The Acadiana Advocate 09-05-2025

Tale of twocities

BY POET WOLFE and MARTHASANCHEZ

The Times-Picayune and Sun Herald

On aThursday morning, three regulars sit in cool darkness. Twoshoot pool, another sipsaCoorsLight.

The smell of cigarette smoke clings to walls and hangs in theair Turtle Landing Bar& Grill, tucked offU.S. 90 in Pearlington, Mississippi, was once lively,until Hurricane Katrina emptied the town and Louisiana laterclosed nearby bridges.

Now,20years after the storm, the isolation is heavier “Big time,” the bar’sowner JanyneCrapeau said, perched on abar stool.

Daylightbriefly seeps in as aman comes in from fishingfor bassinthe bayou andtakes aseatatthe bar. He orders aplate of red beans and rice. Beers, at $2.50 abottle, don’t keep Turtle Landing running. The food does. It’sthe only restaurant in town.

Twodecades after Katrina, Pearlington remains stranded. Unlike nearbytownsthatwererebuilt with the help of government aid, this one —unincorporated with no form of government—neverquite gaineda foothold.

BY MARK BALLARD Staff writer

Agingbuildings need majorrepairs

BY ASHLEY WHITE Staff writer

North Lafayette could see anew kindergarten through eighth grade school. School Board members Amy Trahan and Josh Edmond, alongside Lafayette Parish Superinten-

WASHINGTON In his strongest criticism to date, U.S.Sen.Bill Cassidy,who is the senatormost responsible forconfirming Robert F. Kennedy Jr., accused the nation’s health chief Thursday of preventing Americans from receiving COVID vaccinations. “I’m approaching this as adoctor,not as asenator.Iamconcerned about children’s health, seniors’ health, all of ourhealth,” Cassidy, R-BatonRouge, told Kennedy during araucous Senate Finance Committee hearing.

Agastroenterologist for 30 years before being elected, Cassidy promotes vaccinations as away to save lives, while Kennedy is perhaps the nation’sleading vaccine skeptic. Cassidy has said he supported Kennedy for confirmation after receiving apromise not to meddle with vaccination policies. Kennedy argues that he’sonly taken precautionary stepsuntil research is completeonwhether inoculations have serious side effects, such as causing autism. Newrules proposed by Kennedy have confused many,causingsomepharmacists to start requiring doctors’ prescriptions for the vaccination that fights COVID, Cassidy said.

NorthsideofLafayette couldget replacementK-8 school

dent FrancisTouchet Jr., hosted a meeting Wednesday night with the 100 Black Men of Greater Lafayette to talk about the possibility with community members.

“This is about making certain that we areembarking upon alegacy and future for our students and

residents here in north Lafayette,” Trahan said. Touchet said there is about $3 million in capital funds that can be bonded out.Withthe current interest rates, the district would be able to secure about $45 million for a new facility. The boardwill have to vote at itsSept. 18 meeting whether to dedicate thefunding forthe new school. It’sunclear whereanew facility would be built.

“You have my commitment as a superintendent that I’m going to do everything Ican to press this on,” Touchet said. “I have avision of this opening up in (2027/2028). Butwehave to get moving.” It would affect studentsatDr. Raphael BarancoElementary,J W. FaulkElementaryand Paul BreauxMiddle schools. Baranco wasbuilt in 1981,and Faulkand PaulBreaux werebuilt in 1958. The schools have nothad much

investment in the past and are in needofmajorrepairs.Paul Breaux Middle Principal TiaTrahan said staffhas worked to make theschool morepresentable,but it’snot enough. “Itisstill in deplorableconditions. It’snot aplace where Iwould wantmychild or any child to go to school,” she said. “Weneed to do better as adistrict forour kids.”

Northwestern University president to resign Northwestern University President Michael Schill said Thursday that he will resign, ending a three-year tenure marked by the freeze of hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding by the Trump administration and heated criticism from House Republicans over the university’s response to campus protests. The funding freeze and uncertainty over its finances contributed to Northwestern’s decision to lay off around 200 people over the summer In a statement announcing his resignation, Schill acknowledged the pressure from the White House.

“It is critical that we continue to protect the University’s research mission and excellence while preserving academic freedom, integrity, and independence,” he said.

Northwestern emerged as a prominent target of President Donald Trump’s campaign to reshape elite colleges he has derided as hotbeds of liberalism and antisemitism. In April, the administration froze $790 million in federal funding for the private school in Evanston, Illinois, one of dozens of colleges under investigation over claims they did not do enough to protect Jewish students.

During the wave of pro-Palestinian protests in spring 2024, Northwestern drew ire from conservatives over an agreement it struck with demonstrators to take down their encampment. In exchange, Northwestern pledged to reestablish an advisory committee on university investments and made other commitments.

Schill defended the arrangement during an appearance in May 2024 before a House committee investigating campus antisemitism.

Police kill man in burning Georgia house

LOCUST GROVE, Ga. Police in an Atlanta suburb say they shot and killed a man inside a burning house early Thursday then found a woman dead with burns and rescued two other women and a child who were inside a bedroom.

Officers responded around

3:40 a.m. to a report of a house

fire with people trapped inside, Locust Grove Police Chief Derrick Austin said. They broke through the back door and found Stefan Lee, 29, wielding a large knife. Lee refused commands to drop the knife, police said, before officers fired a Taser and a bean bag shotgun, which were both ineffective

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation says Lee then rushed at officers with the knife and officers shot Lee He died before he could be taken to a hospital.

Firefighters who were putting out the fire in an upstairs bedroom found Jazzlyn Philips, 26, dead with burns there It is not clear what caused her death.

Officers found the three others, who had locked themselves in a second bedroom. Police escorted them safely outside.

Man passes out ice cream on Colo. peak

DENVER Hikers who climbed a Colorado mountain got more than just a sweeping view at the top. A man in an ice cream cone costume unexpectedly was handing out frozen treats.

No one seemed to know the man who carried ice cream sandwiches and bars and dry ice in a 60-pound pack up Huron Peak over the Labor Day weekend. But word of him spread quickly to hikers still making their way up the more than 14,000-foot mountain that’s one of Colorado’s tallest.

Blaine and Katie Griffin were about three-quarters of the way up Huron Peak when other hikers told them about the man. They worried he would run out of ice cream by the time they got there.

“Eventually we got up to the top of the mountain and, tired, hot, thirsty and didn’t know it, but ice cream was just kind of what we wanted,” Blaine Griffin said

He and his wife enjoyed their ice cream sandwiches, which still were surprisingly very cold with some leftover pizza they carried with them.

Trump’s order to impose federal law enforcement in the nation’s capital on Aug. 28 in Washington.

D.C. suit challenges Guard deployment

BY LINDSAY WHITEHURST and GARY FIELDS Associated Press

WASHINGTON The District of Columbia on Thursday challenged President Donald Trump’s use of the National Guard in Washington, asking a federal court to intervene even as he plans to send troops to other cities in the name of driving down crime

Brian Schwalb, the district’s elected attorney general, said in a lawsuit that the deployment, which now involves more than 1,000 troops, is an illegal use of the military for domestic law enforcement.

“No American jurisdiction should be involuntarily subjected to military occupation,” Schwalb wrote.

The White House said deploying the Guard to protect federal assets and assist law enforcement is within Trump’s authority as president

“This lawsuit is nothing more than another attempt — at the detriment of D.C. residents and visitors — to undermine the President’s highly successful operations to stop violent crime in D.C.,” spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said.

Members of the D.C. National Guard have had their orders extended through December, according to a Guard official.

While that does not necessarily mean all those troops will serve that long, it is a strong indication that their role will not wind down soon.

The Republican president has credited the weekslong surge in Washington with reining in crime and said he plans to send the National Guard into Chicago and Baltimore, despite staunch opposition in those Democrat-led cities. In the nation’s capital, Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, has backed up some of Trump’s claims that crime is down during the takeover Still, data shows and critics argue that crime was already falling before the surge

Bowser said Thursday that her focus is on preparing for when the emergency ends, which under the law would be Sept. 10, unless Congress extends it. In the order she issued this week, that preparation centered on how the District could best coordinate with and communicate with

the federal law enforcement agencies that will likely remain in contact with the city’s citizens.

A federal judge in California ruled on Tuesday that Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops to Los Angeles after protests over immigration raids in June was illegal. It does not directly apply to Washington, where the president has more control over the Guard than in states.

Several GOP-led states have added National Guard troops to the ranks of those patrolling the streets and neighborhoods of the nation’s capital.

Schwalb’s filing contends the deployment also violates Washington’s Home Rule Act, signed by President Richard Nixon in 1973, and wrongly asserts federal control over units from other states.

The lawsuit is the second from Schwalb — whose office is separate from Washington’s federal U.S. attorney, a presidential appointee against the Trump administration since Trump asserted control over the city’s police department and sent in the Guard Those actions have been met with protests from some residents.

Violent crime has been an issue in the capital for years, though data showed it was on the decline when Trump intervened with an executive order on Aug. 11.

Bowser has pointed to a steep drop in offenses such as carjackings since it began, while also expressing reservations about the use of the Guard from other states.

There are clear divides between some D.C. Council members and Bowser, whom critics have accused of acquiescing to the administration.

Speaking at a Free DC “Federal Forces Out Now” news conference on Capitol Hill, one council member, Robert White, said his own young daughters do not see the military personnel and officers as protectors.

“They are here to catch them, to condemn them, to take away their rights,” he said.

White said when history is written about this moment “we will have to justify what we did and did not do I’m not prepared to say that I capitulated. I’m prepared to stay the course. I’m not prepared to say I went along to get along.”

Investigators seek cause of Lisbon streetcar crash

16 people killed, 21 injured

BY BARRY HATTON and SUMAN NAISHADHAM Associated Press

LISBON, Portugal Investigators sifted through the wreckage of a streetcar in downtown Lisbon on Thursday, trying to determine why the popular tourist attraction derailed during the busy summer season, killing 16 people and injuring 21, five of them seriously Portugal’s attorney-general’s office said eight victims have been identified so far: five Portuguese, two South Koreans and a Swiss person. There is “a high possibility,” based on recovered documents and other evidence, that the victims also include two Canadians, one American, one German and one Ukrainian, according to the head of the national investigative police, Luís Neves. Three remain to be identified.

Among the injured are Spaniards, Israelis, Portuguese, Brazilians, Italians and French people, the executive director of Portugal’s National Health Service, Álvaro Santos Almeida, said.

The nationalities appeared to confirm suspicions that the Elevador da Gloria was packed with tourists as well as locals when it came off its rails during the evening rush hour Wednesday Lisbon hosted around 8.5 million tourists last year, and long lines of people typically form for the streetcar’s short and picturesque trip a few hundred meters up and down

Police officers inspect the site Thursday where a tourist streetcar derailed and crashed in Lisbon, Portugal.

a city street. “This tragedy goes beyond our borders,” Prime Minister Luis Montenegro said at his official residence, calling it “one of the biggest tragedies of our recent past.” Portugal observed a national day of mourning Thursday Montenegro, Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and Lisbon Mayor Carlos Moedas were among the hundreds of people who attended a somber Mass at Lisbon’s imposing Church of Saint Dominic on Thursday evening. Many of the stricken attendees were dressed in black, some embraced, and others carried flowers into the majestic candlelit sanctuary

In his sermon, the city’s archbishop, Patriarch Rui I of Lisbon, talked of how humans have faith in machines but in this instance, the streetcar betrayed that trust.

Palestinian death toll passes 64,000, health officials say

BY WAFAA SHURAFA and KAREEM CHEHAYEB Associated Press

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip

More than 64,000 Palestinians have been killed in the nearly two-year war in the Gaza Strip, local health officials said Thursday, as Hamas and Israel reiterated their incompatible demands for ending the fighting sparked by the militant group’s 2023 attack.

Israeli strikes killed 28 people, mostly women and children, overnight and into Thursday according to hospitals, as Israel pressed ahead with its offensive in famine-stricken Gaza City

Brig Gen. Effie Defrin, the military spokesman, said Israeli forces control 40% of the city and that the operation would expand “in the coming days.”

In the occupied West Bank, Israelis established a new settlement in a Palestinian city according to an anti-settlement monitoring group.

The latest strikes came as Israeli troops were operating in parts of Gaza City with plans to take over all of it. The most populous Palestinian city is home to around a million people many of whom have already been displaced multiple times.

Shifa Hospital in Gaza City received 25 bodies, including nine children and six women, after Israeli strikes hit tents housing displaced people, according to hospital records. Among those killed was a 10-day-old baby

Another three people were killed in southern Gaza, according to Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis.

Maha Afana said the strikes woke her up in the middle of the night as she slept in a tent in Gaza City with her children. When she checked on them she found the bodies of her son and daughter drenched with blood. “I started screaming,” she said.

Associated Press footage of thev aftermath showed charred tents and debris.

The sound of further Israeli bombardment echoed in the background.

“What did those children do to the state of Israel? They didn’t carry a knife or artillery They were just sleeping,” said Hayam Basous, who lost a relative in the strike.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military, which says it only targets militants and tries to avoid harming civilians. It blames civilian deaths on Hamas, saying militants are entrenched in denselypopulated areas.

Gaza’s Health Ministry said that 64,231 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the war The latest update includes around 400 who were presumed missing but whose deaths it says have been confirmed.

The ministry doesn’t say how many of those killed in the war were militants or civilians. It says women and children make up around half the dead.

The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals. Its figures are seen as a reliable estimate of wartime deaths by U.N. agencies and many independent experts. Israel has disputed them without providing its own toll.

Hamas-led militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 251 people in their attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

Hamas released a statement late Wednesday saying that it was open to returning all 48 hostages it still holds — around 20 of them believed by Israel to be alive — in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, a lasting ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from all of Gaza, the opening of border crossings and a start to the daunting challenge of rebuilding Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office dismissed the offer as “spin” and said that the war would continue until all the hostages are returned, Hamas is disarmed and Israel has full security control of the territory, with civilian administration delegated to others.

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Trumpcalls forjusticestorulehis tariffsare legal

Presidentclaims

U.S. wouldbeon ‘brink of economic catastrophe’ if they’renot upheld

BY LINDSAYWHITEHURST and MARK SHERMAN Associated Press

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump is seekinga swift and definitive decision on tariffs from the Supreme Court that he helped shape, saying the countrywould be on “the brinkofeconomic catastrophe” withoutthe import taxes he has imposed on U.S. rivals and allies alike.

The administration used near-apocalyptic terms that are highly unusual in Supreme Court filings as it asked the justices late Wednesday to intervene and reverse an appeals court ruling that foundmostof Trump’stariffs are an illegal use of an emergency powers

law. The tariffs remain in place, for now.

The case comes to acourt that has so far been reluctant to check Trump’sextraordinary flexof executive power. One big questioniswhether thejustices’ own expansive view of presidential authority allows for Trump’stariffs without the explicit approval of Congress, which theConstitutionendowswith the powerover tariffs. Three of thejusticesonthe conservative-majority court were nominatedbyTrump in his first term

The tariffs and their erratic rollout have shakenglobal markets, alienatedU.S. tradingpartners and allies, and raisedfears of higherprices and slowereconomicgrowth.

But theRepublican president has also used the trade penaltiestopressurethe European Union, Japan and others into acceptingnew deals. Revenue from tariffstotaled $159 billionbylateAugust, more than double what it was at the same point ayear earlier.

DOJprobesmortgage fraudclaimsagainst Cook,sourcesays

By The Associated Press

WASHINGTON

TheJustice Department has begun examining mortgage fraud allegations against Lisa Cook,the FederalReserve governor who is challenging aTrumpadministration effort to remove her from her job in amove she says is designed to erode the central bank’sindependence.

Investigators haveissued subpoenas as part of an inquiry into Cook that was spawned by acriminal referral from the country’s top housing regulator,according to aperson familiar with the matter who was not authorized to discuss the probeand spokeoncondition of anonymity to The Associated Press.

AJustice Department spokesperson declinedto comment on the inquiry, which was earlier reported by The Wall Street Journal.

“Predictably and recognizing the flaws in chal-

lenging their illegal firing of Governor Cook, the administrationisscrambling to invent new justifications for its overreach.ThisJustice Department —perhaps the most politicizedin American history—will do whatever President Trump demands,” Cook’s lawyer, Abbe DavidLowell, said in astatement.

News of theinvestigation comes amid ahigh-stakes legal fight over President Donald Trump’sannouncement last month that he was ousting Cook, an action she says is being undertaken so that he canseize control over acentral banktypically shielded from political pressure andtasked with making decisions about whether to raise or lower interest rates.

Trump movedtofire Cook on Aug. 25 after one of his appointeesalleged that she committed mortgage fraud related to two properties she purchased in 2021, before shejoined the Fed.

NewYorkAGaskscourt

PresidentDonald Trumpisseeking

decisionontariffsfrom

ruled

Raising the stakes even higher, SolicitorGeneral D. JohnSauer urgedthe Supreme Courttodecide in a week’stime whether to hear the caseand hold arguments thefirst week of November That is far faster than the pace of the typical Supreme Court case.

“The President and his Cabinet officials have deter-

minedthat thetariffsare promoting peace andunprecedented economic prosperity,and that the denial of tariff authoritywould expose our nation to traderetaliation without effective defenses andthrustAmerica back to thebrink of economic catastrophe,” Sauer wrote. He wrote that it is notjust trade thatisatissue,but also

the nation’sability to reduce the flow of fentanyl andefforts to end Russia’swar against Ukraine

The tariffs will almost certainly remainineffect until afinal ruling from the SupremeCourt. But the Republican administration nevertheless calledonthe high court to intervene quickly and reverse the rulingfrom the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

“That decision casts apall of uncertainty uponongoing foreign negotiations that the Presidenthas beenpursuing through tariffs over the past fivemonths, jeopardizing both already negotiated framework dealsand ongoing negotiations,”Sauer wrote. “The stakes in this case could not be higher.”

The filing cites not only Trump but also the secretaries of the departments of Treasury,Commerce and State in support of the urgent need for the justices to step in.

“The recentdecisionbythe Federal Circuit is already

adverselyaffecting ongoing negotiations,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent wrote. The stakes are also high for small businesses battered by tariffs and uncertainty,said Jeffrey Schwab, senior counsel and director of litigation at theLibertyJusticeCenter

“These unlawful tariffs are inflicting serious harm on small businesses and jeopardizing their survival. We hope for apromptresolution of this case forour clients,” he said. Thebusinesses have twice prevailed, once at afederal court focused on trade andagain withthe appeals court’s7-4 ruling. Their lawsuit is one of several challenging the tariffs. Most judges on the Federal Circuit found that the 1977 International Emergency EconomicPowers Act, or IEEPA, does notallowTrump to usurp congressional power to set tariffs.The dissenters, though, said the gives the president the power to regulate importation during emergencies without explicit limitations.

Courtstops ‘Alligator Alcatraz’wind-down

By The Associated Press

ORLANDO,Fla. Afederal appeals courtpanel on Thursday put on holda lower court judge’sorder to end operations indefinitely at theimmigrationdetention center in the Florida Evergladesdubbed“Alligator Alcatraz.”

The three-judge panel in Atlanta decidedbya 2-1 votetostay thefederal judge’s orderpending the outcome of an appeal,sayingitwas in thepublicinterest. The ruling will allow the facilitytocontinueholding detainees forthe time being.

U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams in Miami issued apreliminary injunction last monthordering operations at the facilityto be wound down by the end of October,withdetainees transferred to other facilities andequipmentand fencing removed Williams’decision was issuedinresponsetoa lawsuit brought by Friends of the Everglades, theCenter for Biological Diversity and the Miccosukee Tribe, who ac-

to reinstate Trump’smassive civilfraud penalty

By The Associated Press

NEW YORK New York’s attorney general moved Thursday to have the state’s highest court reinstate President Donald Trump’s staggering civil fraudpenalty,appealing alower-court decision that slashed the potential half-billion-dollar fine to $0.

Attorney General Letitia James’ office filed anotice of appeal with the state’sCourt

of Appeals, seeking to reverse the midlevel Appellate Division’sruling lastmonth that thepenalty violated the U.S.Constitution’sban on excessivefines.

atrial court’sfindingthathe committedfraud by padding his wealth on financial paperwork given to banks and insurers.

cused the state andfederal defendants of not following federal law requiring an environmentalreview for the detention center in the middle of sensitive wetlands.

“This is aheartbreaking blow to America’sEvergladesand every living creature there, but thecase isn’t even closetoover,” Elise Bennett, asenior attorney at theCenterfor Biological Diversity,said Thursday Republican Gov.Ron DeSantis’ administration in late June raced to build the facility on an isolated airstrip surrounded by wetlands to aid President Donald Trump’sefforts to deportpeople in the U.S. illegally.The governor said the locationinthe rugged andremote Everglades was

meantasadeterrentagainst escape, much like the island prison in California that Republicans named it after

Trump toured the facility in July and suggested it could be amodel for future lockups nationwide as his administration pushesto expand the infrastructure needed to increase deportations.

DeSantis said on social media Thursday,after the appellate panel issuedits ruling, that claims that the facility’sshutdownwere imminent werefalse.

“Wesaid we would fight that. We said themission would continue,” DeSantis said. “SoAlligatorAlcatraz is in fact, like we’ve always said, open forbusiness.”

The Department of Home-

land Security calledThursday’sruling “a win for the American people, the rule of law and common sense.”

