The Advocate 10-15-2025

BR leaders discuss Guard presence

Residents, officials divided on deployment plans

BY PATRICK SLOAN-TURNER Staff writer

More than two weeks have passed since Gov Jeff Landry asked the U.S. Department of Justice to activate 1,000 National Guard troops in Baton Rouge and other Louisiana cities.

While deployment has not yet been approved and no timeline or specific role has been set — city-parish leaders have varying ideas of what they want that presence to look like

or whether they want the Guard here at all.

East Baton Rouge Parish MayorPresident Sid Edwards is not opposed to the National Guard patrolling Baton Rouge streets but doesn’t want a militarized force aggressively policing his constituents.

“To me, it’s being a presence in the city being visible, being around,” Edwards said. “What I don’t want is take-down soldiers. I don’t want them coming in here and busting down doors and doing raids and

those type things.”

Not everyone is open to the idea.

Following Landry’s public request, all five Democratic members of the East Baton Rouge Parish Metro Council whose districts are largely concentrated in North Baton Rouge, the area hit hardest by violent crime — called on Edwards to reject the governor’s plan. Still, Edwards said he’ll take the extra manpower He and some

ä See GUARD, page 9A

Roman grave marker found in N.O. yard

Archaeologists uncover

2,000-year-old tombstone

BY POET WOLFE Staff writer

Daniella Santoro and her husband, Aaron Lorenzo, were doing yard work at their New Orleans home in March when he found a marble slab beneath a lemon tree, hidden under a tangle of thick vines and dirt.

Santoro heard Lorenzo call for her:

“You’ve got to come see this.

The couple looked closely at the stone and noticed Latin letters carved across it. Santoro, an anthropologist at Tulane Uni-

versity was “immediately fascinated” by the discovery, imagining that it was a grave marker left behind by the home’s previous owners for a family member

She reached out to colleagues in Latin and classical studies, who suggested the slab might be something far more unlikely — an authentic Roman tombstone.

They were skeptical, but it turned out that the improbable theory was correct.

The stone was a 2,000-year-old grave marker for Sextus Congenius Verus, a second-century soldier and sailor in the Roman Imperial Navy.

“It was very quick,” Santoro said. “Once I put out the energy that I needed help with it, New Orleans delivered.”

The discovery, unearthed in a backyard

in the Carrollton neighborhood, set off a global mystery that eventually led local experts to a port city north of Rome — a journey that underscored New Orleans’ instinct to preserve history, even when it belongs to another continent

Susann Lusnia, an associate professor in classical studies at Tulane, was “floored” when she first saw a photo of the tombstone.

“It was pretty clear to me that it was an original Roman inscription,” Lusnia said.

“But it was also very hard to believe at that moment that there’d be something like this in a backyard here in New Orleans.”

Using key phrases from the stone’s

ä See MARKER, page 11A

Trump uses shutdown to restructure government

Actions make stoppage unlike any the nation has ever seen

BY LISA MASCARO AP congressional correspondent

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump is making this government shutdown unlike any the nation has ever seen, giving his budget office rare authority to pick winners and losers who gets paid or fired, which programs are cut or survive in an unprecedented restructuring across the federal workforce.

As the shutdown enters its third week, the Office and Management and Budget said Tuesday it’s preparing to “batten down the hatches” with more reductions in force to come. The president calls budget chief Russ Vought the “grim reaper,” and Vought has seized on the opportunity to fund Trump’s priorities, paying the military while slashing jobs in health, education, the sciences and other areas with actions that have been criticized as illegal and are facing court challenges.

“We’re being able to do things that we were unable to do before.”

Trump said programs favored by Democrats are being targeted and “they’re never going to come back, in many cases.”

Speaking during an event at the White House, Trump added, “We’re being able to do things that we were unable to do before.”

With Congress at a standstill the Republicanled House refusing to return to session and the Senate stuck in a loop of failed votes to reopen government as Democrats demand health care funding — the budget office quickly filled the void.

Vought, a chief architect of the conservative Project 2025 policy book, is reshaping the size and scope of federal government in ways similar to those envisioned in the blueprint. It is exactly what certain lawmakers, particularly Democrats,

ä See SHUTDOWN, page 6A

Lawyers seek man’s release in Etan Patz case

NEW YORK Lawyers for a man whose conviction in the 1979 disappearance of 6-year-old Etan Patz was recently overturned asked a judge on Tuesday to set a date for his release from prison if prosecutors don’t decide soon to hold a new trial

Pedro Hernandez’s conviction was overturned in July by the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals which ruled that the jury in his 2017 trial should have gotten a more thorough explanation from the judge of its options, which could have included disregarding all of the confessions He was ordered freed unless he was retried “within a reasonable period.”

Judge Colleen McMahon in Manhattan did not immediately rule on the request by Hernandez’s lawyers to set a date to free their client.

Tropical Storm Lorenzo weakens in Atlantic

MIAMI — Tropical Storm Lorenzo has weakened as it churns in the central tropical Atlantic Ocean and does not threaten land, forecasters said.

The storm was located about 1,430 miles west of the Cape Verde Islands on Tuesday afternoon and had maximum sustained winds of 40 mph, the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said. It was moving northwest at 12 mph.

The storm has tropical storm force winds extending outward up to 60 miles from the center It was expected to turn north later Tuesday night and then toward the northeast over the next few days before dissipating. It was not expected to threaten land Driver arrested in Ga. crash that killed 8

ATLANTA The driver of a semitrailer following too close behind a van has been arrested on homicide charges in a fiery crash that killed three adults and five children on a Georgia highway, law enforcement announced Tuesday Kane Aaron Hammock, 33, has been charged with eight counts of vehicular homicide in the second degree and one count of feticide by a vehicle in the second degree, Franka Young, a spokesperson for the Georgia Department of Public Safety, said in an email Tuesday afternoon

The victims were killed Monday afternoon, when the semitrailer struck a Dodge van on Interstate 85 in Jackson County, about 62 miles northeast of Atlanta and it burst into flames, according to law enforcement. Man pleads guilty in arson at governor’s home

