LSU OFFENSE SPUTTERS AGAIN IN LOSS TO OLE MISS 1C THE
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Canadian boycotts hurting Louisiana tourism Nungesser asks Trump to apologize for rhetoric
BY JOANNA BROWN | Staff writer
STAFF PHOTO By BRAD KEMP
University of Louisiana at Lafayette quarterback Daniel Beale looks to pass the ball against Marshall during their Sun Belt Conference game on Saturday at Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium in Lafayette. The Cajuns trailed 34-17 midway through the third quarter, but they were far from done. Behind backup quarterback Lunch Winfield, the Cajuns scored the next 17 points. After Marshall went ahead with a touchdown, Winfield directed another drive that covered 75 yards in 45 seconds to send it to overtime at 41-41. UL scored a touchdown in the second overtime to win. ä SEE COMPLETE COVERAGE OF THE CAJUNS GAME. PAGE 1C
‘I have great trust in God’ James Checchio, named next archbishop of New Orleans, brings broad experience to lead the archdiocese into its next era
BY STEPHANIE RIEGEL | Staff writer The bishop from New Jersey began his first day in New Orleans — the day he would be introduced as the city’s archbishop in waiting — with an early morning stroll to church. Just a few blocks from the Archdiocese of New Orleans headquarters on Walmsley Avenue, the Rev. Patrick Carr was holding his 7 a.m. Wednesday Mass at St. Rita Catholic Church. The Most Rev. James Checchio, who had arrived in the city only the day before from Metuchen, New Jersey, poked his head in. “I was so pleased to see so many people,” said Checchio. “Different ages and diverse backgrounds, people dressed in suits going to work, young people.”
ä See CHECCHIO, page 4A
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Every year, well over 100,000 Canadians cross the border on their way down to Louisiana to visit, eat, dance and enjoy this outpost of Francophone culture in the United States. Many of them come from the Maritime Provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, where Cajun families trace their ancestry. This fall, Ray Trahan was expecting busloads of Maritime tourists to arrive for Le Grand Réveil Acadien, or Great Acadian Awakening, which takes place every five years and provides a weeklong deep dive into Acadian history, culture, food, music and art. The free event, happening Oct. 11-18 in locations around Acadiana, has the feel of a fami- Trahan ly reunion. Reunions for various Landrys, Breauxs, Heberts, Guidrys and other Cajun families are planned for that week, which is happening concurrently with Festivals Acadiens et Créoles in Lafayette from Oct. 10-12. Cajuns and Acadians for decades have gathered to experience and celebrate their shared culture, and these events are specially designed to highlight those connections. But this year, U.S. tariff policies and President Donald Trump’s rhetoric — early this year, Trump suggested that Canada should become the 51st state — have led to a change of plans for some Canadian travelers. A number of Canadians appear to be boycotting
ä See TOURISM, page 8A
La. lawyer represents state in top Supreme Court cases One of the biggest is the constitutionality of the Voting Rights Act
BY MARK BALLARD | Staff writer
STAFF PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER
The Most Rev. James F. Checchio, left, thanks Archbishop of New Orleans Gregory Aymond during Checchio’s introduction as the next archbishop on Wednesday.
WASHINGTON — A mere decade ago, as an LSU law student, J. Benjamin Aguiñaga paced the parking lots around Tiger Stadium, going over legal arguments in his head. “At some point between those evening walks and my own moot court adventures, I developed a love for brief writing and oral advocacy. So, I set out to try to build a strong résumé for an appellate career,” Aguiñaga told The Texas Lawbook, a law firm Aguiñaga publication, in 2022. He graduated from the Paul M. Hebert Law Center at LSU in 2015. He quickly assembled a resume of clerkships with nationally prominent federal judges, including U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito. Then, in January 2024, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill named him the state’s solicitor general. Now, at 35 years old, Aguiñaga is at the center
Business ......................1E Deaths .........................3B Nation-World................2A Classified .....................3B Living............................1D Opinion ........................4B Commentary ................5B Metro ...........................1B Sports ..........................1C
ä See LAWYER, page 8A
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