“This lawsuit was never about the environmental impacts of turning adeveloped airport into adetention facility,”DHS said in astatement. “It has and will always be about open-borders activists andjudgestrying to keeplaw enforcement from removing dangerous criminalaliens fromour communities, full stop.” The state and federal government defendants appealedWilliams’ ruling, asking that it be put on hold. The state of Florida said in court papers this week that it planned to resumeaccepting detainees at the facility if the stay wasgranted.

Dream Address Awaits

James, aDemocrat, had previouslysaid she would appeal.

Trump declared “TOTAL VICTORY” after theAppellate Division wipedawayhis fine, but thefive-judge panel left other punishments in placeand narrowlyendorsed

Trump, aRepublican,filed his own appeal last week, asking theCourtofAppeals to throwout those other punishments, which include amultiyear banonhim and his two eldestsons, Eric and DonaldTrump Jr., from holding corporate leadership positions in New York.

The few businesses, fading population and grassy, vacant lots point to an uneven recovery along the Mississippi Coast.

Pearlington’s only school was washed away and never rebuilt. There is no hospital or emergency room, forcing residents to drive elsewhere for care, including Crapeau, who was diagnosed with throat cancer and makes the 45-minute trip to Gulfport every three weeks for chemotherapy.

Public buildings are scarce: a library, a community center and a volunteer fire department are all that remain.

After the storm, volunteers and church groups trickled into Pearlington while much of the aid was concentrated in other areas. Residents were faced with a choice: to rebuild or leave. Most fled to nearby towns with better outcomes.

Bay St. Louis, 17 miles away, was one of them.

Katrina battered Bay St. Louis destroying half the city’s homes, blowing out the bridge that connects it to Pass Christian and decimating the population. The downtown area, once busy, was essentially flattened to a blank slate.

Recovery was a yearslong effort sustained by an outpouring of assistance from the government, volunteers and locals who stayed. Public buildings, roadways and vital bridges were eventually repaired and replaced by federal money By 2013, new developers were flocking to downtown as longtime business owners rebuilt.

Today, the ghost of Katrina’s devastation is hard to find in most parts of Bay St. Louis. In Pearlington, though, it lingers just about everywhere.

A storm-battered town

The two-lane road to Pearlington cuts through dense woods and bayous. The old river town boomed with newcomers in the 1960s, when NASA commandeered a swath of Hancock County and displaced nearby villages to build the Stennis Space Center

Now the streets are quiet

But signs of the past endure.

A man wearing a faded NASA T-shirt rides a rumbling lawn mower through his yard A CocaCola delivery truck pulls past sunbleached gas pumps to deliver sweet tea at the Rockets Express convenience store.

Down the road, Elbert Walters swivels in a desk chair at his auto body and paint shop and calls himself one of the “real die-hards.” His family arrived in Pearlington six decades ago with the influx ousted by NASA. After Katrina, he rebuilt his shop with salvaged wood. Walters wears a plaid shirt and camouflage baseball cap embroidered with the words “Amazing Grace.” He studies black-andwhite photographs on his wall and considers the changes.

“All this history,” he said, “seems like it got washed away.”

Two decades after Katrina made its last landfall in Pearlington, the town has succeeded and struggled The county installed water and sewage systems, but low elevation drove up insurance costs. Volunteers rebuilt wood homes, but neighbors moved away Now the closure of several deteriorating bridges at the state line “has impacted me more than Katrina,” Crapeau said. “They ought to fix the damn highway.” Pearlington’s story might have gone differently Tim Kellar, a longtime county leader and for-

mer chancery clerk, said he got calls after the storm from investors as far away as California. They wanted to buy the whole town.

But most die-hards wouldn’t sell. Locals say the neighbors who have left Pearlington for higher ground are usually from somewhere else.

Speaking by phone last week from a county government office built with FEMA money, Tax Assessor Jimmie Ladner carefully described the place where he hunted and fished as a boy

“The problem,” Ladner began, then he paused. “I hate using the term problem.”

“Part of the issue,” he said, “is the isolation.”

A town reborn

On Friday, the anniversary of Katrina, Nikki Moon sits in her Bay St Louis home and remembers that day 20 years ago. When the storm hit, she clung to a bald oak with her Scottish terrier and three guests from her bed-andbreakfast, Bay Town Inn. Today, that tree still stands by the inn. Carved into its branches are two angels, one facing the water and another looking toward Beach Boulevard lined with busy seafood restaurants and palm trees rustling in the breeze.

Even on its slower days, the town’s rebirth is unmistakable.

On the corner of Main Street and Beach Boulevard, a couple walks into Pearl Hotel with rolling luggage. A few blocks away, in Mockingbird Cafe, a group of locals sit at a table and talk about how Bay St. Louis has transformed in the last decade.

“It is a community that came back very strongly,” Moon said, “And its people are really something special.”

Several businesses, including Bay Town Inn began reopening on Beach Boulevard in 2013. Moon had applied for a $150,000 grant from the Hancock County Chamber of Commerce, which she said gave her “the seed money” to rebuild her bed-and-breakfast. The county’s tourism office also provided funds for advertising.

“We had no roads We had no water We had no power,” Moon said.

“Our infrastructure was starting from scratch. The city and the county had to raise the money.”

Bay St. Louis slowly came back to life, regaining its pre-Katrina identity as a quaint art colony and weekend retreat for New Orleanians.

Moon sold the inn in 2022 to Jim MacPhaille, a New Orleans developer who owns a restaurant and several other businesses in Bay St. Louis. A decade earlier, he had already seen the town’s potential. In 2013, MacPhaille purchased

two buildings on Main Street. Despite its damaged infrastructure and lack of tourism, he recognized how Bay St. Louis was “eager to get things done” as storm recovery in New Orleans lagged.

But still, “business was tough,” MacPhaille said. “Back then, they were barely making it. We had like three or four tenants roll in and out.”

In 2018, he opened two New Orleans staples — PJ’s Coffee and Creole Creamery — in his two buildings on Main Street. Today that once-empty corridor is filled with new boutiques and restaurants. There’s little trace of the blight Katrina left behind.

Signs of hope Even in Bay St Louis, the story of recovery extends beyond downtown.

A few blocks away in the Depot District, new restaurants, boutiques and other businesses have opened across from the Amtrak train station, where Bay St. Louis is a stop along the Mardi Gras Service from New Orleans to Mobile. In other parts of the city, new subdivisions are emerging with houses and condos.

Bay St Louis also keeps growing in population. According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, it’s grown faster than any other city across the Mississippi Coast in the last four years. At over 11,000 people, it’s the only coastal city in the state to surpass its pre-Katrina population.

In Pearlington, the population has steadily increased in the last two decades, but is still far from its pre-Katrina numbers. Census data from 2000 shows the population was just above 1,600. In 2020, there were 1,100 people living in Pearlington.

Despite the population shift, many locals have stayed loyal to their homes on the bayou, surrounded by marshes and oak trees that tunnel over country roads. Crapeau said she sold Turtle Landing before the bridges closed, then the buyer backed out. She had plans to retire and step away from a restaurant that brought people together after the storm. But for now, she’s still at her bar stool, welcoming guests to her bar and grill.

She’s proud of what she’s built in Pearlington, pointing to a framed newspaper front page featuring Turtle Landing.

Walters is not sure he could rebuild after another storm. But he does not want to leave the quiet community where his family has lived for generations.

“It’s home,” he said. “It’s just home.”

Email Poet Wolfe at poet. wolfe@theadvocate.com

CASSIDY

Continued from page 1A

“I would say, effectively, we’re denying people vaccines,” Cassidy said.

Kennedy replied, “You’re wrong.”

A congressional shouting match

The Senate Finance Committee called in Kennedy, the secretary for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, to discuss his “Make America Healthy Again” program.

But the hearing quickly turned into shouting matches between the health secretary on one side and Democratic senators, several of whom called for Kennedy’s resignation. Some Republican senators also raised sharp questions about Kennedy’s policies.

Kennedy has laid off thousands of agency personnel; recommended a 33%, or $31.3 billion reduction, in funding for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1; fired the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which spurred an exodus of other top staff; recommended vaccination limits; and canceled $500 million for research of mRNA vaccines.

“It seems like an incredible waste of money,” Cassidy said of canceling mRNA projects that were already underway “It also seems like a commentary upon what the president was attempting, what the president did, in Operation Warp Speed, which is to create a platform by which to create vaccines.”

Republicans and Democrats alike say a signature achievement of President Donald Trump’s first administration was the quick development of a COVID vaccine during the pandemic, which had forced schools and businesses close. Trump relieved private pharmaceutical companies of certain regulations and distributed grants to jump-start development of a vaccine using the mRNA platform.

“President Trump deserves a Nobel Prize for Operation Warp Speed because of Operation Warp Speed, forcing the federal government to come to a vaccine development within 10 months when others said it couldn’t be done,” Cassidy said.

“We saved millions of lives globally, trillions of dollars. We reopened the

economy — incredible accomplishment.”

Kennedy agreed — but not just for getting a viable vaccine so quickly He also praised Trump for not limiting possible alternatives and for not requiring people to be vaccinated. Kennedy later said that COVID’s properties keep changing.

“I can’t tell where you are on Operation Warp Speed,” said Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C.

Cassidy also raised questions about Kennedy’s handling of a civilian panel called the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, or ACIP, that make recommendations to the CDC on what vaccines to use on whom and when they should inoculate.

Kennedy in June forced the retirement of all 17 ACIP members, made up of physicians and scientists knowledgeable about vaccinations, and named eight new members — including some who have used conservative media platforms to voice skepticism about vaccines. Cassidy specifically pointed to new members who had been hired to provide expert testimony in antivaccine lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies.

“That seems like a conflict,” Cassidy said.

Kennedy replied, “It may be a bias and that bias if disclosed is OK but it’s not a financial bias. It’s not a financial conflict.”

“It surprises me that you think so highly of Operation Warp Speed when as an attorney you attempted to restrict access,” Cassidy said. Ongoing tensions

More than any other senator, Cassidy is responsible for confirming Kennedy, one of Trump’s most controversial cabinet nominees. As chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, Cassidy’s endorsement helped persuade some senators who were cautious about promoting such a prominent vaccine skeptic to lead the nation’s health agency

Cassidy faces at least three conservatives in his campaign for reelection next year who are angry over his vote to convict Trump on impeachment charges stemming from the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.

Email Mark Ballard at mballard@theadvocate.com.

SCHOOL

Continued from page 1A

Some community members had questioned how the board decided on a middle school versus a high school. They also were concerned about preserving the history of Paul Breaux Middle.

The possibility of new school buildings in north Lafayette was first floated last fall as part of a series of optimization proposals from a district-hired strategic planner

The planner suggested moving Paul Breaux Middle to the Northside High property and creating two new buildings, one for sixth through eighth graders and one for

Superintendent Francis Touchet Jr responds to concerns Wednesday at a meeting to provide updates on a school planned for District 4 at the Downtown Convention Center

ninth through 12th. However, the board rejected other proposals for consolidation and closures, which meant they would not have the funding necessary for the change. A last-minute pitch to close Paul Breaux and turn Northside High into a 6-12 facility received strong public opposition because it would place older students in one facility with little separation. The district recently secured $61.5 million in bonds for renovations and wing additions at Judice Middle, L.J. Alleman Middle and Acadiana High. Those schools have long been on a list for replacement and repairs.

Email Ashley White at ashley white@theadvocate.com.

26 countries would join Ukraine reassurance force

Macron says nations pledged troops for after war ends

BY ILLIA NOVIKOV and SAMUEL PETREQUIN Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine French President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday that 26 of Ukraine’s allies have pledged to deploy troops as a “reassurance force” for the wartorn country once fighting ends in the conflict with Russia. Macron spoke after a meeting in Paris of the so-called “coalition of the willing,” a group of 35 countries who support Ukraine. He said that 26 of the countries had committed to deploying troops in Ukraine or to maintaining a presence on land, at sea, or in the air — to help guarantee the country’s security the day after a ceasefire or peace is achieved.

Earlier Thursday, Macron and other European leaders met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the U.S. envoy for peace

talks, Steve Witkoff, to discuss ways of ensuring longterm military support and continued American backing for Ukraine once the conflict ends. Zelenskyy also held a closed-door meeting with Witkoff.

Macron said at a news conference alongside Zelenskyy that the reassurance force “does not have the will or the objective of waging war against Russia,” but will aim “to prevent any new major aggression and to involve the 26 states very clearly in the lasting security of Ukraine.”

Though details of any U.S. participation in the security guarantees remain unclear, both Macron and Zelenskyy said Washington had expressed willingness to be part of the plan, and the Ukrainian president said he was grateful about that. “As for in what format, I am not yet ready to tell you in detail,” Zelenskyy added.

“The planning work will be finalized with the United States,” Macron said.

Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who lead the “coalition of the willing,” previously have insisted that any European “re-

assurance” force in Ukraine needs the backing of the United States.

The European leaders — some of whom joined the meeting virtually — said Russian President Vladimir Putin must now work toward ending the fighting, and the German government suggested European sanctions on Russia would increase if Moscow drags its feet The European leaders also spoke by phone with U.S. President Donald Trump after their meeting.

Starmer’s office said the British prime minister “emphasized that the group had an unbreakable pledge to Ukraine, with President Trump’s backing, and it was clear they now needed to go even further to apply pressure on Putin to secure a cessation of hostilities.”

Finnish President Alexander Stubb told Finnish media that, in the phone conversation with European leaders, Trump emphasized the need to put economic pressure on Russia, and said Europe must

Fashion designer Giorgio Armani dies at 91

BY COLLEEN BARRY Associated Press

MILAN Giorgio Armani, the iconic Italian designer who turned the concept of understated elegance into a multibillion-dollar fashion empire, has died, his fashion house confirmed. He was 91. Armani died at home, the fashion house said. Armani, one of the most recognizable names and faces in the global fashion industry, missed Milan Fashion Week in June 2025 for the first time during the previews of SpringSummer 2026 menswear to recover from an undisclosed condition.

He was planning a major event to celebrate 50 years of his signature Giorgio Armani fashion house during Milan Fashion Week this month.

Armani, who maintained a firm grip on his empire and collections until the end, had been reluctant to discuss succession, but had announced a foundation as a succession tool to avoid his businesses being split up.

He also indicated the creative succession to Leo Dell’Orco and his niece Silvana Armani, who have headed the menswear and womenswear collections, respectively, for all Armani collections: Giorgio Armani, Emporio Armani and Armani Exchange.

Starting with an unlined jacket, a simple pair of pants and an urban palette, Armani put Italian ready-to-wear style on the international

fashion map in the late 1970s, creating an instantly recognizable relaxed silhouette that has propelled the fashion house for half a century

From the executive office to the Hollywood screen, Armani dressed the rich and famous in classic tailored styles, fashioned in supersoft fabrics and muted tones. His handsome black tie outfits and glittering evening gowns often stole the show on award season red carpets.

At the time of his death, Armani had put together an empire worth over $10 billion, which along with clothing included accessories, home furnishings, perfumes, cosmetics, books, flowers and even chocolates, ranking him in the world’s top 200 billionaires, according to Forbes.

The designer also owned several bars, clubs, restaurants and his own basketball team EA7 Emporio Armani Milan, better known as Olympia Milano. Armani opened more than than 20 restaurants from Milan to Tokyo since 1998 and two hotels, one in Dubai in 2009 and another in Milan, in 2010. Armani style began with Giorgio Armani himself, from the penetrating blue eyes framed in a permanent tan and early-age shock of silver hair to the trademark jeans and T-shirt work clothes and the minimalist decoration of his private homes.

Armani’s fashion vision was that of easygoing el-

egance where attention to detail made the difference.

“I design for real people. There is no virtue whatsoever in creating clothes and accessories that are not practical,” he liked to say when asked to identify his clientele.

In conversation, the designer’s disarming smile and exquisitely mild manners belied the tough businessman underneath, who was able to turn creative talent into a fashion empire worth over $10 billion. Never a merger nor a sale, Re Giorgio (King George) as the Italians call him, was always his own boss.

Born July 11, 1934, in Piacenza, a small town south of Milan, Armani dreamed of becoming a doctor before a part-time job as a window decorator in a Milan department store opened his eyes to the world of fashion.

In 1975, Armani and his partner Sergio Galeotti sold their Volkswagen for $10,000 to start up their own menswear ready-to-wear label. Womenswear followed a year later

The symbol of his new style was the liningless sports jacket, which was launched in the late 1970s and became an instant success from Hollywood to Wall Street. The designer paired the jacket with a simple T-shirt, an item of clothing he termed “the alpha and omega of the fashion alphabet.”

The Armani suit soon became a must in the closet

of the well-heeled man And for women, the introduction of the pantsuit in the executive workroom was all but revolutionary Dubbed the “power suit” with its shoulder-padded jacket and mantailored trousers, it became the trademark of the rising class of businesswomen in the 1980s.

Over the years Armani would soften the look with delicate detailing, luxurious fabrics and brighter shades for his basic beige and gray palette His insistence on pants and jackets led some critics to label his fashion “androgynous.”

stop buying Russian oil and gas that he said was funding the war Trump stressed that Russia received 1.1 billion euros in fuel sales from the EU in one year, according to a White House official. Trump also emphasized that European leaders must place economic pressure on China for indirectly funding Russia’s war efforts, according to the official, who was not authorized to comment publicly about the private talks and spoke on the condition of

anonymity

German government spokesman Stefan Kornelius said that German Chancellor Friedrich Merz laid out three “areas of action,” including working toward a summit that would include Zelenskyy, and “a ceasefire must be agreed there.”

“If the Russian side continues to play for time, Europe will increase the pressure of sanctions to increase the chances of a diplomatic solution,” the statement said.

The Ukrainian president said a meeting with Putin is needed. “This is not a matter of a desire, this is a matter of necessity,” Zelenskyy said. “We support any format, bilateral meeting, trilateral meeting, I believe that Russia does everything to defer it.”

There was no immediate reaction from Russian officials.

Putin — isolated by Western leaders but backed by China in his war effort said Wednesday that he believed “if common sense prevails, it is possible to agree on an acceptable option for ending the conflict,” adding that Trump has “a sincere desire” to reach a settlement.

BY MATTHEW LEE, REGINA GARCIA CANO and JACQUELYN MARTIN Associated Press

QUITO, Ecuador The United States is designating two Ecuadorian gangs as foreign terrorist organizations, marking the Trump administration's latest step to target criminal cartels in Latin America.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio made the announcement Thursday while in Ecuador as part of a trip to Latin America overshadowed by an American military strike against a similarly designated gang, Venezuela's Tren de Aragua. That attack has raised concerns in the region about what may follow as President Donald Trump's government pledges to step up military activity to combat drug trafficking and illegal migration.

“This time, we're not just going to hunt for drug dealers in the little fast boats and say, 'Let's try to arrest

them,’ ” Rubio told reporters in Quito, Ecuador's capital. “No, the president has said he wants to wage war on these groups because they've been waging war on us for 30 years and no one has responded. Los Lobos and Los Choneros are Ecuadorian gangs blamed for much of the violence that began during the COVID-19 pandemic. The terrorist designation, Rubio said, brings “all sorts of options” for Washington to work in conjunction with the government of Ecuador to crack down on these groups That includes the ability to kill them as well as take action against the properties and banking accounts in the U.S. of the group's members and those with ties to the criminal organizations, Rubio said. He said the label also would help with intelligence sharing. Los Choneros, Los Lobos and other similar groups are involved in contract killings, extortion operations and the movement and sale of drugs.

Authorities have blamed them for the increased violence in the country as they fight over drug-trafficking routes to the Pacific and control of territory, including within prisons, where hundreds of inmates have been killed since 2021.

The strike in the southern Caribbean has taken the attention on Rubio's trip, which included a stop in Mexico on Wednesday U.S. officials say the vessel's cargo was intended for the U.S. and that the strike killed 11 people, but they have yet to explain how the military determined that those aboard were Tren de Aragua members.

Rubio said U.S. actions targeting cartels were being directed more toward Venezuela, and not Mexico.

“There's no need to do that in many cases with friendly governments, because the friendly governments are going to help us,”

told

“They

and

Redrawn Abbeville districts criticized

Southern Poverty Law Center voices concerns over voting maps

BY STEPHEN MARCANTEL

Staff writer

The Abbeville City Council is redrawing its voting districts in response to a lawsuit filed by the Southern Poverty Law Center in 2023. The city may have corrected its lopsided populations across voting

districts However, it still fails to address the issue of racial gerrymandering by packing Black voters into a single district, Ahmed Soussi, senior staff attorney for the SPLC, said A new map, presented at the Tuesday council meeting, creates an average deviation of 0.57% across districts, a far cry from

previous maps that saw a swing as much as 19% from the city’s most and least populated districts.

Soussi, speaking at the meeting, commended the city’s efforts to get districts in line with one another, but argued the city had actually increased the Black voting population in District D, from 67% to 67.5%.

“What that is, is packing Black voters into one district, not allowing them the equal opportunity to influence the city and other districts We have been complaining about that to remind them that they have an obligation under the Constitution to not racially gerrymander But they were not interested in discussing that,”

Soussi said.

The city did not share the updated map with the SPLC or Vermilion Parish NAACP, he added, saying he was “disappointed” in the lack of transparency, and that the council’s move did not give residents time to consider the new map. The original lawsuit only aimed to tackle the issue of deviation between districts, not the alleged

ä See DISTRICTS, page 4B

Trial set for Oakdale man indicted in immigration case

Other charges include money laundering and bribery

A trial date has been set in the alleged immigration fraud and money laundering scheme that resulted in FBI sweeps across Louisiana, according to court documents from the Western District of Louisiana.

