CBN

Savings shown over aggregated single item base price.The 10% discount will be applied at checkout when selecting a subscription order on qualifying products. Standard shipping will be applied on all shipments. Offer does not include upgraded shipping charges and is limited to the contiguous United States. Minimum purchase of $89 or more per shipping address to qualify for free gift to that address. Gift Cards, Certificates, Wine, Last Minute Gifts, Gift Baskets, Caviar, and Custom Cuts do not count toward the minimum free gift requirements. Your free gift will ship per address and must ship with an order. 1 free gift per shipping address. While supplies last. This offer cannot be combined with any other offer and is not valid on pending or prior purchases. Limit of 2 on select items at these exclusive prices. Items may be substituted due to inventory limitations. Other restrictions may apply. Sales are subject to OmahaSteaks.com/terms-of-use. Expiration 12/31/26. | 26M10423 | Omaha Steaks, LLC

The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Sunday, November 8, 2026 ■ 13A

lll

FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

2026

Know before you go: For Parking:

CASHLESS CAMPUS Purchase in advance.

• Campus opens 6am Gameday • Download your Tickets before you get to the Stadium • No Outside Food or Drinks • Parking: General Admission $30 enter on Swan or Mills Avenues | Reserved Parking enter on Harding

2026 Southern University Football Game Day Traffic, Parking, and Stadium Rules Southern University Athletics urges fans to arrive early before kick-off for all Southern University home football games at A.W. Mumford Stadium to help with the ease of traffic flow.

Drivers who park in the paid/reserve lots must have their hang tags visible on the vehicles or risk being towed and/or ticketed. Contraflow may begin earlier than designated if need be. Additional reserve parking will be available at the MLK Catholic Center. Call the SU ticket office at 225-771-3171 for details. Also, the areas on Isabel Herson Drive, near the Southern University Laboratory School, will be available for parking. General parking, which is $30, will only be made available on Saturday. Designated limited mobility parking areas will be available on a first come basis. Shuttles will be available in certain areas to bring fans to the stadium. Please see the Limited Mobility/Reserved Lot manifest for a complete list of lots and available shuttle locations.

Southern University Football Game Traffic Plan ALL HANG TAGS MUST BE HUNG FROM REARVIEW MIRROR BEFORE ENTERING CAMPUS AND REMAIN VISIBLY DISPLAYED AT ALL TIMES. VEHICLES PARKED IN RESERVED PARKING LOTS WITHOUT DISPLAYING RESERVED HANG TAGS FOR THAT LOT WILL BE TOWED. There are a limited number of game day RV and tailgating spots available, call 225-771-3171 for more info. Individual vehicles will not be allowed to park in RV lots. All motor homes and fifth wheelers must park in the areas designated for motor homes. If you will be towing a vehicle, you must purchase a parking permit for the vehicle and park it in the designated lot that corresponds to the permit.

Traffic on Campus during Normal Traffic Flow Traffic onto campus by way of Harding Boulevard.

• The right lane of Harding Boulevard is for Decal Reserved Parking Lots A, B, C, D, G (Mini Dome and Stadium Parking), Tailgate Dome • The left lane of Harding Boulevard is for Decal Reserved Parking Lots, E, V, U and MLK • Game day bus parking should enter on Harding and proceed to E.C. Harrison Drive. Parking is $250 for all non-SU Alumni/ Booster Clubs. • General parking travelers must utilize Swan and Mill Street only. Parking is $30 per car. Any decal entering the Mini Dome may be allowed to pass through the Mini Dome parking area if it is not Lot D to get their designated decal parking area. Traffic onto campus by way of Swan Avenue will be able to get to Lots A, B, C, D, F, G, H, and I. Traffic onto campus by way of B. A. Little Dr. from Mills Avenue will be able to get to Lots A, B, C, D, F, G, H, and I.

4

•

� A

MILLS AVE General Admission $20 No exit & Re-entry

Traffic onto Swan Avenue. • The grass area east of Isabel Herson Street. • The grass area north of the Southern Laboratory practice field. • The grass area north of Isabel Herson Street. • Traffic onto B. A. Little Dr. from Mills Avenue. • The grass area to the south of Mills Ave. and west of B. A. Little Drive. • The grass area to the south of Mills Ave. and east of B. A. Little Drive. Harding Blvd. Contra-flow Traffic • All lanes will be inbound. • Contra-flow traffic will start three hours prior to kickoff or earlier if necessary. For example, for a 6 p.m. kickoff contra-flow traffic will start at 3 p.m. Limited Mobility Bradford Hall and SU Police Station Parking

A.W. Mumford Stadium Policies

• No Alcoholic beverages from outside will be allowed inside A.W. Mumford Stadium

•

8

10

So them University and -"i & M College Baton Rouge, LA 70813 A

B

B

C

0

E

G

G R.lghtlal'le

All traffic that is not going to a reserved lot must park in a general parking area. Traffic onto Harding Boulevard. • Bradford Hall Parking Lot • Human Resources Parking Lot • Parking lot on the Scott’s Bluff • Archives Parking Lot • Museum Parking Lot • Law Center Parking Lot • Mayberry Dining Hall Parking Lot • Army/Navy ROTC Parking Lot

1

RVA,Lot8

lotO,RV D

-1'i:•

Left Lane

LoU:E,l,U,V

H

to

• Southern University reserves the right to refuse the sale of alcoholic beverages • Fans Cannot Store Prohibited Bags & Items Near Stadium Entrances • All Unattended Items will be Removed & Discarded • Full details listed at www.gojagsports.com • All Persons & Items Entering are Subject to Inspection • No Re-entry - Anyone Leaving the Stadium Must Have a New, Unused Ticket to Re-enter • Tickets May Not be Re-sold on Stadium Premises & Surrounding Grounds (Including Parking Lots) • All Persons Must Have a Ticket for Admission - Regardless of Age (children under 2 years old do not need a ticket) • Smoking & Use of All Tobacco Products (Cigarettes, E-Cigarettes, Cigars, Pipes, Smokeless Tobacco, Snuff, Chewing Tobacco, Vapes, etc.) is Prohibited Everywhere on Southern University’s Campus • In all sports, access to the competition area shall be limited to participating student-athletes, coaches, officials, support personnel and properly credentialed individuals at all times. • At No time before, during or after a contest shall spectators be permitted to enter the field or playing surface. • Access to the field is reserved for participating student-athletes, coaches, officials, support personnel and properly credentialed individuals.

OVERTIME COACHES SHOW DATES:

THURSDAY’S 6:30 PM 11/12, 12/3

Southern University Football Schedule The Faulk Effect Era Football 2026 November 14.......Alcorn State University........................2:00 PM November 28.......Grambling State University.............................1:00 PM

14A n Sunday, November 8, 2026 n theadvocate.com n The Advocate

lll

LOUISIANA POLITICS Problems for farmers played role in elections WASHINGTON — In the run-up to Tuesday’s elections, President Donald Trump made all sorts of promises, like $5,000 checks if the Republicans won the congressional midterms. At best, most of those offers landed with a “don’t spend that money just yet” wariness. But one of Trump’s promises was kept. He announced he had freed $15 billion for farmers, ranchers and fishermen — among MAGA’s strongest supporters — to address lagging prices and shore up skyrocketing expenses that are threatening to stability of America’s agricultural industry. Mark If his was a stratBallard egy to maintain Republican control of all branches of government, it didn’t work. Rural voters on Tuesday, even in once unassailable GOP strongholds like Iowa, Kansas, Texas and Mississippi, elected Democratic senators and representatives. Or rural voters stayed home, as they did in Louisiana, where eight parishes flipped Democratic but Republicans were able to hold in the statewide Senate race. Still, Trump’s announced $15 billion package is welcomed by the agricultural community. “It will help on the balance sheet,” said Mike Strain, the Louisiana commissioner for agriculture and forestry. “It’s enough to get the farm stable enough to where they can pay their operating loans and then be able to draw new operating loans for next year.” Trump included guaranteed loans for ranchers and fishermen with wording changes that would allow crawfish farmers to qualify; $1.8 billion in payments to producers who follow specific conservation practices; and

La. to improve Medicaid, nutrition programs access

PROVIDED PHOTO

U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow, R-Baton Rouge, inspects a Concordia Parish soybean farm soon after huge rain storms in August 2022 that degraded the quality of the commodity. Farmers have been struggling for the past few years with the high cost of seed, fertilizer, equipment, labor and other input costs. about $716 million for various projects for fertilizer manufactures, meat procession plants, and grants for specialty crop producers. “The president packaged them in his attempts to swing votes pre-election, but for a guy like me, these aren’t a package,” said Andy Brown, policy director for the Louisiana Farm Bureau. “Each of the programs have their own unique pathway on how to try to access these funds.” What’s new is the $8 billion dedicated to help cover fuel costs for the harvest season, which is

has the information on hand,” said Louisiana Medicaid Director Seth J. Gold. “This partnership gives Louisiana has announced a new Medicaid and OPH a more coorinitiative to connect more people dinated way to use that informaon Medicaid to nutrition protion, starting with helping eligible grams for mothers and children. families connect The state runs Medicaid — with WIC and the which provides health insurance nutrition support it for low-income families — in one provides.” office and the Special SupplemenBy giving Medtal Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, known as icaid recipients WIC, in another. more access to Gold Many families that healthy foods, the are eligible for state hopes to reMedicaid may also duce dietary-related health probbe eligible for help lems and ultimately save money getting healthy on Medicaid in the long run. food through WIC, “We have the data. We have the Capitol but don’t always resources. Now we must put them Buzz apply. to work,” said Louisiana SecreSTAFF Last week, the tary of Health Bruce D. GreenREPORTS Department of stein. “By connecting knowledge, Health announced a identifying gaps, and investing new data-sharing agreement that where it matters most, we can will link the two programs so that deliver real results. That’s how more people who qualify for both we measure success: healthier programs actually enroll. people and better lives across “We know that so many MedicLouisiana.” The initiative is supported aid members are also eligible for WIC, and Louisianians should not in part by The Pew Charitable Trusts, a nonpartisan nonprofit have to duplicate work to apply for both programs if LDH already that focuses on data-driven poli-

underway now. Details are still in the works while Brown’s Farm Bureau, Strain’s Agriculture Department and the LSU AgCenter pore over data. Farmers buy diesel fuel in advance of harvest season — usually in 10,000 gallons at a pop — then top off as needed. Diesel cost $5.26 a gallon on Aug. 10, up from $3.73 on the same day in 2025, meaning right off the bat fuel cost $15,300 more per batch, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. But that really depends on

when the purchase was made. The price was 20 cents more by Aug. 17 and was up to $6.40 per gallon a month later on Sept. 17 on its way to a historic $6.53 peak on Sept. 21. For instance, the state’s roughly 450 sugar cane farms produce a $1.5 billion crop that has a $4 billion impact on the state revenues and costs about 25 cents a pound to produce, according to the LSU AgCenter. But the global benchmark price, which was 28 cents per pound in 2023, is now hovering around 18 cents per pound.

cy solutions.

The report recommends Congress change the rules for requiring flood insurance coverage to more fully incorporate all sources of potential flooding. It also recommended outreach campaigns to make sure property owners understand their potential flood risks and the need for insurance coverage. The question of who buys — and doesn’t buy — flood insurance is of huge importance to flood-prone Louisiana. Pending changes to the NFIP’s rating system could cause premiums to soar across the state, potentially making homeownership prohibitively expensive in some places.

Report raises concerns about flood insurance The National Flood Insurance Program drastically underestimates the number of homeowners at risk of flooding, a recent report from the Government Accountability Office found. Federal law requires homeowners with federally backed mortgages to buy flood insurance if their property is in a special flood hazard area. But that leaves out 13 million properties that are not in the hazard areas but are still at high risk of flooding, the report said. The rules don’t properly account for heavy rainfall, among other issues, the GAO said. “Consumers may underestimate their flood risk, overestimate the amount of federal disaster assistance after a flood, or believe that homeowners insurance covers flood damage when most policies specifically exclude it,” the report says. Overall, 86% of high-risk properties do not have NFIP coverage, the GAO said.

Temple urges health insurance enrollment Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple is urging residents who want health insurance through the federal marketplace plans to apply soon. To get coverage by Jan. 1, enrollees need to sign up by Dec. 15. The final deadline is Jan. 15 for coverage that starts Feb. 1. Enrollment happens online at healthcare.gov.

Farmers have been struggling for the past few years with the high cost of seed, fertilizer, equipment, labor and other input costs, coupled with low market prices for the commodities they produce. The number of farms filing bankruptcy is up 19% so far this year, with Arkansas leading the way, according to the National Agricultural Law Center. Rural voters play a huge role, often overlooked, in Louisiana politics. Though counterintuitive for most drivers daily stalled in traffic on Interstate 10 in Baton Rouge and New Orleans, the number of Louisiana residents living in small towns and rural areas amount to 42% of the state’s roughly 3 million voters. Urban and suburban residents, together, account for about 24% — roughly 728,291 city folk to 1.26 million country cousins, as categorized by the U.S. Census Bureau. Though early on in the process of sorting out the specifics, an early look by bipartisan election analysts and large media outlets noted a larger drop-off in rural voting than expected for usual low turnout in midterms. Take a look, for instance, at rural LaSalle Parish, which counted 8,856 registered voters. Republicans have won every election back to 1956 with the exception of 1968, when parish voters backed George Wallace’s presidential bid. In 2024, the 6,023 ballots for Trump amounted to 91% of the voters participating. On Tuesday, Julia Letlow, running for the U.S. Sentate, won by 84% or 3,693 ballots, which amounts to 2,330 fewer than what Trump polled in 2024 and 2,106 less votes than the 5,709 ballots Letlow, who was endorsed by Trump, gathered in that same November 2024 election. Email Mark Ballard at mballard@theadvocate.com.

Those who don’t enroll by Jan. 15 will not be eligible for coverage next year unless they qualify for a major life event. “Finding the right health insurance plan begins with understanding your options and making informed decisions about your coverage,” Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple said in a news release. “Take time to explore your options and ensure you choose a plan that fits your healthTemple care needs.” In Louisiana, marketplace plans are available through Ambetter Health of Louisiana; AmeriHealth Caritas Louisiana; CHRISTUS Health Plan; Louisiana Blue (formerly Blue Cross/Blue Shield) and UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company. In the release, the Department of Insurance advised people to check their options even if they already have insurance, as premiums and plans may have changed. It also suggested contacting a licensed health insurance agent.

An Excellent Education is Every Child’s Birthright Learn more at BRALLIANCE.ORG

lll

The Advocate n theadvocate.com n Sunday, November 8, 2026 n 15A

Trump’s D.C. projects will meet roadblocks Democrats promising scrutiny of arch, more

posed for West Potomac Park and the arch. All four have been, or are currently in, litigation. One of them, the golf course, has turned into an undertaking beyond the potential construction. U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes has said she plans to open a “formal inquiry” to investigate if attorneys for the Trump administration violated ethical boundaries during a legal dispute about that project.

BY GARY FIELDS and LISA MASCARO Associated Press

WASHINGTON — In his first public appearance after an election that soundly repudiated his policies, President Donald Trump turned to a topic both familiar and, given the context, surprising: not his policies or politics but his efforts to remake pieces of the city that is the backdrop to his presidency. Despite Trump’s affinity for project management, though, with Democrats taking control of Congress, the work his administration is doing to change the physical face of the District of Columbia is sure to encounter far more roadblocks than it did for the first two years of his second term. From the renaming of and renovation plans for the Kennedy Center to remaking a public golf course and erecting an arch 100 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty without its pedestal, Trump has been deeply involved in how D.C. looks. Democrats have voiced opposition but, in terms of power, have been in the wilderness. The potential collision point between opposition oversight from Democrats and the Republican president’s preoccupation with the projects was evident in his last message to the American public before the election — and in his first afterward, too. Both focused to some degree on his projects. On Monday, it was the reflecting pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial; on Wednesday, it was a tour of the under-construction White House ballroom, where he talked columns and steel beams and Corinthian designs.

Clouds of scrutiny gathering Rep. Jared Huffman of California, the top Democrat on the Natural Resources Committee with jurisdiction over the Interior Department that is involved with operations at parks and federal lands, spent much of the past year probing and questioning Trump’s projects, laying the groundwork for this moment. “We’ve pushed back against vanity projects that seek to transform

Congress is now added bulwark

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO BY ALEX BRANDON

President Donald Trump talks at the White House ballroom construction site Wednesday in Washington. Aaron Fritschner. A less appreciated impact will be the change in who names the general counsel of the House. The House Speaker has that role, presumably Rep. Hakeem Jeffries. While Democrats have joined in lawsuits opposing the various projects, their filings don’t carry the weight of Congress as the minority. “You’ll see the new majority pulling back the balance of power that (House Speaker) Mike Johnson was willing to cede,” Fritschner said.

treasured public spaces into gaudy tributes to Trump. We exposed corruption, uncovered the efforts to hijack America’s 250th birthday, demanded accountability, and offered a compelling alternative governing vision grounded in science, fairness, environmental responsibility, and the rule of law,” Huffman said in a letter to colleagues seeking their support to be chairman. As chairman with a strong Democratic majority, “I will ensure that the Committee’s full investigative and oversight authority is leveraged to uncover wrongdoing, demand accountability, and protect the public interest,” he said. Trump has been rushing the various projects, a point Virginia Democratic Rep. Don Beyer made Thursday at a public hearing when he opposed construction of the memorial arch the president has planned in Memorial Circle directly across the Memorial Bridge from the Lincoln Memorial. “The appropriations process beginning Jan. 3 will be controlled by Democrats. That will be one of the ways Congressman Beyer will step in,” said Beyer’s spokesman

Arch hearing flooded with calls Beyer has already been a critic, Fritschner said, and cited other members who have signed on in amicus briefs. More than 120 witnesses were on hand for the National Capital Planning Commission meeting, which ran for 9½ hours late into Thursday night. The commission gave the 250foot arch its final approval on an 8-4 vote, before a federal judge stepped in before midnight to block the Trump administration from breaking ground for 14 days. The remote, call-in commission

hearing — which crashed repeatedly and was accompanied by a nearly universally negative comment section — drew witnesses who gave impassioned, three-minute comments opposing an arch they said will destroy the solemnity of nearby Arlington National Cemetery. The Trump-appointed chairman of the commission, however, launched into a gushing appraisal of the towering monument and lauded Trump for wanting to build it. U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan is considering a motion from three veterans and an architectural historian to stop any work until the lawsuit is resolved. A separate lawsuit filed Saturday by the District of Columbia and Virginia has been consolidated with the existing one. D.C. and Virginia have asked for a temporary restraining order, which Chutkan granted late Thursday with her 14-day delay. At Wednesday’s ballroom construction site tour, Trump spoke about the ballroom, the East Potomac Golf Links and the National Garden of American Heroes pro-

Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward, which is representing the plaintiffs in several of the lawsuits, said the switch of control means the organizations that have filed lawsuits and challenged the administration will now be joined by Congress. Organizations like hers will continue challenging the administration in court, she said, but “the important thing now is that the American people now have a tool that’s not just in the courts.” Added Perryman: “We hope and we anticipate Congress will fulfill its constitutional duty of checking executive branch excesses.” That includes hearings and investigations into funding plans and sources, she said. Information about estimates for work on the projects has been slim, even in court, with assessments trickling out during testimony in some cases. One number, for example, revolves around the seawall at the golf course, which would exceed $300 million. Congress appropriated $257 million for the renovation of the Kennedy Center. The White House did not respond to requests for comment. Another area that could impact the District of Columbia is the change in governorships. Texas, Georgia, Iowa and Nevada all have Democrats coming into power as a result of Tuesday’s elections. They account for more than 600 National Guard members who are part of the mobilization that Trump ordered in August 2025. Democrats who provided troops during the celebration of the United States’ 250th anniversary were roundly criticized for their participation and removed their troops and airmen months ago. Nearly 3,100 are stationed in the city now, up slightly from last month.

BE THE REASON

Discovery HAPPENS Your generosity fuels the research, innovation and breakthroughs that help people live longer, healthier lives.

SCAN TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE ENCE

Pennington Biomedical Research Foundation builds the philanthropic support that helps research at Pennington Biomedical Research Center move forward.

ATTEND EVENTS

EXPLORE RESEARCH

SEE YOUR IMPACT

STAY CONNECTED

pbrf.org

16A n Sunday, November 8, 2026 n theadvocate.com n The Advocate

lll

EDUCATION Mississippi has 23 public colleges and universities But can the state sustain them?

BY CANDICE WILDER Mississippi Today

When Rep. Trey Lamar, a Republican from Senatobia, introduced House Bill 1284 in January to merge six community college districts, college leaders and students quickly launched a petition to shut it down. The bill died in committee, but the question behind it did not: Does Mississippi still need 23 public colleges and universities? “I wanted to start a conversation,” said Lamar, who is also a member of the House Select Committee on Consolidation. “What worked for our colleges decades ago doesn’t always work today.” House Bill 1284 would have merged Coahoma Community College with Mississippi Delta Community College; Meridian with East Mississippi; and Southwest Mississippi with Copiah-Lincoln. The mergers would not have closed any campuses but were meant to reduce administrative costs by consolidating college districts from 15 to 12. Any money saved from merging would have been put back into the community college system, Lamar said. Lamar’s bill intensified discussions about college mergers, said Rep. Donnie Scoggin, a Republican from Ellisville who co-chairs the House consolidation committee. Scoggin also chairs the House Colleges and Universities Committee, which he said allowed the bill to die because there wasn’t enough time to study the issue. “We didn’t want to do anything that was rushed and just start closing colleges,” Scoggin said. “But now we’re taking time to examine all factors to make informed and better decisions.” Mississippi’s public universities and community colleges are funded through a mix of state appropriations, federal funds, student tuition and local tax revenue.

PROVIDED PHOTO BY ERIC SHELTON/MISSISSIPPI TODAY

A Mississippi House bill would have merged Southwest Mississippi Community College with Copiah-Lincoln Community College. Overlapping districts can leave some property owners paying more in taxes to support multiple colleges — a situation Lamar said is unfair. Meridian Community College serves Lauderdale County, which is also part of East Mississippi Community College’s six-county district. Merging the two districts could reduce duplicative administrative costs, he said. Dips in population across the districts are also driving the move to consolidate. Over the past decade, thousands fewer residents have lived within the Coahoma and Mississippi Delta community college districts. In 2010, there were 26,000 residents in Coahoma County; a decade later, there were 21,000 residents, according to Census data. In Sunflower County, home to Mississippi Delta Community College, the population dropped by 4,000 people over the same period. For Cole Cooksey, a sophomore studying pre-political science at Southwest Community College, attending the school was the next logical step after high school graduation. He received scholarships that covered his first year of tuition, and the campus’ proximity to his parents’ home in McComb made college more affordable and accessible, he said.

When Lamar’s bill threatened to merge Southwest with CopiahLincoln Community College, rumors of closure began circulating online. Cooksey said he wanted to raise awareness about the importance of the state’s oldest public college system and its benefits to students in rural and underserved communities. So, Cooksey launched an online petition to “Stop The Progression of House Bill 1284,” on Jan. 23 which received more than 330 supporters in its first day. When the bill died in the House committee, the petition had attracted the support of 750 people. “Community colleges help fill in the gaps of support and education that high schools are not able to do and they fill in the gaps that universities refuse too,” Cooksey said. “The more conversations we have about their benefits and services, the more we are able to open other people’s eyes to the good community colleges do within our state.” The state should not have to maintain separate community college boards in areas serving fewer people, Lamar said. The Mississippi Community College Board operates as the statewide coordinating board for each of the 15 colleges. Each college also maintains its own local board of trustees, which works with the

college board. The local boards are responsible for the day-to-day operations, local administration, facilities, personnel decisions and local tax support for their respective campuses, according to state law. Legislators’ consolidation discussions have also questioned if colleges in overlapping communities have duplicate academic programs or services and whether students are earning college credentials that lead to jobs, he said. Legislators are asking similar questions about the state’s eight public universities. Sen. Nicole Boyd, a Republican from Oxford, is pushing trustees overseeing the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning to tie state funding to graduation rates, job placement and earnings. The state college board’s new performance-based funding formula would aim for universities to meet the state’s workforce and education attainment priorities. In June, IHL trustees took a step toward adopting a proposed public university funding formula that would tie a portion of state money to graduation rates, student retention and workforce outcomes. As of October, the college board is still working to define specific metrics and goals for the universities. It is also unclear when it will be fully implemented. In 2024, Boyd introduced Senate Bill 2725, which would have created a 10-member task force to examine funding formulas as Mississippi approached a looming enrollment cliff because of a predicted sharp decline in high school graduates. That same year, former Sen. John Polk, a Republican from Hattiesburg, also authored Senate Bill 2726, which would have required college board trustees to close three universities based on similar factors such as graduation rates, enrollment and student retention outcomes. An enrollment drop-off could put pressure on the state’s regional universities, particularly Mississippi University for Women, Delta

State, Alcorn and Mississippi Valley State by forcing them to compete with the state’s flagship universities, University of Mississippi and Mississippi State University, for a shrinking pool of students. The conversations around university funding are about more than finances, Boyd said. It’s about centering students. “These conversations are a cultural shift for Mississippi,” Boyd said. “We just want to make sure students aren’t leaving school saddled with debt and now worse off because of it.” Consolidating the state’s smaller colleges and universities could hurt rural students’ access to higher education, said Pernell Goodwin, vice president of Copiah-Lincoln Community College’s Natchez campus. Having to travel further for college would make it more difficult for students to visit campuses and increase their overall college costs, he said. Accessibility was the goal behind the creation of Mississippi’s community college system, Goodwin said. “It was to ensure that no matter where a student attends college, he is at least within a certain distance from his home to get to campus and access education.” Bruce Hanson, who was a state representative in the 1980s, has pushed back against closing or consolidating universities. As chair of the Citizens Coalition for MUW and Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science, Hanson has sought to protect the two campuses from consolidation proposals seeking to close schools that enroll fewer students. He said smaller public universities play a crucial role in providing affordable tuition and easy access to higher education for Mississippi students. They nevertheless generate millions of dollars and produce graduates who are essential to the state’s economy and workforce, Hanson said. “If these institutions disappear, where will the children in our community go?”

Learn more. Laugh more. Live more.

“There are so many stories here. So many interesting people.” — Linda B

At St. James Place, you’ll find fascinating people pursuing their passions for learning, growing and enjoying retirement.

Scan to Learn More

Schedule a Visit

225-523-0290

Call 225-709-5455 to schedule your free quote today!

333 Lee Dr. Baton Rouge, LA 70808 StJamesPlace.org TA

The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Sunday, November 8, 2026 ■ 17A

lll

There’s a human toll when a beloved school shuts its doors. Nearly 100 Louisiana public schools have shut down since 2020 as population decline and a proliferation of alternative schooling options leave the state’s traditional schools with fewer and fewer students.

“

Our newsroom continues to expand as we cover what’s happening in local communities across Louisiana, while also taking on ambitious statewide reporting projects. All that is only possible because of the support of readers like you.

”

Patrick Wall Education Editor and Reporter

Thank you for your supporting local news. Donate today.

START HERE

LOUISIANAJOURNALISMFUND.ORG You can also mail your donation to: 451 Florida St Ste LL 100, Baton Rouge, LA 70801.

18A n Sunday, November 8, 2026 n theadvocate.com n The Advocate

lll

THE GULF COAST

STAFF PHOTOS BY BY JUSTIN MITCHELL

Highlights of the dining scene in Bay St. Louis, Miss., include, from left, the Mockingbird Cafe, Thorny Oyster and Sycamore House.

3 Bay St. Louis spots that deserve Michelin recognition Local foodie dishes on what to order BY JUSTIN MITCHELL Staff writer

Bay St. Louis is no longer the quaint, cozy beach town long called a hidden gem by New Orleans locals. A city that once attracted weekend visitors with beers at Fire Dog or free train shots at The Good Life now has a maintained beach, charming local businesses and an emerging culinary scene. Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast city but was also a catalyst for a rebirth. In the first two years after the storm, Beach Boulevard was repaved, and historic buildings were saved. Restaurants like 200 North Beach opened to fanfare, and Trapani’s Eatery — a beloved New Orleansinspired restaurant that moved up U.S. 90 after the storm — rebuilt along the water. Soon, the beachfront transformed with The Blind Tiger, a casual spot opened by longtime restaurant chef Thomas Genin that serves bushwhackers, $2 Bud Light, hamburgers and fish tacos in an elevated, open-air shack.

Other buildings and bars followed, and new shotgun-like houses began popping up everywhere. People kept coming to visit, with many from Louisiana and beyond buying second homes off Main Street or along the beach itself. Today, Bay St. Louis is a popular tourist attraction. It resembles Destin, Florida, along the beach and the fictional “Gilmore Girls” town of Stars Hollow in the blocks around it, featuring manicured homes, lush greenery, local shops, bespoke coffee houses, craft cocktail bars, a theater and even a pet boutique. What’s also transformed is the dining scene. Known for its beach bars and laid-back vibes, there are also dozens of options in just four blocks of downtown that scratch any itch. Sure, there are tacos, pulled pork nachos and burgers, but there’s also fine dining, upscale Italian, unique casual fare and fusion cuisine you can’t find anywhere else along the Gulf Coast. The Michelin Guide recently expanded to this region, with restaurants in Biloxi and Ocean Springs, Mississippi, and Mobile, Alabama, receiving nods for creativity, service and innovation. But as a Mississippi Coast native, I feel like Michelin missed Bay St. Louis

spots deserving of recognition. Here are three restaurants that I believe deserve national acclaim.

Michelin Star candidate: Sycamore House

the menu is their pizza. Yes, pizza. The uniqueness of this Gulf Coast institution, paired with the delicious cuisine and top-notch service, makes it worthy of a Michelin star.

The yellow mansion with the big oak tree and bench out front looks like a grand home you’d find driving down St. Charles Avenue in Uptown New Orleans. Inside, guests are seated in different rooms with warm-colored walls covered in art. The back bar overlooks the twinkle light filled courtyard, perfect for an evening fall dinner. The menu is conceptual in its own way and blends global flavors with Gulf Coast and New Orleans fare. There’s a rotating flauta by the chef always offered at dinner, and the sunchoke soup is a crowd favorite. You can get fish amandine or an Indian-style curry. Sycamore House also moves at its own pace, which is part of the charm. You still call to make dinner or weekend brunch reservations, and the same servers have worked there for years and know regulars by name. I also love that you can spend $100 or $20 and still have an excellent meal. A sleeper item on

A brand new restaurant inside an Ocean Springs hotel, Maringouin, got Michelin recommended this year for its creative menu and approach to Gulf Coast cuisine, all led by young chefs. And on the other side of the Mississippi Coast, Thorny Oyster is also redefining the dinner experience inside the Pearl Hotel at the corner of Main Street and Beach Boulevard. Chef and owner Jeffrey Hansell was the first to bring modern fine dining to Bay St. Louis, offering a seafood-heavy menu in a loud, bustling atmosphere that feels like you’re dining on Miami Beach. The seafood selection is unmatched, and the burger is one of the best I’ve had. Menu highlights include the blackened scallops, frog legs and Hansell’s take on shrimp and grits, which are instead made with a cheddar po-

Michelin recommended candidate: Thorny Oyster

lenta and smoked pork belly.

Bib Gourmand candidate: Mockingbird Cafe It doesn’t matter if you go to the Mockingbird Cafe at opening or closing — you’re probably going to wait in line. The quaint coffee shop nestled inside an old house opened as a refuge after Hurricane Katrina and has been a community hub ever since. And trust me, the line moves fast, and it’s always worth the wait. The biscuits and gravy are not traditional and are indescribably good. When I go to the Mockingbird with friends, I always recommend this dish as a starter because sharing is the way to go. The pulled pork and grits bowl has a smoky barbecue sauce with notes of coffee and Worcestershire, and the sweet and spicy chicken sandwich is a newer, toptier addition. Diners also love the curry chicken salad sandwich, and in the fall, you’ve got to try the pumpkin chai muffin. Did I miss a great Bay St. Louis restaurant that deserves recognition? Email me and let me know at justin.mitchell@ theadvocate.com.

COMMERCIAL

MONEY MARKET powered by Neighbors FCU

Earn 4.25% APY* on balances over $100,000

A great savings alternative for businesses looking for a solid investment without risking principal. • Earn higher returns on your capital • Rewards for higher balances with tiered interest rates • 24/7 online banking and app access • $2,500 minimum balance. • Up to 6 withdrawals per month. OPEN YOUR ACCOUNT TODAY Online at neighborsfcu.org or visit a branch to speak with one of our account experts today.

UPGRADE YOUR

OUTDOOR LIVING

Get A FREE screen room consultation today Financing Options Available

*APY= Annual Percentage Yield. APY is accurate as of the last dividend declaration date. A $10 Below Minimum fee applies if your total average monthly deposit balance is below $500 with no active loan. Fees could reduce earnings on all accounts. All rates and offers subject to change. See neighborsfcu.org for more information and rates. Federally insured by NCUA.

225-324-3164 acadianagutter

LICENSED RESIDENTIAL CONTRACTOR

whereitneverrains.com

lll

Panda fans flock to Zoo Atlanta BY R.J. RICO and EMILIE MEGNIEN

Associated Press

ATLANTA — Zoo Atlanta’s newest pandas munched bamboo and lounged Friday during their public debut as smiling visitors lined up to welcome them. Ping Ping, a male, and Fu Shuang, a female, arrived in September from China under a 10-year loan agreement, bringing the cuddly black-and-white bears back

to the zoo after a two-year absence. After spending the past weeks getting acclimated to their habitat, the 6-year-old pandas greeted visitors in the newly renovated Arthur M. Blank Panda Grove. Eight-year-old Rachel Sutherland and her family were visiting from Sacramento, California, and extended their vacation by a day to see the pandas. “To see these pandas is so awesome that I’d say it’s the

best thing in my life,” Rachel said. She said she was partial to Ping Ping because the name reminds her of the color pink. Ping Ping has distinctive dark circles around his eyes, while Fu Shuang has a protruding forehead, according to Xinhua News Agency. Both were born at Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in China. The Atlanta zoo’s panda enclosure had been empty since 2024, after four other

pandas returned from the United States to China, ending a 25-year partnership. Georgia Tech student Kevin Wei, 18, said he’d been counting down until “panda day,” and felt especially connected to the animals because they are from his hometown of Chengdu. “It’s kind of like having a familiar bond,” Wei said. “Although I’m living in the U.S., I still can connect with myself and to China.”

The Advocate n theadvocate.com n Sunday, November 8, 2026 n 19A

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO BY BRYNN ANDERSON

Zoo Atlanta introduced its new giant pandas, Ping Ping, above, and Fu Shuang, to the public Friday in Atlanta.

Chimp sanctuary delivers food by drone amid floods BY JENNIFER PELTZ

y a D e m a G r Gear Up fo Victories with Sweet

Associated Press

A Florida chimpanzee sanctuary had to deliver food to one of its 200 apes by drone this week because the property was swamped by heavy rain. But the animals stayed safe, and the water finally was receding significantly on Saturday, the organization said. As rainstorms soaked southeast and central Florida from Sunday through Tuesday, Save the Chimps’ care houses were secure on high ground, CEO Ana Paula Tavares said in a statement. Some veterinarians and other employees stayed overnight on the 150acre property near Fort Pierce to ensure the animals’ care. Canals overflowed and submerged the internal roads that normally are used to deliver 3,000 pounds of chimp food per day via golf carts, facilities director Mark Yohannan said by phone. A high-clearance swamp buggy helped but soon broke down. And one chimp, a 38-year-old named Kaleb, had remained in an outdoor area that was cut off by water. The organization bought a delivery drone some time ago for just such an emergency, Yohannan said. Staffers used the device to bring Kaleb food and blankets until he decided on his own to head for somewhere more accessible. Save the Chimps captured video of Kaleb munching a banana he plucked from a drone-dropped paper bag, and later steadily picking his way across a rope that bridged some standing water. The organization used trucks, including a maintenance worker’s personal vehicle, and a tractor to deliver meals, medicine and

PHOTO PROVIDED BY SAVE THE CHIMPS

A chimpanzee named Kaleb holds a bag of food delivered to him by a drone amid flooding at the Save the Chimps sanctuary near Fort Pierce, Fla., on Wednesday.

other items to the rest of the apes. “Chimps are getting all their food, bananas and oranges on time,” Yohannan said. “They’re good. They haven’t missed a beat.” Nor have the local alligators. A small one turned up by the sanctuary’s kitchen Friday, apparently using the floodwaters to reach terrain where the reptiles don’t usually tread, Yohannan said. The water level dropped noticeably overnight Friday, and about 20% of the property’s roads were clear Saturday, Yohannan said. Widespread flooding in the area has made it difficult for employees to get to work to relieve their colleagues. But “everyone’s in excellent spirits, tired as they are,” he said.

Judge wants investigation on whether government misled her on golf course BY GARY FIELDS and JESSE BEDAYN Associated Press

WASHINGTON — A federal judge said Saturday she intends to appoint an ex-top federal prosecutor in the nation’s capital during President Donald Trump’s first term to investigate whether she was purposefully misled by lawyers and administration officials in a lawsuit challenging one of his prized Washington construction projects, the renovation of a historic public golf course. Jessie Liu, a former U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, would examine whether officials with the Interior Department and the National Park Service and attorneys with the Department of Justice violated ethics or misled U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes during the course of the case that was initiated in February by the DC Preservation League and two golfers. The Republican administration plans to close the East Potomac Golf Course and park on Nov. 15 with the intention of constructing a “World Class, championshiplevel golf course that is capable of hosting major events.” An injunction issued by Reyes last month temporarily bars the

government from removing or damaging any additional trees on the course and the administration must give 10 days’ notice in writing before making any “irreparable modification” to any “forms or features” of the course while the lawsuit is active. Reyes is giving each side a chance to be heard on her plan to name Liu as special master in the case. They must do so in writing by Friday, when the next court hearing in the dispute is scheduled. Reyes, who was nominated by Democratic President Joe Biden, wants to know whether federal officials lied about the extent of renovation plans during months of hearings. She also wants to know if they were truthful about various steps they took, including cutting hundreds of trees early last month. She announced during a hearing Oct. 30 that she was starting a formal investigation of the government’s conduct. Earlier in the case, she had rejected numerous motions from the plaintiffs to step in, saying she trusted the government attorneys. Multiple Truth Social posts by Trump indicated there were plans for the golf course and construction was expected to begin Nov. 15.

Buy Now... Pay Later

FREE*

Swiss Colony® Credit: Payments from $10 a Month!

16 Assorted Chocolates Tin ($44.98 value) PLUS our 24 Petits Fours free* with first purchase!

Get this!

Plus this!

Add Item #AX1346 to your cart or ask for it when you call. 16 Assorted Chocolates - 6.25 oz. net wt.

27 Favorites

Always a hit! A high-quality, fun variety of snack-size treats. (2 lbs. 1.5 oz. net wt.) • Summer Sausages • Wisconsin Cheeses • Petits Fours & Tortes

4499

• Bonbons • Mustards • Preserves ...and more!

24 Petits Fours - 10.5 oz. net wt.

*$8.99 minimum merchandise order required. If sent with other items, NO additional delivery fee. If free item sent alone, add $3.99 delivery fee. Offer not valid with any other promotion or voucher. One (1) free offer on first order in 2026 per customer. Expires 12/15/26.

Order Now!

Item AR4807 Add your free item!* AX1346

$

3999

$

Savings End Dec. 15th!

Best

Seller!

24-HOUR ORDERING: Call 844-600-0703

8646 GOODWOOD BOULEVARD (225) 928-7000

Lacumba’s Lair to celebrate Jaguar pride, military service and Southern University heritage at Nov. 14 tailgating event

By Amanda McElfresh | amcelfresh@theadvocate.com This article is brought to you by Southern University Athletics.

Southern University is inviting Jaguar fans, alumni and supporters to take their gamedayexperiencetothenextlevelwiththe returnofLacumba’sLair,anindoortailgating celebrationfeaturingfood,liveentertainment and opportunities to connect with fellow Jaguars while supporting current students. Theeventwillbeginat10a.m.Nov.14ahead of Southern’s matchup with Alcorn State at 2 p.m. at A.W. Mumford Stadium. It will take place at the new Welcome Center, located at 770HardingBoulevardoncampus.Proceeds will benefit the Chancellor’s Access and Opportunity Fund, which provides financial support to Southern students who need help to continue their education. Opened in March, the Welcome Center is a state-of-the-art facility that was built for internal and external large-scale events, conferences and community gatherings. Southern Chancellor John K. Pierre said the center was made possible due to Covid-era funding, support from individuals including State Rep. Barbara West Carpenter, and insightsfrompeopleincludingHueyLawson, anassistantprofessoranddirectorofTitleIII programs in Southern’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. “It really is one of the wonderful places that we have and is part of the renaissance of Southern University,” Chancellor Pierre said. “It’s a beautiful location. You can have wonderful events. Students enjoy it as well. Alumnireallyenjoythisspace.Wereallywant tohavefolksfeelthattheyarewelcomehere.” ChancellorPierresaidthisyear’sLacumba’s LaircelebrationcoincideswithaSouthernvs. Alcorn State game that will recognize both universities as 1890 land grant institutions thatplayedakeyroleindemocratizinghigher educationintheUnitedStates.Militaryservice will also be highlighted throughout the day’s activities, and attendees are encouraged to wear camouflage in recognition of veterans

and military families. “Southern has had an instrumental part in the history of military leadership in this country, with notable contributions from General Russell Honore, General Jude Patin, to name a few,” he said. Special recognition on game day will be given to the Six Triple Eight Battalion, the only all-Black, all-female U.S. Army unit deployed overseas during World War II. The unit’s mission was to deliver U.S. military mail throughout England and France, including thousands of pieces that had gone undelivered for up to two years. Chancellor Pierre said the relatives of one surviving 6888th servicewoman will be in attendance at the game. TwotickettiersareavailableforLacumba’s Lair. The Lair Experience is $80 per guest and includes a curated meal, drinks (complimentaryandviaacashbar),livemusic,aphoto activation station and open lounge seating. The Premium Lair Experience is $200 per guest and includes everything with The Lair Experience, as well as early entry, access to a VIP lounge, exclusive snacks, additional beverage tickets and options, dedicated hospitality attendants and an exclusive commemorative gift. Purchase your Lacumba’s Lair ticket online now at https://foundation.sus.edu/ lacumbas-lair/. Football game tickets are sold separately and are available online at www.gojagsports.com, by calling (225) 771-3171, or at the Southern Jaguars ticket office on campus.

SCAN TO WATCH

20A ■ Sunday, November 8, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

lll

Buy a Hormel Ham & Get a Free Turkey (Up to 12lbs free)

Buy a HORMEL® CURE 81® Spiral Sliced Ham at $2.99/ lb and get a FREE Butterball Grade A Frozen Turkey. Limit 1 per customer. $25 minimum purchase required. Purchase of ham is included in $25. In store only. Not valid on delivery orders.

ACCEPTED IN-STORE AND ONLINE! SNAP/EBT is accepted in-store and online for Curbside Pickup and for delivery through Instacart, DoorDash, and UberEats.

SAVE $ 19 2

SAVE $ 82 1

SAVE $ 11 11 LB

PER PACK

LB

— ONLY —

— ONLY —

58

SOLD IN A 10 LB PACK FROZEN

¢ LB

17

$

USDA PRIME

Whole Beef Tenderloin

Chicken Leg Quarters

LIMIT 3

8 LB BAG

IN A SAVE SOLD 4 LB BAG @ $19.96 EACH WILD-CAUGHT $ 11 3 41/50 Count

Pro-Health Russet Potatoes

2

$ 88

— ONLY —

88

LB

Boston Butt Pork Roast COUNTRY STYLE

Pork Ribs or Pork Steaks PODS SAVE 10OR-1012-COUNT 12 OZ BAG $ 10 03 Community Coffee

4

PREFERRED

gulf coast Local

Holidays

SAVE 14.25 - 15.25 OZ SELECTED SAVE up up $ 00 Del Monte $ 00 to1 to 6 Vegetables

5

LB

PARTNER

LB

LB

GREEN BEANS, CORN OR SWEET PEAS

$ 99

$ 99 taste of the

1

$ 47

PER BAG

Headless Local Gulf Brown Shrimp

1

$ 17

TWIN PACK

99

¢

Louisiana Local

Saturday, Nov 14th • 10am-2pm

AT ALL STORES!

Join us for free samples of Rouse family recipes and festive holiday treats. Celebrate the season with us!

SAVE $ 00 1

SAVE up $ 98 to 4 When You Buy 2

2 LB BAG DARLING

Easy Peel Mandarins

6

2/$

SAVE up $ 35 to 5

$ 99

11 OZ

$ 99

Organic Girl Salad

Cindy’s Organic Dressing

SAVE up $ 47 to 12

When You Buy 3

5

10 OZ CLAMSHELL

5

8

3/$

Simply Snacks or Rold Gold Pretzels

Traditional Dinner PREFERRED

PARTNER

10

3/$ Coke, Sprite, 6 PACK HALF LITERS

HOLIDAY DINNERS! Holiday sides included

2 lbs. Cornbread Dressing 10-12 lb.* Oven Roasted Turkey (Serves 4-6) 2 lbs. Green Bean Casserole 10-12 lb.* Cajun Turkey (Serves 4-6) 2 lbs. Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes 1 pint Turkey Gravy 16-18 lb.* Oven Roasted Turkey (Serves 6-8) 1 pint Cranberry Orange Relish 10-12 lb.* Spiral Ham (Serves 4-6) 12 ct. Dinner Rolls 2.5 lb.* Small Turkey Breast (Serves 3-4) *Weight before cooking. • All dinners are sold as ‘Heat and Eat’ • Food will not be hot when picked up. Dinners take 1 to 2 hours to reheat—Instructions included with dinners.

Choose a ham or turkey:

When You Buy 3

4.5 - 6 OZ BAG

NOW TAKING ORDERS FOR

Barq’s or Coke Zero

additional holiday sides

Spinach Madeline Cornbread Dressing Oyster Bienville Dressing Shrimp & Mirliton Dressing Cranberry Orange Relish Sweet Potato Casserole Green Bean Casserole

Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes Corn Pudding Macaroni & Cheese Dirty Rice Dressing Turkey Gravy Carrot Soufflé

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon Crawfish Cornbread Dressing

largest selection & lowest prices on wine, spirits & beer 92 POINTS

17

Abita, Heineken,$ 12 PACK 12 OZ

99

Corona or Modelo

38

99

19

99

Jack Daniel’s $ 1.75 LITER

Whiskey

750 ML

14

$

99

Erath Pinot Noir or John Sloat Napa Cabernet

750 ML SELECTED

Kim Crawford Wine

$

11

99

15

99

8

$ 99

1.5 LITER SELECTED

Woodbridge Wine

10oz Rouses Bourbon Infused Cocktail Cherries

4

$ 99

750 ML

25

$

99

Elijah Craig Small Batch Bourbon or Bailey’s Liqueur

750 ML

Sazerac Rye

$

750 ML

Svedka Vodka

9

$ 99 Miller Lite,

15 PACK ALUMINUM PINTS

$

Coors Light, Coors Banquet or Yuengling

5 LITER KEG

Dos Equis or Heineken

19 99

$

Prices good at New Orleans, Gretna, Kenner, Metairie, Marrero, Slidell, Mandeville, Covington, Baton Rouge, Zachary, Gonzales and Prairieville locations November 4th thru November 11th, 2026.

BATON ROUGE • ASCENSION • LIVINGSTON • FELICIANAS WEST BATON ROUGE • TANGIPAHOA • IBERVILLE

METRO

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

|

S U N D AY, N OV E M B E R 8, 2026

1BN

Incoming CEO shares economic vision

Paige Carter to prioritize BR collaboration with New Orleans BY IANNE SALVOSA Staff writer

STAFF PHOTOS BY MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU President Wade Rousse presents an LSU football helmet to Melania Trump, first lady of the United States, at Patrick F. Taylor Hall on Saturday. Trump announced a new partnership with LSU to provide scholarships to students who have been in foster care.

First lady fosters the future with LSU

Melania Trump launches $7.2M endowment fund at LSU-Alabama game BY HALEY MILLER Staff writer

First lady Melania Trump visited the LSU campus on Saturday before the LSUAlabama football game to announce a $7.2 million endowment fund that will provide scholarships to students who have been in foster care. Wearing a cropped brown jacket and a cream silk skirt, Trump stepped onto a small stage in the engineering school a little over an hour before kickoff as “Eye of the Tiger” blared. She spoke to an audience of donors and university officials about the new partnership with LSU and her national “Fostering the Future” campaign. The LSU-Alabama matchup represented 23 scholars who belong to the program — LSU has 14, while Alabama has nine, she said. “LSU defines excellence,” Trump said. “Your high standard starts in the classroom, amplifies on the football field and shapes America’s future leaders. Thank you for welcoming me to Baton Rouge for one of this year’s biggest college football games.”

Recipients of Melania Trump’s Be Best program and local donors take the field to announce a $5 million donation during LSU’s game against Alabama on Saturday. Trump stayed to watch the highly an- a giant check made out to the Fostering ticipated showdown from a suite in Tiger the Future campaign, while the first lady Stadium. In the early minutes of the first was displayed smiling on the jumbotron. quarter, student recipients of the scholarä See SCHOLARSHIP, page 2B ship stood on the field to be presented with

The new leader of the Greater Baton Rouge Economic Partnership says she wants to bring back the “super region.” Paige Carter, 36, chief business development officer of Louisiana Economic Development, will take over as president and CEO of the Capital Region’s economic development organization starting in January. Coming off two years with the state, a period during which major companies have announced multibillion dollar investments in Louisiana, Carter said Carter she wants to unite the Baton Rouge and New Orleans areas through a formal super region to become a more formidable competitor for future investments. “We see the role of really strong collaboration and what it can do to transcend the state of Louisiana to higher heights,” Carter said. Her priorities are to invest in the expansion and retention of existing companies, connect parishes within the Capital Region, develop infrastructure attractive to investment, and aligning and executing goals with the seven other regional economic development organizations across Louisiana. She said specific goals based on the four priorities will be planned out after a series of listening tour meetings with a list of stakeholders compiled by her team when she formally begins her role. The Partnership, as one of the state’s eight regional economic development organizations, acts as a liaison between local businesses and the state for talent attraction and retention initiatives. The organization and LED often work hand in hand, and they are collaborating to create a business incubator in the Nicholson Drive corridor. Carter said she plans to bring back the “super region,” the Capital and Greater New Orleans regions linked by The Partnership and Greater New Orleans Inc. A decade ago, business leaders in the region said the combined power of

ä See PARTNERSHIP, page 2B

West Feliciana Parish Redistricting issues raise questions for Elijah Lewis despite election win president considering end to ethics battle Late records update WEST FELICIANA SCHOOL BOARD

leaves District 7 winner in District 1

BY GIGI LIMAN Staff writer

Elijah Lewis spent months campaigning to represent District 7 on the West Feliciana Parish School Board, meeting voters and knocking on more than 700 doors across the parish. The 75-year-old businessman, pastor and former Department of Corrections warden said he entered the race at the suggestion of community members. Lewis said he also received the support of Sara Wilson-Rogers, the current District 7 board member, who is stepping down after decades in the role. After qualifying in August, he received a list of voters in his district from the parish Registrar of Voters Office and began campaigning door-to-door. Then, the

day before early voting began, he learned he was no longer registered in District 7. The last-minute change was a result of redistricting. West Feliciana underwent redistricting in 2022, much like the rest of the state. But the parish registrar’s office, which manages voter registration and oversees elections, had failed to update the electronic voter registration records to reflect the new districts. As a result, hundreds of residents, including Lewis, remained assigned to districts in which they no longer lived years after the maps took effect. On Tuesday, Lewis won the election for District 7. The Democrat beat two Republican competitors, earning 53% of the vote. His victory, however, has left the parish facing an unusual legal question: Can he take office and represent a district where he does not live? The registrar worked to correct the records after learning of the problem, according to West Felici-

ana Clerk of Court Stewart Hughes. Having the records corrected was vital to securing the election’s integrity, but it also left Lewis unable to vote for himself in the race he had spent months trying to win. The move left Lewis on the ballot in District 7, even though he was registered to vote in District 1. Now that he has won, the question is whether Lewis can serve as a representative for a district in which he doesn’t live — and whether anyone will try to unseat him. Louisiana law requires school board members to live in the district they represent. During the qualifying period, a challenge to Lewis’s residency could have removed him from the ballot as a District 7 candidate. Now that he has won, can someone still challenge his eligibility? “It brings up a lot of interesting legal arguments that I don’t believe have been addressed,” said Louisiana ethics lawyer Alesia Ardoin.

ä See QUESTIONS, page 2B

a state statute by particiBoard of Ethics offers violated pating in negotiations for ground between a riverboat cruise option to settle, fine leases line and the parish government

BY BLAKE LESCHBER Staff writer

West Feliciana Parish President Kenny Havard is considering pleading no contest and paying a fee to wrap up a three-year battle over an alleged ethics violation. Havard said Friday the Louisiana Board of Ethics offered to settle the matter by having him plead no contest and pay a $2,500 fine. He said he is weighing his Havard options after his counsel advised him to consider the offer. The Ethics Board said Havard

while his son’s catering company had an economic interest in having ships dock in St. Francisville. Chuck Spillman, a St. Francisville resident who ran for parish president against Havard in 2023 but lost in a landslide, filed the complaint in fall 2023. Formal charges were filed against Havard on Oct. 13, 2025. In September 2020, American Cruise Lines and West Feliciana Parish entered into a 10-year docking lease, which was signed by Havard. The cruise line agreed to dock at the St. Ferdinand Street Landing in St. Francisville and pay $10,000 to the parish for the lease. In March 2023, the cruise line

ä See ETHICS, page 2B

2B n Sunday, November 8, 2026 n theadvocate.com n The Advocate

lll

Country music stars to headline two-day March rodeo event schedule for 2027. ence into a stadium for two days, Jason Aldean, Treaty 19-stop Aldean will headline Friday, with Jason Aldean and Treaty Oak 5, with Treaty Oak Revival Revival leading the lineup. We’re Oak Revival to perform March performing Saturday, March 6. giving fans a reason to make a at Battle in the Boot Additional performers include weekend of it.”

BY KRISTIN ASKELSON Staff writer

Country music star Jason Aldean and Texas band Treaty Oak Revival will headline a two-day event combining live music, bull riding and other rodeo competitions at Lourdes Stadium in Lafayette in March. The event, called Battle in the Boot, will take place March 5-6 as part of the 2027 Bulls, Bands & Barrels national tour. It will mark the first stadium event for the touring rodeo and country music production, which announced a

Lauren Alaina and Fox N’ Vead. The event will feature bull riding, barrel racing and freestyle bullfighting alongside live country music performances. Bulls, Bands & Barrels typically combines rodeo competitions and concerts into a three-hour arena show. The Lafayette event will expand the format to a two-day stadium production, with hotel packages, RV parking and tailgating options available for attendees. “The music matters as much as what happens in the dirt,” said Hunter Price, founder and CEO of Bulls, Bands & Barrels. “Lafayette takes that whole experi-

Fans also can purchase addons, including pit passes for access near the concert stage and behind-the-chutes tours offering a look at the rodeo operations and opportunities to meet competitors and crew members. Presale registration is available at bullsbandsandbarrels.com. Presales for select tour dates begin Thursday with public ticket sales beginning Friday. Additional ticketing details for certain tour stops will be announced later. Email Kristin Askelson at kaskelson@theadvocate.com.

strict time limit established by the election code, Ardoin said. “I think it’s a slippery slope to create these workarounds to the election code,” Ardoin said. “There’s a reason for those time limits: Seven days from qualifying, you have a hearing within 72 hours, you go to the Court of Appeal. It’s all done very quickly, and that is for a very important public purpose.”

line payments for the experience were made to Ferdinand Catering — a St. Francisville company solely owned by Davis Havard. Between Sept. 29, 2023, and May 31, 2024, the cruise line made payments to the catering company owned by Havard’s son in the amount of $254,348. This amount included the passenger cost and alcohol, which Ferdinand billed separately. Additionally, based on the 10year docking lease, the cruise line paid $22,941 in docking fees to the parish, according to the document.

Public servants are not allowed administrator for the board, said to participate in a transaction there is no timeline for resolution involving their government en- at this time. tity when they know a member of their immediate family has a substantial economic interest, acLOTTERY cording to a state statute. FRIDAY, NOV. 6, 2026 In April 2025, the board filed the PICK 3: 9-9-8 ethics violation charge against PICK 4: 1-9-3-0 Havard. The punishment if a government official is found in violaPICK 5: 8-4-0-2-1 tion of the law includes a censure MEGA MILLIONS: of the official and/or a fine of 27-34-44-53-64 $10,000. MEGA BALL: 1 The Board of Ethics met this week and will next meet on Dec. Unofficial notification, keep your tickets. 3 and 4. David Bordelon, ethics

STAFF PHOTO BY MICHAEL JOHNSON

complaints, and he said he has not been contacted about the matter Continued from page 1B since the before the election. Neither of Lewis’s opponents, Laura Bryan and Donna Gibbon, Ardoin said a challenge could both Republicans, responded to come from a resident of either requests for comment. Even if someone were to file a District 7 or 1. According to state law, a resident would have to file a complaint, Ardoin said it is not written complaint with the district clear it would succeed. Challenges attorney’s office. District Attorney to elected officials based on their Bruce Dodd is not aware of any residency are typically made dur-

ETHICS

Continued from page 1B manager reached out to Havard and his son, Davis Havard, about a proposal the younger Havard had pitched in 2022. The proposal suggested giving cruise guests the “Cochon de Lait” dining experience, which would charge $60 per person for 125 guests or $115 per person for 35 guests. After the proposal, the cruise line offered the “Cochon de Lait” experience, held at nearby res-

taurant The Oyster Bar. If a passenger booked the experience, the cruise line would pay for it, and the passenger would pay back the cruise line. The Oyster Bar is a membermanaged restaurant on St. Ferdinand Street, located about a quarter-mile from the dock. Havard is a member of the bar, and his son is a member-manager. In September 2023, the Parish Council authorized Havard to enter into negotiations about a new ground lease with the cruise line. According to a Board of Ethics charge document, all cruise

Instant shade at the touch of a button.

Call 1-888-901-3002 now to

‘A sense of belonging’

ing the race for the seat, within the seven days following the qualifying period. If a candidate’s eligibility is not challenged then, their candidacy remains valid, even if they do not meet all the requirements. Revisiting a candidate’s eligibility after they have already been elected, long past the seven days following the qualifying period, could create a way around the

Continued from page 1B

QUESTIONS

Baton Rouge and New Orleans would make the state more formidable against competitors like Houston. Leaders at the time dreamed of connecting the two cities via railroad and visited Phoenix-Tucson and Tampa-Orlando to learn how the metro areas worked together. Carter said Louisiana companies that operate in both regions such as FMOL Health and Dow could benefit from the regional economic development organizations working together. “We are not in competition with one another for projects,” Carter said of Baton Rouge and New Orleans. “We need to look at our role as regional economic developers the same way our large industrials look across the state of Louisiana.”

company founded by LSU alum Chris Calandro. “How incredible is this?” Rousse said to the crowd about Trump being there. “I need to pinch myself.” Trump’s foster care initiative began in 2021 and has partnered with 26 colleges and universities, according to the White House. “My vision was clear: Every young person from foster care should have the chance to build an extraordinary life,” Trump said. “Education is the center of that plan. A great education does more than prepare someone for work life; it gives something no one can ever take away.”

Melania Trump, first lady of the United States, talks about the Be Best program at Patrick F. Taylor Hall on Saturday.

students who have experienced the turbulence of the foster care system. “There is nothing more powerful we can give a young person than a world-class education,” the first lady said. “As adults, we have a moral obligation to our children, especially those in foster care. But as you know, we must act to truly make a difference. The foster care community doesn’t need words.” LSU presented Trump with several gifts onstage, including a jersey with her name emblazoned on the back. Ed Orgeron, or “Coach O,” handed her a special football designed by Big Game USA, a

Continued from page 1B

cially proud of the team she built at the agency. Other accomplishments include leading the creation of the Ratepayer & Community Protection Framework, which requires data center companies looking to enter the Pelican State to detail how they will contribute jobs and tax dollars without damaging the power grid or utility rates, and helping craft the state’s energy strategy. She applauds The Partnership’s efforts to bolster the workforce in the Baton Rouge area, like the Better in BTR campaign, which aims to retain local college graduates, and increasing job opportunities by attracting projects like the Hyundai-POSCO steel mill in Ascension Parish, which is expected to create 1,300 direct jobs. The Capital Region is seeing slight upticks in population, outpacing state and national trends in population growth. It is expected to lead the state in job growth, with 16,500 new jobs projected for the next two years, according to economist Loren Scott. “We need to see ourselves as a convener and ultimately a support mechanism to all of the region on behalf of the state,” Carter said of the Capital Region.