HARRISBURG, Pa. — A man who scaled an iron security fence in the middle of the night, eluded police and used beer bottles filled with gasoline to ignite the occupied Pennsylvania governor’s mansion pleaded guilty Tuesday to the attempted murder of Gov Josh Shapiro. Cody Balmer also entered pleas to terrorism, 22 counts of arson, aggravated arson, burglary, aggravated assault, 21 counts of reckless endangerment and loitering in the April 13 attack that caused millions of dollars in damage to the state-owned brick building. Under a plea deal, Balmer was sentenced to 25 to 50 years in prison, far less than he could have faced if the case went to trial. Defense attorney Bryan Walk said Balmer “is taking full responsibility” and paying “a hefty price for a man who’s 38 years old.” Supreme Court rejects Alex Jones’ appeal

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected an appeal from conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and left in place the $1.4 billion judgment against him over his description of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting as a hoax staged by crisis actors. The Infowars host had argued that a judge was wrong to find him liable for defamation and in-

fliction of emotional distress without holding a trial on the merits of allegations lodged by relatives of victims of the shooting, which killed 20 first graders and six educators in Newtown, Connecticut. BRIEFS FROM

Israel says Red Cross transferring 4 coffins

Military agency threatens to slash Gaza aid deliveries

BY SAM MEDNICK and GIOVANNA DELL’ORTO Associated Press

TEL AVIV Israel Hamas hastened Tuesday to ease the pressure on a fragile ceasefire in its war with Israel by returning the bodies of more dead hostages after an Israeli military agency said it would slash aid deliveries to Gaza by half over concerns that the militant group was handing remains slower than agreed.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said late Tuesday that it handed over to Israeli authorities four deceased hostages “in line with the ceasefire agreement.” This latest transfer comes a day after Israel received the remains of another four hostages.

The United Nations’ humanitarian office in famine-stricken Gaza received word of the humanitarian aid cuts from the Israeli military agency in charge of transferring aid to the territory, according to spokesperson Olga Cherevko. In its notification, the agency known as COGAT said it would allow 300 trucks a day instead of the 600 called for under the deal.

U.S. officials were also notified,

according to three Associated Press sources who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the matter

U.S. President Donald Trump expressed concern in a social media post that too few of the dead hostages have been returned. He made no mention of Israel halving the flow of aid into the territory

Trump also warned Hamas that if “they don’t disarm, we will disarm them.”

A day earlier Israelis celebrated the return of the last 20 living hostages in Gaza and Palestinians rejoiced at Israel’s release of some 2,000 prisoners and detainees as part of the ceasefire’s first phase. Hamas and the Red Cross have said that recovering the remains of dead hostages is a challenge because of Gaza’s destruction, and Hamas told mediators of the deal that some are in areas controlled by Israeli troops.

The U.S.-proposed ceasefire plan called for all hostages living and dead to be handed over within 72 hours, meaning on Monday But it provided a mechanism if that didn’t happen saying Hamas should share information about deceased hostages and “exert maximum effort” to carry out the handover as soon as possible.

Families of hostages and their supporters expressed dismay that only four of the 28 bodies were returned on Monday The Hostages Family Forum, representing many families, called it a “blatant violation of the agreement by Hamas.”

The top official in Israel coordinating the return of hostages and the missing, Gal Hirsch, told the families in a note that pressure was being applied on Hamas through mediators to expedite the process. A copy of the note was seen by the AP and its authenticity was confirmed by someone with knowledge of the statement.

On Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirmed the identity of the four dead hostages returned on Monday: Guy Illouz from Israel, Bipin Joshi from Nepal, Cpt. Daniel Peretz and Yossi Sharabi. Illouz was abducted from a music festival, Joshi from a bomb shelter and Sharabi from Be’eri Kibbutz during the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack that ignited the war Israel said Illouz died of his wounds without proper medical treatment, while Joshi was killed in the war’s first months.

Madagascar’s president ousted after weeks of youth-led protests

BY NQOBILE NTSHANGASE, BRIAN INGANGA, SARAH TETAUD and GERALD IMRAY Associated Press

ANTANANARIVO Madagascar Madagascar

President Andry Rajoelina was toppled Tuesday in a military coup that capped weeks of youth protests over poverty power outages and a lack of opportunity in the Indian Ocean island country

Right after parliament voted to impeach Rajoelina, who fled the country fearing for his safety the leader of Madagascar’s elite CAPSAT military unit said the armed forces would form a council made up of officers from the armed forces and gendarmerie, a military unit that polices civilians, and would appoint a prime minister to “quickly” form a civilian government.

“We are taking power,” Col. Michael Randrianirina told reporters in front of a ceremonial presidential palace in the capital, Antananarivo, as protesters celebrated the news with soldiers. He said the constitution and High Constitutional Court’s powers had been suspended, and that a referendum would be held in two years, though he didn’t go into detail.

From an undisclosed location after fleeing, Rajoelina issued a decree Tuesday trying to dissolve parliament’s lower house in an apparent attempt to preempt being impeached. But lawmakers ignored it and voted overwhelmingly to end the rule of the 51-year-old leader, who himself came to power as a transitional leader in a military-backed coup in 2009.

Rajoelina’s office released a statement condemning Randrianirina’s announcement as an “illegal declaration” and “a serious breach of the rule of law.”

“The Republic of Madagascar cannot be taken hostage by force. The State re-

mains standing,” it said.

Madagascar, a sprawling island country off the east coast of southern Africa, is home to about 30 million people. It is the world’s biggest vanilla producer and, because of its geographic isolation, is known for its biodiversity Since gaining its independence from French colonial rule in 1960, it has struggled to overcome poverty and political instability, including a series of coups.

Rajoelina’s fall capped weeks of Gen Zled protests that started over persistent electricity and water outages but snowballed into demonstrations of frustration with the government and Rajoelina’s leadership. Protesters raised a range of issues, including government corruption, access to higher education, the cost of living and poverty, which affects about 75% of Madagascar’s population, according to the World Bank. Although young people led the demonstrations, others also took part, including civic groups and unions.