Chandrakant “Lala” Patel, an Oakdale businessman who owns a local fast food franchise and two convenience stores, was indicted in July along with former and current Louisiana law enforcement officials:

n Chad Doyle, Oakdale Police Chief

n Michael “Freck” Slaney, Oakdale City Marshal n Glynn Dixon, former Forest Hill Police

STRIKE UP THE BAND

Members of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette Pride of Acadiana marching band rehearse Wednesday, ahead of the Cajuns’ Saturday home football game against McNeese, on campus in Lafayette.

STAFF PHOTOS By LESLIE WESTBROOK

Legendary Cajun fiddler dies at 96

Vanicor cited as creator of ‘Lacassine sound’

BY JOANNA BROWN Staff writer

Born in Church Point in 1929, Ellis Vanicor’s Cajun sound would become indelibly linked with a little community smack in the middle of Jennings and Lake Charles — Lacassine.

A self-taught fiddler, Vanicor was an original member of the Lacassine Playboys, which formed in the 1940s with Vanicor, his brothers Orsy, Milton and Ivy, Jimmy Aguillard, and Iry and Asa Lejeune. He would play with the Lacassine Playboys, and other traditional Cajun bands, for the next 70 years. In the process, Vanicor became known for his fiddle style that exemplified the raucous fun of Cajun music. Ellis Vanicor died at the age of 96 on Sunday, Aug. 31 at his home in Lacassine. He had retired from the Lacassine Playboys and fiddling only six years before, at 90. Vanicor was known as a generous men-

PHOTO Lacassine Playboys fiddler and Cajun Music Hall of Fame member Ellis Vanicor,

died at age 96 on Aug. 31.

tor to younger musicians, in particular Lake Charles musician Chris Miller of the band Bayou Roots. In a Sept. 3 interview about Vanicor for the Lake Charles American Press, Miller attributed the

“Lacassine sound” to Vanicor and his brothers, calling it very rhythmic, joyous and designed to lure people to the dance floor Vanicor was in the Cajun Music Hall of Fame, and was a giant of the Cajun fiddle community Despite decades of music and collaborations on stages and recording studios, Vanicor was primarily known as a live performer The Lacassine Playboys recorded their first-ever CD in 2010, “Don’t Bury Me,” when Vanicor was 81 years old. It was a People’s Choice Award winner from the Cajun French Music Association. Vanicor’s accolades also included Fiddler of the Year and four Le Cajun Awards from the association. In addition to music and raising a family, Vanicor and his wife operated Vanicor’s Grocery in Lacassine for 23 years. According to his obituary, he was heavily involved with community and civic organizations, including helping to found Cajun Days, the Lacassine Volunteer Fire Department and the Lacassine Community Center

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

Cassidyshouldstepupto fighthighdrugprices

Down here in Louisiana, we’ve gotenough financial worries, especially after four years of Bideninduced inflation.

Yet, Louisianans also have to worry about prescription drug prices. Whether they are in Baton Rouge, Lafayette or Shreveport, folks know the feeling of showing up at the pharmacy,and even with insurance, the price makes your heart race.

Villere GUEST COLUMNIST

Americans pay the highest drug prices in the world

That’swhy many of us took notice when President Donald Trump issued an executive order last month directing his administration to deliver on his promise to

lower drug prices. With U.S.medications reaching eight times the prices abroad,thispolicy is commonsense. Butexecutive action can only go so far To meaningfully lower prices, Congress must act fast andfinish thejob. Luckily,STATNews recently reported that U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy is workingonabill to execute Trump’sreforms. It’sexactly thekind of conservative action that Louisiana families need,but there’ssomuch moreCassidy can do. He’s adoctor,and he knows what it’s like to sit across from patients who can’t afford their medication. Now,he’s in aposition to lead.

Oneplace Cassidy can look is another Trump-endorsed policy: Medicare drug price negotiation. Thanks to a2022 law,Medicare is finally allowed to negotiate lower prices for some of the most expensive drugs on the market. That first round of negotiations is expected to save 9million Americans $1.5 billion and slash Medicare spending by $6 billion by 2026. That’sbig news for Louisiana, where nearly 1in5folks rely on Medicare, and even struggle to afford their medications with Medicare. Of course, BigPharmaisthrowing everything it can in court to block these reforms.They want to keep prices high, even if that meansmore seniors splitting pills

La.leaders’support for oil, gaslawsuitsechoes blue statestrategies

It’sadark day for Louisiana conservatives when the state’stop law enforcement officer takes up the mantle for the left’sclimate lawfare agenda.

Attorney General Liz Murrill, elected with the promise of advancing President Donald Trump’s agenda, now sides with Democrat-aligned trial lawyers in an absurd campaign to pin the blame for Gulf Coast erosion on oil and gas producers operating in the state. In May,alocal jury returned a$745 million verdict against Chevron that the attorney general’soffice intervened in as athird-party plaintiff. And there are dozens of othersimilarcases pending.

and more working families skipping doses of drugs they need. Butthe Trumpadministration is thankfully defending Medicare price negotiationsincourt. We’ve seen how effectively these drug pricing reforms can work if done right. Now,Cassidy has achance at aone-two punch: expanding Medicare drug price negotiationsand codifying Trump’spolicy.One helps Medicare bargainfor better prices, and the other makes sure the U.S. is getting the sameprices as folks abroad. It’scommon sense.

Cassidy’staken the first step, but Louisianans don’twant halfmeasures. We’re not looking for headlines —we’re looking for results. That meansreal relief at

It seems harder than everfor Americans to find common ground. Political debates quickly turn into shouting matches, and too often, people stoplistening altogether

the pharmacy counter and real action against the companies that have been ripping us off for decades.

So let’ssee it through. Support Medicare negotiation. Pass Most Favored Nation legislation. Stand with President Trumpinfinally bringing someaccountability to Big Pharma.

Cassidy says he wants to fix what’sbroken in American health care, and there’snobetter place to start than with the price of medicine. Louisianans are ready Is he?

Roger Villere is aflorist and an elected member of the Louisiana Republican Executive Committee.

series, Pizza andPublic Affairs, will give LSU students the chance to hear directly fromleaderswho have built coalitions andbridgeddividestoget real things done

Milloy

The Louisiana land loss cases —now heading to the Supreme Court —are cut from the same cloth as the climate cases being litigated in deep blue states and municipalities across the country.Like those cases, the primary objective is extracting money,not fixing coastal erosion.

This isn’t“justice,” it’sashakedown. Left-wing trial lawyers —pocketing huge contingency fees —target companies like Chevron in order to destroy the oil and gas industry in theUnited States. To do this,they are rewriting history by blaming industry for century-old, government-made problems. And Murrill is playing right along.

The true story of Louisiana’scoast isn’tone of corporate villainy; it’sthe saga of the 1927 Mississippi River floods and the government’sresponse. After catastrophic floods, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built extensive levees and dikes to protect communities and farmland. This flood control infrastructure, necessary as it was, hampered the Mississippi’snatural delivery of silt tothe delta —sediment crucial for replenishing barrier islands and wetlands lost to natural erosion.

How much sediment are we talking?

In the late 1800s, as much as 750 million cubic feet of Mississippi silt reached the Gulf yearly —enough to bury asquare mile under 27 feet of earth. These vital deposits were systematically reduced by federal leveeing.

The scientific and historical realityis that without that silt, the coast subsides and erodes, independent of oil industry activity

Multiple university studies and even prior lawsuits by Louisiana politicians blamed not Chevron, but the very federal government whose flood control policies turned the Mississippi from alandbuilding powerhouse intoasilt-starved trickle.

In 1942, PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt issued awartime executive order establishing the Petroleum Administrationfor Wartohelp win WorldWar II. Oilproduction dramatically increased in Louisiana to comply withthe federal mandate maximizing petroleumproduction. The Louisiana State and Local Coastal Resources Management Act of 1980 further legitimized thewartime projects’ necessity and legitimacy,explicitly grandfathering them intothe permitting process.

Thisbayou shakedown isn’tjust legally suspect —it’seconomically destructive. The oil and gas industrycontributes $77.7 billion to thestate’s economy annually,representing 25% of the totalgross domestic product,and the industry supports 306,750 jobs, accounting for 15% of thestate’stotal employment. Taxrevenue from the energy sector made up morethan 20% —or$3.48 billion—ofthe state’s2024 fiscal year budget, helping to fund public education, Medicaid, public safety and yes, environmental and natural resources. Theirony is biting. Lessthan ayear after Chevron abandoned California’spunitive climate regime, thecompany faces echo-chamber litigation in the supposedly “red” state of Louisiana. Republican Gov. Jeff Landry and Murrill’sjoint prosecution agreements with trial lawyer and Democrat megadonor John Carmouche risk billions in new Louisiana energy investments. Energy producersare not going to invest in projectsthat invitejunk science lawsuits. But at least Landry has some good news:Carmouche donated $300,000 tohis super PACduring his last campaign, and his law firm gave $25,000 to Murrill’ssuper PACin2024. If these baseless lawsuits succeed, the only winners will be theleft-wing trial lawyers and liberal moneyed interests who want to destroy American energy production —not the people of Louisiana, and certainly not thecoastal communitiesintrue need of real,science-based solutions.

If Louisiana’sRepublicans want to avoid becoming indistinguishable from their blue-state counterparts, they must reject this leftistclimatecrusade. The real pathforward requires confronting nature, history and engineering —not scapegoating theindustries that built and sustained modern America. Enough with thepolitical theater.Restore common sense, defend real science, and put an end to this Louisiana blues act. Steve Milloy abiostatistician and lawyer,publishes JunkScience.com and is on X, @JunkScience.

Political polarization isn’tjust a national problem. That’s why LSU’sReilly Center for Media and Public Affairs and the Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana believe theCommon Ground Project is urgently needed.

In recentyears, the Pew Research Center has found that supermajorities of bothDemocrats and Republicans saymembersofthe other party are more closed-minded, dishonest and even immoral compared to other Americans.

Academic research on polarization suggests that such survey findings arepartlythe result of something like caricatures, with news and social media amplifying thebeliefs of the extreme ends of the political spectrum. When polarization takeshold, real discussion becomes difficult

Our Civic Sips series will invite citizens into relaxedbut serious inpersondiscussions about civic responsibility,media literacy,policy issuesand polarization’ssources andremedies. Meanwhile, astatewide Common Ground Survey, conducted by LSU’sPublic Policy Research Lab, will measure polarization andidentify where Louisianans agree. By comparing state and national trends, we’ll gain insight into what makes Louisiana unique and where opportunities for collaborationexist.

People talkpast one another,assume theworst about others’ motivesoravoid conversation altogether.Thatmakes solutions harder to find, because if every problem is framed as “us versus them,” compromise feels like defeatrather than progress. Andinthe end, no one is satisfied.

The constantstalemate leaves citizensfrustrated and convinced government no longer works for them. At its core, polarization drains energy from problem-solving and fuels division for itsown sake.

Research pointstoatleast one way to counter the problem: by encouraging more face-to-face interpersonal experiences.

The Common Ground Project builds off that idea.

It’snot about turning everyone into moderates or erasing deeply held beliefs

Whether you’rearock-ribbed Republican, adie-hardDemocrat or somewhere in between, thefocus is on talking to each other —withrespect, openness and awillingnesstolisten.

We can and will disagree. The goal isn’ttoend debateorflattendifferences. Disagreementisvital to democracy.But when disagreement turns into demonization, it becomes impossible to solve problems together

Ouremphasis is on finding areas where we can acknowledge sharedvalues,cooperate across dividesand make progressdespitedifferences.

The project will begin with several initiatives Amonthly on-campus lunchtime

These efforts combine civic engagement, dialogue and data, drawing on the Reilly Center’sacademicexpertise and PAR’strack recordinnonpartisanresearch Louisiana is notimmune to the nationalcurrents of polarization. We’ve seen urbanand rural communities pull apart, trust in media decline andpolitical sorting intensify But Louisiana hassomething powerful on its side:adeep sense of community andculture thatcuts across politics. Fromfestivals andfootball to food and faith, Louisianans know how to come together

Thatspirit makes finding common ground easierherethan in many places. We may notalways agree on solutions, but we share pride in our communities, alovefor ourculture and adesire to see Louisiana thrive

Those sharedbonds arethe foundationfor ahealthiercivic life.

The Common Ground Project’svision is ambitious. With the help of partners, funders andcitizens acrossthe state,we aimtoexpand this work to more communities.

We want to createspaces where people can disagreehonestly but still cooperateconstructively and where dialogue, trust andshared experiences replace hostility andcynicism.

Polarization can feel overwhelming, but we seereason for hope. Louisiana is known forits resilience. Now,wecan showresilience by proving that even in an eraofdivision, we can find shared community More informationabout the Common Ground Project andits events can be found in the Reilly Center’snewsletter andinPAR’sregularemails.

MichaelDiRestoisthe director of LSU’sReilly Center forMedia& Public Affairs. Steven Procopio is thepresident of thePublic Affairs Research Council of Louisiana.

COMMENTARY

ISSUE OF THE WEEK THE FEDERAL RESERVE

TheFederal Reservewas setupbyCongress as an independent agency so it could makedecisions about interestrates and monetary policyfree of politicalinterference. Butinrecent months, President Donald Trumphas increasingly targeted the Fed.Heclashed with FedChairman JeromePowellfor not lowering interest rates and for the cost of renovations to Fed buildings in Washington. Lately, he has set out to fire Lisa Cook,a member of the Fed’s Board of Governors, claimingshe is guilty of mortgagefraud. But Cook has foughtback, saying the president is using theissue as apretext to takecontrolofthe Fed. Some worrythat if the president is successful in threatening the Fed’sindependence,itcouldhavesevere consequences forour economic system.Others sayFed governors should notbeabove the law.Whatdoesthis conflict mean forthe future of the Fed? Here are twoperspectives:

Lisa Cook is wrongin thinking shecan’t be fired

Uncharacteristically for him, Donald Trump is being too modest inasserting his power over the Federal Reserve

He’sfired Lisa Cook “for cause,” citing aclearly pretextual alleged mortgage infraction, when as aconstitutional matter, he should be able to fire her,or Chairman Jerome Powell, for any reason he deems appropriate.

The independence of the Federal Reserve largely rests on its status as aconstitutionalanomaly, exercising executive authority without being subject to thesame rules as the rest of the executive branch. There are good policy reasons for this —anindependentcentral bank promotes monetarystability —but the Fed has been granted, in effect,anexemption from our constitutional order for prudential reasons.

tiveofficers is essential to theexecution of thelaws by him, so must be his power of removing those for whom he cannot continuetoberesponsible.”

The rise of independent agencies with the New Deal and aSupremeCourt decision called Humphrey’sExecutor, saying FDR couldn’tfire at will the commissioner of theFederal Trade Commission, sent theremoval powerintoretreat.

Rich Lowry

The Fed itself isn’tinonthe joke. Lisa Cook thinks she can’tbefired andissuing to keep her job, while Jerome Powell has laughably maintained that he can’tberemoved fromthe chairmanship. Cook can only be given apink slip for “cause,” according to the statute. “Cause is abroad term, though. If it isinterpreted the usual way,itwould includea refusal to carry out apresidential directive or policy disagreements. As for Powell, there isn’tevenany statuary restriction on dismissing him as chairman The head of the ConsumerFinance Protection Bureau was also supposed to be insulated from removal thanks to aprovision saying that it had to be “for cause.” How did that turn out? In 2020, theSupreme Court held thatsuch aconstraint was unconstitutional.

This decision was in keepingwiththe Court’srecent drive to vindicatethe president’spower to fire at will officials whose agencies carry out executivefunctions. Article II of the Constitution doesn’t explicitly say the president canfire executive-branch officials, but itis impliedin thepresident’spowertorun theexecutive branch, as such Founding-era luminaries as James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson recognized. In a1922 Supreme Court case, Chief Justice Taft wrote for the majoritythatas the president’s“selection of administra-

published. Letters are not to

But thedecision in the CFPB case undercut thelogic of Humphrey’s Executor,ashave other recent decisions. In aconcurrence in the CFPBcase, Clarence Thomas said it wasn’tclear what was left of the reasoningofHumprhey’s. Whatever remained, he wrote, wasn’tenough “tojustify the numerous, unaccountable independent agencies that currently exercise vast executivepower outside the bounds of our constitutional structure.”

That should have gotten theFed’sattention.

Thecourt has sidestepped the status of the Federal Reserve in its removal-power jurisprudence. Butthere’snolegal reason that it should be considered an oasis standing apart from theCourt’s ruling that there is no “de facto fourth branch of government” lacking “accountability to either thepresident or the people.

The Fed clearly exercises executive power in its vast regulatory functions, just as theCFPB does. It promulgates rules, polices banks and issues fines. The court has held that if an agency exercises executivepower only in afraction of its functions, it is subject to the president’s removal power

The cleanest solution would be to pass a constitutional amendment authorizingan independent Fed or asimilar entity.Short of that, theFederal Reserve’sregulatory functions could be handed over to another executiveagency (although core monetary functions of the Fed also may be executiveinnature)

The Supreme Court will surely be reluctant to grasp the nettle on the Fed. Yet, there’slittle doubt that, on the legal merits,LisaCook should be sending out herresume.

Rich Lowry is on X, @RichLowry

Fedgovernorneeds to come cleanonfraud claim

Arecurring theme of this column— perhaps themost unpopulartheme —is that theoptimal amount of fraud in a system is not zero. I’ve been thinking about that theme as the drama surrounding Federal Reserve governorLisa Cook has unfolded.

Before you get mad, let me explain that I’m not talking about theideal amount of fraud, which is definitely zero.

Butcheatersabound in this vale of tears, and it’soften cheaper to tolerate some smallamount of grift than to make themaximum effort to stop all of it.

That’swhy your employer doesn’ttake every possible step to ensure that you’re not taking office supplies home, and why most retailers (until recently) left goods on open shelves instead of putting the razors and Tide pods in locked display cases. Similarly,banks don’twant you to commit “occupancy fraud” —where you say you’regoing to live in ahome to get alower loan rate, even though it’sactually avacation or investment property

While technically this kind of lie is afederal felony,inpractice individuals are rarelyprosecuted,because thatwould takealot of time that the bank andprosecutors could more profitably spend doing something else.

Which brings us to Cook, whom the Trump administration is accusing of having committed —oratleast created the appearance of —occupancyfraud.

Apublic-records search by Reuters appears to confirm that on June 18,2021, Cook obtained amortgage from aMichigan credit union for aproperty in Washtenaw County,Michigan, which she said would be her primary residence. Two weeks later,she obtained amortgage from adifferent credit unionfor acondo in Atlanta, which shealsosaidwould be her primaryresidence. Obviously,she could not live in two places at once.

Assuming shedid engage in some chicanery,though, howoutraged should we be?

Youcan argue that aFed governor has to be above reproach.But you can also argue that this is an almost victimless crime, and that thecurrent investigation

is apretextual witch hunt that threatens the Fed’sindependence. I, for one, find thatsecondargument pretty convincing. The problemisthat though it is true thatthe optimalamount of fraud is not zero,the systemcan’tafford to publicize thatfact.Welearnedthat lesson from the shoplifting debacle. Retailers adoptedhands-off policiesthatprevented employees from stopping thieves, which minimized employee injuries, legalliability andbad publicity from employee mistakes. That trade-off made sense as long as the public didn’trealize just how much it could getaway with.

Whenthe internet taught us that brazenshoplifting was tolerated, those policiescontributed to ashoplifting explosion—and storeswere forced to take stronger measures, suchasbanning bags andlocking up merchandise,making everyone worse off.

Protecting the Fed’sindependence is much, much, much more important to the health of the banking system than reducing asmall amount of occupancy fraud to aslightly smaller amount. The president appearstobeusing government agencies suchasthe FederalHousing FinanceAgencytopursue personal political goals, like settling scores,or replacing Fedgovernors he dislikeswith someone more pliant. Bill Pulte, that agency’s director,should not have abettedthis.

But nowthathehas,can we afford to say, “Well, occupancy fraud is really not abig deal,ithappens all the time, and, realistically,almost no one is ever punished?” Because that’sa good way to ensure thatoccupancy fraud really does happen allthe time,oratleast more of the time, forcing banks to do whatever the banking equivalent is of putting the Target deodorantaisle on lockdown. And Idon’t love thatsolution, either The only wayout of that conundrum is forCook to tell us why what looks like occupancy fraud wasactually no such thing. So Isure hope she does,and soon MeganMcArdle in on X, @asymmetricinfo.

Court denies Orgeron’sappeal

Ex-LSU coach must splitbuyout with ex-wife

BY ANDREA GALLO Staff writer

Former LSU football coach Ed Orgeronremains on the hook for more than $8 millionthat he owes to his ex-wife, KellyOrgeron.

After the Louisiana Supreme Court ruled in June thatKelly Orgeron wasentitled to half of Ed Orgeron’s $17 million buyout from LSU firing him in 2021, the former coach asked the courtto rehear his case and reverse their decision. Ed Orgeron’s legal team argued that the high court ignored longestablished precedent along with tax implications in their ruling, which they warned couldupend decadesofdecisions on splittingcommunity property But the Louisiana Supreme Court released a4-3 decision Thursday saying they standbytheir previous ruling.They denied Ed Orgeron’sapplication for rehearing.