Carter said she loves the “stickiness” of the Baton Rouge area, and how the members of the community lift up one another. It is a value she plans to bring to the table as head of The Partnership, saying the region has a responsibility to make the planned megaprojects a reality for the whole state. For example, Baton Rouge-based MMR Group is performing the electrical work for the Meta data center in Richland Parish, she said, and much of the concrete is coming from businesses in Livingston Parish. Fortifying the businesses in the Capital Region, especially in the industrial sector, will ensure the state meets the demand from major construction projects, she said. “We fuel the world, we feed the world, but we fabricate the world,” Carter said. Originally from Peoria, Arizona, she moved to Louisiana in 2013 to attend LSU Shreveport for her Master of Business Administration after earning a bachelor’s in political science from Arizona State University. She lives in Baton Rouge with her husband, David Carter, a principal at consulting firm Emergent Method, and their two children. “Ultimately, we have a sense of belonging that my success is someone else’s success and theirs is mine,” Carter said. Carter said her current two-year stint at LED has been one of the most rewarding professional experiences in her life, and she is espe-

SCHOLARSHIP MMR Group, an electrical and instrumentation contractor based in Baton Rouge, contributed $5 million to establish the endowment. “We’re honored to be part of the program that recognizes the importance of creating opportunities for young people and helping them have a bright future,” said James “Pepper” Rutland, CEO of MMR Group. Seventy-five LSU donors supplied an additional $2.2 million to bring the total fund to $7.2 million, which will provide roughly $200,000 every year, LSU system President Wade Rousse said. The scholarships will help with tuition, fees, books and room and board, Rousse said. “At LSU, we believe talent is everywhere, but we understand that opportunity is not,” Rousse said. “That is why access is one of our highest priorities. Students who have experienced foster care have already demonstrated tremendous resilience, determination and potential.” Trump said the funding provides an “anchor of stability” for

PARTNERSHIP

Enjoy more quality time with family and friends. Up to 10-Year Limited Warranty.

Developing Louisiana business Carter started her career at LED as an associate project manager in 2013, eventually moving up the ranks to director of business development. In 2018, she began working for the LSU Foundation’s Office of Industry Engagement, tasked with fostering relationships between the university, the foundation and industry. Carter returned to LED in 2024 to work under LED Secretary Susan Bourgeois as the agency underwent restructuring, which eliminated two top positions and appointed a committee to devise a long-term plan for the agency. Bourgeois also introduced a slew of new executive roles, which included Carter’s. LED adopted a mission of “positioning Louisiana to win,” scoring high-profile projects including Meta’s Hyperion data center in Richland Parish and the SpaceX launchpad in Vermillion Parish. In the process, existing Louisiana businesses, particularly in manufacturing, responded with expansions attributed to increased demand from the large-scale projects elsewhere in the state. Email Ianne Salvosa at ianne. salvosa@theadvocate.com.

For now, the School Board results stand. Before the election, Lewis said the late change in his registration had left him disappointed in the process. “I know how my grandfather and my father must have felt when they went to sign up to register to vote and they were denied the right to vote in the ’50s and the ’60s,” Lewis said.

Safety that lets you enjoy the little things. Call Now to Redeem Over $230 in Savings!

1 (855) 949-5044

lll

Funerals Today Stevens, Richard

Deerford Methodist Church, 10393 Greenwell Springs Port Hudson Rd., Zachary at 2:00pm.

Obituaries Barney, Edith Ann d'Aquin

Ann Barney leaves a path of love, friendship, and positive influence that inspires all who knew her. Ann was born in Baton Rouge in June 1938. She often described her cozy, supportive childhood where she learned to appreciate all life had to offer. She loved going with her parents to Third Street to see movies and to York, Alabama and New Orleans to spend time with her extended families. Ann graduated from Baton Rouge High School in 1956. She studied at Texas State College for Women (now Texas Women's University) and then at LSU where she was a member of the Delta Zeta sorority. She loved to learn and went back to LSU in the early 1980s to study French. She served on the PTO at Magnolia Woods Elementary School, as a Docent at the Rural Life Museum, and on the Care Committee at University United Methodist Church. She worked for years as a manufacturer's representative in the lawn and garden business in the family's 5-B Enterprises, Inc. Most of all, Ann loved people. Family was the most important thing to her. She lived her values and instilled them by example. She was a wonderful wife, mother, mother-in -law, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She was "Nanann" to her grandchildren and greatgranddaughter and to many others. Everywhere she went, she built relationships and friendships. She cherished her friends and turned strangers into friends as fast as she could. Ann was incredibly curious, active and well-rounded. She loved reading, tennis, yoga, walking, music, cooking, sewing, hunting, football, pets, movies, tv shows, news, parties, and especially conversation. She marveled at nature and thrived in the yard; she was always planting, weeding, digging, tending her bird feeders and chatting with whoever passed by. She loved to travel, especially to Paris, and had been to every continent except Antarctica and Australia. Ann thought life experiences had so much to offer, and she embraced them. With her boundless energy, she created wonderful experiences for so many. She also created places for those experiences to happen. A welcoming home with a large table where she cooked delicious, abundant meals. A beloved family Farm (complete with a rustic Chapel) where she shared her love of family, the outdoors, comradery, planning the next project, freedom to roam or sit, good times around the bonfire built by her favorite exercise "drag and burn," picking blueberries and vegetables that she called gifts from God, and visiting with her Farm neighbors. She was beautiful, kind, strong as nails, smart, disciplined, and determined—all with a smile on her face and an incredible disposition. Ann passed away peacefully surrounded by family and her beloved dog Lulu on October 30, 2026. She is survived by her sons Brent d'Aquin Barney (Ann), Scott Cameron Barney (Jane), and Charles Gordon Barney, Jr. (Dana); her grandchildren Cameron Barney Neumann (Michael), Catherine Elizabeth Barney, and Benjamin Joseph Barney; and her great-granddaughter Francine Blake Neumann. She leaves behind her beloved d'Aquin and Cameron cousins. She also leaves behind her many friends she loved so much- the BB's, the LaLa's, the Red Hats, neighbors (Rainford Rd, Mag Woods and the Farm), the Front Porch group, her yoga group, her Church groups, the "Frost-

ed Flakes" tennis team, her children's and grandchildren's families and friends who became her friends, and her sweet dog Lulu. She is preceded in death by her husband Charles Gordon Barney, Sr. ("Papa G"), her parents Joseph Henry d'Aquin, Jr. and Alice Frances "Jerry" d'Aquin, and her grandson Joseph Blake Barney. The family wishes to express deep gratitude to the MD Anderson Cancer Center for their excellent, individualized and compassionate care of Ann--giving her six years of happiness and adventure after her stage IV lung cancer diagnosis at age 82. Many thanks for Dr. Eric Singhi and his colleagues Linda Soy and Amy Wallace. As Ann would say, she put her life in Dr. Singhi's hands and he always tried to help her without harming her. Thanks to the incredible doctors and nurses at the MDA hospital who cared for her in the last weeks with extraordinary personal attention and the highest standards and who, of course, became her friends. A Memorial Service will be held Wednesday, November 25, 2026 at University United Methodist Church at 3350 Dalrymple Dr. in Baton Rouge, with visitation 10:30 a.m. to 12:00, service at 12:00 Noon, and a reception to follow in Fellowship Hall. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Angel Flight South Central, University United Methodist Church, St. Jude Children's Hospital, or the charity of your choice.

Charles, Robert 'Bob'

Robert "Bob" Charles went to meet his Lord and Savior on November 5, 2026, with his family by his side.A native of San Antonio, Texas, and a longtime resident of Prairieville, Louisiana, Robert worked as a lineman and high-voltage electrician. He served in the United States Army for four years and retired from Vulcan Chemicals after 25 years of service.He is survived by his loving wife of 61 years, Mary Jane Cedotal Charles.He is also survived by his three children, Larry Joseph Blanchard Jr. and spouse Stacie Benoit, Michelle G. Blanchard Braud and spouse Lynn Braud, and Rob D. Charles and fiancée Brandie Broussard. Grandchildren: Jessica Blanchard, Joey Braud and spouse Carrie Braud, Brittany Pete and spouse Ronnie Pete, Caitlin Stewart, Bree McCrory, and Rani Charles.Great-grandchildren: Brayden, Nathan, Maci Braud, Greyce, Remy Pete, Liam, and Aaron Stewart.Brother: Edward Charles.He was preceded in death by his parents, Hector and Alicia Charles, and his brothers, Harry Charles and Dennis Charles.

Courtney, Elizabeth Hardy

Beth Hardy Courtney, an award-winning and visionary leader in public broadcasting who for 38 years guided Louisiana Public Broadcasting as its President and CEO, died on Friday morning, October 30, 2026, at the age of 81, after a lengthy illness. Born in Shreveport to Lieutenant General John Spencer Hardy of Logansport and Virginia Doyle Hardy of Shreveport, Beth grew up in a U.S. Air Force family, moving every two or three years around the country and around the world, everywhere but Louisiana. One of those moves - between Honolulu and Biloxi - led her to skip the tenth grade. When it came time to choose a college, her parents suggested she "discover her roots" in Louisiana, a phrase Beth and her brothers would joke for years was code for in-state tuition. In 1962, at the age of seventeen, she arrived at LSU knowing no one, having never lived in the state, with sorority rush looming and no air-

conditioning in the dormitories. It sounds like the beginning of a story that ends badly. It was quite the opposite. Beth meets every experience with enthusiasm, curiosity, tenacity, and her beautiful smile. At LSU, she pledged Chi Omega, served as President of the Panhellenic Council, was inducted into Mortar Board, and cofounded Scotch Guard. She took classes from the historian T. Harry Williams, student taught at the LSU Laboratory School and earned a bachelor's degree in secondary education in 1966 and a master's degree in European history in 1973. She joined University United Methodist Church as a student, sang in its choir for decades, and, as a testament to how completely she loved Louisiana, never moved again. Beth began her career as a capitol correspondent and went on to spend 47 years in public broadcasting, in Louisiana and on the national stage. In 1984 she was appointed President and CEO of Louisiana Public Broadcasting (LPB), becoming one of the first women in the country to lead a statewide public broadcasting network. She held that position until her retirement in 2022. Under her leadership, LPB navigated remarkable changes in technology, from transmitter towers to satellites, digitization, and streaming. Her ability to anticipate a rapidly shifting broadcast landscape kept quality programming on the air in Louisiana and allowed LPB to serve the entire state in times of disaster and celebration. Among the countless programs, services, and documentaries she created and oversaw, one that was especially meaningful to her was Louisiana: A History. A beautifully told story of the state, featuring noted historians, culture bearers, and a wide range of leaders and characters, it was released during the Louisiana Bicentennial celebration with lesson plans for educators, a companion book, and online materials for schoolchildren and lifelong learners alike. Louisianans also knew Beth as a trusted public presence. She moderated 13 gubernatorial debates and six U.S. Senate debates and co-hosted nine gubernatorial inaugurations. Nationally, she was appointed and elected to the highest levels of leadership: Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Vice-Chair of the Board of PBS, Chair of the Organization of State Broadcasting Executives, and Chair of the National Educational Telecommunications Association. She was often recruited to take her skills elsewhere. Fortunately, for all of us, she chose to stay in Louisiana. Her honors were many. They included the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities (2016); Broadcaster of the Year from the Louisiana Association of Broadcasters (2020); the Robert B. Hamm Award from the Council for a Better Louisiana (2021); the Daniel K. Miller Leadership Award from PBS (2022); the John W. Barton, Sr. Excellence in Nonprofit Award from the Baton Rouge Area Foundation (2017); the Distinguished Service Award from the Organization of State Broadcast Executives; Broadcaster of the Year from American Women in Radio & Television (1988); and Communicator of the Year from the Public Relations Association of Louisiana (1983). She was named a Woman of Achievement by the YWCA (1991), inducted into the Louisiana Center for Women in Government Hall of Fame (1999), honored as a Baton Rouge Area Volunteer Activist by the Emerge Center (2007), presented the Lafcadio Hearn Award by Chef John Folse for her contributions to the culinary industry (2015), and honored as a Woman of Distinction by the Girl Scouts of Louisiana (2019). She received the 2020 Alumni Achievement Award from the National Mortar Board Honor Society, the Nell Mitchell Doughty Lifetime Achievement Award (2022), honorary doctorates from Southeastern Louisiana University and Centenary College, and the title of Louisiana Legend from the Friends of Louisiana Public Broadcasting (2022). In 2024 she was inducted into the LSU Alumni Association Hall of Distinction. Beth was as devoted to her friends and her community as she was to her profession. A generous philanthropist and an insightful board member, she served on countless nonprofit boards. Many of her friendships were organized, hapil i t l b d i

pily, into clubs and organizations: an investment club (BWB), a study club (Les Jeune Dames), a dance club (La Fiesta), a book club (Junior League Sustainers), the Rotary Club of Baton Rouge, the Press Club, the City Club, the Bocage Racquet Club, the Chi Omega Alumnae Club, PAR, and CABL, along with a bridge club of more than fifty years' standing that, by family count, had not actually played bridge in at least forty of them. And, though it was not an official club, every Sunday she joined "the ladies" at Mary Terrell Joseph's house, to walk around the LSU lakes and sort out the issues of the day. She was a frequent and much-loved guest lecturer in the LSU School of Mass Communication and the LSU School of Business, and she delivered the commencement address at two colleges. She reigned as Queen of the Mystic Krewe of Achilles Mardi Gras Ball, and she and Bob absolutely enjoyed hamming it up in the Achilles tableau, in the annual Gridiron show, and at gatherings of friends and family that usually ended with singing and laughter around the family piano. Beth was a season ticketholder for LSU football, but she was every bit as enthusiastic about lectures, concerts, and exhibits. She loved the performing arts, musicals above all, and was equally at home at the Kennedy Center and the River Center, at JazzFest and FestForAll, with her brother George at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion in Balboa Park and with her brother John at the Boston premiere of A Confederacy of Dunces, at the Rolling Stones' concert in New Orleans, Joan Baez's performance at the Red Dragon Listening Room, countless shows on Broadway, and at her grandchildren's performances at church and school. She adored travel, whether for work or with friends and family. Highlights include European adventures with college friends and with the grandchildren; Prague, Budapest, Ireland, India, San Miguel de Allende, Spain, Morocco, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Canada; multiple trips to France, Italy, Highlands, Hawaii, and the UK (tea at Highclere Castle!); parents' weekends at Vanderbilt University; and her beloved beach house in Perdido Key. Beth especially loved visiting her brothers wherever they happened to be, from San Diego, Palm Springs, and Romania to San Francisco, Los Angeles, Pasadena, Boston, and Rome. And what a grandmother she was! Beth attended tennis matches; cross country and track meets; baseball, ftb ll b k tb ll

The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Sunday, November 8, 2026 ■ 3B

softball, basketball, lacrosse, and football games; performances, concerts, and academic awards ceremonies, and she took her grandchildren on the most extraordinary trips all over the country and all over the world. Every aspect of Beth's story, from the professional to the personal, bore the same marks of enthusiasm, curiosity, determination, leadership, a love for family and friendships, and an unmatched joy for life. Beth was preceded in death by her parents, Lieutenant General John Spencer Hardy and Virginia Doyle Hardy. She is survived by her husband of 43 years, Bob Courtney; her daughter, Julia George Moore (Tommy); her grandchildren, Andrew Hardy Moore and Virginia Elizabeth Moore; her brothers, John Hardy of Baton Rouge and George Hardy of San Diego, California; and her stepsiblings, Virginia Hendrick Haddad (Joey) and Dr. Robert Hendrick (Jackie) of Monroe, Louisiana. She is also survived by Bob's children, Jason Courtney (Gayleen), Joel Courtney (Jill), and Chris Courtney, step-grandchildren Cooper, Olivia, Owen and Ethan and step-great granddaughter Violet. A celebration of Beth Courtney's extraordinary life will be held on Tuesday, November 24, 2026, at University United Methodist Church, 3550 Dalrymple Drive, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Visitation will begin at 9:30 a.m., with a memorial service to follow at 11 a.m. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Foundation for Excellence in Louisiana Public Broadcasting or University United Methodist Church. The entire family expresses their deepest gratitude to Tammi Nicholas for her four years of devoted, loving care. We are also deeply grateful for sitter Eleanor Faust who faithfully read scripture and prayed with Beth every evening.

Gerace, Norma Ford 'Tiny'

Rouge on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, at 10:00, followed by a funeral service at 11:00 a.m. Tiny was the model of unconditional love as wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She never missed an opportunity to give a compliment and a smile, or to point out an educational opportunity, no matter how obscure. Norma was preceded in death by her parents, Leroy and Ethel Jean Ford; her beloved husband of 54 years, Col. Joseph Gerace; brother, Frank M. Ford; and sister Dorothy Jean "Dot" Ford Gallman. She is survived by two daughters, Virginia "Ginny" Benoist (Paul) of Natchez, and Mary Kay Gerace of Baton Rouge; grandchildren Mary Turner Benoist Dawkins, Joseph "Joe" Carleton, and John Carleton; great-grandchildren Katherine and Walt Dawkins; her brother John C. Ford (Beryl) of Leesville. On the Ford side of her family, she is survived by two nephews Darryl Hinson and Daniel Ford; one niece, Sarah Ford Belsha; one great-niece, Hillary Hinson; and three greatnephews, Ian, Ethan, and Matthew Belsha. On the Gerace side, she was the last of her generation, and is survived by many Gerace, Culotta, Pepe, and Youngblood nieces and nephews, great and greatgreat. Norma was born and raised in Leesville, Louisiana, and remained a proud Wampus Cat of Leesville High School to the very end. She received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Zoology from Louisiana Tech University, and a Master's Degree in Education from LSU. She began her career in science as a registered medical laboratory technologist with the U.S. Department of Defense (where she met her husband, then-Captain Joseph Gerace), and later, with the Baton Rouge General Hospital, and the Department of Agriculture's Diagnostic Laboratory. She assisted in the autopsy on LSU's first Mike the Tiger. In 1958, Norma began a 30-year teaching career at Baton Rouge High, teaching high school and A.P. biology to thousands of students. Because of her de-

Norma Evelyn "Tiny" Ford Gerace passed away peacefully on October 30, 2026, after 96 years of a life fully lived. Visitation will be held at First United Methodist Church of Baton

Expl ore

LOUISIANA STATE P PARKS PLAN YOUR NEXT STAY AT

LAStateParks.com Lake Claiborne Lake D’Arbonne

Chemin-A-Haut

Lake Bistineau

Poverty Point WHS

Poverty Point Reservoir Black Bear Golf Club Mansfield

Winter Quarters Jimmie Davis

Lake Bruin

North Toledo Bend Rebel

Fort St.Jean Baptiste

Fort Jesup

Los Adaes Forts Randolph & Buhlow

South Toledo Bend

Chicot Louisiana State Arboretum

Locust Grove Centenary Rosedown Plantation Audubon

Bogue Chitto

Port Hudson

Plaquemine Lock

Sam Houston Jones

Tickfaw

Fairview-Riverside Fontainebleau

Longfellow-Evangeline Palmetto Island

Lake Fausse Pointe Cypremort Point

State Parks

Golf Club

State Historic Sites

World Heritage Site

Louisiana State Arboretum

Bayou Segnette St. Bernard

Grand Isle

4B ■ Sunday, November 8, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

termination to secure grants from private foundations, her students benefitted from one of the finest equipped biology labs in the school system, such that every student had an assigned microscope. She co-founded the Jr. Academy of Sciences and the Honors Science Club International Science Fairs. Because she believed in finding an educational opportunity in every moment, she led many student groups on science field trips in the U.S., Caribbean, Europe, and North Africa, sparking a travel bug in nearly every young participant. She was tremendously gratified -even proud -- to know that her guidance inspired many students to pursue careers in science and medicine. After retirement, she began her day with people to see and places to go, dressed to hit the street. She and Joe traveled throughout the U.S. and to every continent except Antarctica. She was a member of Delta Zeta Sorority, Delta Kappa Gamma, Daughters of the American Revolution, U.S. Daughters of 1812, Colonial Dames of America XVII C, La. Colonials, La. Retired Teachers Assoc., EBR Retired Teachers, LeLivre Book Club, Military Officers Association of America Auxiliary, Military Order of World Wars, Board member of Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, and docent at Rural Life Museum and the Old State Capitol.

The family wishes to thank Dr. Louis Minsky and his kind staff; the wonderful staff of Southside Gardens Assisted Living, who never failed to care for our mother as their own, with patience, love, and devotion. She will reunite with her husband Col. Joseph Gerace at Arlington National Cemetery, in Washington D.C., Section 60, 60763.

Guitrau, John Darryl

A native of Lake, La and a resident of St. Amant, LA, he died Wednesday, November 4, 2026, surrounded by his loving family after the result of a hemorrhagic stroke. He was 78, born November 30, 1947. He was retired from ExxonMobil Refinery after 35 years of dedicated service. He also was a coach to many through SPI park, AYBA, Dixie Baseball, and Gonzales Lassie League. Darryl was a lifelong member of Holy Rosary Catholic Church. He is survived by his high school sweetheart and devoted wife, Gayle Laiche Guitrau; sons, Brice (Deedee), Ross; a daughter, Anna Templet (Coye), and a son in law, Ned Sheets; seven grandchildren, Tanner Sheets, Emily Ard (Shane), Grace Sheets, Caitlyn Boeding (Tyler), Madison Hebert (Alex), Collin and Cooper Templet; five great grandchildren, Charlie, Molly, Harrison, Sofia, and Evelyn; a brother, Don Guitrau (Christine); Godchildren, Sharon Neusetzer, Corey Guitrau, Katie Sheets, and a special niece, Kellie Gonzales. Darryl was a steadfast husband of 59 years and tennis partner to his wife and a loving and active father and pawpaw to his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. Darryl was proceeded in death by his daughter, Holly Sheets; parents, Donald and Doris Guitrau; and in laws, Alvin "Sonny Boy" and Isabell "Coon" Laiche. Visitation will be at Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Catholic Church, St. Amant, La on Wednesday, November 11, 2026 from 9am to 11am with Mass at 11 am with Father Huy and Deacon Jimmy Little. Interment to follow in church Cemetery. The family would like to extend their sincerest gratitude to St. Amant Fire Department responders, the staffs of St. Elizabeth Hospital, Our Lady of the Lake and Pinnacle Hospice for their prompt and efficient response and love and care. Also, special thanks to all of those that have provided meals, support, and prayers.

Jackson, Ronald 'R.L.'

lll

ly trip, a football game, or a card game around the table, he found joy in being together. Ellis was preceded in death by his parents, Sarah Price Johnson and Edward Ellis Johnson; his stepfather, John Thomas; and his sister, Cindy Johnson Fontenot.

Jackson, Ronald L. "R.L" August 15,1942- October 31, 2026. Services will be held on Friday, November 13th at Bethany World Prayer Center in Baker, LA Public Viewing: 9:00am Funeral Service: 11:00am Internment: 1:00pm at Louisiana National Cemetery in Zachary, LA Services are entrusted to Winnfield Funeral Home.

Johnson Jr., Ellis Edward

Ellis Edward Johnson, Jr. lived a life that took him from the football fields of Central, Louisiana, to the professional fields of the American Football League, and eventually back home to build a life rooted in family, faith, friendship, and the things he loved most. Born July 9, 1943, to Sarah Price Johnson and Edward Ellis Johnson, Ellis learned early in life what it meant to be independent. After his father passed away when Ellis was young, he became the man of the house, growing up alongside his two sisters. Even as a boy, he had a competitive streak that would follow him throughout his life. He loved a good game, and he loved to win. His sisters knew this well, often accusing him of bending the rules during pick-up-sticks and jacks. As he got older, he could often be found riding his scooter across Central to visit his girlfriend, Terry Morgan, who was not only his high school sweetheart, but also the love of his life. Ellis and Terry were married in 1962 at Blackwater United Methodist Church, where they were members until later moving their membership to Live Oak Church. What began as a young romance became a marriage rooted in faith that lasted 63 years, a family of three children, nine grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren. Ellis was a natural athlete with a particular love for football. After graduating from Central High School in 1961, where he was a running back on the Wildcats team, he continued playing at Southeastern Louisiana University for the Lions, and eventually earned a place in the school's Hall of Fame. His talent carried him to the professional level, where he was drafted in 1965 and went on to play for the Boston Patriots until 1968. But while football took him far from home, Ellis eventually returned to Louisiana, where he began a 54-year career as a State Farm insurance agent. He built a career serving others and spent decades establishing relationships throughout the community. His competitive spirit and love of adventure never faded when he left the football field. Ellis loved riding dirt bikes and racing Enduros, a passion he shared with his family. He enjoyed traveling across the country in his motorhome or his Harley Davidson , exploring new places and taking in the wildlife along the way. He was the kind of person who would notice an animal along the side of the road and make sure everyone else saw it, too. He loved coaching his son, playing cards with family and friends, and spending time with the people who meant the most to him. Above all, Ellis loved his family. He and Terry built a life together based on their Christian beliefs that grew into generations, and he took great pride in watching that family grow, and never missed a moment to say he hoped it kept growing! Whether it was time spent outdoors, a Sunday morning at church, a fami-

He is survived by his beloved wife of 63 years, Terry Morgan Johnson; his three children, Lori Johnson Larroquette (Jerry), Lisa Johnson Kastner (Andy), and Ellis "Eddy" Edward Johnson, III (Ashley); nine grandchildren, Morgan Kastner Almeida (Robinson), Austin Larroquette (Emilie), Jacob Larroquette (Lizzy), MaryClaire Johnson Jamil (Fahim), Aaron Kastner, Sarah Larroquette Coleman (Bryce), Haley Kastner, Ellis "Eli" Edward Johnson, IV, and Cate Johnson; six great-grandchildren, Margaret Coleman, Chloe Larroquette, Samuel Coleman, Noah Larroquette, Robinson "Sonny" Ellis Almeida, and Jude Jamil; and his sister, Linda Johnson Elenbaas. Ellis leaves behind a family shaped by his love, a lifetime of stories, and memories that will be told for generations. He will be remembered for the life he lived, the adventures he chased, the people he loved, and the family that will carry his legacy forward. Services for Ellis Johnson will be held on Monday, November 9, 2026 at Greenoaks Funeral Home, 9595 Florida Blvd., Baton Rouge, LA. Visitation will be from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Services will start at 1:30 p.m., with interment and a reception to follow immediately afterwards. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in his honor to St. Jude Children's Hospital at stjude.org or Live Oak Church Student Ministry at liveoak.church.

Jones Jr., Fletcher

Fletcher Jones, Jr., age 96, of Baton Rouge, LA, passed away peacefully at home on Thursday, October 29, 2026. To view and sign guestbook visit http //www.charlesmac keyfuneralhome.com

Landers, Don

Don Landers passed away on Saturday, October 24, 2026, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana at the age of 89. He was born on August 23, 1937, in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, to Albert and Viola Landers. Don graduated from LSU and went on to serve his country in the U.S. Army. In 1968, he became the co-owner and founder of Cracker Barrel Convenience stores. He founded this business with his co-founder, Frank Sadler, while sitting at Food Town on Florida Blvd. That career led many to know him by the nickname "Cracker," a name tied to the business he helped build. Beyond his career, Don enjoyed an active and engaged life in his community. He enjoyed fishing & hunting, playing bridge, gardening, cooking, and he loved all of the family animals. Don was a member of the Country Club of Louisiana, the Baton Rouge Bridge Club, and the Creative Cooks Cooking Club. He is survived by his wife of 48 years, Francine Landers; his daughters, Rebecca "Becky" Stokes, Carolyn Landers, and Melanie Landers; his brother, Ronnie Landers (Rose); and his grandchildren, Kirsten DeRostaing (Alex), Amber Zalomski (Zach), and Montanna Chandler (Cicso). He was preceded in death by

his father, Albert Landers; his mother, Viola Landers; and his brother, Bobby Landers. Visitation will be held on Monday, November 9, 2026, from 9:30 a.m. until 10:30 a.m. at Resthaven Funeral Home, 11817 Jefferson Hwy, Baton Rouge, LA, with Memorial Service to follow at 10:30 a.m. Friends and family are invited to a reception following the service in The Legacy Room at Resthaven Funeral Home. The family would like to give a special thanks to the nurses and staff at The Hospice of Baton Rouge, Dr. Gerald Militello, Eddie and Annie Samson, Hosea and Melanie LaFleur, Joe Becker, Tricia Merrick, Diane Allen, Patience, Carlos and Sarah, for their care and support during this difficult time. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in Don's name to a charity of your choice. Family and friends may sign the online guestbook or leave a personal note to the family at www.resthav enbatonrouge.com.

Lorio, Calvin J.

Lorio; mother, Gertie Morales Martinez; step-father, Louis "Coon" Martinez; father, Conway "Crip" Lorio; sister, Carol Lorio Bourgeois and husband Millard; in-laws, Mack and Laura Lazzaro; brother-in-law, Michael Lazzaro; sister-in-law, Ann Lorio. Calvin was a 1953 graduate of Plaquemine High School, where he lettered in boxing. He was a devout Catholic and parishioner at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in Plaquemine. Calvin was a caretaker at the Madonna Chapel in Bayou Goula for over 25 years. It was one of his favorite hobbies and he loved his time there. He took pride in his lawn and garden, he was most proud of his tomatoes. One of greatest joys was the births of his grandchildren and greatgrandchildren. He always kept his freezer full of ice cream for "the boys." Although he will be missed here on earth, we take comfort in knowing Calvin was reunited with his grandson, Kolby, after 13 years. The family would like to thank his caretakers, Anna Hemphill and Sandra Braswell, for the care and compassion they gave to Calvin. Thanks also to Amedisys Hospice Care.

Marionneaux, Julie Ann

Calvin J. Lorio passed away at his home in Plaquemine surrounded by his family on Thursday, November 5, 2026, at the age of 92. He was a native and lifelong resident of Plaquemine. Calvin was a US Army Veteran. He served 1955 to 1957 and was a Corporal Quarter Master, stationed at Fort Leonardwood in MO. Calvin started his career at Nadler's as a welder for 20 years, then retired from Dow as a safety coordinator. Visitation will be at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in Plaquemine on Tuesday, November 10th, from 9 a.m. until Mass of Christian Burial at 11 a.m., celebrated by Rev. Martin Lawrence. Burial will follow in Grace Memorial Park. Pallbearers will be Lance Lorio, Barry Bourgoeis, Ethan Troxclair, Karson Troxclair, David Gilliam and Blake Lazzaro. Honorary pallbearers will be Jack Franklin, Sidney "Chuckie" Babin, Louis Clement and Benny Richard. Calvin is survived by his wife of 71.5 years, Rosemary Lazzaro Lorio; son, Lance Lorio and girlfriend Regina Weydert; daughter, Lisa Lorio Casey and husband Robert "Bobby"; two granddaughters, Kacy Lorio Gilliam and husband David, Cortlan Casey; grandson, Logan Casey; greatgrandchildren, Ethan and Karson Troxclair, Berkleigh and Madison Gilliam; three brothers, Bert Lorio, Timmy Martinez and wife Rhonda, Louis "Butch" Martinez and wife Phyllis; sister, Lana "Tutty" Jumonville; and numerous cousins. Calvin was preceded in death by his grandson, Kolby Michael

Julie Ann Marionneaux, age 63, a native of Iberville Parish and resident of Maringouin, Louisiana, passed away on Tuesday, November 3, 2026. She was born March 7, 1963, to Robert M. Marionneaux, Sr. and Patsy S. Marionneaux. Everyone knew Julie. She was a free spirit — fiercely independent, courageous, and incredibly strong in will and in spirit — who was never afraid to talk to anyone, or to tell you exactly what she thought. She devoted her life to helping others, whether she knew you or not, and she never let a stranger stay one for long. She was a giver to everyone — herself included, because she gave life her all. Nowhere was that clearer than in the loving care she gave her mother. Above all, she loved being a mom, and she loved her only daughter, Janie, with all her heart. A devoted Catholic and a graduate of Catholic High School of Pointe Coupee, she spent her working years serving the community she loved — first with Hebert Dentistry, then at False River Veterinary Clinic, and later with the Pointe Coupee Parish Sheriff's Office. Julie was a lifelong animal lover, and her years at the veterinary clinic were as much a calling as a job. She loved being from the country and adored her little country house in Maringouin, which she decorated for

every change of season and where she could be found most days working in her garden and flower beds. She loved to fish, and she loved to cook for others — never for the cooking itself, but for the joy of serving the people gathered around her table. Wherever the family gathered, she was the one behind the camera, the family photographer who made sure no moment went uncaptured. She was happiest at home, surrounded by her animals and the people she cared about, or on the road with Steve, traveling to car shows and races and making their trips to Tennessee. She is survived by her daughter, Janie L. LeJeune; her brother, Robert M. Marionneaux, Jr.; her sister, Janet Marionneaux; her true love, Steve Kent; Keely W. Marionneaux, whom Julie called her sister and best friend; her godchildren and nephews, Robert M. Marionneaux, III, and Chuck Ward and his wife Katie; her nephew, Mark Ward and his wife Courtney; and her great-nieces and great -nephews, Sam and Camille Ward, and Mackenzie, Jax, and Charlie Ward; her dearest lifelong friends, Myrt Acosta, Cindy Johnson, Dana Gosserand, Lisa Robillard, Lydia Lemoine Parnell, and Trudy Glaser; and her beloved dogs, Ellie May and Paco. She was preceded in death by her parents, Robert M. Marionneaux, Sr. and Patsy S. Marionneaux, and her grandparents, A.B. and Hazel Smith and Walter and Sylvia Marionneaux. Services will be held on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church in Maringouin, Louisiana. Visitation will begin at 9 a.m. until Funeral Mass at 11:00 a.m., celebrated by Rev. Galeji Mulupuri. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Janell Leiger-LaCombe Memorial Fund, PO Box 312, Fordorche, LA 70732 or Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church in Maringouin. If people could be angels, it would be Julie. She lived as an angel to many - may she now rest in their eternal company.

Matthews, Ida Quiett

Entered into eternal rest at Baton Rouge Medical Center-Bluebonnet on October 30, 2026. She was a 79-year-old native of Ethel, Louisiana, and a resident of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Viewing will be held at Greater New Guide Baptist Church on Thursday, November 12, 2026, from 10:00 am until her Celebration of Life Service at noon conducted by Pastor Mark Thomas; interment at Roselawn Memorial Park. Survivors include her de-

How to place an Obituary Notice EMAIL:

obits@theadvocate.com OR CALL FOR MORE INFORMATION:

225-388-0289

How to place a Memorial Ad An “In Memory Of” ad, is a way to pay tribute to your loved one. This remembrance is often printed on the anniversary of a loved one’s death. The deadline is two days prior to the day you want your ad to appear. TO PLACE A MEMORIAL AD GO TO: obituaries.theadvocate.com, click submit an obituary and select create a memoriam.

lll

voted husband, James Matthews Jr.; siblings, Johnnie Q. Key, Houston, Texas; Helen Q. McFadden, Hackensack, New Jersey; Margery Q. Johnson, Doris, Yvonne and Nathaniel Quiett all of Baton Rouge; nieces, nephews other relatives and friends. She was preceded in death by parents Nathan and Gladys Turner Quiett and siblings Rosa Q. Thompson, Morris and Warren Quiett, Clarence Cropper Jr and Annie Mae Q. Jackson

McCammon, Peter Leverich

Son of the late Dr. Walter O. McCammon of Lebanon, KY and Marcelle A. Leverich McCammon of New Orleans, LA. Attended Sam Barthe, Lusher, and McMain, and graduated from Fortier in 1958. Received a Presidential appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy and graduated in 1962. Earned MA from Johns Hopkins in 1969, and graduated from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School and U.S. Naval War College. Was an instructor at U.S.N.A. at Annapolis. Saw duty offshore and incountry in Vietnam. Served in five ships, commanded two, and commanded a patrol division. Awards and decorations include two Legions of Merit and the Bronze Star Medal. Retired from active duty in 1986. Authored the book Homeport Naples. Survived by wife Lisa Davies McCammon of The Villages. Also survived by sons Charles W. McCammon of Philadelphia and P. Kent McCammon of Virginia Beach with deceased wife Mary Ann Groseclose McCammon. After retiring from a second career as a private consultant, McCammon became a bamboo enthusiast and cultivated seventeen varieties of bamboo in Mississippi, started swimming and won four gold medals at the Mississippi Senior Olympics, and volunteered with a local animal shelter as a cat socializer. He was an accomplished line dancer and an avid cardio drummer. A good golfer, he scored two holes-in-one. His cremains will be laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery. Memorial gifts may be made to Boy Scout New Orleans Troop 56, C/O Nancy Exnicios, 7916 Nelson Street, New Orleans, LA, 71025.

Melancon, Helen Stevens

Helen Stevens Melancon, age 85, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, passed away peacefully on November 4, 2026. Born and raised in Baton Rouge, Helen was a graduate of Redemptorist High School. While she enjoyed a variety of endeavors throughout her life, her greatest calling and most cherished role was being a loving wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother and homemaker. Helen was a natural entrepreneur who enjoyed working with people. Throughout the years, she was involved in several direct sales companies, beginning with Avon and including Silpada, as well as serving as a long-time manager with Home Interiors and Gifts. Her life was filled with faith, music, friendship, and adventure. A devoted member of St. George Catholic Church, Helen's faith in God was always at the center of her life. She shared her love of music through the St. George Church Choir, a former choir member at St. Joseph's Cathedral, and was a member of the Baton Rouge Chorus Sweet Adelines. She also generously gave her time as a volunteer with the Baton Rouge Symphony League and Baton Rouge Eye Bank. Helen had a special love for singing, dancing, and traveling. Her love of travel began when her husband was stationed in Europe during his military service. What started as an opportunity to experience another part of the world grew

into a lifelong passion. Over the years, she enjoyed traveling with family and friends to many destinations, including international tours and cruises. She treasured the memories made along the way and the people with whom she shared them. Above all, Helen treasured her family. She was married to the love of her life, Roger Dale Melancon, Sr. for 64 wonderful years. Together, they built a life filled with family, love and countless memories. She is survived by her devoted husband, her children, Roger (Cheryl), Craig and Holly Casadaban (Michael); her brothers, Harry, Clement, Mark, David and her stepmother Clara Roger; nine grandchildren and four great-grandchildren, who lovingly know her as "Meme". She was preceded in death by her parents, Harry and Adelaide Stevens, and her sister, Rita. The family would like to extend their heartfelt gratitude and special thanks to Alesheya and Pauline for their kindness, care, and compassion. Helen will be remembered for her unwavering faith, her love of music, her adventurous spirit, her friendships, and most of all, the love she had for her family. Her beautiful voice may be silent, but the songs, laughter, memories, and love she leaves behind will live on in the hearts of all who knew her. Relatives and friends are invited to attend the Funeral Mass at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, November 14, 2026, at St. George Catholic Church, 7808 St. George Drive in Baton Rouge with Rev. Paul Yi officiating. A Visitation will be held at the church beginning at 9:00 a.m. Interment will follow at St. George Catholic Church Cemetery. Helen's life was a beautiful song, and her family and friends will carry its melody in their hearts forever.

Mitchell, Paul M.

Paul M. Mitchell passed away on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, at the age of 65. He was born on July 1, 1961, in Baton Rouge, LA, to Joseph and Mary Mitchell. After graduating high school, Paul furthered his education at LSU, before beginning his professional career in sales. Paul began his career with Colonial Bakery then later to Bimbo Bakery and Sara Lee Bakery. He ended his career as an Area Sales Manager for Flowers Baking Company. Outside of his career, Paul enjoyed spending time with his family and friends, playing golf, going on cruises, and visiting the casino. Paul had a heart of gold and a smile that would light up the room. He loved being with his family, reminiscing with his brothers and parents and hearing the many stories from his children and grandchildren. He loved the bread business and was a breadman at heart receiving numerous awards and accomplishments over the years. Paul was always willing to help those in need. After Katrina he opened his home to his coworkers that lost their homes, having at one time 20 plus people at one time. He never failed to pay for a meal for a veteran or tell them he appreciated their sacrifice. Paul is survived by his loving wife of 30 years, Kay Crockett Mitchell; children, Thomas Murray Mitchell (Cachet), Alex Paul Mitchell, and his former wife, Angel, stepson, Michael Bradford Chandler (RayRay); brothers, Craig Alan Mitchell (Debbie), and John Bennett Mitchell (Penny); grandchildren, Paul Key Mitchell, Leedy Tripp-Joseph Mitchell, Mary Elizabeth Mitchell, Luke Murray Mitchell, Jake Pierre Mitchell, David Oliver Chandler, Benjamin Bradford Stribling, Zachary Hardy Stribling, and Chandler Colten Stribling; nieces and nephews, Jacob Bennett Mitchell, Jenna Brooke Mitchell, Derek Mitchell, Cory Mitchell, and Katie Mitchell; aunts and uncles, Wayne and Janet Messina, and Larry and Annette Mitchell, Margaret Tate; and numerous cousins and extended fam-

ily. At special thanks to his friends Jason and Tawana Snawder and Mark and Dari Ray. He is preceded in death by his parents, Mary Iris Mitchell and Joseph Murray Mitchell; and stepdaughter, Kimberly Brooke Stribling. Visitation will be held on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, beginning at 1:00 PM until memorial service at 3:00 PM, at Resthaven Funeral Home, located at 11817 Jefferson Hwy, Baton Rouge, LA. Friends and family are invited to a reception following the service in The Legacy Room at Resthaven Funeral Home. The family would like to give a special thanks to the nurses and staff at Clarity House Hospice and his hospice nurse Virgina Reid for their support and care during this difficult time. Family and friends may sign the online guestbook or leave a personal note to the family at www.resthavenbatonroug e.com.

Pizzolatto, Sarah Beth

Sarah Beth Pizzolatto, a resident of Little Rock, Arkansas, passed away on October 23, 2026, following a brief illness. She was born in Baton Rouge on February 21, 1980, and raised in both Thibodaux and Batesville, Arkansas. Sarah earned a Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education from Arkansas State University and spent many years working with the young children that she so loved. Sarah enjoyed her final weeks visiting with family, traveling to the beach, and watching dolphins along the gulf coast. A funeral mass will be held Saturday, November 14th, at St Jules Catholic Church in Belle Rose, Louisiana. The family would like to extend their gratitude to all of the professionals, educators, doctors, and caregivers who had a heart for people with special needs. Each of you played a significant role in creating purpose and meaning in Sarah's life. A special thanks to Danny and Brigette Landry and Kristy and Bert for all the support throughout the years.

Richard, Gayle Allen

should be treated with respect, regardless of race, creed, or religion. Affectionately called "Mère" by her 14 grandchildren, she loved nothing more than spending time with them, frequently traveling from state to state to watch over and keep them. Gayle found great joy in the simple pleasures of life. She loved celebrating the holidays and spending time with family and friends. Active in her community, Gayle was a member of Catholic Daughters of America Court Assumption #1672 and Church of the Assumption Altar Society. She was also very active in the Krewe of Sucrose Mardi Gras organization and Franklin Republican Women. In 2019, Gayle and Sidney moved to Francois Bend Senior Living in Gonzales, Louisiana. True to her nature, Gayle made quick friends and became deeply involved in the community's activities, bringing her signature warmth to her new neighbors. Gayle was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Sidney J. Richard, and her parents, Baldwin J. and Arthe D. Allen. She is survived by her sister, Arthe A. Wicker; daughters Winx Whitney (Chris), Rene Bakkal (Mesut), Rachelle Markerson (Chris), Cherie Fletcher (Mike), and Arthe Lambert (Jesse); grandchildren Ashley, Michael, and Leah Whitney, Evan and Baldwin Bakkal, Chris, Matthew, and Meagan Markerson, Sydney, Michael, and Emily Fletcher, and Alyse, Jesse, and Davis Lambert; and 21 adored great-grandchildren. A Celebration of Life Memorial Mass will be held on Friday, November 20, 2026. Location: St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, 15208 LA 73, Prairieville, LA 70769 Visitation: 10:00 a.m. 11:00 a.m. Memorial Mass: 11:00 a.m. In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial contribution made to the Foundation Fighting Blindness in support of research toward a cure for Stargardt disease, particularly in children. Please include Gayle Richard, honoree with your contribution. https://give.fightingblin dness.org/give/795310/#!/ donation/checkout The family wishes to express their deepest gratitude to the numerous staff members of Francois Bend, whom Gayle loved dearly and welcomed into her heart as part of her own family. Your compassionate care and companionship brought her immense joy.

Rushing, Barbara Richardson

Gayle Allen Richard passed peacefully on October 24, 2026, with her devoted daughters by her side, leaving behind a legacy of unconditional love, warmth, and enduring strength. Born in New Orleans on September 10, 1935, to Baldwin and Arthe Allen, Gayle was raised in the heart of the city she loved. After graduating from high school, she attended Louisiana State University (LSU), where she was a proud member of the Pi Beta Phi sorority. It was during her time at LSU that she met the love of her life, Sidney John Richard. The college sweethearts were married on May 18, 1957, beginning a beautiful journey of 65 years together. The couple moved to Franklin, Louisiana, where they built a vibrant life and raised their five daughters. Gayle poured her heart into education, first as a teacher at St. John Elementary and later as the beloved religion teacher and Senior Sponsor at Hanson Memorial High School. Revered by students and staff alike, she was a second mother to countless teenagers who affectionately knew her as "Mama Gayle." Her home was the ultimate gathering place—her door was always open, and anyone who walked through it was instantly made to feel like they were home. Family was the centerpiece of Gayle's life. She dedicated herself wholly to her family and intentionally raised her five girls to be strong, independent women. She lived by the profound belief that all people

Barbara Richardson Rushing, age 91, of Gonzales, Louisiana, passed away peacefully on Thursday, November 5, 2026, surrounded by her loving and devoted family. Barbara was a long-time

The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Sunday, November 8, 2026 ■ 5B

and beloved member of the Gonzales community. She was a member of The Gonzales Boat Club, served with the Gonzales Committee on Cultural Affairs for 41 years, and was a member of St. Theresa of Avila Catholic Church. Barbara and her husband owned and operated Gonzales Chevron Station for many years. She enjoyed traveling the world, taking cruises, and making frequent trips to France. She also enjoyed her visits to the casino and treasured the time spent with her Pokeno group. Above all, Barbara cherished her family. She is survived by her daughters, Rachelle Rushing Johnson and Kelly Rushing; her brother and sister-in-law, David and Lena Richardson; nine grandchildren, Adele Michael, Randall "Dunk" Johnson, Derrick Rushing (Keri), Brandy Waguespack Landry (Patrick), Aaron Osterhout, Randon "Bubba" Johnson, Devin Rushing, Dane Rushing (Emily), and Alexis Osterhout Salinas (Connor); and sixteen great-grandchildren, Britton Bercegeay, Karlie Johnson, Aleigh Johnson, Addison Michael, Carson Landry, Gabe Rushing, Avree Michael, Ryleigh Rae Landry, Max Rushing, Annie Johnson, Delilah Johnson, Avery Johnson, Carmen Salinas, Amelia Salinas, Teddy Rushing, and Amelia Newsom. She is also survived by a dear family friend and neighbor of 30 years, Theresa Sheely, along with numerous nieces, nephews, and friends who will miss her dearly. Barbara was preceded in death by her beloved, Teddy Ray Rushing; her son, Teddy Bart Rushing; her daughter, Nannette Rushing Waguespack; and her parents, Sidney and Lydia Richardson. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, at St. Theresa of Avila Catholic Church, 1022 N. Burnside Avenue, Gonzales, Louisiana. Visitation will begin at 9:00 a.m. and continue until the Mass at 11:00 a.m. Following the

service, Barbara will be laid to rest at Hope Haven Mausoleum on Highway 30 in Gonzales, Louisiana. Serving as pallbearers will be her grandsons.

Willis, George Harold

George Harold Willis passed away peacefully on November 3, 2026, after 97 years of a life well lived. George was a servant of God and devoted parishioner of True Light Baptist Church. He found strength, comfort, and guidance in faith through prayer, love, and service to others. Visitation will be held on November 9th at True Light Baptist Church, 3836 North St., Baton Rouge, LA from 9:00am until Celebration of Life Service at 11:30am. Interment at Louisiana National Cemetery, Zachary, LA.

IN LOVING MEMORY

Wojciech Tadeusz Stryjewski,

a computer engineer and beloved husband and father, died on November 12, 2025, from complications of an acute stroke. He was 46. He was born on March 6, 1979 in Kraków, Poland, and immigrated to Baton Rouge, Louisiana with his family when he was nine years old. As a child, he demonstrated a natural aptitude for computers and technology. He graduated from St. Jude School and Catholic High School before attending Louisiana State University, where he earned dual bachelor’s degrees in computer science and computer engineering. He later received a master’s degree in computer science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Following his graduate studies, he moved to Austin, Texas, where he worked as a computer engineer for International Business Machines, working on the AIX kernel debugging team. While at IBM, he was a named inventor on a patent for software to help operating systems run more efficiently. He later went on to work for Google as a site reliability engineer (SRE). Through mutual friends from Catholic High, he was introduced to the love of his life, Melissa Stryjewski (née Timmins). They married and were blessed with two daughters, Emily and Madison. He was deeply dedicated to his girls and to Percy, the family dog. Beyond his technical gift and intellect, throughout his life he was known for his gentleness, generosity with his time, and deep commitment to service. In college, he shared his passion for computers by regularly serving as a judge in youth programming competitions. He was an active volunteer and builder alongside his daughters at SCARE for a CURE, finding joy in service shared with family. He had recently been named “Volunteer of the Year” at a nearby horse farm, where his lifelong aptitude for self-teaching led him to master welding and other farm skills to help support the facility. Prior to his death, he was awarded a certificate of merit for surpassing over 15 gallons of blood donated to the local blood bank, a testament to his quiet generosity and lifelong commitment to helping others. Wojciech is survived by his wife and children, his parents Wieslaw J. Stryjewski and Barbara M. Stryjewska, his brother Tomasz P. Stryjewski, as well as extended family in New York (Tadeusz & Danuta Przechodzki, as well as Kasia Przechodzka and Ania Pitcher (née Przechodzka)), and extended family in Poland (Stefan Weigel-Milleret, as well as Adam Weigel-Milleret, Malgorzata Lisiakiewicz (née Weigel-Milleret), and Krzysztof Weigel-Milleret.

IRS Back Taxes Got You Worried? These guys helped so much!! Helped me navigate my unfortunate situation with such ease. A BIG thank you... A huge blessing.

“

- Catherine

Our Tax Professionals will get you on the phone with the IRS in minutes for FREE. We will help negotiate the best solution for your tax challenge. At PRIORITY TAX, WE'VE GOT YOUR BACK!

CALL NOW FOR FREE CONSULTATION!

844.426.1495

Priority Tax is a private company that identifies qualified consumers who require tax assistance. They are not the IRS, nor a State Taxing Authority. They are not a debt relief company or attorney referral service. Costs and results will vary. RESULTS ARE NOT GUARANTEED. Hiring a tax resolution company is an important decision and should not be based solely on advertisements. There is no charge for a consultation. Call for complete details.

6B n Sunday, November 8, 2026 n theadvocate.com n The Advocate

lll

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

OUR VIEWS

Lame-duck Congress can still help Louisiana Now that the returns are in and we mostly know the makeup of the next Congress, that doesn’t mean that the current Congress can kick up its heels and coast. Lawmakers return this week for a lame-duck session that is scheduled to last until the Christmas break, and there are pressing needs they must address, ones that could greatly affect Louisiana families. Chief among them is the reauthorization of the National Flood Insurance Program under FEMA, which is set to expire on Dec. 11. The program, upon which nearly 500,000 Louisianans rely, provides homeowners with affordable policies if they live in a flood zone (Standard commercial policies do not cover flood damage). Congress has in recent years only approved short-term extensions to the program, but we would like to see more action before the end of 2026. If the NFIP lapses, it can make it difficult for mortgages to be issued, as FEMA can’t write new policies. A recent report by the Government Accountability Office offers several recommendations that we hope Congress considers, including making property-level data public and increasing coverage limits, which are currently capped at $250,000 for residential properties. Then we hope there can be some movement on the long-stalled farm bill. The dispute here has been over funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. A Republican proposal to reduce fraud in SNAP would force states to share the costs of the program with the federal government if their payment error rate exceeds 6%. Democrats have pushed back, seeking to give states more time to comply and update their systems. Meanwhile, our farmers are hurting from high fertilizer and fuel prices. The lack of a farm bill adds to the uncertainty they face as they look to plan out next year’s crop. A bill to streamline the federal permitting process for energy projects has bipartisan backing and would be good for companies that operate in Louisiana, including clean energy firms. We hope this bill, which would, among other things, set a two-year limit on reviews for environmental impact statements, will move forward. We also know that Congress must pass appropriations bills. The current continuing resolution expires Dec. 11, so Congress must either settle on a budget or pass another stopgap measure before then to avert a shutdown. Funding for the war in Iran is also expected to be debated as lawmakers take up the National Defense Authorization Act. House Speaker Mike Johnson said in an appearance in Shreveport on Tuesday that Republicans want to “build on our record of accomplishment.” Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, expected to become the next speaker, has begun laying out his priorities as Democrats gained more leverage after capturing the majority in the midterms. We hope, though, that everyone can agree it’s time for Congress to get back to work. The House adjourned Sept. 18 ahead of the midterms, and the Senate followed on Sept. 30. The people’s business can no longer wait.

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.

TO SEND US A LETTER, SCAN HERE

This batch of La. amendments saw success that voters rejected, and he supported I guess not all amendments are bad. four of the five that were on May’s balVoters on Tuesday gave their approval to seven of the 10 constitutional lot. This time, he stayed out, and most amendments on the ballot, bucking of them passed. the trend of the last two years, The second reason? Keywhen they handily swatted back words. Yes, keywords. Voters the last nine amendments prowho are reading down a lengthy ballot just get a summary of posed across two elections. each amendment. And many of Given the recent results, the ones that passed Tuesday Tuesday’s vote was at least had good keywords with them, somewhat surprising. The Faimon things like “surviving spouse of conventional political wisdom Roberts disabled veteran,” “term limit,” was that voters were tired of “expropriation … by foreign adnew constitutional questions on every ballot. That they had, as versary,” and “prohibiting bail my colleague Stephanie Grace aptly for those convicted of certain offenses described it, “amendment fatigue.” against a child.” Who can blame them? The state’s Nobody wants to vote against survivgoverning document is already too ing spouses of disabled veterans, or bloated and too complex. It’s been for making things better for those conamended more than 200 times in the victed of crimes against children. And half-century since it took effect. Votvoters love term limits. It’s easy to pull the yes lever on those. ers seemed tired of being asked to And even though it’s not as if the change it yet again. Islamic Republic of Iran is looking to When USA Today Network’s Greg Hilburn asked Gov. Jeff Landry for his purchase or expropriate land in Louisithoughts on the current slate, Landry ana, Amendment 8 offered voters the replied, “Oh Lord, I’ve given up on the chance to vote for something that both amendments.” won’t affect them and feels like strikSo, why did so many of these pass? ing a blow at our nation’s enemies. It Here are two suggestions. just feels good to say yes. The first is this: Landry stayed away. Each of the amendments that passed The governor was the chief proponent included words that made it easy to of a set of four amendments in 2025 vote for. That’s true, too, of Amend-

ment 7, a sensible measure that will allow New Orleans to use some federal funds to replace lead water pipes on private property. The ones that failed, on the other hand, did not have the same allure. “Taxing authorities … adjust to max rate,” and “retirement system apply funds” both addressed fairly wonky subjects that were good government measures. But they failed, perhaps because Louisiana voters are suspicious of how state and local governments use money. The third one that failed would have offered a 20-year tax break to owners who rehab blighted property. Its rejection was a wise one. Of course, attributing the vote to keywords is a bit tongue-in-cheek. Indepth analysis would undoubtedly be much more nuanced and include the fact that unlike the last two amendment elections, no organized opposition coalesced around Tuesday’s proposals. Whatever the cause, Louisiana’s Constitution now gets another seven amendments to go with the more than 200 already there. That’s a lot of good keywords. Email Faimon A. Roberts III at froberts@theadvocate.com.

An election season that defied expectations The Democratic sweep of the House Letlow defeated Democrat Jamie Daand Senate on Tuesday night shouldn’t vis, was much closer than predicted. have been entirely unexpected. After So polls didn’t capture everything all, polls had shown for months that was happening on the that the president’s approval ground. A better indicator rating had tanked and that was could have been in the letters driving down support for Rethat we received from you. There were several in the runpublican candidates across the up to the election that indicated, board. But in recent years, polls have Arnessa as exit polls showed, many vothad some major misses — most Garrett ers were fed up with the high notably when President Donald cost of living and corruption at Trump first won in 2016, defeatthe highest level of government. ing Hillary Clinton by winning key bat- Letters throughout election season also showed many of you were concerned tleground states. The polls had shown about the state of our democracy. That the race for the Electoral College was should have been a wake-up call to the tight, but few predicted that Trump politicians in power. would essentially run the table. Let us know what you thought about Similarly, polls in this year’s midterms had shown a Democratic advan- the election and what you hope for gotage, but few were indicating the domi- ing forward. Do you think politicians will heed the message coming from nance Democrats showed in several voters or will they continue on as bekey states, winning governorships in formerly red states like Texas and put- fore? We understood from your letters ting up a serious fight for a Senate seat how closely our readers were watchin Mississippi. Louisiana’s Senate race, ing what is happening in Washington, in which Republican U.S. Rep. Julia so if politicians didn’t get it, they

should now. In the meantime, with the Thanksgiving holidays approaching, we have a Question of the Month for readers: What makes you grateful in your community? Send us a response at letters@ theadvocate.com. We want to recognize who and what is making a difference. Turning to our letters inbox for the week of Oct. 29-Nov. 5, we received 33 letters. There was a lot of variety this week, but the top issues were elections and voting, which were the subject of seven letters. Then a range of topics prompted two letters each — from AI data centers to litter. Now that the elections are mostly over, we know we’ll be hearing from you as some new faces take office. If they want to know what their constituents are thinking, they may want to keep an eye on these pages. Arnessa Garrett is Deputy Editor | Opinion Page Editor. Email her at arnessa.garrett@theadvocate.com.

WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE FOR LOCAL REPORTING

KEVIN HALL

President & Publisher

RENE SANCHEZ

VP/News, Executive Editor

KARYN KEARNEY EVP/Strategic Partnerships

ARNESSA GARRETT Managing Editor/ Opinion

JUSTIN MITCHELL

Managing Editor/ Audience

HANK STUEVER

Managing Editor/ Enterprise

FRED KALMBACH

JENNIFER BROWN

JERRY DICOLO

EMMA DISCHER

Managing Editor

Managing Editor, New Orleans

KRISTIN ASKELSON Managing Editor, Acadiana

BARBARA LEADER Managing Editor, Shreveport

Senior Editor Senior Editor

ANDREA GALLO

ROGER HOLMES

CHASE HEATHERLY

Executive VP, Operations

Chief Revenue Office

ASHLEY WHITCHER

VP/ Consumer Sales

VP/IT

KYLE WHITFIELD

JOHN D. GEORGES Owner

JUDI TERZOTIS

Chief Executive Officer Editorial Page

VP/Finance

JIM MYERS

General Manager/ Advertising

JESSICA WILLIAMS

ROBERT STOLL

LOU HUDSON

VP/Distribution

GEORGES MEDIA GROUP

ROBERT YOUNG

Senior Editor/ Investigations Senior Editor

G

VP/ Majors & Nationals

DAN SHEA

Chairman

ARNESSA GARRETT STEPHANIE GRACE WILL SUTTON QUIN HILLYER FAIMON ROBERTS

lll

The Advocate n theadvocate.com n Sunday, November 8, 2026 n 7B

COMMENTARY H H

H H

H H

H H

ELECTION

H H

H H

H H

H H

Black candidates thrive after redistricting cases

“representative of their choice” The sky never was falling. The (to use VRA language). This often U.S. Supreme Court’s redistricthad been interpreted as a candiing decisions this year didn’t put huge roadblocks against Black date of that race. candidates winning This was, admittedly, a office. The Voting marked change from some Rights Act’s objectives earlier Supreme Court rulweren’t even close to ings. being gutted. Let’s set aside whose interInstead, this year’s pretation of the Constitution elections showed ethand VRA are more textually Quin correct. Instead, just consider nicity is not the deterHillyer the prevailing Democratic mining factor in most Party caterwauling to the efelections. Yes, for too many voters, albeit fect that (quoting Senate Minority only a smallish minority of them, Leader Chuck Schumer) the decirace is a major motivator. Still, sion represented “a return to Jim it’s often only one motivator even Crow.” for that minority, which means Many Democrats claimed that the panic about the court’s rediswithout racially drawn district lines, minority voters (especially tricting cases was significantly Black voters) essentially would overblown. be disenfranchised and the numWhat the court decided in Louisiana v. Callais in April was, ber of Black elected officials, broadly speaking, that political especially in the South, would district lines drawn by using radecline precipitously. Indeed, a Politico news story assumed the cial considerations are presumpCallais effect on the Congrestively unconstitutional. Thus, the court said that, except in very sional Black Caucus would be to narrow circumstances, neither “decimate its membership” by the Constitution nor the Voting eliminating up to 19 Black House Rights Act (VRA) requires, or members. even countenances, the creation Hogwash. of otherwise-nonconforming disI wrote 13 months ago that “the fears are misplaced: Copious evitricts merely to enhance a racial group’s chances of electing a dence indicates that the ability of

Black people to win public office likely will not be diminished if the Supreme Court reinterprets” the VRA. Tuesday’s elections bolstered my contention. Before Callais, the assumption by most people left of center — in simplified form, because admittedly there were some nuances — was that districts must be majority Black, or at least strong-plurality Black (with Black voting registration well above 40%), in order for Black candidates, or at least Black Democrats, to have a chance to win. Even after significant postCallais redistricting, and despite Democrats’ worries, this year’s results showed that Black candidates did just fine. Even more, so did Democratic candidates of all races whom Democrats assume are the “representatives of … choice” of Black voters. While not all results are in, Republicans did lose all four of their Black House members, but only because three ran for higher office and one district was redrawn for other reasons. Democrats, meanwhile, appeared actually to add a net of at least two Black representatives. (Meanwhile, the number of Black U.S. senators

will rise from five to at least six and probably seven — with Mississippi’s race still not official as of this writing — while five Black candidates were elected as state governors. Before this year, only three black governors had ever served anywhere.) Moreover, even in two new House districts supposedly drawn for Republican — and allegedly White — advantage, the Black Democratic incumbents won. Consider Alabama, where the federal courts’ redistricting decisions this decade were even more extensive and convoluted than in Louisiana. There, the earlier, court-ordered, second Black-majority 2nd District was a horrid gerrymander that snaked all the way from the Mississippi state line to the Georgia state line. When replaced, after Callais, with the Republicans’ preferred district, which had a much more compact shape with less than 40% of its population being Black, the sky-is-falling crowd said Black incumbent Shomari Figures had no chance. Instead, Figures won with almost 54% of the vote. None of this should be surprising. Among numerous other recent Black successes in heavily

White jurisdictions, Black Democrat Raphael Warnock already twice had won election to the Senate from Georgia, black population only 32%. Georgia now has followed with Black Democratic Gov.-elect Keisha Lance Bottoms. And Mississippi, Black population 36.8%, probably elected Black Democrat Scott Colom to the Senate. Even without winning, tremendously underfunded Black Democrats here in Louisiana (Black population 32%) and in Florida (only 16.3% Black) barely lost their Senate races, with Jamie Davis earning more than 49% of the Louisiana vote and a radical — the openly Democratic Socialist Angie Nixon — garnering 48% in the Sunshine State. Meanwhile, Black Republican Byron Donalds won the Florida governorship. However someone interprets the VRA’s actual words, this year’s elections indicate that most Americans have moved well beyond racial considerations when casting ballots. All of us, of every race, should be proud: Our constitutional republic works.

Email Quin Hillyer at quin. hillyer@theadvocate.com.

In new Democratic Congress, keep eyes on Troy Carter For the last three years, Louisi- show — has the bona fides to be a ana has sent the two most power- big wheel. Carter, 63, came to Congress in ful members of the U.S. House to Congress. Whether or not that 2021, but he’s been in and around politics since before he won his did much for the first election, to the Louisiana state (spoiler alert: House, at 28. Last week he was it didn’t), Speaker reelected with 80% of the vote, Mike Johnson and in a district that was redrawn to Majority Leader include not just his home base Steve Scalise have of New Orleans but also Baton been the faces of Stephanie Rouge. the delegation. Grace In Congress, he’s already a That ends in member of the Democratic January when a new Congress is sworn in, one shaped leadership via his seat on the House Democratic Steering and by last week’s stunning sweep Policy Committee. He serves on that flipped the House from a narrow GOP majority to decisive the powerful Energy and ComDemocratic control. merce Committee and also on That’s only one of several Homeland Security. reasons why the next Louisiana And he’s widely expected to House member to watch will be spend the next two years leading Troy Carter. the Congressional Black Caucus Let’s start with the basics: Cart- — a position that would put him at the helm of a large and influer could well be Louisiana’s only member of the new majority ential group that, despite aggresparty, pending the results of two sive GOP efforts to minimize House runoffs in districts drawn majority Black districts ahead to favor Republicans. That alone of the election, will be larger means that he’ll have a signifithan it’s ever been. That means weekly audiences with the new cant hand in pursuing whatever the state needs from Washington. speaker, Carter said in an interBeyond that, the congressman view. — like his Louisiana GOP colAnd I’d add one more thing: leagues who’ve been running the Carter may be uniquely posi-

tioned, in terms of both temperament and legislating style, to meet a moment when voters are demanding a change to the nonstop partisan wars and a return to Congressional functionality and independence. No question he’s a true Democrat in his beliefs. He reiterated that in our interview, saying his agenda includes not just muscular oversight of the Trump administration but healthcare, housing, affordability and a longoverdue increase in the federal minimum wage. But he’s also built a reputation over many years for working with anyone who’ll work with him. That definitely includes Scalise, a friend from a neighboring district and now a candidate to be the House minority leader. “I have worked with Steve in the hardest of hard times,” he said. “We have disagreed more times than not, but we’ve been able to put our heads together to fight for things that are important to Louisiana.” He added that he hopes Scalise will “bring as many of his Republicans to the table as possible. We don’t want to win everything down party

lines. We want to win with big numbers.” Despite recent tension with Democratic New Orleans, Carter said that also includes Gov. Jeff Landry, who will likely need a partner in the majority when the state needs anything from Congress. It even includes President Donald Trump if he’s serious about trying to find common ground — although Carter said he’s ready to keep a scorecard if Trump makes good on earlier threats to veto everything that Democrats pass. My former colleague Clancy DuBos likened Carter to a legendary Louisiana pol of the past, retired U.S. Sen. John Breaux. “John Breaux was one of those people who was very pragmatic, and he always just tried to find what would work. That was his secret sauce. He understood people. And Troy, as a politician, is a very good people person,” DuBos said. Carter said he’s ready to play that role — and thinks his fellow Louisiana Republicans are actually eager to get on board. “In a perfect world with the No. 1 and No. 2, Louisiana should

have been rocking, and we weren’t,” he said. “I don’t know that it’s necessarily their fault as much as it’s the fault of President Trump, who didn’t allow them to practice anything but a very divisive brand of politics … A lot of things didn’t advance in a bipartisan way because Trump didn’t want Republicans working with Democrats. How crazy is that?” I’m pretty sure voters across the country just turned out in force to answer that question. A personal note: I’m moving, but I’m not going far. After more than two decades on the opinion page, I’ll soon return to my roots covering New Orleans politics, where I’ll oversee a great team of reporters at City Hall. I’ll also write a regular news analysis column focusing on what’s going on in city government and politics. I hope you’ll all follow along in The Times-Picayune and on nola. com. Until then — and as always — thanks for reading. Email Stephanie Grace at sgrace@theadvocate.com.

When will La. elect a Black governor or senator? Jersey, Raphael Warnock of Democratic U.S. Senate candiGeorgia, Angela Alsobrooks of date Jamie Davis did something Maryland and Lisa Blunt Rochfew expected: He came close to becoming Louisiana’s first Afriester of Delaware. They will be joined by Juliana Stratton, sencan American elected statewide in 150 years. ator-elect of Illinois, in January. Davis came close, but That’s two Black men and, Republican U.S. Rep. count them, three Black Julia Letlow will replace women in the U.S. Senate. outgoing Republican U.S. A fourth was close: Black Sen. Bill Cassidy. Democrat Angie Nixon The Davis-Letlow race narrowly missed winning didn’t get as much naa Florida Senate seat. Will Democratic rockstar Scott tional media attention Sutton Colom may narrowly beat as Senate races in other an incumbent senator to states did. However, as become Mississippi’s first Davis’ numbers rose, African American senator since more pollsters and political strategists looked at Louisiana as Reconstruction. As of Thursday afternoon, Colom led by more our state ranked No. 1 for Black than 1,500 votes. early voter turnout. California U.S. Sen. Kamala As results rolled in after polls Harris was elected in 2016 beclosed Tuesday night, it became clear that more American hisfore she became vice president. Before Harris, the first Black tory would be made as Davis, a Black Democrat, and other Black woman elected to serve in the U.S. Senate was Carol Moseley candidates did better than many Braun, chosen by Illinois voters anticipated, including state and in 1992. national Democrats who didn’t Before Tuesday, 14 African invest much money or time on Americans had been appointed some of these campaigns. or elected to the upper chamber Black Republican Tim Scott of Congress. Nine of those were of South Carolina continues in elected. Most of them were men. the U.S. Senate along with Black That includes a couple elected Democrats Cory Booker of New

by Mississippi state legislatures during Reconstruction, an Illinois U.S. senator who became a U.S. president, a New Jersey mayor who has been reelected twice and the pastor of a historic Atlanta church. U.S. Sen. Edward W. Brooke III, a Republican, was elected in 1966 and became the first Black person elected to the U.S. Senate by popular vote. In recent history, only three Black people have been elected governors: Virginia Democrat L. Douglas Wilder, serving 19901994; Massachusetts Democrat Deval Patrick, serving 2007-2015; and Maryland Democrat Wes Moore, elected in 2023. Others rose to the top job in their respective states when incumbents could no longer serve, including two in Louisiana: New York Democrat David Paterson, who stepped up from lieutenant governor and served from 2008-10; Republican Louisiana Gov. Oscar Dunn, who served from 18681871, and Republican Louisiana Gov. P.B.S. Pinchback, serving from 1872-1873. More history was made Tuesday. There will be five Black gover-

nors serving at the same time. Moore, Maryland’s first Black governor, was re-elected. He’ll be joined by Black governorselect: Keisha Lance Bottoms in Georgia, Byron Donalds in Florida, Aaron Ford in Nevada, David Crowley in Wisconsin, and Stacey Plaskett in the U.S. Virgin Islands, a U.S. territory. Donalds is the first Black Republican elected governor in Florida. I’m sure Burke would be proud. Bottoms is the first Black woman governor in the nation. I’m sure Stacey Abrams is proud. Ford was elected Nevada’s first Black governor, and the first Black man elected governor west of the Mississippi River. Crowley won a bruising Democratic Party primary, becoming the Democratic nominee for governor by a 0.48% margin. Crowley, 40, will be the youngest governor in the nation. I’m sure Moore is happy to see Ford, Crowley, Bottoms and Plaskett join him as Democratic governors. As a diplomatic, engaging politician, I’m sure he wishes Donalds the best of luck. Louisiana almost had its first Black elected U.S. senator and

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR ARE WELCOME. HERE ARE OUR GUIDELINES: Letters are published identifying name, occupation and/or title and the

its first Black person elected statewide since Reconstruction. Louisiana could’ve had its first Black governor when Shawn Wilson ran in 2023, losing to Gov. Jeff Landry primarily because he didn’t have strong Democratic support and because he didn’t get the financial support necessary for a statewide campaign. Black elected officials, politicians, activists and others have criticized the Democratic National Committee and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) and the Democratic Governors Association for failing to provide the necessary investments in Louisiana and other Southern states required to be competitive and to win. Louisiana can look to its left, look to its right and look at other states to see what’s possible. Look what happened in our state with little to no investment. Now is the time for serious investment, not when someone decides days before an election that maybe it’s time to send a few dollars. Email Will Sutton at wsutton@ theadvocate.com. He’s on Instagram at @editorwillsutton.

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.

TO SEND US A LETTER, SCAN HERE

8B n Sunday, November 8, 2026 n theadvocate.com n The Advocate

lll

TODAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

Pleasant with clouds and sun

Some sun, then turning cloudy

Pleasant with partial sunshine

More clouds than sun

Mostly sunny and nice

Sunny and pleasant

HIGH

LOW

HIGH

72° 46°

LOW

HIGH

76° 47°

LOW

78° 49°

Beaumont 72/58 Port Arthur 71/62

Baton Rouge 72/46

Lake Charles 73/55

New Orleans 69/57 Houma 68/50

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

0s

Hattiesburg 72/41

Alexandria 70/47

Lafayette 71/49

10s

20s

30s

40s

50s

LOW

HIGH

LOW

70° 38°

YESTERDAY

TODAY

READING 44 MAIN POLLUTANT Particulates

MAIN POLLUTANT Particulates

Baton Rouge through 5 p.m. Saturday

Jackson 68/40 Many 70/49

HIGH

76° 46°

TEMPERATURE

Longview 70/49

-0s

LOW

Monroe 69/42

Shreveport 70/50

-10s

HIGH

75° 59°

It will be a mostly clear and chilly morning all across Baton Rouge. If you’re tailgating for the Saints game, temperatures will be in the mid- to upper 50s with a light breeze. This afternoon, expect a mostly sunny to partly cloudy and cool day with a light breeze. Temperatures this afternoon will be slightly below average, rising to the upper 60s to low 70s. Winds will be northerly at 5 to 10 mph. The air will remain dry, and dew points will stay low. No rain is expected today or for most of the week.

60s

70s

80s

90s 100s 110s

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

NOV 9

6:22a 12:15a 1:17a 1:54a 8:19p 7:46p 9:27p

6:25 a.m. 5:12 p.m. 5:50 a.m. 4:35 p.m.

FIRST

NOV 17

City

Atlanta Austin Boston Charlotte Chicago Dallas Denver Houston Las Vegas

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

HIGH

Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today NEW

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

77°/55° 73°/50° 85°/64° 89° in 2024 28° in 1993

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

Hi

TODAY

71 63 59 67 60 70 68 69 74

Lo

47 56 46 37 37 52 41 57 54

FULL

LAST

NOV 24

W

s sh c s s pc s sh s

DEC 1

Hi

MON.

73 65 57 71 58 73 71 68 74

GOOD

PRECIPITATION

Lo

49 55 44 39 45 58 39 56 54

W

pc sh pc s s pc s sh pc

FT.

LOW

0.00” 0.08” 0.99” 47.51” 53.71”

FT.

HIGH

0.8 5:39p 0.1 1.8 10:20a 0.3 1.9 7:16a 0.1 1.3 10:52a 0.0 1.4 6:48a 0.1 1.9 5:05a 0.2 1.7 7:50a 0.1

FT.

--- ----- --4:55p 2.3 8:06p 1.6 --- ----- ----- ---

SOURCE: LOUISIANA DEQ AND AIRNOW.GOV

LOW

FT.

--- ----- --9:07p 1.9 --- ----- ----- ----- ---

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 9:46a Monday 10:33a Tuesday 10:55a Wednesday 11:49a Thursday 12:49a Friday 1:45a Saturday 2:40a

City

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

Hi

88 85 64 61 60 82 65 69 57

3:34a 10:09p 4:21a 10:58p 5:12a ---6:06a 12:18p 7:01a 1:14p 7:57a 2:10p 8:52a 3:04p

TODAY Lo

62 73 37 49 49 61 41 55 44

W

s pc s s s s s pc sh

Hi

87 84 68 58 60 82 69 70 57

3:58p 4:45p 5:37p 6:31p 7:27p 8:22p 9:16p

MON. Lo

60 74 38 46 44 60 48 55 50

W

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

FLOOD STAGE

34 48 48 35 27 22 17

SAT. 24-HOUR STAGE CHANGE

-3.40 13.90 17.80 7.00 4.20 3.52 2.90

+0.10 -0.20 -0.10 none none -0.24 none

40

14.23

+1.52

19

-1.75

+0.05

18 29 8

-1.35 9.65 2.75

-0.01 -0.01 -0.25

13 15

2.47 0.55

-0.01 none

47 34 29 20 12 6

6.02 4.11 2.97 3.37 3.50 2.89

-0.27 -0.27 -0.23 -0.30 +0.10 -0.17

data as of 7 a.m. Saturday

s sh s pc s s s pc r

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

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

N O R T H A M ER I CA’S

GOOD

FREE Back by Pop SHOW ular De ER P mand! AC K A GE !

1Selling Walk-In Tub

#

Featuring our Free Shower Package Plus 15% Off

After 30 years, Fibrex material is still 2x stronger than vinyl +

Now relaxing warm bath, or enjoy a convenient refreshing shower while seated or standing with Safe Step Walk-In Tub’s FREE Shower Package!

$359 OFF Take every window *

Plus $779 OFF every

✓ First walk-in tub available with a customizable shower ✓ Fixed rainfall shower head is adjustable for your height and pivots ✓ High-quality tub complete with a comprehensive lifetime warranty on the entire tub ✓ Top-of-the-line installation and service, all included at one

Now you can have the best of both worlds–there isn’t a better,

FREE SHOWER PACKAGE PLUS $1600 OFF FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY

Call Toll-Free 225-297-1369

With purchase of a new Safe Step Walk-In Tub. Not applicable with any previous walk-in tub purchase. Offer available while supplies last. No cash value. Must present offer at time of purchase.

Call Today for Your Free Shower Package

225-297-1369

FINANCING AVAILABLE WITH APPROVED CREDIT CSLB 1082165 NSCB 0082999 0083445 13VH11096000

door*

With 0 down, 0 payments, and 0% interest for 24 months* Call us b efore November 30 to schedule your FREE in-home consultation 10414 Plaza Americana Dr., Baton Rouge, LA 70816 *Offer not available in all areas. Discount applied by retailer representative at time of contract execution and applies to purchase of 4 or more windows and/or entry or patio doors. To qualify for discount offer, initial contact for a free Window and Door Diagnosis must be made and documented between 11/1/26 and 11/30/26, with the appointment then occurring no more than 10 days after the initial contact. 24-Month Promo Period financing available to well-qualified buyers on approved credit only. During the Promo Period, no payments are required and interest accrues but will be waived if the promo balance is paid in full before the Promo Period expires. Any unpaid balance remaining after the Promo Period, including accrued interest, will be repaid under the terms outlined in the customer’s loan agreement. Not all buyers will qualify. Higher interest rates may apply for customers with lower credit ratings. Financing is not valid with other offers or prior purchases. Renewal by Andersen retailers are neither brokers nor lenders. Any finance terms advertised are estimates only, and all financing is provided by third-party lenders unaffiliated with Renewal by Andersen retailers, under terms and conditions arranged directly between the customer and such lender, all subject to credit requirements. Renewal by Andersen retailers do not assist with, counsel or negotiate financing, other than providing customers an introduction to lenders interested in financing. Call 866-936-0602 for financing costs and terms. Loans for the GreenSky ® consumer loan program are offered and made by federally insured, federal or state chartered financial institutions providing credit without regard to age, race, color, religion, national origin, gender, disability, or familial status. A list of financial institutions currently providing loans through the GreenSky ® Program is available at www.greensky.com/bank-partners. GreenSky Servicing, LLC services the loans on behalf of your lender, NMLS #1416362. www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org. GreenSky ® is a registered trademark of GreenSky, LLC and is licensed to banks and other financial institutions for their use in connection with that consumer loan program. GreenSky Servicing, LLC is a financial technology company that manages the GreenSky ® consumer loan program by providing origination and servicing support to banks and other financial institutions that make or hold program loans. GreenSky, LLC and GreenSky Servicing, LLC are not lenders. All credit decisions and loan terms are determined by program lenders. By responding to this offer, you agree to the Terms and Privacy Policy and consent to receive marketing communications from Renewal by Andersen and its affiliates, including calls, prerecorded messages, AI-assisted calls, emails, and text messages (SMS/MMS) at the phone number and email address provided, even if your number is listed on a state or federal Do Not Call registry. Consent is not required as a condition of purchase. Message and data rates may apply. Calls may be recorded. Renewal by Andersen is an independently owned and operated retailer. “Renewal by Andersen” and all other marks where denoted are marks of Andersen Corporation. ©2026 Andersen Corporation. All rights reserved. +Ultimate Tensile Strength. Six window units were tested in a Minnesota home 30 years after installation. Visit renewalbyandersen.com for warranty information. †It is the only warranty among top selling window companies that meets all of the following requirements: easy to understand terms, unrestricted transferability, installation coverage, labor coverage, geographically unrestricted, coverage for exterior color, insect screens and hardware, and no maintenance requirement. Visit renewalbyandersen.com/nationsbest for details. ‡ See Renewal by Andersen® Products and Installation Transferable Limited Warranty for details. For J.D. Power 2025 award information, visit jdpower.com/awards.

Renewal by Andersen Impact Resistant Windows

SPORTS

ROARING VICTORY

Jaguars dominate BCU for first win streak since 2024, Page 4C

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

|

S U N D AY, N OV E M B E R 8, 2026

1CN

Saints hope tweaks solve sputtering run game BY LUKE JOHNSON

ä Browns at Saints NOON SUNDAY, CBS

In their Week 7 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the season-long source of stress for the New Orleans Saints reached its breaking point. New Orleans ran the ball 17 times against Pittsburgh on Oct. 25 and managed just 18 yards. A third of those yards came on a 6-yard scramble by quarterback Tyler Shough. None of the 14 rushes by running backs Kendre Miller, who was released Sat-

urday, or Alvin Kamara gained more than 3 yards, and six of them were snuffed out for no gain or a loss of yards. It was laid bare for anyone who had not yet come to the realization: The Saints rushing offense is broken. The Steelers loss was the worst performance on the ground by a Saints team in more than a quarter century, but it was also not exactly new. In its first seven games, New Orleans has been held below 65

Staff writer

31

ALABAMA

yards four times, a feat only the Green Bay Packers and Las Vegas Raiders could match. Coming out of the bye week, the Saints fired run-game coordinator T.J. Paganetti, a move that may accomplish more in terms of optics than improving the on-field product. Describing the decision to fire Paganetti this week, coach Kellen Moore sounded more like a tech CEO than a football coach when describing how the firing would help the Saints’ “workflow.” “It’s creating a sequence of the week that’ll allow us to have a really good struc-

LSU

ture and a really good flow,” Moore said. The Saints invested in their rushing attack this offseason, luring big-ticket free agents such as guard David Edwards and running back Travis Etienne to help fix a running game that ranked 28th and 31st out of 32 teams a year ago in rushing yards and yards per carry, respectively. Before he arrived in New Orleans, Moore finished with a top-10 rushing offense in four of his six seasons as an offensive play-caller.

ä See SAINTS, page 6C

13

POINTS LESS RECORD: 6-3 UP NEXT: VS. TEXAS, TBD SATURDAY, ABC

STAFF PHOTO BY PEARL SPURLOCK

LSU wide receiver Eugene Wilson is tackled by Alabama linebacker Luke Metz, left, and defensive back Dijon Lee on Saturday at Tiger Stadium.

LSU racks up plenty of empty yards in deflating loss to Crimson Tide

Again, there’s not a bright side with Alabama visiting Tiger Stadium

BY JON BLAU

Brandon Flowers’ plaintive The sun had long set in the vocals summed up the feelwestern sky, retreating from a wretchedly familiar scene ings of a mournful nation of in Tiger Stadium: The stands Tiger fans with high-fidelity emptying out as LSU took one perfection: in the teeth from Alabama. “… I just can’t look As both teams played out “It’s killing me Scott the final few minutes of Satur“And taking control …” Rabalais The flip side of that hit piece day’s stunning 31-13 Crimson was the knot of Alabama fans, Tide victory, someone from reveling yet again in their happy LSU got the bright idea to crank up hunting ground, taunting the vanishThe Killers’ “Mr. Brightside” over the Tiger Stadium PA system. ä See RABALAIS, page 9C Such bad timing, but so fitting.

Staff writer

The chaos of the Southeastern Conference bought two-loss LSU a mulligan in its hopes of a College Football Playoff berth in its first season under Lane Kiffin. But the Tigers’ do-over likely was spent Saturday in a 31-13 loss to Alabama at Tiger Stadium. How it was surrendered didn’t make much sense mathematically. LSU, No. 14 in the CFP rankings,

moved the ball to the tune of 457 yards on No. 5 Alabama, which had just 285. The Tigers had 27 first downs to the Crimson Tide’s 13. But in a consequential game, LSU (6-3, 3-3 SEC) didn’t make plays when it mattered. Alabama (7-2, 5-1) very much did. “If I was looking at a sheet that said Sam (Leavitt) had 380 yards passing and Jackson Harris had 11 (catches) for 166 (yards) and Trey’Dez (Green)

ä See LSU, page 8C

winter hoops await r e g i s t e r nov 1- dec 8 brec.org/basketball

Basketball youth leagues

2C n Sunday, November 8, 2026 n theadvocate.com n The Advocate

lll

BROADCAST HIGHLIGHTS On TV

AUTO RACING 10:30 a.m. Qatar Grand Prix FS1 2 p.m. NASCAR Cup: Homestead NBC 4 p.m. F1: Prêmio de São Paulo APPLETV MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL 11 a.m. Iona at St. John’s NBCSN noon Arkansas vs. Virginia ESPN 1 p.m. Butler at Boise St. USA 4 p.m. Richmond vs. Temple ESPN2 7 p.m. Pittsburgh vs. Penn St. ESPN2 7:30 p.m. Houston vs. California CW 10 p.m. Southern Cal vs. Wichita St. CW WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL noon Alabama at Tulane ESPN2 1 p.m. Duke vs. North Texas ESPNU 1 p.m. Iowa at UCon nFS1 2 p.m. Kentucky vs. NC State ESPN2 4:30 p.m. S. Carolina vs. N. Carolina ESPN 7 p.m. Utah St. at Southern Cal BTN COLLEGE FIELD HOCKEY 11 a.m. Maryland vs. Northwestern BTN MEN’S COLLEGE SOCCER 11 a.m. North Carolina at Clemson ACCN 1 p.m. NC State at Wake Forest ACCN

3 p.m. 5 p.m.

Virginia at SMU ACCN Syracuse at Stanford ACCN WOMEN’S COLLEGE SOCCER 11:30 a.m. Georgia vs. Oklahoma SECN 1 p.m. Michigan vs. Michigan St. BTN 2 p.m. LSU vs. Auburn SECN 4 p.m. Wisconsin vs. Purdue BTN 4:30 p.m. Texas vs. Mississippi St. SECN 5 p.m. Duke at Wake Forest ESPNU 7 p.m. Virginia at Florida St. ACCN 7 p.m. Florida vs. Arkansas SECN WOMEN’S COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL 3 p.m. Penn St. at Wisconsin FS1 5:30 p.m. Nebraska at Washington FS1 FIGURE SKATING 11 a.m. ISU Grand Prix: Cup of China NBC GOLF 2 p.m. WTGL: L.A. Club vs. N.Y. Club ESPN 2 p.m. World Technology Championship GOLF HORSE RACING 11:30 a.m. America’s Day at the Races FS2 noon America’s Day at the Races FS1 1 p.m. America’s Day at the Races FS2 WOMEN’S HOCKEY 8 a.m. U.S. vs. Germany NHLN

IN BRIEF

FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

NBA L.A. Lakers at Detroit NBATV New Orleans at L.A. Clippers GCSEN NFL 8:30 a.m. Cincinnati vs. Atlanta NFLN noon Cleveland at New Orleans CBS noon Dallas at Indianapolis FOX 3:25 p.m. Green Bay at New England FOX 7:20 p.m. Tampa Bay at Chicago NBC NHL noon Florida at Boston NHLN 6 p.m. New Jersey at Toronto NHLN RODEO 4:30 p.m. PBR: Team Championship CBS MEN’S SOCCER 8 a.m. Atalanta at AC Monza CBSSN 8 a.m. Liverpool at Crystal Palace NBCSN 8 a.m. Chelsea at Sunderland USA 10:30 a.m. Aston Villa at Man United USA WOMEN’S SOCCER 11:30 a.m. Seattle at Gotham ABC 1:55 p.m. Portland at Washington ABC TENNIS 8 a.m. Paris-ATP Singles Finals TENNIS 2 p.m. WTA Finals: Indian Wells TENNIS 5 p.m. 8 p.m.

GAME OF THE WEEK

Utah snaps Holy War losing streak BY JOHN COON Associated Press

SALT LAKE CITY — Devon Dampier accounted for four touchdowns, Utah intercepted four Bear Bachmeier passes and the thirdranked Utes remained undefeated with a 28-20 victory over No. 7 BYU on Saturday. Dampier hurt the Cougars with with his arm and legs, finishing with 266 yards of offense to help the Utes (9-0, 6-0 Big 12, No. 3 CFP) snap a three-game losing streak in the Holy War rivalry series. He threw two touchdown passes to Braden Pegan and ran for two more scores. “All I know is I love him,” Utah coach Morgan Scalley said. “He’s a competitor. He’s a warrior. He wins us football games.” Trailing by six at halftime, Utah forced three turnovers and shut out the Cougars (7-2, 4-2, No. 9 CFP) in the second half to keep alive its College Football Playoff hopes. BYU has lost two of three to dampen its CFP chances. Bachmeier threw for 272 yards and a touchdown and ran for 59 yards, but he had two of his four interceptions in the fourth quarter — both in the end zone. He had four interceptions in BYU’s

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO BY TYLER TATE

Utah quarterback Devon Dampier, center, looks to pass during a game against BYU on Saturday in Salt Lake City. first eight games. “That’s an incredible amount of turnovers that we had,” BYU coach Kalani Sitake said. “If you know anything about this rivalry, that is not the way to win it.” Down 20-14 at halftime, Utah went ahead in the third quarter on Pegan’s 14-yard TD catch while its defense held BYU to 39 yards and had an interception

during that stretch. Dampier’s second TD run — this one from 3 yards out — gave Utah a 28-20 lead with 12:03 left. Bachmeier marched BYU down to the Utah 2 but threw an interception to Trey Reynolds with 4:39 remaining. Nate Ritchie picked off another Bachmeier pass in the end zone in the final seconds after the Cougars

had reached the Utah 41. “Our team played lights out in that last quarter,” Dampier said. “That was one of our best quarters of all of us.” Utah covered 138 yards and scored two touchdowns over its first seven plays. That helped the Utes go ahead 14-0 less than five minutes into the game. Dampier was the catalyst for the fast start. He hit Noah Bennee for a 47-yard pass to set up his own 22-yard scoring run on Utah’s first drive. Then, Dampier hit Pegan in stride over the middle for a 46-yard touchdown on the Utes’ second drive. “We find any way to give ourselves momentum,” Dampier said. “That’s just the mentality of our offense. Any time we get out there — let’s just spark this thing. Let’s go get in the end zone. Yeah, we start off pretty well.” The Cougars offense unraveled in the second half, totaling 111 yards and 4.0 yards per play. “Going into the second half, we got too big-headed thinking the game was ours,” said Glasker, who finished with 118 yards on seven catches. “We thought we had it and we thought they were just gonna bow down to us.”

AP TOP 25 ROUNDUP

No. 10 Texas rallies past No. 19 Missouri The Associated Press COLUMBIA, Mo. — Arch Manning threw for 297 yards and three touchdowns, including the go-ahead TD pass to Raleek Brown with just over five minutes to go, and No. 10 Texas rallied to beat No. 19 Missouri 34-20 on Saturday and keep alive its College Football Playoff hopes. Brown added 85 yards and a clinching touchdown on the ground, while the Longhorns (7-2, 4-2 SEC, No. 7 CFP) made a series of big defensive plays in the fourth quarter to help preserve their fourth win over a top-20 opponent this season. The biggest defensive play Texas made came as the Tigers (6-3, 3-3, No. 18 CFP) were trying to match Brown’s go-ahead score. The teams traded touchdowns in the first quarter, then each added a field goal, leaving it 10-all at halftime. But both teams were left to rue early mistakes: Ryan Wingo fumbled the ball away for Texas, leading to the Tigers’ field goal, while Blake Craig missed a relative chip-shot midway through the second quarter that could have given the Tigers some breathing room. Manning lofted a nifty ball down the sideline to Brown, who had come out of the backfield and run right past linebacker Dante McClellan, and the running back hauled it in for the eventual decisive touchdown with 5:03 remaining in the game. NO. 5 UCLA 34, MINNESOTA 20: In Minneapolis, Ty Dieffenbach threw two 75-yard touchdown passes to Aidan Mizell in the fourth quarter for No. 5 UCLA, as the Bruins sped away from Minnesota to stay undefeated. Wayne Knight rushed for 109 yards and his 15th score of the season to help keep the Bruins (9-0, 6-0) atop the Big Ten and boost their College Football Playoff bid after landing eighth in the first ranking this week.

NO. 23 SOUTH CAROLINA 17, TEXAS A&M 9: In Columbia, South Carolina, LaNorris Sellers threw for 251 yards and a touchdown and ran for a clinching score as No. 23 South Carolina won its fourth straight game by outlasting Texas A&M. Malik Orsan’s 43-yard field goal midway through the final quarter put South Carolina ahead for good, 10-9, while Sellers’ 41-yard TD run on an injured ankle in the last two minutes sealed things. It was far from a vintage performance from Sellers or the Gamecocks (6-3, 4-3 Southeastern Conference; No. 21 CFP). Still, it was good enough for South Carolina to continue its second-half surge this season. Texas A&M (4-5, 1-5), which started the season at No. 8, fell for the third time in its past four games and guaranteed itself a losing league season a year after reaching the College Football Playoff. NO. 14 WAKE FOREST 77, MERRIMACK 0: In Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Steele Pizzella stepped into the starter’s role and kept No. 14 Wake Forest rolling on Saturday, throwing for 432 yards and three touchdowns in the first half to lead the Demon Deacons to their sixth straight victory, a record-setting rout of Merrimack of the Football Championship Subdivision. With Pizzella filling in for injured starter Gio Lopez, Wake Forest (8-1) scored 11 touchdowns to break the school scoring record set in a 70-58 win over Army on Oct. 23, 2021. OREGON 41, NO. 11 OHIO STATE 28: In Columbus, Ohio, Dierre Hill rushed for two touchdowns, Dylan Raiola passed for 257 yards and Oregon rallied from an early two-touchdown deficit to hammer No. 11 Ohio State. The Ducks (6-3, 4-2 Big Ten, No. 23 CFP) were down 14-0 late in the first quarter before scoring on four

of their next five drives to take control of the game and deliver a stunning loss to the Buckeyes, who have dropped two straight games for the first time since 2011. It is also the first time since October 1992 that Ohio State (6-3, 4-2, No. 12 CFP) has lost back-to-back games to unranked opponents. NO. 17 HOUSTON 31, CINCINNATI 24: In Houston, Re’Shaun Sanford ran for 126 yards and the tiebreaking score in the fourth quarter, and Conner Weigman threw for 227 yards and two touchdowns as No. 17 Houston beat Cincinnati. Sanford’s 51-yard TD run with 5:10 remaining gave the Cougars (7-2, 4-2 Big 12) the lead. Cincinnati (5-4, 2-4) drove to the Houston 42, but a throw by JC French was ruled a backward pass after a replay review, and Houston recovered with 2:11 remaining. The Cougars ran out the clock from there. NO. 20 BOISE STATE 64, COLORADO STATE 38: In Fort Collins, Colorado, Backup quarterback Max Cutforth threw four touchdown passes and ran for another score as No. 20 Boise State extended its winning streak to eight games by beating Colorado State. The Broncos (8-1, 5-0 Pac-12, No. 25 CFP) have been rolling since their season-opening 34-27 loss at Oregon. Boise State’s in the driver’s seat to earn a spot in the College Football Playoff as the highest ranked Group of Six squad. Boise State scored four straight TD drives to start the game and punted just once. The Rams (3-6, 1-4) entered the contest allowing an FBS-worst 42.4 points per game. NO. 16 TENNESSEE 34, NO. 8 KENTUCKY 6: In Knoxville, Tennessee, Daune Morris had a 66-yard touchdown run in the first quarter and No. 16 Tennessee’s stifling defense shut down No. 8 Kentucky. The Volunteers (7-2, 4-2 in South-

eastern Conference) are very much alive in the College Football Playoff race. They came in No. 13, while the Wildcats (7-2, 4-2), who had their six-game winning streak snapped, were No. 6. Tennessee had eight tackles for loss and forced three turnovers. Kentucky came into the game with one of the best turnover margins in the country. NO. 4 NOTRE DAME 31, NO. 1 MIAMI 24: In South Bend, Indiana, CJ Carr threw for 319 yards and three touchdowns, and No. 4 Notre Dame avenged its most damaging loss from last season by running out to a 21-point lead and holding on to beat No. 1 Miami. Micah Gilbert caught two of those scoring passes, Jordan Faison had the other and Nolan James had a rushing score for Notre Dame (8-1, No. 11 College Football Playoff). The Hurricanes (8-1, No. 1 CFP) started slowly on offense in their first game without injured wide receiver and Heisman Trophy hopeful Malachi Toney. OKLAHOMA 23, NO. 25 FLORIDA 7: In Gainesville, Florida, John Mateer did just enough with his legs and arm under new play-caller Jason Witten and Oklahoma’s tough defense took care of the rest Saturday night as the Sooners throttled No. 25 Florida. The Sooners (5-4, 3-3 Southeastern Conference) fired offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle and Witten, the Dallas Cowboys’ former tight end who was coaching high school in suburban Texas last year, took over on an interim basis. The Gators (5-4, 3-4) appeared in the College Football Playoff ranking for the first time since 2020 and won’t stick around. The offense looked anemic under Tramell Jones The Gators’ longest play from scrimmage was a 33-yard pass to Duke Clark in the flats.

No. 23 Illinois handles Southern women in rout

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Cearah Parchment scored 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting with four 3-pointers as No. 23 Illinois cruised to a 99-28 win over Southern on Saturday. Berry Wallace scored 13 points, Gretchen Dolan and reserve Aaliyah Guyton both had 12, and Jasmine Brown-Hagger added 11 for the Fighting Illini (2-0). Illinois shot 57% and went 11 of 24 behind the arc while outscoring Southern by 12 at the foul line. The rebounding margin was 49-22. Zaria Hurston scored eight points for the Jaguars (0-2), who played the second of three straight ranked opponents on the road. They have two more ranked teams on the road in their first six games. Southern shot 17% (9 of 52) from the floor.

Cowboys place edge rusher Lawrence on IR with sprain FRISCO, Texas — The Dallas Cowboys have placed rookie edge rusher Malachi Lawrence on injured reserve with a high-ankle sprain and activated linebacker Marist Liufau, who has been sidelined all season with a forearm fracture. The move Saturday means Lawrence will miss at least four games beginning Sunday at Indianapolis. The first-round pick could return, although the Cowboys are running low on spots remaining for players to return from IR. Liufau was injured in the final preseason game, which might have helped save his spot on the roster. Instead of being forced to include the third-year player on the 53-man roster for final cuts, Dallas had the option of putting him on injured reserve.

Top-ranked Rybakina withdraws from WTA Finals

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — Top-ranked Elena Rybakina has withdrawn from the WTA Finals for medical reasons before the season-ending championships begin. “I’ve had an incredible season, but my body is just not physically ready to compete,” the 27-year-old said in a statement Saturday, a day before the event gets underway at Indian Wells Tennis Garden. “I’m going to spend some time resting and recovering at home and getting myself ready for the 2027 season.” Marta Kostyuk moves into the draw as the first alternate in Group 1, and she will open play Sunday against Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova. Americans Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula meet in the day’s other round-robin singles match.

Alcaraz ready for Shelton rematch in Paris Masters

PARIS — Carlos Alcaraz reached his third final since the U.S. Open when he accounted for Casper Ruud 6-4, 6-4 at the Paris Masters on Saturday. No. 2-seeded Alcaraz will play No. 3 Ben Shelton for the title after the American rallied from a break down in the deciding set to beat Luca Van Assche 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 in their semifinal. Alcaraz leads 3-1 against Shelton but lost their last meeting in a latenight quarterfinal marathon at the U.S. Open which ended at 2:33 a.m. “I really want to take revenge against Ben,” Alcaraz said. “Last time was a pretty tough match. I’m going to try to do different things at little moments, important moments, that I probably didn’t do well last time.”

Rahm leads after 3rd round of Abu Dhabi Championship

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — Jon Rahm will take a one-shot lead into the final day of the Abu Dhabi Championship after shooting 6-under 66 in the third round Saturday. Rory McIlroy had shared the lead with the Spaniard but made bogey at the par-3 No. 17 to drop into fourth place on a hot day at Yas Links. McIlroy’s 67 included a doublebogey six at No. 10. That blemish broke up a sequence of seven birdies between Nos. 7 and 14. The two shots McIlroy now trails by also equals the penalty he took Thursday for improving his lie at the 12th, where a double-bogey six instead became an eight. Rahm’s 18-under total of 198 was one ahead of his playing partners Saturday, Tyrrell Hatton and Francesco Laporta who each carded a 67. McIlroy was two shots back.

lll

OUTDOORS

The Advocate n theadvocate.com n Sunday, November 8, 2026 n 3C

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

‘The training wheels are off’ Wade not pleased despite blowout win over Texas Southern

BY TOYLOY BROWN III Staff writer

PROVIDED IMAGE

The winner

Jennifer Reising’s painting of a wood duck was judged from among 16 entries to be Louisiana’s 2027 Waterfowl Conservation Stamp. The announcement was made during Thursday’s Wildlife and Fisheries Commission meeting. Reising, of Noank, Connecticut, is the 39th winner of the competition. Tony Bernard of Scott finished second and Buck Spencer of Eugene, Oregon, was third among the artists representing seven states with nine submissions sent by Louisiana artists.

Duck hunters welcome upcoming colder fronts BY JOE MACALUSO Contributing writer

This weekend’s cold front and colder front predicted to push Friday into south Louisiana — the forecast is calling for a 38-degree morning in seven days — has duck hunters more than ready to take to blinds in Louisiana’s West Zone for Saturday’s first segment of a 60-day season. The East Zone begins its run Nov. 21. The fly in the ointment here is water or the lack of it on the ground in fields and marshes. Wildlife and Fisheries Waterfowl Study Group’s annual preseason survey will come later this week, but the boots-on-the-ground report is ducks will be concentrated because of a lack of rainfall in an extra-dry October. One call from a military veteran grandpa prepping a blind for a hunt with his grandson told of enough teal, gray ducks and lingering squeelers to make for a worthwhile trip in Cameron Parish. This weekend had special hunts for honorably discharged veterans and youth-only. Some ponds northward through Iowa, Louisiana, toward Eunice held ducks, too. Don’t know how this started, but a message arrived about bird hunters not needing a HIP certificate to hunt this year. Not so: Hunters 18 and older need to complete the no-fee Harvest Information Program survey

NOTEBOOK to get the certificate needed to be legal for migratory bird/waterfowl seasons. Yes, you need a basic state hunting license and waterfowl stamp at that age, but a federal waterfowl stamp is required for hunters 16 and older. Know, too, shooting hours are 30 minutes before sunrise to sunset and the daily limit is six, of which you can have no more than four mallards and no more than two mallard hens, three wood ducks, two canvasbacks, two redheads, one black duck and three pintails of which only one can be a hen. For scaup, hunters need to be aware that the limit is one per day for the first 15 days of the season, then two per day for the remaining 45 days of the 60-day season. The limit for coots (poule d’eau) is 15 and the daily limit for mergansers is five (of which only two can be hooded mergansers). The limits for poule d’eau and mergansers are in addition to the six allowed for ducks. And, if you’re hunting a wildlife management area, and there are several solid waterfowl hunting opportunities, you need to check the state’s 2026-2027 hunting pamphlet to determine regulations for that specific WMA, including the need for permits and daily-use requirements.

Thursday’s Wildlife and Fisheries Commission meeting is that the Rockefeller Refuge is reinstating the 18-inch length limit and other black bass regulations on Bussey Brake. The new regulations include: n A maximum length limit of 18 inches for black bass; n An allowance of one bass longer than 22 inches “may be temporarily retained in an aerated livewell immediately before weighing on a personal scale or LDWF-provided certified scale;” that bass must be immediately released into Bussey Brake Reservoir following weighing; and, all anglers in the boat must stop fishing until the 22-inch long bass has been released; n A five-bass daily creel limit for fish less than 18 inches long. Since this was passed as an emergency declaration, a formal Notice of Intent must follow to make the rules permanent. Written comments must be received by Dec. 28, and submitted to Ryan Daniel, Inland Fisheries Section, Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, 368 Century Link Dr., Monroe, LA, 71203, or via e-mail to rdaniel@wlf.la.gov

Open for travel

The Corps of Engineers in New Orleans issued a statement about a levee enlargement project in St. Rose and stated its work crews have completed work and reopened St. Charles Parish’s allThe commission weather access road atop the new The biggest news coming from levee.

CALENDAR MONDAY

RED STICK FLY FISHERS PROGRAM: 7 p.m., Bluebonnet Regional Library, 9200 Bluebonnet Blvd., Baton Rouge. Open to the public. Email Brian Roberts: roberts.brian84@gmail.com. Website: rsff.org

WEDNESDAY

VETERAN’S DAY BUGS & BEERS: 6:30 p.m., Skeeta Hawk Brewing, 455 N. Dorgenois St., New Orleans. Casual fly tying. Open to public. Email A.J. Rosenbohm: ajrosenbohm@gmail.com. Website: neworleansflyfishers.com

HUNTING SEASONS

DUCKS/WEST ZONE: Nov. 8, last day of special youth-only & veteransonly weekend. DUCKS/EAST ZONE: Nov. 14, special youth-only & veterans-only day. DUCKS: First segments; West Zone, Nov. 14-Dec. 6; East Zone, Nov. 21Dec. 6. DEER/PRIMITIVE FIREARMS: Nov. 1420, State Deer Areas 1, 4, 5, 6 & 9. GEESE/EAST & WEST ZONES: Nov. 14Dec. 6. Includes Canada, blue, snow & Ross’ & specklebellies. Take of Canada geese prohibited in portions

of Cameron & Vermilion parishes. DOVES: North Zone: thru Nov. 15; South Zone: thru Nov. 29. DEER/MODERN FIREARMS: Nov. 21-Dec. 11, State Deer Areas 1, 4 & 6, still-hunt only. DEER/MODERN FIREARMS: Nov. 21-Dec. 11, State Deer Areas 5 & 9, still-hunt only, bucks only except either-sex take allowed Nov. 21-22 & Nov. 27-29. QUAIL: Nov. 21-Feb. 28, statewide, private lands only. DEER/MODERN FIREARMS: Thru Nov. 29, State Deer Areas 3, 7, 8 & 10, stillhunt only. DEER/MODERN FIREARMS: Thru Dec. 9, with/without dogs. RAILS/GALLINULES: Thru Jan. 6, statewide. SNIPE: Thru Jan. 10, first split, statewide. DEER/ARCHERY: Through Jan. 15, State Deer Areas 3, 7, 8 & 10; thru Jan. 31, State Deer Areas 1, 2, 4 either-sex take allowed; thru Feb. 15, State Deer Areas 5, 6 & 9. RABBITS/SQUIRRELS: Through Feb. 28, statewide, private lands only & selected wildlife management areas.

AROUND THE CORNER

NOV. 17 — LAFAYETTE KAYAK FISHING CLUB MEETING: 6 p.m., Pack and Paddle, 601 E. Pinhook, Lafayette. Call (337) 232-5854. Website: lafayettekayakfishing.com NOV. 18 — FLIES & FLIGHTS: 7-9 p.m, Rally Cap Brewing, 11212 Pennywood Avenue, Baton Rouge. Casual fly tying & quarterly gear swap. Open to public. Email Chris Williams: thefatfingeredflytyer@gmail. com

The final score isn’t how Will Wade is judging games during the dawn of LSU’s season. His team’s latest 92-51 win over Texas Southern on Friday at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center is deceptive. The result looked typical, but the process wasn’t good enough in his opinion. It wasn’t the standard, similar to times during LSU’s season-opening 43-point win over LSU New Orleans on Tuesday. Wade said he wants to elevate his team’s metrics to reflect a topshelf team entering Southeastern Conference play and eventually to show off to the NCAA Tournament selection committee. “All that stuff matters,” he said. “We barely beat our numbers tonight. I mean, our offense was pedestrian. Our defense was better than we needed it to be. Our offense, we barely got over the number. “We needed to score 90 tonight, but we had too many possessions to score the (92 points), so we’re going to drop on offense. So it’s a net negative tonight. So that’s the way I view it. Not everybody quite sees it how I see it all the time, but I felt like we needed to have a little bit better effort. We can clean up the details, but our effort certainly needs to improve.” Texas Southern (0-2) last led 11-9 at the 14:52 mark and stayed within 15 points until the 3:34 mark of the first half. Wade said LSU (2-0) improved its effort in the second half, holding Texas Southern to 23 points and five field goals after halftime. He said his team must dominate now and can’t afford to be patient in developing the connectivity

needed to excel in the SEC with a roster of all-new players, including six who had to wait to be fully cleared by the NCAA or the court system for a fifth season. “We don’t have time,” Wade said. “Look, it don’t matter who we got. We should be able to play cleaner basketball. ... Look, the training wheels are off. We got to ride the bike, all right. “This is a performance-based industry, so we’re judged on how we play. Look, we’re all very well compensated, me included, players. We’re all very well compensated to perform at a certain level and to perform to a certain standard, and we didn’t do that. It’s on me. I didn’t have the team as ready on this short break.” The player who struggled the most for LSU was Brice Dessert. While the 7-foot, 255-pound center from France had nine points on 4-of-6 shooting, he had two rebounds and played just 12 minutes, including five in the second half. Dessert finished with three fouls, two turnovers and no blocks as the team was outscored by six points during his minutes. In the opener, he had four turnovers and fouled out in 18 minutes. Wade said Dessert’s decline in playing time wasn’t all because of performance. One of Texas Southern’s centers was unavailable, which led to an up-tempo style that would give Dessert a speed disadvantage. Wade also shared why he’s not concerned about his 23-year-old’s lackluster showing. “He’s still adjusting,” he said. “Brice is a really good player, and he hasn’t played as well as he’s capable of playing. The game’s a lot faster for him right now, and we just got to get him to pause for poise for a little bit. “We got incredible faith in him, incredible confidence in him. He’s a great person, works really hard as well. Look, he’s disappointed too, but it’s an adjustment. And he’ll adjust. He’ll be good.”

STAFF PHOTO BY PEARL SPURLOCK

LSU center Brice Dessert dunks the ball against Texas Southern on Friday at the Pete Maravich Assembly Cemter.

Print subscriber but haven’t set up your digital access yet?

It’s easy!

LDWF UPDATES

n Closed: Portion of Dobbs Bay Road

(Richard Yancey WMA, water control structure construction); Hope Canal Road/boat launch (Maurepas Swamp WMA, levee construction); Reserve Relief Canal Boat Launch by order of Corps of Engineers (Reserve Relief Pump Station construction) with alternate launch locations at Pete’s Landing, the Akers boat ramp & Bonnet Carré Spillway boat launch. n Drawdowns: Cheniere Lake (through Nov. 15); Clear-Smithport Lake (through Nov. 16); Lake Bistineau (through Nov. 30); Chicot Lake & Grand Bayou Reservoir (through Jan. 4); Vernon Lake (through Jan. 5).

myaccount.nola.com

4C n Sunday, November 8, 2026 n theadvocate.com n The Advocate

lll

SOUTHERN 45, BCU 17

THREE AND OUT: TOYLOY BROWN’S TOP TAKEAWAYS FROM A MASSIVE SOUTHERN VICTORY

1

LEGIT GROWTH Southern’s level of improvement has been staggering over the last couple of weeks. The team looks unrecognizable. It’s not only winning but also handing out beatdowns. It did so against Florida A&M last week and again Saturday against a Bethune-Cookman team that beat Jackson State, the top SWAC East team. The Jaguars are executing in all three phases, getting good field position and playing with speed they lacked a month ago. The coaching staff should be commended for the way Southern has leveled up.

2

VERSATILE RUNNING GAME The run game is still the Trey Holly show. The league’s leading rusher had a second straight outing of more than 200 yards rushing and two touchdowns. But the ground attack is humming even when he’s not getting a traditional handoff. Whether it’s Holly in the Wildcat formation or a jet sweep for a wideout, the offensive line is looking sharp on its blocking assignments. Other players can jet for solid yardage, giving Marshall Faulk more than one weapon he can run at his opponents. That should be scary for future SWAC foes.

3

ONE BLEMISH Strangely, Southern couldn’t stop picking up penalties. While it didn’t matter for the result of this game, the team doesn’t need to pick up bad habits in terms of on-field discipline. It had multiple offsides and holding penalties. When two Bethune-Cookman defenders drove Holly out of bounds after the whistle, a Southern player retaliated with a forceful shove and was handed a personal foul. Faulk will need to clean up that sloppiness before the Jaguars’ next game. Self-inflicted mistakes could derail the momentum.

STAFF PHOTOS BY JAVIER GALLEGOS

Bethune-Cookman quarterback Tyler Jefferson gets stopped by the Southern defense during a game at A.W. Mumford Stadium on Saturday.

Stacking wins

Southern crushes Bethune-Cookman for first winning streak since 2024 BY TOYLOY BROWN III Staff writer

“Impose our will.” That has been Southern coach Marshall Faulk’s message to his team each week, and for the second consecutive game, the Jaguars did just that. Southern demolished BethuneCookman 45-17 on Saturday at A.W. Mumford Stadium, earning back-to-back victories for the first time in two seasons. The Jaguars last won consecutive games on Nov. 30, 2024, when they defeated Grambling in the Bayou Classic after clinching the SWAC West title with a win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff the week before. Southern (5-5, 3-3 SWAC) blew out Florida A&M 42-14 on Halloween. The Jaguars are fourth in the SWAC West, trailing three teams tied for first place at 4-2. Southern excelled in every phase of the game, including special teams, converting a seasonlong 42-yard field goal by Chris McKenna. It accumulated 381 yards on the ground and outgained Bethune-Cookman 492294. “The last maybe four or five weeks we’ve been really good at executing the plays we wanted to execute and controlling the line of scrimmage,” Faulk said. “I keep talking about our brandnew football, you know it’s not the pretty throw the ball 30 times a game. You know, it’s a little dirty, a little gritty, getting it out of the mud. That’s the kind of game we want to play. We want to play a physical game.” The only red flag for Southern was 17 penalties for 100 yards. Trey Holly showed from the start why he’s the best running back in the SWAC and the first 1,000-yard rusher at Southern since Lenard Tillery in 2016. On his second touch of the game, he ran for a 31-yard gain through the right side against Bethune-Cookman (5-4, 3-3). His next explosive play was a 44-yard

Southern wide receiver Wydell Clark scores a touchdown against Bethune-Cookman at A.W. Mumford Stadium on Saturday. touchdown carry up the middle to give his team a 17-3 lead with 14:03 left in the second quarter. The offensive line used its size to create the holes Holly needed to get downhill. “We got to shout out those offensive linemen,” Holly said. “They played a hell of a game.” Holly finished with 16 carries for 206 yards and two touchdowns. The offense was the best it has been all season, taking a 31-3 lead at halftime. Faulk complimented the offensive line’s growth by calling it “beautiful to watch.” Offensive play-caller Fred McNair mixed the usual Holly run plays with a few instances of him in the Wildcat formation. McNair also dialed up some plays for his other weapons. Southern’s most creative play was a 12-yard jet sweep for a touchdown by Wydell Clark to make it 10-3. The freshman ran toward the left sideline, shed a tackle around his hip and launched himself into the end zone. Clark also received a sturdy lead block from tailback Champ Davis. Davis later got injured during a run up the middle, where he was bent backward on a tackle at the line of scrimmage. Clark was featured again for a 21-yard receiving touchdown.

ly. Brown seemed poised for a special game when he ran for 64 yards on Bethune-Cookman’s first play from scrimmage. “A lot of times on defense, you have a hole that you’re responsible for, and what happens is you want to get in somebody else’s gap,” Faulk said. “Then before you know it, a big play happens, and that’s what we had happen there. We played about as sound as we could play. Obviously, they’re going to make some plays, but for the most part, I like what the defense did.” After Southern limited the Wildcats to a 25-yard field goal on the drive, Brown wasn’t much of a factor. “Our coach really installed a different type of mindset in us that we just had to be us, be physical and just be dominant,” said Southern safety Ty Lee, who had 10 tackles. When Bethune-Cookman couldn’t keep up with Southern’s firepower, the Wildcats had to move away from its ground attack. The need to pass led to an eventual interception by Southern cornerback Landon Carter, who returned it 18 yards to the opposing 20-yard line. Bethune-Cookman redshirt junior starting quarterback Tyler Jefferson after missing a game last week. The Florida A&M transfer faced pressure and threw several passes off the mark. Bethune-Cookman’s first touchdown came on a 10-yard pass to Deanwar Johnson on the left side with 1:35 remaining in the third quarter. Southern committed eight penalties during the scoring drive, including two offsides penalties on the extra-point attempt. Southern entered the game best in the SWAC with only 47 penalty yards per game. The Wildcats’ last score was a 2-yard rushing touchdown shortly after Southern tailback Dillon Compton fumbled the ball 7 yards from his team’s end zone. Southern returns to action with a home game at 2 p.m. Saturday against Alcorn State (6-4, 4-2), which is among the first-place teams in the division ahead of the Jaguars.

Quarterback Christian Johnson threw to the left sideline, and Clark made the contested catch by the 14-yard line, stayed in bounds to turn upfield and kept moving for the score. This gave Southern a 24-3 advantage with 8:50 remaining in the second quarter. “The play is designed for me to get away from defenders really quick, but he was right behind me,” Clark said. “So Christian just put the ball in the perfect place. I just went and made a play and gave elite effort. We talk about that every day.” Another freshman who shined was running back Macario Dade. With Bethune-Cookman struggling to contain the edge, Dade burst down the right sideline for a 70-yard touchdown run. The 5-foot-6 freshman entered the game with just nine rushing attempts this season. Johnson ran the offense efficiently, completing 8 of 13 passes for 111 yards and two touchdowns. Southern expected to see a reflection of itself when it faced Bethune-Cookman since it relies heavily on its top running back Rashon Brown. The redshirt freshman entered the game with 174 carries, which Email Toyloy Brown III at is second in the SWAC after Hol- toyloy.brown@theadvocate.com.

Freshmen find their footing for Jags BY TOYLOY BROWN III Staff writer

Macario Dade saw daylight on the right sideline. The Southern freshman running back with a track and field background detonated from the backfield and went untouched for a 70-yard touchdown in the third quarter of Southern’s 45-17 win over Bethune-Cookman on Saturday at A.W. Mumford Stadium. Fellow freshman Wydell Clark was as happy as anyone to see the Jaguars’ little-used running back have the longest of the day. Notebook play Clark and Dade are both products of Ouachita High School in Monroe. “I seen that,” Clark said. “That was my teammate in high school. So I’ve been seeing that for the last two years, so I ain’t been surprised.” The same day Dade finished with four carries for 104 yards and a touchdown, Clark also played well. He had a 12-yard jet sweep for a touchdown and a 21yard receiving touchdown after making a contested catch on an out route and sprinting to the end zone. “We see it at practice all the time,” coach Marshall Faulk said about Clark. “The ball’s finding him. That’s the offense in the passing game. The ball finds you, coverage dictates.” The 5-foot-6, 165-pound Dade’s blazing speed on his touchdown run reaffirmed the depth of the Southern running back room. “We recruited him for that,” Faulk said. “I don’t know if you take it serious or not, but we’re stacked in the backfield. We have some guys that don’t get a chance to play — who play later in the game — they could go somewhere else and play. They could probably be playing somewhere else. But our one, two, three, four guy, I mean, they’re exciting, and they all bring something different to the table.”

Injury misfortune Champ Davis, one of Southern’s promising freshman, appeared to be seriously injured after being tackled awkwardly near the line of scrimmage while running the ball. He stayed down for an extended period and was eventually lifted off the ground by two people and brought to the sidelines. Faulk had an idea of what Davis’ injury was but didn’t share his status because he hadn’t spoken to a doctor officially. “I didn’t hear from the doctor, so I’ll wait until the doctor informs me of exactly what it is,” he said. “My trainer informed me, gave me an update. But I’ll wait for the doctor to give me the diagnosis on what’s wrong with him.” This was Davis’ second game back from a shoulder injury that forced him to miss five straight contests. The 5-10, 195-pound running back has been described as a solid piece of the offense when healthy. He had 13 carries for 62 yards and two touchdowns in the team’s 28-point win over Florida A&M on Halloween.

Joys of success Ty Lee vividly remembers the disappointment of Southern’s 2-10 season last year. The redshirt sophomore defensive back, who had 10 tackles on Saturday, said these last two wins have made old and new players alike excited about the program’s direction. “Definitely a blessing, especially being here last year,” Lee said. “You know, didn’t have the best season, of course. So just seeing the positives coming out, knowing that even last year it doesn’t define you. So it’s definitely a blessing.” Still, star running back Trey Holly said the recent success doesn’t make up for a 41-10 homecoming loss to Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Oct. 3. “Nah, we can’t get that game back,” he said. “We can keep moving forward.”