U.S. strikes another boat near Venezuela

BY MICHELLE L. PRICE and KONSTANTIN TOROPIN Associated Press

WASHINGTON The United States struck another small boat accused of carrying drugs in the waters off Venezuela, killing six people, President Donald Trump said Tuesday Those who died in the strike were aboard the vessel, and no U.S. forces were harmed, the Republican president said in a social media post It’s the fifth deadly strike in the Caribbean as Trump’s administration has asserted it’s treating alleged drug traffickers as unlawful combatants who must be met with military force.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the strike Tuesday morning, said Trump, who released a video of it, as he had in the past. Hegseth later shared the video in a post on X. The black-and-white video showed a small boat that appeared stationary on the water. Seconds into the video, it is struck by a projectile from overhead and explodes. The boat is then seen floating aflame for several seconds.

Trump said the strike was conducted in international waters and “intelligence” confirmed the vessel was trafficking narcotics, was associated with “narcoterrorist networks” and was on a known drug trafficking route.

The Pentagon did not immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press seeking more information on the latest boat strike, but one defense official confirmed that the details in the social media post were accurate.

Frustration with the Trump administration has been growing on Capitol Hill among members of both major political parties. Some Republicans are seeking more information from the White House on the legal justification and details of the strikes. Democrats contend the strikes violate U.S. and international law The Senate last week voted on a war powers resolution that would have barred the Trump administration from conducting the strikes unless Congress specifically authorized them, but it failed to pass.

Trumpthreatens Argentinasupport

Presidentwarns voters aheadofmidterm elections

BY SEUNG MINKIM and ISABEL DEBRE Associated Press

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump on Tuesday threatenedto pull assistance for Argentina —led by apolitical kindred spiritwhose philosophy aligns with thatofthe Republican administration—if the nation’sinternal politics don’talign with his interests in upcoming elections.

The comments came during a meetingwith Argentine President Javier Milei, whose country is set to hold midterm elections for its legislative body later this month. U.S. presidents typicallydonot weigh in on the candidates in other countries’ democratic elections Referring to an opponent that was “extremely far-left” who encompassed a“philosophythatgot Argentina into this problem in the

first place,” Trump warned that the UnitedStateswouldn’t“waste our time” with largesse towardBuenos Aires if Milei does notprevail. In addition to themidterms that will be areferendumonhis policies, Milei himself is up for reelection in 2027.

“We’re not going to let somebody get into office and squander the taxpayer money from this country.I’m not gonna let it happen,” Trump said fromthe Cabinet Room as he prepared to eat lunch with Milei. “If he loses, we arenot going to be generous with Argentina.”

Even so, Trump insisted that the $20billion assistancetoArgentina, which administration officials strenuouslydeny isabailout, was about helping “our neighbors” rather than any ties to the upcoming midterms.

“It’sjust helping agreat philosophy take over agreat country,” the U.S. presidentsaid. “Argentina is oneofthe most beautiful countries

that I’veeverseen,and we wantto see it succeed. It’svery simple.”

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent addedthatthe administration believedMilei’scoalitionin the upcoming midterms would “do quite well and continue his reform agenda.”

As he opened his lunch withMilei, Trump notedthatthe Argentine president, whoisaneconomist by trade, is “MAGAall the way,” That traditionally refers to his campaign slogan, “Make AmericaGreat Again,” but this time,italso meant “Make Argentina Great Again.”

Trump’smeeting with Mileiwas already making waves back in Argentina, with Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner,leader of theleft-leaning Peronist opposition and two-term former president,writingonsocial media that “TrumptoMilei: ´Our agreementsare subject to whoever wins election´. Argentines you

know what to do!”

Theformerpresident is serving asix-year sentence under house arrest sinceJune for corruption, but she remains the mostinfluential

leader of Peronism,anideologically flexible,labor rightsfocusedpopulist movement, whichemerged in the 1940s and dominated politics fordecades.

L.A. officialsapprove emergencydeclaration

Orderpaves way forassistance amid federal immigrationraids

BY CHRISTOPHER WEBER and JAIMIE DING Associated Press

LOS ANGELES Los Angeles County officials voted Tuesday to declarea state of emergency that gives them power to provide assistance for residents they say have suffered financiallyfrom ongoing federal immigration raids.

Themoveallowsthe L.A. County Board of Supervisors to provide rent relief for tenants who have fallen behind as aresult of the crackdown on immigrants.

The immigration raids that ramped up over the summer

have spread fear in immigrant communities, promptingmanytolimittheir outings.Federal agents have rounded up immigrants without legal status tobeinthe U.S. from Home Depots, car washes, bus stops, and farms. Some U.S.citizens have also been detained. The local state of emergency can also funnel state money for legal aid and other services.

Funds for rent will be availabletopeople whoapply via an onlineportal that would be launchedwithin two months, Supervisor Lindsey Horvath’sofficesaid. The motion could also be afirst step toward an eviction moratorium, but that would require aseparateactionbythe supervisors.

Landlords worried it could be another financial hit after an extended ban on evictions andrental increasesduring

the COVID-19 pandemic.

The declaration was passed by a4-1 vote, with Supervisor Kathryn Barger opposing. Horvath and Supervisor Janice Hahn said the raids have spread fear anddestabilized households andbusinesses. In lateAugust,there were more than5,000 arrests in LosAngelesaspart of the crackdown. About athirdof the county’s10millionresidents are foreign-born. Several cities in the region canceled their Fourth of July celebrations and summer movie nights as families stayed home due to safetyconcerns.

Since June, the Los Angelesregion has been a battleground in the Trump administration’saggressive immigration strategy that spurred protests andthe deployment of the National Guards and Marines for morethan amonth. “Wehaveresidents afraid

to leave their homes, we have constituentscontactingmyoffice becausetheir family members never came home andthey don’t knowifthey’ve been taken by ICEorwhere they’ve been taken,” Hahn said. “We have entirefamilies who are destitutebecause their fathers or mothers have beentaken fromtheir work places and they have no way to pay their rent or put food on their table.”

Last week the five-member board voted 4-1 to put thedeclaration up for avote at its regular Tuesday meeting. The sole“no” votealso came from Barger,who argued thatthe immigration raids did not meet the criteriaofanemergency and that it couldbeunfairto landlords.

“I’m sure we’re goingtobe challenged legally,” Barger said.