Kelly Orgeron and her legal team “could not be more delighted” with theruling, her lead attorney said

Thursday “The original opinion was aproper application of Louisiana’scommunity property andcontract law,” said attorney Robert Lowe, whorepresentsKelly Orgeron. “Hence, it doesnoviolence to either area of the law notwithstanding all the hyperbole surrounding it in Mr.Orgeron’s application for rehearing Justice was served.”

the case.

The justices in themajorityare JusticeJefferson Hughes, who wrote the initial majority opinion,along with JusticePiper Griffin andtwo retired judges appointed ad hoc in thecase, MartinCoadyand JohnConery

Former stateSupreme Court justice Joseph Bleich, also appointed ad hoc in the case, originally sidedwith the majority but saidinan opinionThursdaythathe would haveapproved the application for rehearing.

Justices Jay McCallum and Cade Cole dissented from theoriginal ruling and also said they would have granted therehearing ChiefJustice John Weimer,Justice Will Crain andJustice John Michael Guidrywererecused from

Legal argumentslargely revolvedaround acontract extension thatEdOrgeron signed with LSU in 2020, shortly after winning the College Football National Championship, which raised his salarytoroughly $7 millionannually. Orgeron signed the extension, whichincluded termsfor apotential futurebuyout,43days beforefiling for divorce.

Thebuyout clause went intoeffect thenext year, when LSUfiredOrgeron withoutcause in 2021.

“The promise was made effectiveduring thelegal regime,” Hugheswrote in hisdenial of theapplication for rehearing.

Ed Orgeron’slead attorneydid notreturn messages Thursday.

Afterthe high court’s initialruling againstEd Orgeron, 20 new law firms signedontohis application for rehearing, saying they wereworriedabout what the ruling meant for other cases involving community property law. The state does notallowamicus briefs with applications for rehearing, so the lawfirms enrolled in the case instead

On aBarstool Sports show lastmonth,Orgeron said he’s been “gettingthe itch again”toreturntocoaching football.

His attorneys hadasked that the Supreme Court, at minimum, account fortax implicationsintheir ruling. They argued that the former coach never received anet payment of $17 millionbecause of taxes, and thatthe court should change its rulingtoaward KellyOrgeron half of her ex-husband’snet buyout.

Attorneys for Ed Orgeron arguedthat his buyout was compensation for future work, not areward for past performance while he was coaching football. But his ex-wife’sattorneys disagreed, saying theraise in thecoach’s2020 contract was meant to reward him for his past success, whichhappenedwhile he wasstill married andhis wife supported his career Kelly Orgeron has already received half themoney Orgeron receivedinincentives for winning the national championship, including $1.775 million, according to Ed Orgeron’sattorneys. They said she’salsoreceived millions of dollars worth of assets in retirementaccounts, property andmore.

OrleansParishSheriff’s Office targeted

Officialssay cyberattackdidn’t impact jail

BY JOSEPH CRANNEY and MARCO CARTOLANO Staff writers

Online hackers struck the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office in aransomware attack early Thursday, whichofficials said didn’tthreaten the jail’ssecurity computers, butcould stillcause huge headaches for an already hobbled and cash-strapped agency OPSO was the “target of a ransomware cyberattack,” around 4:30 a.m. Thursday, the agency said in astatement. Such attacks rely on viruses that lock up computer data, used as akind of hostage whilehackers

INDICTED

Continued from page1B

demand ransoms from the owner OPSO, an 800-person agency, didn’tsay how much or what kindofdata is at risk, onlythatthe “jail computer system has not been compromised,” suggesting that the lockup’s security functions weren’t affected “Wedid suffer acyberattack this morningthat did impact someofour systems,” Sheriff Susan Hutson said in avideoed statement. OPSO’semployees discovered theproblem around8 a.m.when they had trouble logging into theircomputers, according to theagency

“But we’ve isolated that, and the jailsystems are on a separate server andthey’re functioningjustproperly, Hutson added. “So we’re able to run thejail, get peo-

ple to court and continue to do what we do every day.”

An OPSOspokesperson didn’trespond to questions on the scope of the attack or say if it was comparable to the last major breach at CityHall six years ago, whichtook monthstofix and cost taxpayers millions of dollars. Hackers reportedly never demanded aransom in that case, and it’sunclear if they’ve demanded one from OPSO. Theagency’s“IT team is actively working to restore systems,secureour network, and determine the origin of theattack,” OPSO said in abrief statement. Hutson’s department has alreadybeen hobbledby the Mayescape of 10 detainees from thejail. In the months since then,they’ve rushedtocomplete millions of dollarsinrepairs to help

harden thefacility

OPSOissued $15 million in bonds to covermost of those costs, but Hutson told theNew OrleansCity CouncilinJuly that herdepartment needed an additional $9 million. The city of New Orleans, as awhole, is staringdown a$100 milliondeficit of its own.

The lastmajor cyberattack amongthe New Orleans local government targeted City Hall’scomputer networks in late2019.

The hack disrupted payments to vendors, blocked roughly two-thirds of city employees from accessing emails andsullied operationsofMunicipal and Traffic Courts. It took monthstoscrub more than 3,400 computers clean of malicious software, withoverall fixes totaling morethan $7 million.

Funeral Serviceswill be held on Saturday, September 6, 2025, at a 1:00 pm Mass of Christian Burial in theCathedral of St.Johnthe Evangelistin Lafayette for Paul"Pauly" JamesAzar, III,MD, MS, age 48, whopassed away peacefully on Wednesday, September 3, 2025, at his home holding his wife Erika'shand. Visitation will be observed in Martin & Castille's DOWNTOWNlocation on Friday, September 5, 2025, from 4:00 pm until 8:00 pm.

TheVeryReverend ChesterC.Arceneaux, VF, will be theCelebrant of the Funeral Mass and will conduct thefuneral services. Pauly wasbornon January11, 1977, in Lafayette, Louisiana. He attended Cathedral-Carmel ElementarySchool, the Episcopal School of Acadiana, and graduated from St.Thomas More Catholic High School.

He graduatedwith honorsatUSL in business and marketing then followed in theAzarfamilyfootsteps to become afourth-generation physician.Pauly attended LSUMedicalSchool in NewOrleans andcompletedhis fellowship in Pathology at Mt.Sinai Hospital in NewYorkCity. Pauly returned to Lafayette and together with hisbusinesspartner Shane LaHood, opened ExpressMedWalk-In Clinic. He wasthe CEO of Parallax Groupand an Adjunct Professor for the ULLMBA program. Recentlyhebecame an investor and coownerofLafayette Pickleball Club. Pauly waspassionate abouthis Catholic faith, attending weeklyMass and Friday Bible study. He lovedexoticautomobiles andfrequentlyattended Cars&Coffee meetups around Acadiana. He was an avidlover of racket sports, tennis, ping pong, andpickleball alike.Pauly wasthe Louisiana High School State Champion in tennis doublesin1994. He lovedtolaugh and make people laugh harder. He enjoyed attendingcomedyshows withhis wife andfriends. Pauly was an animal rescuerand especiallyloved his tworescues, Kibbieand Tache.An avidfisherman,hewould frequentlybefound at ponds fishingall over the

say "tres-bassing," on fishingholes to remain unnamed. Aboveall,hecherished thelove of his life and best friend, Erika, whowas his everything, and theirbeautiful daughter, Eva, who washis greatest joy. They were hiswhole world, and hisdevotion to them will forever be themeasure of hislife. With immense courage, he faced every challenge,determinedto spend as much precious time with them as possible. Pauly leavesbehinda legacyoflove, humor, kindness and wisdom that will be deeply missed by all whoknewhim. He is survived by his wife of 11 years, Erika WhiteAzar; his daughter, Eva Victoria Azar; hisparents, Dr.PaulJ."Buddy" Azar, Jr., andMrs. Barbara LedetAzar; his sister,Dr. Susie Azar; andhis aunts anduncles,Rosemary Azar, Martha Azar Hiatt andher husband, Danny andDr. John M. Azar. He wasprecededin death by hispaternal grandparents Dr. Paul Azar, Sr andMrs. Agnes SaloomAzar; his maternal grandparents; andanaunt, Betty Azar Billeaud. Upholdingthe honor of Pallbearers will be Todd Newberg, RexMoroux, DannySambola, Jr., Shane LaHood, DuaneJeansonne andWilliam Bayard,III Honorary Pallbearers will be Huey WhiteJr., David Romagosa, Britton Mouton, Chris Wallace, Hans Heinen, Brandon "LT" Gianfala, Raymond Blanco, Taylor Desormeaux, Sheldon White, andhis godson,Andrew Newberg. Thefamilywould like to extendtheir appreciation andgratitude to hismedicalcareprofessionals; the caringstaff at Audubon Hospice in Lafayette, especiallyDr. Landryand Melissa Jacobs, RN;and Dr Prouet andhis oncology staff at Ochsner Cancer Center of Acadiana. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions canbemade to Acadiana Animal Aid337-896-1553142 Le MedicinRd., Carencro, LA 70520 -https: //acadianaanimalaid.org/g ive- OR -TunnelToTowers 718-987-1931- 2361 Hylan Blvd Staten Island, NY 10306 -https://t2t.org View theobituaryand guestbook online at www.mourning.com Martin& Castille Funeral HomeDOWNTOWN, 330 St LandryStreet, Lafayette, Louisiana 70506, 337-2342311

DISTRICTS

Continued from page1B Chief n Tebo Onishea, former police chief of Glenmora. The trial is scheduled for 9a.m. March 30. Apretrial conference is scheduled for 10 a.m. March 18 via video. Patel pleaded not guilty to 34 total counts, which included eight counts of money laundering, 24 counts of mail fraud, one count of bribery and one count of conspiracy to commit visa fraud. Magistrate Judge Jo-

packing of Black voters.

Several maps created by the SPLC and Vermilion NAACP addressed both problems, with one even creating asecond Black majority district, but were rejected by the council.

Abbeville Mayor Roslyn White declined to comment due to pending litigation, but told KLFY that the city had met its obligations.

Soussi wouldn’tcomment on whetherhis organization is considering any new or continued litigation against the city

“We’re discussing as a team with next steps. That’s where we’re at. This is a failure of the City Council to not be transparent becausenoone saw this map before the meeting, and also for them to not acknowledgethatthey’re allowing

seph Perez-Montes ordered Pateltoremain behindbars pending trial. All four lawmenalso pleaded not guilty Prosecutors said the defendants fabricatedpolice reportstodocument crimes that never occurred. The victims, whowere immigrants, couldthenapplyfor avisas that would allow the victimsorwitnessestostay in the U.S., said Western District of Louisiana acting U.S. Attorney Alexander VanHook, whose office is prosecuting the case. Theschemeallegedly started in December 2015

andcontinueduntil at least this week.

According to Special Agent Austin Witmer with Homeland SecurityInvestigations, about 300 direct petitioners were given U visasaspartofthe scheme andapplicationsfor over 650 Uvisas were filed. In court, HSI Special Agent Alexandra Leonard testifiedthatPatel admittedhis involvement in the scheme after an almosttwohour interrogation, KSLATV reports.

Patel was arrested July 15. He’sbeingheld at a Rapides detention center

one districttobepacked,” Soussi said. Adiscussion began when the SPLC penneda2021 lettertothe cityofAbbeville, highlighting the town’sneed to redrawits districts followingthe 2020censusand concerns raised by the Vermilion Parish NAACP The 2023 lawsuit sought to block aredistricting map approved by the city council in December 2022. The organization argued that the city violated the14th Amendment’s“one-person, one-vote” requirement. The mapthe city approved had been in use since2010, despite thecensusshowing thatthe city lost population. The cityargued thatthe census numbers were inaccurate, with the mayor atthe time stating thattheir decision to reuse the map was backed by research andconsideration.

“It really speaks to the city who have made this process(so) long, making

it so difficult to get equal districts.Thisisaninjury to the community of Abbeville. Forthe processto takethis long and still not havingequal districts, voters are notable to have the same equal weight of their vote,” Soussi said.

Email Stephen Marcantel at stephen.marcantel@ theadvocate.com.

LOTTERY

WEDNESDAY, SEPT.3,2025

PICK 3: 9-5-0

Patelisthe only defendant involved in thefederal investigation to have remained behind bars since these arrests because, the station reported, authorities consider him aflight risk. Patel is reportedly an Indian citizen.

Patel was also implicated in astate investigation involvingallegedmalfeasance in officebyAlison Doyle, wife of Oakdale Police ChiefChadDoyle. AlisonDoyle was arrested on July 17 by Louisiana State Police.

Forthe latest news,sports and entertainment, download the Acadiana Advocate app

Johnsonset to earn over $3Minnew deal

LSUbaseballcoach will be highest-paid in nation

BY WILSON ALEXANDER Staff writer

LSU is set to make Jay Johnson the highest-paid college baseballcoach in the countryafterthe Tigers wonthe 2025 national championship, his secondinthreeyears.

Johnson’snew contract will pay him more than $3 million annually and runs through the 2032 season, according to acopy of the deal included Thursday in the meeting agenda for LSU’sboard of supervisors.

Johnsonwillmake$3.05millionoverthe

STAFF FILE PHOTO By BRAD KEMP

UL quarterback Daniel Beale gets off apass during the Cajuns’14-12 loss toRice on Saturday. Beale finished 0for 6.

UL backup QB Beale to starton Saturday

Howard outindefinitely following injuryatopener

BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer

McNeese at

To no one’ssurprise, UL coach Michael Desormeaux confirmed Wednesday evening Walker Howard will not play against McNeese at 7p.m. Saturday at OurLadyof Lourdes Stadium. “He hadn’treally made much improvement,” Desormeauxsaid Therealsoappeartobe some unanswered questions in Howard’sinjury situation.

“We’re going to go to aspecialistto try to get another opinion— make sure it’s just a strain and go from there.” Desormeaux again declined tocomment on Howard’sactual injury. There is no timetable for his return.

Also, not asurprise, Desormeaux said redshirt freshman Daniel Beale will start Saturday with Lunch Winfieldasthe backup.

“Daniel is going to go out there and run the show,and he’sgoing to do areally good job,”Desormeauxsaid. “Like Isaid the other day,the plan is to have Lunch in the game involvedinsome different ways alittle bit too, but it’snot atwo-quarterback deal.”

The6-foot-2, 200-pound Beale has been in two tough situations in relief —whenChandler Fields went down in the Sun Belt championship game in Decemberand on thefinal drive of Saturday’s14-12 loss to Rice. This will be Beale’sfirstreal chance to prepare and start.

“He’sanextremelyhard worker,verycerebral player,” Desormeaux said of Beale. “Heunderstandsevery part ofwhatwedo from the run game IDs to the throwgame —protections andwhy we’redoingwhat we’re doing. He understands at areally high level.” Redshirt sophomore CadenJensen said practice has been very similar to pastquarterback changes in recent years. After all, theCajuns areunfortunately used to it. After Levi Lewis started every game from 2018-21, UL hashad three quarterback changes in each of Desormeaux’s

next year. His compensation increases annually untilitreaches $3.65 million in the final yearofthe contract.

After Johnson signedthe agreement in mid-August, the deal is expected to be approved Friday morning by LSU’s board. In total, he is set to make$23.45 million before bonusesover thenext seven years.

TwoLSU assistants,recruitingcoordinator Josh Jordan and director of baseball operations Josh Simpson, also receivednew contracts.

Since arriving in Baton Rouge, Johnson

has restored LSU’s status a powerhouse. He led theTigers nationalchampionship in 14 his secondseason in 2023, the title againthis year by going un at the College WorldSeries, i two-game sweep of Coastal Ca thefinals.

Johnsontook LSUtothe N gionalthe twoseasons he did national title. He has a190-77 r years.

When Johnson was hired a six seasons as the headcoach

s a baseball to their first years during n won the defeated ncluding a rolina in CAA renot win a ecord in four t LSU after at Arizona,

Spencer Rattler

IPA S

fyou’ve followed closely,you’ve heard someinteresting linguistic gymnastics from New Orleans Saints camp this offseason. Team officialshavebeen careful to characterize theupcoming campaignasa “reset” rather than a“rebuild.” Likewise, they’veused the word “aspirations” instead of “expectations.”

Maybe the Saintsare simply trying to drive ticket sales and maintain positive vibes for first-yearhead coach Kellen Moore, but theverbal subterfuge has beennoticeable to anyone paying attention. Yet, while team officials sayone thing, their actions indicate another.The Saintsare in the midst of afullblownrebuild. Every offseason moveappears to have been executed with thefuture in mind. It began with the decision not to pursue aveteran quarterback in the wake of Derek

Carr’sretirement and extended to this week with the surprise release of All-Pro special teamer J.T.Gray Out are veterans Carr,Gray,Khalen Saunders, Dante Pettis, Donovan Peoples-Jones, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Cam Akers, D’Marco Jackson and Nephi Sewell. In are newbies and youngsters Tyler Shough, Khristian Boyd, Devaughn Vele, Mason Tipton, Velus Jones, Devin Neal,Jaylan Ford, Isaiah Stalbird and Danny Stutsman.

The result: The Saints will enter the 2025 season as adecidedly younger,cheaper and less experienced team than those of years past. They have anew head coach, anew quarterback, anew offensive and defensive scheme and new play-callers on both sides of theball. Nine of the projected 22 starters for the opener are different from the lineup that started

ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME

Ushering in a new era for UL

Baer’s signature field goal a turning point for program

Editor’s note: This is part of a series leading into Friday’s UL Athletics Hall of Fame induction ceremony at Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium.

BY DAN MCDONALD Special to The Advocate

More than a decade later it remains one of the most memorable plays in UL football history

When Brett Baer nailed the 50-yard field goal on the final play of the 2011 New Orleans Bowl, giving the Ragin’ Cajuns a 32-30 win over San Diego State, it also legitimized the UL program.

At least, that’s the opinion of one long-time Cajun staff member and a former UL standout.

“We had eight wins going in, and we were better than we’d been for a while,” said then-director of football operations Troy Wingerter “But we had a lot of last-minute wins, and some could have been considered a fluke or luck. Winning that game put an exclama-

tion point on the redirection of the program.”

The Cajuns program has had more than its share of success since that first-ever bowl appearance.

Whether that was the seminal moment is anyone’s guess, but there’s no doubt that Baer’s kick was a fitting end to a historic season.

But that wasn’t the first time the Brandon, Mississippi, product had provided heroics during head coach Mark Hudspeth’s first season. Hudspeth still remembers the many times Baer was in the middle of a huge late-game play

“Everybody remembers the field goal in the bowl game,”

Hudspeth said, “but people forget about the Florida Atlantic game when he hit one on the final play He had the onside kick on the opening kickoff against Troy when we beat the four-time Sun Belt champions. He threw a pass on a fake punt against Arizona when we made that game close. And he had that perfect onside kick against UL-Monroe in the final minutes that helped us win that game.

“He wasn’t just a good kicker; he was a special teams weapon We converted seven onside kicks in his career and he recovered

four of them. He was an athlete sometimes kickers aren’t real good athletes but he definitely was and we utilized him.”

Baer was enough of a weapon to earn four All-Sun Belt Conference honors and put his name in several places in the UL record book, and set an NCAA record for field goal percentage that still stands. More than a decade after ending his collegiate career, Baer remains the most accurate field goal kicker in NCAA history — 45-of50 (90%).

Baer was limited to kickoff duties as a freshman but went 7-for7 as a sophomore in 2010, before his record-setting final two seasons. He led the Cajuns in scoring both years and had 113 points — one off the season record — in his senior year He remains UL’s second-leading career kick scorer and in the top 10 for overall points.

But he was at his best in the postseason. In his two bowl appearances, he had five field goals and seven PAT’s including three field goals in UL’s 43-34 win over East Carolina in the 2012 New Orleans Bowl His 13 points in that game is still a bowl record for kick scoring.

It’s almost overlooked that Baer also handled punting duties his last two seasons, including a 40.3 average as a junior and a 42.0 senior season. Everything else he did, though, takes a back seat to that December evening in the Superdome in UL’s first bowl trip as a Division I-A program. UL led most of the game and was up 29-24 on Baer’s field goal with 2:09 left, but SDSU drove to a go-ahead touchdown with 35 seconds left to steal a victory Blaine Gautier, who threw for a bowl-record 470 yards in the win, threw twice to Javone Lawson and once to Harry Peoples to get into Aztec territory A five-yard procedure penalty with two seconds left set up a 55-yarder for Baer, but a following five-yarder on SDSU put it back at 50 yards. John Broussard’s snap and Brady Thomas’ hold were true and Baer stuck it a couple of yards inside the left upright at the horn to set up a wild scene on the field.

“I knew he was going to make it,” Hudspeth said. “That season had just been ordained. Those guys never let go of the rope one time. It was just an amazing thing.”

Sinner meets Auger-Aliassime in U.S. Open

BY HOWARD FENDRICH AP Tennis Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Before knowing for sure that he would need to get past Jannik Sinner to reach a Grand Slam final for the first time, Felix Auger-Aliassime was asked to assess the U.S. Open’s No. 1 seed and defending champion.

“What to say about Jannik’s game?” said Auger-Aliassime, who is seeded 25th. “He’s been obviously untouchable, at times.”

That’s a pretty apt description for a guy closing in on becoming the first man to win consecutive titles at Flushing Meadows since Roger Federer collected five in a row from 2004 through 2008.

In Friday’s semifinals, AugerAliassime might be taking on the toughest task in tennis at the moment, particularly on hard courts: Sinner is on a 26-match Grand Slam unbeaten streak on that surface, which includes titles at the past two Australian Opens in addition to last year’s U.S. Open

The 24-year-old from Italy also is coming off a Wimbledon championship in July for his fourth career major trophy. Nothing easy about the other men’s semifinal, either That one features 24-time Slam champion

Novak Djokovic, who is 38, against Carlos Alcaraz, who already owns five such titles at age 22.