The Advocate n theadvocate.com n Sunday, November 8, 2026 n 5C

Saints release top rusher Miller lll

Audric Estime off waivers. Estime had first few seasons. per game but 23rd in total offense. when the Saints left tackle underBut offense set to get been Coach Kellen Moore gave Miller a Most of the team’s struggles have went tightrope surgery on the highwith the Saints last season and throughout training camp, but had fresh start, but the running back centered around the run game, but ankle sprain he suffered in SeptemTyson, Banks back most recently been with the Cleve- failed to capitalize. He tore his ACL Tyson provides another dynamic ber.

BY MATTHEW PARAS Staff writer

The New Orleans Saints released running back Kendre Miller on Saturday, a source familiar with the situation said, parting ways with their leading rusher after seven games. Miller’s release as a minor Notebook comes surprise given that he led the Saints in both rushing attempts (57) and yards (159). But the 24-year-old was also one of the least effective running backs in the NFL: His 2.8 yards per carry were the third-fewest among rushers with at least 40 carries. And the move comes after the Saints made several other changes this week in an effort to jolt their rushing attack. Before cutting Miller, the Saints fired run game coordinator T.J. Paganetti on Monday and then claimed

land Browns after New Orleans waived him with an injury settlement in September. After Miller’s release, Estime could be in line to see the bulk of New Orleans’ carries in Sunday’s game against the Browns. The Saints also have franchise all-time leading rusher Alvin Kamara, but his workload has been limited this season. The Saints previously ruled out undrafted rookie C.J. Donaldson, their third back, with concussion and shoulder injuries. It remains to be seen whether the Saints attempt to bring Miller back to the practice squad, if he clears waivers. But if Miller’s time with New Orleans is over, it ends a tumultuous journey with the franchise. Miller consistently frustrated former coach DennisAllen as the running back struggled to stay healthy during his

last fall against the Chicago Bears, and though he was ready for the start of this season, he was largely ineffective. The Saints drafted Miller in the third round of the 2023 draft out of TCU.

WR Tyson to debut

weapon in the passing game, which could help open up New Orleans’ rushing attack. The Saints have been patient with Tyson since drafting him. Though draft analysts were concerned about the receiver’s durability because of his injury history in college, the Saints were confident that Tyson would be able to hold up in the NFL. They slow-played his reps in the spring as he recovered from a separate hamstring injury, and when Tyson got hurt again this summer, the Saints avoided setting a firm timeline for his recovery. Tyson, speaking to reporters Wednesday, said his hamstring now feels 100% and that he even feels “more explosive” after the injury.

But the 22-year-old has beaten that timeline. The Saints plan to activate Banks off injured reserve for Sunday’s game against the Browns, giving New Orleans a major boost along the offensive line, according to a report. Banks had been listed as questionable, but he returned to practice earlier this week. Banks missed the Saints’ last five games, and the team went 1-4 in his absence. Asim Richards, Banks’ replacement, struggled when in the lineup. According to Pro Football Focus, Richards had allowed a pressure percentage of 10.6%, the second-worst mark behind only Miami’s Austin Jackson. Banks’ pressure percentage, by contrast, was 6.9%.

At long last, Jordyn Tyson’s debut is nearly here. The Saints plan to activate the rookie wide receiver off injured reserve for Sunday’s game against the Browns, according to a report. Tyson, the eighth overall pick in this year’s draft, has been out since getting hurt Aug. 13 with a hamstring injury. He missed the Saints’ first seven games, but he returned to practice this week. Tyson’s return should help a Fortifying O-line Saints offense that has been unKelvin Banks reportedly was sup- Email Matthew Paras at matt. even. The Saints rank 14th in points posed to be out until December paras@theadvocate.com

Bey is all ‘business’ as Pelicans’ spark plug Saddiq Bey isn’t the type of player who is going to do a lot of talking to opposing players. Heck, Bey doesn’t even do a whole of talking to his own teammates. He’s no-nonsense, just as one would expect from a player who shows up to the arena carrying a briefcase. “Saddiq is quiet,” Rod teammate Derik Walker Queen said. “He doesn’t make any facial expressions. He don’t do nothing. He doesn’t smirk. He comes in and (just) says ‘what’s up’ to everybody. He doesn’t dap anyone up individually in the locker room. He doesn’t say anything. That’s just Saddiq.” But even the quietest guy on the New Orleans Pelicans roster couldn’t help but unleash some emotions Wednesday night in a 120-113 victory over the Utah Jazz. Moments after one of his many clutch baskets in overtime during his 22-point effort, Bey pounded his chest and yelled to

ä Pelicans at Clippers. 8 P.M. SUNDAY, GCSEN.

get the crowd going. What prompted such a reaction from a normally subdued Bey? “Excited,” Bey said. “Just trying to win the game. The fans have been with us through thick and thin every game. Was just trying to show them appreciation and trying to get the team and the flow going. Just trying to end a tough, long game.” While Bey was showing the Smoothie King Center crowd some appreciation, Pelicans fans will no doubt continue to return the favor to the team’s Mr. Reliable. The Vegas oddsmakers have him with the 16th-best odds. There aren’t 15 other players coming off the bench in the league more valuable to their team than Bey. If Bey’s season continues on the path it’s going, expect him to move up. He is averaging 16.4 points and four rebounds. Of the 15 players with better Sixth Man of the Year odds,

only San Antonio Spurs guard Dylan Harper is averaging more points (18.7) than Bey. This is the second-highest scoring average of Bey’s career, slightly behind the 17.7 ppg he averaged last season in his first year in New Orleans. Although he’s good enough to start on almost any team in Bey the NBA, he’s just fine with the role he is playing. He’s a big reason the Pels (4-5) have one of the best second units in the league and were on a four-game winning streak before Friday night’s loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. “He is the ultimate professional,” Pelicans coach Jamahl Mosley said. “He comes in and does his work. Doesn’t say much. Gets his job done. He is the ultimate competitor. “You can’t ask for a better model of how you should approach the game than Saddiq Bey.” The only thing more consistent

than Bey’s play on the court is the consistency of how often he will mention God in an interview. He knows that’s what got him through the tough times when he was recovering from the torn ACL that forced him to miss all of the 2024-25 season when he was playing with the Washington Wizards. The injury happened the season before when he was playing with the Atlanta Hawks. Now in his second season with the Pelicans, he’s dependable and a fan favorite. Good things tend to happen when he checks into the game. While his productivity says he’s one of the better sixth men in the league, you probably won’t get Bey to say it about himself. Here was his response when asked whether he is one of the league’s best sixth men: “I’m confident in myself,” Bey said. “God has instilled a lot in me. Taught me a lot. Gave me a lot of wisdom of the things to use. I just feel like whenever my opportunity comes, I just try to be the best version of myself every day and hope that leads to wins.”

Bey, in his seventh NBA season, has played in just one playoff series. He’d like nothing more than to get back to the postseason. He knows that can only been done collectively, and being unselfish is important to him. Bey is second on the team in scoring behind Zion Williamson, but he also brings physicality on both ends of the court. On defense, he’s able to guard multiple positions. Although he’s not in the starting lineup, he makes sure he’s ready long before tipoff. Right before pregame introductions while his teammates are hyping themselves up, Bey is under the basket by himself doing push-ups and then briefly meditating. It’s what you expect from a guy who arrives to the arena with that briefcase. Last season, he brought a lunch pail to games. What he brings to the arena may have changed, but what he brings once he steps on the court never does. “It’s still business as usual,” Bey said. “Always business.”

6C n Sunday, November 8, 2026 n theadvocate.com n The Advocate

lll

SAINTS GAMEDAY

ROSTERS SAINTS No. Player Pos Ht Wt Exp College 1 Kool-Aid McKinstry CB 5-11 199 3 Alabama 2 Spencer Rattler QB 6-0 211 3 South Carolina 4 Oscar Delp TE 6-4 245 0 Georgia 5 Kendre Miller RB 6-0 220 4 TCU 6 Tyler Shough QB 6-5 219 2 Louisville 7 Jonas Sanker SAF 6-1 211 2 Virginia 10 Daniel Carlson K 6-5 222 9 Auburn 11 Zach Wilson QB 6-2 214 6 BYU 12 Chris Olave WR 6-0 187 5 Ohio State 14 Devaughn Vele WR 6-5 210 3 Utah 17 Ryan Wright P 6-3 245 5 Tulane 18 Bryce Lance WR 6-3 204 0 North Dakota St. 19 Barion Brown WR 5-11 177 0 LSU 20 Pete Werner LB 6-3 242 6 Ohio State 21 Justin Reid SAF 6-1 207 9 Stanford 22 Martin Emerson Jr. CB 6-2 201 5 Mississippi St. 23 Julian Blackmon SAF 6-0 202 7 Utah 25 D. Richardson CB 6-2 192 4 Mississippi St. 28 Danny Stutsman LB 6-3 233 2 Oklahoma 29 Quincy Riley CB 5-11 195 2 Louisville 31 Jordan Howden DB 6-0 209 4 Minnesota 33 Anfernee Jennings DE 6-2 255 7 Alabama 36 Lorenzo Styles SAF 5-11 194 0 Ohio State 41 Alvin Kamara RB 5-10 215 10 Tennessee 42 Mike Reid SAF 6-2 200 1 South Dakota 43 CJ Donaldson RB 6-1 230 0 Ohio State 44 Isaiah Stalbird LB 6-1 215 2 South Dakota St 49 Zach Wood LS 6-3 255 10 SMU 50 Colby Wooden DL 6-4 273 4 Auburn 51 Cesar Ruiz OG 6-4 316 7 Michigan 52 Christen Miller DT 6-3 321 0 Georgia 53 Jaylan Ford LB 6-2 240 3 Texas 55 Kaden Elliss LB 6-2 238 8 Idaho 58 Chris Rumph II LB 6-2 244 6 Duke 65 Jeremiah Wright G 6-5 331 0 Auburn 66 William Sherman G 6-4 300 2 Colorado 72 Asim Richards OL 6-4 307 4 North Carolina 74 Mason Murphy T 6-5 315 0 Auburn 75 Taliese Fuaga T 6-6 324 3 Oregon State 76 David Edwards G 6-6 308 8 Wisconsin 78 Erik McCoy C 6-4 303 8 Texas A&M 82 Treyton Welch TE 6-4 240 1 Wyoming 83 Juwan Johnson TE 6-4 245 7 Oregon 87 Noah Fant TE 6-4 249 8 Iowa 91 Vernon Broughton DL 6-5 311 2 Texas 92 Davon Godchaux DL 6-3 330 10 LSU 93 Nathan Shepherd DL 6-4 315 9 Fort Hays State 94 Cameron Jordan DE 6-4 287 16 California 95 John Ridgeway III DL 6-5 321 5 Arkansas 96 Carl Granderson DE 6-5 261 8 Wyoming 97 Khristian Boyd DL 6-2 320 3 Northern Iowa 98 Tyree Wilson DE 6-5 263 4 Texas Tech 99 Chase Young DE 6-5 265 7 Ohio State

FOUR THINGS TO WATCH

Sponsored by

RESET BUTTON

DEFENSIVE SWAGGER

PRESSURE SANDERS

CAN THEY RUN?

1

2

3

4

The Saints have had two weeks to recalibrate and recover from their disappointing 2-5 start. Despite how bad they’ve been, they are very much in the hunt in the dreadful NFC South. They are only a game behind the division-leading Carolina Panthers, who come to town next week. The schedule gets much tougher after these two games against Cleveland and Carolina, so beating the Browns on Sunday seems imperative to salvaging the season. No excuses in a game they are favored to win.

The Saints defense was supposed to be a strength after ranking 16th in total defense in 2025. But the unit has taken a step back. The Browns may be the team to get Brandon Staley’s unit back on track. Cleveland is scoring just 17.4 points per game (29th in the league). Now the Browns are playing with a backup quarterback, but the Saints are giving up far too many points (27.7). The Saints need to slow down Cleveland’s best weapons in RB Quinshon Judkins, TE Harold Fannin, and WRs Denzel Boston and KC Concepcion.

Second-year quarterback Shedeur Sanders will get the start for the Browns after starter Deshaun Watson was placed in concussion protocol earlier in the week. Sanders, part of the 2025 rookie quarterback class with Shough, started the last seven games for the Browns last season. He completed just 56.6% of his passes with seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He was sacked 23 times. Saints edge rushers Chase Young and Carl Granderson could have a big day getting in Sanders’ face.

Have you heard about how bad the Saints’ running game is? Of course you have. It’s easily been the team’s biggest weakness. It’s been so bad that the Saints rushed for just 18 yards in their last game against the Steelers, which led to Kellen Moore firing run-game coordinator T.J. Paganetti. Making things easier for Tyler Shough and the passing attack starts with the run game that is averaging just 86 yards per game. The Browns give up 126.9 yards per game on the ground. Rod Walker

BROWNS No. Player Pos Ht Wt Exp College 0 Isaiah Bond WR 5-11 180 2 Texas 1 KC Concepcion Jr. WR 6-0 190 0 Texas A&M 2 Shedeur Sanders QB 6-2 212 2 Colorado 3 Jerry Jeudy WR 6-1 195 7 Alabama 4 Deshaun Watson QB 6-3 223 10 Clemson 5 Quincy Williams LB 5-11 230 8 Murray State 6 Dillon Gabriel QB 5-11 205 2 Oregon 7 Tyson Campbell CB 6-1 195 6 Georgia 8 Jared Verse DE 6-4 260 3 Florida State 9 Grant Delpit SAF 6-3 208 7 LSU 10 Quinshon Judkins RB 6-0 221 2 Ohio State 11 Malachi Corley WR 5-11 215 3 W. Kentucky 12 Denzel Boston WR 6-4 215 0 Washington 13 Corey Bojorquez P 6-0 217 9 New Mexico 15 Taylen Green QB 6-6 230 0 Arkansas 16 Tylan Wallace WR 5-11 200 6 Oklahoma State 17 Justin Jefferson LB 6-0 223 0 Alabama 20 Noah Igbinoghene CB 5-11 197 7 Auburn 21 Denzel Ward CB 5-11 190 9 Ohio State 22 Dylan Sampson RB 5-8 200 2 Tennessee 24 Daniel Thomas SAF 5-10 215 7 Auburn 25 Andre Szmyt K 6-0 200 2 Syracuse 26 Myles Harden CB 5-11 195 3 South Dakota 28 E. McNeil-Warren SAF 6-3 210 0 Toledo 29 Mekhi Blackmon CB 5-11 178 4 USC 31 Donovan McMillon SAF 6-2 215 2 Pittsburgh 33 Ronnie Hickman SAF 6-1 209 4 Ohio State 34 Michael Burton FB 6-0 247 11 Rutgers 35 Toriano Pride Jr. CB 5-10 185 0 Missouri 38 Jaleel McLaughlin RB 5-7 187 4 Youngstown St. 42 E.Mascarenas-Arnold LB 5-11 227 2 USC 44 Harold Fannin Jr. TE 6-4 241 2 Bowling Green 49 Carson Schwesinger LB 6-3 242 2 UCLA 50 Rex Sunahara LS 6-6 242 3 West Virginia 51 Mike Hall Jr. DT 6-3 300 3 Ohio State 52 Parker Brailsford C 6-2 290 0 Alabama 54 Sam Williams DE 6-4 260 4 Ole Miss 55 Spencer Fano T 6-6 315 0 Utah 56 Luke Wypler C 6-3 303 4 Ohio State 57 Isaiah McGuire DE 6-4 268 4 Missouri 58 Austin Barber T 6-7 320 0 Florida 59 Winston Reid LB 6-0 225 3 Weber State 70 Zak Zinter G 6-6 310 3 Michigan 71 Tytus Howard T 6-5 320 8 Alabama State 74 Elgton Jenkins OL 6-5 310 8 Mississippi State 77 Zion Johnson G 6-3 315 5 Boston College 79 Dawand Jones T 6-8 374 4 Ohio State 86 Blake Whiteheart TE 6-4 250 4 Wake Forest 94 Mason Graham DT 6-4 315 2 Michigan 96 Maliek Collins DT 6-2 310 11 Nebraska 97 Derek Barnett DE 6-3 260 10 Tennessee 98 Adin Huntington DT 6-1 281 2 Tulane

INJURY REPORT SAINTS

OUT: RB C.J. Donaldson (shoulder, concussion). QUESTIONABLE: T Kelvin Banks (ankle), CB Martin Emerson (shin), OL Asim Richards (thumb),WR Jordyn Tyson (hamstring).

BROWNS

OUT: DT Maliek Collins (elbow). QUESTIONABLE: QB Deshaun Watson (concussion). LIMITED: TE Harold Fannin (groin), S Emmanuel McNeil-Warren (hip), LB Quincy Williams (hamstring).

STAFF PHOTO BY CHRIS GRANGER

Saints running back Kendre Miller, center, runs after receiving a handoff from quarterback Tyler Shough in the first half against the Steelers on Oct. 25 at Stade de France in Saint-Denis, France. The Saints waived Miller on Saturday.

SAINTS

Continued from page 1C So why isn’t it working? “There’s a few elements to that,” Moore said. “You look at it both fundamentally and schematically, and then … play-calling sequences. I think all three of those have elements of it that we got to do a better job of. “I’m going to look at it from a sequence standpoint: How can I improve the flow of the games? Fundamentally, I think from a position coach standpoint, we got to do a better job being consistent there, and then schematically, we’ve just got to clean some things up.” New Orleans has leaned most heavily on zone running schemes this year, according to FTN football, and especially the inside zone. More than a third of the Saints run plays (34.3%) are inside zone runs. Only the Cincinnati Bengals have run that scheme at a higher rate this season. Those plays haven’t been especially effective, with New Orleans averaging 3.4 yards per carry on inside zone plays, but that has been generally true across the board — the Saints are averaging less than 3.5 yards per carry on every designed run concept. Take away quarterback Shough’s 95 yards rushing on nine scrambles, and the Saints are averaging just 3.1 yards per carry as a team. Center Erik McCoy spent much of his bye week in New Orleans, poring over film and trying to figure out why the Saints haven’t been able to get the run game on track. Much of his focus was on himself, but as a leader on the offensive line, he was looking for where the group was falling short as well. That included everyone who is part of the run-game dynamic, including tight ends. He feels their communication has been lacking at times, a problem he said starts with himself. “Making sure all five, six, seven or eight of us are locked into where they’re going, how they’re getting there,” McCoy said. McCoy actually has been pleased with the push the offensive line has been able to generate, but especially on the zone running plays, the “tracks” have not been clean enough. Essentially, the goal in the zone run scheme is for the offensive line to move in unison along a track, creating a wall of blockers in which the linemen block

AP PHOTO BY HEATHER KHALIFA

Saints coach Kellen Moore speaks with quarterback Tyler Shough during the second half of a game against the New York Giants on Oct. 18 in East Rutherford, N.J.

“I’m going to look at it from a sequence standpoint: How can I improve the flow of the games? Fundamentally, I think from a position coach standpoint, we got to do a better job being consistent there, and then schematically, we’ve just got to clean some things up.” KELLEN MOORE, Saints coach an area and not a specific defender. In theory, zone runs can lead to explosive plays, creating cutback lanes for running backs to exploit. But they require everything to be in sync, and when it is not, it opens gaps for defensive linemen to penetrate and blow up a play. “Any time when you’re in the bottom percentile of the NFL in rushing, that’s not where you want to be,” McCoy said. “You want to be a top-10 unit, and that’s not where we’ve been the last couple of years, unfortunately. So it makes each of us take a hard look at ourselves and what we need to be better at individually.” By removing Paganetti from the picture, the Saints are going to spread his duties among other coaches. Running backs coach Joel Thomas and tight ends coach Chase Haslett are going to

be more involved in the plan, though the installation largely will fall on offensive line coach Brendan Nugent. The firing was an admission that the coaching has not been good enough. But while New Orleans may not be putting its players in the best position to succeed, those players are not holding up their end of the bargain, either. It hasn’t helped matters that standout left tackle Kelvin Banks (ankle) missed the last five games and Etienne (hamstring) missed the last four. But that is the nature of the NFL. The Saints are averaging just 0.81 yards before contact, which is the fifth-lowest average in the NFL heading into Week 9, according to Next Gen Stats. They’re also averaging just 2.72 yards after contact, which also ranks in the bottom 10. Saints running backs have rushed for 118 fewer yards than expected based on the blocking. The issue has had cascading effects. While New Orleans ranks seventh in third-down conversion rate, it has managed to do so despite needing 7 or more yards on more than 50% of its third downs. A third of the sacks Shough has taken have come on thirdand-10-plus or fourth down. New Orleans has been overly reliant on its second-year quarterback to generate offense without giving him the adequate support to truly flourish. The Saints are coming off a bye week in which the coaching staff had an opportunity to sit down and take in everything in its totality, finding out why something worked or did not. “You’re not going to run the same run play 10 times in a game; you might run it three times,” offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier said. “Let’s say two of the three are successful, and the other one didn’t work for some reason. Then that play may not be in a game plan for two more weeks, because the opponent you’re playing, it may not fit their scheme. “Well, now you’re seven games in you say, ‘Hey, this play hasn’t worked four times, and it’s really because of the same reason.’ ” Starting Sunday against the Cleveland Browns, three of the Saints’ next four opponents rank among the 12 worst run defending teams in the NFL. If they’re going to get it together, now is the time. “This week is an opportunity for us to go out against a really good defensive line and have a good game,” McCoy said.

The Advocate n theadvocate.com n Sunday, November 8, 2026 n 7C

lll

BROWNS at SAINTS

Sign up for the

Noon, Sunday, Caesars Superdome Line: Saints by 3½ (Over/Under: 42½) TV: CBS | Radio: WWL-AM, 870; WWL-FM, 105.3

six-day-a-week newsletter

OFFENSIVE LEADERS Saints

Browns

PASSING

Player

Cmp-Att-Pct Yds TD Int

Tyler Shough

183-273-67

1721

13

RUSHING

Player

Att

Kendre Miller Alvin Kamara Travis Etienne Tyler Shough

Net

57 41 30 24

6

Avg TD

159 124 128 111

2.8 3.0 4.3 4.6

2 2 0 2

RECEIVING Player

Rec Yards Avg TD

Chris Olave Devaughn Vele Juwan Johnson Alvin Kamara Travis Etienne Noah Fant

49 33 26 22 11 11

636 348 255 133 51 84

13.0 10.5 9.8 6.0 4.6 7.6

2 3 3 1 0 3

KICKING Player

XPM XPA FGM FGA

Daniel Carlson

16

18

8

12

PASSING

Player

Cmp-Att-Pct Yds TD Int

Deshaun Watson

163-249-65.5

1806

7

RUSHING

Player

Quinshon Judkins Deshaun Watson Jaleel McLaughlin

3

Att

Net

Avg TD

101 51 11

342 217 72

3.4 4.3 6.5

3 1 1

RECEIVING Player

Rec Yards Avg TD

Harold Fannin KC Concepcion Denzel Boston Quinshon Judkins Jerry Judy Raheim Sanders

35 33 26 21 16 11

411 352 409 134 171 74

11.7 10.7 15.7 6.4 10.7 6.7

3 0 3 0 0 0

KICKING Player

XPM XPA FGM FGA

Andre Szmyt

11

12

16

18

DEFENSIVE LEADERS TACKLES

TACKLES Player

STAFF PHOTO BY DAVID GRUNFELD

New Orleans Saints guard Cesar Ruiz lines up against the Las Vegas Raiders at the Caesars Superdome on Sept. 27.

Pete Werner Jonas Sanker Justin Reid Julian Blackmon Danny Stutsman Kaden Elliss Carl Granderson Kool-Aid McKinstry Quincy Riley Martin Emerson Colby Wooden Tyree Wilson Chase Young Vernon Broughton Davon Godchaux Cameron Jordan Nathan Shepherd Khristian Boyd Anfernee Jennings

Tot Solo Ast TFL Sk 54 44 37 36 36 30 25 23 21 18 16 15 14 14 14 13 12 10 10

26 30 24 19 15 15 9 15 16 16 5 7 7 3 4 6 3 6 5

Ruiz uses his voice in memory of his dad TEAM STATS

28 14 13 17 21 15 16 8 5 2 11 8 7 11 10 7 9 4 5

4 1 1 0 0 2 5.5 0 1 1 2 1 4 0 1 2 0 2 0

2 0 0 0 0 0 5.5 0 0 0 1 1 7 0 0 0 0.5 1 0

INTERCEPTIONS

Player

Julian Blackmon Martin Emerson

BY LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer

Only a couple of days into New Orleans Saints training camp, offensive lineman Cesar Ruiz got the call he was waiting for. It was his wife, Kelli, and she was letting him know it was time to get on a plane and meet her at the hospital because doctors were going to induce her labor. Ruiz was excused by the team so he could book a flight to Dallas and make it to the hospital in time to see his son, Caiden, born. “It’s easily the greatest experience a man can (have), being there for my wife, just seeing my son,” Ruiz said. “Anybody, any father knows, it’s by far the greatest experience. That feeling you have, there’s nothing else that can replicate it.” He’s been able to call himself a father for three months now, and the glow of his joy has not faded. Ruiz marvels at how quickly his son changes, at how big he’s getting. And as he and Kelli take in these little, everyday miracles, they share a common mission: Their acts as parents must ensure Caiden knows he’s loved, because they both know that a parent’s time can be fleeting. Both Ruiz and Kelli lost their fathers, and they do not see it as coincidental their partnership resulted in a son. “It’s almost like God’s gift to us, giving us a boy,” Ruiz said. “I lost my father, and my goal is to make sure that I can be here and be healthy for my kid as long as I can, and just give him the best possible life. My dad was amazing to me, and my dad was awesome, and I just want to make sure my son just feels that constant, constant love.” Ruiz’s father, also named Cesar, was killed in a motorist accident when Ruiz was just 8 years old. His father had pulled over to help another driver with a flat tire on Route 55 in New Jersey when he was struck and killed by another car. Ruiz was just a child when it happened but old enough to remember the details of that day. His parents weren’t living together when the accident happened, but Ruiz remembers walking in on his mother and finding her in tears. “She’s like, your dad died,” Ruiz said. “I said, what? What do you mean, my dad died? As a kid, you don’t believe it.

AP PHOTO BY GERALD HERBERT

New Orleans Saints guard Cesar Ruiz runs onto the field during player introductions before a game against the Minnesota Vikings at the Caesars Superdome on Oct. 11.

his dad reportedly kept driving — but he is deeply familiar with the cost a split-second can contain. It bothers Ruiz when he sees people looking at their phone instead of the road, or when he sees someone blow past another vehicle pulled over on the side of the road without changing lanes. When he is sitting in the driver’s seat, he takes the responsibility seriously, because he knows the instant he looks down at his phone could be the same moment a child’s ball rolls into the street. Ruiz is 27 years old now, a year older than his father was at the time of the accident. It has been nearly 20 years since his father died in December 2007. The limited time he had with his dad does not diminish his memory of him as someone who was constantly upbeat. Ruiz doesn’t know of a single photo of his father that doesn’t feature a smile. What happened was tragic. But Ruiz holds onto the cherished memories he was able to accumulate before his father died, and growing up without his dad taught him how to not only find the light in the dark but also how to hold onto it when things aren’t going well. That trait, Ruiz believes, was instilled in him by his dad. “As a kid, you stick to the things that make you happy, you adopt those personalities, you adopt those values,” Ruiz said. “Was it hard? Absolutely, it was extremely hard. It was one of the toughest moments of my life. “But it won’t erase everything from that moment and all the good times.” His father never got to see what Ruiz would become, but Ruiz carries the things he learned from his father — and from his father’s absence — with him as he raises his own son. “My goal is to make sure my son doesn’t have that void,” Ruiz said. “Oh man, my dad gave me everything I wanted, you know what I’m saying? Not in terms of physical things. He sat down, talked to me, gave me advice. He was always there for me. Showed me love. “That’s what I want my son to know: Your parents love you. And for as long as I’m here, my goal is to make sure my son knows that.”

You’re lying. You’re lying. You’re lying.” The reality struck Ruiz when he could not escape the news of his father’s death. It was on the news when he turned on the TV. It was featured on the front page of a newspaper when he went into a gas station to buy food. That moment in time has long been part of Ruiz’s football journey. He wept when the Saints selected him in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, and he has described his father’s death as a catalyst that eventually pushed him toward football to give him an outlet for his grief. Football has turned into a lucrative career, but it also has given him a platform. This month, Ruiz has had an opportunity to support something that is personally meaningful for him. Ruiz is the spokesman for AAA’s Slow Down, Move Over campaign. He is sharing his own story of loss with the hope that he can have an impact on even one person, because he knows from experience that one avoidable accident affects more than just the people involved. “It’s deeper than just being a good driver,” Ruiz said. “You have a lot of responsibility behind that wheel, man. I think more people have to understand that. Any type of little awareness you can bring about can help.” Ruiz isn’t even sure what happened that night with his Email Luke Johnson at father — the driver who struck ljohnson@theadvocate.com.

Tot Yds Avg TD PD 2 2

23 19

11.5 9.5

0 0

2 4

Player

Carson Schwesinger Quincy Williams Ronnie Hickman

Tot Solo Ast TFL Sk

74 55 48 Emmanuel McNeil-Warren 36 Grant Delpit 35 Tyson Campbell 24 Denzel Ward 29 Myles Harden 28 Sam Williams 23 Maliek Collins 21 Isaiah McGuire 21 Adin Huntington 19 Jared Verse 18 Mason Graham 18 Makhi Blackmon 12 Easton Mascarenas-Arnold 11 Malachi Corley 10

30 32 22 16 24 17 17 15 11 9 12 6 10 11 9 4 6

44 23 26 20 12 17 12 13 12 12 9 13 8 7 3 7 4

3 6 0 2 2 1 0 1 5 7 5 2 4 9 0 0 0

1 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 3.5 3 3.5 4 0 0 0 0

INTERCEPTIONS Player

Denzel Ward Ronnie Hickman Myles Harden Grant Delpit

Tot Yds Avg TD PD 1 1 1 1

0 -2 25 0

0 -2 25 0

0 0 0 0

OFFENSE PER GAME Yards gained: 315.7

OFFENSE PER GAME Yards gained: 301.9

Plays: 63.4

Plays: 56.4

PASS 229.7

RUSH 86.0

PASS 39.0

RUSH 24.4

Turnovers: 1.86 INTERCEPTIONS 0.86

FUMBLES 1.00

PASS 204.3

RUSH 97.6

PASS 31.5

RUSH 24.9

Turnovers: 1.38 INTERCEPTIONS 1.00

FUMBLES 0.38

DEFENSE PER GAME Yards allowed: 372.7

DEFENSE PER GAME Yards allowed: 323.5

Turnovers forced: 1.28

Turnovers forced: 1.25

PASS 233.3

RUSH 139.4

INTERCEPTIONS 0.57

FUMBLES 0.71

SCORING PER GAME

SCORED ALLOWED

SCORED ALLOWED

27.7

23.1

2026

PASS 196.6

RUSH 126.9

INTERCEPTIONS 0.75

FUMBLES 0.50

SCORING PER GAME

SCORED ALLOWED

22.5

18.0

SCORED ALLOWED

21.6

17.4

22.3 16.4

2026

2025

2025

CONVERSION SUCCESS

CONVERSION SUCCESS

Third down

Third down

42.5%

Fourth down

36.4%

32.4%

Fail

63.6%

67.6%

80%

Convert

Fourth down

20%

56.6%

Fail

8 2 6 4

Convert

Fail

Convert

Fail

Convert

STAFF PREDICTIONS ROD WALKER

JEFF DUNCAN

SAINTS 24, BROWNS 10: The Saints have yet to win a game in the Caesars Superdome this season. An extra week of rest gave them a chance to hit the reset button. Playing a Browns team with backup quarterback Shedeur Sanders should be just what the Saints need to get back on track. Expect a monster game from Chase Young and the defense.

SAINTS 23, BROWNS 12: The Saints catch the Browns after the perfect time, coming off a physical loss to the Steelers and without starting quarterback Deshaun Watson. The Saints desperately need to get back on track at the Caesars Superdome, where they’re winless in three starts. Chase Young’s strip-sack touchdown fuels a much-needed victory.

LUKE JOHNSON

MATTHEW PARAS

SAINTS 26, BROWNS 23: The Browns aren’t the pushover some had them as before the start of the season, coming into New Orleans with a 5-3 record. But I still am not convinced this Saints team is as bad as its record, especially with its last two first-rounders — left tackle Kelvin Banks and receiver Jordyn Tyson — potentially joining the offense this week.

SAINTS 27, BROWNS 17: Shedeur Sanders’ tendency to hold the ball should give the Saints plenty of chances to get home. For that alone, I’m picking the Saints. But the Browns defense also has been iffy against the run, which could get the Saints’ rushing attack going. If it does, that could open up the New Orleans offense. I like the Saints here.

8C n Sunday, November 8, 2026 n theadvocate.com n The Advocate

lll

ALABAMA 31, LSU 13

BOX SCORE

NOTEBOOK

NO. 9 ALABAMA 31, NO. 15 LSU 13 Alabama 3 7 7 14 — 31 LSU 3 0 10 0 — 13

LSU tight end Trey’Dez Green is dragged down by Alabama linebacker Luke Metz after a catch in the third quarter on Saturday in Tiger Stadium.

FIRST QUARTER

ALA — FG Talty 43, 10:40. LSU — FG Starzyk 23, 4:48.

SECOND QUARTER

ALA — Coleman-Williams 1 run (Talty kick), 8:23.

STAFF PHOTO BY MICHAEL JOHNSON

THIRD QUARTER

LSU — FG Starzyk 41, 11:43. LSU — D.Jones 5 run (Starzyk kick), 2:44. ALA — Ford 7 pass from Russell (Talty kick), :36.

FOURTH QUARTER

ALA — C.Morgan 25 pass from Russell (Talty kick), 9:44. ALA — K.Edwards 4 pass from Russell (Talty kick), 6:23. ALA LSU First downs 13 27 Total Net Yards 285 457 Rushes-yards 29-79 33-77 Passing 206 380 Punt Returns 1-32 3-6 Kickoff Returns 0-0 0-0 Interceptions Ret. 1-28 0-0 Comp-Att-Int 17-24-0 35-48-1 Sacked-Yards Lost 2-12 4-29 Punts 5-49.8 1-46.0 Fumbles-Lost 0-0 2-1 Penalties-Yards 7-44 4-40 Time of Possession 27:15 32:45

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING — Alabama, T.Brown 11-35, Russell 8-25, D.Hill 5-15, ColemanWilliams 2-10, (Team) 3-(minus 6). LSU, D.Jones 17-56, Leavitt 15-16, Watkins 1-5. PASSING — Alabama, Russell 1724-0-206. LSU, Leavitt 35-47-1-380, Wilson 0-1-0-0. RECEIVING — Alabama, Scott 3-67, K.Edwards 3-50, Ford 2-15, ColemanWilliams 2-14, D.Hill 2-13, Pritchett 2-9, C.Morgan 1-25, L.Brooks 1-9, T.Brown 1-4. LSU, Harris 11-166, T.Green 10-85, D.Jones 7-36, Wilson 3-61, Watkins 2-11, Mothershed 1-13, Barber 1-8. MISSED FIELD GOALS — LSU, Starzyk 56.

STAFF PHOTO BY PEARL SPURLOCK

LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt completed 35 of 47 passes for 380 yards with one interception and no touchdowns.

LSU

Continued from page 1C

had 10 for 85, I wouldn’t think that would equal 13 points,” LSU coach Lane Kiffin said. The grass inside Alabama’s 35yard line just seemed to turn into thick, sticky mud as the LSU offense was consistently bogged down. After the Crimson Tide opened with a field goal, the Tigers drove 67 yards on 11 plays on their first drive, setting up a first-and-goal at the Alabama 8. But Leavitt, healed from his early-season hamstring pull, was stymied on a quarterback draw. Then he was hurried on third down for a throwaway in the end zone. Throughout the game, Alabama defensive coordinator Kane Wommack was increasingly aggressive as LSU neared or entered the red zone, throwing Cover 0 blitzes at Leavitt. But that threat was sometimes a disguise for the opposite. “Cut us on some Cover 0’s early on, like three in a row, and we tried to adjust,” Leavitt said. “And then when we would check our Cover 0 checks, they would check out. And

T Davis injured vs. Alabama

Tight end Green plays despite stomach bug, has 10 catches BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

LSU right tackle Weston Davis was injured on Saturday in the third quarter of the Tigers’ 31-13 loss to Alabama. Davis, a sophomore, left the contest after tight end Trey’Dez Green fell at his feet. The two-year starter couldn’t put any weight on his right leg as he was helped off the Davis field and into the medical tent. He then hobbled to the locker room on crutches, and later in the game, he was spotted wearing a walking boot on his right foot. LSU inserted Baylor transfer Sean Thompkins in Davis’ place at right tackle in a change that yielded most of the same results. The Tigers struggled to run the ball and protect quarterback Sam Leavitt both before and after Davis was hurt. LSU rushed for a season-low 77 yards in the loss to Alabama. Lead running back Dilin Jones piled up only 58 yards on his 17 carries, and Leavitt was sacked four times. Those issues affected the Tigers’ ability to convert on fourth down and turn red-zone trips into touchdowns. Coach Lane Kiffin’s offense

when you’re in a seven-man (pass protection) and have three routes that are man-beaters and they drop eight on you, it’s a difficult situation. “So you just kind of run around and try to make a play.” A chip-shot field goal by Scott Starzyk would prove to be LSU’s only points in the first half, because he wouldn’t have enough leg to convert a 56-yard attempt when Kiffin decided to let it fly on a fourth-and-9 at the Alabama 38 later in the half. On the very next drive, Kiffin would elect to go for it on a fourth-and-4 at the Alabama 9 after Eugene Wilson dropped a reception on third down. But a turnover on downs was clinched when Leavitt’s pass was batted at the line of scrimmage. “They were really coming after us,” Kiffin said. “There’s risk in that, and we didn’t make them pay for it.” A stuffed run by the LSU defense on third-and-1 afforded the Tigers one more chance in the second quarter, and the ensuing drive showed promise. Wilson broke a tackle on a short catch and took off for 31 yards to get to midfield. But after pushing the ball down

marched inside Alabama’s 10yard line four times and came away with only 10 total points from those possessions — a 23yard field goal and a 5-yard rushing touchdown. “It comes down to red zone and fourth downs,” Kiffin said. “We didn’t make any (fourth downs), and we got in the red zone more than they did, and so that’s going to be a problem on the scoreboard. You get a lot of yards but many points when that happens.” Davis is a former four-star recruit who landed LSU’s starting right tackle job before the 2025 season. He and center Braelin Moore are the only holdover starters on the offensive line. Through eight games in 2026, Davis had allowed 21 pressures, according to Pro Football Focus data. Only two Southeastern Conference offensive linemen had surrendered more. In 2025, Davis gave up 33 pressures, which was tied for the third-most in the SEC.

four games this season. It was because he was battling a stomach bug, according to the game’s ABC broadcast. LSU’s other No. 7, linebacker Whit Weeks, did not play on Saturday. He was listed as doubtful on the availability reports the Tigers released on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, and then he was ruled out on the one they put out before kickoff. Weeks injured his lower right leg on Sept. 26 in LSU’s Week 4 win over Texas A&M. He hasn’t played since. Green returned to the field when the Tigers beat Auburn on the road Oct. 24 — only a month after he injured his knee on a hard hit he took in a Week 3 loss to Ole Miss. Against Alabama, Green caught 10 passes for 85 yards. LSU’s leading receiver was Jackson Harris, the Hawaii transfer who finished with 166 yards on 11 catches. Leavitt completed 35 of his 47 pass attempts for 380 yards and an interception. Green suits up “I wouldn’t think that would Green suited up for LSU’s loss equal 13 points,” Kiffin said. “But to Alabama after making a sur- you got to score touchdowns in prise appearance on Friday’s SEC the red zone and make some of the fourth downs.” availability reports. Green, a junior who wears the No. 7 jersey, was listed as ques- Special circumstances tionable to play against the CrimLSU and Alabama’s meeting on son Tide late in the week, but it Saturday was a special matchup wasn’t because he aggravated the — for a whole host of reasons. The Tigers were the betting knee injury that shelved him for

favorites for the first time in the series since 2007. They were favored by 6½ points. The game kicked off in an afternoon slot for the first time since 2019 and only the second time in the last 16 years. An LSU-Alabama game hasn’t kicked off at 2:30 p.m. in Tiger Stadium since 2010. Melania Trump attended the contest to announce a $7.2 million scholarship fund for former foster children. She’s believed to be the first sitting first lady to visit Tiger Stadium, and she was greeted with a loud cheer when she was shown on the video board in the first quarter. The game on Saturday was also the last annual matchup in a rivalry that dates to 1964. The Tigers and Crimson Tide will still face off in the future. The two teams just won’t play every season, now that the SEC has a new nine-game scheduling format with three annual opponents for each team. Their next matchup is scheduled to kick off from Bryant-Denny Stadium in 2028.

to the Alabama 27, Leavitt would 16- and 32-yard passes to Trey’Dez take a sack on first down, and he’d Green and Jackson Harris, reforce a throw to a receiver who spectively, to set up a toss-sweep was well-bracketed for an inter- touchdown run for Dilin Jones. But just after LSU took a 13-10 ception. It was the first pick Leavitt had lead in the third quarter, the dam thrown in nearly a month after broke for Alabama. Russell, who finished with 206 interception-less games versus yards passing and three touchMississippi State and Auburn. “I just gotta check downs, hit Rico the ball down and Scott for a 57-yard “It kind of shocks catch-and-run. The look for a field goal opportunity there,” then you. Like, wow, it’s quarterback he said. scrambled for 10 31-13 right now. yards on third-and-9 There were just too many opportuto set up a 7-yard I thought we were toss to a wide-open nities squandered, just about to go Jason Ford for a allowing Alabama to take a 10-3 lead win the game with, score. LSU’s next drive into halftime on the like, 10 minutes ended up in no man’s strength of an 11land again, fourthplay, 62-yard drive. left in the fourth.” and-3 at the AlaThrough two quarters, Alabama bama 36, and anothSAM LEAVITT, quarterback Keelon er Leavitt pass was LSU quarterback Russell was limited tipped at the line. to 89 yards passing. The next possesIt required 16 carsion, Kiffin opted to ries for the Tide to gain 54 yards punt on fourth-and-1 from LSU’s on the ground. It was pedestrian 11, but the Tigers’ punt coverage but still worth more points than team faltered. Ryan Coleman-Williams’ 32LSU’s efforts. The Tigers hit another wall on yard return brought it all the way their first drive of the second half, back to the LSU 25, a net gain of 14 settling for a 41-yard field goal. yards on the boot. Russell effortThey finally broke through with lessly flicked to Cederian Morgan

for a 25-yard touchdown as Alabama regained the lead 17-13. Then the Tigers unraveled. LSU didn’t punt on a fourthand-10 from its own 25 with just over eight minutes left, and Leavitt was sacked. Alabama capitalized with another pair of productive passes from Russell, including a 4-yard touchdown to Kaleb Edwards. “It kind of shocks you. Like, wow, it’s 31-13 right now,” Leavitt said. “I thought we were just about to go win the game with, like, 10 minutes left in the fourth.” LSU did not, and now the Tigers’ position is clear. They have to beat No. 7 Texas next weekend in Tiger Stadium to remain at all relevant in the playoff discussion. Then they have to beat No. 13 Tennessee in Neyland Stadium to boast a pair of signature wins to outweigh their mostly competitive losses. “If you got a small chance, you go give everything you got,” Leavitt said of LSU’s playoff chances. “At least you’re gonna look at yourself at the end of the day in the mirror and say you gave everything you got.”

Kiffin’s record Kiffin is now 0-6 against Alabama as a head coach. He lost one game to the Tide at Tennessee in 2009, four at Ole Miss from 2020-25 and now, one at LSU in 2026. The Tigers last beat Alabama in 2022. They’re now only 2-8 at home against the Tide since 2007.

Email Jon Blau at jon.blau@theadvocate.com

lll

The Advocate n theadvocate.com n Sunday, November 8, 2026 n 9C

ALABAMA 31, LSU 13 THREE AND OUT: SCOTT RABALAIS’ TOP THREE TAKEAWAYS FROM LSU’S LOSS TO ALABAMA

1

RED-ZONE WOES What had been an occasional issue for LSU most of this season, an inability to score touchdowns in the red zone, was a crisis against Alabama. All told, eight of the Tigers’ drives got inside the Alabama 40 and four of them reached the red zone. It all resulted in just 13 points for the Tigers. The biggest culprit? LSU’s inability to drive Alabama off the line of scrimmage and open holes for the running game.

2

DEFENSE WILTS IN CLUTCH There was a flutter of speculation this week as to whether Whit Weeks would return from his injury. He couldn’t, but it’s doubtful his presence could have turned this Tide. The Tigers had their moments on defense, but after LSU finally took the lead 13-10 with 8:20 left in the third quarter, Alabama went touchdown, punt, touchdown, touchdown. Again, the Crimson Tide’s control of the line of scrimmage was a major factor.

3

NOW WHAT? LSU theoretically may have hopes of making the College Football Playoff if it wins out, but realistically that dream ended Saturday for the Tigers. At 6-3, they need to worry just about winning a game with Texas next followed by a trip to Tennessee ahead on the schedule. There will be tons of second-guessing about LSU and its big-bucks roster and plenty of ridicule for Kiffin. He and the Tigers will have to own all of it.

Offense collapses in tight spaces Red-zone, fourth-down situations prove LSU's undoing

LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt takes a hit from Alabama linebacker Luke Metz in the fourth quarter on Saturday at Tiger Stadium. Leavitt was sacked four times and was pressured 16 times.

BY KOKI RILEY

Staff writer

More than 100,000 sets of eyes were getting anxious. LSU was moving the ball and arguably dominating, with nearly 200 more total yards than Alabama deep into the third quarter. But the Tigers had yet to punch the ball into the end zone, and the Crimson Tide led 10-6 despite all of those LSU yards. But Lane Kiffin and offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. had a call that would change the tenor of Tiger Stadium. He flipped his offensive tackles, moving Jordan Seaton from left to right, and pitched the ball to running back Dilin Jones, who with Seaton leading the way waltzed into the end zone to give LSU a 13-10 lead. It felt like the Tigers offense had found its footing. LSU’s five previous drives had all gotten the Tigers inside the Alabama 40, but they had resulted in only two field goals, a missed field goal, a turnover on downs and an interception. LSU was moving the ball. The Tigers just couldn’t find the end zone and never found it again after Jones’ score. In the end, their redzone problems and fourth-down issues cost them in a 31-13 loss to Alabama, a game where they outgained the Crimson Tide by almost 200 yards. “It’s a very unusual statistical game,” Kiffin said. “Yardage-wise, (it was) 457 to 285. It comes down to red zone and fourth downs.” After LSU took its first lead, Alabama finished on a 21-0 run. LSU ended with just 77 yards rushing on 33 carries and mustered only one touchdown on four red-zone trips. “We get all the way down there, and move the ball, and then we

RABALAIS

Continued from page 1C ing LSU legions with the refrain, “We just beat the hell out of you!” So the Crimson Tide did. For the seventh time in its last eight trips to Death Valley. Under the current Southeastern Conference scheduling format, this marked the end of the annual LSU-Alabama series dating back to 1964. The Tide won’t be back to beat the Tigers here again until 2030. For LSU, it can’t be long enough. The prospect of the rest of the SEC conspiring to vote LSU out of the conference probably looks pretty appealing right now. A day that started with the bright, blue promise of a perfect — albeit daytime — kickoff in Tiger Stadium ended in the dark night of another soul-crushing loss to THAT team. Can’t blame Nick Saban any-

STAFF PHOTO BY MICHAEL JOHNSON

just don’t convert in the red zone,” quarterback Sam Leavitt said. “You can’t put points up when you don’t do that.” Leavitt completed 25 of 35 throws for over 284 yards through three quarters, and Jackson Harris and Trey’Dez Green got plenty of touches, combining for 21 catches for 251 yards. But the Alabama defense was determined to not let LSU beat it with big plays. Defensive coordinator Kane Wommack kept both safeties back in coverage for most of the night to force Leavitt to throw the ball underneath, resulting in the LSU quarterback completing just two throws of more than 20 yards. His average depth of target was just 6.7 yards, according to Pro Football Focus, tied for his secondlowest mark all season.

LSU tried to get Alabama out of its two-high safety looks by running the ball, using both Jones and Leavitt on designed runs to force the Crimson Tide to respect the run. The only problem was the offense couldn’t execute well enough to force Alabama to change its defense. Alabama held LSU to 3.7 yards per run, even when adjusting for lost sack yardage. Jones was held to 56 yards, and Leavitt’s runs led to only moderate success. “Obviously it makes it tougher,” Kiffin said when asked about LSU’s struggling rushing attack. “You get really lopsided there, 40 pass attempts.” Alabama shrunk Leavitt’s margin for error as a passer, and the offense became more predictable without a steady run game. So

when LSU found itself in critical situations — fourth down and in the red zone — the Tigers became easier to defend and started making mistakes. Beyond Leavitt’s interception, LSU also turned the ball over on downs four times and scored only 10 points on four trips to the red zone. “They did a really good job,” Kiffin said of the Alabama defense. “They did some good stuff with blitz zero in the red zone and disguising it.” Alabama won the line of scrimmage. Besides stopping the run, the Crimson Tide also sacked Leavitt four times and pressured him 16 times, according to PFF. “There were a couple of times,” Kiffin said, “where we didn’t protect him very well.”

LSU’s dominance up front on offense led to comfortable wins over Auburn and Mississippi State. The Tigers seemingly could do whatever they wanted because they dictated the terms of play, whether it was running the ball well enough to stay ahead of the sticks or generating big plays. That wasn’t the case Saturday, even though the offense once again produced a lot of yards. “I also kind of felt that it would probably be tough to run in general,” Kiffin said. “And our strength really has been throwing the ball with Sam and the receivers. And at times they really did that. We moved the ball really well at times in the game. “It comes down to fourth downs and the red zone, or it’s much different.”

more. He’s a TV commentator and commercial pitchman now. Kalen DeBoer is the current scarecrow in LSU’s post-Halloween cornfield. He’s 3-0 against the Tigers. And Lane Kiffin? LSU’s highly prized, highly touted, highly paid first-year coach is now 0-6 combined against Alabama (where he was once offensive coordinator) while at LSU and Ole Miss. So typical. And so much for spending so many millions trying to change what seems like LSU’s fate against its most dominant foe. Kiffin had far fewer answers for how this game got away from LSU than he did members of his Victory Hill entourage (Victory Hill, how droll) on Saturday that included Kevin Costner, Shaquille O’Neal, Paul Skenes and Angel Reese. To his credit, Kiffin didn’t try to continue the ridiculous wail that the SEC put this game in the daytime to try to water down LSU’s home-field advantage. “It is where we are,” Kiffin said after the Tigers fell to 6-3, 3-3 in the

SEC. “We have to go back to work. We can’t sit around and feel bad.” Well, you can, but it will do little good. Texas drops anchor in Tiger Stadium a week from now, needing to win to stay in the thick of the College Football Playoff chase. Before this game, LSU was one of those CFP contenders. I suppose you could find an empty chalkboard somewhere on campus and draw up an Oppenheimerish equation that still results in the Tigers making the 12-team playoff field if they win out against the Longhorns, Tennessee and Arkansas. No need for such academic pursuits. Bama dropped the big one on LSU on Saturday. Statistics can be strange. If you squint just right and look at them from a certain angle, it’s hard to comprehend how the Tigers lost this one — or at least lost so badly. LSU outgained Alabama 457285. Sam Leavitt had 380 yards passing compared to Keelon Russell’s 206.

But a deeper dive into the numbers told the tale of why the Tigers’ operation was a sort of success but the patient still died. LSU bled out in the red zone — really anywhere on Alabama’s side of the field. Eight of the Tigers’ drives got inside the Tide 40, and four of them reached the red zone. And yet LSU managed just 13 points. The Tigers had a litany of laments. Missed fourth-down conversions (LSU was 0 of 4). A missed field goal. A Leavitt interception. A big punt return setting up an Alabama score. And yet, late in the third quarter, LSU overcame both Alabama and itself to take a 13-10 lead at the 2:44 mark on a 5-yard toss right touchdown by Dilin Jones. The Tigers, who trailed 10-3 at halftime, finally had the momentum. As day turned into night, Tiger Stadium was rocking — and not because of The Killers or Shaq pumping cannon-fired Tshirts into the stands.

Across the way, Alabama was just tuning its instruments for a big finish. Right off the bat, first play, Russell threw a sideline pattern that Rico Scott turned into a 57-yard catch-and-run to the LSU 18. Four plays later, Alabama was back in front for good as Russell found a wide-open Josh Ford in the end zone on a 7-yard touchdown pass with 36 seconds left in the quarter. The Tigers were still very much in it going to the fourth quarter down 17-13, but instead of rallying, they imploded. LSU went turnover on downs, punt, turnover on downs and turnover on downs the rest of the way, plus a muffed punt (the Tigers lost the turnover battle 2-0 and the sack battle 4-2) as Bama went punt, touchdown, touchdown, punt, victory formation. All too familiar for LSU, which now tries to regroup and wait for next year. At least next year won’t include a game against Alabama.

LSU SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE

Sept. 5

Sept. 12

Sept. 19

Sept. 26

Oct. 3

Oct. 10

Oct. 17

Oct. 24

Nov. 7

31-0 38-17 W W L W 63-14 W 35-34 L W W 31-13 L

51-10 45-14 32-24 35-6 OVERALL: 6-3 ACC: 4-2

OVERALL: 7-2 SUN BELT: 5-0

OVERALL: 6-3 SEC: 4-3

OVERALL: 4-5 SEC: 1-5

OVERALL: 4-5 SOUTHLAND: 3-3

OVERALL: 7-2 SEC: 5-2

OVERALL: 4-4 SEC: 2-4

OVERALL: 5-4 SEC: 3-4

OVERALL: 7-2 SEC: 5-2

Nov. 14

Nov. 21

Nov. 28

Texas TBA TV: ABC

at Tennessee TBA TV: TBA

at Arkansas TBA TV: TBA

OVERALL: 7-2 SEC: 4-2

OVERALL: 7-2 SEC: 4-2

OVERALL: 3-6 SEC: 1-5

10C n Sunday, November 8, 2026 n theadvocate.com n The Advocate H

lll

WEEK 9

SUNDAY Bengals vs. Falcons 8:30 a.m., NFL

SUNDAY Browns at Saints Noon, CBS

ON TV THIS WEEK

SUNDAY Cowboys at Colts Noon, Fox

SUNDAY Packers at Patriots 3:25 p.m., Fox

SUNDAY Buccaneers at Bears 7:20 p.m., NBC

MONDAY Bills at Vikings 7:15 p.m., ESPN

STANDINGS, SCORES & SCHEDULE AFC East

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

NFC East

N.Y. Giants Dallas Washington Philadelphia South Carolina Tampa Bay Atlanta New Orleans North

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO BY CHRIS SZAGOLA

Carolina Panthers safety Zakee Wheatley, left, breaks up a pass intended for Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith on Oct. 18 in Philadelphia.

5

TOP TOPICS FOR WEEK 9

New look for Panthers defense

BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Rams aim at Commanders ‘D’ Bears, Bucs’ run games collide

1

2

Carolina Panthers coach Dave Canales offered one overriding requisition to Todd Wash after promoting him to interim defensive coordinator: “Stop the run.” The Panthers (3-4) enter Sunday’s game against the surging Denver Broncos (6-2) ranked 30th in the league against the run, while allowing the fifth-most points in the league. Canales made the change at coordinator just hours after the Panthers suffered their second straight loss on Oct. 29 to the Green Packers, 27-19.The timing of the move gave Wash a few extra days to make changes.

Rams head coach Sean McVay and Kliff Kingsbury will take aim at the Commanders defense. Kingsbury, now an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Rams, spent the past two years with the Commanders as their offensive coordinator. Los Angeles poses one of the biggest tests for the Washington defense this season in terms of talent.And, notably, a former Commanders coach is now on the Rams’ side. McVay is 2-1 against Washington in his coaching career. McVay, who has been in Los Angeles since 2017, coached in Washington from 2010-16.

Bengals to target Falcons secondary

The Falcons secondary will have its hands full with Bengals wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Higgins had 10 receptions for 155 yards and two TDs in last week’s win against Tennessee and was selected as the AFC offensive player of the week on Wednesday. Chase added 11 catches for 141 yards and a score. Entering Week 9, Higgins ranks second in the NFL with 726 yards receiving and Joe Burrow is fourth with 2,115 yards passing.Atlanta RB Bijan Robinson leads the NFL with 780 yards rushing but has been held under 100 yards in four straight games.

4

Chicago Bears coach Ben Johnson knows a little something about a successful rushing attack, and he has impressed with Tampa Bay’s ground game.The NFL’s top rushing teams face off when Bucky Irving and Tampa Bay visit D’Andre Swift and Chicago on Sunday. The Bucs average a league-high 168.6 yards on the ground, and the Bears are second at 150.8.Tampa Bay’s ground game was so good last week, it beat Atlanta 16-0 without completing a pass. Irving rushed for 170 yards and a TD in wet conditions as the Bucs set a franchise record with 324 yards rushing.

3

The Las Vegas Raiders will try to unleash TE Brock Bowers on the 49ers on Sunday. San Francisco allowed 18 catches for 127 yards by tight ends the past two weeks and now must match up with one of the game’s best in Bowers. Bowers is the first tight end with at least 70 yards receiving in his first six games in a season, and his 217 career catches are four shy of Trey McBride’s TE record in the first three seasons. The Raiders have allowed a league-worst 6.1 yards per play, while the Niners have gained a league-high 6.4 yards per play.

5

New era dawns in Packers vs. Patriots AP sportswriter

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The Green Bay Packers and New England Patriots don’t play each other that often. The most recent time was in 2022, an overtime game at Lambeau Field won by Green Bay with Aaron Rodgers under center during his final season in Green Bay. In the teams’ matchup before that in New England in 2018, Tom Brady was on the field playing in his penultimate season with the team. Sunday’s game between the Packers (5-3) and Patriots (5-3) won’t feature either future Hall of Famer. Rodgers is playing what he’s said is his final NFL season in Pittsburgh, and Brady will be calling his first game in

San Francisco Seattle L.A. Rams Arizona

L 1 3 6 6

T 0 0 0 0

Pct .857 .625 .250 .143

PF PA Home Away 233 181 3-1-0 3-0-0 184 162 3-0-0 2-3-0 170 188 1-3-0 1-3-0 117 181 0-3-0 1-3-0

AFC NFC Div 4-1-0 2-0-0 0-1-0 5-1-0 0-2-0 3-0-0 2-3-0 0-3-0 0-2-0 1-4-0 0-2-0 1-1-0

W 6 2 2 1

L 2 5 6 7

T 0 0 0 0

Pct .750 .286 .250 .125

PF PA Home Away 229 121 4-1-0 2-1-0 165 170 0-4-0 2-1-0 161 222 1-2-0 1-4-0 144 199 0-4-0 1-3-0

AFC NFC Div 5-2-0 1-0-0 1-1-0 2-3-0 0-2-0 2-1-0 1-5-0 1-1-0 1-2-0 1-5-0 0-2-0 1-1-0

W 6 5 5 4

L 2 2 3 5

T 0 0 0 0

Pct .750 .714 .625 .444

PF 180 206 139 189

PA Home Away 144 4-0-0 2-2-0 158 2-1-0 3-1-0 173 3-0-0 2-3-0 236 1-3-0 3-2-0

AFC 3-2-0 4-2-0 3-3-0 2-4-0

NFC Div 3-0-0 2-1-0 1-0-0 1-1-0 2-0-0 2-1-0 2-1-0 0-2-0

W 6 5 4 0

L 2 2 4 7

T 0 0 0 0

Pct PF PA Home Away .750 172 165 4-0-0 2-2-0 .714 167 131 3-0-0 2-2-0 .500 221 230 1-3-0 3-1-0 .000 99 175 0-3-0 0-4-0

AFC 3-1-0 5-1-0 3-3-0 0-4-0

NFC Div 3-1-0 2-1-0 0-1-0 3-1-0 1-1-0 1-1-0 0-3-0 0-3-0

W 4 3 2 2

L 2 5 4 6

T 1 0 1 0

Pct .643 .375 .357 .250

PF 163 219 159 137

PA Home Away 161 3-1-0 1-1-1 213 1-3-0 2-2-0 182 2-1-1 0-3-0 202 1-3-0 1-3-0

AFC 2-0-0 1-1-0 0-1-0 1-1-0

NFC Div 2-2-1 1-0-1 2-4-0 2-1-0 2-3-1 1-2-1 1-5-0 1-2-0

W 3 3 3 2

L 4 5 5 5

T 0 0 0 0

Pct .429 .375 .375 .286

PF 178 178 171 162

PA Home Away 193 1-2-0 2-2-0 151 1-4-0 2-1-0 189 1-3-0 2-2-0 194 0-4-0 2-1-0

AFC 0-1-0 0-3-0 0-2-0 1-2-0

NFC Div 3-3-0 1-1-0 3-2-0 2-0-0 3-3-0 1-2-0 1-3-0 0-1-0

W 6 6 5 5

L 1 2 2 3

T 0 0 0 0

Pct .857 .750 .714 .625

PF PA Home Away 140 93 3-0-0 3-1-0 214 160 3-1-0 3-1-0 203 180 4-0-0 1-2-0 171 164 3-1-0 2-2-0

AFC 2-0-0 2-0-0 1-1-0 1-0-0

NFC Div 4-1-0 2-1-0 4-2-0 0-2-0 4-1-0 2-0-0 4-3-0 1-2-0

W 6 4 4 3

L 1 4 4 5

T 0 0 0 0

Pct .857 .500 .500 .375

PF 197 185 194 175

AFC 2-0-0 3-1-0 2-2-0 1-1-0

NFC Div 4-1-0 3-0-0 1-3-0 1-1-0 2-2-0 0-2-0 2-4-0 1-2-0

WEEK 9

PA Home Away 139 4-0-0 2-1-0 159 3-2-0 1-2-0 168 2-3-0 2-1-0 238 0-3-0 3-2-0

WEEK 10

Thursday’s game Jacksonville 33, Baltimore 10 Sunday’s games Cincinnati vs. Atlanta at Madrid, ESP, 8:30 a.m. Cleveland at New Orleans, noon Dallas at Indianapolis, noon Denver at Carolina, noon Detroit at Miami, noon L.A. Rams at Washington, noon N.Y. Giants at Philadelphia, noon N.Y. Jets at Kansas City, noon Houston at L.A. Chargers, 3:05 p.m. Arizona at Seattle, 3:25 p.m. Green Bay at New England, 3:25 p.m. Las Vegas at San Francisco, 3:25 p.m. Tampa Bay at Chicago, 7:20 p.m. Open: Pittsburgh, Tennessee Monday’s game Buffalo at Minnesota, 7:15 p.m.