Trump honors Kirk with Medal of Freedom

BY WILL WEISSERT Associated Press

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump on Tuesday posthumously awarded America’s highest civilian honor to Charlie Kirk, the assassinated activist who inspired a generation of young conservatives and helped push the nation’s politics further to the right.

Receiving the award on Kirk’s behalf was his widow, Erika. Her voice cracking and often falling to a whisper as she wiped away tears, Erika Kirk talked about her late husband’s life, political beliefs and legacy

“Thank you, Mr President, for honoring my husband, in such a profound and meaningful way And thank you for making this event a priority,” she said “Your support of our family and the work that Charlie devoted his life to will be something I cherish forever.”

The ceremony coincided with what would have been Kirk’s 32nd birthday It came about a month af-

the administration, he was the first recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom in Trump’s second term. The president also spoke at Kirk’s funeral in September calling him a “great American hero” and “martyr” for freedom, while Vice President JD Vance accompanied his body home to Arizona on Air Force Two along with Erika Kirk.

“We’re here to honor and remember a fearless warrior for liberty beloved leader who galvanized the next generation like nobody I’ve ever seen before, and an American patriot of the deepest conviction, the finest quality and the highest caliber,” Trump said during the medal ceremony Of Kirk’s killing, the president said, “He was assassinated in the prime of his life for boldly speaking the truth, for living his faith and relentless fighting for a better and stronger America.”

The Presidential Medal of Freedom was established by President John F. Kennedy in 1963 for

individuals making exceptional contributions “to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.”

Trump returned to the U.S. in the pre-dawn hours Tuesday after a whirlwind trip to Israel and Egypt to celebrate a ceasefire agreement in Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza that his administration was instrumental in brokering.

The president joked that he almost requested to reschedule the ceremony because of the trip. “I raced back halfway around the globe,” Trump said. “I was going to call Erika and say, ‘Erika, could you maybe move it to Friday?’ And I didn’t have the courage to call. But you know why I didn’t call? Because I heard today was Charlie’s birthday.”

Argentine President Javier Milei, who had been visiting with the president at the White House earlier, stayed on to attend the ceremony

House Republicans want ex-prosecutor to testify

By The Associated Press

WASHINGTON Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee requested Tuesday that Jack Smith, the former Justice Department special counsel, appear for an interview part of an escalating effort to pursue perceived enemies of President Donald Trump. Rep. Jim Jordan, the committee chair, charged in a letter to Smith that his prosecutions of Trump were “partisan and politically motivated.” Smith has come under particular scrutiny on Capitol Hill, especially after the Senate Judiciary Committee said last week that his investigation had included an FBI analysis of phone records for more than half a dozen GOP

lawmakers from the week of Jan 6, 2021 Smith brought two cases against Trump, one accusing him of conspiring to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election and the other of hoarding classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. Both were brought in 2023, well over a year before the 2024 presidential election, and indictments in the two cases cited what Smith and his team described as clear violations of well-established federal law Former Attorney General Merrick Garland, who named Smith as special counsel in November 2022, has repeatedly said politics played no part in the handling of the cases. Smith abandoned the crim-

inal cases against Trump after he won the presidential election last year Trump’s return to the White House precluded the federal prosecutions, as well as paved the way for Republicans to go after Trump’s political and legal opponents.

Jordan wrote to Smith: “Your testimony is necessary to understand the full extent to which the BidenHarris Justice Department weaponized federal law enforcement.”

In just the last weeks, the Trump administration has pursued criminal charges against both James Comey, the former FBI director, and New York Attorney General Letitia James, who for years investigated and sued Trump.

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Airports refuse to play Noem shutdown video

Some facilities say message is too political

BY ADRIANA GOMEZ LICON Associated Press

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA.

— Several large airports around the country are refusing to play a video with a message from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in which she blames Democrats for the federal government shutdown and its impacts on TSA operations because of its political content.

Airports in New York; Atlanta; Chicago; Las Vegas; Charlotte; Phoenix; Seattle and more say the video goes against their airport

SHUTDOWN

Continued from page 1A

feared if Congress failed to fund the government.

Trump’s priorities — supporting the military and pursuing his mass deportation agenda have been largely uninterrupted, despite the closures. The administration found leftover tariff revenues to ensure the Women, Infants and Children food aid program did not shutter. But the Trump administration is shuttering scores of other programs, firing workers handling special education and after-school programs and those guarding the nation’s infrastructure from cyber attacks. More than 4,100 federal workers received layoff notices over the weekend.

“This shutdown is different from earlier ones because Donald Trump and Russ Vought and all of their cronies are using this moment to terrorize these patriotic federal employees,” said Sen Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., standing with federal workers Tuesday outside the White House budget office

Van Hollen said it’s “a big fat lie” when Trump and his budget director say the shutdown is making them fire federal workers It is also illegal and we will see them in court,” he said.

policy or regulations which prohibit political messaging in their facilities.

Various government agencies, in emails to workers and on websites, have adopted language that blames Democrats for the shutdown, with some experts arguing it could be in violation of the 1939 Hatch Act, which restricts certain political activities by federal employees.

The shutdown has halted routine operations and left airports scrambling with flight disruptions. Democrats say any deal to reopen the government has to address their health care demands, and Republicans say they won’t negotiate until they agree to fund the government.

Insurance premiums would double if Congress fails to renew the subsidy payments that expire Dec. 31. In the video, Noem says that

TSA’s “top priority” is to help make travel pleasant and efficient while keeping passengers safe.

“However, Democrats in Congress refuse to fund the federal government, and because of this, many of our operations are impacted, and most of our TSA employees are working without pay,” she continues.

The Transportation Security Administration falls under the Department of Homeland Security Roughly 61,000 of the agency’s 64,130 employees are required to continue working during the shutdown. The department said Friday that the video is being rolled out to airports across the country

A DHS spokeswoman responded to a request for comment restating some of the message from Noem’s video.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-Benton, tells reporters he is starting a project along with the speaker of the Israeli Knesset to rally global leaders to support President Donald Trump’s nomination for next year’s Nobel Peace Prize, as the government shutdown enters its third week on Tuesday.