“I know he’s hungry,” Alcaraz said about Djokovic, who exited each of the year’s other three majors in the semifinals. “I know his ambition for more.”

Just three weeks ago, AugerAliassime went up against Sinner at the Cincinnati Open and it wasn’t exactly a close contest. Sinner won 6-0, 6-2. They hadn’t met since 2022, when Auger-Aliassime won both matchups against a guy who wasn’t yet the Sinner the world knows today

Auger-Aliassime offered a rundown of ways in which Sinner is a different player now

“I give him credit. You have to give credit when it’s due. When somebody does the work and they

Sinner,

the quarterfinal round of the U.S

Wednesday in New york.

improve and they get to that level, you just have to tip your hat,” said the 25-year-old from Canada, who lost his only previous Grand Slam semifinal at the 2021 U.S. Open. “Physicality, movement got much

Star Fulwiley opens up about transferring to LSU

Earlier this week, Sports Illustrated published a new edition of “Around the W” with former South Carolina guard Milaysia Fulwiley as the special guest. Host Maria Clifton asked Fulwiley why she picked SEC rival LSU to join this season.

South Carolina’s a great program, but I’m from there,” Fulwiley said. “I’ve been there my whole life. (The) school is like 15 minutes away from my house, so I kind of felt like I just needed a new environment.

I feel like everyone deserves a new, fresh start. While in college, while you have the chance to just leave, I think that’s when you should do it because in the W, you can’t just say you want to leave type way.”

WR Cooper retires days after signing with Raiders HENDERSON, Nev Five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Amari Cooper retired Thursday, a little more than a week after signing a oneyear contract to return to the Las Vegas Raiders. Raiders offensive coordinator Chip Kelly said Cooper called coach Pete Carroll on Thursday morning and gave him the news. “It’s unfortunate because I think the world of him,” Kelly said. “I think he’s a heck of a football player He’s had a heck of an NFL career, but he knows in his heart what he wants to do, so I wish him the best. I’ve always been a big fan of his.” Cooper, 31, played 10 seasons for four teams and finished with 711 catches for 10,033 yards and 64 touchdowns.

Slovakia stuns Germany in World Cup qualifying Germany lost an away World Cup qualifying game for the first time in a 2-0 upset against Slovakia on Thursday which threw its campaign to reach the 2026 tournament into immediate jeopardy David Hancko and David Strelec each exploited mistakes in Germany’s defense to give Slovakia — which last qualified for the World Cup in 2010 a surprise lead. Germany couldn’t find a way through the Slovakian defense to get back into the game. It was a blow to coach Julian Nagelsmann and his new-look lineup, including Newcastle’s new striker Nick Woltemade in his third Germany game and 21-year-old Nnamdi Collins making his debut at right back.

Shelton, Paul will miss Davis Cup team matches

NEW YORK Ben Shelton and Tommy Paul have withdrawn from the U.S. Davis Cup team’s matches next weekend with injuries, and the Americans named three replacements for the squad Thursday Reilly Opelka, Rajeev Ram and Austin Krajicek were added for the Sept. 12-13 second-round matches against the Czech Republic that will be played in Delray Beach, Florida. They join Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe on the team.

The sixth-ranked Shelton had to stop playing during his thirdround match at the U.S. Open because of left shoulder pain. Paul, who is ranked 14th, was eliminated in the same round by Alexander Bublik and appeared to be struggling with an ab injury

Koch family to buy 10% stake in New York Giants

The Koch family has agreed to purchase a 10% stake of the NFL’s New York Giants, according to a person familiar with the deal. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Wednesday night because the deal must be approved by owners. That could come as soon as their next meeting in October

The Mara and Tisch families announced in February they were exploring the possibility of selling a minority, noncontrolling stake in the team.

Julia Koch, the widow of David Koch, who died in 2019, has a net worth of $81.2

THE VARSITY ZONE

‘No, he can’t do it by himself, but he’s going to be the reason — we’ll be successful. He has a huge role on this team, and he is the engine that is going to make us go.

’

MARQUIS NEWSOME, Carencro coach

Spartan sparkplug

leads way as

BY ERIC NARCISSE Staff writer

Comeaux High School’s

Jaden Celestine was aware of the things being said about the Spartans’ football program before his arrival three years ago. The vast majority of it wasn’t good.

Nevertheless, Celestine’s desire to be a difference-maker — on and off the field didn’t waver

In fact, all the negativity seemed to inspire Celestine, who pledged to Comeaux coach Marquis Newsome his freshman year that “better days” were ahead.

“Jaden wanted to be the guy going all the way back to his freshman year,” Newsome said “He wanted to be the reason why Comeaux wins. He has a lot of confidence in himself, and he said when he is a junior, things are going to be different.”

Now, in his junior year, Celestine is ready to make good on his promise.

“Oh, I’m really confident (that things are going to be different),” Celestine said. “The group of guys that we have this year is way different from my freshman year Our attitude is different.

“I feel like we finally have a winning attitude, so it is very different.”

Winning has been a struggle for the Spartans, who have lost 32 consecutive games. The last victory was against New Iberia 30-28 on Oct. 22, 2021. Their losing skid is something Celestine and his teammates are tired of hearing about.

“I hear about it every day,” Celestine said. “Especially when walking in the hallways. So, I’m just ready I’m ready for Fri-

end

Celestine said he’s tired of hearing about the Spartans’ 32-game losing skid. ‘I hear about it every day,’ he said. ‘Especially when walking in the hallways. So I’m just ready.

day and I’m ready to attack it head on. I’m ready for this losing streak to end.”

Celestine, a three-year starter, will lead Comeaux’s rushing attack in Friday’s season opener when they host South Terrebonne at 7 p.m.

“Jaden is a very humble kid,” Newsome said “He’s a great leader His main focus is that he wants to be as great at football as he can be.”

Newsome said Celestine can impact the Spartans’ offense as a runner and receiver and is a speedy defensive back.

“As a running back, Jaden has great vision and he runs extremely tough,” Newsome said.

“But he can also find that second gear and break away from people. At receiver, he loves going across the middle of the field. Defensive back is fairly new to him, but

LCA linebackers aiming to bring the pain vs. Rummel

BY ERIC NARCISSE Staff writer

Football is a physical sport and it’s that aspect of the game Lafayette Christian’s linebackers Kaleb Simon, Jaimason Marzell and Kaydin Paul love the most.

When all three are equipped to make tackles, they aren’t interested in just getting opposing players to the ground. They want to inflict as much pain as possible.

“It’s a linebacker thing,” said Marzell, who recorded 91 tackles, nine tackles for loss and two sacks as a junior “You have to be a little messed up in the head to play linebacker Linebacker isn’t a position, it’s a mindset.”

In their linebacker group chat, the trio refers to themselves as the “Menaces of Wreckage,” something they credit assistant coach Mitch Craft for creating.

“We want to go out there, play physical and hit you in the mouth,” said Simon, who was the Knights’ leading tackler in 2024 with 103 tackles, nine tackles for loss, one interception and one forced fumble. “Our job is to go out there and destroy you on every play.”

Knights coach Matt Standiford wasn’t aware of the nickname for his linebackers, but he said it’s fitting considering their style of play

“Those guys do a great job of communicating,” Standiford said. “They play fast, and they aren’t afraid of contact. They are some tough and physical kids. I’m not surprised by the name because coach Craft

is big on names. But he isn’t going to allow you to call yourself something and it doesn’t show on the field.”

Simon, Marzell, Paul and the Knights defense will get their first opportunity to prove their worth when they host Rummel in the season opener at 7 p.m. Friday

“Rummel has a ton of size,” Standiford said of the team from Metairie. “Along the offensive line, they average about 6-foot-3, 290 pounds.

“I think they return four of their five offensive linemen from last year so it is a cohesive group. They want to play smashmouth football.”

Paul said that is right up their alley

“They look good,” Paul said of the Raiders. “We know that we are going to have to play very physical against them. We’re going to have to get our hands dirty and fill in gaps in the running game. Their linemen are big, but it is going to be important that we execute our assignments.”

“They are big and aggressive,” Marzell said of Rummel’s offensive line. “But all three of our linebackers are very physical. None of us are scared to come down and hit. None of us are scared to smash a pulling guard or tackle.”

Carencro hunting for upset win against St. Thomas More

BY MIKE COPPAGE

Contributing writer

As Carencro football coach Gavin Peters sees it, the Bears are due for a win over a blue-blood program.

The Bears get such an opportunity at 7 p.m. Friday in Lafayette against St. Thomas More and coach Jim Hightower, who owns more than 400 career wins.

“Before last season, we were coming off the most consistent five-year stretch in the history of Carencro football,” said Peters, who is entering his second year as head coach.

“We took a step back with 18 new guys on the field. We got a few wins. We got some quality wins, but we didn’t get any against a blue-blood program.”

With a plethora of freshmen among its lettermen, the Bears posted a 4-7 record in 2024. Carencro, which lost by one point to STM in the season opener, bounced back from an 0-4 start to make the playoffs and has a roster that’s heavy on sophomores.

“They’re so talented and athletic,” STM offensive coordinator Shane Savoie said of the Bears. “When you watch them on film, they’re as explosive as anybody I’ve seen. They scored in a hurry against Notre

Dame from everywhere. Defensively, they’re very aggressive and make plays you wouldn’t expect.”

The Bears topped Notre Dame in the Kiwanis Jamboree 28-26.

Quarterback Carson Gurzi ran for a score and connected on long pass plays with Kendrick Bernard and Brandon Duffy, who returned the opening kick to midfield, and Chantz Babineaux returned an interception for a touchdown.

“Carson can watch film all day,” Peters said of the 6-foot-2, 210-pounder, who is ranked as the No. 1 sophomore quarterback in Louisiana. “He’s still learning, but he has a tremendous grasp of the offense.”

As a freshman, Gurzi split snaps with Babineaux, a three-star Nicholls State commitment who is projected as a receiver In the first half last week, Babineaux’s pick-six gave Carencro a 15-0 lead.

“Chantz is our primary defensive player,” Peters said of the 6-foot-0, 200-pound senior “We need him on the defensive side to win games.”

STM was also victorious last week, taking a 24-7 win over reigning Division II nonselect state champion Cecilia in a matchup of Class 4A top 10 teams.

Senior quarterback Cole Bergeron tossed three touchdown passes, two to Christian Breaux and one to Ben Caillet.

Savoie said Bergeron, a Virginia Tech commitment and the top senior quarterback in Louisiana, has improved running the offense, adding that the Cougars will have to be balanced on offense and avoid Babineaux’s sticky fingers in the secondary “I’ve been going back-andforth as a play-caller and coordinator with how many chances we take (against Babineaux),” Savoie said “Can we use anything he does against him? At strong safety he can spin down and do a lot of things.”

Derace James, Hayden Monroe and Duffy are pivotal sophomore starters on defense for the Bears.

“I have a tremendous amount of respect for the STM program,” Peters said. “My life changed several years ago when coach Savoie invited me to coach running backs at an all-star game

“I already had a crush on the STM offense. It’s so precise. They opened the doors to me a couple of years later. I attended all of their meetings and actually met with (Acadiana coach) Ted Davidson and implemented some of what STM does.”

it’s going to be hard for anyone to run away from him, because he is pretty fast.”

If the Spartans snap their winning drought, Newsome said Celestine will be a major reason why

“No, he can’t do it by himself, but he’s going to be the reason we’ll be successful,” Newsome said. “He has a huge role on this team, and he is the engine that is going to make us go.”

Celestine knows nothing is going to come easy, but he admits he can’t help but to wonder what it is going to feel like when Comeaux gets that first win in more than three years.

“I know that it is going to mean a lot when we get that first win,” Celestine said. “It’s going to mean so much to the school, the coaches and the players. It’s going to be amazing.”

BRIEFS

FROM WIRE REPORTS

Boeing victims’ families urge judge to reject deal

FORT WORTH, Texas Carrying photos of their loved ones into court Wednesday, family members of victims killed in Boeing 737 Max crashes urged a judge to reject a deal that would spare the company from criminal prosecution.

Some of the relatives of the 346 victims — killed in crashes off the coast of Indonesia and in Ethiopia less than five months apart in 2018 and 2019 — saw the hearing as their final chance to demand a public trial.

That’s because U.S District Judge Reed O’Connor is weighing whether to approve the federal government’s motion to dismiss its criminal case against Boeing. The judge said Wednesday after hearing from the relatives and attorneys for both the Justice Department and Boeing that he would issue a decision at a later date. In exchange, the company said it would pay or invest another $1.1 billion in fines, compensation for the crash victims’ families, and internal safety and quality measures

“What part of this screams justice?” said David Moore, whose 24-year-old sister, Danielle was among the 157 passengers and crew members killed in the Ethiopia crash.

Boeing is charged with conspiracy to defraud the U.S government after allegedly misleading Federal Aviation Administration regulators about a flight-control system tied to the crashes.

Applications for jobless benefits rise

WASHINGTON — The number of Americans seeking jobless benefits rose modestly last week, suggesting that employers are still retaining workers even as the economy has showed signs of slowing. Applications for unemployment benefits for the week ending Aug. 30 rose by 8,000 to 237,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday. That’s more than the 231,000 new applications economists were expecting.

Weekly applications for jobless benefits are seen as a proxy for layoffs and have mostly settled in a historically healthy range between 200,000 and 250,000 since the U.S. began to emerge from the COVID pandemic nearly four years ago

While layoffs are low, hiring has also weakened as part of what many economists describe as a “no hire, no fire” economy Still, the unemployment rate remains a historically low 4.2%.

On Wednesday, the government reported that U.S. employers were advertising 7.2 million job openings at the end of July, fewer than economists had forecast and the latest sign of weakness in the U.S. labor market.

Last month’s grim July jobs report, which showed job gains of just 73,000 and included massive downward revisions for June and May, sent financial markets spiraling.

President Donald Trump fired the head of the agency that compiles the monthly data.

Google faces $425.7M in snooping damages

SAN FRANCISCO A federal jury has ordered Google to pay $425.7 million for improperly snooping on people’s smartphones during a nearly decadelong period of intrusions.

The verdict reached Wednesday in San Francisco federal court followed a more than two-week trial in a class-action case covering about 98 million smartphones operating in the United States between July 1, 2016, through Sept 23, 2024. That means the total damages awarded in the five-year-old case works out to about $4 per device Google had denied that it was improperly tracking the online activity of people who thought they had shielded themselves with privacy controls. The company maintained its stance even though the eight-person jury concluded Google had been spying in violation of California privacy laws.

Pick is currently

BY JOSH BOAK Associated Press

WASHINGTON Stephen Miran,

President Donald Trump’s pick to join the Federal Reserve Board, said Thursday that he would remain a White House employee even if the Senate confirms him to fill an unexpired term at the central bank Miran, who was nominated to fill a gubernatorial term set to expire in January, made the disclosure at

a hearing before the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee.

He said that on the advice of his lawyers he would take an “unpaid leave of absence” as chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers. Miran later said he would only resign from the Republican administration if he were nominated for a longer term at the Fed.

His answer instantly triggered alarm bells about the Fed’s independence, suggesting that the central bank could ultimately become subservient to Trump’s whims in-

stead of its congressional mandates to keep prices stable and maximize employment. Political control of the Fed could erode the faith that the American population and investors worldwide place in the U.S. economy, which could threaten global markets and national prosperity Democrats blasted Miran’s plan to keep his day job at the White House.

“Your independence has already been seriously compromised,” Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., said “You are going to be technically an employee of the president of the United States but an independent

member of the board of the Federal Reserve. That’s ridiculous.” Miran’s hearing reflected the broader battle over Trump’s efforts to gain control of the Fed. Because of the possible negative impacts on the economy the Fed has tried to act based on the economic data rather than electoral considerations.

Trump, however, has engaged in a prolonged campaign of pressuring and mocking Fed Chair Jerome Powell for not cutting the benchmark interest rate to Trump’s liking, a move that could end up pumping more money into the economy and creating greater inflationary risks.

BY KEN SWEET Associated Press

NEW YORK Americans would save roughly

$100 billion a year in interest costs if President Donald Trump’s campaign proposal to cap credit card interest rates at 10% were implemented, according to a paper published by Vanderbilt University on Thursday

Further, the banks and credit card companies would be able to withstand, and even still be profitable, if there were to be a national cap on interest rates. While limited in scope, the paper gives some academic backing to Trump’s campaign promise.

The paper found that banks would still be able to earn a profit on most of their customers even if credit card interest rates were capped at 15%, and if the banks continued to offer rewards and perks like points and airport lounge access. If interest rates were capped at 10%, the business model gets more difficult for the banks, but they could still make money off most card customers by cutting back on some rewards.

Usury laws are as old as the Bible but have gotten traction again through Trump’s populist politics.

When he was a candidate in the 2024 election, Trump proposed a temporary 10% cap on credit card interest rates. He has not spoken about it since the election.

That said, politicians have seized on the idea. Sen Josh Hawley, R-Mo., and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders introduced a bill in Congress that would match Trump’s campaign proposal of capping interest rates at 10%. A similar bill was introduced in the House by Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y

There are already some interest rate caps in effect in the U.S. The Military Lending Act makes it illegal to charge active servicemen and women more than 36% for any financial product. The national regulator for credit unions, the NCUA, has capped interest rates on credit union credit cards at 18%.

The banking industry is adamantly against any caps on credit card rates. Historically, the industry has argued that any cap on interest rates would decimate the credit card business model and would threaten the viability of popular rewards and perks programs that millions of Americans use for free flights and hotel stays.

It was this rhetoric that made Brian Shearer, the author of the report, start to look into the issue. Shearer previously worked at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau as the regulator’s assistant director of policy

“I wanted to see if President Trump’s proposed cap could be taken seriously, and the idea appears that it could be seriously considered and it would not have the amount of downside that often the pundits assume there will be.”

BRIAN SHEARER, the author of the report

planning and strategy, working under Republican and Democratic administrations.

“I wanted to see if President Trump’s proposed cap could be taken seriously, and the idea appears that it could be seriously considered and it would not have the amount of downside that often the pundits assume there will be,” Shearer said.

Americans are carrying more credit card debt than ever before, to the tune of $1.21 trillion, or roughly $6,400 per person. The average credit card interest rate is roughly 21%, according to data from the Federal Reserve. That’s significantly higher than a decade ago, when the average credit card interest rate was roughly 12%.

Banks earn revenue from credit cards two different ways: the amount of money they charge merchants to process a credit card transaction, often referred to as interchange, and the interest and fees the banks charge customers. That could be the annual fee on a credit card, or the monthly interest that accrues when a customer carries a

balance.

Shearer says the revenue earned from interchange is why banks would remain profitable, even if credit card interest rates are capped. Credit card rewards programs are largely funded through interchange. American Express, for instance, earned $35.2 billion in revenue from the fees they charge merchants.

Under Shearer’s analysis, if interest rates were capped at 15%, Americans would save roughly $48 billion in interest a year, while at 10%, that figure goes to $100 billion. In his analysis, Shearer assumed that banks would charge as close to the national cap as possible.

The Vanderbilt paper finds that banks, because they largely fund their rewards programs from interchange, would not likely universally cut back on rewards for Americans Instead, the Americans who would likely see the biggest reduction in rewards would be those with low credit scores, because they are considered the riskiest borrowers. However, Shearer believes that any modest reduction in rewards for those customers would likely be made up in the interest they would save annually Historically, bank customers with low credit scores tend to be “revolvers,” or those who carry a balance, instead of “transactors,” which are customers who pay off their credit cards at the end of each month.

“It is true that there would need to be some reward reduction, but it’s not the kind of skyis-falling story that you often hear,” Shearer said.

BY STAN CHOE AP business writer

NEW YORK U.S. stocks rose to a record on Thursday as Wall Street made its final moves ahead of an update on the job market, one that could clear the way for the cuts to interest rates that investors love. The S&P 500 added 0.8% to top the all-time high it set last week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 350 points, or 0.8%, and the Nasdaq composite gained 1%.

Stocks got some lift from easing pressure from the bond market, where Treasury yields fell following the latest reports on the U.S. job market to come in worse than economists expected. One report suggested employers, not

including the government, nearly halved their hiring in August from the prior month. Another said that more workers applied for unemployment benefits last week in an indication of rising layoffs.

Neither number is flashing a recession, and a third report on activity for businesses in the information and other services industries showed stronger-thanexpected growth.

The upside for investors of a slowdown in the job market is that it could push the Federal Reserve to cut its main interest rate for the first time this year at its next meeting in a couple weeks. Such cuts can kickstart the economy and job market, though they can also accelerate inflation.

So far this year, the Fed has kept its main interest rate on hold because it’s been more worried about inflation potentially worsening because of President Donald Trump’s tariffs than about the job market.

“The year started with strong job growth, but that momentum has been whipsawed by uncertainty,” according to Nela Richardson, chief economist at ADP She said several things could be behind the slowdown, including ”labor shortages, skittish consumers, and AI disruptions.”

A more comprehensive report on the job market’s health during August will arrive on Friday from the U.S. Labor Department, and it will likely carry much weight with the Fed. Last month’s grim jobs

report, which included massive downward revisions for June and May, sent financial markets spiraling and prompted Trump to fire the head of the agency that compiles the monthly data.