Thursday, Nov. 12 Washington at N.Y. Giants, 7:15 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 15 New England vs. Detroit at Munich, DEU, 8:30 a.m. Buffalo at N.Y. Jets, noon Carolina at New Orleans, noon Houston at Cleveland, noon Jacksonville at Tennessee, noon Kansas City at Atlanta, noon Miami at Indianapolis, noon Minnesota at Green Bay, noon L.A. Rams at Arizona, 3:05 p.m. Seattle at Las Vegas, 3:05 p.m. San Francisco at Dallas, 3:25 p.m. Pittsburgh at Cincinnati, 7:20 p.m. Open: Denver, Chicago, Philadelphia, Tampa Bay Monday, Nov. 16 L.A. Chargers at Baltimore, 7:15 p.m.

Raiders, Bowers to battle 49ers

GAME OF THE WEEK

BY KYLE HIGHTOWER

Minnesota Chicago Detroit Green Bay West

W 6 5 2 1

Gillette Stadium as an analyst for Fox Sports. “I think I’m required contractually to catch up with him at some point,” Patriots coach Mike Vrabel joked this week about Brady’s latest return to New England. But there will be plenty of focus on the quarterbacks that have come behind Rodgers and Brady for their respective former franchises. Jordan Love appears to be finding his stride in his fourth season as the full-time starter, leading the league in passing yards for a team looking to make the playoffs for a fourth consecutive season. Meanwhile, Drake Maye has recovered from a rough start to account for at least three touchdowns in each of his past five games, leading the Patriots to

victories in four of them. While the Packers enter the game last in the NFL in rushing, averaging only 60.6 yards per game, Love said he isn’t worried about generating offense. “The run game isn’t where it needs to be, but I think we’ve still been able to kind of adjust and still make plays,” he said. “There’s a lot more out there, but we’ve done a great job just being able to win these games by putting up some points, and that’s what it comes down to.” Maye said the matchup is certainly a measuring stick opposite a team that like the Patriots is trying to keep pace in its division. “They’re good, they’ve beaten good teams, and they continue to show up every year,” Maye said. “We’ve definitely got a challenge and a chance to see how we look.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO BY KYUSUNG GONG

Los Angeles Rams defensive end Myles Garrett walks back to the locker room before a game on Oct. 12 in Inglewood, Calif.

Garrett expected to return for Rams BY GREG BEACHAM AP sportswriter

LOSANGELES — Myles Garrett is expected to return for the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday at Washington after missing the past seven games with a knee injury. Coach Sean McVay announced Garrett’s likely availability, barring a late setback, on Friday before practice. The Rams (4-4) acquired Garrett in a trade with Cleveland over the summer, but the two-time AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year has played in just one game for his new team. “I’m just grateful that he’s back and that he’s feeling really good,” McVay said. Garrett hasn’t played since the Rams’ season opener, when he made no tackles in their blowout loss to the 49ers in Australia. Afterward, Garrett revealed he wasn’t fully fit because of a knee injury that limited him throughout training camp. Garrett underwent surgery after the Rams returned from Melbourne, and he was sidelined until he returned to practice this week. Those seven weeks were the longest injury

absence of his 10-year NFL career. “It was very difficult, (because) this is what I love to do,” Garrett said. “I love being around my teammates, being able to help the whole group shine. Seeing them going out there and having fun, it’s like I want to be there in those moments and share in their success. Not being able to do what I feel like I was put here to do, it hurt me for a while. But I’ve got a good team around me. I’ve got a great family. Blessed to be in a great place with great weather, so I’m happy to be back.” After months of anticipation, Rams fans should finally get to see Garrett playing alongside Aaron Donald against the Commanders. A three-time Defensive Player of the Year, Donald was tempted out of his 2½-year retirement by the Rams’ acquisition of Garrett, but he didn’t make the trip to Australia while ramping up his fitness. “I think offenses really have to pick their poison,” Garrett said with a smile. “Who’s going to be freed up on this play? And I think either of us are pretty good at winning one-on-ones, so we’re going to have some fun.”

The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Sunday, November 8, 2026 ■ 11C

lll

SCOREBOARD Odds NFL FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG Cincinnati 3½ 3 (52½) at ATLANTA at KANSAS CITY 9½ 9½ (48) NY Jets NY Giants 5½ 3½ (38½) at PHILA. at NEW ORLEANS 4½ 3½ (42½) Cleveland LA Rams 5½ 4½ (47½) at WASH. Denver 3 2½ (44½) at CAROLINA Dallas 1½ 4½ (51½) at INDIANA. Detroit 6½ 6½ (50) at MIAMI Houston 1½ 5½ (40½)at CHARGERS at SEATTLE 13½ 8½ (39½) Arizona at SAN FRAN. 8½ 9½ (52) Las Vegas at NEW ENGLND 1½ 3 (44½) Green Bay at CHICAGO 3½ 6 (47½) Tampa Bay

Monday FAVORITE Buffalo

OPEN TODAY O/U 3 3 (44½)

NHL

FAVORITE at BOSTON at BUFFALO Tampa Bay New Jersey at CALGARY at ANAHEIM

UNDERDOG at MINN.

LINE UNDERDOG OFF Florida -111 Vegas -127 at WINNIPEG -133 at TORONTO OFF Philadelphia -135 Pittsburgh

LINE OFF -108 +107 +113 OFF +114

College football Friday’s scores SOUTH

East Carolina 20, South Florida 17

MIDWEST

Illinois 24, Nebraska 13

SOUTHWEST

SMU 51, Virginia Tech 28

FAR WEST

Arizona 29, TCU 28 New Mexico 31, Nevada 3

Saturday’s scores STATE

Tulsa 60, Tulane 10 UTRGV 52, Northwestern St. 7 Ark.-Pine Bluff 35, Grambling 32 Southern 45, Bethune-Cookman 17 UL-Monroe 19, Arkansas St. 17 Alabama 31, LSU 13 Louisiana Tech 41, Troy 17 Nicholls 32, East Texas A&M 31 McNeese St. 10, Houston Christian 0 UL 28, South Alabama 26 Incarnate Word 35, Southeastern 16

EAST

Brown 24, Yale 20 Bryant 31, Albany (NY) 7 CCSU 31, Stonehill 7 Clemson 18, Syracuse 13 Delaware St. 24, Morgan St. 14 Florida St. 31, Boston College 24 Fordham 38, Bucknell 13 Harvard 37, Columbia 0 Holy Cross 27, Georgetown 24 Lehigh 33, Colgate 7 Marist 14, Morehead St. 13 Monmouth (NJ) 21, NC A&T 17 Navy 42, Temple 35 New Hampshire 24, Rhode Island 21 New Haven 17, LIU Brooklyn 10 North Carolina 38, UConn 21 Penn 14, Cornell 13 Princeton 21, Dartmouth 14 Robert Morris 13, Duquesne 10 Towson 43, Sacred Heart 40, 2OT Villanova 30, Richmond 0 Wagner 33, Mercyhurst 28 Alabama 31, LSU 13 Alcorn St. 38, Florida A&M 20 Auburn 26, Arkansas 23 Austin Peay 55, E. Kentucky 31 Campbell 48, Stony Brook 35 Davidson 33, Stetson 14 Duke 41, NC State 3 Elon 24, Hampton 6 FIU 23, Missouri St. 20 Furman 24, The Citadel 14 Georgia Southern 49, Marshall 13 Georgia St. 39, Appalachian St. 23 Jackson St. 38, Mississippi Valley 7 Kennesaw St. 42, Delaware 40 Lafayette 19, William & Mary 14 Lindenwood (Mo.) 34, Gardner-Webb 21 Mercer 14, Chattanooga 7, OT

Friday’s scores

Middle Tennessee 51, W. Kentucky 42 NC Central 29, Norfolk St. 28 Nicholls 32, East Texas A&M 31 Old Dominion 21, Coastal Carolina 8 SE Missouri 33, Tennessee St. 14 Samford 37, ETSU 35 South Carolina 17, Texas A&M 9 Southern U. 45, Bethune-Cookman 17 Tennessee 34, Kentucky 6 Tennessee Tech 66, VMI 14 UAB 23, Charlotte 12 UT Martin 20, Charleston Southern 10 Vanderbilt 25, Mississippi St. 23 W. Carolina 26, Wofford 10 Wake Forest 77, Merrimack 0 Youngstown St. 62, Murray St. 35

Sunday’s games

Philadelphia at Chicago, 2:30 p.m. L.A. Lakers at Detroit, 5 p.m. Utah at Minnesota, 6 p.m. Brooklyn at Dallas, 6:30 p.m. Boston at Milwaukee, 7 p.m. Miami at Sacramento, 8 p.m. New Orleans at L.A. Clippers, 8 p.m.

Late Friday

FG FT Reb MINN. Min M-A M-A O-T A PF PTS Kuminga 34:04 5-12 6-12 2-8 4 4 17 McDaniels 39:49 8-19 5-5 3-6 5 4 23 Gobert 24:53 4-5 0-2 3-11 0 2 8 Ball 35:20 7-15 5-5 0-2 8 3 22 Dosunmu 39:21 8-14 6-6 1-2 4 2 26 Lyles 29:00 2-7 1-2 4-13 2 2 5 Clark 20:37 3-9 1-1 3-3 0 3 8 Hyland 9:55 1-7 1-2 0-1 0 1 4 Beringer 7:02 0-0 2-2 1-3 0 1 2 Totals 240 38-88 27-37 17-49 23 22 115 Percentages: FG .432, FT .730. 3-Point Goals: 12-39, .308 (Dosunmu 4-6, Ball 3-8, McDaniels 2-7, Clark 1-3, Hyland 1-5, Kuminga 1-6, Lyles 0-4). Team Rebounds: 11. Team Turnovers: 3. Blocked Shots: 6 (McDaniels 2, Beringer, Dosunmu, Gobert, Lyles). Turnovers: 11 (Ball 3, Dosunmu 3, Kuminga 2, McDaniels 2, Lyles). Steals: 5 (Lyles 3, Kuminga, McDaniels). Technical Fouls: Gobert, 7:44 second.

SOUTHWEST

FAR WEST

Boise St. 64, Colorado St. 38 Idaho 62, E. Washington 31 Montana 57, Portland St. 24 Montana St. 28, Idaho St. 26, 3OT N. Arizona 38, Cal Poly 10 Penn St. 28, Washington 25 S. Utah 31, N. Colorado 24 San Jose St. 30, N. Illinois 19 Utah 28, BYU 20

Pro basketball NBA glance

FG FT Reb

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Detroit Cleveland Indiana Chicago Milwaukee

W 8 7 5 5 2

L 2 2 4 4 7

Pct .800 .778 .556 .556 .222

GB — ½ 2½ 2½ 5½

W 7 4 3 3 2

L 4 6 6 7 6

Pct .636 .400 .333 .300 .250

GB — 2½ 3 3½ 3½

W 6 5 3 1 1

L 2 5 7 7 8

Pct .750 .500 .300 .125 .111

GB — 2 4 5 5½

W 7 7 6 5 4

L 2 2 3 4 5

Pct .778 .778 .667 .556 .444

GB — — 1 2 3

W 8 6 7 5 1

L 2 2 3 3 8

Pct .800 .750 .700 .625 .111

GB — 1 1 2 6½

W 8 6 2 1 1

L 2 3 5 7 8

Pct .800 .667 .286 .125 .111

GB — 1½ 4½ 6 6½

WESTERN CONFERENCE Southwest Division Houston San Antonio Memphis Dallas New Orleans Northwest Division Oklahoma City Portland Minnesota Denver Utah Pacific Division L.A. Lakers Golden State Phoenix L.A. Clippers Sacramento

MIDWEST

Minnesota 115, New Orleans 109

Alabama St. 34, Texas Southern 31 Baylor 42, Iowa St. 31 Cent. Arkansas 35, West Georgia 14 Houston 31, Cincinnati 24 Lamar 45, Stephen F. Austin 28 North Texas 52, Rice 23 Prairie View 31, Alabama A&M 10

Atlanta Washington Miami Charlotte Orlando Central Division

Davidson 88, Mercer 76 Furman 98, Northern Iowa 83 Georgia State 111, Fighting Tigers 61 High Point 83, Washington State 71 LSU New Orleans 90, Loyola (NO) 65 Liberty 113, Boyce 54 Lipscomb 78, SIU-Edwardsville 77 Longwood 80, North Carolina Central 75, OT Louisville 107, Morehead State 57 Memphis 89, VCU 88 North Dakota 93, Winthrop 90 UNC Wilmington 78, East Carolina 75 Western Carolina 83, UNC Asheville 75

Denver 114, Indiana 102 Atlanta 124, Brooklyn 121 Oklahoma City 114, Washington 75 New York 109, Cleveland 97 Orlando at Golden State, n Houston at Phoenix, n San Antonio at Portland, n

Notre Dame 31, Miami 24 Dayton 31, Valparaiso 20 Maryland 34, Purdue 29 North Dakota 49, Illinois St. 21 Oklahoma St. 66, Kansas St. 28 Oregon 41, Ohio St. 28 S. Dakota St. 41, N. Iowa 15 S. Illinois 37, Indiana St. 20 San Diego 40, Drake 17 Texas 34, Missouri 20 UCF 33, Kansas 32 UCLA 34, Minnesota 20 W. Illinois 44, E. Illinois 23 Wisconsin 31, Rutgers 10

Philadelphia Boston New York Toronto Brooklyn Southeast Division

SOUTH

Saturday’s games

MIDWEST

Atlantic Division

Mercyhurst 89, Penn State-Shenango 50 Morgan State 73, Niagara 67 Old Dominion 82, Bucknell 62 Rhode Island 84, Monmouth 66 Saint Joseph’s 67, Lafayette 57, OT St. Bonaventure 88, Canisius 49 Toledo 81, Marshall 76

Atlanta 139, Washington 132 Boston 119, Charlotte 80 Cleveland 119, Philadelphia 95 Dallas 112, Utah 100 Oklahoma City 128, Memphis 97 Toronto 121, Milwaukee 107 Minnesota 115, New Orleans 109 San Antonio 124, Sacramento 109 L.A. Lakers 124, Portland 118

N.O. Min M-A M-A O-T A PF PTS Murphy 33:53 3-7 3-3 1-4 5 3 10 Willimsn 35:42 5-10 3-4 1-8 4 2 13 Matkovic 17:46 7-13 0-0 1-3 1 5 18 Fears 36:14 9-16 6-7 3-5 5 1 24 Murray 34:48 3-11 0-0 0-2 4 3 7 Bey 31:11 5-13 4-4 3-5 4 3 17 Watford 19:03 4-7 3-4 1-6 1 3 12 Jones 13:39 0-3 0-0 1-4 0 6 0 Queen 10:28 2-4 2-4 1-4 1 2 6 Mathurin 7:16 1-2 0-0 0-0 0 0 2 Totals 240:00 39-86 21-26 12-41 25 28 109 Percentages: FG .453, FT .808. 3-Point Goals: 10-24, .417 (Matkovic 4-8, Bey 3-6, Watford 1-1, Murray 1-2, Murphy III 1-5, Fears 0-1, Jones 0-1). Team Rebounds: 12. Team Turnovers: None. Blocked Shots: 4 (Bey, Murphy III, Murray, Watford). Turnovers: 13 (Queen 4, Fears 2, Matkovic 2, Murphy III 2, Murray 2, Bey). Steals: 7 (Fears 2, Murphy III 2, Williamson 2, Murray). Technical Fouls: Williamson, 3:54 third; Jones, 10:51 fourth. Minnesota 27 30 20 38 — 115 New Orleans 30 21 28 30 — 109 A — 17,767 (16,867). T — 2:34.

College basketball Saturday’s scores STATE

LSU New Orleans 90, Loyola (NO) 65

EAST

Drexel 77, Colgate 74 Duquesne 68, Central State (OH) 58 Fairleigh Dickinson 93, City College of New York 56 George Washington 75, Hampton 61 Georgetown 86, Maryland 74 La Salle 88, LIU 80 Maryland-Eastern Shore 81, Cheyney 55

Cal State Fullerton 87, South Dakota 85 Houston Christian 74, Western Illinois 67 IU Indy 75, Tennessee-Martin 74 Lindenwood 115, East-West 44 Miami (OH) 80, Bellarmine 73 Nebraska 67, Providence 58 Northern Illinois 81, Dayton 76, OT Ohio 80, North Carolina A&T 70 Purdue Fort Wayne 103, Albion 65

SOUTHWEST

Abilene Christian 83, Lamar 81 Sam Houston 102, Howard Payne 59 UTSA 70, VMI 68

FAR WEST

Gonzaga 109, New Mexico State 68 Hawai’i 116, Bethesda 44 Montana State 83, Long Beach State 70 New Mexico 94, Northern Arizona 65 San Diego State 77, Colorado 66 UTRGV 68, Prairie View A&M 63 UC Riverside 64, Denver 60 UC Santa Barbara 90, Oakland 67 UNLV 88, Samford 79 Utah State 90, Omaha 56

LSU 92, Texas Southern 51 Late Friday

FG FT Reb TSU Min M-A M-A O-T A PF PTS Akpovwa 24 1-4 2-5 1-2 0 2 4 Bilal 35 2-16 5-6 0-1 2 0 9 Farooq 30 0-7 3-4 0-7 3 4 3 Kimbrgh 31 5-10 2-2 1-3 1 3 16 Vungo 30 2-8 1-2 5-9 0 3 6 Nedal 22 2-5 1-1 0-0 0 4 6 Sayed 13 1-5 0-0 0-1 1 2 3 Lewis 12 1-4 2-3 0-2 0 0 4 Walton 4 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 Totals 200 14-59 16-23 7-25 7 18 51 Percentages: FG .237, FT .696. 3-Point Goals: 7-24, .292 (Kimbrough 4-7, Vungo 1-1, Sayed 1-3, Nedal 1-4, Lewis 0-1, Bilal 0-4, Farooq 0-4). Team Rebounds: 4. Team Turnovers: 1. Blocked Shots: 2 (Vungo 2). Turnovers: 13 (Bilal 3, Vungo 3, Akpovwa 2, Kimbrough 2, Lewis 2, Sayed). Steals: 12 (Bilal 4, Nedal 3, Vungo 2, Akpovwa, Farooq, Lewis). Technical Fouls: None.

FG FT Reb

LSU Min M-A M-A O-T A PF PTS Dioubate 23 6-8 0-4 5-7 0 2 13 Niang 27 4-6 7-8 4-11 2 4 15 Dessert 12 4-6 1-3 0-2 0 3 9 Clark 35 1-8 2-2 0-3 5 0 4 Dent 31 4-11 2-5 0-0 10 1 10 Bashir 23 4-10 3-3 2-5 4 2 15 Ruzic 22 6-7 0-0 1-11 1 3 12 Ugoch. 22 5-5 0-0 0-5 1 3 10 Levy 3 1-1 0-0 0-2 0 0 2 Bender 2 1-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 2 Totals 200 36-63 15-25 12-46 23 18 92 Percentages: FG .571, FT .600. 3-Point Goals: 5-22, .227 (Bashir 4-9, Dioubate 1-2, Ruzic 0-1, Dent 0-3, Clark 0-7). Team Rebounds: 4. Team Turnovers: None. Blocked Shots: 8 (Dent 4, Ruzic 2, Dioubate, Ugochukwu). Turnovers: 14 (Ugochukwu 4, Bashir 3, Niang 3, Dessert 2, Clark, Ruzic). Steals: 10 (Dent 3, Niang 3, Dioubate 2, Ugochukwu 2). Technical Fouls: None. Texas Southern 28 23 — 51 LSU 47 45 — 92 A — 7,732 (13,215).

Women’s college scores EAST

Brown 73, Bucknell 61 Hofstra 75, Queens (NY) 44 La Salle 69, Loyola (MD) 61 Pittsburgh 92, LIU 42 Saint Joseph’s 95, Kutztown 27 St. John’s 102, Wagner 33 Temple 97, Navy 77 UMass 60, Providence 50

SOUTH

Charleston 71, Charleston Southern 54 Eastern Kentucky 65, Radford 56 Florida Atlantic 68, Kennesaw State 28 Florida Gulf Coast 89, Arkansas State 59 Liberty 82, East Carolina 49 Lipscomb 90, Carolina 49 North Florida 93, Palm Beach Atlantic 76 Northern Kentucky 61, Kent State 58 UAB 73, South Alabama 59 UNC Wilmington 82, NC Central 48 West Georgia 80, Alabama State 78, OT

MIDWEST

Cincinnati 76, Penn State 53 Detroit Mercy 67, Valparaiso 63 Green Bay 82, Loyola Chicago 48 Illinois 99, Southern University 28 Illinois State 96, Augustana College 54 Lindenwood 62, Evansville 49 Michigan State 72, Toledo 64 Minnesota 87, Marquette 79 Nebraska 98, Western Illinois 35 Omaha 69, Eagles 34 Texas State 106, Chicago State 51 Youngstown State 86, Buffalo 62

SOUTHWEST

Texas 91, Northern Colorado 29 Texas A&M 90, LSU New Orleans 63 Tulsa 67, Rogers State 40 UTEP 74, Incarnate Word 68

FAR WEST

Air Force 61, Saint Mary’s 37 BYU 97, Montana 53 Cal State Fullerton 73, Westcliff 43 Colorado 73, Fresno State 56 Missouri State 72, Wyoming 37 Sacramento State 70, Nevada 60 Santa Clara 64, Utah Valley 62 UC San Diego 90, San Diego 88, OT Weber State 64, Denver 51

Auto racing NASCAR lineup Series championship race

At Homestead-Miami Speedway Homestead, Fla.; Lap length: 1.50 miles 1. (19) Chase Briscoe, Toyota, 166.687 mph. 2. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 166.600. 3. (45) Tyler Reddick, Toyota, 166.477. 4. (5) Kyle Larson, Chevy, 166.343. 5. (2) Austin Cindric, Ford, 166.021. 6. (20) Christopher Bell, Toyota, 165.868. 7. (9) Chase Elliott, Chevy, 165.629. 8. (24) William Byron, Chevy, 165.593. 9. (12) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 165.391. 10. (7) Daniel Suárez, Chevy, 165.304. 11. (33) Austin Hill, Chevy, 165.304. 12. (71) Michael McDowell, Chevy, 165.082. 13. (48) Alex Bowman, Chevy, 165.017. 14. (21) Josh Berry, Ford, 164.906. 15. (1) Ross Chastain, Chevy, 164.845. 16. (67) Corey Heim, Toyota, 164.820. 17. (17) Chris Buescher, Ford, 164.785. 18. (23) Bubba Wallace, Toyota, 164.780. 19. (22) Joey Logano, Ford, 164.770. 20. (54) Ty Gibbs, Toyota, 164.704. 21. (3) Austin Dillon, Chevy, 164.604. 22. (47) Ricky Stenhouse Jr, Chevy, 164.554. 23. (88) Connor Zilisch, Chevy, 164.529. 24. (43) Erik Jones, Toyota, 164.434. 25. (34) Todd Gilliland, Ford, 164.319. 26. (77) Justin Haley, Chevy, 164.249. 27. (38) Zane Smith, Ford, 164.249. 28. (41) Cole Custer, Chevy, 164.199. 29. (16) AJ Allmendinger, Chevy, 164.114. 30. (35) Riley Herbst, Toyota, 163.741. 31. (10) Ty Dillon, Chevy, 163.211. 32. (60) Ryan Preece, Ford, 163.206. 33. (4) Noah Gragson, Ford, 163.191. 34. (97) Shane Van Gisbergen, Chevy, 163.157. 35. (51) Cody Ware, Chevy, 162.660. 36. (42) John H. Nemechek, Toyota, 162.656. 37. (62) Casey Mears, Chevy, 161.570. 38. (44) JJ Yeley, Chevy, 160.361. 39. (66) Chad Finchum, Ford, 157.059. 40. (6) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 151.732.

Erie Roofing Since 1976

The

CADILLAC Commute C Aengine R C A R E under TIPS No the hood?

Join CJ PATTON from GERRY LANE CADILLAC as he showcases the all-electric 2026 Cadillac Escalade IQ. With no engine under the hood, discover the versatile front trunk-or “eTrunk”-featuring an innovative slide-out power tray perfect for groceries, tailgating, or on-the-go convenience.

Trust the Nation’s #1 Roofing Contractor Award-Winning Roofing and Customer Service

LIMITED TIME OFFER

50% 50 % OFF Installation

FREE ESTIMATE

SCHEDULE TODAY! Call 1.855.296.6825

CJ P AT T O N

General Ma anager

• $0 Down Today • Same Day Financing Available • Premium Warranty Protection

Join over 400,000 satisfied homeowners with an ultra-durable roof from Erie Home.

CALL TODAY! 1.855.296.6825 New orders only. Does not include material costs. Cannot be combined with any other offer. Minimum purchase required. Other restrictions may apply. This is an advertisement placedon behalf of Erie Construction Mid-West, Inc (“Erie”). Offer terms and conditions may apply and the offer may not be available in your area. If you call the number provided, you consent to being contacted by telephone, SMS text message, email, pre-recorded messages by Erie or its affiliates and service providers using automated technologies notwithstanding if you are on a DO NOT CALL list or register. Please review our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use on homeservicescompliance.com. All rights reserved. License numbers available at eriehome.com/erielicenses/

12C n Sunday, November 8, 2026 n theadvocate.com n The Advocate

lll

THE VARSITY ZONE

Prairieville can’t find groove vs. Northshore BY CHARLES SALZER Contributing Writer

There was no mistaking the contrast between the Prairieville and Northshore volleyball programs in Saturday afternoon’s Division I regional round playoff match. Third-year program Prairieville played host to Northshore, a perennial contender at the state championship tournament. In the end, experience became a footnote, and 12th-seeded Northshore advanced with a 3-1 win over No. 5 Prairieville. The individual set scores were 25-21, 23-25, 25-23 and 25-16 in favor of

Northshore (23-15). Northshore advances to its ninth state tournament appearance in 16 seasons under head coach Danny Davis. The Panthers will face No. 4 Chappelle in the quarterfinals. Playing in the second home playoff match for its program, both this season, Prairieville (319) lost for just the third time at home this season. “I thought our kids needed to get a little settled in,” Prairieville coach Chandra Ewen said. ”This was clearly the biggest moment, to date, that they’ve played in. I was anticipating us being a little back-and-forth, a little rusty, but

I don’t know if I expected us to never get in a groove of any sort.” Prairieville got a strong performance from Brasia Smith with 14 kills and 24 digs. Also playing key roles were Charli Secrist (11 kills), Ally Guidry (nine kills) and Cor’Naysia Cox (seven kills). Haley Sears had 43 assists and three aces. After the teams split the first two sets, the third set was tight throughout with 12 ties and nine lead changes. Prairieville scored three straight points to take a 17-14 lead, the largest for either team in the set. The Hurricanes went on to lead 21-19 but couldn’t

FOOTBALL REPORT Statewide Friday’s scores

Abbeville 16, St. Martinville 0 Airline 38, Parkway 35 Albany 18, Bogalusa 12 Alexandria 56, Peabody 7 Ascension Episcopal 42, Central Catholic 0 Avoyelles 46, Holy Savior Menard 0 B.T. Washington 34, Minden 21 Baker 38, Glen Oaks 8 Barbe 73, Southside 49 Baton Rouge Catholic 49, Legacy School of Sport Sciences, Texas 13 Baton Rouge Episcopal 61, Northeast 0 Belle Chasse 62, Willow School 13 Benton 48, Southwood 14 Brother Martin 27, Holy Cross 14 Bunkie 50, Marksville 8 Caldwell Parish 55, Beekman 21 Captain Shreve 48, C.E. Byrd 21 Cecilia 55, Carencro 22 Cedar Creek 49, Lincoln Prep 14 Central - B.R. 67, Woodlawn (BR) 18 Church Point 49, Mamou 10 Country Day 49, East Jefferson 10 Covington 20, Saint Paul’s 17 Crowley 12, LaGrange 8 Denham Springs 21, Walker 13 Destrehan 49, H.L. Bourgeois 0 Dunham 72, Springfield 0 E.D. White 56, Morgan City 0 East Feliciana 36, Varnado 6 East Iberville def. Thrive, forfeit Ehret 42, West Jefferson 7 Eunice 37, Iota 21 Evangel Christian Academy 42, Haughton 35 Franklin Parish 47, Tioga 42 Glenbrook 59, Arcadia 8 Gueydan 62, Highland Baptist 46 Hahnville 52, Central Lafourche 7 Hammond 31, Ponchatoula 14 Helix Mentorship Academy 32, Belaire 6 Homer 40, North Caddo 6 Istrouma 40, Port Allen 34

JS Clark Leadership Academy 42, North Central 0 Jeanerette 62, Centerville 0 Jena 40, Buckeye 7 Jennings 61, St. Louis 12 John Curtis Christian 29, Chalmette 0 Kaplan 24, Erath 10 Kennedy 28, Abramson 0 Kentwood 28, Haynesville 3 Kinder 53, Basile 14 Lafayette 33, Acadiana 14 Lafayette Christian 33, CatholicNI 10 Lafayette Renaissance 26, Thibodaux 8 Lake Charles College Prep 66, Leesville 42 Lakeshore 42, Pearl River 25 Landry/Walker 26, S. B. Wright 8 Livonia 28, Breaux Bridge 21 Logansport 49, Jonesboro-Hodge 14 Loreauville 35, Delcambre 14 Loyola Prep 56, Red River 20 Lutcher 42, Patterson 6 Mandeville 28, Fontainebleau 10 Mangham 49, Madison 0 Many 42, Lakeside 28 McDonogh #35 60, McMain 0 Neville 56, Wossman 18 Newman 50, Covenant Christian Academy 20 North Iberville 55, White Castle 22 North Webster def. Carroll, forfeit Northshore 21, Slidell 7 Northwest 38, Ville Platte 0 Opelousas 53, Beau Chene 6 Ouachita Parish 39, Pineville 27 Pine 21, Independence 7 Plain Dealing 54, Magnolia Excellence 32 Plaquemine 55, Scotlandville 21 Pointe Coupee Catholic 48, Central Private 16 Prairieville 27, Franklinton 21 Richwood 53, D’Arbonne Woods 0 Ringgold 44, Lakeview 8 Riverdale 14, Higgins 0 Riverside Academy 56, West St. John 20 Rosepine 48, DeQuincy 14

Ruston 41, West Monroe 14 Salmen 46, Hannan 14 Sam Houston 56, New Iberia 0 Shaw 62, Young Audiences Charter 6 Shreveport Northwood 55, Woodlawn (SH) 14 Slaughter 56, Donaldsonville 39 South Lafourche 49, Assumption 32 South Plaquemines 39, St. Martin’s 28 South Terrebonne 50, Ellender 0 Southern Lab def. Capitol, forfeit St. Amant 48, Live Oak 27 St. Augustine 35, Rummel 22 St. Charles Catholic 21, Vandebilt Catholic 3 St. Frederick Catholic 48, General Trass (Lake Providence) 0 St. Helena 62, Amite 32 St. James 52, Berwick 0 St. John 35, Ascension Christian School 7 St. Mary’s 42, Montgomery 36 St. Michael 63, Broadmoor 8 St. Thomas Aquinas 59, Northlake Christian 0 St. Thomas More 63, Sulphur 7 Sumner 52, Pope John Paul 37 Terrebonne 28, East St. John 26 Teurlings Catholic 38, Northside 6 Vermilion Catholic 49, Hanson Memorial 20 Vidalia 20, Ferriday 18 Vinton 28, East Beauregard 0 West Feliciana 61, Collegiate Baton Rouge 0 West St. Mary 16, Franklin 13 Westlake 34, Washington-Marion 26 Westminster Christian (LAF) 28, Ascension Catholic 14 Westminster Christian 49, Sacred Heart 21 Winnfield 36, Mansfield 34, OT Zachary 62, Liberty 8

Saturday’s scores

Cohen 12, Jefferson Rise 8 Fisher 41, Houma Christian 7

close out the set. After two ties, Northshore took a 24-22 lead when Laynie Guilbeau tipped the ball over the net for winners on two consecutive points. Prairieville got one point back on Smith’s kill, but Kate Perniciaro was called for being in the net on the ensuing point giving the Panthers a 2-1 set lead. In the third set, Northshore moved out to a 15-7 lead. Prairieville got as close as 18-14 before the Panthers won five of six points on their way to a 25-16 set win. “I’m very proud of our kids for coming into Prairieville and getting this win,” Davis said. “(Prai-

rieville) played lights-out on defense. It could have gone either way, and today we were very fortunate to come out on top.” Davis also said he thought the first set was a tone-setter for the match. In it, Prairieville fell behind 17-14 before scoring six straight points. After a Northshore timeout, the Panthers regained control with a 7-0 run and eventually won the set 25-21. “(Northshore) did a great job of doing what they needed to do,” Ewen said. “We kept trying to make adjustments and just weren’t getting it done. Credit to them; they did what they needed to do to win the match.”

U-High, Parkview Baptist, Lutcher heading to state Ascension Catholic, Volleyball State quarterfinal pairings St. Michael, Dunham also state-bound

BY JACKSON REYES Staff writer

The state volleyball tournament is less than a week away, with the quarterfinals starting on Thursday. Six Baton Rougearea schools are headed to the Cajundome in Lafayette The bracket featuring the most local schools is Division III with three. Top-seeded University High (28-3) rolled past No. 32 Franklinton in the bi-district round 3-0. The Cubs then defeated West Feliciana 3-0 to reach the state tournament. No. 6 Lutcher (22-16) entered the postseason on a two-game skid but turned things around to win two playoff matches. The Bulldogs defeated No. 27

Division II No. 6 St. Michael vs. No. 3 St. Scholastics Division III No. 9 Berwick vs. No. 1 University High No. 6 Lutcher vs. No. 3 Iota No. 7 Parkview Baptist at No. 2 Hannan Division IV No. 10 Houma Christian vs. No. 2 Dunham Division V No. 5 Central Catholic vs. No. 4 Ascension Catholic

year’s Division III state title, took down No. 27 Kenner Discovery Health Science and No. 11 Edna Karr in 3-0 sweeps to get back to Lafayette.

Division IV

In Division IV, No. 2 Dunham (31-6) is back in the state tournament after falling in the state title match last year. The Tigers dominated No. 31 Vinton 3-0 in the bi-district round, De La Salle 3-0 then beat No. and then beat No. 18 Loreau11 Westlake 3-1 to reach the ville 3-0 to reach the quarterquarterfinals. finals. The final squad from Division III to make the state Division V tournament is No. 7 Parkview Another team that has beBaptist (19-17). The reigning come familiar with the CaDivision III state champion jundome is No. 4 Ascension capped off 3-0 sweeps of No. Catholic. The Bulldogs made 26 St. Martinville and No. 10 the semifinals last year. AsChurch Point. cension Catholic marked its return this year after beating Division II No. 29 Northeast 3-0 in the biThe lone local school in Di- district round and sweeping vision II to make it to state is No. 20 Westminster ChristianNo. 6 St. Michael (24-17). The Lafayette 3-0 in the regional Warriors, who reached last round.

ONLY $39.95 100+ years of LSU Football history in a hardcover book by columnist Scott Rabalais

LSU.PICTORIALBOOK.COM

FAITH: What’s it like to be a Mormon missionary assigned to LSU? 4D

LOUISIANA INSPIRED: First staged in the middle of war, veteran brings back play 5D

LIVING

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

1DN

Layla Kiffin is building a life of her own in Baton Rouge — beyond LSU football

Jan Risher

Old friends remind us of who we are

Layla Kiffin stands in the red-light therapy area of her Livin Studio in Baton Rouge.

STAFF PHOTO BY PEARL SPURLOCK

The yurt my husband, Julio, and I rented for the week in Wimberley, Texas, sits in the trees, surrounded by a deck with an outdoor kitchen and lighting that doesn’t interfere with the night sky. Last night. five of us sat around a fire and covered lots of history. Very little of it was mine. Julio invited three friends from high school who live in the general area over for dinner. I didn’t go to school with any of them. I was 1,000 miles away and 10 years younger when they were living the lives they spent the evening discussing. I didn’t mind. I loved it. There is a particular pleasure in watching people remember each other. My husband remembered serving on student council as a sophomore alongside Oscar, the older brother of one of the friends at the fire and the supercool senior on the council. “I was a scrawny sophomore, and Oscar sat and talked to me like I was a real person,” Julio said. “I always appreciated the time he took with me and the kindness he showed when he didn’t have to.” This morning, on the most relaxing vacation we know, I was staring out toward the horizon, doing nothing in particular while listening to a collection of music I love. The song “Old Friends,” from Stephen Sondheim’s “Merrily We Roll Along,” came on. The show runs backward. It opens with three friends who have let each other down for years and ends with them young on a rooftop, sure of everything and each other. Knowing where they end up makes every song about their friendship land harder. I thought about Julio and his old friends and my own old friends. Then I did what a columnist on vacation with a deadline does. I texted several old friends to ask what they thought was the value of friendships with people who knew us when we were young. They answered fast, which I took to mean that they still love me enough to help with my homework. One friend opened by noting it was a very deep question with a very short deadline. He said it sounded like an assignment from freshman English comp at Mississippi State. Then he got to it. “If it is a friend that you crossed the Rubicon with (not sure what that means, but feels appropriate) — it is awesome,” he wrote. “You understand them and where

| S U N D AY, N OV E M B E R 8, 2026

Her own spotlight BY JAN RISHER Staff writer

PROVIDED PHOTO

Layla Kiffin, pictured here in 2013 with her daughters Landry and Presley and son Knox. Layla’s former husband, Lane Kiffin, was the University of Southern California’s head football coach.

Before Layla Kiffin even sat down at our table at Cocha, we were talking about basketball. She had been a point guard — I had too. “I was scrappy,” she said. “I also ended up coaching all three of my kids’ teams for years.” She did it so she could make the schedules. She never wanted to miss a game. Kiffin, 51, is the former wife of LSU head football coach Lane Kiffin and the mother of his three children. When he moved to Louisiana last year, so did they. She’s adjusting to life in Baton Rouge but had not been to Cocha yet. After a review of the menu, she ordered the

beet and burrata salad and asked the waitress which protein was best to add. She took the waitress’s advice: shrimp. I ordered the seared tuna salad. From there, we launched into a rambling conversation that ranged from point guards to panna cotta, with stops at the NFL, a Victoria’s Secret runway and a 100-row climb through the stands in Oxford.

Football forever She told me about her early life. Her father, John Reaves, was a first-round draft pick of the Philadelphia Eagles. He played quarterback for 14 years in the NFL and USFL and later coached. “A player is a lot different than a coach,” she said.

ä See KIFFIN, page 8D

“I just got to know people for me, not as Lane’s wife. Just me as a person, me as a mom. I never felt like I was living in his shadow.” LAYLA KIFFIN

ä See FRIENDS, page 8D

METAIRIE | 7:30PM | WED 18 NOV JEFFERSON PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

BATON ROUGE | 7:30PM | THU 19 NOV RAISING CANE’S RIVER CENTER THEATRE

BOOK NOW: www.atasteofirelandshow.com

2D n Sunday, November 8, 2026 n theadvocate.com n The Advocate

COMMUNITY Zachary FFA chapter gets national honor

outstanding FFA chapters that actively implement the organization’s mission and strategies. The Zachary FFA These chapters improve Chapter of Louisiana was operations using the nanamed the 2026 Premier Chapter: Building Comtional quality FFA chapter standards and a program munities during the fifth general session of the 99th of activities that emphaNational FFA Convention sizes growing leaders, & Expo in Indianapolis. building communities and The club created an strengthening agriculture. activity titled “FarmChapters are rewarded to-School,” where they for providing educational developed interactive experiences for the entire presentation stations to membership. teach local pre-K students National FFA recognizes about healthy eating with the top chapters with infruits and vegetables. novative activities in three Members also made divisions: growing leaders, cookbooks, featuring the building communities and recipes showcased during strengthening agriculture. the presentations, for the Chapters that receive children to take home. FFA three-star ratings during members developed leadjudging are eligible to ership, communication and compete for the premier teaching skills while pre-K chapter awards. Ten FFA chapters competed for the students gained early nuhonor. trition education. To learn more, visit FFA. The national chapter award program recognizes org.

COMMUNITY GUIDELINES The Community column runs Sundays in the Living section. Submissions should be sent by noon Monday to run in the upcoming Sunday column. Identify those pictured by first and last names as viewed from left to right, row by row.We prefer emailed Community column submissions to features@theadvocate.com.We also accept submissions by mail at P.O. Box 588, Baton Rouge LA 70821.A phone number must be included.

lll

WEDDINGS, ENGAGEMENTS & ANNIVERSARIES

Engagement, Wedding and Anniversary announcements are paid notices in The Advocate. They appear in Sunday’s Advocate. To submit an announcement, go to The Advocate’s website at www.theadvocate.com, scroll down to the bottom of the page, look under ‘’Our Sites’’ and click on ‘’Celebrations’’. The deadline is noon Monday. For more information call (225) 388-0738 or e-mail nuptials@theadvocate.com.

WEDDINGS

Kaylee Marie Deynzer and Albert Clayton Hammett Jr.

Kaylee Marie Deynzer and Albert Clayton Hammett Jr. were married May 16th, 2026 at Burden Botanic Gardens in Baton Rouge. Pastor Dedrick Minor of First Christian Church, Disciples of Christ, officiated the ceremony. Bert graduated from The Citadel The Military College of South Carolina in 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in Biology. He continued his education earning a master’s degree in Biology from Mississippi College. Bert is an Extension Agent for the LSU AgCenter. Kaylee holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Plant and Soil Systems from Louisiana State University. She is a Horticulture Instructor at LSU. The bride is the daughter of Scott and Lorraine Pitre of Baton Rouge and Joel and Tonya Deynzer of Tennessee. She is the granddaughter of the

late Col. Thomas and Margaret Moore of Baton Rouge and the late Albert Deynzer and Beverly Deynzer of Colorado. The groom is the son of Dr. Albert Clayton and Dee Dee Hammett of Carencro. He is the grandson of Lollie and the late O’dare Hammett and Loretta Ellis of Concordia Parish. The bride was attended by her matron of honor, Savanna Matthews and maid of honor, Shelby Deynzer. Bridesmaids were Schyler Thibodeaux, Elizabeth Courville-Raiford and Divya Joshi. The groom was attended by his best man, Boh Hammett. Groomsmen were Hunter Habetz, Sonny Buhler, Jay Gresham and Dylan Matthews. A rehearsal dinner was hosted by the groom’s parents. The couple went to Costa Rica for their honeymoon. They reside in their new home in St. George.

PROVIDED PHOTO

PEO Chapter C

PROVIDED PHOTO

Krewe of Tucumcari

PROVIDED PHOTO

The Krewe of Tucumcari hosted a meet and greet to honor its 2027 royal court at the Cary Saurage Community Arts Center on Oct. 10. The all-male krewe is the oldest Mardi Gras krewe in Baton Rouge, founded in 1947. The theme for the 79th annual ball on Jan. 30 will be ‘Boots, Beads and Bourbon.’ Gathered are, from left, seated, duke and maid Brandon and Brooklynn Grace Broussard, maid Sophia Sue Tuttleton and duke Steve Westbrook; standing, duke and maid Nicholas and Khloe Layne Compton, duke and maid Ricky and Madeline Falcon, ball captain Thomas Knost, queen Charley Grey Knost, queen’s page Landry Seals, king Bryan Thomas Knost, queen’s page Maren Seals, and maid and duke Kensley and George Webb. Not pictured are king’s pages Jack Dalton Allen and Graham Allen Fougerousse.

Cangelosi Dance Project Cangelosi Dance Project director Kris Cangelosi hosted a workshop with ‘Dance Moms’ TV reality star Abby Lee Miller on Nov. 1 at Thrive Academy. Shown are, from left, Guy Blanchard, Miller and Kris Cangelosi.

St James Place, PEO Chapter C enjoyed an entertaining and informative program by Linda Lightfoot on Oct. 26. Lightfoot, who worked at The Advocate for more than 40 years, retired as the newspaper’s executive editor in early 2007. Shown are, from left, Lyn Taylor, Linda Michelli, Nancy Hammatt, Cheryl Singer and Connie Shaver. Not pictured is Emily Terracina.

ON THE ARTS AND CULTURE SCENE Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 5

Tickets are on sale for the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra’s concert, “Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 5,” at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 12, in the Raising Cane’s River Center Performing Arts Theater, 240 St. Louis St. The concert will be 120 minutes with a 20-minute intermission. Tickets are $20$80. Visit brsymphony.org.

PROVIDED PHOTO

Red Hatters The GLAD Red Hatters met for lunch and welcomed two new members on Oct. 20 at La Contea Italiano Ristorante. Gathered are, from left, seated, Gilda McDowell, Gerri Cornett, Liz Walker and Carol LaRouche; standing, Debbie Harris, Linda Crane, Beverly Grant, Linda Henning, Christine Landry and Ann Braud.

Moments of Grace

Baton Rouge actress and author Peggy Sweeney-McDonald will host “Pink Cloud Moments of Grace and Hope” from 6 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. Nov. 17, for Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness & National Caregivers Month at the Main Library, 7711 Goodwood Blvd. Sweeney-McDonald, along with nine invited storytellers, will share moments of hope from caregiving, their professional work and the journey of caring for themselves. Snacks will be provided, and admission is free. Visit peggysweeneymcdonald.com.

‘Midsummer’ at LSU

PROVIDED PHOTO

Magnolia Wood Garden Club The Magnolia Wood Garden Club held its annual fish fry on Oct. 28 at the home of Bruce and Joy Hammatt. Hushpuppies, grilled alligator sausage, Asian coleslaw, fried and blackened fish, and fried and blackened shrimp were served. Shown are, from left, seated, Tamara Wittenbrink, Trudy Huffty, Beth O’Quinn, June Lavergne, Suzanne Blunt and Patty Nolan; standing, Duane Huffty, Frank O’Quinn, Bruce Hammatt, Ken Lavergne, Joy Hammatt and Earl Nolan.

Tickets are on sale for Swine Palace’s production of William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” Performances will be preceded by a pay-what-you-can preview on Nov. 12. The show will run Nov. 13, 15, 18, 19 and 20-22, in the Reilly Theatre, 10 Tower Drive, LSU campus. Sunday matinees begin at 2 p.m. All other performances begin at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $9-$41. Visit lsu. edu/cmda/theatre.

Oropesa at LSU

Tickets are on sale for a performance by internationally acclaimed soprano and

Baton Rouge native Lisette Oropesa at 1 p.m. Nov. 15 in the Turner-Fischer Recital Hall in the LSU School of Music, Dalrymple Drive, LSU campus. Tickets are $75. Visit lsu.edu/cmda.

‘Of Thee I Sing’

Tickets are on sale for “Of Thee I Sing,” a collaborative performance between the LSU Symphony Orchestra and LSU Opera at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 20, in the LSU Union Theater, Tower Drive, LSU campus. As part of America’s 250th anniversary, this musical by George and Ira Gershwin, the first to win the Pulitzer Prize, includes sharp satire and exuberant wit as it lampoons the machinery of politics, ambition and corruption. Tickets are $11-$52. Visit lsu. edu/cmda.

’Day Dreaming’

“Day Dreaming,” a free screening and artist’s talk by John Day, will take place at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 18 at the Manship Theatre in the Shaw Center for the Arts, 100 Lafayette St. “Day Dreaming” is a film by Chase Henderson celebrating the life and work of artist, systems ecologist and coastal oceanographer John Day, professor emeritus in the LSU Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences, College of the Coast and Environment. Day’s art exhibit, “Doctor Dazed Doodle Delta,” also is showing through Jan. 2 in the Jones Walker Gallery at the Manship Theatre. Visit manshipgallery.org.

Kinetics

Tickets are on sale for Baton Rouge Gallery’s annual art auction fundraiser, “Kinetics,” from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Nov. 13, at the gallery, 1515 Dalrymple Drive. All artwork is created and donated by the gallery’s artist members and is now on view in the gallery, as well as on its website, batonrougegallery.org. All bids will start at $100 on the night of the auction. Tickets are $65 for gallery members and $85 for nonmembers. Visit batonrougegallery.org.

Batiste Legacy Session

Tickets are on sale for the Batiste Legacy Session, featuring Grammy Awardwinning pianist Tal Cohen, at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 18, in the Cary Saurage Community Arts Center, 233 St. Ferdinand St. Tickets are $12.24-$28.29. Visit artsbr.org.

Grad Walk

The LSU School of Art will host its Fall 2026 Grad Walk from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Nov. 19. This open-studio event features a scheduled walk between School of Art MFA graduate studios in the Barnes Ogden Art & Design Complex, 31 Campus Drive, along with music, a glowing lantern installation and refreshments. LSU’s campus is fully accessible to visitors’ parking after 4:30 p.m. Admission is free. Visit calendar.lsu.edu/event/lsuschool-of-art-fall-grad-walkopen-studio.

At Opera Louisiane

Opera Louisiane will host “An Evening With Matthew Polenzani” at 7 p.m. Nov. 17, featuring tenor Polenzani and pianist Robert Grayson in the Shaver Theatre in the LSU Music and Dramatic Arts building, Dalrymple Drive. Tickets are $26.50 to $51.50. Visit operalouisiane.com.

lll

The Advocate n theadvocate.com n Sunday, November 8, 2026 n 3D

TRAVEL Best times to scout for foliage along Natchez Trace Now is the peak season to peep leaves BY CHERÉ COEN Contributing writer

Anytime is the perfect time to enjoy the 444 miles of the Natchez Trace Parkway that begins at its namesake in Mississippi, but it’s particularly enjoyable in the fall. Operated by the National Park Service, the historic path that Native Americans and European settlers traveled offers opportunities for biking, hiking and driving to learn about those who came before. The Parkway stretches across 25 counties in Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee, so it’s an ideal road trip to enjoy fall foliage. The trail begins in Natchez at the Mississippi River where a stone marker exists outside the Natchez Grand Hotel. At its other end lies the rolling hills of Tennessee with the Parkway finishing near Nashville. In between are numerous historical attractions, including several Native American sites from the Grand Village of the Natchez in town to Emerald Mound at milepost 10.3 — the second largest Mississippian period ceremonial mound in the United States. Visitors may enjoy the abandoned town of Rocky Springs at milepost 54.8, remnants of the original Trace at several spots and military history — even the unusual, such as Witch Dance in Houston, Mississippi, where the grass refuses to grow due to supposed witches dancing there. A trip along the Parkway insists visitors slow down and relish the sites; traffic is regulated to 50 miles per hour. There are plenty of places to pause and enjoy both the sites and natural color.

When to find fall foliage Leaves change colors starting in the north section of the Trace and make their way south which means Tennessee is reaping most of the autumn colors now. But gold, crimson and orange are moving south throughout central Mississippi and northwest Alabama

features more than 400 Mississippi and Southeast artisans right on the Trace. Tupelo, birthplace of Elvis Presley, makes for a great base camp for the central Mississippi Trace and includes the Natchez Trace Parkway Headquarters. In addition to Elvis attractions, check out Tupelo’s Queen’s Reward Meadery, Mississippi’s first meadery using locally sourced honey. For those who’d rather rough it, campsites are located along the Trace, including at Rocky Springs, and accommodations at Tishomingo State Park near the Alabama state line (milepost 304) range from primitive campsites to cabins. Two towns oozing with charm near the top of the Natchez Trace in Tennessee are Leiper’s Fork and Franklin. Both hamlets outside PROVIDED PHOTOS BY NATCHEZ TRACE COMPACT Nashville feature historic buildings (Franklin’s Carnton PlantaTo get an overview of fall color, climb up the Freedom Hills Overlook after crossing into Alabama at milepost tion was the site of a major Civil 317 of the Natchez Trace Parkway. War battle), locally owned restaurants, surrounding farmland and as well. boutique accommodations. According to the Natchez Trace Special events Compact consisting of all three states, here are some dates to conThe Craftmen’s Guild of Mississider: sippi turns 50 this year, and visiFrom now until Nov. 9: Fall folitors may view items from Missisage is peaking in Tennessee, from sippi artisans, including watching northwest Alabama to Nashville. live demonstrations, Nov. 12-14 From now until Nov. 11: Peak at the Chimneyville Arts Festival will hit Northwest Alabama and at William Waller Craft Center in northeast Mississippi. Ridgeland. Preview Night is Nov. From now until No. 20: Peak with 12. occur in Central Mississippi, from The 83rd National Folk Festival Tupelo to Jackson. takes over Jackson Nov. 13-15 with music, dance performances Where to find fall foliage and craft traditions. More than 200,000 lights will fill Tennessee, with its rolling hills The portion of the Natchez Trace Parkway by Ridgeland, Miss., is popular the Historic Courthouse Square and rivers, offers spectacular with bikers. Nov. 27-29 for The Canton Christfoliage scenes. One of the Parkway’s most photographed spots mas Festival with holiday festivion the Parkway, visitors may enis Birdsong Hollow Overlook at look after crossing into Alabama ties continuing Dec. 4-23. the Double Arch Bridge (milepost joy tupelo and bald cypress trees at milepost 317. More holiday fun may be found 438). A great place to see color along the Trace with the popular turning burned orange along the Places to stay but also view part of the original Franklin Christmas Parade Dec. boardwalk at Cypress Swamp Natchez Trace is Garrison Creek 5 in Franklin, Tenn.; Burnsville’s (milepost 122) near Canton, MisThe Parkway’s namesake of Trailhead (milepost 427.6) and Old sissippi. Heading upward to the first Christmas on Ice Dec. 5-6 Natchez is a short drive from BaTrace Trailhead (milepost 426.3), in Tishomingo County, Miss.; A one of the highest points on the ton Rouge and New Orleans and both excellent for day hikes. Dickens of a Christmas VictoMississippi portion of the Trace is offers numerous places to stay Another spot to hike the old Little Mountain Overlook at Jeff along its bluff on the Mississippi rian celebration Dec. 12-13 in Trace, with overlooks as laBusby (milepost 193.1). The Old River, from historic properties to Franklin, Tenn.; and Tupelo’s New modern hotels. Ridgeland, north of Year’s Eve Party Dec. 31. gniappe, is at milepost 375.8, a 2.5- Town Overlook (milepost 263.9) and Beech Springs Trailhead Jackson, also connects to the ParkFor more ideas on where to stay mile one-way loop called the Old (milepost 266) offer scenic hikes Trace Drive. At milepost 391.9, way. Visitors may enjoy the town’s and what to do, visit www.sceoutside Tupelo. visitors may take a short walk to accommodations, restaurants and nictrace.com. For the official NaTo get an overview of fall color, observe the Fall Hollow Waterfall. special attractions, such as the tional Park Service website, visit climb up the Freedom Hills OverCloser to home, heading north William Waller Craft Center that www.nps.gov/natr/index.htm.

TRAVEL TROUBLESHOOTER By Christopher Elliott

Traveler missing promised refund after being bumped from flight I was recently denied boarding on an American Airlines flight from New York to Cleveland because the flight was oversold. At the gate, an agent told me I would be compensated with a $650 check or reimbursement for my rental car, airline ticket or hotel. up having to Christopher rentI ended a car and drive all Elliott the way back to Cleveland.When I followed up with American Airlines to claim what I was promised, it only gave me a $250 flight credit that expires in one year. I’ve gone back and forth with its customer relations department, and now it claims I’m not entitled to any regulated compensa-

225-400-8040 | 225-938-0748

tion because of an “equipment downgrade.” One supervisor even admitted their records showed I was eligible for a $353 check or a $442 credit due to weight restrictions, but then they claimed that was entered in error, too. I’m an attorney, and I don’t like it when people don’t keep their word. I would like the $650 check or reimbursement I was promised at the gate. Can you help me get American Airlines to honor its word? — Nicholle Acciarri,Westlake, Ohio American Airlines should have done what it promised. While airlines have specific policies for compensation, a verbal agreement from an authorized representative should carry weight,

especially when it induces a passenger to make alternative travel arrangements like renting a car. Under Department of Transportation regulations, you aren’t technically eligible for involuntary denied boarding compensation if the airline switches to a smaller aircraft for operational or safety reasons. American Airlines is leaning heavily on this rule, claiming your flight was an equipment downgrade rather than a simple overbooking. The confusion here is entirely the airline’s fault. A representative told you one thing at the gate. Then a supervisor contradicted the first representative, and then

customblindsbr.com | info@weknowblinds.com

another representative offered an entirely different story. Come on! You did the right thing by keeping a paper trail of these contradictions. For future reference, always try to get a gate agent’s promise in writing before you leave the airport. When a company digs in its heels, you can appeal to the executives. I list the contact information for American Airlines’ leadership on my consumer advocacy site, Elliott.org. I contacted American Airlines on your behalf. A representative acknowledged that an agent offered a check or trip credit at the airport, but

American Airlines wouldn’t honor it. The $650 you mentioned was likely the offer made to volunteers before they moved to the involuntary list. American Airlines issued you an additional $192 trip credit, bringing your total compensation to $442. While it isn’t the $650 you were hoping for, it’s a significant improvement over the initial $250 “goodwill” gesture. Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy, a nonprofit organization that helps consumers solve their problems. Email him at chris@elliott.org or get help by contacting him on his site.

4D n Sunday, November 8, 2026 n theadvocate.com n The Advocate

lll

FAITH

‘It’s a grind, and we love it’ Mormon missionaries share faith across the state

BY JAN RISHER

daughters and eight grandchildren under 6, scattered across Texas, Chicago and California. Allyson used to be on a plane frequently visiting them. This year, their family will come to Louisiana for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Shortly after the Chards arrived in Louisiana, one of Allyson Chard’s dearest friends learned she had an aggressive cancer. When the Chards left home, the friend was fine. Less than two months later, the friend died. Allyson could not go to the funeral. “It was that day I was like, ’Oh, my goodness. This hurts,’” she said. Sacrifice is a part of the service. The young missionaries have a saying about the families they leave behind. Bringhurst repeated it: “We choose to leave our family for a certain amount of time so others can be with theirs.” The Chards are living by the same line, 40 years later.

Staff writer

A small, slightly wobbly tabletop prize wheel, the kind often seen at a school carnival, sat on a marigold-yellow tablecloth in Free Speech Alley, outside the LSU Student Union. Students who spin it land on a number and a color, each corresponding to a question. One asks: How many people did Jesus feed with five loaves of bread and two fish? The answer is about 5,000 men, plus women and children, according to the Gospel of Matthew. Those who get it right win a prize — a tiny Jesus figurine, about the size of a thumbnail. Most students walked past on a recent October morning Peyton Cacioppo stopped. “They felt welcoming,” said Cacioppo, a sophomore from Madisonville who studies wildlife and fisheries. “They get rejected a lot. Me personally, at least I have to say hi.” The young women working the table wear black name tags — Sister Connor and Sister Bringhurst. Adilyn Connor, 20, and Addison Bringhurst, 19, grew up about 30 minutes apart near St. George, Utah. They hadn’t met until The Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints sent them both to Louisiana. Their current assignment is to share their faith with students at LSU. The women are two of 163 full-time missionaries currently serving in the church’s Louisiana Baton Rouge Mission and two of more than 90,000 serving worldwide, the most in the church’s history. Every day, they talk to hundreds of people.