Now on its 14th day, the federal closure is quickly becoming one of the longest government shutdowns. Congress failed to meet the Oct. 1 deadline to pass the annual appropriations bills needed to fund the government as the Democrats demanded a deal to preserve expiring health care funds that provide subsidies for people to purchase insurance through the Affordable Care Act.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, RBenton, said Tuesday he has nothing to negotiate with the Demo-

crats until they vote to reopen the government.

The Republican speaker welcomed OMB’s latest actions to pay some workers and fire others.

“They have every right to move the funds around,” Johnson said at a news conference at the Capitol. If the Democrats want to challenge the Trump administration in court, Johnson said, “bring it.”

Typically federal workers are furloughed during a lapse in funding, traditionally with back pay once government funding is re-

“It’s unfortunate our workforce has been put in this position due to political gamesmanship. Our hope is that Democrats will soon recognize the importance of opening the government,” spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates JFK International Airport, LaGuardia Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport, said it would not air the videos, citing rules against “politically partisan messages.”

The Chicago Department of Aviation said advertising and public service announcements must follow guidelines that “prohibit content that endorses or opposes any named political party.” The Harry Reid International Airport, in Las Vegas, said it had to “remain mindful of the Hatch Act’s restrictions.”

stored. But Vought’s budget office announced late last week that the reductions in forces had begun. Some 750,000 employees are being furloughed.

At the same time, Trump instructed the military to find money to ensure service personnel wouldn’t miss paychecks this week. The Pentagon said over the weekend it was able to tap $8 billion in unused research and development funds to make payroll.

On Tuesday, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said her agency was relying on Trump’s big tax cuts law for funding to make sure members of the Coast Guard are also paid.

“We at DHS worked out an innovative solution,” Noem said in a statement. Thanks to Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill,” she said, “the brave men and women of the US Coast Guard will not miss a paycheck this week.”

In past shutdowns, the OMB has overseen agency plans during the lapse in federal fundings, ensuring which workers are essential and remain on the job. Vought, however, has taken his role further by speaking openly about his plans to go after the federal workforce.

As agencies started making their shutdown plans, Vought’s OMB encouraged department heads to consider reductions in force, an unheard-of action. The budget

“Per airport regulations, the terminals and surrounding areas are not designated public forums, and the airport’s intent is to avoid the use of the facility for political or religious advocacy,” the statement said.

Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins said the county north of New York City won’t play the video at its local airport. In a statement, he called the video “inappropriate, unacceptable, and inconsistent with the values we expect from our nation’s top public officials,” and said its tone is “unnecessarily alarmist” as it relates to operations at Westchester County Airport.

“At a time when we should be focused on ensuring stability, collaboration and preparedness, this type of messaging only distracts from the real issues, and undermines public trust,” he said.

office’s general counsel, Mark Paoletta, suggested in a draft memo that the workforce may not be automatically eligible for back pay once government reopens.

Trump posted an AI-generated video last week that portrayed Vought wearing a cloak and carrying a scythe, against the backdrop of the classic rock staple “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper.”

“Every authoritarian leader has had his grim reaper Russell Vought is Donald Trump’s,” said Rep. Steny Hoyer, the senior Democrat from Maryland.

Hoyer compared the budget chief to billionaire Elon Musk wielding a chain saw earlier this year during the Department of Government Efficiency’s slashing of the workforce. “Vought swings his scythe through the federal government as thoughtlessly,” he said.

In many ways, Trump’s tax cuts law gave the White House a vast new allotment of federal funding for its priority projects, separate from the regular appropriations process in Congress.

The package unleashed some $175 billion for the Pentagon, including for the “Golden Dome” missile shield and other priority projects, and another $170 billion for Homeland Security largely for Trump’s mass deportation agenda. It also included extra funds for Vought’s work at OMB.

BY MEGAN WYATT Staff writer

Amy Davis woke up to sirens before dawn on April 8, 2022. Three doors downfrom her Bee Tree Street homein Westlake, her neighborhad shot aman. But the particulars of the crime would remain hidden from public view.Davis has largely had to leanonrumors from neighbors about the status of the case.

“If

That’sbecausethe Calcasieu Parish Clerk of Court’s Office maintains apolicy that says they will not turn over violent crime recordstothe public without a signed order from ajudge.

Attorneysand constitutional experts say the policy likely violates the state constitution’sopen courts and public records provisions, the state public records law and the First Amendment.

domesticabuse batterywith child endangerment, which they announced at the time. But state prosecutors went on to charge her onlywith illegaluse of aweapon during acrimeofviolence.

It’sunclear why,asthose details arehiddenaway in the court file.

Davis, whoworksasahairdresser,saidher neighbors and clients havevarying theories about why the case resultedinthe lessercharge.

Without access to court records, however,it’simpossible to see an accurate picture of how it played out.

“Even ifthere isn’tanything underhandedgoing on, it looks underhanded,” Davis said.“Ithink full disclosure is best.”

we make amistake on thatand it arbitrarily gets out and someonegets murdered, that comes back on us.”

Jones has served as Calcasieu’sclerk of court for 21 years and hasbeen reelected six times without opposition The office’spolicy on concealingviolent crime records predates his time at thehelm, he said. Justhow long has the policy been in effect?

LyNN JONES Calcasieu Parish clerk of court

“The whole point when you have aserious criminal allegation is that it be out there foreverybody to see to make sure the punishment is fair,that the trial is fair and that people can see the repercussions of bad behavior,” said David Cuillier,director of the Joseph L. Brechner Freedomof Information Projectatthe University of Florida.

“There’salot of reasons why transparency is built into the criminal justice system,” he added. “What other government agencies out there can stop you on the sidewalk, can detain you, can throw you in acell, can take away your children, can take your money,can take your life?”

Lynn Jones, the longtime elected clerk of court for Calcasieu Parish, the state’s seventh most populated parish, said nobody has previously questioned the policy He said it’smeant to protect victims and juveniles

“If we make amistakeon that and it arbitrarily gets out and someonegets murdered, that comes backon us,” he said.

Clerks of court across the state make criminal records available to the public every day.Calcasieu requires an order from ajudge. Sex crimes, juvenile crimes and other confidential or sensitive information can be withheld or redacted in certain circumstances.

Three years after the shooting in Davis’ neighborhood, little is still known about what happened.