On Wall Street, American Eagle Outfitters jumped 38% after the retailer reported more than double the profit that analysts had expected for its latest quarter. It benefited from a frenzy of media attention in late July over a provocative advertising campaign featuring actor Sydney Sweeney

The ads — which featured the tagline “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans” — sparked a debate about race, Western beauty standards, and the backlash to “woke” American politics and culture.

Free FirstSunday

Get complimentary admissionfromnoon to 4p.m. at these locations: theCary SaurageCommunity Arts Center, Magnolia Mound Museum +Historic Site, Louisiana Art& ScienceMuseum, the Capitol Park Museum, theLSU Museum of Art, theOld StateCapitol and Old Governor’s Mansion.

LIVING

7:30 p.m.Tuesday l Manship Theatre, 100 Lafayette St l $40-$60 l manshiptheatre.org and karlabonoff.com

Songstress

BY JOHN WIRT

Contributing writer

When Karla Bonoff was an aspiringsinger-songwriter,she didn’twrite her songs for others to sing.

But then, after striving for years in the crowded Los Angeles music scene, Bonoff gave her work to afew famous voices Linda Ronstadtrecorded three Bonoff songs —“Someone to Lay Down Beside Me,” “IfHe’s Ever Near” and “LoseAgain” —for her1976album, “Hasten Down the Wind.” Another Bonoff composition, “Home,” made the track list for Bonnie Raitt’s1977album, “Sweet Forgiveness.”

Bonoff

“When you don’tknow where your career is going,” Bonoff said of her tough early years, “and someone who sells amillion records wants to do your song, you’d be stupidnot to letthem.” Bonoff, who’sperforming Tuesday at the Manship Theatre, eventuallyclinchedamajor label deal.In1977, Columbia Records released her self-titled album debutaswell as 1979’s“Restless Nights” and 1982’s“Wild Heart of the Young” albums.

Bonoff’s third Columbia album containedher Top40hit, “Personally.” The songstress whose words and melodies had been recorded by stars didn’t write “Personally.” Afriend, Glenn Frey of the Eagles, introduced hertothe song, which hadbeen an unsuccessful single for rhythm-and-blues singer Jackie Moore.

“Glenn played the Jackie Moore version of ‘Personally for me and the light went on,” Bonoff remembered. “I said, ‘Oh,I should recordthat. That soundslikeahit.’ ” Bonoff’s instincts proved correct. The catchy and gently grooving“Personally”peaked at No. 19 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the song’smusic video received airplayonthe newly launched MTV

“In those days,” Bonoff reflected, “the record company pushed you to have up-tempo songs for singles. Because ballads weren’tplayed much on the radio. It was along time after that when someone like Sarah McLachlan could have ‘Angel.’ So, Ialways needed something thatcould be asingle, becauseotherwisethese albums wouldn’tsell or get promoted.”

In addition to “Personally,” Bonoff’s finalColumbiaalbumfeatured eightofher own compositions.Not aprolific songwriter,her songs nevertheless have been recorded by the previously mentioned Rait and Ronstadt as well as Aaron Neville (with Ronstadt), Wynonna Judd, Trisha Yearwood andLynn Anderson. She’s also

SMASHING SUCCESS

BY JUDYBERGERON Staff writer

The numbersare in for the first Baton Rouge Underground Film Festival, and it’s officially aboxoffice hit.

Presented by Visit Baton Rouge,the four-day event Aug. 21-24 drew 1,800-plus attendees over the course of thefestival.

Original projections for the inaugural event were200 to 500 people.

“Weknewwehad afantastic programorganized,” said Joe Carleton, financial director of the nonprofit BRUFF.“Theonly thing left was to wonder,‘Will Baton Rouge showupfor itsfilmmakers?’ We are happy to report that Baton Rouge showed up in a major way.Wesaw an absolutely electrifying energyinevery single room, allthe way from 10 a.m. to midnight each day.”

During the festival at the Man-

ship Theatre,10feature-length films and 39 short film projects wereshowcased, highlighting independent film in Louisiana and across the globe.

“At BRUFF,our missionhasalwaysbeen to platform incredible filmmakersand thisyear,there was no shortage of them,” said BRUFF Creative Director Brendan Pyron. “Wecreated 13 awards to celebrate the talented artists screening at the festival, especially those who went aboveand beyond in their craft. Theseawards areareflection of the passion and dedication that makeBRUFF such aspecial place to showyour film.”

The winners were: n Best Picture,Louisiana ShortsBlock,“Ruby,” directed by Jaclyn Bethany n Best Picture,Louisiana Genre Shorts Block,“Benediction,” written and directed by

ä See FESTIVAL, page 8C

Gathered at the opening night festivalgalaare fromleft, Baton RougeUnderground Film Festival board member KellySwift, financial director JoeCarleton, technical director Michael Prince-Bouton, board member Jenika Kolacz, and co-creative directors Brendan Pyron and Nathan Hall.

BY JUDYBERGERON Staff writer

By The Associated Press

Today is Friday,Sept. 5, the 248th day of 2025. There are 117 days left in the year

Todayinhistory:

On Sept. 5, 1972, Palestinian militants attacked the Israeli Olympic delegation at the Munich Games, killing two andtaking nine others hostage; five of the militants, aGerman police officer and all nine hostages were killed in the following24 hours.

Also on this date:

In 1774, the first Continental Congress assembled in Philadelphia. In 1836, Sam Houston won the first presidential electioninthe newly established Republicof Texas.

In 1905, the Treaty of Portsmouth was signed, ending the Russo-Japanese war; for his efforts in mediating the peace negotiations, U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize the following year.

In 1957, Jack Kerouac’snovel “On the Road” was published.

In 1960, Muhammad Ali (as Cassius Clay) won the gold medal in the light heavyweight boxing division at the Olympic Games in Rome.

In 1975, President Gerald R. Ford survived an assassination attempt by Lynette “Squeaky”

PARADE

Continued from page7C

“Really early on in my music career,probably 2023, Iremember seeing Lainey Wilson representing Louisiana at the RoseParade and thinking, man, that would be really cool if one day Ihad the honor to represent my stateat such agreat event like that,” Foster said last week in aFacebook video. “…It’sgoing to be such an amazing event, so whether you tune in live or whether you come to Pasadena, please join me and I can’twait to see you there.” Foster,19and anative of Addis, finished as runner-up on Season 23 of ABC singing competition series “AmericanIdol” in May Since the show,he’sperformed close to home, with two sold-out performances at The Texas Club in BatonRouge,and nationally with apair of shows at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. He’ll sing soon at the Opry for athird time Meanwhile, Foster’sfall calendar is filling up with the following concerts:

n Sept. 7: Little Cousin Jasper Festival, Rensselaer,Indiana

n Sept. 13: Grand Old Opry, Nashville

n Oct. 3: Fort Bend County Fair &Rodeo, Rosenberg, Texas

n Oct. 5: Gretna Fest, Gretna

n Oct. 10: The Blue Note, Columbia, Missouri

n Oct. 24: Homecoming Concert, Plaquemine

n Oct. 25: Hobart Arena, Troy, Ohio. The Rose Parade’stheme is “The Magic in Teamwork.” The Louisiana float, Gulf to Gumbo, will recognize all the individuals who contribute to Louisiana’s mostfamous dish. Thefloatwill feature ashrimp boat, fresh Louisiana seafood andalarger-thanlife chef bringing it all together, according to anews release from the LouisianaDepartment of

BONOFF

Continued from page7C

recorded duets of her songs with Vince Gill and Michael McDonald. Bonoff’s especially popular creations include “All My Life.” Originally atrack on her1988 album, “NewWorld,”it’sone of Ronstadt’sduets with Neville on her 1989album, “Cry Like aRainstorm, Howl Like the Wind.”“All My Life” reached No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 and won the Grammy Award for best pop performance by aduo or group with vocals.

“Linda was lookingfor asong to do with Aaron,” Bonoff recalled. “I suggested ‘All My Life.’ At one point, they said, ‘Why don’tyou sing it (in the studio with them) and we’ll use that as amap.’ The song worked great for them. I think it’swonderful.”

In the vibrant Los Angeles music scene of the late 1960s through early’70s, Bonoffsaw writing and performing as inseparable. An L.A.native, she was in the right place and time to become asinger-songwriter.Being there, for instance, provided the opportunity to study guitar

When preparingprecooked chicken

Fromme,a disciple of Charles Manson, in Sacramento, California. In 1986, fourhijackerswho hadseized aPan Am jumbo jet on thegroundinKarachi, Pakistan, opened fire on the jet’spassengers; atotal of 20 passengers andcrew members were killed before Pakistani commandos stormed the jetliner In 1991, the 35th annual Naval Aviation Symposium held by the Tailhook Association opened in LasVegas; duringthe four-day gathering, there were reports that as manyas90 people, most of them women, weresexually assaulted or otherwise harassed. (The episode triggered the resignation of NavySecretary Henry L. Garrett III.)

Today’sbirthdays: Actor Lucille Soong (TV:“Fresh Off the Boat”) is 90. Baseball Hall of Hamer Bill Mazeroskiis89. Actor William Devane is 86. Actor George Lazenby is 86. Film director Werner Herzog is 83. Singer Al Stewart is 80. “Cathy” cartoonist Cathy Guisewite is 75. Actor Michael Keaton is 74. Actor Rose McGowan is 52. Olympic gold medalgymnast Tatiana Gutsu is 49. Actor Carice VanHouten is 49. Mixed martial artist Francis Ngannou is 39. Olympic gold medalfigure skater Yuna Kim is 35. Soccer player Bukayo Saka is 24.

PROVIDED PHOTO FROM JOHN FOSTER MUSIC

Rising country singer and ‘American Idol’runner-up John Foster,anAddisnative, will representLouisiana in the Tournament of Roses Parade.

Tourism

The state’sparticipation in the 2025 paradeyielded media coverage that reached an advertising value of morethan $50million, the release also said.

The 137th Rose Parade will roll at 10 a.m.Jan. 1, and will airlive all over the world through Rose Parade broadcastpartners, including ABC,NBC, Univision and Pluto TV

For information on how to join Louisiana to decorate the 2026 Louisiana float in Pasadena,visit the ExploreLouisianaRose Parade webpage.

Email Judy Bergeron at jbergeron@theadvocate.com.

with folkmusician, educator and song collector FrankHamilton. The lessons happenedatBarney Kessel’sMusicWorld on Vine Street, up the hill from the Capitol Recordstower at Hollywood andVine.

“Frank was amusical genius,” Bonoff said. “He was amentor, really,much more thana guitar teacher.”

Lessons with Hamilton included “The Water is Wide,” the traditional Scottish folk song that’s become astaple of Bonoff’s concerts. In thestreaming era, it’s amongher most popularrecordings.

Duringher teens,Bonoff played openmic nightsatThe Troubadour on SantaMonica Boulevard —during theera when The Troubadour presented the solo,Los Angeles and/or U.S. debuts of Joni Mitchell, Gordon Lightfoot, NeilYoung, James Taylor, Kris Kristofferson and Billy Joel.

“I was younger than those acts, learning, in my late teens, in the middle of it,” Bonoff remembered. “There was so much music and so many clubs, concerts. You couldgoout every night in L.A. andhear somebody amazing.”

Email John Wirt at j_wirt@msn. com.

Dear Heloise: Ilove precooked whole chickens from the grocery store as much as anyone, but Idislike the fat in them. So, Idothis: When Ibuy one, Iremove the chicken pieces from it while it’sstill hot/warm and put them into acontainer spread out flat Ithen put apaper towel on top of it, repeating the layers and pressing down on each one. Youwill end up with less fat and still have adelicious chicken. Removethe paper towels andrefrigerate. —CaryS., via email Cary,when Ibuy aprecooked chicken, Iusually takeitout of theplastic container,and using

FRIDAY

LIVE MUSIC: Cane River Pecan CompanyPie Bar New Iberia, 5p.m

MELISSASINGS: Adopted DogBrewing,Lafayette, 6p.m

LIVE MUSIC: Naq’s-n-Duson, Duson,6 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Jim Deggy’s

Brick Oven Pizza&Brewery,Lafayette, 6p.m

LIVE MUSIC: Charley G’s Seafood Grill, Lafayette, 6p.m

LIVE MUSIC: Prejean’s, Broussard, 6p.m

JAKE KNOTT: SHUCKS!, Abbeville, 6:30 p.m.

THE CAST: Buck & Johnny’s, Breaux Bridge, 6:30 p.m.

GENO DELAFOSE &FRENCH

ROCKIN BOOGIE: La PoussiereCajun Dancehall, Breaux Bridge, 7p.m

HIGH NOTES FEATURING

GREGWRIGHT: Chez La Fête, Lafayette, 7p.m

LEAN ON THE SCENE: The Loose Caboose, Lafayette, 7p.m

MATT GARYTRIO: Whiskey &Vine, Lafayette, 7p.m

X-CHANGE: Silver Slipper, Arnaudville, 7p.m

“FENCES” BY AUGUST

WILSON: Cité des Arts, Lafayette, 7:30 p.m.

ANDREW DUHON: Acadiana Center for the Arts, Lafayette, 7:30 p.m.

JULIAN PRIMEAUX: Hideaway on Lee, Lafayette, 8p.m

LIVE MUSIC: The Barrel of Broussard, Broussard, 8p.m

SPANK THE MONKEY: Rock ’n’ Bowl, Lafayette, 9p.m

SATURDAY

CHUBBYCARRIER: Buck & Johnny’s, Breaux Bridge, 8a.m

DON FONTENOTBAND: Fred’s, Mamou,8 a.m.

ZYDECO BREAKFAST: St

Landry Parish Courthouse Square, Opelousas, 9a.m.

SATURDAY MORNING JAM

SESSIONS: Savoy Music Center,Eunice,9 a.m.

CAJUN JAMLED BY RICK AND TOMMY MICHOT: Moncus Park,Lafayette, 9a.m

CAJUN JAM: Tante Marie, Breaux Bridge, 11 a.m.

CAJUN FRENCH MUSIC

JAM: Vermilionville, Lafayette, 1p.m

DRUM CIRCLE: NUNU Arts

&CultureCollective, Arnaudville, 2:30 p.m.

COLBYHEBERT&FRIENDS: Cypress Cove Landing, Breaux Bridge, 3p.m

GREGGORDON PROJECT: BayouTeche Brewing, Arnaudville, 4p.m

DERRICK SAVOIE: Adopted DogBrewing,Lafayette, 6p.m

LIVE MUSIC: Charley G’s

FESTIVAL

Continuedfrom page7C

paper towels, Ipress the towels all over the chicken to remove as much oil and fatasI can. I like to buy whole chickens rather than parts. —Heloise Newbluejeans

Dear Heloise: Ijust bought three pairs of jeans, two black andone dark blue. How do Ikeep them from fading after they’ve been washed several times? —Carrie R., in New London, Connecticut Carrie, here is what Idotokeep my jeanslooking new and nice: n Always turn your jeans inside out before washing them.Never use starch on your jeans. (And yes, somefolks do.)

n Useamild detergent and cold water.Only launder your jeans when they are dirty and spotclean when you can rather than washing the entire jean. n According to Levi’s, never place your washedjeansinadryer Hangthemuptodry on ashower curtainrod or aclothesline —Heloise Ashiny surface

Dear Heloise: Isaw the tip regarding using cutup tissue paper to blot oil off your face. An easier solution is using end papers, which can be bought at abeauty supply! —Patricia B.,via email Sendahinttoheloise@heloise com.

SHOWSTOWATCH —ACADIANA

Seafood Grill, Lafayette, 6p.m

LIVE MUSIC: Prejean’s Broussard, 6p.m

LIVE MUSIC: Jim Deggy’s Brick Oven Pizza&Brewery,Lafayette, 6p.m.

CAJUN BREAKFAST: Naq’sn-Duson,Duson, 6p.m.

BEAUYOUNG: SHUCKS!, Abbeville, 6:30 p.m.

TONY BRUCE &CLASSIC COUNTRY: Buck & Johnny’s, Breaux Bridge, 6:30 p.m.

NEXT GENZYDECO: Silver Slipper, Arnaudville, 7p.m.

TET DUR: Pat’sAtchafalaya Club, Henderson, 7p.m.

BLUE BURNS BAND: Whiskey&Vine, Lafayette, 7p.m

“FENCES” BY AUGUST WILSON: Cité des Arts, Lafayette, 7:30 p.m.

4-HORSES: La Poussiere Cajun Dancehall, Breaux Bridge, 8p.m

AMIS DU TECHE: Hideaway on Lee, Lafayette, 8p.m.

JAMIE BERGERON &THE KICKIN’ CAJUNS: Lakeview Park,Eunice, 8p.m

LIVE MUSIC: The Barrel of Broussard, Broussard, 8p.m

EIGHTIES EXPERIENCE: Rock ’n’ Bowl, Lafayette, 9p.m

TERRY&THE ZYDECO BAD BOYS: The Grouse Room, Lafayette, 9p.m

SUNDAY

GLENN ZERINGUE: Whiskey &Vine, Lafayette, 11 a.m. BRUNCH SHOW —ABI

CLAIR: HideawayonLee, Lafayette, 11 a.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Tante Marie, Breaux Bridge, 11 a.m.

LES FRERES MICHOT: Prejean’s,Carencro, 11:30 a.m.

JAMBALAYA ACOUSTIC MUSIC JAM: Tom’s

Zandashé Brown n Best PictureShortsand Pilots Block, “R&R,”directed by JJ Herz n Best Picture, GenreShorts Block, “The Travelerand the Troll,” directed by Adam Murray n Best Picture,Student Shorts Block, “Lucid,” directed by Marcelle Tiblier n Best Picture, Animation and Documentaries, “Jan Beauboeuf: TheCreative Spirit,”directed by Graham Holt n Best Picture, “F*ckToys,” Annapurna Sriram, TimPetryni Trashtown Pictures n Best Director,“Off Ramp,” Nathan Tape n Best Cinematog rap h y, “F*cktoys,”Cory Fraiman-Lott n Best Performance, “FanBoy,” Jon Washington n Best Louisiana Feature, “Senior Prank,” directed by Bailey Waxand Gray Fagan, Fagan Films n Best Editing, “TimeTravel is

Fiddle&Bow,Arnaudville

12:30 p.m

BALDUDIMANCHE—

JAMIE BERZAS &CAJUN

TRADITION: Vermilionville Lafayette, 1p.m.

CAJUN JAM: BayouTeche Brewing, Arnaudville, 2p.m.

GENO DELAFOSE: Cypress Cove Landing, Breaux Bridge, 3p.m.

SINGER/SONGWRITER

OPEN MIC: Adopted Dog Brewing, Lafayette, 4p.m.

JUSTIN CORNETT: Pat’s Atchafalaya Club,Henderson, 4:30 p.m

LIVE MUSIC: CharleyG’s Seafood Grill, Lafayette, 6p.m.

JESSE BROWN TRIO WITH GINA FORSYTH: Hideaway on Lee, Lafayette, 8p.m.

MONDAY PATRICIO LATINO SOLO: Cafe Habana City, Lafayette, 11 a.m. BLUE MONDAYJAM —A SALUTE TO MALACO &STAXRECORDS: The GrouseRoom, Lafayette, 5p.m. LIVE MUSIC: CharleyG’s Seafood Grill, Lafayette, 6p.m. THE DAVE MOUTON EXPERIENCE: The Brass Room, Lafayette, 7p.m.

BLUEGRASS JAM: Citédes Arts, Lafayette, 6:30 p.m

TUESDAY

TERRYHUVAL &FRIENDS: Prejean’s Restaurant Lafayette, 6p.m. PAUL TASSIN: Whiskey& Vine,Lafayette, 6p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: CharleyG’s Seafood Grill, Lafayette, 6p.m. KILLER KARAOKE: Freetown Boom Boom Room, Lafayette, 8p.m.

Dangerous,” Chris Reading, AnnaElizabeth Shakespeare and Hillary Shakespeare

n Best Writing, “Crossword,” Michael Vlamis and Kyle Anderson. With major support fromthe city and state, as well as manylocal companies and individuals, the festival awardedmore than $50,000 in grantstolocal filmmakers: n Panavision Grant, “Trip,” No One Productions, directed by Mack Cormier,$15,000 camera rental

n Celtic Studios Grant, “Senior Prank,” FaganFilms, directed by Bailey Waxand Gray Fagan, five freedays of stage space at Celtic Studios soundstages n Shoestring Award, “Contact,” directed by Reece Loustalot, $5,000 cash to be utilized to create anew project, also includes supportfrom the festivaldirectors in order to properlyplan, budget and execute their project.

“Wecreated theBaton Rouge Underground Film Festival to celebrate, support and uplift thevisionarynew voices coming to and

WEDNESDAY

DULCIMERJAM: St. Landry VisitorCenter,Opelousas, 10 a.m.

CHARLES AND WENDY: Whiskey& Vine,Lafayette, 6p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Park Bistro, Lafayette, 6p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: CharleyG’s Seafood Grill, Lafayette, 6p.m.

RAEKWON GREEN: Tap Room, Youngsville, 6:30 p.m

CAJUN JAM: Blue Moon Saloon, Lafayette, 8p.m.

THURSDAY

JOSH LEBLANCTRIO: Whiskey& Vine,Lafayette, 6p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Naq’s-n-Duson, Duson, 6p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: CharleyG’s Seafood Grill, Lafayette, 6p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Buck & Johnny’s, BreauxBridge 6p.m.

TROUBADOUR: SHUCKS!, Abbeville, 6:30 p.m LUKE BRYAN: Cajundome, Lafayette, 7p.m. BRAVO BROADWAY: Heymann Performing Arts Center,Lafayette, 7p.m.