The challenges of sharing faith

STAFF PHOTOS BY JAN RISHER

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints missionary Addison Bringhurst and church member Rebekah Hancock speak with LSU student Peyton Cacioppo, a sophomore from Madisonville, in Free Speech Alley, outside the LSU Student Union as sister-missionary Adilyn Connor waits for other passing students to potentially speak with.

A consecrated life Monday is the only day they call home. Missionaries call it preparation day: groceries for the week, laundry and a conversation with family. The rest of the week runs on a schedule most college students would find hard to imagine. They wake at 6:30 a.m. They exercise for 30 minutes. They make breakfast, plan the day and spend an hour studying scripture. By 10 a.m., they are on LSU’s campus or knocking on apartment doors. They break for lunch and go back out. They break for dinner, from 6 to 7, and go back out again. They get home at 9 p.m. Lights are out by 10:30, after showers, journals and prayers. They carry cellphones, but the church owns them. They have no social media. They don’t watch television or play video games. “It’s a grind, and we love it,” Connor said. “We only have such a short amount of time in our lives to serve our missions. This is the time fully dedicated to invite people to Christ, and we don’t wanna waste one minute.” Young women serve 18 months. Young men serve two years. When Bringhurst goes home, she plans to become a certified nursing assistant and then study nursing at Southern Utah University. Connor, who finished nail school before her mission, plans to go back to work as a licensed nail technician. Missionaries pay their own way,

Dan Chard, president of the Louisiana Baton Rouge Mission of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, stands with his wife Allyson Chard and missionaries Adilyn Connor and Addison Bringhurst in front of the Baton Rouge Louisiana Temple on Highland Road. $400 a month, the same amount whether they serve in Baton Rouge or Tokyo. Some families cover it. Some missionaries work and save. Sometimes a congregation helps. “When they have skin in the game, it’s going to feel different,” said Allyson Chard, who oversees the mission with her husband, Dan, president of the Louisiana Baton Rouge Mission. “It helps make them value the experience more.” The arrangement may seem almost cloistered, but Allyson Chard prefers another word. “Consecrated,” she said. “Meaning they’ve consecrated their time to God.”

She said the rules are there also to help protect the young missionaries. “If you had 163 18-year-olds running around …” Allyson Chard paused. “What we have learned is you don’t teach obedience. You just teach understanding their missionary purpose.”

The ‘old mission’ Dan and Allyson Chard arrived in Louisiana in July to begin a three-year volunteer assignment as mission leaders. Both are 60. Until this summer, Dan was chief executive officer of Medifast, a publicly traded Maryland health and wellness company best known for its Optavia weight-loss

Connor didn’t grow up planning to serve a mission. She grew up in the church, but her family stopped attending. “I was lost,” she said. “I was confused. I was making bad decisions as a teenager would.” At 17, a friend invited her to church. She went. She stayed. Even then, she said, she had no desire to serve. That came later, after months of reading and praying. “These other missionaries have had this opportunity to grow up in the church and be fully immersed their whole life,” she said. “I didn’t have that opportunity. So when I came to it myself, I knew I needed to share it.” The hardest encounters, she said, are with people “who ask really great questions, but don’t want the answer.” In south Louisiana, she finds, many people know the Bible well. The hardest questions are about the Book of Mormon, which Latterday Saints read alongside the Bible. The big questions are about its origins: Where did it come from? Who wrote it? The lesson she learned in her first months had less to do with answers than with limits. For Connor, each exchange with a stranger carries high stakes. “They have agency. They have the opportunity to choose for themselves,” she said. “I can’t force them to do anything.” She said accepting that she can only be a vessel helped her faith grow more than anything else had. On most days, few people stop to spin the wheel. And not everyone who stops is interested in hearing more. A man near the Student Union who gave only his first name, Daryl, once sat down and talked with the missionaries at length. “I don’t think what they believe in necessarily is true,” he said. “But they are devoted people.” Bringhurst doesn’t pretend rejection doesn’t hurt. “You love something so much. You spread it with others, and people don’t want to listen to you,” she said. “That hurts, but we can be disappointed. We can’t be discouraged.”

program. He had led it since 2016. Allyson built a career in public affairs and marketing, including years in New York City. She ran two nonprofits. Much of her work was in the interfaith world. Both served missions when they were young, he in France and she in England. They call this one their “old mission.” Their days now are full of logistics. The Chards oversee which missionaries will be companions and where in the state each pair will serve — with many relocating or changing assignments every six weeks. The young missionaries are assigned apartments. Each pair is assigned a car — logistics managed by a handful of retired couples, also volunteers who pay their own way. “God is organized,” one of the volunteers said. One manages the money. One manages a fleet of cars, one for every companionship. One finds and furnishes apartments, down to a small bedding allowance so each new missionary can buy sheets and towels. A health team, working remotely from around the country, steps in for broken bones, rashes and the mental health struggles common at that age. “God is in every single detail,” Connor said. Asked why a CEO would walk away from that job to look after other people’s teenagers, Dan told a story about his mother. She grew up poor. Her father was an alcoholic. Her mother sold shoes at Sears. Neither had finished high school. But his mother finished high school. Then she went to college. Years later, her son asked how she broke the cycle. “She said, ‘It was the church,’” Dan said. “The gospel of Jesus Christ changes people’s lives in positive ways.” Email Jan Risher at jan.risher@ The Chards have three married theadvocate.com.

Diaries of Pope Francis to be published this month Writings span from 1992 to months before he died

BY HILLEL ITALIE AP national writer

NEW YORK — Journal entries kept by Pope Francis before and during his papacy will be published this fall for the first time. Image, an imprint of Penguin Random House Christian Publishing Group, announced Monday that “The Private Diary of Pope Francis” will be released in English and four other languages on Nov. 24. According to Image, the book will provide an “extraordinary glimpse” into the late pontiff’s “hopes and fears, struggles and prayers.” It will be issued in partnership with Libreria Editrice Vaticana, or LEV, the Vatican Publishing House. The writings span from December 1992, just over two decades before he became pope, to August 2024, eight months before he died and was

Pope Francis died in 2025.

AP FILE PHOTO

succeeded by Pope Leo XIV. The English-language edition of his private reflections was translated from the Spanish original by Sister Bernadette Reis and edited and annotated by Víctor Manuel Fernández, an Argentine cardinal who heads the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith. Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Francis was a na-

tive of Argentina and history’s first Latin American pope. He was known for his down-to-earth style and emphasis on humility, including visits to poor countries with persecuted Christian minorities rather than the traditional strongholds of Catholicism. At the start of the coronavirus pandemic, from an empty St. Peter’s Square, he called for “all of us to row together, each of us in need of comforting the other.” At times, he was controversial. He angered some conservatives with his outreach to LGBTQ+ Catholics and was widely criticized for saying that those who accused Chilean Bishop Juan Barros of helping to protect the alleged pedophile Rev. Fernando Karadima had committed slander. In 2016, commenting on thenpresidential candidate Donald Trump’s vow to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border, Francis said that anyone building a wall to keep migrants out “is not Christian.” In his lifetime, Francis’ books included “The Name of God Is Mercy” and the memoir “Hope.” He died on April 21, 2025, at 88.

lll

The Advocate n theadvocate.com n Sunday, November 8, 2026 n 5D

LOUISIANA INSPIRED He staged his first play in the middle of a war ‘The Wedding Party’ a comedy about love and forgiveness

BY JOY HOLDEN Staff writer

As a boy growing up on a farm in Grenada, Mississippi, Dominique McClellan wrote stories and poetry to entertain himself. After spending some time in the Army, McClellan took a creative-writing class in community college. He wrote and produced his first fulllength play, “The Wedding Party,” in 2008 during a tour in Iraq. This Saturday, Nov. 14, McClellan is bringing the play back — this time to New Orleans. “The Wedding Party” is a comedy that focuses on love and forgiveness. He premiered it in Balad, Iraq, to a crowd of 800 military personnel and civilian contractors. That night, McClellan experienced the power of theater, and those hours on stage changed the trajectory of his life. “The response afterwards is what put the battery in my back to do this for real,” he said. “Every day until the day I left, people came up to me and thanked me for doing the play. They had so many testimonies of how it healed them, how they called parents, called a mom, called a significant other and made amends. I didn’t even know art could do that. I thought, ‘If I’m able to create art that can do this, then this is what I need to be doing.’” “The Wedding Party” is a family-friendly comedy about a divorced mother, Perfect Patty, who is preparing a pre-wedding dinner for her son and his fiancée. The evening reunites the family divided by divorce. Unresolved issues bubble to the surface, including the mother’s tumultuous relationship with her youngest daughter. Riga Ruby, a Jefferson Parish

“I really leaned into my creativity because being away from home, there’s not a whole lot to do. All I did was write,” he said. While stationed in Balad, McClellan sensed the low morale. “I noticed that my fellow troops didn’t really have a creative outlet like that. They had things for us to do, but I didn’t feel like it was enough to shield us from the thought of not being at home. We had a soldier put on suicide watch. Other soldiers told me about people in their unit being stressed,” he said. He thought maybe he could help PROVIDED PHOTO by making something that could In this cast snapshot from ‘The Wedding Party’ in Balad, Iraq — the only bring everyone together and get performance there — playwright Dominique McClellan, at right, poses their minds off the sadness and with his fellow cast members, who were recruited from his colleagues on anxiety. Although he had never the base. written a play, he wrote a 100-page script in three months. He asked theater teacher and comedian, has at the liner notes, and rewrite the his commanding officer if he could stage it on base. been performing in “The Wedding lyrics in his own words. He got the OK and held audiParty” since 2015 with McClellan. After high school, McClellan She joined the production when enlisted in the Army. When he tions. People were interested, he she saw an ad on Craigslist. returned to Grenada, he started said, mostly for a chance to wear “Once I met him in person and working in the same factory where civilian clothes and act like civilsaw he was a Black male play- his grandfather and father worked. ians for a little while. “The Wedding Party” became a wright who was promoting a beau- But he was unfulfilled. While purgroup project. Engineer tiful story about a Black family suing an associate degree friends in McClellan’s unit forgiving each other and restoring for what he thought might built the set. Electrician relationships, I jumped right on it. lead to factory managefriends built light boxes. I really wanted to be a part of it,” ment, a creative writing Printer friends made banRiga said. professor urged him to She plays a maternal figure, the use his writing talent with ners. Iraqi vendors made grandmother Sophia. McClellan a four-year degree. He desuits and dresses for the plays her husband, Rufus. cast. The keyboardist for cided on Ole Miss. Derrick Davis, McClellan’s serSunday service helped him “I had never thought McClellan write the music. geant in Iraq, witnessed “The Wed- about going to college,” McClellan still needed some exding Party” come together over a McClellan said. “I went to the milifew months in the middle of a war, tary because I didn’t do that good tra help, so he turned to his mom in also played one of the roles back in high school. College was never Mississippi. He asked her to send then. He’s proud of McClellan for even on my mind.” supplies (glue sticks, women’s sticking with it. Ole Miss had a journalism pro- shoes) and even a homemade wed“He did it all, Davis said. “He gram that could teach McClellan ding cake. wrote it all. He starred in it. He how to work a camera, which he “There were so many normal had a vision, and he did not give would use once he started making things that you don’t think about,” up — made this happen with very movies, he thought. McClellan said, “but they mean a little resources in the middle of a To pay for school, he enlisted in lot over there. I wanted their first desert in the middle of a war.” the National Guard. He was sent to impression to be as soon as they Iraq in 2007. walked into this dusty, formerly From farm boy to writer abandoned theater, to see a real McClellan developed his writing ‘A play in the middle of the desert’ wedding cake. Whatever was haptalent by using his parents’ record Being on the other side of the pening outside of that theater becollection. At 12, he would take his world offered McClellan the time fore they got there was forgotten parents’ albums off the shelf, look and a reason to create. about.”

Mars platform

McClellan’s mom baked and wrapped each layer and sent them with a tub of icing and piping bags. McClellan enlisted the kitchen crew’s help to assemble and decorate it. Once word got around, everyone wanted to go. Those who missed it asked if they could do it again, but it was a one-night-only performance. The cast ate the cake after the performance. And it changed McClellan. “Coming from a background of not having experienced theater or knowing much about it, doing this play impacted me, a little farm boy from Mississippi,” he said. “Now, I go to shows all the time. It opened me up to a whole new world that I didn’t know existed.” He came home, returned to Ole Miss, and double-majored in theater and journalism with directing on his mind. He moved to New Orleans in 2012. Now 46, he’s been working in media and film ever since.

Making theater accessible It inspires him still to bring theater to more people. His dream was to tour “The Wedding Party” around the South, but COVID-19 deferred that goal. This production at 7 p.m. on Nov. 14 at McDonough 35 College Preparatory High School will include community organizations and opportunities for a discount on the $35 tickets for veterans and seniors. Riga said she continues to perform in “The Wedding Party” because she loves the throwback style to 1990s and early-2000s Black sitcoms. She also feels like McClellan hasn’t seen the total success he should. “I believe in it. I believe it’s a beautiful story,” she said. “I believe that it will be a huge success one day, and I just want to continue to be part of it when that happens.” For more information and to purchase tickets: tinyurl.com/ ycxbn2jz

“It’s just a great sense of pride to be part of the energy past and energy into the future. We have produced a billion barrels and we are not done yet.” Billy Lott Operation Supervisor

reaches historic 1-billion barrel milestone

Since 1996, the Shell-operated Mars platform has played a defining role in deep water energy production. Designed for waters nearly 3,000 feet deep, Mars was a bold step forward at the time and helped redefine what was possible offshore. Nearly 30 years later, continued investment, enduring engineering, and the commitment of generations of people have helped bring Mars to this landmark achievement. To be the first platform in the Gulf to reach one billion barrels is a momentous milestone, but for those who have been part of Mars, it has never been just about the number. The Mars community identifies as Martians, united by the enduring principle, “once a Martian, always a Martian.” This milestone carries the weight of long days offshore, shared challenges, and moments of problem-solving that happen when people rely on one another. It reflects years of dedication and quiet perseverance, and the deep sense of pride that comes from being part of something that continues to move forward.

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry joined Shell GOA and Pipeline staff to commemorate one billion barrels produced from the Shell Mars asset via the Mars booster station in Port Fourchon. From L to R: Greg Mouras, Nick Stone, Ken Duplantis, Jeff Bergeron, Gov. Jeff Landry, Lynn Belanger, Shawn Danos, Wayland Neil, Colette Hirstius, Chris Nace, Kevin McMahon, Richard Krebs, Sean Guillory

shell.us/louisiana | #PoweringProgress

6D n Sunday, November 8, 2026 n theadvocate.com n The Advocate

lll

BOOKS Danny Heitman

At Powell’s in Portland, readers find a city of books

shedding light on

‘OPERATION SPARROW’ A secret mission tied to D-Day saved untold lives

BY DOUG GRAHAM

making the Germans believe the Allies were planning a major invasion into the area, drawing troops and armor “Operation Sparrow: The Incredible True Story of away from Normandy. But their well-laid plans were scramthe North American Spies Who Tricked Hitler and Won the War,” by Jason Bell, Hanover Square Press, bled when the regent buckled under 278 pages pressure from Hitler to establish a new pro-Nazi government. Three United States soldiers paraThis led to German troops rolling in and occupying the country. The Sparchute into enemy territory during World War II with a plan to get caprow commandos did not get their meettured and spill secrets to the German ing with the regent. Instead they were military. The twist: The mission is all taken into custody and ended up in the part of a ruse to throw off the Nazis hands of the dreaded Gestapo. This and aid the success of Allied troops meant interrogations that would test staging the D-Day invasion. their tolerance for pain and hunger. This true adventure is spelled out in But with the crumbling of their mis“Operation Sparrow,” a book by Jason sion, the men devised a new plan. Bell, a professor of philosophy at the The mission could still be a success if University of New Brunswick. He lays they could lead the Germans to believe out the mission from beginning to end, in the fictitious invasion. following the three men at the heart of They spent days rehearsing the act the action from their leap into darkness so they would not contradict each other over Hungary to their rescue from a even if they were separated. When German prison as the Allies finished pushed by their interrogators, they off the Third Reich. shared “secrets,” which actually were The mission was the opening act of just things they had recently read in a larger operation know as Operation American newspapers. When those Bodyguard, which included other deitems were found to be true, it gave the men the credibility necessary when ceptions designed to throw off Adolf they let more important “secrets” slip. Hitler, such as an imitation army comSince Hitler feared an invasion plete with fake tanks and radio chatter. through the Balkans, the stories Duke The hope was to draw German attention away from where the true landing and the other men told only played into his paranoia. would come in northern France. The men were separated and went Bell describes the team of three long periods not knowing if the others Sparrows that parachuted into Hungary on March 16, 1944: Col. Florimond were still alive. The team they were supposed to communicate with through Duke of the U.S. Army Special Forces, a radio took their long silence to mean a former professional football player and advertising executive; Maj. Alfred they had been killed. But through all the imprisonment and interrogations, Suarez, who had fought the Nazis in the trio stood firm. Spain before the war; and Capt. Guy They suffered a down period when Nunn, a New Orleans native who had the expected launch of D-Day did not played college football, was a Rhodes happen, but when they learned the asscholar and spoke eight languages, including German. sault by sea and air had commenced, The plan was to be captured by Hun- they knew their efforts had all been worth it. They just had to survive until garian troops, which would lead to a they could be rescued, which occurred meeting with military leaders who at a Hungarian castle, a story that were anxious to get out of Hitler’s could be its own book. embrace, including the regent of HunAlong with telling the exploits of the gary. The trio would then team up with the Hungarian resistance and go about three commandos, the book weaves in Staff writer

stories of other people who risked their lives to help countless others: Two Slovakian Jewish prisoners escaped from the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp, carrying in their memories tales of the horrors facing those held behind the camp’s electrified fences. The men went on a harrowing journey dodging Nazis, but they found a few people who shared rations with them and helped guide their journey until they made it to Slovakia. The report of their testimonies eventually reached the hands of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill and Pope Pius XII. Canadian Lt. Joseph Gelleny was captured after parachuting into Germanoccupied Hungary in September 1944 on a mission similar to Operation Sparrow. He endured torture, including electroshock, before he was shielded from future abuse by a group of antiNazi Hungarian officers who wanted him to use his captured radio to get a message to the Allies that Hungary was ready to break from the Germans and change sides in the war. Gelleny later escaped prison and joined the Hungarian resistance, working to save Jewish lives in the final desperate weeks of the war. Katalin Karady, a Hungarian actress and singer known as the Blue Bird, was jailed and tortured by the Gestapo after she was accused of spying. The torture nearly killed her and broke her body and spirit. However, she remained in Budapest after her release, dressing in disguise to avoid the Gestapo. She eventually rescued a group of 20 Jewish children from their execution on the banks of the Danube River, keeping them hidden in her villa. She went on to fill her home with children who had nowhere else to turn, sheltering them until the city was liberated. The people who populate “Operation Sparrow” did the kind of things that heroes do. This book shows a light on those efforts.

When I told fellow journalist Bill Tipper that I planned to visit Powell’s City of Books in Portland, Oregon, he cautioned me about the flight home. “Whenever I’m in Portland,” he said, “I have the problem of luggage space for the stuff I want to get from Powell’s.” His comment came to mind as my wife and I packed for our weeklong trip from Louisiana to Oregon to see our son. Our suitcases already swelled with jackets and sweaters in a nod to the Pacific Northwest, and there’d be little room for extra stuff when we flew back. Opened in 1971 and billed as the world’s largest independent bookstore, Powell’s takes up a city block. With more than a million used and new titles, the four-story shop has a lot to lure readers, and overbuying is an obvious temptation. Michael Dirda, who reviewed books for many years at The Washington Post, is a cautionary example. After an odyssey through Powell’s that lasted half a day, as he recalled in a 2021 column, he arrived at the cash register with more than a dozen finds, forced to ship most of them home. I promised myself I’d be more prudent. Located in what was once a car dealership, the store is so big that patrons get a map to navigate it. Color-coded rooms — rose for children’s books, purple for metaphysics, red for history, blue for literature — also help readers along. At terminals throughout Powell’s, customers can search its database to see what’s in stock, and the clerks are a great resource, too. But even in such a copiously curated and alphabetized shop, readers can still enjoy the serendipity of random finds. While nabbing a volume of Virginia Woolf’s diaries, I noticed a vintage collection of writings from Alexander Woollcott, the gadfly journalist from the 1940s who supposedly inspired the irascible Sheridan Whiteside character in “The Man Who Came to Dinner,” a 1941 movie my wife and I count as a holiday favorite. Reading “The Portable Woollcott” has been a great deal of fun. Other treasures caught my attention. I love reading anything by Simon Van Booy, whose sentences have a way of making what’s right in front of me seem more alive. “Father’s Day,” his 2016 novel, looked too good to pass up. I’m also a fan of Kathleen Norris, and “The Cloister Walk,” her 1996 account of time in a Benedictine monastery, has long been on my bucket list. Finding a copy at Powell’s seemed like just the nudge I needed. Because the headlines are especially gloomy these days, I try to keep something funny on my nightstand. A paperback copy of “Two in the Bush,” Gerald Durrell’s comic account of one of his zoological expeditions, should do the trick. I left Powell’s with five books to pack for Louisiana. There was no room in my suitcase, so my wife, bless her, put them in hers. Email Danny Heitman at danny@dannyheitman.com.

PHOTO BY CATHERINE HEITMAN

Danny Heitman had little trouble finding treasures at Powell’s City of Books, a Portland, Ore., bookshop billed as the largest independent bookstore in the world.

Email Doug Graham at Doug.Graham@TheAdvocate.com.

THIS WEEK’S BESTSELLERS FROM PUBLISHERS WEEKLY HARDCOVER FICTION

1. “Miss Wolcott’s Ghost” by Louise Penny 2. “Threshing Day (Wing and Claw ed.)” by Rebecca Yarros 4. “A Married Little Christmas (deluxe ed.)” by Abby Jimenez 5. “Chain Reaction” by Child/Child 6. “The French Illusion” by John Grisham 7. “The Witch (deluxe ed.)” by Freida McFadden 8. “With Hearts of Flame” by Briar Boleyn 9. “The Calamity Club” by Kathryn Stockett 10. “Threshing Day” by Rebecca Yarros

HARDCOVER NONFICTION

1. “Simply Ina” by Ina Garten 2. “Contend” by Philip Anthony Mitchell 3. “In the Shadow of Eight” by Collin Gosselin 4. “Andy’s Bravo Scrapbook” by Andy Cohen 5. “WTF America?!” by Meiselas/Meiselas/Meiselas 6. “The Battle for Your Soul” by David Jeremiah 7. “America’s Golden Age” by Newt Gingrich 8. “Protocols” by Andrew D. Huberman 9. “Uniting the States” by Brian Kilmeade 10. “Out of the Shadows” by Jay Stratton

TRADE PAPERBACK

1. “Christmas Staycation” by Meghan Quinn 2. “Dungeon Crawler Carl” by Matt Dinniman 3. “Murdoku” by Manuel Garand 4. “The Killer Isn’t Alice” by Iris Starling 5. “Verity” by Colleen Hoover 6. “Brain Damage” by Freida McFadden 7. “Carl’s Doomsday Scenario” by Matt Dinniman 8. “Wild Wicked Mate” by Laurie Gilmore 9. “The Unoffendable Heart” by Mike Signorelli 10. “The Divorce” by Freida McFadden

lll

The Advocate n theadvocate.com n Sunday, November 8, 2026 n 7D

AT THE TABLE Cooler weather deserves rich chicken noodle soup It’s easy to make it with repurposed ingredients If there are four themes that reappear in my approach to cooking, the first is to make sure to have certain ingredients always on hand — in this case, a big, beautiful block of authentic, aged Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, not to be confused with massproduced Parmesan. While my wife and I have not paid to join one of those members-only, big-box retailers, we are fortunate that several of her neighborhood girlfriends have. I’m grateful that each sends my wife a text on their way to the store, asking, “Does Michael need more Parmigiano-Reggiano?” It’s a reasonable question, because even though the block of cheese is of high quality, it’s also massive. And even though I use it constantly as a freshly grated topping for my many pasta creations, it takes some time to consume the whole block. In fact, because the block is so large, I cut it up into smaller chunks and wrap each individually in wax paper before storing it in a zippered storage bag. The second theme might reasonably be called, “When in doubt, don’t throw it out.” In this case, good ParmigianoReggiano cheese has a distinctive rind, with its name etched into it, that is itself totally edible. Usually thrown away, I saved these “outside” cheese pieces to go into the bone broth. Less reasonable is the lengths I went to for an additional, otherwise castaway ingredient, chicken bones. At the start of the college football season, we hosted a game-watching gathering featuring my homemade chicken wings. Nobody was allowed to throw away the bones, which were instead transferred to my freezer. Similarly, the next week at work, we had a staff luncheon in which we ordered chicken wings from Blue Store Chicken. Again, nobody was allowed to throw out the bones. I got strange looks from my colleagues, but I took home those bones, destined for the freezer.

Between then and now, I made for my family a meal whose centerpiece was whole chicken legs roasted with garlic and rosemary tucked under the chicken skin. The meal was delicious, but more importantly, the bones went, you guessed it, into the freezer. Theme three is that it’s never too soon to plan for a meal that could be weeks before you make it. When I saved those cheese rinds, when I saved those chicken wing bones, I may not have known precisely what I would do with them, but I knew they would potentially contribute to something special. When I prepared the family meal of roasted whole chicken legs, yes, I made it strategically to fill out my need for a sufficient number of bones for a future chicken bone broth. Theme four is more philosophical. I’m not a sophisticated chef. Mostly, I look at six different recipes for a meal via a search engine, then pick and choose the best ingredients and methods. But when I make anything, especially if I want to make something unique or recreate a classic with a unique twist, I think of Michelangelo. Anecdotally, the Renaissance master said that for his sculptures, he simply carved away from the block of marble everything that was not needed for the figure he was creating. Similarly, I try to create a recipe that matches in my “palette-mind” (if such a thing exists) what the ideal version of that meal would taste like. Even when you’re cooking a recurring staple, don’t stop experimenting until the final product tastes like what your dreams say it should taste like. When it comes together, it’s one of the proudest experiences of life. This chicken noodle soup combines all four of my themes, and it fits the bill that the taste buds require. Make it and you won’t be disappointed. The rind in the stock, the heavy whipping cream at the end — they are minor added elements that contribute major results to a chicken noodle soup that’s luxurious, delicious and rewarding. Oh, and if there’s a fifth theme, it’s to serve this soup with good bread, which in this case was homemade by my wife, Rachel.

Creamy Louisiana Chicken Noodle Soup

Serving size: 1 cup (as a side or starter) or 2 cups or more (as an entrée). Recipe is by Michael DiResto. Chicken Broth: Leftover rinds from block of authentic Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese Bones from 1 leftover roast chicken carcass or equivalent amount of leftover leg, thigh and/or wing bones 3 stalks celery, with leaves, cut into 3-inch pieces 1 medium onion, quartered 2 cups baby carrots 2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed 1 large handful uncut fresh Italian (flat leaf) parsley, including stems 2 teaspoons sea salt 10-12 whole black peppercorns 2 bay leaves 1 gallon of water (or as much as will fit safely in your pot) 1. Scrape off and rinse away any coating that may be on the cheese rind. 2. Put all ingredients in a very large pot, add water, stir and bring to a boil. 3. Cover the pot, lower the heat and simmer for at least 3 hours, skimming the fatty oil PHOTO BY MICHAEL DIRESTO or foam from the surface periCreamy Louisiana Chicken Noodle Soup odically throughout. 4. Remove from heat and towels and season generously strain the broth through a the pot, add broth and bring to on all sides with salt, pepper large fine-mesh sieve and set a boil over high heat. and Cajun/Creole seasoning. aside. 8. Cover the pot, lower the 2. In a large Dutch oven or Chicken Soup: heat and simmer for 1 hour, cast-iron pot, heat oil over 2 boneless chicken breasts skimming any remaining fatty medium-high until it starts to Fine sea salt, freshly ground black oil or foam from the surface shimmer pepper, Cajun or Creole seasoning periodically. 3. Sear chicken breasts on 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 9. Remove chicken, shred both sides until brown, re3 tablespoons salted butter on cutting board and return 1/2 medium onion, diced to pot. move, set aside and turn off 2 celery stalks, diced 10. Add parsley and whipheat 12 baby carrots, sliced in half-inch 4. When pot has cooled, add ping cream and bring back to pieces butter and melt over medium- boil over medium-high heat. 2 cloves garlic, minced low heat. 11. Add egg noodles, stir and 8-9 cups homemade chicken broth 5. Add onions, celery and cook to desired softness. 1 large handful fresh Italian (flat carrots and sauté until onions 12. Taste soup and add more leaf) parsley leaves, chopped begin to turn translucent, stir- Cajun or Creole seasoning, if 1 cup heavy whipping cream desired. ring frequently. 6 ounces egg noodles 13. Serve in cups or soup 6. Add garlic and sauté for 1 1. Trim excess fat from bowls and accompany with more minute. chicken, pat dry with paper 7. Return chicken breasts to good bread.

QUALITY FURNITURE AT THE RIGHT PRICE.

BIG SAVINGS. BEAUTIFUL DINING. Get ready for Black Friday and find the perfect dining set to bring everyone together this holiday season!

• Tile • Countertops • Cabinets • Luxury Vinyl Flooring • Vanities • Hardwood Flooring

• Backsplash • Outdoor Kitchens • Painting • Carpet • Exteriors • Home additions

Come Visit Our Showroom 6435 Siegen Lane, Unit 103 Baton Rouge, LA 70809

CHECK US OUT

225-218-4668

LacosteandYoung.com Fully Licensed & Insured • License #566226

(225) 250-5352 9856 Cortana Pl. Baton Rouge, LA 70815 www.cortanafurniture.com

(225) 925-1182 9802 Cortana Pl. Baton Rouge, LA 70815 www.furnitureexpobr.com

8D n Sunday, November 8, 2026 n theadvocate.com n The Advocate

lll

KIFFIN

Continued from page 1D “Coaching is a lot harder. I mean, they put in so many more hours, and especially now with all the money involved. It’s very cutthroat.” She said when she met Lane, whose father’s life had followed a similar trajectory, they instantly connected over their shared experiences. In the early days of their relationship, they did the football math of their lives. She had moved 23 times. He had moved 19. Even so, she made the basketball team at every new school. She acknowledged that high school was hard. “Girls were so mean,” she said. “I don’t ever want to be that. I don’t want my daughters to be that.”

Life in Florida She finished high school in Gainesville at 17, when her dad was coaching at the University of Florida. She stayed there for college, majoring in conference and meeting planning because she saw that as a way to stay connected to working in sports. A 1997 Outback Bowl internship led to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. At 23, she was promoted to department director for special events with the Buccaneers. When she started talking about special events and gameday productions, I knew exactly what she meant. I planned special events professionally for 17 years. People think the work is glamorous. We both knew better. It is physical. Success often depends on knowing every person on the crew, down to the one most likely to drop the ball. “If you don’t have relationships, it’s not going to work,” she said.

STAFF PHOTO BY JAN RISHER

Louisiana culture editor Jan Risher and Kiffin had lunch at Cocha in downtown Baton Rouge.

She talked about the Bucs’ new owners who wanted a pirate ship in the end zone and had ideas no NFL team had tried yet. “We were like, ‘There’s no way we’re gonna get this done,’ ” she said. “And we did. I didn’t know that I was capable of doing things like that.” Monte Kiffin, Lane’s dad, was coaching the Bucs’ defense then. When Lane came to visit, she said they hit it off immediately. “He and I grew up with such similar lives,” she said. “It was just so familiar.” They dated for a year and were engaged for three months. “I don’t recommend it,” she said with a smile. They married at 25 and stayed married for 17 years.

Oxford and beyond Like Layla Kiffin, I grew up in a football family, although on a much smaller scale. My father coached high school football in Mississippi. We both know the family’s mood rises and falls with 18-year-old boys. “Your whole livelihood is whether they catch a ball,” she said. We also talked about how the criticism gets so personal. I remember hearing grown men in the stands talk about my father’s penchant for going “up the middle” too often. It isn’t rational. It still hurts.

FRIENDS

Continued from page 1D they are coming from. You have a deeper trust of them that you just may not have with newer friends — though newer friends are fun too.” I looked up “crossing the Rubicon” for him. The phrase goes back to 49 B.C., when Julius Caesar led his army across the Rubicon River, a move that made retreat impossible. It has come to mean passing a point of no return. The phrase he reached for was exactly the right one.

STAFF PHOTO BY PEARL SPURLOCK

Customers take an exercise class at Layla Kiffin’s Livin Studio on Oct. 28 in Baton Rouge. Then she told me about Oxford. She only lived there for one year. She moved there in 2025 from California because their son, Knox, wanted to go to high school near his father. When Florida and LSU came after Lane Kiffin last fall, he said the decision had to be a family one. Layla toured both places. Her father is in the Florida Hall of Fame, but she told Lane that she didn’t think Florida was the right fit. “My dad’s rolling over in his grave,” she said. Oxford is still a tender topic. Because my mom lives about 40 minutes from Ole Miss, I was there last year for parts of its magical football season. I registered the hope that had Ole Miss people buzzing. They were proud. They were hopeful. Then Lane Kiffin left. And all those emotions turned into something else. By the time Ole Miss and LSU met in Oxford in September, the emotions surrounding his departure had reached a level I had never witnessed in decades of following football in Louisiana and Mississippi. I wasn’t the only one who thought so. Sports writers and broadcasters across the country were saying the same thing. The game had become about much more than football. The Kiffins’ older daughter, Landry, 21, wanted her mother to go with her to the game in Oxford. Landry is still an Ole Miss student. The plan was to watch from a box. When they arrived, the elevators weren’t working. So, police escorted Layla, and Landry, plus Lane Kiffin’s sister, several coaches and the university president, up through the stands instead. She thinks they may have climbed 100 rows. “Very classy-looking grown adults standing and cussing at us,” she said. “It almost seemed like a staged bad movie — and we were just running up.” She said hundreds of people were pointing at them, yelling and cursing them by name. The mother in her took over. “I just either want to cry ’cause I’m so mad at you for speaking like this to my child, or I want to hurt you,” she said. By the time they reached the top, both mother and daughter were shaking. “What would happen if your kid walked up these stands and adults yelled at your child like

that?” she said.

‘A good mom week’ These days, Knox, 17, is a junior at University High in Baton Rouge, where he’s playing football. Landry has launched a clothing line and had a pop-up show in California. Presley Kiffin, 20, gave up playing volleyball at USC so she could have a more typical college experience. She recently signed with a small modeling agency but hadn’t booked a job until Victoria’s Secret called a few weeks ago. “I’m not sure that I can see you in lingerie,” Layla told her daughter, who was still 19 at the time. When Presley went to a fitting with Victoria’s Secret on Oct. 16, she was sure they would send her home. Instead, they put her in the outfit and said she was in. The show was two days later on her birthday. Layla flew out to be with her daughter the night before the show. Presley practiced in her mother’s shoes. From one mom to another, I asked if she had photos from the show. She showed me a short video. I’m no expert, but Presley looked as if she had walked runways for years. Between Landry’s pop-up, Presley’s show and Knox’s high school football, Layla said, “I’ve had a good mom week.”

Finding her groove in BR She admits that Baton Rouge was hard at first. Lane was always at the office with his new job at LSU. She was living in Raising Cane’s founder Todd Graves’ guest house with her ex-husband and teenage son while trying to find a house of her own. The transition was especially tough on Knox, who had made great friends in Oxford and loved living there. “You’re only happy as your most unhappy kid,” she said. She told Knox they were not going back to Oxford. Then she found a house and decided to open Livin Studio with its 105-degree heated strength/ sculpt classes and red-light therapy. She believes the studio’s classes can help people feel better and live healthier lives. Throwing herself into building the business has helped her find her place and people in Baton Rouge. Her contractor had never worked with a humidifier and had to consult people outside the area to learn how to install one properly. Who, after all, in Baton Rouge wants additional humidity?

Another friend wrote about “walking together through the good, bad and ugly of life” and said that, over time, a person’s true motives and intentions become clearer. Another put it plainly: “You usually know where old friends stand on things and what you can expect out of them. No surprises, which is comforting.” Two friends described the same STAFF PHOTO BY JAN RISHER small miracle. Time stops countDennis Palafox, Julio Naudin and One wrote that with the deepSandy Miranda Vargas, members of ing. est friends, conversation picks Austin High School Class of 1973 up “as though it hadn’t been six in El Paso, Texas months or six years.” Another said, “You don’t have Trust came up again and again to explain yourself to your oldest in my friends’ answers. friend.”

PROVIDED PHOTO

Kiffin coached her son Knox’s Manhattan Beach Youth basketball team.

The 5:30 a.m. class fills with LSU coaches. Lane is a regular. For Halloween, an instructor dressed as a police officer wrote him a ticket for complaining too early in the morning. “He truly is a shy person,” Layla said. “ I’m very grateful that we do get along, ’cause I, I wouldn’t be able to do it. It’d be too hard.” She said they are finding a rhythm to life in Baton Rouge, which includes having regular dinners with his brother Chris and Chris’ wife, Angela. “It’s just complicated, and it is what it is,” she said.

About that panna cotta

We ordered the panna cotta, which had a little cayenne bite to it. Layla took bite after bite, trying to name the layer that tasted different. Before we left, she told me about her hunt for old cypress for the studio’s bathroom counter. Her contractor sent her to a man more than an hour away who pulls sunken cypress out of the water. On one of her first solo Louisiana adventures, she drove out to the site to look at the wood. When she pulled up, she said she texted Lane and his assistant in case she didn’t come back. She came back.

Not living in his shadow Most mornings, she’s at Livin Studio before the 5:30 a.m. class, making sure nothing went wrong overnight. She takes at least one class herself every day, sometimes two. She plays on USTA tennis teams here and sometimes flies back to California for matches with her old ones. At night, she cooks dinner for her son. When I asked how she handles people seeing only one side of her, she talked about Los Angeles. A USC coach’s wife doesn’t get much attention there, she said. People are too busy looking over their shoulders for Brad Pitt. “I just got to know people for me, not as Lane’s wife,” Layla said. “Just me as a person, me as a mom. I never felt like I was living in his shadow.” Baton Rouge is different. She knows that. “The right people who know me, know me,” she said.

When it came time for dessert, the waitress described a dark chocolate spicy panna cotta. “What’s that exactly?” Layla asked. I appreciate a person who is willing to try a dessert. Even more, I appreciate someone who Email Jan Risher at jan. asks rather than nodding along. risher@theadvocate.com.

PROVIDED PHOTO

Kiffin coached her daughter Presley’s volleyball team at American Martyrs School in Manhattan Beach, California. The team won the league championship.

My college roommate’s thoughtful response did not surprise me. “Most of us grow in grace and generosity of spirit through the years,” she wrote, “and the unconditional love of dear friends who loved us when we weren’t so lovely is comforting.” I was not always lovely. A few of the people on that text thread could testify. They have remained my friends anyway. My Rubicon friend added an honest footnote: Not every old friend counts. For someone he liked just OK and never crossed anything with, his verdict was “mehh.” Fair enough. Time alone doesn’t

make a friendship. Something has to happen in it. Then my friend Linda Halfacre Weir’s answer came in. “Old friendships keep me in touch with my true self,” she wrote. “I am a combination of all the Lindas I’ve ever been — kindergarten Linda, 10th grade Linda, college girl Linda, mama Linda, divorced Linda, remarried Linda. Maintaining friendships from all seasons reminds me of the totality of who I am.” Last night I saw flashes of high school Julio sitting by the fire. I like him too. Email Jan Risher at jan.risher@ theadvocate.com.

lll

TODAY IN HISTORY Today is Sunday, Nov. 8, the 312th day of 2026. There are 53 days left in the year. Today in history: On Nov. 8, 2000, a statewide recount began in Florida, which emerged as critical in deciding the winner of the 2000 presidential election between Republican George W. Bush and Democratic Vice President Al Gore. The recount would officially end on Dec. 12 upon orders from the U.S. Supreme Court, delivering Florida’s electoral votes and the presidency to Bush. Also on this date: In 1519, Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés and his soldiers entered the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlán, site of present-day Mexico City, welcomed by its ruler Moctezuma II. Cortés’ expedition would bring about the downfall of the Aztec empire. In 1793, the Louvre began admitting the public, even though the now worldfamous French museum had been officially open since August. In 1864, President Abraham Lincoln won reelection as he defeated Democratic challenger George B. McClellan. In 1889, Montana was admitted to the Union as the 41st state. In 1923, Adolf Hitler launched his first attempt at seizing power in Germany with a failed coup in Munich that came to be known as the “Beer Hall Putsch.” In 1942, the Allies launched Operation Torch in World War II as U.S. and British forces landed in French North Africa. In 1950, during the Korean War, the first air-to-air combat between jet warplanes took place as U.S. Air Force Lt. Russell J. Brown shot down a North Korean MiG15. In 1960, Democrat John F. Kennedy won the U.S. presidential election over Republican Vice President Richard M. Nixon. In 1974, a federal judge in Cleveland, citing insufficient evidence, dismissed charges

The Advocate n theadvocate.com n Sunday, November 8, 2026 n 9D

You’re gonna take this gift and like it

against eight Ohio National Guardsmen accused of violating the civil rights of students killed or wounded in the 1970 Kent State shootings. In 2013, Typhoon Haiyan, one of the most powerful storms ever recorded, slammed into the central Philippines, leaving more than 7,300 people dead or missing, flattening villages and displacing more than 5 million. In 2016, Republican Donald Trump was elected America’s 45th president, defeating Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton in an astonishing victory for the celebrity businessman and political novice. In 2018, tens of thousands of people fled a fast-moving wildfire in Northern California that would become the state’s deadliest ever; the fire killed 85 people and nearly destroyed the community of Paradise. In 2024, Notre-Dame Cathedral’s eight restored north tower bells rang together for the first time since the devastating 2019 fire; ahead of the Paris cathedral’s reopening in December, three new bells would be installed above the altar, including one used by track-and-field winners during the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Today’s birthdays: Racing Hall of Fame jockey Angel Cordero Jr. is 84. Singer Bonnie Raitt is 77. Actor Alfre Woodard is 74. Singersongwriter Rickie Lee Jones is 72. Nobel Prize-winning author Kazuo Ishiguro is 72. Filmmaker Richard Curtis is 70. Former guitarist Pearl Thompson (The Cure) is 69. Actor Leif Garrett is 65. Chef and TV personality Gordon Ramsay is 60. Actor Courtney Thorne-Smith is 59. Actor Parker Posey is 58. News anchor David Muir is 53. Actor Matthew Rhys is 52. Actor Tara Reid is 51. Baseball player Giancarlo Stanton is 37. R&B singer SZA is 37. Singer Lauren Alaina is 32. Actor Benjamin Wadsworth is 27.

Dear Miss Manners: I understand that of “that ugly old bed” that is 90 years old and replace it with someone usually does not decline gifts. One accepts the piece of thing from their neighbor’s bric-a-brac gracefully, and yard sale, and are crushed after some tactful time, rewhen we don’t respond with delight. gifts or donates it. Apparently I am a “snob” But my in-laws give us for not wanting the great furniture. Not single pieces deals they’ve found. of treasured family heirJudith My husband has tried the looms, or even a single chair Martin “Oh, Mom and Dad, you — entire suites of furniture! MISS shouldn’t have, you’re too A bedroom set, a dining MANNERS kind, we couldn’t possibly room set, enormous cabiaccept …” routine, but it’s nets with hutches, etc. The not working. last time, they actually showed up What should I do? We do not have unannounced with a pickup truck room to keep or store all this furnifull of furniture. My father-in-law proceeded to unload it on our drive- ture. We’ve filled up the garage and they’re still furious that we’re not way without so much as asking! using it. Of course, their plan is that we How can we politely get rid of will get rid of our “old stuff” and this furniture and discourage them use the new sets. Some of the “old” from doing this again? pieces are cherished antiques that Gentle Reader: How odd that your inI inherited from my grandmother. Some items we picked together, and laws can call your bed old and ugly, but balk at insulting their neighrepresent our taste and our desires for what our home should look like. bor’s castoffs by not using them. We don’t want to replace them. The time has come to abandon They clearly expect us to be filled that subtle routine of your huswith gratitude that we can get rid band’s and let them know plainly,

although regretfully, that you can no longer accept their generosity. Your house is fully furnished and you do not have room for more. And then, Miss Manners might cheekily add that as they love their finds, you would be happy to drop them off at their house. Surely your car would be grateful to have the garage back. Dear Miss Manners: My dad had a self-defense habit of protecting his food when he was just a boy in a large family (mostly boys) with hardly enough food for all. According to him, he quickly took his portion at the table and then immediately spit on it. Was this bad manners, or an acceptable act? Gentle Reader: While your dad might argue that he was engaging in battle tactics, even the rules of war have violations. Spitting on your food is always bad manners. And disgusting. Which is why Miss Manners has no doubt it was effective. Email questions to Miss Manners at dearmissmanners@gmail.com.

Stainless steel refrigerator cleaner leaves spots Dear Heloise: I used a very wellrated stainless steel cleaner on my refrigerator and was left with a lot of streaks. I’ve tried multiple things to get rid of them without success. Do you have a solution for this? — Hints from Roberta E., in Middleton, Heloise Wisconsin Roberta, chances are, you’re using too much product to clean the exterior of your refrigerator. You only need a small amount that’s sprayed or poured onto a soft cloth, not the appliance itself. For touch-ups, you can mix 70% isopropyl alcohol and water. Mix this in a spray bottle and spray it on a soft cloth. Wipe with the grain of the steel and use this very sparingly. You can also use club soda on a soft cloth; just dry it off and buff the appliance afterward. But don’t use all three methods on your appliance on the same day. — Heloise

Being prepared for adulthood Dear Heloise: My grandson is an adult. He was never taught money basics such as credit-card handling, writing checks, recording expenses in a check register and balancing a check register against a bank statement. He wasn’t prepared for adulthood. We need to stop the use of calculators. The youth needs to use their brains. In 12 years of schooling, he was never once taught cursive. How does one sign documents without it? All of these things should be taught so that a child can leave their home as an independent adult, instead of living at home and being dependent on their parents. And what happened to grammar and spelling? Correct grammar usage and spelling are lost arts. Texting has caused us to lose what little knowledge we had. — Loyal Reader, via email Loyal Reader, it’s a shame. But there are evening classes to help with these issues. If he’s unsure where to find such classes, he can call his local school district and ask

them for information on continuing education. — Heloise

No detergent needed Dear Heloise: My husband and I have used an eco washer for about 10 years, which uses ozonated and cold water to sanitize clothes instead of detergent. It gets hung on the wall behind the washing machine; it’s a simple hookup. For occasional stains, I use a spray stain pretreatment; otherwise, I just throw the clothes in the washing machine and let the ozonated and cold water do the rest. Since I have allergies to perfumes, dyes and chemicals, this is perfect for us. It’s also cheaper and environmentally safe. I haven’t purchased laundry detergent in a decade! Some hospitals and nursing homes use this technique to wash and sanitize bed linens. Since I use wool dryer balls, I don’t have any laundry products to buy and don’t have to worry about any chemical sensitivities. — M.E. Huber, in Seville, Ohio Send a hint to heloise@heloise.com.

explore Wisconsin flavor

Pick your free gift! + 24 Petits Fours

**

S AV E

35%

(a $19.99 value)

*

Choose your gift of Butter Toffee or Cheddar Cheese...plus we’ll throw in a gift of 24 Petits Fours (10.5 oz.)! Free with your order of $50 or more when you

includes shipping

order by December 15!

REG. $49.99 + $18.99 S&H

Hale Select Deluxe Gift Box

#483X | Share fresh-from-the-grove fruit and sweet snacks with friends and family. Handpicked at peak perfection, this gift box brings sunshine and sweetness to every delivery.

NOW

34

$

Item number:

FX13300

Handcrafted Wisconsin Butter Toffee

24 - HOUR ORDERING: 833 - 689 -2991 Item: FL13911

4399

$

3899

$

Savings End Dec. 15th!

Best

Seller!

+$9.99

shipping

Call 844-486-9313 or visit HaleGroves.com/H7YF36 Mention Code H7YF36 for your savings on Item #483X

*35% savings valid through 11:59pm ET 01/31/27. Valid for orders by mail, phone, fax or online. Not valid on previous purchases. Not valid with any other offer or discount. No substitutes. Order by Dec. 19, 2026 for GUARANTEED Christmas delivery. Limit 7 per customer.

SINCE 1947 - HALE GROVES, VERO BEACH, FL 32966

9 oz. net wt.

or

9.5 oz. net wt. **TERMS OF FREE GIFT OFFER: When placing your $50 minimum order (excluding shipping, processing and applicable taxes) by mail, phone or web, use item number FX13301 or FX13300 to receive your Free Gift. If your Free Gift is sent with other gifts to an address, there is NO additional delivery charge. If it’s the only item sent to an address, please include $3.99 for shipping and processing. Limit one per customer per year, please. Offer is not valid in conjunction with any other offer, promotion or voucher. Cash value $00.00. Offer good through December 15, 2026.

Order Now

99

Item number:

FX13301 Mellow, tangy Classic Cheddar!

IC: H7YF36

CHEESE AND SAUSAGE COMBO Ready for any occasion, this box holds an abundance of good eating. Our best natural cheeses—Colby, Brick, Sharp Cheddar and Monterey Jack —are ready for munching. Combine them with the trio of Italian, Original and Garlic summer sausages, and a party awaits! 2 lbs. 3 oz. net wt.

10D n Sunday, November 8, 2026 n theadvocate.com n The Advocate

lll

Actor talked his way into playing Stallone Anthony Ippolito stars as action star in ‘I Play Rocky’

BY JOHN CARUCCI

Britney Spears says she will ‘find a new family’

Associated Press

BY JESSICA SCHLADEBECK

Anthony Ippolito saw the opportunity of a lifetime when he learned that Oscar-winning director Peter Farrelly was developing a film about Sylvester Stallone’s determination to write and star in the original “Rocky.” There was just one problem: Nobody had asked him to audition for “I Play Rocky.” “So, I kind of just took it upon myself to make some stuff on my own and kind of send it to them unsolicited,” the 27-yearold actor said in a recent interview with The Associated Press ahead of the movie’s limited release Friday. It was a move that could be seen as taking a page from the book of Stallone’s own improbable rise to stardom but, for Ippolito, “it didn’t really necessarily feel that way at the time, to be honest. I was just hoping somebody would see it.” Farrelly did — and was convinced from the start. “He sent his tape, you know, cold, and we’re like, that’s the guy,” the director recalled. “We were going to do a worldwide search, we never did it.” Farrelly was particularly impressed by Ippolito’s ability to distinguish the man from his famous screen persona. “This guy came fully formed — he was exactly what I was looking for because he didn’t do a caricature of Stallone or Rocky and he knew the difference,” Farrelly said. Ippolito has already had some experience stepping into the shoes of a Hollywood icon. He previously portrayed a young Al Pacino in “The Offer,” the miniseries chronicling the making of the 1972 classic “The Godfather.” Farrelly had been a big fan of “The Offer,” and his favorite performance was the portrayal of Pacino. What he didn’t realize was that Ippolito was the actor behind it. “That’s when I realized, ‘Oh,

Britney Spears put her little sister, Jamie Lynn, and ex Kevin Federline on blast, publicly vowing to “find a new family” rather than continue enduring how they have been treating her in recent years. The pop star from Kentwood made the declaration in a scathing post shared to Instagram on Monday, which also featured a still from the 2003 movie “Uptown Girls” that shows a young Dakota Fanning flipping the bird. She accused her 35-year-old sister of banning her from holding her niece, Ivey, though she does misspell her name in the post. “Jamie Lynn never let Britney Spears me hold Ivy one time when I would visit in Louisiana during covid in two week trips and Kevin wouldn’t let me use the bathroom when I would pick my children up in their house !!!,” Spears claimed. “They made me feel like a slave and have all their secret things they did behind my back and all I ever did was work for my dad.” Ivey is currently 8 years old, which means she would have been between 1 to 3 years old during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic from 2020 to 2021. Jamie Lynn also has an older daughter, Maddie, who is currently 18 years old. “I will find a new family,” Spears concluded. Spears and Federline, her former backup dancer, married on Sept. 18, 2004. They welcomed two children, Sean Preston and Jayden James — now 21 and 20, respectively — before filing for divorce in November 2006. Their split was officially finalized in July 2007. The “Toxic” singer did not provide further details, nor did she explain what sparked her social media tirade. But it’s not the first time Spears hit out at her family. She previously said she felt betrayed by her family — including Jamie Lynn — for not helping her escape a controversial conservatorship, which ended in November 2021 after 13 years.

New York Daily News (TNS)

PROVIDED PHOTO BY CLAIRE FOLGER/AMAZON MGM STUDIOS

Anthony Ippolito stars as Sylvester Stallone in “I Play Rocky,” now playing in theaters. this guy’s good.’ I mean, I knew he was good for what we had, but I didn’t realize how this guy can transform into whatever he wants,” Farrelly said. Both roles presented a similar challenge: portraying legendary actors at pivotal moments in their careers, before fame and success defined their public identities. He needed “to strip away the celebrity,” as he put it, looking beyond the familiar voices and mannerisms to find the people underneath. To play Stallone, Ippolito explored the hardships that shaped — and fueled — the older actor, including a difficult childhood, limited parental support and a profound sense of isolation. Ippolito described the process as partly voyeuristic with a dash of speculation. “You’re trying to imagine mo-

ments that don’t exist in cinema at this point and kind of in between,” he said. Equally compelling to Ippolito was Stallone’s determination. Here was a struggling actor who reportedly turned down offers in the $300,000 range for his “Rocky” screenplay rather than surrender the starring role. Fifty years later, Ippolito sees that gamble as the heart of Stallone’s story: a man willing to risk everything on a dream that Hollywood was ready to buy, but not let him live. “It’s so incredible what he was able to do ... and the conviction that he had and his commitment to seeing his idea through all the way to the end,” Ippolito said. For AnnaSophia Robb, who plays Stallone’s first wife Sasha, Ippolito’s transformation seemed almost effortless.

“He was so subtle about the whole thing. I met him, and he’s not method or anything, but he had dedicated, you know, like a year and a half of just getting into this role,” Robb said. “So when we stepped on set, it just felt natural. It felt right.” As buzz surrounding the film grows, Ippolito is getting his first taste of the spotlight that transformed Stallone’s life. “It’s been very, very gratifying and amazing to see the film land with certain people,” he said. One of those people was Stallone himself, who was uninvolved in the movie other than a conversation with Farrelly. But he has seen it, as he told the AP in a September interview. “It’s fantastic. And the kid did a great job,” he said. “This is so odd. They usually do this when you’re dead and gone.”

FIND OUT WHAT YOUR HOME INF OUT WHAT

Safety. Style. Stress-Free Installation. CALL NOW 1.844.219.1540

SPECIAL OFFER

Waiving All Installation Costs! Add’l terms apply. Offer subject to change and vary by dealer. Expires 12/27/26. Licenses at JBRLicenses.com.

YOURIS WORTH HOME

IS WORTH Call Today for an Expert Valuation and Make Your Next Move

1-833-671-6632

CALL TODAY

THINKING

OF SELLING? A home evaluation is a great place to start

addressbatonrouge.com DRE#01901536 This website is a marketing and information program that sends all inquiries to state-licensed real estate professionals.

Jones Walker head predicts ‘waves of new economic activity’ for state 3E

Marketing firm celebrates milestone with launch of LSU scholarship 7E

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

|

S U N D AY, N OV E M B E R 8, 2026

1EN

STAFF PHOTOS BY SOPHIA GERMER

Cathy Beeding, general manager of the Fair Grounds Race Course and Slots, is leading efforts to bring new fans to the New Orleans fixture that’s been home to thoroughbred racing and wagering for more 150 years and is now facing stiff competition for consumer attention.

N.O. Fair Grounds broadening its reach

Amid stiff competition, 150-year-old horse racing track updating facility, creating social media-worthy backdrop

BY RICH COLLINS Staff writer

Cathy Beeding, general manager of the Fair Grounds Race Course and Slots, is a lawyer and a 30-year veteran of the casino industry. One Saturday last fall, she also became a DIY contractor as she and a colleague gathered materials from a local paint store and spent the day installing a speckled epoxy floor on a balcony overlooking the Fair Grounds paddock, where racehorses and their jockeys gather before competitions. Beeding and Kristen Nicholson, the racetrack’s senior director of marketing, were

The Ultra Lounge, above, overlooking the paddock at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans, has been recently spruced up for a more photogenic space.

IDEAS &

INNOVATION

putting the finishing touches on the exterior portion of the “Ultra Lounge,” a newly spruced-up space that also features a pink neon sign, disco ball, faux greenery, Bluetooth speaker and a pass-through window to an indoor bar. Creating the new lounge, which looks tailor-made for Instagram selfies, is one of the many ways Beeding and her team are trying to bring new fans to the Fair Grounds, a New Orleans fixture that’s been home to thoroughbred racing and wagering for more 150 years and is now facing stiff competition for consumer attention. Horse racing, once the most popular spectator sport in America, is a $20 billion annual industry in the U.S. that employs 300,000 people. But for decades, it has been in decline due to increased entertainment

ä See FAIR GROUNDS, page 2E

Startup to invest $16M in biochar facility in central La. exandria, the company an- tered on Tchoupitoulas start this month at England Clean-tech Street. nounced Wednesday. Airpark, a former U.S. Air “Biochar has been around Force base that’s now a busiThe plant will convert venture the sister wood scraps from nearby long time,” Robinson said in ness and industrial park. company of lumber mills into a charcoal- a phone interview earlier Crews will build offices like material that stores car- this week. “We’re not re- and an industrial building 133-year-old bon and can be used in farm- inventing the wheel; we’re that will shelter two rotary ing, horticulture, land reme- just putting together a big- drum pyrolysis reactors Robinson Carbon diation, industrial manufac- ger wheel that spins more that will be able to pro-

BY RICH COLLINS Staff writer

New Orleans clean-technology startup Robinson Carbon — a sister company to 133-year-old Robinson Lumber — is building an industrial-scale biochar manufacturing plant at the England Airpark near Al-

turing and other processes. Scientists are hopeful the product can help reduce carbon emissions while improving soil — as long as it’s manufactured correctly. The new venture is being led by Garner Robinson, the fifth-generation CEO of Robinson Lumber, a familyowned wood manufacturer and wholesaler headquar-

consistently as we develop commercial markets for these products.” The company, which is hiring now, said it will create 42 new jobs when the facility is at full capacity, although five employees are already operating pilot equipment. Construction of the permanent, industrial-scale infrastructure is scheduled to

cess 100,000 metric tons of southern yellow pine mill residue annually to produce 16,500 metric tons of biochar, Garner Robinson said. The two reactors, each about the size of a tractor trailer, are designed to superheat wood chips without burning them.

ä See BIOCHAR, page 2E

PROVIDED PHOTO

Garner Robinson stands atop a pile of wood carbon, which his company hopes to begin manufacturing at scale later this year.

2E n Sunday, November 8, 2026 n theadvocate.com n The Advocate

lll

How to avoid one of divorce’s biggest financial mistakes When Joeanne got divorced after 18 years of marriage, her primary focus was shielding her two teenage daughters from further upheaval. “I knew the girls would be sad, and I one of the Michelle thought things that would Singletary upset them the most THE COLOR was having to move OF MONEY to a new school,” recalled the New Jersey mom, who, like others I spoke with for this piece, asked for anonymity out of privacy concerns. To buy out her ex-husband’s $150,000 share of the house, Joeanne refinanced the mortgage. Her monthly budget became razorthin. She put off cosmetic home repairs and scaled back family vacations. “It was tight. I didn’t ever really have a lot of extra discretionary money,” she said. Another woman, who lives in Baltimore, said she felt she had no choice but to keep the house after her nine-year marriage ended. Soon after she separated from her husband in 2018, her parents, who lived close by, decided to move out of state, and she suddenly found herself without the childcare help she had been counting on for her 6-year-old daughter and 3-yearold son.