Westlake police initially arrested Keri Buller Bradberry on counts of attempted second-degreemurder, aggravated second-degree battery and three counts of

“Forever,” said Bethany Smith, whooversees criminal recordsfor the office. “Ever since there’sbeen victims of crimes. I’ve been here 26-and-a-half years, and we handled it thatway prior to me.”

Neither Jones nor Smith is alawyer

“Wehavenodog in this fight. We don’tcare whosees what,”Jones said,adding that they believethe policy helps to protectvictims

But McHugh David, executive director of theLouisiana Press Association, said he worries that the Calcasieu policy could inspire other clerks around the state to follow suit.

“What door does this open for clerks of courtsinother places to instituterestrictivepolicies on public records and due processin aplace thatdoesn’t get a whole lot of attention?” Davidsaid.“An elected official at that level sure does have alot of power.”

AfterThe Advocate sought access to criminal recordsfor months and reached out to the Clerk’s Office for this story,Jones said he asked the opinionof local judges and other Louisianaclerks of court. Jones said they saw no problem with his policy.

Among those Jones said he consultedwith wasthe JeffersonParish Clerk of Court’sOffice.

But Jefferson Clerk Jon Gegenheimer,who is anattorney, said no one hasconsultedhim, his criminalrecords staff or his staff attorneyabout Calcasieu’spolicy Criminal records are readily available for public view in Jefferson Gegenheimer also took issue with the policy inCalcasieu, noting that there are ways to protect victimswithoutrestricting publicaccess to court records.

“Whether it’samurder or shoplifting, it’sall public re-

cord,”Gegenheimer said. “I can understand redacting the name of the victim,but the recordshould be there, available for public view.”

Criminal defense attorneys said the lack of transparency at the courthouse in Lake Charles hasaffected their ability to representtheir clients.

Attorney Richard Bourke, who’sbased in New Orleans andisthe director of the Louisiana Capital Assistance Center,represents clients across the state.Inhis experience,Calcasieu is theonly jurisdiction that refuses to turn over criminal records

He said the policy is directly contrary to state law andresults in alessreliable criminal justice system.

“It is shocking to think that in this dayand age, we have a court system that isn’topen, and that instead is being conducted with this element of secrecy,” Bourke said. “Whenever the state prosecutes an individual citizen, that needs to be done in the clear and open daylight, not covered up in secret.”

Without transparency, there’s nothing to protect defendants from wrongdoing in thecriminaljustice system, he said.

King Alexander, aLake Charles criminal defense attorney,said the policy slows him down and creates unnecessary work forlawyers, judgesand the clerk’sstaff.

But he said it’sthe public that bearsthe bruntofthe harm.

“For another citizen or a news organization, the policy would ostensibly prevent them from seeing or having these public records at all,” Alexandersaid.

Decades of jurisprudence, analyzing constitutions and public records laws across the country,havefavored access over privacy,except in rare instances. Louisiana’s law allows for challenges in court when records are withheld, and says agencies that withholdrecords must cite their reasonsfor doing so.

Jones cites astate law that requirespolice, districtattorneys and clerks of court to protect the identity of victims of sexual crimes and juvenile victimsashisreasonforkeeping violent crime records concealed.But most clerks in the stateredact names or use initials to identify victims, while the cases remain available for public viewing.

Jones hasalso still applied hispolicyincases of violent crimes thatinvolve two adults, and violent crimes withnosexual element.

First Amendment attorneys and experts also raised alarmabout thepolicy

Cuillier, of theUniversity of Florida,saidthe policy in Calcasieu is about as bad as he’sseen, describing it as one of themostegregious violationsofthe public’s trustthat he’switnessed in decades.

“I’mtrying to think of anythingthat comes close,” he said. “It’sjust bizarre how blatantly badthatdecision is.”

Of all the court records thatare of public interest, violent crime tops the list.

“This is precisely the kind of information that thepublic wants and needs to see,” said Robert Corn-Revere, an attorney withthe national Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression. “People need to know if their

communities are safe or what kinds of lawenforcement actions are being taken, and it’sthe very purpose for having openrecordslawsin the first place.”

Calcasieu Parish’s policy deviates from standard practice for court records across the country and also poses constitutional concerns, according to Gunita Singh, a staffattorney whoreviews public records laws across the country for the Washington, D.C.-based Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.

The public and press benefit from access to these kinds of records for multiple reasons,including learning about how law enforcement responds to crimes and how to analyze public safety trends, she said.

“Westand to make connections between what’shappening in our communitiesand broader policies surround-

ing firearms, mental health or controlled substances,” she said. Jones said he does not believeheis“overprotecting” by concealing violent crime records from the public.

“Wewelcome y’alltofile suit andlet the courts decide, and we would be glad to do whatever the courts direct us to do,” Jones said. “But, as of right now,our judges and most of the legal people I’ve talkedtobelieve that we’re doing theright thing, and that is to protect thevictims.” As for Davis, the hairdresser whoknowslittleabout a shooting thathappenedon her street, she wants to see more transparency “It should be public knowledge whensomeone shoots another person,” Davis said. “And we should have the opportunity to know what happened, so we have the choice if we want to be around these people or not.”

conservatives on the council think the Guard could help address the underlying factors that have made Baton Rouge one of the most violent citiesinthe country over the past decade.

FollowingLandry’srequest, the Guard met with New Orleans andStatePolice officials to figure how to improve public safety there

Both theGovernor’s Office and the Louisiana National Guard confirmed this week that no such meeting has happened in Baton Rouge yet. Edwards said he has not spoken to the governor about the Guard in Baton Rouge since the initial announcement.

”I would hope we get a heads up, like, ‘Hey,they are coming on this date,’ ”Edwards said. “Thatwould be theperfect scenario.Then Ican getwithour council, Ican get with the locallaw enforcement and thegovernor and then put out some information to the citizens.”

Though he noted that troops would not have arresting power,the mayor thinks their public presence coulddetersome criminal activity,pointing to an April incident in which achild was shot and killed after getting caught in the crossfireofan argument thatturned into a gunfight.

”Two groupsofpeople were shooting at each other while kids were playing in ayard,” Edwards said. “A 3-year-old autistic kid gets shot. Would apresence have prevented that?”