HORACE TRAHAN: Rock’n’ Bowl, Lafayette, 7:30 p.m

ABI &KJ: Gloria’s Bar & Grill, Lafayette, 8p.m.

PRENDSCOURAGE TRIO: Hideaway on Lee, Lafayette, 8p.m.

Compiledby

MarchaundJones

Want yourvenue’s music listed?

Email info/photos to showstowatch@ theadvocate.com. The deadline is noon FRIDAY forthe following Friday’spaper.

from our community,said BRUFF Creative Director Nathan Hall. “By investing in our local talent, we ensure that thenextgeneration of filmmakers continue to stay and create here in BatonRouge andthe surrounding area.” Adozen-plus volunteersalso assisted the festival.

If you or someoneyou know is interested in volunteering to help support BRUFF,send an email to info@batonrougeunderground. com.

“The festival’ssuccess is shared by our team of volunteers whose warmth, generosity and service turned BRUFF into atrue community,” said BRUFF Technical Director Michael Prince-Bouton. “We’re proud to celebrate their efforts as an important part of what madethis year asuccess.” The BatonRouge Underground Film Festival is acertified 501©(3) organization. If you are interested in supporting Louisiana film and making atax-deductible donation, visit BatonRougeUnderground. com. Alist of sponsors also can be found there.

VIRGO(Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Keepasking questions until you are satisfied with the answers. Trustwill be broken if you aregullible or let someonedothings for you. Set boundaries with those who try to cross the line

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct.23) Recap what's happening and refrain from making a hasty decision. Trust your instincts and ask for what you want in writing. Avoid unnecessary expenses andthose who ask for toomuch.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov.22) Keep your thoughts and plans to yourself. Emotions will fluctuatethroughout the day. Consider what you want to achieve, and demonstrate discipline and ingenuity.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Look for thegood in everyone and everything. How you approach otherswill make a difference in the outcome. Don't expect everyone to agree with you.

CAPRICORN (Dec.22-Jan. 19) Be honest with yourself when it comes to money, health andlegal matters. Refuse to spendonunnecessary goods or on someoneyou wanttoimpress. Useyour sharp wit and charm to reach your goal.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Achange to your surroundings, lifestyle or attitude will give youthe boost you need to shine brightly when dealing with others. Put your energywhere it counts, and the rewards will be forthcoming.

PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) Usereason when dealingwith your peers, and

you'll gain acceptance. Refuse to let the changes others makeset you off or push you in the wrong direction.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) Share your vision, and participateineventsthat can help you make adifference to acause youbelieve in. Put more energy into exploring the possibilities of alifestyle change or commitment.

TAURUS (April20-May 20) Look over your options, but don't feel pressured to decide. Discuss concerns, alternatives and new possibilities, and you'll find the path that leads to positive change and inner peace.

GEMINI(May 21-June 20) Learn something newand addittoyourqualifications. Youstandtoprosperifyou arewilling to adopt what's new and trending into your lineofwork. Attend networking events.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) Simplify your life. Refuse to let discord or anger take over and ruin your day. Aphysical outlet will help you avoid stewing over something you have no control over.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Engage in projects that add to your comfort and entertainment. Free yourself from living in the past and holding on to what is holding you back. Live, love and be happy.

The horoscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact. ©2025 by NEA, Inc., dist.

By Andrews McMeel Syndication

Celebrity Ciphercryptograms are created from quotationsbyfamous people, past and present.Each letter in thecipher stands for another.

TODAy'S CLUE:E EQUALS F

Sudoku

InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with severalgiven numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1to9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 boxcontains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

BY PHILLIP ALDER

Aime Cesaire, apoet, author and politician fromMartinique, said, “Reason, Isacrifice you to the evening breeze.”

Bridge players must try never to sacrificereason. But therecan be agood reason to sacrifice— you may suffer a smaller loss.

In today’s deal, howwould Easthave done in four hearts and what should happen in four spades doubled? West did not want to pass over one spade, but her hand was not strong enough fortwo diamonds or suitable, in her partnership, for three diamonds So she passed. However,when East reopened withatakeout double, West correctly jumped to three diamonds. East then wondered about five and six diamonds, but sensibly went for the 10-trick heart game.

If that had been passed out, East would probablyhave lostone spade and one heart to come home with an overtrick for plus 650.

WhenSouth bidanundisciplined four spades, West happily doubled. She led thediamondaceandcashedthediamond king. What should she have done next?

WherewereEast’spointsforhisstrong bidding? He had to have good clubs. So West shouldhave shifted to that suit, which would have resultedindownfour plus 800. But West actually led thediamond jack at trick three. Southruffed, drew trumps (discarding twohearts from the board), and ducked aheart to East. Endplayed, he could take only two heartsandtwoclubsfordownthree,plus 500. So thesacrifice gained,but it wasa close-runthing. ©2025 by NEA, Inc dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication

EachWuzzle is aword riddle which creates adisguised word, phrase, name, place, saying, etc. For example: NOON GOOD =GOOD AFTERNOON

Previous answers:

word

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

or an “s” may not be used. 4. Proper nouns,

toDAY’s WoRD MIcRoBEs: MY-krobes: Microscopic organisms.

Average mark 28 words

Time

Canyou find 43 or more words in MICROBES?

today’s thought “Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man.” Psalms 60:11

DOGS Goldendoodle -Goldendoodle pups $500 Lake Charles. Will meet.BLK & Blondes. F1B coat.wellsocialized $500 323-561-2844

followingdescribed property,to-wit: Beginningata pointon theexistingCityof Lafayette corporatelim‐its, said pointisthe southeasterlyproperty corner of KATHERINE CONQUESFREEMAN,the northeasterlyproperty corner of SYBILRUTH MOUTON,and thewest‐erly right-of-way of LA 182 -N University Ave, thence N25º05’59”W, a distance of approxi‐mately 299.00’,along the easterly property line of KATHERINECONQUES FREEMAN, andthe west‐erly right-of-way of LA 182 -N University Aveto acornerpoint

RAGAMUFFIN& RAGDOLLKITTENS www.CatsByFrancy.com/kittens $700up! Reg. Shots& Guaranty 337-230-3150 thence N89º34’15”W, a distance of approxi‐mately 360.10’,along the southerlypropertylineof LOAN DOAN &HAU DOAN andthe northerlyprop‐erty line of KATHERINE CONQUESFREEMAN to a corner point, thence S00º20’23”W, a distance of approxi‐mately 265.90’,along the easterly property line of LOAN DOAN &HAU DOAN andthe westerly prop‐erty line of KATHERINE CONQUESFREEMAN to a corner point, thence N89º37’28”W, a distance of approxi‐mately 264.44’,along the southerly property line of &

PROCEEDINGS OF THE LAFAYETTE PARISH COUNCIL MEETING OF THE PARISH OF LAFAYETTE, STATEOFLOUISIANA, TAKEN AT AREGULAR MEETING OF SEPTEMBER 2, 2025 HELD AT 705 W. UNIVERSITY AVENUE, LAFAYETTE,LA.

ATTENDANCE

COUNCIL:ABRubin (Chair,District 5), Donald Richard(Vice-Chair, District 2),Bryan Tabor (District 1) and John Guilbeau (District 4)

ABSENT:Ken Stansbury (District3)

COUNCIL STAFF: Joseph Gordon-Wiltz (Clerk of the Council), Jeremy J. Swiney (Associate Clerk for Legislative Affairs), Cindy M. Semien (Assistant Clerk for Legislative Affairs) and Jeremy Richardson (Associate Clerk for Operations and Citizen Advocacy)

ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF:Monique B. Boulet (Mayor-President), Rachel Godeaux (Chief AdministrativeOfficer), Karen Fontenot (Chief Financial Officer), Christina Dayries (Chief of Staff), Patrick S. Ottinger (City-Parish Attorney) and Paul Escott (Assistant City-Parish Attorney)

(4:30:00) COMMENCEMENT

Call to order

Chair Rubin called the Regular Parish Council Meeting of September 2, 2025 to order

AGENDA ITEM NO. 1: Invocation and Pledge of Allegiance

TheChair called upon Councilmember Richardtocite the invocation and called upon Councilmember Guilbeau, to lead the Pledge of Allegiance.

WELCOME AND CHAIR ANNOUNCEMENTS

ChairRubin made the following announcements:

•Final Adoption of the Budget will be held during aSpecial Joint Council Meeting on September 11th at 5:15 p.m.

•Wished Warren Abadie, Traffic, Roads and Bridges Director ahappy birthday which he will celebrate on September 4th.

•Wished Kelly Comeaux, LegislativeAssistant to the ParishCouncil a happy birthday which shewill celebrate on September 12th.

Rubin made the following announcement: Announcement of Public Meeting Notice is hereby given that at its meeting to be held on Tuesday,October 7, 2025, at 4:30 p.m. at the Council Auditorium, 705 West University, Lafayette, Louisiana, the Lafayette Par sh Councilplans to consider adopting aresolution ordering and calling an election to be held in the Parish of Lafayette, StateofLouisiana, affecting ad valorem taxation therein.

AGENDA ITEM NO. 2: COUNCIL ANNOUNCEMENTS No Council Announcements weremade

AGENDA ITEM NO. 3: EXECUTIVE/MAYOR-PRESIDENT’S REPORT

a. Budget-to-ActualComparison of Major Parish Funds –July 2025 Preliminary Boulet noted that the monthly Budget-to-Actual Comparisons areto comply with statewide auditing procedures

b. AuditFindings Update –August 2025 Boulet noted that they arerequired monthly to giveanupdate to the Louisiana Legislative Auditor on the report findings. Boulet stated that the budget is going well and she thanked the Council for their participation.

ORDINANCES FOR FINAL ADOPTION

AGENDA ITEM NO. 4: PO-041-2025 An ordinance of the Lafayette Parish Council amending the FY 24/25 operating budget of the Lafayette City-Parish ConsolidatedGovernment in the amount of $106,500 in National Opioid Settlement Funds received from the State of Louisiana Opioid Abatement Task Force and appropriating within the Community Development and Planning Department for allocation to the planning and design of the Acadiana Crisis Recovery Center motion to adopt by Tabor seconded by Richard, and the vote was as follows:

YEAS: Tabor,Richard, Guilbeau, Rubin NAYS: None

ABSENT:Stansbury

ABSTAIN:None Motion to adopt was approved.

JOINT ORDINANCES FOR FINAL ADOPTION

AGENDA ITEM NO. 5: JO-045-2025 Ajoint ordinance of the Lafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Council amending the FY 24/25 operating budget of the Lafayette City-ParishConsolidated Government by authorizing thetransfer of $200,000 in Home Investment Partnerships Program (HOME) funds within the Community Development and Planning Department to the Extra Mile Region IV,motion to adopt by Richard, seconded by Tabor,and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Tabor,Richard, Guilbeau, Rubin NAYS: None

ABSENT:Stansbury

ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved.

AGENDA ITEM NO. 6: JO-046-2025 Ajoint ordinance of the Lafayette City Council and theLafayette Parish Council amending the FY 24/25 operating budget of the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government by authorizing thetransfer of $550,000 in Home Investment Partnerships Program (HOME) fundswithin the

None

ABSENT:Stansbury

ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved. Melinda Taylor signed in, in support and to speak if therewereany questions.

AGENDA ITEM NO. 6: JO-046-2025 Ajoint ordinance of the Lafayette City Council and theLafayette

DOGS Maltipoo,MiniSchnauzer, Morkie, Shi‐htzu,Teddy Bear,Toy Poodle- Adorable pups readytogoshots,wormingsand beginningpaper training health guar‐antee.Facebook PuppyTails Kennel of Walker $750up2253173411

p p LOAN DOAN & HAUDOAN, andthe northerlyprop‐erty line of THOMAS PAUL HUSBAND& AN‐DREA MARIEMARKS HUS‐BAND to apoint

thence N89º50’35”W, a distance of approxi‐mately 277.63’,along the southerlypropertylineof LOAN DOAN &HAU DOAN andthe northerly prop‐erty line of PATRICKJ BREAUX to apoint

thence N89º43’58”W, a distance of approxi‐mately 241.90’,along the southerlypropertylineof LOAN DOAN &HAU DOAN andthe northerlyprop‐erty line of DARRELL BRETTFONTENOT& LIND‐SEYFORNERAT

FONTENOT to apoint thence N89º44’05”W, a distance of approxi‐mately 130.56’,along the southerlypropertylineof LOAN DOAN &HAU DOAN andthe northerlyprop‐erty line of ONEAL WOODSJR& MARY JANE LEWISWOODS to apoint, thence N89º38’17”W, a distance of approxi‐mately 130.64’,along the southerlypropertylineof LOAN DOAN &HAU DOAN andthe northerlyprop‐erty line of ONEAL

WOODSJR& MARY JANE LEWISWOODS to apoint thence S89º41’08”W, a distance of approxi‐l l h

seconded by Tabor,and the vote wasasfollows:

YEAS: Tabor,Richard, Guilbeau, Rubin

NAYS: None

ABSENT:Stansbury

ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved

pp mately97.70’,alongthe southerlypropertylineof LOAN DOAN &HAU DOAN, andthe northerlyprop‐erty line of SCJT HOLD‐INGS LLCtoa point, thence N88º58’56”W, a distance of approxi‐mately 74.04’,along the southerlypropertylineof LOAN DOAN &HAU DOAN andthe northerlyprop‐erty line of ERNEST MIL‐TONGUILLORYIItoa cor‐nerpoint thence N00º02’45”E, a distance of approxi‐mately 377.19’,along the westerly property line of LOAN DOAN &HAU DOAN andthe easterly property line of STANLEYMELANIE ROSE LLCtoa corner

point, thence N89º43’22”W, a distance of approxi‐mately 1413.85’,along thesoutherly property line of LOAN DOAN &HAU DOAN,and thenortherly property line of STANLEY MELANIEROSELLC to a corner point, thence N45º48’21”W, a distance of approxi‐mately 54.44’,along the southwesterlyproperty line of LOAN DOAN &HAU DOAN,and thenortheast‐erly property line of STANLEYMELANIE ROSE LLCtoa corner point, thence N00º01’58”E, a distance of approxi‐mately 265.06’,along the westerly property line of LOAN DOAN &HAU DOAN andthe easterly right-ofwayofBROTHERSRDto a corner point, thence S89º49’43”E a distance of approxi‐mately 1383.56’,along thenortherly property line of LOAN DOAN &HAU DOAN,and thesoutherly property line of CALLA‐HANPROPERTIESPART‐NERSHIPtoa point, thence S89º46’10”E a distance of approxi‐mately 1450.98’,along thenortherly property line of LOAN DOAN &HAU DOAN, andthe southerly property line of RISE LA HOLDINGLLC to apoint thence adistanceofap‐proximately20.00’ north‐east crossing therightof-way of LA 182 -N Uni‐

an upcoming agenda since the appointment was not made after the second vote was taken.

Emilie Duhon requested the Counciltore-appointher.She invited the CounciltoLafayette Airport’sMusicIt’sInThe Airlivemusicevent that will be heldonSeptember 18th at 5:30 p.m.

AGENDA ITEM NO. 7: JO-047-2025 Ajointordinance of the Lafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Council amending the FY 24/25 operating budgetofthe Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government by authorizing the transfer of $250,000 in Home Investment Partnerships Program(HOME) fundswithin the Community Development and Planning Department to Catholic Charities of Acadiana, motion to adopt by Richard seconded by Guilbeau, and the vote wasasfollows:

YEAS: Tabor,Richard, Guilbeau, Rubin

NAYS: None

ABSENT:Stansbury

ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved

One (1) citizen signed in, in support,but did notwish to speak.

AGENDA ITEM NO. 8: JO-048-2025 Ajointordinance of the Lafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Council amending the FY 24/25

operating budgetofthe Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government by authorizing the transfer of $15,000 in Home American Rescue Plan (HOMEARP) fundswithin the Community Development and Planning Department to Acadiana Outreach Center,pursuant to La. R.S. 47:2205, motion to adopt by Richard, seconded by Tabor,and the vote wasasfollows:

YEAS: Tabor,Richard, Guilbeau, Rubin

NAYS: None

ABSENT:Stansbury

ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved

AGENDA ITEM NO. 9: JO-049-2025 Ajointordinance of the Lafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Council amending the FY 24/25 operating budgetofthe Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government by authorizing the transfer of $25,355 in Home American Rescue Plan (HOMEARP) fundswithin the Community Development and Planning Department to Acadiana Regional CoalitiononHomelessness and Housing,motion to adopt by Richard, seconded by Guilbeau, and the vote wasasfollows:

YEAS: Tabor,Richard, Guilbeau, Rubin

NAYS: None

ABSENT:Stansbury

ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved

AGENDA ITEM NO. 10: JO-050-2025 Ajointordinance of the Lafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Council amending the FY 24/25 operating budgetofthe Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government by authorizing the transfer of $420,000 in Home American Rescue Plan (HOME-ARP) fundswithin the Community Development and Planning Department to Catholic Charities of Acadiana, motion to adopt by Richard seconded by Guilbeau, and the vote wasasfollows:

YEAS: Tabor,Richard, Guilbeau, Rubin NAYS: None

ABSENT:Stansbury

ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved

One (1) citizen signed in, in support,but did notwish to speak.

ANNOUNCEMENT OF VACANCIES ON BOARDS/COMMISSIONS

AGENDA ITEM NO. 11: Avacancy will exist on the Lafayette Parish WaterworksDistrict South Boardfor a five-year termeffective 11-01-2025. Applicants must residewithin the district boundaries.

AGENDA ITEM NO. 12: Two(2) vacancies will exist on the Lafayette Parish WaterworksDistrict North Boardfor five-year terms effective 12-01-2025. Applicants must residewithin the district boundaries.

AGENDA ITEM NO. 13: Avacancy will exist on the Lafayette Parish Library BoardofControl fora five-year termeffective 12-01-2025.

Individuals wishing to submit aresumefor the abovevolunteer vacancies must be aregistered voter and aresident of Lafayette Parish. Yearly ethics training forall appointees is required as is financial disclosureunder certain circumstances. Resumes aretobeforwardedtoJosephGordon-Wiltz, Clerkofthe Council, P.O. Box4017-C, Lafayette, LA 70502 or emailed to BCLafayette@LafayetteLA.gov no later than noon, Tuesday,September 16, 2025 with appointment(s) to be made at the Tuesday,October7,2025 Regular Meeting of the Lafayette Parish Council. Resumesubmissionsare public record.

CONSIDER APPOINTMENT(S) BY THE COUNCIL, AS AWHOLE, TO BOARDS/COMMISSIONS

AGENDA ITEM NO. 14: Appointment of Dave Young to the Lafayette Parish

WaterworksDistrict South Boardfor a five-year termeffective 11-01-2025.

Applicants must residewithin the district boundaries., Guilbeau nominated Young,and the vote wasasfollows: YOUNG: Tabor,Richard, Guilbeau, Rubin

NAYS: None

ABSENT:Stansbury

ABSTAIN: None Dave Young was appointed

AGENDA ITEM NO. 15: Appointment of to the Lafayette Parish Library BoardofControl fora five-year termeffective 10-01-2025, through 09-30-2026. Tabor nominated Glen P. Monte, Richardnominated Emilie Duhon, and the vote wasasfollows:

MONTE: Tabor,Guilbeau

DUHON: Richard, Rubin

NAYS: None

ABSENT:Stansbury

ABSTAIN: None No appointment was made

Due to the need of afavorable vote of three (3), asecond vote wastaken.

MONTE: Tabor,Guilbeau

DUHON: Richard, Rubin

NAYS: None

ABSENT:Stansbury

ABSTAIN: None No appointment was made

Due to the need of afavorable vote of three (3), this item will be placed on

SamuelPierre,Chairman of the Lafayette Airport Commission, urgedthe Counciltovote in support of Duhon so that she couldserve afulltermon the Commission. He remindedthe Councilthat the Commission hashad unfilled vacancies fortoo long.

Boulet announced that the Lafayette Airport’slivemusicevent is anice experience andthat anyone who wishes to attend shouldRSVPatleast 24 hours in advance.

Rubin urged the CounciltogiveDuhon the opportunity to serve afullterm. INTRODUCTORYORDINANCE

Amotion to introduce, in globo, items16thru 19 was offered by Richard, seconded by Tabor

16. PO-042-2025 An ordinance of the Lafayette Parish Council amendingthe FY 24/25 operating and capital budgets of the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government by increasing revenues in the amount of $20,000 received from the ASPCAand appropriating within the Elected Officials CAODepartment, Animal Shelter and CareDivision, forthe purpose of helpingcoverthe cost to travel to South Carolinatotransport animals forrescue.

17. PO-043-2025 An ordinance of the Lafayette Parish Council amendingthe FY 24/25 operating and capital budgets of the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government by increasing revenues in the amount of $30,000 received from the ASPCAand appropriatingwithinthe Elected Officials CAODepartment, Animal Shelter andCareDivision, forthe purpose of helpingoffset adoption fees, medically preparing animals for adoption and giving canine adoptersa free black wirecrate forsix (6) fee-waived adoption events.

18. PO-044-2025 An ordinance of the Lafayette Parish Council authorizing the Lafayette Mayor-President to enter into a Cooperative Endeavor Agreementand ActofDonation by and between Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government and Parish of Acadia concerning the donation of asurplus 2003 tanker fire truck

19. PO-045-2025 An ordinance of the Lafayette Parish Council amending the FY 24/25 capital budget of the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government by transferring $100,000 from the LPCHIMPR &Inmate Holdingaccount to the LPCCImprovements account and appropriatingwithinthe Public Works, Facilities Maintenance Divisionfor additional funding needed.