The bad news kept coming. She found out that her ex had stopped paying the mortgage before he moved out, causing the lender to start foreclosure proceedings. She scrambled to find a full-time job and ended up filing for Chapter 13 bankruptcy to save her home, which had a monthly mortgage of about $1,400. “The decision to stay was because I had nowhere else to go,” she said. “I wouldn’t have been able to find anywhere so affordable.” She didn’t have to buy out her ex, but she did have to refinance to get his name off the mortgage. That increased her monthly payment to $2,300. “If it wasn’t for my children, I probably would have moved,” she said. These women struggled with what often becomes the most consequential financial question facing a couple when they divorce: sell or stay? When you’re dividing up marital assets during a divorce, fighting to keep the family home is often the costliest mistake a person can make, according to Hillary Moonay, a partner and co-chair of the family law group at the Pennsylvania firm Obermayer. For many homeowners, their primary residence is their single largest asset. Federal Reserve data shows that home equity values con-

tinue to climb for property owners, with the median net housing value of a U.S. home rising 5.1% from $218,900 in 2022 to $230,000 in 2025. The mean net housing value increased by 4% between 2022 and 2025, from $367,000 to $380,400. This trend has been occurring as inflation has risen. Inflation hit 8% in 2022. It dropped to 4.1% in 2023 and continued to fluctuate in subsequent years, and rose to 3.7% in September from a year earlier. Although a primary residence remains a major store of wealth, home equity has been steadily declining. The share of mortgaged residential properties considered “equityrich,” where loan balances are 50% or less of estimated market value, dropped to 41.1% from 43.3% in the previous quarter and 47.4% a year prior, according to Attom, a property data analytics firm. Moonay said it’s not always a bad idea to keep the house. However, the problem is that many people view the house only as an asset. “But it really can be a liability,” she said. “It’s not just the mortgage, utilities and taxes. It’s the repairs, landscaping and unexpected maintenance that come along.” There are good reasons for keeping the family home when a marriage breaks down, according to Harvard Business School faculty member Christina Wing, because it

offers stability for the children. “I’m a big fan of not disrupting children,” Wing said. “If it’s on the margin, like a little bit better to sell the house versus keep it, then I’d keep the house for the kids.” But Wing, author of “Unspeakable: The Taboo Topics We Avoid and How to Talk About Them,” said she sees many women give up alimony or portions of child support to keep the house. “If you’re getting divorced and you have kids, you should always put the kids first,” she said. “But putting the kids first isn’t something you can do if you go into debt in an unaffordable house because then you’re going to end up with nothing.” Before deciding whether to keep or sell the family home, Moonay and Wing suggest taking the following steps. Run budget projections. Think about how going from two incomes to one will affect your living expenses over the long term. Project your income, any alimony and child support over a three- to five-year window, Moonay recommended. Can your single income cover 100% of the mortgage, property taxes, insurance and home maintenance? Hire an accountant. Spread out what it looks like to actually keep the house for five or six years, Wing suggested. Wing suggests putting off selling

the house for a few years, and splitting the costs. “If you have children and you want to have a divorce with a decent outcome, you need to approach it as a win-win, not a winlose,” she said. Weigh other assets against home equity. If you agree to let your ex keep $100,000 in a retirement account while you get the $100,000 in home equity, you might not be getting a good deal. It’s not necessarily an equal trade-off. To access home equity, you have to either sell the house or borrow against it, which means taking on debt. Consider the consequences of refinancing. With interest rates higher than they were a few years ago, replacing a low-rate mortgage can significantly increase your monthly housing costs. Don’t let your emotions override the math. Sometimes it’s not even about the house. One spouse just wants to stay out of spite. Moving is hard in the best of times. Making that decision during a divorce, especially when children are involved, can be overwhelming. But if keeping the house requires sacrificing a critical safety net, straining your budget or drowning in debt, sell. Email michelle.singletary@ washpost.com.

FAIR GROUNDS

BIOCHAR

choices, changing attitudes about animal welfare and competition from a wide array of new legal gambling options — including online betting. In response, leaders of the Fair Grounds, owned for the last 22 years by the Kentucky-based, publicly traded industry giant Churchill Downs, are unveiling new spaces, new events — and a new TikTok channel — to build interest in a sport that, nationwide, runs half the number of races it did in 1990. There’s a lot riding on its success. The track employs about 500 people year-round and twice that during the racing season in MidCity and at 13 off-track betting parlors. In addition, it houses about 700 “horsemen” during training months, helps support one of the state’s top agricultural sectors and provides tax revenue that goes to the city, state and multiple entities, including New Orleans City Park. Fair Grounds racing and gaming revenue also help maintain a 155acre complex that, every spring, turns into the home of the annual New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, a massive economic driver for New Orleans and Louisiana. The track’s complicated economics — which, like most of its peers nationwide, rely on revenue from on-site casinos — were on display in March 2025, when Louisiana outlawed a type of slot machine that generated millions annually. In response, Churchill Downs briefly threatened to cease local operations as it lobbied unsuccessfully for a state subsidy. During an interview late last month, Beeding said that crisis feels far removed as she and her team prepare for the Nov. 19 opening day of the 2026-27 racing season. “For the last year or so, we really were just in survival mode, but as we look ahead, we’re just in a fullon revival and the Fair Grounds is coming back,” she said.

The phase 1 buildout, estimated to cost about $16 million, is due to be operational June 2027.

Continued from page 1E

Other forms of gambling The Fair Grounds, one of the oldest active racetracks in the country, debuted in 1872 and has since survived two fires, multiple hurricanes, a near demolition and bankruptcy. For much of its history, the facility was literally the only option in town for legal gambling, but competition arrived in the 1990s with the launch of the Louisiana Lottery and legal casinos. Five years ago, sports betting was legalized in most of the state. Similar changes were taking place nationwide, where more than 1,000 casinos and dozens of state lotteries have been created since the 1970s. Those new options are one reason that, since the early 2000s, the amount of money bet at racetracks nationwide has fallen and dozens of tracks have closed. The Louisiana industry’s newest disruption came four years ago when the state legalized online gaming, which meant that gamblers didn’t have to leave their house to place a wager. “Now people can go online and

Continued from page 1E

New demand for pulpwood

STAFF PHOTOS BY SOPHIA GERMER

Horses stand in their stalls at the Fair Grounds Race Course and Slots in New Orleans. The racetrack launched its official TikTok channel last month, which features content aimed at 18- to 30-year-olds. Some of the first videos include tours of the Fair Grounds’ ‘backside,’ explaining what the hot-walkers, grooms, exercise riders and other people do to take care of the roughly 1,800 horses on-site during racing season.

will be full of fans as the Fair Grounds presents approximately 650 races during a 70-day racing season highlighted by Thanksgiving Day, the Louisiana Derby and special events that include “wiener dog” races, “junior jockey” days and an exotic animal race. The racetrack is also hosting an educational event called “Bourbon, Betting and Beer” in December to teach the basics of betting on horses. “We want people to have fun and feel less intimidated, so they come back on a race date,” Beeding said.

‘Sport of kings’

The Louisiana Derby Bar is among the areas renovated and redecorated Technology will continue to change the industry, according to throughout the six-story grandstand. bet not just on the outcome of the LSU game but on who’s going to score more in the second half and how many field goals there will be,” said LSU economics professor Dek Terrell, who has studied the gaming industry for decades. At the Fair Grounds, the effects have been a decline in in-person attendance and a drop in wagering. Total bets on Fair Grounds races during the 2025-26 season totaled about $242 million, about 16% down from a decade ago. Despite those changes, Churchill Downs, which has expanded beyond horse racing to casino gaming and online wagering, just reported record quarterly net revenue of $696 million. Asked about Churchill Downs’ long-term commitment to keeping the Fair Grounds open, the company’s New Orleans-born vice president of racing, Gary Palmisano, referred to public comments last summer from CEO Bill Carstanjen. “We will retain our Fair Grounds-related properties in Louisiana because of their longterm importance to the horse racing industry,” Carstanjen said in a call with investors in July. “Fair Grounds is home to the Louisiana Derby, which is a premier road to the Kentucky Derby … offers one of the very few wintertime turf courses in the eastern half of the U.S. and plays a key strategic role in the migration of racehorses in the colder months.”

New spaces, events

Beeding, who said prediction markets, which allow people to make bets on literally anything, are one of the biggest threats as they develop faster than regulations can keep up. But a different technology-powered trend — the creation of platforms that allow people to “crowdsource” ownership of horses — offers some promise as it brings more young people and different demographics into the fold. “You might win or lose,” she said. “But it’s a much more accessible price point for horse ownership versus hundreds of thousands of dollars or even millions.” Meanwhile, the Fair Grounds is turning to a well-established technology to promote its offerings this season. It launched its official TikTok channel last month, which features content aimed at 18- to 30-year-olds. Some of the first videos include tours of the Fair Grounds’ “backside,” explaining what the hotwalkers, grooms, exercise riders and other people do to take care of the roughly 1,800 horses on-site during racing season. It’s all part of an effort to reach a new demographic. “We believe if we create these experiences that will make people want to come to the track, then they’ll fall in love with horse racing again,” Beeding said. “There’s a reason they call it the sport of kings.”

Beeding grew up in Miami and served as general counsel of a Mississippi Gulf Coast casino for 17 years before joining Churchill Downs in 2018. Overseeing the Fair Grounds, she said, has allowed her to apply her expertise in new ways. To combat the threat from online gaming, she is focused on creating appealing new spaces and events that will bring more people to the Fair Grounds to participate what she describes as one of the world’s most “social” sports. In addition to making mostly invisible infrastructure repairs, she and her team have upgraded the facility’s winner’s circle — where horses, jockeys, trainers and owners gather to celebrate after races — and its on-site slot machine casino. They also renovated and redecorated several bars, lounges and event spaces throughout the six-story grandstand. Beeding is particularly proud of her decision to turn the paddock balcony into a public space, where the Fair Grounds’ in-house video production team can interact with race attendees and create video content that’s delivered to offtrack locations. “We’re trying to re-create the ‘college game day’ experience,” Beeding said. “It’s bringing life to what was a dead area instead of hiding these guys behind a big ’Do Not Enter’ sign.” Email Rich Collins at rich. The hope is all of these spaces collins@theadvocate.com.

Robinson said his new company will create a new and permanent market for the sawmill waste that used to go to paper mills throughout Louisiana. More than a half-dozen mills in the state have closed over the last three decades because of decreased demand for paper products, high operating costs and competition from overseas. If Robinson Carbon succeeds, those scraps of mostly Southern yellow pine can be used to make a material that can be added to soil that’s not performing well or used to improve water retention, microbial growth or to reduce fertilizer runoff. Biochar also can be used as an ingredient in asphalt, concrete and other building products, in filtration systems and in industrial processes like steel manufacturing, Robinson said. He said it’s also useful in pollution remediation because it can act like a sponge, soaking up PFAS forever chemicals. Some critics, meanwhile, have said that the scientific community has not reached a consensus on the benefits of biochar, and depending on how it is made, it can have adverse effects.

Company history Robinson Carbon is a sister company to Robinson Lumber, which was founded in 1883 and today has customers in about 70 countries. Over the decades, the company expanded from selling Louisiana longleaf pine into manufacturing and distributing a variety of wood products. Garner Robinson said he was inspired to launch the family’s latest venture in 2024 after attending New York Climate Week, an annual global climate event that happens each September in parallel with the U.N. General Assembly. Robinson said there’s no other biochar facility of this scale in North America, although a company called American BioCarbon has a smaller facility in White Castle that creates biochar from sugar cane bagasse. As it ramps up, Robinson Carbon will benefit from its contract with one of the international carbon credit registries that means it can earn revenue by selling credits to corporations that have committed to offsetting their carbon emissions. Robinson said that company’s work will qualify for 40,000 carbon removal credits a year, which could translate to millions of dollars’ worth of credits. Louisiana, meanwhile, offered the company an incentives package that includes a $550,000 performance-based grant for site and infrastructure improvements. The company is also expected to participate in the state’s High Impact Jobs and Industrial Tax Exemption programs. Email Rich Collins at rich. collins@theadvocate.com.

lll

The Advocate n theadvocate.com n Sunday, November 8, 2026 n 3E

TALKING BUSINESS A S K T H E E X P E RT S

BR head is looking to grow the state’s largest law firm Q&A TED JONES

BY IANNE SALVOSA Staff writer

HEAD OF JONES WALKER BATON ROUGE OFFICE

In 2000, a stock market bubble from online commerce began to burst as corporate attorney Ted Jones began his career in San Francisco. Louisiana is starkly different from where he began his career, he said, since most businesses in the Pelican State are small and family-owned and use traditional lines of credit to finance their company. On the other hand, Silicon Valley is the heart of the venture capital industry, where startups look to scale. In 2012, Jones moved back to his hometown of Baton Rouge and now heads the local office of Jones Walker, the largest law firm in Louisiana, and is charged with leading the firm’s management and growth. Jones said he is looking to grow Jones Walker’s intellectual property and labor and employment, transactional tax, commercial transactions and environmental practice while adapting to a gradually younger and more remote workforce. Corporate attorneys have a unique opportunity to assist with the large projects underway in the state that are using private equity financing, he said. “In Louisiana, there’s a broader economic opportunity that’s been created by all of the natural gas projects, as well as the SpaceX initiative that I think will create waves of new economic activity in this state for a number of years to come,” Jones said. In this week’s Talking

platform to larger national law firms in terms of the breadth of our practice areas, but it continues to be sort of an everyday task that we have to devote a lot of attention to and identify good talent among laterals and bring those in, and our management has done a great job of that. It’s been critical to the entrepreneurial growth of the firm in the past several years, and we’re continuing to pursue that as we find the right fits in the right places. What are some new technologies you’ve implemented? The most obvious is STAFF PHOTO BY JAVIER GALLEGOS AI. But even prior to the Ted Jones heads the Baton Rouge office of Jones Walker law firm. ‘In Louisiana, there’s a of AI, we implebroader economic opportunity that’s been created by all of the natural gas projects, as well advent mented a lot of cloud-based as the SpaceX initiative that I think will create waves of new economic activity in this state services, a lot of sort of for a number of years to come,’ the corporate attorney says. internal billing and document management systems have opportunities here to Business, Jones discusses Since I’ve gotten here, that add to efficiency. That help service the overall cli- tracks the times of what Jones Walker’s growth, and I’ve been here for talent attraction and new roughly 14 years, we’ve we call timekeepers, which ent platform of the firm in technologies in law. grown pretty notably, and intellectual property, com- is really the generation of This interview has been now we’ve got 19 offices our revenue. mercial transactions, tax, edited for length and clarin 11 different states, and But as far as AI is conenvironmental, labor and we’re a very entrepreneur- employment. We’ve done ity. cerned, our technology a good job in that area, How have you seen the firm grow ial firm under our current group, which is very good, where it’s proven to be a since you’ve been here? has actively had a lot of our leadership. It has really little bit more difficult, but attorneys participate in AI Quite strategically. Unimproved and increased pilots and tests. the profitability of the firm, we are making good progder the leadership of Bill At least for the past and our appeal across not Hines, our managing partress is in attracting lateral three years, we were one just the region but the attorneys. ner, we have become quite country. Many times we will have of a handful of firms in the entrepreneurial. I think Southeast that participated Baton Rouge has really struggled people come and join our we’ve done a really good in the initial Claude pilot with talent attraction historically, offices in Louisiana, who job in terms of explainprogram. Since that time, and so how do you approach talent are people coming back ing our platform and the we’ve taken five or six difattraction and retention? home. They’ve gone and opportunities here to atIdentifying it out of law they’ve worked in other torneys who have made latferent AI tools, and our legal markets and they’ve attorneys are really begineral moves, getting them to school. I feel like we’ve made a decision to return understand that there were been very competitive ning to integrate those in attracting law school home, much like I did. I broader opportunities for tools into their practice. I graduates into the firm. I think Jones Walker is the them under different rate do it myself now. think in the Baton Rouge most appealing option to structures that they could There’s obviously the office, that’s primarily them because as a firm, take advantage of and atwords of caution when been in litigation, but we this is the most comparable it comes to using any AI tracting new talent.

Energy like nowhere else America’s next economic boom isn’t just happening anywhere. It’s happening right here where opportunity is made real every day. We champion our home as a place to build a career, a family, and a future. We deliver for everyday life in good times and hard. We advance more affordable, reliable and resilient energy and above all, we ensure progress is shared and felt by everyone. People like nowhere else. Places like nowhere else. Possibilities like nowhere else. Energy like nowhere else.

A message from Entergy Corporation © 2026 Entergy Services, LLC. All rights reserved.

system. As a firm, we have some very good policies for its implementation and its use. What are some of those? You can’t put confidential information into an open AI system because then it’s no longer confidential. In addition to sort of walking that fine line, you also have to be cognizant of the fact that AI still is not yet really picking up nuance in legal analysis or in the specific factual situation that a client might find itself or herself or himself in. Then, of course, there are the obvious caveats about hallucinations and lawyers being warned about citing false cases, rolling those into their briefs or into their oral arguments in court and getting disciplined for it. It’s still a technology that I think is in the process of proving its overall worth, but for us we don’t view it so much as technology that is displacing legal jobs. It may have caused some to go in-house. It may have sort of rendered things that used to be referred to outside counsel, no longer necessary. But really, what we have done is implemented it into our practice, followed our policies and communicated with clients when we’ve used it and when we haven’t, and gotten their pre-authorizations to use it relative to certain projects or not use it. Email Ianne Salvosa at ianne.salvosa@ theadvocate.com.

4E n Sunday, November 8, 2026 n theadvocate.com n The Advocate

lll

ACROSS THE REGION

Pipeline fight brewing in northwest La. Residents sound alarm over possible land expropriation BY LIZ SWAINE Staff writer

A Texas-based company has asked the Louisiana Department of Conservation and Energy for permission to construct and operate the 125-mile Red River Pipeline Louisiana that will stretch from southwest Arkansas to the Robeline Gas Treating Facility in Natchitoches Parish. Dozens of northeast Louisiana landowners have received information from CapturePoint about the pipeline project that intends to go through their properties. The notices are alerting property owners to a public hearing on Nov. 17 in Baton Rouge at which CapturePoint will make the case that the pipeline is needed to “transport carbon dioxide … for use in connection with enhanced oil recovery.” According to information provided by CapturePoint, the pipeline will transport carbon dioxide “for the enhanced recovery of liquid or gaseous hydrocarbons” from the Midway Unit oil field in Lafayette County, Arkansas, to the Robeline facility. “Enhanced recovery” is the key phrase here, said Rep. Danny McCormick, R-Oil City, who is also in the oil and gas business. When a project says that is its goal, the state provides a pathway for private expropriation, a power that can ordinarily be wielded only by a government. “Our Louisiana Constitution pretty much makes it the last resort,” McCormick said. “It has to be for a public purpose, such as you have to have pipelines to trans-

STAFF FILE PHOTO BY LIZ SWAINE

Pipeline is in place to be laid Sept. 20 in Red River Parish. Dozens of northeast Louisiana landowners have received information about a Texas-based company’s pipeline project that will stretch from southwest Arkansas to the Robeline Gas Treating Facility in Natchitoches Parish that intends to go through their properties. fer natural gas, so people can heat their homes, and you have to have roads for people to travel on, and you have to have electrical lines. “You know, those things definitely benefit the public. But you shouldn’t be able to use it just to benefit a company and not the public as a whole.” The company is also requesting a “certificate of public convenience and necessity” for the project. This is the part that made Shreveport oil and gas operator and producer David Fite take notice. Fite has gotten letters about public hearings from the state energy department before, but the certificate of public convenience and necessity is something different that comes with the threat of eminent

domain. The certificate is the first step in potential land expropriation, he said. Fite believes that the “public convenience and necessity” verbiage should mean that the pipeline is public use. “So therefore, it ought to be open access; they should be required to let anybody transport whatever it is they’re transporting and give you a tap at a reasonable rate,” Fite said. A tap would allow gas or liquid to leave or enter the pipeline, or CO2 to be used. Because the pipeline is not for public use, he is not supportive. The company wants right of way on 75 acres owned by Larry Garrett and his brother near the tiny hamlet of Fryeburg in rural Bienville Parish. The two run a small tree farm and grow pine trees on

to use or possibly attempt to expropriate. The property owners, called “Interested Parties,” are far-flung. Some have local mailing addresses in Shreveport, Bossier City and Haughton and other places in Caddo, and Bossier. Some are in Kansas City, Missouri; Kennewick, Washington; and elsewhere. In its filing, CapturePoint has made its “public purpose” argument. The pipeline should “allow for the greater recovery of hydrocarbon reserves from mature fields … incrementally lessening the United States’ dependence on foreign oil.” Fite agrees that the process will recover more hydrocarbons. “This is a great deal for the industry,” he said. Fite said CapturePoint will flood the Midway and Magnolia oil fields in southern Arkansas with CO2, “and they will double the ultimate reserve recovery of those two fields. I mean, it’s big. Of course, it would have to be to lay that much pipe.” The CO2 works by loosening oil that is trapped in rocks. Garrett, who also repairs lawn mowers, intends to make the drive to the public hearing in Baton Rouge to fight the pipeline, but he knows it will be a case of David versus Goliath. Garrett said one lawmaker he asked for help told him he needed to hire a lawyer. “I don’t have money to hire a lawyer,” he said. “Sorry, you know that’s what I elected them to do for God’s sakes. “I’m gonna let them know that there are people in this state who don’t want their land confiscated,” he said of his trip to the hearing in Baton Rouge. However, he has no belief that he will be successful in his quest. “Without a whole lot of money, and even with a whole lot of money, they’re still gonna win,” he said.

their acreage. Some of his cousins live nearby, and Garrett fears for their safety if a pipeline carrying the odorless, colorless carbon dioxide is built against his wishes, on his property. “At some point, this pipeline is going to start leaking, or break, or you know, catastrophic failure,” he said. “I mean, that’s a given. It’s going to happen, and CO2 displaces the oxygen in the air, so anything and everything that requires oxygen to function will cease to function. That includes human beings, for God’s sakes.” Fite and Garrett are two of several dozen owners of property in Sabine, DeSoto, Red River, Bienville, Webster, Claiborne and Natchitoches parishes that the Red Email Liz Swaine at liz.swaine@ River Pipeline will either negotiate theadvocate.com.

Local roots, global reach: How Gallagher supports Louisiana’s evolving business landscape

By Amanda McElfresh amcelfresh@theadvocate.com This article is brought to you by Gallagher.

As Louisiana attracts new global industries, expands its energy infrastructure and creates opportunities for business growth, the risks facing companies across the state are becoming increasingly complex. While hurricanes and coastal property exposure remain significant concerns, businesses must also navigate emerging challenges involving cybersecurity, employment practices, contracts, management liability and more. Gallagher, a global insurance brokerage with a longstanding presence in Louisiana, is ready to meet those evolving needs with a unique combination of local expertise, specialized resources and investment in the next generation of insurance professionals. “Our role is to be well-rounded in every coverage that is going to touch a business,” said Elizabeth Lyon Walther, an Assistant

Area Vice President in Gallagher’s Metairie office. “We are seeing changes almost weekly in areas like cybersecurity and employment practices. We ensure that the updated language is ref lected in policies for that coverage to be adequate. At the same time, the hurricane risk landscape has changed tremendously in the past five years. We are working with partners who are asking for more coverages for their clients as we enter a different era.” Walther said one of Gallagher’s main advantages in Louisiana is the depth of its homegrown talent. Its local professionals understand the state’s industries and business environment, while clients also benefit from specialized teams in areas such as claims advocacy, loss control, cyber risk and contract review. “It’s about finding local talent, training them on coverage language and ensuring they know what we stand for at Gallagher,” Walther said. “With that in-depth knowledge comes an ability to meet clients in person

to have those one-on-one conversations. We’ve found that is something clients really appreciate. They value the ability to meet face-to-face with people and talk about what is changing and what their businesses are experiencing.” Gallagher’s combination of local relationships and broader technical capabilities is particularly valuable as Louisiana businesses increasingly compete for larger contracts, expand their operations and create more jobs. “So much of the knowledge about where Louisiana has been and where we are going comes from the experienced brokers within Gallagher,” Walther said. “We partner our newer producers with them so they can gain that same expertise. It’s so important for us to transfer that information to our emerging leaders so we can continue to give clients the level of service from Gallagher that they have come to expect.” Gallagher’s global scale means that Louisiana-based brokers can rely on support and

expertise from other teams on some of the more complex and nuanced business needs, such as wind protection, cybersecurity or contractual reviews. But, the local presence remains. Louisiana is on the cusp of a major economic boom, with billions of dollars being invested by some of the world’s largest companies. With new infrastructure, job creation and financial growth in the years ahead, this marks an important moment for Louisiana businesses and the professionals who support them. Walther said Gallagher leaders are having regular conversations about this growth and stands ready to be a partner to help each company succeed. “When businesses are expanding and creating new jobs, they need to be on top of their insurance programs, risk management and business operations. It’s our job to make sure they have the appropriate coverage and policies, plus a team of people to support them,” she said. “This is such an opportunity to amplify Louisiana on a global scale, and we’re excited to be a part of that.”

Gallagher (NYSE: AJG) is one of the world’s largest insurance brokerage, risk management and consulting firms. As a community insurance broker and trusted local consultant, we help people and businesses move forward with confidence. With more than 70,000 people around the globe, we’re connected to the places where we do business and to every community we call home. We manage risk with customized solutions and a full spectrum of services, help foster thriving workforces, and hold ourselves to the highest ethical standards to help clients face every challenge — that is The Gallagher Way. For more information, visit www.ajg.com Insurance brokerage and related services provided by Arthur J. Gallagher Risk Management Services, LLC License Nos. IL 100292093 / CA 0D69293 and its US licensed retail brokerage affiliates.

ECONOMY

lll

The Advocate n theadvocate.com n Sunday, November 8, 2026 n 5E

Experts say there’s still time to cash in on hybrid cars GM late to the game but not counted out BY SUMMER BALLENTINE The Detroit News (TNS)

General Motors’ new mainstream hybrid offerings are on the way just as momentum around the mixed gas-and-electric models is moving into a higher gear, analysts said. But the Detroit automaker needs to catch up after years ago abandoning hybrids — and popular smaller vehicles — for profit-rich trucks and electric vehicles — a weak spot CEO Mary Barra acknowledges as she seeks to redefine GM as a tech-first company. “We will have hybrids in our portfolio in multiple segments, the key segments that we participate in,” Barra told investors after announcing strong profits in recent months. “If you look at right now, a lot of where the hybrid activity is is in compact cars, midsize cars and minivans, which are three segments we’re not a part of right now.” That’s why GM is racing to catch its rivals: Hybrids made up about 16% of total vehicle sales in the first half of the year — up roughly 23% from the same period last year, according to Cox Automotive. Continued high gas prices are pushing drivers to hybrids, analysts say, which offer better fuel economy even in midsize and large SUVs. “The customers are going after those hybrids for sure,” said Rhett Ricart, head of Ricart Ford in Columbus, Ohio, and former chair of the National Automobile Dealers Association lobbying group. Barra and other GM leaders have declined to provide additional details on future hybrid models and launch timing. But Sam Fiorani, a top auto industry consultant, said he expects GM to roll out hybrid versions of its Chevrolet Equinox compact crossover in 2028, fullsize pickup trucks in 2029 and midsize SUVs in 2030.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO

Buicks roll off the line at General Motors’ Lansing Delta Township Assembly Plant in Delta Township, Mich. GM recently announced plans to build hybrids at its plant near Michigan’s capital and will invest $750 million in the factory to facilitate hybrid production.

THE DETROIT NEWS/TNS FILE PHOTO

General Motors Co. CEO Mary Barra recently acknowledged the company needs to catch up after years ago abandoning hybrid vehicle production.

“They’re not going to tell you,” said Fiorani, vice president of AutoForecast Solutions. “This is our forecast on it, based on information we have through the industry.” To support the hybrid push, GM recently announced plans to build hybrids at its Lansing Delta Town-

ship Assembly plant near Michigan’s capital. Workers at the plant now make the GMC Acadia, Buick Enclave and Chevrolet Traverse — all midsize SUVs. GM will invest $750 million in the factory to facilitate hybrid production. GM’s models are anticipated to come years after Asian rivals established dominance in the U.S. hybrid market with models including the iconic Toyota Prius and topselling RAV4. Toyota, Hyundai, Honda and others are benefiting from going hybrid early, as sales of gas-andelectric vehicles have set records this year amid gas prices that have shot above $4 a gallon. GM is on the sidelines of that growing market at the moment. “They have missed a very important opportunity,” said Sam Abuelsamid, Telemetry vice president of market research. “Not having any mainstream hybrids in their entire lineup in North America is a huge missed opportunity for GM.”

Toyota and other Asian brands represent more than 80% of total U.S. hybrid sales, according to Cox Automotive. “GM and Ford are the only ones without hybrid small crossovers right now,” Abuelsamid said. “Even Jeep has a hybrid in the new Cherokee.” GM’s only U.S. hybrid offering is a gas-electric Corvette priced at nearly $210,000. GM’s most notable past hybrid offering was the Chevy Volt, which launched in 2010 and was canceled in 2019 due to low sales. “They will often be at the very leading edge of a technology but not realize and not commercialize it,” auto industry analyst John Murphy said. The automaker has been showcasing its tech ambitions and plans through events such as this month’s GM Forward presentation in New York City, where executives touted offerings like the new OnStar artificial intelligence assistant debuting on the 2027 Cadillac Lyriq

crossover SUV and new softwaredefined electrical architecture starting with the 2028 Escalade IQ full-size SUV. GM also announced it would move from the New York Stock Exchange to the Nasdaq on Nov. 17 in a play to burnish its tech credentials, boost its share price and likely be included in the Nasdaq 100 index. Those moves come as the automaker derives much of its profit from sales of large gaspowered trucks, which have posted sales gains this year. GM’s reentry into hybrids is “an exact rifle shot at the right segment,” said Murphy, managing partner of Murphy Automotive Partners. “There’s still time for them to put out good product and maintain market share in key segments and products.” Abuelsamid said GM is well positioned to compete in the hybrid sector if it can offer “a good hybrid Equinox that gets 37-40 miles per gallon.” “I don’t see why it couldn’t help gain them some sales, especially in the absence of anything from Ford, and even Stellantis right now is kind of in between,” he said. “They’ve got the Cherokee, but the Cherokee’s current generation has moved up a market segment.” Barra and other GM executives have repeatedly said the company’s long-term plan centers on EVs, even after sales slumped following President Donald Trump’s reversal of federal incentives and standards aimed at promoting electrified cars and trucks. But Abuelsamid said hybrids will be a key bridge as automakers wait for U.S. interest in EVs to scale up. “Long-term, they’re committed to going the EV path,” Abuelsamid said. “But it’s going to take them a while. It’s going to take a while for that to really pay off for GM, and in the near term, they need to be more competitive in terms of fuel efficiency. Right now, in that compact crossover segment, they don’t have anything to offer from a fuelefficiency standpoint that competes with the rest of the market.”

move fast and make things.

Sound Familiar? At Venture Global, we make things happen through innovation. We’re building some of the largest energy facilities in the world right here in Louisiana, and delivering American power with speed and at scale. That’s what defines Unstoppable Energy.

6E n Sunday, November 8, 2026 n theadvocate.com n The Advocate

PEOPLE IN BUSINESS Staff report South Louisiana businesses and nonprofit groups recently announced the following promotions, new hires and resignations.

Baton Rouge Jones Walker announced the hiring of seven new associates at its Louisiana offices. They include: Matthew Delaney and Olivia Grice in Baton Rouge; Kendra Wilson Bonin, McClellan Davis, Olivia Hebert and Abigail Hufft in New Orleans; and Austin Arceneaux in Lafayette.

Delaney

Grice Chuck Prow has been hired as the new chair and CEO of the environmental consulting company Aptim. Prow, who will succeed Mark Fallon, had been CEO of the defense infrastructure firm V2X, which was formed by the merger of The Vertex Co. and his former company, Vectrus. Bonin Hogan Taylor, a Tulsa, Oklahoma-based business advisory and accounting firm with an office in Baton Rouge, promoted two senior executives. Todd Wisdom was named president of HoganTaylor Wealth, while Aaron Ackerman will succeed him as Davis growth partner.

New Orleans Jen Giragos has been hired as pastry chef at Arnaud’s Restaurant. Giragos previously served as head pastry chef at Doris Metro- Hebert politan, worked at Emeril Restaurant and owned and operated Wicked Queen ConfecGiragos tions. Gina Locatto has been promoted to Hufft assistant director of sales at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, where she has worked for Locatto 22 years, most recently as senior national sales manager. Arceneaux Do you have personnel changes to share or other ideas for our business coverage? Drop us a line at biztips@theadvocate.com.

lll

Fool’s Take: Broadcom is growing quickly

it out appropriately, and you may end up having too much (or too little) withheld from your paycheck and sent to Uncle Sam. If you expect to shrink your tax bill by claiming many It’s been a lopsided year for tech deductions, you might want to have investors. As of Oct. 30, the VanEck less withheld, but if you have a lot Semiconductor ETF of additional income (perhaps via a (SMH) was up about rental property or stock sales) you 45% for the year. But might want more withheld. chip designer BroadGetting married? Update your com (Nasdaq: AVGO) W-4 form. You’ll also have to decide was down 6% over the whether to file your tax returns period and was Motley same jointly or separately. If both of you priced 32% below its Fool work and you file your returns jointly, all-time high. The company is grow- as most couples do, you might get hit by the “marriage penalty,” resulting ing: In its fiscal third quarter (which in more taxes paid than if you’d both ended Aug. 2), Broadcom’s revenue filed as single people. Filing jointly is climbed 86% year over year to $29.6 best for most couples, though. Conbillion, up from growth of 48% in its fiscal second quarter and 29% in the sulting tax-prep software or an online fiscal first quarter. And management calculator can help you determine the expects fourth-quarter revenue to best way to file your returns. come in around 93% above the yearGetting divorced? Yup — revisit ago quarter. your W-4 form. Know that when asProfits kept up, too. Third-quarter sets are divided, so are the responsinon-GAAP (adjusted) earnings per bilities for any taxes on them; assets share almost doubled year over year, sold can trigger capital gains taxes. and free cash flow jumped 95% to Alimony taxation has changed in re$13.7 billion. cent years, so alimony payments are The key risk is that much of this no longer taxable to the recipient nor growth comes from only a few buydeductible by the payer. There are also tax implications for ers. Broadcom says its five major end customers accounted for around 55% other life events — such as the birth or adoption of a child, the purchase or of its revenue in fiscal Q3, up from sale of a home, educational expenses, about 40% a year before. If one of inheritances and retirement. Learn them cuts back, results might swing more at irs.gov, or consult a tax prosharply. But the stock’s valuation is attracfessional. tive, with a recent forward-looking price-to-earnings ratio of 18, well below its five-year average of 21. At that multiple, investors may already be pricing in a lot of this What do tulips refer to, financially speaking? concentration risk. (The Motley Fool — J.B., Duluth, Georgia owns shares of and recommends They’re a reference to the “tulipoBroadcom.) mania” of the 1600s in Holland — perhaps the earliest recorded instance of a speculative investing bubble that burst. Back in the mid-1500s, tulips were introduced to Europe, and with deFew people enjoy thinking about taxes, but the more you know about mand far outstripping supply, prices them, the more you might be able to surged. save. It’s especially important to keep By the 1630s, tulip bulbs had betax issues in mind when changes hap- come status symbols. Reportedly, a single bulb could exceed an annual pen in your life. salary, and the most special bulbs For example, if you’re changing were valued at many times the annual jobs, think twice before cashing out wage of most workers. your 401(k) account. Instead, roll the Of course, this bubble burst, causamount over into an IRA or into your next employer’s 401(k) plan. Left ing prices to plunge and fortunes to there to grow, even relatively small be wiped out. sums can strengthen your future fiMore recent financial frenzies innancial security. clude the famous dot-com bubble that Meanwhile, at your new job, you’ll burst in 2000. have to fill out a W-4 form. Fail to fill Is it unwise to buy a stock at, say, $50 instead

Ask the Fool: Talking tulips

Fool’s School: Both life and taxes change

of $40, if you’re sure it’s heading to $100 in 10 years? — E.B., Uxbridge, Massachusetts First, understand that it may not reach $100 in 10 years. But let’s review the math. Let’s say that Sisyphus Inc. (ticker: UPDWN) is trading at $50, and you expect it to reach $100 in a decade. That would be a 100% gain in 10 years, and an average annual gain of about 7.2%. But if you bought it at $40 and it hit $100 in 10 years, that would be a 150% gain — around 9.6% per year, annualized. Your ultimate return on any stock will depend on your purchase price and your sale price. In this example, the 7.2% gain is less desirable than a 9.6% one. (Remember, too, that the long-term average annual gain of the stock market is close to 10%.) It’s not irrational to buy at $50, though, if you plan to hold for many years.

My Dumbest Investment: E-cigarettes up in smoke My most regrettable investment? It was in ecigarettes. — J.A.F., online We’re not sure exactly how you invested in e-cigarettes (also known as vapes or vape pens), as several major e-cigarette companies were never publicly traded, though some were eventually invested in or acquired by bigger tobacco companies. Perhaps you invested in Electronic Cigarettes International Group, which was a public stock. It looked promising more than a decade ago, posting a nearly 15-fold increase in sales — though it was also losing hundreds of millions of dollars. As e-cigarettes grew in popularity, it was easy to assume that any company dealing in them would do well. But it’s important to understand that not every company in an exciting new industry or niche will succeed. Some will spend heavily, going into debt to try to end up as the top dog — running themselves into the ground financially. Some will be overtaken by deeperpocketed competitors. Regulatory activity can also affect new industries — including, perhaps, a ban on vaping. Early on, it can be hard to see which companies will end up the big winners. To play it safer, you might favor companies that are already growing and profitable. Do you have a smart or regrettable investment move to share with us? Email it to tmfshare@fool.com.

LOOKING BEYOND:

Jones Walker on Responding to an OSHA Investigation What You Do in the First 24 Hours Matters

Beyond Readiness. Jones Walker’s Labor & Employment attorneys offer clients one of the largest and most experienced labor and employment law practices in the region. Our attorneys counsel regional and national companies in a variety of industries in all aspects of labor and employment law. We strive to help clients find solutions to labor and employment law matters using practical, common sense approaches. By combining our depth in labor and employment law with Jones Walker’s broad base of capabilities in other practice areas, we address unique workplace and industry situations, giving our clients a distinct advantage not available from small boutique law firms.

A serious workplace incident rarely ends with the incident itself. The steps taken during the first 24 hours often shape the course of an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) investigation and can affect the company’s position in any resulting enforcement action or litigation.

Pat Veters

In the hours following an incident, employers should assume OSHA Tiffany Dupree may investigate, preserve evidence immediately, be thoughtful about written records, and involve experienced OSHA counsel early to help coordinate the response and protect the company’s interests. Preparation is the best defense. Training supervisors, establishing evidence preservation protocols, understanding OSHA reporting requirements, and identifying legal resources in advance can significantly improve an employer’s ability to respond effectively.

William H. Hines Managing Partner bhines@joneswalker.com 504.582.8000

201 St. Charles Avenue New Orleans, LA 70170-5100 joneswalker.com

Attorney Advertising. No representation is made that the quality of legal services to be performed is greater than the quality of legal services performed by other attorneys. LA-26-21185

Scan the QR code to read the full article.

ALABAMA | ARIZONA | DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA | FLORIDA | GEORGIA | ILLINOIS | KENTUCKY | LOUISIANA | MISSISSIPPI | NEW YORK | TEXAS

lll

The Advocate n theadvocate.com n Sunday, November 8, 2026 n 7E

SMALL BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT

Baton Rouge marketing agency celebrates 50 years DAA launches LSU Manship scholarship BY IANNE SALVOSA Staff writer

DAA Media + Marketing has worked with companies to scale their business for 50 years. But CEO Nancy Steiner lovingly calls the agency a “50-year-old startup.” She started working for DAA as an LSU student intern in 1989 and was hired full-time after graduating, eventually acquiring the company with her business partner, DAA President Donny Charbonnet. Like a startup, she said the company is constantly focused on employee growth, which she attributes to have built a strong agency. Though DAA is not headquartered in a major market, Steiner said the agency has built national appeal through its own growth and high-profile clientele, including Window World and Raising Cane’s, which have expanded in part thanks to their campaigns. In the next 50 years, her goal is to keep producing nationally recognized work and help employees build their careers — the latter being her main focus. “It’s not something that we’re willing to trade away for growth,” she said. The industry is invigorating, she said, always keeping her on her toes with high-pressure deadlines and an evolving landscape. Gone are the days of just solely advertising on billboards, TV, radio and print media; now companies must market themselves on various other channels like social media and streaming platforms. For DAA, that’s also meant marketing on a local and national level, thanks to its growth. Charbonnet said his aptitude for numbers is what interested him in the marketing industry. The data available to companies to make decisions about where to place their advertising dollars has ex-

STAFF PHOTO BY PEARL SPURLOCK

After beginning their careers as interns at DAA Media + Marketing, Donny Charbonnet, left, and Nancy Steiner now lead the 50-year-old agency that boasts high-profile, national clientele. panded tremendously, he said. Coupled with expanded advertising platforms, it’s created a challenge for the agency to tackle. “Everything has stayed the same and everything has changed,” Charbonnet said of the industry’s development. DAA has notched accolades such as landing a spot on the Inc. 5000, an annual list of the fastest growing private companies in America by percentage revenue growth, for the past three years. The company’s earnings grew by 215% over three years. Its also earned spots on the LSU 100, an annual list of fastest growing LSU graduate-owned or led businesses, and Adweek’s Fastest Growing Agencies. Though its revenue has skyrocketed, the company is powered by

a small team of 28. DAA is headquartered in Baton Rouge on Perkins Road, with more than half of their employees stationed in Baton Rouge and the rest in Texas, Oklahoma and Florida. Half of the current team started as interns, Steiner said, similar to herself and Charbonnet. She said the company’s paid internship program has been a vital pipeline to talent attraction and helps local college students learn about the opportunities available to them nearby. Many of the Texas employees started at the Baton Rouge office but took on roles in other markets to contribute to the company’s expansion. To commemorate the agency’s 50th anniversary, DAA launched a $50,000 scholarship for LSU Manship School of Mass Communica-

Two standout clients include North Carolina-based Window World and locally headquartered Raising Cane’s, both working with DAA for more than two decades. The agency has also worked with the Port of Greater Baton Rouge for 40 years. Raising Cane’s had just 14 restaurants at the time of starting its work with DAA, which is largely media buying, purchasing advertising space for clients. Now, the chicken finger enterprise has more than 1,000 restaurants, in prime spots such as the Las Vegas Strip and Hollywood Boulevard, and is expanding internationally. For the restaurant’s grand opening of its Times Square store, DAA purchased two Times Square billboards and boosted Raising Cane’s on social media, TripAdvisor, digital video and CTV. The agency produced Window World’s “Say Yes” campaign, video advertisements on platforms like Hulu and Undertone that encourage views to take advantage of the company’s no-interest financing. Steiner said DAA strives to be a partner with client companies, not just a vendor. “We want to be able to get in the weeds and help strategize, look at the data,” she said. “We want to be able to be a part of the conversations that help our clients’ business, and not just take orders, if you will.” Throughout the company’s 50 years, it’s remained independent, as opposed to acquisition from a larger, national firm. Many marketing agencies have consolidated over time to cut costs and combine service offerings as data made available to clients from platforms like social media increase. “Being independent really means that we answer to our clients and not to a holding company’s earning reports,” Steiner said. “It changes everything about how you operate.”

tion students, and the first scholarships were awarded this fall. The company also pledged $50,000 to community organizations. Steiner said the donations represent the company’s belief that Baton Rouge is home, “not just a market we moved into.” “Myself, our president, many of our leaders, all came through that university, and creating that scholarship was a way of investing in the next generation and sending a message that you can build a career in advertising without leaving Louisiana,” she said of the LSU scholarship. Steiner attributes the company’s growth to its partnerships with clients, who have concurrently seen meteoric growth, and developing digital infrastructure to manage Email Ianne Salvosa at ianne. the expansive platforms. salvosa@theadvocate.com.

Safe. Reliable. Affordable.

Natural gas is the right energy option for Louisiana. SAFE

540+

Trained technicians monitoring our natural gas distribution systems 24/7.

RELIABLE

1 in 650

Only 1 in 650 natural gas customers will experience an unplanned outage in a given year.

AFFORDABLE

3x

Natural gas is the budgetfriendly energy source – 3x more affordable than electricity.

deltautilities.com

Louisiana born. Louisiana based.

Backed by 950+

600,000 customers

local employees

across the Gulf Coast

8E ■ Sunday, November 8, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

lll

Why Two Louisiana Brokers Made the Move to Gallagher When Parke Ellis and Douglass Mills decided it was time to find a partner for their

Ellis describes what that looks like in practice. Every policy comes back to the

firm, Gillis, Ellis & Baker (GEB), they weren’t short of options. Fifteen firms came

office, where the team reads it, audits it and returns with a professional opinion on

calling — private equity groups, national brokers and regional players. In the end,

the client’s current program. The aim is straightforward: to help clients understand

there was only one choice.

their risks and make better decisions about their coverage.

“We had competed against Gallagher for years, and frankly, we weren’t sure what

Mentoring brokers to command the room

to expect,” says Ellis, now area executive vice president at Gallagher. “But from the very first meeting, it became apparent that they were, first and foremost, an insurance broking firm with the specialist knowledge, market relationships and depth of expertise to make a real difference for clients.” For Mills, protecting the brokers was an important part of the decision. The firm had been in business for 85 years and was third-generation. The plan had been to sell to the next generation internally. But the firm had grown too large for that to work.

Weekly classes work through policy language line by line — general liability, workers’ comp, cyber, D&O. Senior brokers take newer ones on calls and sit in the first chair while the trainees watch. Brokers who completed the program a few years ago are now doing the same for those behind them. “The pay-it-forward culture we’re seeing from five-year brokers to one- and two-year brokers is really exciting,” says Ellis. Mills challenges first-year brokers to learn every Gallagher tool and capability

“If the next generation of brokers weren’t going to be able to take ownership in

before stepping into conducting a client meeting.

the future, then we wanted to put all of them in the best possible position to have

“It gives brokers a chance to show what they know, add real value in a meeting

the most successful production careers,” says Mills, senior vice president of

and start building the trust that makes clients want to work with them long term,”

Operations at Gallagher. “Fast forward almost seven years, and those brokers

he says.

are all flourishing — with careers none of us could have dreamed of back then.” For anyone considering a career in this field, Ellis is clear about what to expect.

Local roots, global reach When Ellis and Mills joined, Gallagher already had around 100 employees in Metairie — they were walking into an established team, not starting from scratch. For prospects and clients alike, that combination of local identity and global

“Age will never be a barrier here,” he says. “At Gallagher, we invest in our people to ensure they’ve the knowledge and confidence to walk into any room and deliver real value for their clients.” It’s a philosophy that has been the key to the success of the GEB merger in

resource is central to every pitch the team makes. It’s a case any out-of-state broker finds hard to match: “We are in New Orleans,

Louisiana, according to William Jackson, southeast regional president at Gallagher.

we live in their zip code and we understand the complexities of insuring in a

“Parke and Doug came with a clear sense of purpose around talent and

wind-prone area — and behind us is a global organization no other local broker

relationships,” he says. “Our commitment to advising and investing in the next

can offer,” says Ellis. “Clients really do get the best of both worlds.”

generation of brokers has made our Louisiana practice genuinely stronger.” To connect with Gallagher’s Louisiana team, visit ajg.com/louisiana.

A different way of doing business The philosophy Ellis and Mills brought from GEB took root 25 years ago, after a consultant challenged them to name three things that made them different from every other agency in the room. They couldn’t. “We realized that although we felt we were better, when pushed, we couldn’t actually describe how or why,” says Mills. “So, we made a decision: We weren’t going to sell anymore. We were going to win by convincing people there was a better way to buy and structure their insurance.”

Let’s face the future together.

Parke Ellis Regional Chairman Gallagher

Doug Mills Senior Vice President — Operations Gallagher

Scan the code to connect with us.

AJG.com/louisiana | The Gallagher Way. Since 1927.

© 2026 Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., and affiliates & subsidiaries | GGBUS108266

The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Sunday, November 8, 2026 ■ 1F

lll

homes

Search and place ads online anytime at

HOMES.THEADVOCATE.COM Call us Monday-Friday 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Toll free - 800-960-6397 Local - 225-383-0111

Look inside for Classified and Jobs

OAKLAND CROSSING SUBDIVISION 38185 SILVER CREEK COURT

New Construction by Yesbik Homes • $785,000

Each Office is Independently Owned & Operated

• 4 Beds, 3 Baths, 2,850 SqFt • 2-Story with 10ft - 11ft Ceilings • Luxurious Primary Suite • Designer Kitchen • Seamless Indoor & Outdoor Living • Covered Porch • Outdoor Kitchen with Fireplace

ESSEN HEIGHTS

OPEN HOUSE SUNDAY 2-4PM

Live Oak Estates • 646 Shadow Oak Dr.

IRONWOOD ESTATES SUBDIVISION

Beautiful Acadian-style home featuring 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, custom built-ins, transoms, exposed brick, and natural light throughout. Updated kitchen, breakfast bar, and adjoining keeping area with exposed wood beams. Remodeled primary bath. Renovated guest bath, updated flooring, extensive landscaping improvements. New exterior siding and fresh interior and exterior paint. Private fenced backyard, oversized workshop/storage building.

8435 North Essen Heights Court 3 Bedrooms 2 Bathrooms 1,326 Living Square Footage $194,900.00

CHARISSE HANCHEY,

REALTOR®,CRS, ABR,

17176 LEDGESTONE DRIVE NEW LISTING $369,900 • 4 Beds, 2 Baths, 2,042 SqFt

Barbara Anne Eaton Eaton,

• Triple Split Floorplan

Associate Broker • 225-733-6874

• Spacious Living Room with Fireplace

CRS, GRI, SRS

225.315.0512

www.charissehanchey.com

• Formal Dining Room

LAKE LIVING IN SPRINGLAKE!

FOR RENT

• Chef’s Kitchen with Keeping Room

OPEN HOUSE TODAY 1-3 3

• Ascension Parish Prairieville School District

2234 N. Alameda Drive • Baton Rouge

Spacious 3-bedroom home with an open floor plan, large kitchen, airconditioned sunroom, a covered patio, and a large, fenced yard. The garage is also air-conditioned, making it a great space for hobbies, working out, or watching the big game. Convenient location. $1,650/month

Enjoy this 3BD/2BA home on a quiet cul-de-sac! Features include butcher block countertops, a copper farmhouse sink, polished concrete floors, and plenty of potential. Enjoy community amenities including a pool, tennis and basketball courts, clubhouse, fishing, and more! Convenient to shopping and dining. Join us at our open house today! $315,000

Lisa Busceme, REALTOR®

CATHERINE LAWRENC CE

225-931-4112

LisaB@coldwellbankerone.com • www.BatonRougehomeswithLisa.com

FIND OUT WHAT

YOUR HOME

IS WORTH Call Today for an Expert Valuation and Make Your Next Move

10106 Springtree Ave, Baton Rouge

318-655-3495 clawrence@coldwellbankerone.com

225.806.8979 D Dianne Adams A 225-615-7755

Find us on Instagram

Facebook

Each office independently owned and operated Licensed REALTORs in the State of Louisiana

PRINT ADVERTISING

WORKS

THINKING

OF SELLING? A home evaluation is a great place to start

1-833-671-6632

CALL TODAY

addressbatonrouge.com

DRE#01901536

This website is a marketing and information program that sends all inquiries to state-licensed real estate professionals.

PRESERVE YOUR MEMORIES AND PUT THE KEEPSAKE ON DISPLAY

Memorialize your special day with quality reprints of any newspaper page.

SHOP TODAY! store.nola.com

2F ■ Sunday, November 8, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

Baton Rouge Real Estate For Sale

ACREAGE 820 acres FSBO Winnsboro LA ideal10 Exchange. Fully irrigated and precision leveled, cash lease. Sweet Potatoes, corn,& beans grown. Asking $5,330,000 call 870-622-7644

lll

APARTMENT 655 North St Subsidized Efficiency Apartments cpabr.org 225-383-5551 TDD/TTY 711 RELAY

MOBILE HOME 1, 2 & 3 BR mobile homes, $675 & up 6061 Plank Rd. CALL 225-978-4653 ROOMS FOR RENT Furnished Rooms. $125/wk. $500/mo. 225-933-7560

ROOMS FOR RENT Live-In Care for the Elderly in my home. $750/month, everything included. Call 225-377-6818

Baton Rouge Rental APARTMENT AREA 5 1BR $600, 2BR $700 Tigerland. $500 Deposit. 225-475-1737

HOUSE

HOME FOR SALE 8200 LA, 14,000 TA under roof. 4 Acres $990,000 More land available if needed. Owner will spend up to $90,000 for remodeling. 225 405-5229

PRINT ADVERTISING WORKS

CLASSIFIEDS.THEADVOCATE.COM

P1:R1 homes h o m e s .t h e a d v o c at e . c o m

WOODLAND RIDGE 2674 W. HIGHMEADOW CT., BATON ROUGE 70816

HOUSE

NEWLY UPDATED! 6726 PINE ISLAND AVE. Forest Heights S/D Off Mickens Rd, 3BR 2BA, with Central H/A Freshly Painted Int./Ext. New Ceramic Flooring thru out & New Kit Countertop Enclosed Screen Patio, Rear Dbl Carport with Storage Shed & Fenced backyard Call Charles for Your Showing 225-266-4078 Roy Carter Realty 225-357-6436

FIND YOUR DREAM HOME

Come out and see this beautifully renovated 4 bedroom home with over 2300 sfla in Woodland Ridge. Quietly tucked just off of the boulevard and in a curve, this home offers so many beautiful features, both inside and outside. Come by and you will want to COME BUY!

Louisiana needs in-depth, solutions-driven, public service journalism more than ever. To learn more, visit LOUISIANAJOURNALISMFUND.ORG MFUND ORG

OPEN SUNDAY 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM

$320,000.00 MARK AKCHIN 225-978-1445 PROPERTY FIRST REALTY GROUP 225-443-0055

ACREAGE 5 Acre Lots for Sale. Houses Only. $175,000. Call Lattie 225-405-5229

RATES REPORTED AUGUST 6, 2026

WEEKLY BATON ROUGE AREA

MORTGAGE RATES

Rate column provided by Liberty Mortgage Information Service • Call 225-361-6565 to have your company added to “ad”

JUDE BRIDWELL

HANCOCK WHITNEY

HANCOCK WHITNEY 225-603-1777 • Jude.Bridwell@hancockwhitney.com hancockwhitney.com/jude-bridwell • NMLS 92661

CRAIG COLEMAN

HANCOCK WHITNEY 225-664-1314 • Craig.Coleman@hancockwhitney.com HancockWhitney.com/Craig-Coleman • NMLS 684734

NATE BEECHAM

HANCOCK WHITNEY 225-248-7428 • Nathaniel.Beecham@hancockwhitney.com HancockWhitney.com/Nate-Beecham • NMLS 115300

JARED GARY

30 YEAR FIXED

6.625% / 0 points / APR - 6.81%

15 YEAR FIXED

6.0% / 0 points / APR - 6.39%

HANCOCK WHITNEY 225-229-8783 • Bill.Holt@Hancockwhitney.com hancockwhitney.com/bill-holt • NMLS 148394

30 YEAR FHA - VA

6.125% / 0 points / APR - 6.54%

ANGEL LEWIS

15 YEAR FHA - VA

5.625% / 0 points / APR - 6.24%

ADJUSTABLE

Jumbo sofr 10/1 Arm

SPECIAL

30RD - 5.125% / 0 / APR - 6.49%

JEREMY WEIMER

HANCOCK WHITNEY 225-978-2592 • Jeremy.Weimer@hancockwhitney.com hancockwhitney.com/jeremy-weimer • NMLS 175288

BILL HOLT

HANCOCK WHITNEY 225-603-2505 • Jared.Gary@hancockwhitney.com HancockWhitney.com/jared-gary • NMLS 88626

HANCOCK WHITNEY 225-413-6094 • Angel.Lewis@hancockwhitney.com hancockwhitney.com/angel-lewis • NMLS 700876

TIM DUBNANSKY

MICHAEL HEBERT

HANCOCK WHITNEY 225-252-6976 • Tim.dubnansky@hancockwhitney.com hancockwhitney.com/tim-dubnansky • NMLS 82027

1-800-256-4636 • HANCOCKWHITNEY.COM

HANCOCK WHITNEY 225-715-1133 • Michael.Hebert@hancockwhitney.com hancockwhitney.com/michael-hebert • NMLS 79769

DIRECT ACCESS: www.theadvocate.com CLICK HOMES >> THEN MORTGAGE RATES Quotes above are based on loan amount equal to or above $200,000 • Conventional loan max is $484,350; Jumbo loans exceed $484,350• NQ - No Quote • Special programs include BA (Balloon), B (Bond), CS (Construction), CV (Convertible), J (Jumbo), LL (Lot Loan), RD (Rural Development) • Quotes are not guaranteed and are subject to change daily • Info provided by LIBERTY MORTGAGE INFORMATION SERVICE - 225.361-6565 • Points listed do not include Origination Fee (normally 1% of loan amount) • Rates quoted are for 30 day lock • For additional information on mortgage programs, call the lender.

classifieds.theadvocate.com Search Search& &Place PlaceAds AdsOnline Onlineatatclassifieds.theadvocate.com classifieds.theadvocate.com* Call * Call -Friday Us Monday-Friday 8AM-5PM at 225-383-0111 8AM-5PM at 225-383-0111

Announcements

Please contact me if you worked here between 1965-70 out of the New Orleans location as a lineman/cable splicer or worked with the linemen. You could be helpful to a former coworker's family. Rich Schardan 618-205-2079

Dutch Physical Therapy closing doors November 20th, 2026. Billing@dutchpt.com for information regarding records and sale of equipment. Anyone knowing the whereabouts of Antonio and Maria Vega Garcia please contact Atty. Benjamin Beychok at (225) 906-0050. 206388-Nov 7-9, 3t $71.20

ANYONE knowing the whereabouts of any property owner, heir or other related person, in regard to the properties listed below, please contact the East Baton Rouge CityParish, Department of Development – Neighborhood Revitalization Office at 225-389-8680. 4328 ALLIQUIPPA ST JOSEFINA DIAZ LOPEZ 6264 CYRUS AVE ISIS ANALISIA WRIGHT 3406 JACKSON AVE MARCUS ONEAL DAVILLIER 1730 N 36TH ST HENRETTA HARRIS PAUL C/O REGGIE PAUL 1676 N 41ST WILLIE LEWIS 4017 SCARBOROUGH DR AUDREY F GREEN 6572 D'JUANNA DR REV JOSEPH P NEWTON 1575 SWAN AVE BENJAMIN THOMAS 2464 70TH AVE MALACHI GEE JR 3910 HOLLYWOOD ST ANGEL WINGS PROPERTIES, LLC 10095 AVENUE A WILLIE NEMIAH JOHNSON, III 2085 GOUDCHAUX ST ESTELLE STEWART SIMON 5507 PAIGE ST LATONYA RENEE JONES 5588 HOOPER RD TRENTON JUREIL STEWART 2536 DAYTON ST RICHARD AND GLADYS TAYLOR

WALLS 1734 CEDAR LAKE DR CHEUNG C WONG 1325 BELLONIA DR AUBREY CHARLES WILLIAMS, SR 1615 LEHMANN ST MEADE, LLC 2211 SPAIN ST NORMAN MILLS JR 1448 KAUFMAN ST TYRONE HALL 2528 SHERWOOD ST FAMILY MARKETING, LLC 911 N 31ST ST JESSIE BELL SR 10225 PATRICIA DR NICE FRAMES, LLC REGISTERED AGENT: CHADWICK KYLE 1846 BELLROSE DR OSCAR WILLIAM WHITE, JR 10465 AVENUE E CHRISTOPHER BROWN 1415 SCENIC HWY BENJAMINE, II AND BRIGITTE D TAYLOR 1335 GOVERNMENT ST BETTE BARANCO BLAND VIRGIL M HARDIN, EDWARD WENDELL, TAYLOR BARANCO 4110 WINBOURNE AVE FRANK WILLIAMS 2306 N 39TH ST DIANNE GRANT SPOONER 3139 ADAMS AVE EDDIE L DIXON 3119 MADISON AVE CLARENCE BURTON 4745 FAIRFIELDS AVE MARY BURNETT 6832 FLORIDA BLVD COLE FD PORTFOLIO II, LLC 11560 GIBBENS RD BARBARA ANN YOUNG 14570 STONE GATE DR CARNELIUS A PARKER 1645 BELLROSE DR MELVILLE ROGERS & KIMBERLY PIERSON 6880 CEZANNE AVE BATON ROUGE MUTLI-FAMILY HOLDINGS, LLC 2145 N 18TH ST LEOLA ROBERTSON SCOTT 2345 KENTUCKY ST JOSEPH FRANKLIN 2379 68TH AVE LORENZO STOVALL 2425 HURON ST JULIA T STERLING 1578 N ACADIAN THWY W VOTE LOUISIANA TORIONNE LEWIS 1777 MONTE SANO AVE RAYNAUD FISHER HENTON 11612 W SHERWOOD MEADOW AVE BRYAN ALBERT 10869 ANSLEY AVE JOSE LUIS JIMENEZ 3910 HOLLYWOOD ST ANGEL WINGS PROPERTIES, LLC 3226 ALLIQUIPPA ST 3226 ALLIQUIPPA ST, LLC 1730 CONVENTION ST WILLIE FRANCES PEARSON 556 E BOLIVAR DR MATTHEW WAYNE CHAPPLE 5557 JACKSON AVE JIMMIE ALBERT & SHELIA GORDON ALBERT 10265 AVENUE E

BERNARD WILLIAMS 2736 SCENIC HWY FELICIA E AGU 6733 MENLO DR EDWARD TURNER KEEL, JR 2202 GOVERNMENT ST CLA TWO, LLC 2814 73RD AVE GLADYS WILLAIM G KING C/O SEDONIA HARRIS 263 3RD ST 263 THIRD LLC ATTN: KAILEY L LEBOEUF 3836 UNCAS ST RICHARD PALMER 2317 71ST AVE LAURANT WILLIAMS WHITE 351 ATKINSON ST DAVID WALTER STERLING 1516 LEHMANN ST WILMER HARDY AND LISA S MILLER 13180 ARLINGFORD AVE BENNY JOHNSON & DELORES JOHNSON 1302 JASPER AVE ARIANA ROSE PROPERTIES, LLC 14346 LILAC ST CHARLES WILSON BALDRIDGE 12020 FLORIDA BLVD GMGC VENTURES, LLC 1626 JADE AVE SHAWN L BARROW 746 FOUNTAINBLEAU DR JORGE MAURICIO CAMPUZANO 10847 E FULLER PL FIRST OF MANY, LLC 10944 CHERRY HILL AVE CURTIS RAY EVERETT 5336 ADAMS AVE ARTHUR HENRY HARRIS 5569 JACKSON AVE DICKSON AGU 5474 JEFFERSON AVE CYNTHIA M HAYNES 3986 DALTON ST PAMELA B FORD 1721 N 36TH ST ELWOOD T CARTER 1730 N 27TH ST LAKEYSHA KINCHEN 4444 CLAYTON ST FIREFLY INDUSTRIES, LLC LAMONICA CARY-BROWN 10960 E FULLER PL STEVENS RESIDENTIAL INVESTMENTS, LLC 3820 ELEANOR DR MILO POWELL 2620 DELAWARE ST CAREY L FORD 6407 MARIONETTE DR FRANKS ROBERTS JR 9625 MESA VERDE AVE KARL ANTHONY POOLER, SR 21041 ANDERSON RD JAMES R ANDERSON 9984 AVENUE I BAHC PROPERTIES, LLC CHRISTOPHER DONLEY 141 MC CASTLE AVE PAMELA B FORD 635 MILLS AVE DANIEL E MORRIS LAW FIRM 7406 PLANK RD TONY JACKSON 12112 CARDIGAN AVE JOSEPH SAMUEL COLLINS 1526 ROSENWALD RD WILLIE HARRIS 1820 CAROLYN SUE DR MURRELL HOLDINGS, LLC 3522 WARREN DR

Join Our Nursing Team For a complete list of opportunities and benefits, visit BRGeneral.org/Careers or call Human Resources for more information at 225-381-6464.