But Edwards said he would also welcome the extra manpower and equipmenttohelpwithotherissues he’sfocused on, suchas extrasecurity for upcoming events and Mardi Gras,as well as making adent Baton Rouge’sever-present blight problem

On the latter issue, the mayor isn’talone, as Metro Council member Dwight Hudson says the extra help directedtoward blight could

kill two birds with one stone.

Hudson, who is also state DirectorofRight On Crime in Louisiana, aconservative criminal justice reform initiative, says aGuard deployment to BatonRougecould improve public safety—but onlyifutilizedthe right way

“My hopeisthat if they’re going to come, they have a defined mission that is time bound and has along-term impact on the parish,” he said.“Idon’tsee aton of value in them coming for a short time, and you know, just patrolling downtown.”

Hudson thinks abetter use would be applying theextra manpower to problems like blight that contribute to crime.

He points to a2019 study by LSUresearchers and the East BatonRouge Parish DistrictAttorney’sOffice, which found that areas within 21/2 blocks of ablighted property are 13 timesmore likely to be the siteofahomicide than other areas in Baton Rouge.

“I thinkthatthe best use for them would be to come and focus on condemned properties,”Hudson said.

From the 2024 campaign through hisfirst 10 months

in office, addressing blight has been atop priorityfor Edwards.Atthe end of September,his administration reportedthat 125 blighted homes had been demolished since thestartof2025.

Orders from President Donald Trump have sent armed troops to several U.S cities in recent months. National Guarddeploymentsto Los Angeles in June; Washington, D.C., in August; and Memphis, Tennessee, earlier this month have drawn criticism from some quarters. Meanwhile,armed federal immigration officers have increased theirpresencein Chicago, though acourt ruling hasblocked atroop deployment there, andanother court has done the same in Portland, Oregon.

Hudson saidheunderstands his Democratic colleagues’ oppositiontoapresence in Baton Rouge and the general hesitancytoallow armed troops patrolling American streets.

“That is something thatwe as Americans are not used to,” he said. “And Iwould argue we probably shouldn’t get used to seeing troops patrolling our cities.”

The day after Landry sent

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olyn Coleman, Cleve Dunn Jr., Twahna Harris and Anthony Kenney stood together andcalledonthe mayor to reject adeployment to Baton Rouge. The fifth Democrat, Darryl Hurst, put out a statement asking the mayor the same.

The coalitioncalleditan example of government overreach thatwould threaten people’scivil liberties. “Their presence would escalate tensionsand deepen mistrust,particularly in marginalized communities,” Dunn said in astatement Sept. 30.“Safety comesfrom partnership andtrust, not from occupation.”

Edwards did not comment on theDemocrats’response, but did sayhebelievesmany of the city’s“law-abiding citizens” who want to feel safer would welcome aNational Guard presence.

on the floor,’”Edwards said. “So, Ithink there’sasegmentofthe population that would indeed welcomeit.”

If and when he is told troops are coming, Edwards says,hewillwanttohavea briefing with National Guard leaders that includes Baton Rouge PoliceChief TJ Morse and East Baton Rouge SheriffSid Gautreaux, both of whomhave personnel better trained in de-escalation and community policing. While violent crime is downsofar thisyear,with Baton Rouge police counting eight fewer homicides than at the sametimelast year, themayor saidthe city-parish is not in aposition to turn away moremanpower

aletter to SecretaryofDe-

“I’ve talked to ahandful of people who’ve said ‘Shoot, Coach, when Ilay my head on thepillow, Ihear gunshots everynight. And my babies, Imakethem sleep

“I think in Baton Rouge proper,we’re in the 60s with murders and 80 parishwide,”Edwardssaid. “But is that agood number?So, I’mwilling to take whatever help Ican get.”

Email Patrick SloanTurner at patrick.sloanturner@theadvocate.com.

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IMF more upbeat about U.S. growth

WASHINGTON The U.S. and global economies will grow a bit more this year than previously forecast as the Trump administration’s tariffs have so far proved less disruptive than expected, the International Monetary Fund said Tuesday, though the agency also said the extensive duties still pose risks.

The United States’ economy will expand 2% in 2025, the IMF projected in its influential semiannual forecast, the World Economic Outlook That is slightly higher than the 1.9% forecast in the IMF’s last update in July and 1.8% in April. The U.S. should grow 2.1% next year, also just one-tenth of a percent faster than its previous projection, the IMF said.

Its current forecasts are still down from a year ago, however, a sign that the international lending agency expects the tariffs to weaken the U.S. economy, in part by creating more uncertainty for businesses. Last October, the IMF forecast the U.S. would grow 2.2% this year All the projections also represent a slowing from 2024, when the U.S. economy expanded at a faster 2.8%.

The global economy, meanwhile, will grow 3.2% this year, up from a 3% estimate in July, the IMF forecast, and 3.1% in 2026, the same as its previous estimate.

U.S. rejects coal bid for less than a penny per ton

BILLINGS, Mont. — Federal officials rejected a company’s bid to acquire 167 million tons of coal on public lands in Montana for less than a penny per ton, in what would have been the biggest U.S. government coal sale in more than a decade

The failed sale underscores a continued low appetite for coal among utilities that are turning to cheaper natural gas and renewables such as wind and solar to generate electricity Emissions from burning coal are a leading driver of climate change, which scientists say is raising sea levels and making weather more extreme.

President Donald Trump has made reviving the coal industry a centerpiece of his agenda to increase U.S. energy production. But economists say Trump’s attempts to boost coal are unlikely to reverse its yearslong decline.

The Department of Interior said in a Tuesday statement that last week’s $186,000 bid from the Navajo Transitional Energy Co. did not meet the requirements of the Mineral Leasing Act.

Stocks wobble as trade tensions escalate

NEW YORK — U.S. indexes bounced between gains and losses on Tuesday and wound up mixed on Wall Street as trade tensions continued to simmer between Washington and Beijing.