The Chair then called foravote to introduce the ordinances (items 16 thru 19), in globo, andthe vote was as follows: YEAS: Tabor,Richard, Guilbeau,Rubin NAYS: None

ABSENT:Stansbury ABSTAIN:None Motion to introduce, in globo, wasapproved.

JOINT INTRODUCTORYORDINANCE

AGENDA ITEM NO. 20: JO-051-2025 Ajoint ordinance of the Lafayette City Counciland the Lafayette Parish CouncilamendingOrdinance No.JO-0032024 regardingthe removalofamember of aboard or commission by that member’s appointing authority due to the member’slack of attendance, motion to introduce by Guilbeau,seconded by Tabor,and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Tabor,Richard, Guilbeau,Rubin NAYS: None

ABSENT:Stansbury ABSTAIN:None Motion to introduce wasapproved.

COMMENT(S) FROM THE PUBLIC

AGENDA ITEM NO. 21: Comments from the public on anyother matter(s) not on an agenda

Ella Arsement announced that at the previous Parish Councilmeeting people stated that the Library Boardwas trying to indefinitely defer the Library project. She noted that she wants to set the record straight and as membersofthe Library Board, they have aresponsibility to the Parish and to the citizensofthe community to review all documents thatwouldhelp make the final decision especially when spending millions of dollars on a project as large as buildinga new Library.Arsement furthernotedthat at the February 17th boardmeeting,the decision was made to postpone the building plan because financial projections andadditional data information was needed. She stated that on March17th the Library Boarddid approve and recommend abuildingplan forthe new library. Arsement informedall that the Mayor-Presidenttook overthe project over five (5) months agoand decided to move the project to adifferentlocation. She noted that on June 19th, 2023, government and community leaderswereonboard with the Shadow Blufflocationwhen the past Vice-Presidentofthe Library Board announced that the property met all of the requirements as it is located right offofLouisianaAvenue. Arsement indicated that the lack of communication from some of the government leadersconcerns her andshe challenges anyone to show her or the public how the Boardisdestroying the library system.

Dr.William Harrison announced that he is representing the Opioid Response Network and the American AcademyofAddiction Psychiatry. He noted that thismonth is Recovery Month and also Suicide Prevention Month. He thanked the Councilfor all they aredoing with the opioidabatement money. Dr.Harrison

PROCEEDINGS OF THE LAFAYETTE CITY COUNCIL MEETING OF THE CITY OF LAFAYETTE, STATEOFLOUISIANA, TAKEN AT AREGULAR MEETING OF SEPTEMBER 2, 2025 HELD AT 705 W.

UNIVERSITY AVENUE, LAFAYETTE, LA.

ATTENDANCE

COUNCIL:Kenneth P. Boudreaux (Chair,District 5), Liz W. Hebert (ViceChair,District 3), Elroy Broussard(District1), Andy Naquin (District 2) and Thomas Hooks (District 4)

ABSENT:None

COUNCIL STAFF:Joseph Gordon-Wiltz (Clerk of the Council), Jeremy J. Swiney (Associate Clerk for Legislative Affairs), Cindy M. Semien (Assistant Clerk for Legislative Affairs) and Jeremy Richardson (Associate Clerk for Operations and Citizen Advocacy)

ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF:Monique B. Boulet (Mayor-President), Rachel Godeaux (Chief Administrative Officer), Karen Fontenot (Chief Financial Officer), Patrick S. Ottinger (City-Parish Attorney) and Paul Escott (Assistant City-Parish Attorney)

(5:31:00) COMMENCEMENT

Call to order

Chair Boudreaux called the Regular City Council Meeting of September 2, 2025toorder

AGENDA ITEM NO. 1: Invocation and Pledge of Allegiance

The Chair called upon Councilmember Naquin to cite an invocation and upon Councilmember Hooks to lead the Pledge of Allegiance.

WELCOME AND CHAIR ANNOUNCEMENTS

Chair Boudreaux made the following announcements:

•Item #8 –CO-096-2025 (Act of Cash Sale of 214 Jefferson Street)

–Legal requested an amendment to include additional verbiage to the ordinance.

•Item #21 –CO-099-2025 (Rezoning) –Boudreaux requested to pull this item from the in-globo list for separate vote and discussion.

•Final Adoption of the Budget will be held during aSpecial Joint Council Meeting on September 11th at 5:15 p.m.

•Wished Warren Abadie, Traffic, Roads and Bridges Director a happy birthday which he will celebrate on September 4th.

•Wished Kelly Comeaux, Legislative Assistant to the Parish Council ahappy birthday which she will celebrate on September 12th.

AGENDA ITEM NO. 2: COUNCIL ANNOUNCEMENTS No Council Announcements weremade.

AGENDA ITEM NO. 3: EXECUTIVE/MAYOR-PRESIDENT’S REPORT

a. Budget-to-Actual Comparison of Major City Funds –July 2025 Preliminary Boulet noted that the monthly Budget-to-Actual Comparisons areto comply with statewide auditing procedures.

b. Audit Findings Update –August 2025

Boulet noted that they arerequired monthly to give an update to the Louisiana Legislative Auditor on the report findings.

Godeaux noted that thereisa new and improved look for the Budget-toActual Comparison of Major Funds that can be located on the website. She stated that it is easier to read.

Godeaux announced that the Downtown, UL, Freetown Drainage Public Meeting will be held on September 9th at 5:30 p.m. at the Lafayette Public LibraryMain Branch.

Godeaux stated that the LFT Fiber Ribbon Cutting will be held at its new building located at 214 Jefferson Street on September 12th.

EXECUTIVE SESSIONS

AGENDA ITEM NO. 4: Claim of Mitchell Perrodin

v. Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government

Docket No. 24-02998 Office of Workers’ Compensation, District 04 State of Louisiana

AGENDA ITEM NO. 5: Claim of Quinn Meche

v. Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government

Docket No. 25-03919

Office of Workers’ Compensation, District 04

State of Louisiana

Ottinger explained why it is appropriate and responsible for the Council to enter into executive session regarding this matter

Motion to enter into executive session by Hebert, seconded by Broussard. Ottinger announced that both claims will have to be taken up and voted on separately

Motion to enter into executive session regardingthe Claim of Mitchell Perrodin by Hebert, seconded by Broussard, and the vote was as follows:

YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux

NAYS: None

ABSENT:None

ABSTAIN: None

Motion to enter into executive session was approved.

Motion to returnfromexecutive session regardingthe Claim of Mitchell Perrodin by Naquin, seconded by Hebert, and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux

NAYS: None

ABSENT:None

ABSTAIN: None

Motion to returnfrom executive session was approved.

Motion to accept the recommendation of Risk Management and the City-Parish Attorney; to make appropriate budgetaryadjustments, and authorize the City-Parish Attorney to execute and deliver appropriate and necessary settlement documents, in connection therewith; regarding Claim of Mitchell Perrodin by Broussard, seconded by Naquin, and the vote was as follows:

YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux

NAYS: None

ABSENT:None

ABSTAIN: None

Motion to accept recommendations was approved.

Motion to enter into executive session regardingthe Claim of Quinn Meche by Naquin, seconded by Hooks, and the vote was as follows:

YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux

NAYS: None

ABSENT:None

ABSTAIN: None

Motion to enter into executive session was approved.

Motion to returnfromexecutive session regardingthe Claim of Quinn Meche by Naquin, seconded by Hebert, and the vote was as follows:

YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux

NAYS: None

ABSENT:None

ABSTAIN: None

Motion to returnfromexecutive session was approved.

Motion to accept the recommendation of Risk Management and the City-Parish Attorney; to make appropriate budgetary adjustments, and authorize the City-Parish Attorney to execute and deliver appropriate and necessary settlement documents, in connection therewith; regarding the Claim of Quinn Meche by Naquin, seconded by Broussard, and the vote wasasfollows:

YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks

NAYS: None

ABSENT:Boudreaux

ABSTAIN: None

Motion to accept recommendations was approved.

ORDINANCES FOR FINAL ADOPTION

AGENDA ITEM NO. 6: CO-094-2025 An ordinance of the Lafayette City Council amending the FY 24/25 operating budget of the Lafayette CityParish Consolidated Government by increasing revenues in the amount of $28,100 received from the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement (LCLE) authorizing the transfer of matching funds in the amount of $9,367 from Fund 101 and appropriating within the Lafayette Police Department, to Franklin Police Department, motion to adopt by Broussard, seconded by Naquin, and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux

NAYS: None

ABSENT:None

ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt wasapproved.

AGENDA ITEM NO.7:CO-095-2025 An ordinance of the Lafayette City Council amending the FY 24/25 operating budget and adjusting manning tables of the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government by utilizing funding in the Promotion Costs line item in the amount of $1,350 to promote two (2) Corporals to two (2) Senior Corporals within the Lafayette Police Department,toKaplan Police Department, motion to adopt by Naquin, seconded by Hebert, and the vote was as follows:

YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux

NAYS: None

ABSENT: None

ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved.

AGENDA ITEM NO.8:CO-096-2025 An ordinance of the Lafayette City Council authorizing the Lafayette Mayor-President to execute an Act of Cash Salebyand between the City of Lafayette and JeffersonStreet Development, LLC forthe price and sum of $6,176,250 for the acquisition by the City of Lafayette of that certainproperty,with improvements and appurtenant servitudes and property rights, having amunicipal address of 214 Jefferson Street, Lafayette, Louisiana, forthe present purpose of housing the operations and employees of the Communications System Department and forotherpresent or futurepermissible purposes, and amending the FY 24/25 capital budget of the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government to appropriate the sum of $6,176,250 for the purchase of the property,toKaplan Police Department, motion to adopt by Hebert, seconded by Naquin.

Amotiontoinclude additional verbiage to the ordinance by Naquin, seconded by Hebert, and the vote was as follows:

YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux

NAYS: None

ABSENT: None

ABSTAIN: None Motion to amend was approved.

The Chair then called fora vote to adopt,asamended, and the vote was as follows:

YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux

NAYS: None

ABSENT: None

ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt, as amended, was approved.

AGENDA ITEM NO.9:CO-097-2025 An ordinance of the Lafayette City

Council amending the FY 24/25 operating budget of the Lafayette CityParish Consolidated Government by adjusting the manning tables and increasing the hourlypay rate of one (1) Hazardous MaterialCoordinator position due to years of service adjustment within the Lafayette Fire Department, motion to adopt by Hooks, seconded by Naquin, and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux

NAYS: None

ABSENT: None

ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved.

AGENDA ITEM NO.10: CO-098-2025 An ordinance of the Lafayette City Council amending the FY 24/25 operating and capital budget of the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government by increasing the use of Retained Earnings Reserve in the amount of $2,850,000 and using PriorYear Fund Balance in the amount of $630,000 within the Utilities Department, motion to adopt by Naquin, seconded by Hebert, and the vote was as follows:

YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux

NAYS: None

ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved.

JOINT ORDINANCES FOR FINAL ADOPTION

AGENDA ITEM NO.11: JO-045-2025 Ajoint ordinance of the Lafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Council amending the FY 24/25 operating budget of the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government by authorizing the transfer of $200,000 in Home Investment Partnerships Program (HOME)funds within the Community Development and Planning Department to the Extra Mile Region IV,motiontoadopt by Hebert, seconded by Hooks, and the vote was as follows:

YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux

NAYS: None

ABSENT: None

ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved.

One (1) citizen signed in, in support, but did not wish to speak.

AGENDA ITEM NO.12: JO-046-2025 Ajoint ordinance of the Lafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Council amending the FY 24/25 operating budget of the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government by authorizing the transfer of $550,000 in Home Investment Partnerships Program (HOME)funds within the CommunityDevelopment and Planning Department to Lafayette Habitat forHumanity, motiontoadopt by Naquin, seconded by Hebert, and the vote was as follows:

YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux

NAYS: None

ABSENT: None

ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved.

MelindaTaylor signed in, in support and to speak if therewereany questions.

AGENDA ITEM NO.13: JO-047-2025 Ajoint ordinance of the Lafayette

City Council and the Lafayette Parish Council amending the FY 24/25 operating budget of the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government by authorizing the transfer of $250,000 in Home Investment Partnerships Program (HOME) funds within the Community Development and Planning Department to CatholicCharities of Acadiana, motiontoadopt by Hooks, seconded by Hebert, and the vote was as follows:

YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux

NAYS: None

ABSENT: None

ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved.

Two(2) citizens signed in, in support, but did not wish to speak.

AGENDA ITEM NO.14: JO-048-2025 Ajoint ordinance of the Lafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Council amending the FY 24/25 operating budget of the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government by authorizing the transfer of $15,000 in Home American Rescue Plan (HOME-ARP) funds within the Community Development and Planning Department to Acadiana Outreach Center,motiontoadopt by Naquin, seconded by Broussard, and the vote was as follows:

YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux

NAYS: None

ABSENT: None

ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved.

AGENDA ITEM NO.15: JO-049-2025 Ajoint ordinance of the Lafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Council amending the FY 24/25 operating budget of the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government by authorizing the transfer of $25,355 in Home American Rescue Plan (HOME-ARP) funds within the Community Development and Planning Department to Acadiana Regional Coalition on Homelessness and Housing, motiontoadopt by Naquin, seconded by Hebert, and the vote was as follows:

YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux

NAYS: None

ABSENT: None

ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved.

AGENDA ITEM NO.16: JO-050-2025 Ajoint ordinance of the Lafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Council amending the FY 24/25 operating budget of the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government by authorizing the transfer of $420,000 in Home American Rescue Plan (HOME-ARP) funds within the Community Development and Planning Department to CatholicCharities of Acadiana, motiontoadopt by Naquin, seconded by Broussard, and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux

NAYS: None

ABSENT:None

ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved.

Two(2) citizens signed in, in support, but did not wish to speak.

ANNOUNCEMENT OF VACANCIES ON BOARDS/COMMISSIONS

AGENDA

representation by providers of public transportation

AGENDAITEM NO. 18: Two(2) vacancies will exist on the Heymann PerformingArts Centerand Frem F. Boustany Convention CenterBoard for four-year terms effective 12-01-2025

Individuals wishing to submit aresumefor the above volunteer vacancies must be aregisteredvoterand aresident of Lafayette Parish. Yearly ethics training for all appointees is required as is financial disclosureundercertain circumstances.Resumes aretobeforwardedtoJoseph Gordon-Wiltz Clerk of the Council, P.O. Box 4017 C, Lafayette, LA 70502 or emailed to BCLafayette@LafayetteLA.gov no laterthannoon, Tuesday,September 16, 2025 with appointment(s) to be made at the Tuesday,October7,2025 Regular Meeting of the Lafayette City Council. Resume submissionsare public record.

CONSIDER APPOINTMENT(S) BY THECOUNCIL, AS AWHOLE, TO BOARDS/COMMISSIONS

AGENDAITEM NO. 19: Appointment of Emily ClaireHamnertothe Downtown Development Authority Boardfor athree-year term effective 09-01-2025. Applicants must eitherown property or operate abusiness in the district or shall be an officer of acorporation or otherbusiness entity owning property or operating abusiness in the district. Hooks nominated Hamner, Naquin nominatedAnnie Perret,and the vote wasasfollows: HAMNER: Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux

PERRET:Broussard,Naquin, NAYS: None

ABSENT:None

ABSTAIN: None

Emily ClaireHamnerwas appointed.

AGENDAITEM NO. 20: Appointment of Dave Domingue to the Downtown Development Authority Boardfor the remainderofanunexpired five-year term thru 08-31-2027 This appointment is made from alist of nominees supplied by the Lafayette Mayor-President. Applicants must eitherown property or operate abusiness in the district or shall be an officer of a corporation or otherbusiness entity owning property or operatinga business in the district. Naquin nominatedDomingue,and the vote was as follows:

DOMINGUE: Broussard,Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux

NAYS: None

ABSENT:None

ABSTAIN: None

Dave Domingue wasappointed.

INTRODUCTORYORDINANCES

Boudreauxremindedall thatItem#21 waspulledfor separate vote and discussion.

Amotion to introduceagenda items 22 thru26, in globo, was offeredby Naquin, seconded by Hooks.

22. CO-100-2025 An ordinance of the Lafayette City Council amending the Lafayette Development Code so as to reclassify the property of Case No. 2025-13-REZ 400 BlockRenaudDrive Rezoning, located generally north of RenaudDrive, east of North Gentilly Road, andsouth of McZeal Drive; being rezoned from IL (Industrial-Light) to MN-1 (Mixed-Use Neighborhood).

23. CO-101-2025 An ordinance of the Lafayette City Council amending the Lafayette Development Code andthe official mapofthe City of Lafayette, providing for the annexation of additionallandinto the corporate limits of the City of Lafayette, Louisiana,Case No. 2025-14-REZ 2600 BlockNorth University Avenue Annexation, located generally north of WoodrichLane, west of North University Avenue,and south of Lebesque Road; andassigning azoning classification of RS-2(Residential Single-Family) (District 1)

24. CO-102-2025Anordinanceofthe Lafayette City Council amending the Lafayette Development Code so as to reclassify the property of Case No. 2025-16-REZ 2020 North University Avenue Rezoning, located generally north of Portland Avenue east of North University Avenue,and south of Couret Drive; being rezoned from RS-1 (ResidentialSingle-Family) to CM-1 (Commercial Mixed).

25. CO-103-2025 An ordinance of the Lafayette City Council amending the FY 24/25 capitalbudgetofthe Lafayette CityParish ConsolidatedGovernment by transferring$30,000 from the Overhead Door Maintenance/RPLproject to the Radio ConsolettesNew-3 project within the Lafayette FireDepartment to replace obsolete radio equipment thatcan no longerbeserviced.

26. CO-104-2025Anordinanceofthe Lafayette City Council authorizing the Lafayette Mayor-President to execute the second amendment to Cooperative Endeavor Agreementbyand between the Lafayette City-Parish ConsolidatedGovernment andNational RailroadPassengerCorporation.

The Chair thencalledfor avote to introducethe ordinances (items 22 thru 26),inglobo, andthe vote wasasfollows: YEAS: Broussard,Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux NAYS: None ABSENT:None ABSTAIN: None Motion to introduce, in globo, was approved.

AGENDAITEM NO. 21: CO-099-2025Anordinanceofthe Lafayette City Council amending the Lafayette Development Code so as to reclassify Case No. 2025-9-AZON Park Avenue to Louisiana Avenue,and East Simcoe Street to Mudd Avenue Administrative Rezoning with CUP,located generally north of East Simcoe Street,east of Park Avenue,and south of Mudd Avenue;819, 900 Block, 903, 915, 925, 943, 945, 1001, 1007, 1023 &1113 East Simcoe Street,106, 112, 115, 117, 118, 120, 123, 124, 125, 126, 133, 134, 137, 200 Block, 203, 205, 211, 215, &217 West Foch Street,1010, 1100, 1200, 1204, 1208, 1210, 1212, 1214 &1216 Mudd Avenue,118, 122, 130 &136 Park Avenue,109 &201 DuvalStreet,1202, 1206, 1208 &1212 Eighth Street,and 1003 &1101 Louisiana Avenue, being rezoned from CH (Commercial-Heavy)and RS-1(ResidentialSingleFamily) to MN-2 (Mixed-Use Neighborhood), RM-1(Residential Mixed), CM-2 (Commercial Mixed) andPI-L(Public/InstitutionalLight), andwith aConditionalUse Permit (CUP) for abar/lounge in aCM-2(Commercial Mixed) Zoning District for 945 and1001 East Simcoe Street,motion to introducebyHebert,secondedbyNaquin, andthe vote wasasfollows: YEAS: Broussard,Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux NAYS: None ABSENT:None ABSTAIN: None Motion to introducewas approved.

Boudreauxinquired on the notification process to inform property owners of the proposed rezoning. He also questioned if there were exemptions since some businesses werenot includedinthe rezoning. Luke stated thatshe would informhim of the process andifall property owners were notified.

Don Breauxnotedhis opposition to the rezoning. He stated thatheowns property on Simcoe Street.Breauxquestioned why some properties in the area were not includedinthe proposed rezoning.

SamuelPierreannounced thathedid not receive notification of the proposed rezoning. He stated thatthe property he owns on Simcoe Street is not impacted by the ordinancebut the property he owns on 217 West Foch Street is. Pierrerequested thatthe Council defer the ordinance.

Two(2) citizenssignedin, in opposition, but did not wish to speak.

JOINT INTRODUCTORYORDINANCE

AGENDAITEM NO. 27: JO-051-2025 Ajointordinanceofthe Lafayette City Council andthe Lafayette Parish Council amending Ordinance No. JO-003-2024regarding the removalofamember of aboard or commission by thatmember’sappointing authority due to the member’slack of attendance, motion to introducebyNaquin, seconded by Broussard,and the vote wasasfollows:

YEAS: Broussard,Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux

NAYS: None

ABSENT:None

ABSTAIN: None Motion to introducewas approved.

(6:26:00) ADJOURN

Therebeing no furtherbusiness to come beforethe Council, Chair Boudreauxdeclared the RegularMeeting adjourned.

/s/ Joseph Gordon-Wiltz

JOSEPH GORDON-WILTZ, LAFAYETTE CLERK OF THE COUNCIL

157008-549601-sep