BRGeneral.org/Careers

ELVA WALLACE HARRIS 535 LONITA ST MUKADAS ALLI-BALOGUN 5627 ASPHODEL DR JOAO VICENTE PEIXOTO 1043 TIMBERSIDE DR RODERICK SIMS 11631 N HARRELL'S FERRY RD DESSADDY, LLC CHRISTOPHER TREMBLAY 5223 HERMITAGE DR CHARLES MONROE PHILLIPS 1084 N DONMOOR AVE ZARA INVESTMENTS, LLC 205671-Nov 6-12, 7t $5,080.54

Anyone knowing the whereabouts of Velma Howard Gaines please contact Atty. Benjamin Beychok at (225) 906-0050. 206377-Nov 7-9, 3t $67.00

Employment

Coin Show November 20th, 10:00am-5:00pm, 21st, 9:00am - 3:00pm, 3310 Florida Ave, Kenner, LA 70065. MACHINERY/TOOLS Black n Decker 18 Volt system. Drill impact wrench, circular saw, reciprocating saw, 3 chargers & 5 lithium batteries. $150 total. Call 225-266-1953

ENGINEERING B.R. LA office of BRIS Engineering, LLC:

System Safety Engineer

Anyone knowing the whereabouts of Carrie Prudhome Mayard please contact Atty. Benjamin Beychok at (225) 906-0050. 206391-Nov 7-9, 3t $67.00

Anyone knowing the whereabouts of Danyelle Lamaria Dillard please contact attorney Melanie Newkome Jones at 225-344-2200 or melanie@melaniejoneslaw.net. 205723-Nov 6-8, 3t $71.20 Anyone knowing the whereabouts of Deysi Rosibel Blanco Rios please contact attorney Melanie Newkome Jones at 225-344-2200 or melanie@melaniejoneslaw.net. 2005724-Nov 6-8, 3t $73.30 Anyone knowing the whereabouts of Donald Levesque or any knowledge of Apollo Petroleum Solutions, LLC. please contact attorney Melanie Newkome Jones at 225-344-2200 or melanie@melaniejoneslaw.net. 205722-Nov 6-8, 3t $85.90 Anyone knowing the whereabouts of Florence and John Ejim please contact Atty. Benjamin Beychok at (225) 906-0050. 206381-Nov 7-9, 3t $69.10 Anyone knowing the whereabouts of Godbuilt Enterprises LLC please contact Atty. Benjamin Beychok at (225) 906-0050. 206394-Nov 7-9, 3t $67.00

Meet w/ the client tech. staff during project. dev.; dev. process design basis and control narratives; go to facilities for in plant tests and data collection; perform eng. calcs.; support emer‐ gency pressure relief syst. evals (EPRS); validate process safety info. for relief valves; review and update H&MB; dev. EPRS system sketches, overpres‐ sure scenario narratives, and relief load calcs.; assist w/ flare design and rating; attend PHA studies; engage in safety culture w/in co. and client facili‐ ties; investigate and doc. root causes of workplace accidents, spills, or equip. failures; know site eng. practices, ind. codes and standards, and regulatory req’s.; Day travel w/in driving dist. of job location 2-3 times/month; overnight trav. w/in U.S. approx. 4 times/yr.; Re‐ quires. B.S. in Chem. Eng’g, Safety Eng’g, Chem. Safety Eng. or sim. and 3 years exp. as a system safety engineer or similar, or alternatively an M.S. in safety eng’g w/out experience. Special requirements (for B.S. candidates only) incl. 3y exp. in site EPRS eval. and EPRS MOC; dev’t of EPRS sys. sketches, over‐ pressure ID, overpressure scenario narratives, and relief load calcs.; flare design and rating; and perf. PHA stud‐ ies. E-mail resume to Katie.Richardson@ BrownandRoot.com ref job ID 600824014. EOE GENERAL HELP The Diocese of B.R. Child Nutrition Pro‐ gram is seeking FT school Cafeteria Mgrs., Cooks, & Porters. HS Diploma or Equiv. and BG Check req. Apply at www.cnpbr.org/employment.

Merchandise

Anyone knowing the whereabouts of Lisa S Miller and Wilmer Hardy Miller please contact Atty. Benjamin Beychok at (225) 906-0050. 206392-Nov 7-9, 3t $75.40

Fishing gear 2 Gold Shimano CAlcutta 250 reels and 2 Falcon Costal 7'6" rods. All for $450 225603-5805 lnichola@bellsouth.net

Anyone knowing the whereabouts of the Estate of Doretha P Reynolds please contact Atty. Benjamin Beychok at (225) 906-0050. 206376-Nov 7-9, 3t $73.30

SILVER BUY & SELL SILVER & GOLD 225-933-9711 229 CAPITOL STREET DENHAM SPRINGS

Garage Sales BATON ROUGE 1456 Avondale Drive Sunday 8am-1pm Lots of toddler girl's clothing Everything Must Go! BATON ROUGE ESTATE SALE Huge Estate Sale 423 CASTLE KIRK Dr. Antiques, VTG Electronics New Appliances. See pics at estatesales.net

BATON ROUGE ESTATE SALE NL ESTATE SALES SALE OF THE YEAR! 17979 So. Harrells Ferry Road Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70816 November 5-8, 2026 Thursday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Saturday 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Sunday 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. The One You’ve Been Waiting For! This Is Definitely Not A Regular Estate Sale! Come And See For Yourself!!! For Newsletter And Pix, Go To: NLestatesales.Com No Large Handbags Allowed. Surveillance On Premise. Ccards, Cash & Checks (NO VENMO) BATON ROUGE GARAGE SALE Huge Estate Sale 423 CASTLE KIRK Dr. Antiques, VTG Electronics, New Appliances. See pics at estatesales.net

BATON ROUGE SURPRISE SURPRISE ESTATE SALE!! 14323 Wally Way 70810 Fri 9am-4pm Sat 9am-2pm Sun 9am-4pm Mon 9am-2pm

www.Graywoodestatesales.com

Looking for the right hire?

225-388-0111

Pets / Pet Services Directory PETS • SUPPLIES • SERVICES • OBITUARIES • LOST & FOUND

PLACE YOUR PET SERVICES INFORMATION IN THE PET SERVICES DIRECTORY TODAY! • IT IS FAST AND EASY! • CALL 225-383-0111 AKC Belgian Malinois Pups Beautiful, Easily Trained $2,000.00 601-299-0264 www.psdkennels.com CKC YORKIES w/papers vet checked shot worming meet in Gulfport $500 334-467-3416

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

DOGS CKC Registered Shih Tzu puppies. 8 weeks, Vet checked, 1st shots $800. 318804-7394

PRINT ADVERTISING WORKS

Precious Miniature Dachshund Puppies Purebred, registered, vaccinated & wormed $700.00 504390-1321 karen.ronquille@gmail.com Toy Poodles & Teacup Pomeranians CKC reg Tiny Fluff balls shots wormed10 wks $500.00 225-354-5359

The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Sunday, November 8, 2026 ■ 3F

lll

Public Notices

Legal Notices

Legal Notices

You may also email Carter at chall@simmonsfirm.com

Mugs, shirts, hats, posters, books.

205353 Nov. 2- Nov. 8, 2026 7t $389.41

PUBLIC NOTICE --ELOS Environmental, LLC on behalf of National Water Infrastructure is requesting authorization to construct an influent pipeline, centralized wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) and an ef‐ fluent force main to con‐ vey and discharge treated effluent from the newly constructed facil‐ ity located in the City of Geismar, Louisiana, within Ascension Parish. The US Army Corps of En‐ gineers (USACE) will be accepting public com‐ ments on the project until November 11, 2026. To further review or pro‐ vide comments, addi‐ tional information and plans on the proposal may be obtained at the following website:www. mvn.usace.army.mil/ missions/regulatory/ public-notices (see Ref#: MVN-2022-00246-CJT). If you have any questions, please contact Jaimie Thompson with the USACE, Regulatory Divi‐ sion at (504) 862-1489 or jaimie.l.thompson@ usace.army.mil.

PUBLIC NOTICE --The Louisiana Office of the State Parks is re‐ questing proposals for a Public-Private Partner‐ ship project for the de‐ sign and construction of new cabins, cottages, or other overnight lodging facilities at one or more of the state parks. For more information go to opportunitiesin‐ louisiana.com.

Something for everyone at the Advocate Store!

206282-nov 7-27 $108.99

Reporting you can trust on stories that matter

203540-oct 12-nov 12-32t $3,468.52

PUBLIC NOTICE --If you or someone you know worked at International Paper located in Natchez, LA between 1950-1990 and worked with or knew Audrey Enlow (“AC”), please call Carter at Simmons Hanly Conroy toll-free at (855) 988-2537.

SUBSCRIBE TODAY

STORE.ADVOCATE.COM

FREE ESTIMATES

ON ALL TV’S THAT NEED REPAIR WHEN BROUGHT INTO THE SHOP!!

SHERWOOD TV & APPLIANCES *In-Home major appliances serviced at a charge.

WASHERS, DRYERS, REFRIGERATORS, FREEZERS, ELECTRIC & GAS RANGES

SHERWOOD MINI-STORAGE

MINI-WAREHOUSE (CLIMATE & REGULAR), MOTOR HOMES & BOAT STORAGE UP TO 45’ DEEP

11756 Florida Blvd. Baton Rouge 70815

225-275-6900

Doors & Door Hardware

Install & Repair Commercial • Residential Call Daniel 225-436-2759

INSURED

Professional Chimney Sweep & Inspections Chimney Cleaning • Pest Guards New Chimney Cap Installation • Fire Box Crack Repair Insured

10% OFF 225-503-5681

40 years experience

House calls | NoFixNoPay $125 First Visit - 1 Computer

225-803-8241 | THECOMPUTERDOCTORx.com

HandyMan

We are your go to company for your Gutter and Patio Top installations

HEATH WISE

VETERAN OWNED

WISE GUY’S GUTTERS & PATIOS

DENHAM SPRINGS, LA 70726 WISEGUYSGUTTERSANDPATIOLA.COM GOLDDOG3447@YAHOO.COM

CALL 225-305-3776 FOR YOUR FREE ESTIMATE

LANDSCAPING Year-Round Christmas &

WE PAY CASH FOR YOUR UNWANTED VEHICLES!

LA CASH FOR CARS

THE COMPUTER DOCTORx

Holiday Lighting Now Available

Fall Specials on Planting/New Flower Beds

DISCOUNT FOR FIRST RESPONDERS

225-290-1980 / 225-993-9204

Home Repairs

Call For A Free Estimate • I Look Forward To Working With You

• Doors • Tile • Painting • Windows & Door Awnings • Pressure Washing • Bathroom & Kitchen Repairs • Porch Roof and Metal Patio Covers

225-726-8096

QUALITY PAINTING • Interior/Exterior • Pressure Washing • Sheetrock Repair • Texturing/Acoustics • Handyman Work

• Wood Refinishing • Affordable Prices • RELIABLE • No Mess Left Behind • Licensed & Insured

Cars • Trucks • RVs • Boats • Motorcycles • Golf Carts

tree trimming/flower bed clean up/flower bed designs/irrigation/ lighting pathways/prune & mulch/weeding/drainage/sod/pergola deck/power washing/stump grinding/consulting available

Over 30 years Experience • No Jobs Too Big or Small FREE Estimates

LEAK SPECIALIST

CALL FOR SPECIAL PRICING!

ROOF LEAKS STOPPED

FREE TOWING | CASH AT PICKUP

CALL OR TEXT 225-715-4852

FIND AND FIX LEAKS ON ANY ROOF All work 35+ years of guaranteed experience No job to locally! big or small • Flashing • Gutters • Siding • Tree Pruning • Carpentry • Fences

FREE ESTIMATE!

RUSSELL CARPENTER ZACH CARPENTER

225-338-6922

Quality Care Q Roofing & Maintenance R

Denham Springs & Gonzales

(225) 603-2125

INSTALL NEW ROOFS, J-W METAL, ROOFING* SHINGLES, FLAT, & REPAIRS.

MILITARY DISCOUNTS

STOP ALL LEAKS! CARPENTRY & PAINTING Lic/Ins. 225-205-9537 *Senior Citizen Discount

Swimming Pool Fill-In’s

• All Types Roofing & Repairs • Fllashings • Sheet Metal • Dry Wall • Carpentry C • Painting • Masonry • Flooring • Electrical Spe cialty Ventilation and Insulation

FIBERGLASS - GUNITE - LINER

KEVIN ROBERTS

225-329-9502

La. Lic. # 64014

(225) 603-2125 Cell KMRNBR55@GMAIL.COM

20 Years of Experience - Licensed and Insured

Call Casey For a Free Estimate pooldemolitionbycasey.com

225-256-8518

Free Estimates Licensed & Insured

No Job Too Big or Too Small James Wells DBA

Big Jim Construction

New Roofs Roof N R f or Repairs R i on Any A Type T R f Roofing • Painting • Carpentry

Over 50 Years Experience

225.338.6809

All Work Warrantied

STEVE ROBINS

tree service

Member of the BBB Licensed & Insured FREE Verbal Estimates to EBRP Residents 50 Years Experience Pruning & Trimming of Large Trees Small Tree Removal

Call 225.925.0610 Reasonable Rates for Quality Work!

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

4F ■ Sunday, November 8, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

lll

ADVERTISEMENT

Why you need dental insurance in retirement. Many Americans are fortunate to have dental coverage for their entire working life, through employer-provided benefits. When those benefits end with retirement, paying dental bills out-of-pocket can come as a shock, leading people to put off or even go without care. Simply put — without dental insurance, there may be an important gap in your healthcare coverage.

When you’re comparing plans ...  Look for coverage that helps pay for major services. Some plans may limit the number of procedures — or pay for preventive care only.  Look for coverage with no deductibles. Some plans may require you to pay hundreds out of pocket before benefits are paid.  Shop for coverage with no annual maximum on cash benefits. Some plans have annual maximums of $1,000.

Medicare doesn’t pay for dental care.1

Previous dental work can wear out.

That’s right. As good as Medicare is, it was never meant to cover everything. That means if you want protection, you need to purchase individual insurance.

Even if you’ve had quality dental work in the past, you shouldn’t take your dental health for granted. In fact, your odds of having a dental problem only go up as you age.2

Early detection can prevent small problems from becoming expensive ones. The best way to prevent large dental bills is preventive care. The American Dental Association recommends checkups twice a year.

Treatment is expensive — especially the services people over 50 often need. Consider these national average costs of treatment ... $274 for a checkup ... $299 for a filling ... $1,471 for a crown.3 Unexpected bills like this can be a real burden, especially if you’re on a fixed income.

1 “Medicare & You,” Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 2025. 2 “Aging changes in teeth and gums”, medlineplus.gov, 4/17/2022. 3 FairHealth, Inc. National average dental fees. Data current as of July 2025; subject to change.

DENTAL Insurance from Physicians Mutual Insurance Company, Inc.

Get help with big bills! Helps pay for over 400 procedures

Backed by #1 Network Coverage and Customer Satisfaction.*

100% U.S. BASED CUSTOMER SERVICE.

Ranked #1 in customer satisfaction by ACSI®.*

“Absolutely love” “I absolutely love my dental insurance. My dental office files the claims, leaving me with very little balance to pay.”

Go to any dentist you want

OVER 50? UNLIMITED FOR JUST $35/MONTH.

Dorothy P., TN

No deductible, no annual maximum

Ranked #1 in network coverage by ACSI®.*

Switch & Save Today.

Get your FREE Information Kit!

888-348-1659

Call or Scan today

1-855-396-3779 Dental50plus.health/BRadvocate

Product/features not available in all states. Contact us for complete details about this insurance solicitation. To find a network provider, go to physiciansmutual.com/ find-dentist. This specific offer not available in CO, KS, NY, OR – call 1-800-969-4781 or respond for a similar offer in your state. Certificate C254/B465, (ID: C254ID; PA: C254PA); Insurance Policy P154/B469 (GA: P154GA; OK: P154OK; TN: P154TN).

6371

FAST, RELIABLE NATIONWIDE COVERAGE.

© 2026 Consumer Cellular, Inc. Terms and Conditions subject to change. Plans shown include $5 credit for AutoPay and E-billing. Taxes and other fees apply. Credit approval required for new service. Cellular service is not available in all areas and is subject to system limitations. For unlimited plans, high-speed data is reduced after 35GB on single-line plans and 50GB of combined usage on multi-line plans for the remainder of your billing cycle. Unlimited data plans only for customers age 50+. Age validation required. *2025 ACSI® Survey of customers rating their own wireless service provider. ACSI® and its logo are registered trademarks of the American Customer Satisfaction Index LLC. For more about the ACSI®, visit www.theacsi.org.

NEWSLETTERS

The biggest stories customized to your interests – delivered direct to your inbox.

ACADIANA BUSINESS TODAY

LSU SPORTS UPDATES

BATON ROUGE DAILY UPDATES

SAINTS INSIDER

LAKE CHARLES NEWSLETTER

LOUISIANA INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM

NEW ORLEANS MORNING HEADLINES AND LUNCH LINE

plus more... nola.com/newsletters

SIGN UP

TODAY

The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Sunday, November 8, 2026 ■ 1S

lll

Advertisement

LA-22-13526

YOUR LEGAL COMPASS THROUGH

LIFE

FREE ESTATE PLANNING WORKSHOP 7 STUPID ESTATE PLANNING MISTAKES TO AVOID IN 2026

CALL

225-224-8099 TO REGISTER!

POCHE ESTATE PLANNING LAW FIRM 4960 Bluebonnet Blvd., Suite C, Baton Rouge, LA 70809

2S ■ Sunday, November 8, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

lll

ACT NOW TO PUT YOUR PLAN IN PLACE IN JUST 7-8 WEEKS Yes, knowledge is power, and the choice is yours. But you MUST ACT NOW to put your estate plan in place. It all starts by attending one of Laura Poche’s free educational events which makes it clear that regardless of your net worth, if you want to preserve your hard-earned assets or have people in your life you need to protect or have causes that you want to promote, EVERY PERSON NEEDS A LEGAL ESTATE PLAN. Let Laura Poche and her professional and knowledgeable staff make this process as easy as possible so you can live with PEACE OF MIND.

BATON ROUGE

Monday, November 16 Poche Law Office 4960 Bluebonnet, Ste. C 2:00pm - 4:30pm

REFRESHMENTS PROVIDED AFTER

BATON ROUGE

Tuesday, November 17 Drusilla Seafood 3482 Drusilla Lane 5:30pm - 8:00pm

DINNER PROVIDED AFTER

BATON ROUGE

Wednesday, November 18 Poche Law Office 4960 Bluebonnet, Ste. C 9:30am - 12:00pm LUNCH PROVIDED AFTER

CALL 225-224-8099 TO REGISTER!

The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Sunday, November 8, 2026 ■ 3S

lll

LAURA POCHE INVITES YOU TO ATTEND A FREE WORKSHOP TO LEARN ABOUT:

• How can I keep the government out of my estate settlement?

• What are the two biggest and most expensive mistakes families make when trying to avoid nursing home poverty?

• How can I keep my not-quite perfect son-in-law and my over-controlling daughter-in-law from having influence over my estate settlement?

• How can my family avoid estate tax, and other taxes they might face when I pass away? • How do I start the five-year look back period for nursing homes without having to give everything away to my family while I am alive?

• Why do most lawyers love Probate, and want my estate to go through it? • Should I have a Will or Trust (or both)? • Can my patchwork quilt of Wills, Powers of Attorney, Living Wills, and Beneficiary Designations actually be a time bomb waiting to explode?

• How do I ensure that my estate won’t incur legal expense when I die, preserving 100% of my assets for my family?

CALL 225-224-8099 TO REGISTER! POCHE ESTATE PLANNING LAW FIRM 4960 Bluebonnet Blvd., Suite C, Baton Rouge, LA 70809

4S ■ Sunday, November 8, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

lll

7 STUPID ESTATE PLANNING MISTAKES TO AVOID IN 2026 If you have ever wanted to eliminate worry because you don’t have a program in place to protect your estate and family, without a slew of untimely legal and tax problems, then this will be one of the most important workshops you ever attend. I am going to show you how to bulletproof what you have today, and what you leave your kids tomorrow. You’ll be able to take advantage of my estate planning legal strategies without you or your loved ones having to deal with Succession Courts, long estate settlement delays, Medicaid liens, nursing home poverty, and death tax. But before I do that, let me tell you a story of how we helped Mary.

MARY’S STORY “As a couple with an only child, we thought a Will was all we needed. WRONG! My husband died, and I had to go through Probate - a nightmare, and very costly. It also took over 9 months. I didn’t want our child to go through that, so I gave her an ad to a Poche’ Law Firm workshop, and she and her husband were impressed. They had Laura set up a particular kind of Trust that took care of their estate planning, but what about me? I decided to go to a workshop, and made my appointment. Laura answered all of my questions, and even got my financial advisor in on a conference call. I could not have been more pleased and relieved that my estate plan is now in order. Kudos to Laura and her professional staff. I highly recommend her for all estate planning needs.” Mary, Baton Rouge, LA

IMPORTANT GUIDELINES FOR OUR WORKSHOPS:

Workshops are open to FIRST-TIME ATTENDEES ONLY and are geared towards people who want or need your legal estate plan in place quickly. Please have your personal calendar handy at the workshop so you can choose to start your plan NOW! If married, both spouses must attend a workshop to ensure that all decision-makers are involved in your family’s coordinated plan. All people who attend will receive a FREE copy of the updated 2nd edition of Laura Poche’s Book, “Estate Planning Advice by a Woman for Louisiana Women: A Guide for Both Men and Women About Wills, Trusts, Probate, Powers of Attorney, Medicaid, Living Wills and Taxes.”

CALL 225-224-8099 TO REGISTER! POCHE ESTATE PLANNING LAW FIRM 4960 Bluebonnet Blvd., Suite C, Baton Rouge, LA 70809

How chronic stress affects your body PAGE 3

DISCOVERY | INNOVATION | LIVING WELL

HEALTH

LOUISIANA

N O L A.C O M & T H E A D V O C AT E.C O M

|

S U N D AY, N ov e m b e r 8, 2026

Molly Kimball 1N

A good night’s sleep is good medicine

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY JOHN PARKER

Tegan Parker, 14, stretches her legs during her physical therapy appointment after limb-lengthening surgery.

‘Worth everything’

Teen receives Louisiana’s first limb-lengthening procedure BY MARGARET DeLANEY

Staff writer

Tegan Parker, a 14-year-old from DeRidder, was always small. She has achondroplasia, the most common form of dwarfism. She was diagnosed at just under a year old after her adoptive parents, Julie and John Parker, noticed her slower-than-average development in childhood. “We knew something was going on genetically, but couldn’t put our thumb on it,” John Parker said. He remembers a morning getting ready for school, with Tegan’s younger sister Audrey, where Tegan struggled to do things by herself. “Her younger sister can fix her own hair, but she can’t,” Parker said. “That’s the most bad I ever felt.” When she was just 7, they searched for options for her to potentially gain mobility and her independence later

in life. They found limb-lengthening. This procedure is a set of multiple surgeries that gradually lengthens bones in the legs over time with a titanium or stainless steeltelescoped rod in the femur, the bone in the thighs, and the tibia, the bone in the legs. It can also be performed in the arms. After COVID-19 thwarted their plans for Tegan to have the surgery earlier in life in Maryland, the Parkers were referred to Dr. Jessica Rivera, an LCMC orthopedic surgeon with LSU Health New Orleans who specializes in limb lengthening procedures and trained under the same surgeon Tegan was set to meet in Baltimore. In 2025, Tegan became the first in Louisiana to have the surgery, according to LCMC Health.

Dr. Jessica Rivera, left, sits with Tegan Parker, the first patient in

ä See TEEN, page 2X Louisiana to undergo limb-lengthening surgery.

Baton Rouge’s ACL specialist Learn more or schedule an appointment at ochsner.org/BRortho.

Jeremy Burnham, MD | Orthopedic Surgery

This is a column in a series from Dr. Olivia Ragusa, a primary care physician at Baton Rouge General, sharing insight on a variety of health topics for patients of all ages, including prevention, wellness tips and everyday strategies to help individuals and families stay healthy. When we think about living a healthy lifestyle, diet and exercise usually come to mind first. That could mean eating more vegetables, getting enough protein and finding time to work out. But there’s another essential piece of the health puzzle we all know Dr. Olivia that about, but often Ragusa push to the bottom DOCTOR of our priority list: SAYS sleep. Sleep isn’t a luxury or a reward for getting everything else done — it’s a fundamental part of keeping our bodies healthy. And research increasingly shows it deserves the same attention as nutrition and physical activity. During sleep, our bodies are hard at work performing important restorative functions. Sleep helps regulate hormones involved in appetite, supports immune function, allows the brain to process information and plays a role in how our bodies manage blood sugar and blood pressure. When we consistently skimp on sleep, these processes can suffer, potentially contributing to weight gain, insulin resistance, high blood pressure and an increased risk of heart disease and stroke. Last year, the American Heart Association published details reinforcing this connection and emphasizing that it’s not just the number of hours we sleep that matters. Sleep quality, consistency, timing and how alert we feel during the day all play a role in our cardiometabolic health. So how can we make sleep a priority? It can be tough for some, but adults should aim for seven to nine hours each night. Establish a consistent bedtime and wake-up time, even on weekends. Create a relaxing wind-down routine, limit caffeine later in the day and avoid bright lights and screens close to bedtime. Keep your bedroom cool, dark and quiet, and try to get natural light and physical activity during the day. Just as importantly, listen to your body. If you regularly struggle to fall asleep, wake frequently, feel exhausted during the day or snore heavily, talk with your doctor. These symptoms may signal an underlying sleep disorder or another issue that deserves attention. We can’t always control every demand on our schedules, but we can stop treating sleep as optional. Think of it this way: A healthy diet fuels your body, exercise strengthens it, and quality sleep helps restore it.

2X ■ Sunday, November 8, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

lll

Procedure has helped thousands avoid open-heart surgery TAVR has become routine

unless there’s no other option,” Tafur said. “But TAVR is meant for calcified valves that have degenerated over time.”

BY MARGARET DeLANEY

Staff writer

A transcatheter aortic valve replacement, also known as TAVR, is a potentially lifesaving or lifeextending procedure for patients to treat aortic stenosis, a narrowing of a large blood vessel at the junction of the heart and the aorta. Restriction of an aortic valve, one of the four big doors connecting the heart to the rest of the body, occurs when the blood vessel becomes stiff, thickened or calcified and cannot open all the way. This forces the heart muscle to work harder to pump blood out to the brain, lungs, belly and legs. It causes shortness of breath, fatigue and dizziness. It can lead to heart failure. To treat these clogged pathways, surgeons previously performed openheart surgery, replacing old valves with new ones. Hospital stays were up to a week long and recovery lasted four to 12 weeks. But with TAVR, a minimally invasive valve replacement that deploys into the heart via a catheter in the thigh, patients typically go home within one or two days. Unlike traditional open-heart surgery, the heart is not stopped or put on a bypass machine for the procedure. “TAVR is the most wonderful thing that we have invented in medicine in this century,” said Dr. Jose Tafur, an interventional cardiologist with Ochsner Health. “It really is.” Tafur started performing these valve replacements 14 years ago, when Ochsner was the only institution in Louisiana to house the new procedure as part of the technology’s initial trials, he said. Programs across the state, from Lake Charles Memorial to Baton Rouge

What’s next

STAFF PHOTO BY MARGARET DeLANEY

Dr. Jose Tafur, an interventional cardiologist with Ochsner Health, points to a transcatheter aortic valve replacement at the root of the aortic valve on a model heart. General, now perform the procedure as well. The Food and Drug Administration first approved TAVR in 2011 for patients over 85 who could not undergo open heart surgery, according to Tafur. Its use was subsequently expanded to patients over 65 across all surgical risk levels. “It came out originally as research 20 years ago as an alternative to patients that needed help with their aortic valve,” Tafur said. “They needed a replacement, but they were too sick to have surgery.” Since its approval, more than 276,000 patients have undergone a TAVR procedure in the United States, according to a report from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons and American College of Cardiology Registry. TAVR exceeded all forms of surgical alternatives for the first time in 2019, and the number of patients has increased every year.

Recently, in 2021, the procedure expanded to include patients as young as 65 with lower risk. That enhanced both safety and effectiveness, reducing potential complications like a leak in the valves or strokes. “The technology got better,” Tafur said.

How TAVR works During a TAVR procedure, doctors replace a damaged aortic valve with one made from cow or pig heart tissue encased in nitinol, a metal made of equal parts nickel and titanium, that is the length of a quarter and the width of a pinkie fingernail “It’s a valve that comes in a little box,” Tafur said. Tafur crimps the valve until it’s small so it can fit inside the catheter, then deploys the valve replacement into the root, or base, of the aortic valve. When the new valve expands, it pushes the old valve aside. “It has a stand that holds

TEEN

Continued from page 1X

‘The very best chance’

As Tegan entered adolescence, the physical and emotional challenges of dwarfism became more noticeable, said her mom. “As she got older and others got taller, it affected how she interacted with people,” Julie Parker said. “She started keeping her head down more.” Achondroplasia is the most common form of dwarfism, affecting about one in every 25,000 people. Children with the rare genetic condition have slow-growing bones in their arms and legs, leading to shorter stature as well as differences in body proportions. It can also cause compression in the spinal cord, narrowed upper airways and smaller inner-ear canals — all with their own health impacts. Though the Parkers saw it as Tegan’s best option, limb-lengthening surgery is not universally accepted by dwarfism communities. The Little People of America, a nonprofit organization with over 8,000 members nationally and internationally, neither advocates nor condemns the surgery, but cautions against having it done for aesthetic reasons. “While it may have benefit in preventing certain orthopedic and neurological complications in some skeletal dysplasia, the procedure is primarily being performed for adaptive, cosmetic and psychosocial reasons,” the organization said in an advisory statement. This is not a particularly new technique, according to Rivera. “There’s a huge history,” she said. The process of stretching bones goes back to the early 1900s. The difference is modern techniques, Rivera said. New technology allows surgeons to “safely do a considerable amount of lengthening,” Rivera said. “Like in Tegan’s case.”

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY JOHN PARKER

Tegan Parker, center, stands with her parents Julie and John Parker at their home in DeRidder. Tegan is the first patient in Louisiana to undergo limb-lengthening surgery. The multiple surgeries are staged across many weeks. Sometimes surgeons will insert lengthening telescopes for the femur and tibia of one leg, then wait a couple weeks to do the other. Or, start with both femurs, then wait a couple weeks to do both tibias. “The process aims to try to do the gradual lengthening on everything in a short period of time,” Rivera said. “But with keeping in mind the safety of the burden of surgery.” For Tegan, she had one femur and tibia surgery on one day, then another two weeks later on the other leg. Each side took five hours, with a telescope-rod placed inside the femur bone and an external device around the tibia bone. The principal theory of limb-lengthening is if doctors create a cut in the bone and gradually stretch it, the bone will be able to make new bone in the empty space. “It’s the most amazing biological phenomenon,” Rivera said. Limb-lengthening surgery is not just for the young, according to Rivera, who referenced a study from

the Rubin Institute for Advanced Orthopedics in Baltimore that found that both children and elderly adults “have the capacity to health limb-lengthening,” she said. The larger question, according to Rivera, is focused on the undertaking of the manual lengthening and recovery process. “It’s really about the investment, and if the patient and the family are ready to undertake that,” Rivera said.

Millimeter by millimeter “Life isn’t easy for little people,” Julie Parker said. “We wanted to do everything in our power to give Tegan the very best chance to succeed in life.” Every day, the Parkers would extend the remotecontrolled telescope-like system in her femurs and the caged fixators on her tibias — between half a millimeter to a millimeter at a time. Tegan was not able to put weight on her legs at all for seven months and attended part of seventh grade at DeRidder Junior High remotely and part in a wheelchair. Her parents had to learn how to transfer Tegan from her bed to her wheelchair.

that old valve open, and it has a little valve inside of it that starts working right away. Tafur. “It’s just an incision in the leg that’s much easier for the patient.”

Who it’s for, not for It’s not a long-term solution for younger patients. “When I say young, when we’re talking about valvular heart disease, we’re talking people less than 65,” said Dr. Korie JonesUngerleider, a cardiac and aortic surgeon at Ochsner Health. Bioprosthetic valves Joneswear out Ungerleider over time, approximately 10 to 15 years. Because young people have a much longer life expectancy, they will likely outlive the TAVR valve and face potentially more complicated heart surgeries

later, according to University of Rochester Medicine research published in The Annals of Thoracic Surgery in 2026. Surgical valve replacements that require openheart surgery last 10 to 15 years — “the gold standard,” according to Jones-Ungerleider. “The idea of lifetime management of the aortic valve, that’s really important,” said Jones-Ungerleider. “In particular for young people, that first decision point, that first valve intervention you do is really important because it sets off what will happen in the future.” The heart’s aortic valve can also fail if it becomes leaky or floppy. However, a TAVR device requires tension in the blood vessel and calcium to anchor it in place. So, patients with leaky or floppy aortic valves are not recommended to receive the procedure. “We shouldn’t be doing it

Because early applications of the device were used in high-risk, very sick patients, the data in the beginning of the device’s research was skewed by other medical factors and comorbidities, Tafur said. “We as a medical community know more of TAVR today than we did 15 years ago,” Tafur said. “There’s a lot of things that we didn’t know could go wrong. Now we know and we prepare for them. We prevent them.” Within the last 7 to 10 years, data collected by different applications of TAVR have enhanced the safety of the device and use-cases, according to Tafur. Risks like strokes, valve damage, kidney damage and pacemakers have all decreased as new research has become available, according to a 2025 study published in the National Library of Medicine. “We’re in this phase where we’re starting to understand if a TAVR lasts as long as a surgical valve. There’s some indication that they may, and then there’s one particular brand that says that may not be true,” Jones-Ungerleider said. “All of this data is still early because we’re seven or 10 years into a 15-year journey to really understand how it’s going to ultimately fall out.” Research is ongoing to understand if TAVR procedures, although minimally invasive, are just as effective and long-standing as its surgical counterpart. “Every year, I go to the meetings, and they’re trying to make it even smaller and correct all the problems that they have,” Tafur said. “That’s what engineers do every year or every time they’re trying to make the version the next model better and better.”

and now I can.” Tegan’s lower fixators were removed in December 2025, and the remaining internal medical devices were surgically removed in the spring of 2026. River’s biggest worry post-surgery for all of her patients is maintaining physical therapy throughout treatment and recovery to prevent stiffness. “We’re monitoring the bone, but everything else has to lengthen too. The muscle has to lengthen. The nerve. The vessels. The skin,” Rivera said. “The whole thing is coming along. That means those soft tissues can get really tight.” Tegan is on top of her physical therapy workouts three times a week in Leesville, about 15 minutes away from their home, her parents said, which includes swimming to build strength and work on her gait. She recently surprised classmates by walking into a ceremony to receive an academic award after spending much of the school year using a wheelchair. “She loves to swim. We were somewhere, and she just took off running the other day,” John Parker said. “It’s been a process, but, I X-rays of Tegan Parker’s leg while she went through her limb- mean, it worked out good.” lengthening procedures Since then, Tegan has been home-schooled by her par“I was scared to move her 5.5 centimeters. Before sur- ents because I didn’t want to hurt gery, Tegan was 45.25 inch“Now she holds her head her,” Julie Parker said. “The es. Now, she stands straight high,” Julie Parker said. whole thing felt daunting at at 52 inches. “You can see the difference first.” “It was worth everything,” in her confidence.” They met with Rivera Tegan said. “The world isn’t every two to three weeks. built for little people, and Email Margaret DeLaney Tegan’s femurs gained 5 cen- I used to not be able to see at margaret.delaney timeters and her tibias grew over the counter at the store @theadvocate.com.

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU The Louisiana Health section is focused on providing in-depth, personal accounts of health in the state. This section looks at medical innovations, health discoveries, state and national health statistics and reexamining tried and true methods on ways to live well.

Health editions will also profile people who are advancing health for the state of Louisiana. Do you have a health story? We want to hear from you. Email margaret.delaney@ theadvocate.com to submit health questions, stories and more.

The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Sunday, November 8, 2026 ■ 3X

lll

Eat Fit Live Fit

Molly Kimball RD, CSSD

B R O U G H T TO YO U BY

How chronic stress affects your body

W

e think we know when we’re stressed – and sometimes we do. There’s the racing heart, the stomach flip before a difficult conversation or the nights we can’t sleep because our mind won’t quiet down. But stress isn’t always that obvious. Sometimes it shows up as a shorter fuse, leaving us unusually agitated or overwhelmed by things that normally wouldn’t faze us. Other times, it’s digestive issues that come and go, or reaching for a drink at the end of the day because we feel like we “need” it to unwind. Sometimes there’s no obvious outward sign at all. We can become so accustomed to that low hum of pressure in the background that we barely even notice it anymore. But just because we’ve learned to function with stress doesn’t mean our bodies aren’t feeling it.

Not All Stress Is Bad

A bit of stress can actually work in our favor. Deadlines and pressure can sharpen our focus, boost our creativity and make us more efficient. When our brain perceives a threat or challenge, it triggers the familiar fight-orflight response. Adrenaline and cortisol surge, heart rate and blood pressure rise, breathing quickens and glucose and fats are shuttled into our bloodstream for energy. Thousands of years ago, this response either helped us fight a predator or flee from one. These days, however, the pressures are still there — but they’re different. Now, instead of fighting or fleeing, we usually just sit and simmer in it.

stay asleep. Sleep deprivation itself leaves us more susceptible to stress, creating an ongoing cycle where even everyday stressors can feel hard to handle.

How We Handle Stress Matters

What Happens Inside

Our gut is one of the clearest examples of how deeply stress affects our body. Our brain and digestive tract are constantly communicating through what’s known as the gut-brain axis. Stress can impact how quickly food moves through the digestive tract, make the gut more sensitive, compromise the integrity of the intestinal barrier and even alter the mix of microbes living there. All of this can show up as reflux, nausea, bloating, stomach pain, constipation or diarrhea. For people with irritable bowel syndrome, stress makes symptoms worse.

Some stressors are simply outside our control: a medical diagnosis, grief, caring for someone we love, financial insecurity or a demanding stretch at work. It can feel impossible to change or even reduce our stress levels. What we can influence is how we respond, and how often we give our body a chance to come down from that fightor-flight response. This can look different for each of us: • Move. Try working out, a walk (I love a walk-and-talk, even if it’s virtual with a friend), yoga, gardening – whatever gets you active. • Create. Paint, cook, do a puzzle, play an instrument – anything that shifts your attention and gets your mind onto something else for a while. • Connect. Spend more time with people who leave you feeling better after you’re in their company. • Protect sleep. Stress disrupts sleep, and poor sleep makes stress harder to handle. Do what you can do to protect both the quality and the duration of your sleep. • Find what helps you reset. Breathing exercises, time outside or even a few minutes without technology can give our nervous system a chance to dial down a bit. Start paying attention to your body’s own warning signs that you may be carrying more stress than you realize. We can’t always change what’s causing our stress, but being aware of how it’s impacting us at least gives us a chance to respond differently.

Our cardiovascular system feels it, too. That surge in heart rate and blood pressure is beneficial when we’re running away from danger, but less so when we’re sitting in traffic or staring at a laptop. Over time, that stress response takes a toll. Chronic stress is associated with high blood pressure and may increase our risk of heart attack and stroke. Stress can also worsen anxiety and depression, weaken our immune function, contribute to neck and back pain and cause tension headaches and migraines. No surprise, stress can also disrupt our nighttime rest, making it harder to fall or

Molly Kimball, RD, CSSD, is a registered dietitian with Ochsner Health and founder of Ochsner’s Eat Fit nonprofit initiative. For more wellness content, tune in to Molly’s podcast, FUELED Wellness + Nutrition, and follow @MollykimballRD and @EatFitOchsner on social media. Email nutrition@ochsner.org to connect with Molly or schedule a consult with her team.

BY THE NUMBERS

A RISE IN MOUTH AND THROAT CANCERS

Since 2000, the incidence rate, per 100,000 people, for oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancers grew by nearly 20% in Louisiana and by nearly 10% in the U.S., according to data collected by LSU Health New Orleans’ Louisiana Tumor Registry. Oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancers, a rare type of head and neck cancer found in the middle of the throat, are most commonly diagnosed in men, occurring almost three times more often in men than in women, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.Two of the most common risk factors for cancers of the oral cavity and pharynx are alcohol and tobacco use. Oropharyngeal cancers can develop over many years and are most commonly caused by the human papillomavirus, or HPV, infection, according to the Cleveland Clinic. HPV makes proteins that cause changes in certain genes.These genes manage how fast cells divide. It is unclear if HPV itself causes these cancers, or if other factors (such as tobacco and alcohol use) interact with HPV to cause these cancers. Incidence rates have increased by about 1% per year nationally since the mid-2000s, mostly because of a rise in cancers

The annual average cancer incidence rate, per 100,000 people, for Louisiana and the U.S. since 1990.

Oral cavity and pharyngeal cancer in Louisiana

The cancer incidence rate, per 100,000 people, in each Louisiana parish between 2019 and 2023.

15

Louisiana

U.S.

Webster Webster

14

Lincoln Lincoln

Bienville Bienville DeSoto DeSoto

Caldwell Caldwell

Franklin Franklin

Winn Winn

16.1 to 18

Madison Madison

14.1 to 16 12 to 14

Tensas Tensas

Catahoula Catahoula

12

Natchitoches Natchitoches

Grant Grant

S a b in e Sabine

11

Richland Richland

Jackson Jackson

Red R ed River River

More than 18

East East Carroll C arroll

Ouachita Ouachita

Caddo Caddo

13

West West Morehouse Carroll Morehouse Carroll

Union Union

Claiborne Claiborne

Bossier Bossier

No data before 2000

Avoyelles Avoyelles

W. Feliciana W. Feliciana E. FFeliciana E. eliciana

2000

2010

Source: Louisiana Tumor Registry, LSU Health New Orleans

linked with HPV infection, the American Cancer Society reported.The average age of people diagnosed with oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancers is 64, but these cancers can occur in young people with just over 1 in 5 cases occurring in people younger than 55. The American Cancer Society‘s most recent estimates for oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancers in the United States for 2026 are: n About 60,480 new cases

Beauregard Beauregard

2020

Allen Allen

Staff graphic

of oral cavity or oropharyngeal cancer. n About 13,150 deaths from oral cavity or oropharyngeal cancer. In Louisiana, there is an average of 773 cases of oral cavity or oropharyngeal cancer annually. According to data collected by the Louisiana Tumor Registry, Iberville Parish had the highest incidence rate for oral cavity and pharyngeal cancers with 27.6 cases per 100,000 people.

Calcasieu Calcasieu

Cameron Cameron

JJefferson efferson Davis Davis

Evangeline Evangeline

Tangipahoa Tangipahoa

St. St. Helena H elena

10

1990

No significant data

Concordia Concordia

Rapides Rapides

Vernon Vernon

Less than 12

LaSalle LaSalle

Washington Washington

Pointe Pointe St. LLandry St. andr y C Coupee oupee

EB R EBR St. TTammany St. ammany Livingston Livingston WBR WBR Acadia A cadia St. John St. John Iber ville Iberville Lafayette St. Lafayette Ascension A scension Orleans Orleans St. M Martin artin JJefferson efferson St. JJames St. ames St. St. Iberia Iberia Assumption Assumption St. B St. Bernard ernard Charles Charles Vermilion Vermilion St. M St. Mary ar y

Lafourche Lafourche

Plaquemines Plaquemines

Terrebonne Terrebonne

Staff map Sources: Louisiana Tumor Registry, LSU Health New Orleans

Iberville is followed in state rankings by Winn Parish (24.1), St. Charles Parish (21.3),Acadia Parish (18.4) and Richland Parish (17.7).

Between 2019 and 2023, 16 Louisiana parishes did not have significant data for oral cavity and pharyngeal cancer incidence rates: Allen, Bienville, Caldwell,

Cameron, Catahoula, East Carroll, Jackson, La Salle, Madison, Red River, Sabine, St. Helena,Tensas, West Baton Rouge,West Carroll and West Feliciana parishes.

Junk food linked to ‘silent stroke’ by middle age, research says dpa German Press Agency WASHINGTON — Instant noodles, soft drinks, sweetened breakfast cereals and ready meals: Ultra-processed food means not only missing recommended grains and proteins, it can also leave you at risk of “silent stroke” and cognitive decline by middle age, researchers in Canada say.

After testing around 9,000 people in Canada aged 35 to 69, scientists at McMaster University and the Population Health Research Institute (PHRI) found those with the “highest intake” of processed food to be 40% more likely to exhibit a form of brain damage that “may increase the chances of clinical stroke and future memory problems.”

Silent strokes show no obvious symptoms, but cause permanent damage and are seen as early warning signs that can appear years before a major stroke. “I would not have expected this finding, frankly,” said Russell de Souza, a McMaster associate professor and PHRI scientist, who said the impact is usually “associated with conditions we hear

about and treat at a much older age.” Processed food made up around 25% of participants’ diets, the researchers said, although some reached 40%, crowding healthy food out of their eating, according to the team, whose work was published in JAMA Network Open, an American Medical Association journal. “Our findings suggest that

the link between diet and brain health may be detectable before people experience noticeable problems with memory or thinking,” said PHRI’s Sonia Anand, warning that what people eat while young could affect their cognitive capacity later in life. Longer-term tracking, including using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans,

could be needed to further investigate the connection, the researchers said. In September, a University of California team called for large-scale tests to confirm a connection between a junk food habit and vulnerability to depression after 20 patients reported improved symptoms such as reduced anxiety after switching to a healthier diet.

4X ■ Sunday, November 8, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

lll

Baton Rouge’s ACL specialist

Jeremy Burnham, MD | Orthopedic Surgery

At the Ochsner Andrews Orthopedics and Sports Medicine Institute, every decision we make is focused on helping our patients move forward. From the latest technology to the depth of our expertise, our team brings elite care, cutting-edge research and advanced training to the communities we serve. Your recovery, goals and quality of life drive everything we do and we move forward with you, every step of the way. Learn more at ochsner.org/BRortho.

Sunday November 8, 2026

CURTIS / by Ray Billingsley

SLYLOCK FOX / by Bob Weber Jr.

GET FUZZY / by Darby Conley

HAGAR THE HORRIBLE / by Chris Browne

MOTHER GOOSE AND GRIMM / by Mike Peters

ZIGGY / by Tom Wilson

SALLY FORTH / by Francesco Marciuliano & Jim Keefe

ZITS / by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman

PEARLS BEFORE SWINE / by Stephan Pastis

wonderword

scrabble grams

word game

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.

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.

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. 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. ©2026 Hasbro. All rights reserved. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

cryptoquote AxyDLBAAxR iS LONgFELLOW One letter stands for another. in this sample, A is used for the three L’s, x for the two O’s, etc. Single letters, apostrophes, the length and formation of the words are all hints. Each day the code letters are different.

AnsWers to ALL PuZZLes Are on inside BAcK PAGe

todAY's Word — MAnLier: MAN-leeer: Stronger or more virile. Average mark 46 words Time limit 60 minutes Can you find 63 or more words in MANLIER?

Sudoku

ken ken instructions: 1 - Each row and each column must contain the numbers 1 through 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.

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 Conceptis Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.

hidato directions: Complete the grid so that numbers 1–132 connect horizontally, vertically or diagonally.

AnsWers to ALL PuZZLes Are on inside BAcK PAGe

Los angeLes Times sunday Crossword puzzLe — Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis “empTy words” By KaTie HaLe aCross 1 NYC home of Dalí’s “The Persistence of Memory” 5 Leader of the Aesir 9 Use the Track Changes feature in a document, say 13 Roles, metaphorically 17 At any moment 18 Body lotion brand 20 Places 21 Hebrew prophet 22 Rowing teams that spread good cheer? 24 Solo at the Met 25 The Gem State 26 Jealous 27 Superlative suffix 29 From Laos, say 31 NL East or AL West 32 “Ciao!” 33 Afternoon TV fillers 35 Clear plastic 37 Mesoamerican fruit 40 Scampering after a letter caught by the wind? 43 “For You” singer Rita 44 Take to court 45 Insta profile part 46 Killer whale 47 Exhausted after cramming for a geography test? 52 Ides of March utterance 53 Texas metropolis, for short 56 Jeep headquarters city 57 Shortly after the big bang, e.g. 59 Orléans river 61 Notable deeds

63 Title role for Benicio del Toro 64 Trick to getting the cleanest floors? 66 Collapsible bed 67 Chobani competitor 69 No longer in 73-Across 70 Took lunch 71 Courthouse employee responsible for maintenance? 73 Place to be tucked in 74 Cacophonous 76 Starts a fresh pot 77 Leaves no room for doubt 79 Bully 82 “It was fine” 83 Tax pros 85 Solution when it’s too hard to choose one Halloween costume? 88 Late-night TV pioneer 89 Prefix with dermis 90 2019 W.S. champ 91 Corp. bigwig 92 “Let’s raise a glass to our favorite silent performers of yore!”? 98 NHL legend Hull 100 Image in a group chat, perhaps 101 Runway figures 102 Hip-hop pioneer Kool __ Dee 103 Blue rep. 104 Lure 106 Prayer __ 107 Airport areas with extra amenities 111 Muse of poetry 113 Self-involved 115 Shop displays of long skirts? 117 Contract addition 118 Ruse 119 Media coverage 120 “Heat” director

Michael 121 “I need it now!” 122 Rational 123 Normandy landing time 124 Round-about figs.? down 1 Image in a group chat, perhaps 2 Busy spot at Thanksgiving 3 “Wheel of Fortune” creator Griffin 4 Up, in Spanish 5 Perfectly timed 6 Short ways to go? 7 “__ seen enough” 8 Cap company 9 Org. that regulates pesticides 10 Chihuahua neighbor 11 “Affirmative” 12 Ming who hosts the cooking show “Simply Ming” 13 Camouflaged 14 National park near Bar Harbor 15 Largest island in French Polynesia 16 Sandbox toy 19 Burros 21 Wee 23 Go up and down 28 The Texas __: nonprofit media company 30 “Nerd __!” 34 Liters and meters 36 Nashville awards org. 37 Polish layer 38 “Heaven” singer Parks 39 Summon 40 Measuring __ 41 Laugh syllable 42 Closed for business 44 Totally right 48 “Let’s get together” 49 Lovelace of computing

history 50 Room designs 51 Cries of wonder 52 Self-images 53 Cajun dish cooked with giblets 54 No charge 55 Like a martini with extra vermouth 58 Surrounded by 60 Ric of The Cars 62 Like many infield

goren Bridge

throws 65 Ski run vehicle 66 Peppermint candy shape 68 Some dolls 69 Spool 71 “Bang!” 72 Moving staircase 73 Elle Woods’ dog 75 Apple platform 78 Called someone out, perhaps 80 Tech coverage site 81 Awards quartet 84 Fernando Tatís

wuzzLes

97 Home of 5-Across 98 Session 99 File menu choice 102 Like green logs 105 Some post-series interviewees, for short 107 Kudrow of “The Comeback” 108 Little pest 109 Writer Ferber 110 IDs on blue cards 112 Lunar festival in Vietnam

114 Dec. 31 116 Marked (out)

super Quiz Take this Super Quiz to a Ph.D. Score 1 point for each correct answer on the Freshman Level, 2 points on the graduate Level and 3 points on the Ph.D. Level.

Difficult defense

Today’s deal is from a team match in an important American tournament. Three no-trump failed at the other table, but Joe Grue at this table made it. West at both tables led the queen of clubs. South won, cashed the ace of diamonds, and led the jack of diamonds. Both West players took the king of diamonds, cashed one high club to test the suit, and shifted to the jack of hearts. Declarer at the other table covered with dummy’s queen, but he ended up a trick short. Grue played low from dummy on the heart shift, took his ace and cashed two diamond winners. This was the position: NORTH ♠KJ5 ♥Q ♦5 ♣8 WEST EAST ♠73 ♠ Q 10 9 8 ♥ 10 8 ♥K9 ♦ Void ♦ Void ♣Q9 ♣ Void SOUTH ♠A4 ♥43 ♦ Void ♣ 10 6 Grue had taken five tricks at this point and the defense two. He cashed the five of diamonds,

Jr., for one 86 Tattoo parlor supply 87 Astronaut Jemison 88 Tea holder 89 Strong feeling 92 Sliding volume controls 93 No longer interested 94 Best Western rival 95 Antelope with twisted horns 96 Losing streak

SUBJECT: MULTIPLE MARRIAGES (Example: Thrice married, she was a child star in “ET the Extra-Terrestrial.” Answer: Drew Barrymore.) FRESHMAN LEVEL 1. Her eight marriages included Richard Burton twice. Answer________ 2. He married Nicole Kidman in 1990 and Katie Holmes in 2006. Answer________ 3. This TV and radio host married eight times. Answer________ 4. Born in Budapest, her nine marriages included Conrad Hilton and George Sanders. Answer________ 5. He played Andy Hardy in 16 films and married eight times. Answer________

discarding a heart. East shed a spade and West discarded a heart. He had to keep both hearts and discard a spade. Grue cashed the ace of spades and led a heart. East won and cashed another heart but then had to lead a spade into dummy for nine tricks. Tannah Hirsch welcomes readers’ responses sent in care of this newspaper or to Tribune Content Agency inc., 2225 Kenmore Ave., Suite 114, Buffalo, Ny. 14207. E-mail responses may be sent to gorenbridge@ aol.com. © 2026 Tribune Content Agency

ANSWERS TO ALL PUZZLES ARE ON NEXT PAGE

GRADUATE LEVEL 6. Married six times, he acted in over 100 films, including “Some Like It Hot.” Answer________ 7. He won a Best Actor Academy Award for “Leaving Las Vegas.” Lisa Marie Presley was one of his five wives. Answer________

8. The signature song of this five-time married singer-songwriter was “The Gambler.” Answer________ 9. Her three husbands were Jonny Lee Miller, Billy Bob Thornton and Brad Pitt. Answer________ 10. Married seven times, he starred with Gene Wilder in “Silver Streak” and “Stir Crazy.” Answer________ PH.D. LEVEL 11. Her five marriages included Anthony Newley. She starred in the soap opera “Dynasty.” Answer________ 12. Married four times, this actress-singer played Sally Bowles in the musical “Cabaret.” Answer________ 13. Married four times, she interviewed every president from Nixon to Obama. Answer________ 14. Married four times, she rose to fame with roles in “Selena,” “Anaconda” and “The Cell.” Answer________ 15. One of her three husbands was Bruce Willis. She was the highest paid actress in 1995. Answer________

zodiaC SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) Avoid emotional conversations and dealing with people who don’t share your beliefs. Concentrate on being the best version of yourself and on unique ways you can have a positive impact on those you care about. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Concentrate on what’s available to you, and make your life better. Learn something new, and apply your skills in exciting ways. You have plenty to gain if you take the initiative. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Refuse to let others dictate how you spend

your time or money. Don’t tag along to something that doesn’t interest you. Pay attention to the people and projects you feel passionate about. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Pay attention. Refuse to let others interfere with your plans. Sign up for courses, events or activities that spark your interest or that help you become the best version of yourself. PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) Strive for greater security and pattern your lifestyle after a plan that helps you feel comfortable. Invest wisely, and structure a healthy lifestyle

that connects you with those who are on a similar path. ARIES (March 21-April 19) Take a moment to consider what’s next; do something that is purposeful and makes you feel good about yourself. Reach out. TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Look at every angle, address issues of concern and stick to the facts. Overreacting will be your downfall. If you let situations escalate, you will face a fierce opponent. GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Someone you help or work alongside will have an impact on what you choose to do in life. A change that leads to

learning, greater awareness and positive lifestyle changes will also lead to gratitude and happiness. CANCER (June 21-July 22) Address issues that have to do with your schedule, routine or contentment. Take a step forward, and reach out to those who are immersed in pastimes that interest you. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Take a moment, assess your situation and consider your options. Any form of embellishment will come back to haunt you. Stick to the facts and offer what’s appropriate. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Set boundaries and high standards, and carry

on. The best way to make the most of your time and experiences is to share your intentions, follow your heart and give those around you the same consideration. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Do what you do best. Express your ideas, and drum up interest in what you want to do next. Doors will open, and a chance to turn your dream into something tangible will sprout. The horoscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact. © 2026 by NEA, inc., dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication

dustin / by Steve Kelley & Jeff Parker

Answers to puzzles super quiz 1. Elizabeth Taylor. 2. Tom Cruise. 3. Larry King. 4. Zsa Zsa Gabor. 5. Mickey Rooney. 6. Tony Curtis. 7. Nicolas Cage. 8. Kenny Rogers. 9. Angelina Jolie. 10. Richard Pryor. 11. Joan Collins. 12. Liza Minnelli. 13. Barbara Walters. 14. Jennifer Lopez. 15. Demi Moore.

SCORING: 24 to 30 points — congratulations, doctor; 18 to 23 points — honors graduate; 13 to 17 points — you’re plenty smart, but no grind; 5 to 12 points — you really should hit the books harder; 1 point to 4 points — enroll in remedial courses immediately; 0 points — who reads the questions to you?

Cryptoquote Answer Saturday's Cryptoquote: The autumn road, the mellow wind that soothes the darkening shires. And laughter, and inn-fires. — Rupert Brooke

word GAme Answer mail mailer main male mane mare marine marl marlin meal mean menial merlin mien mile miler mine

miner mineral mire airmen alien amen amir anile anime nail name namer near lain lair lame lamer

lane lean learn liar lien lime limn line linear liner earl earn elan email emir rail rain

rale ramen ramie rani real realm ream rein remain renal rile rime

sudoKu Answer jumble Answer

Crossword Answers

jeFF mACnelly’s shoe / by Gary Brookins & Susie MacNelly

sCrAbble Answers

FoXtrot / by Bill Amend

wuzzles Answers

Ken Ken Answers

hidAto Answers