The S&P 500 closed 0.2% lower after shifting between a steep morning loss and a recovery in the afternoon. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 0.4% and the Nasdaq composite dropped 0.8% after making similar swings The moves mark yet another series of sharp twists for markets over the last few days. Wall Street tumbled on Friday for its worst day since April and bounced back on Monday for its best day since May. The swings were prompted by shifting trade sentiment between the U.S. and China. All told, the S&P 500 fell 10.41 points to 6,644.31. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 202.88 points to 46,270.46, and the Nasdaq sank 172.91 to 22,521.70. OpenAI, Walmart join in chatbot shopping push

NEW YORK OpenAI is partnering with Walmart to let shoppers make purchases directly within ChatGPT, furthering the artificial intelligence company’s push to turn its chatbot into a virtual merchant as it seeks to boost revenue. In an Tuesday announcement, Walmart said the new offering will give customers the option to “simply chat and buy.” That means the retailer’s products would be available through instant checkout in ChatGPT — allowing users to buy anything from meal ingredients or household items, to other goods they might be discussing with the chatbot

China sanctions South Korean shipbuilder

BY CHAN HO-HIM AP business writer

HONG KONG

China’s Commerce

Ministry said Tuesday it was banning dealings by Chinese companies with five subsidiaries of South Korean shipbuilder Hanwha Ocean in the latest swipe by Beijing at President Donald Trump’s effort to rebuild the industry in America.

The ministry also announced that it was investigating a probe by Washington into China’s growing dominance in world shipbuilding, and threatened more retaliatory measures. It said the U.S. probe endangers China’s national security and its shipping industry and cited Hanwha’s involvement in the

investigation.

The U.S. Trade Representative launched the Section 301 trade investigation in April 2024. It determined that China’s strength in the industry was a burden to U.S. businesses.

“China just weaponized shipbuilding,” said Kun Cao, deputy chief executive at consulting firm Reddal. “Beijing is signaling it will hit third-country firms that help Washington counter China’s maritime dominance.”

International shipping and shipbuilding have yet another areas of friction between Washington and Beijing. Each side has imposed new port fees on each others’ vessels that took effect on Tuesday

South Korea and the U.S have been building closer ties in shipbuilding in response to China’s dominance as the world’s largest shipbuilder In late 2024, Hanwha Ocean acquired the Philly Shipyard in Pennsylvania for $100 million. It announced in August that it plans to invest $5 billion in new docks and quays as part of its support for U.S. efforts to restore globally competitive shipbuilding capacity Last year, Hanwha Ocean secured contracts with the U.S. Navy to perform maintenance, repair and overhaul work for U.S. naval vessels.

The company said via email that “Hanwha Ocean is aware of the an-

HINGE BENEFITS

As U.S. wood tariffs kick in, kitchen cabinet companies look for a silver lining

BY MAE ANDERSON

AP business writer

NEW YORK — Cabinet dealers, interior designers and remodeling contractors in the U.S. hope new tariffs on imported kitchen cabinets, bathroom vanities and upholstered wooden furniture that kicked in Tuesday will create more business for them and eventually boost domestic production of those products.

But several small business owners in the home improvement industry say they expect some short-term pains from the import taxes: Clients with projects already on the books might balk at having to pay more for the budget-priced cabinets they selected Potential customers may postpone kitchen and bathroom renovations until costs and the economy — seem more stable.

“I think the volatility around pricing is damaging to the remodeling industry,” said Allison Harlow, an interior designer in Michigan whose company, Curio Design Studio, creates and builds custom bathrooms and kitchens. “Most people will hear the headline of ‘Kitchen cabinets will go up 50%’ and might just opt out of even reaching out to our company.”

Despite high mortgage rates having depressed sales of existing homes in recent years, a forecast of remodeling activity by Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies predicts that homeowner spending on improvements and maintenance will remain steady into the middle of 2026.

A proclamation that President Donald Trump signed on Sept. 29 cited national security and foreign trade practices as grounds for imposing the tariffs on certain finished wood products and product components.

Of them, imported vanities and kitchen cabinets incurred the steepest tax rates: 25% until the end of the year and 50% starting on New Year’s Day Upholstered chairs, seats and sofas also are subject to a 25% worldwide tariff effective Tuesday, with the rate scheduled to increase to 30% on Jan. 1 In addition, the presidential proclamation put a 10% import tax on softwood timber and lumber which comes from evergreen trees like pine and cedars. Softwoods often are used to make furniture and in wood frame construction. Canada is the source of about 85% of the softwood lumber the U.S. imports, or nearly one-quarter of the national supply, according to the National Association of Homebuilders.

Some U.S trading partners are receiving more favorable treatment when it comes to the furniture and cabinetry tariffs. The tax on U.K exports was capped at 10%, while the rate for wood products from the European Union and Japan was capped at 15%.

The American Kitchen Cabinet Alliance and other trade and advocacy groups lobbied for tariffs to help offset what they

described as a flood of cheap cabinets from countries such as Vietnam, Malaysia, China and elsewhere in the decades since more U.S. furniture manufacturing moved offshore.

U.S.-made products tend to cost more but often are of better quality

John Lovallo, an analyst at UBS bank, estimates the tariffs on imported cabinets and vanities could add roughly $280 to the average cost of building a single-family home, not enough to sink a project that often carries an overall price tag more than 1,000 times larger than that.

Some business owners say they plan to cover any tariffrelated costs for now instead of raising customer prices.

John Dean, founder of Dean Cabinetry in Connecticut, sells cabinets that run the gamut from lower-priced imports to custom models made in his shop. Imported products account for about a third of his sales, but Dean said he does not expect much fallout from the tariffs.

Two of his vendors that he buys imported cabinets from, in China and Vietnam, said they would raise prices by 10% to recoup some of the duty costs.

Dean said he would not charge customers more for now Since a kitchen remodel is a big ticket item to begin with, and with the costs of building lumber and labor going up, raising cabinet prices might hurt demand, he said.

“My personal perspective is most small- and medium-sized businesses are trying to absorb those costs,” he said.

Although the White House said the tariffs were intended to boost domestic production and protect U.S. businesses from predatory trade practices, some cabinet makers say that will be difficult because their supply chains are multinational.

Linq Kitchen, a Los Angelesarea company that designs,

nouncement made by the Chinese government and is closely reviewing its potential business impact on the company.”

Hanwha Ocean’s shares traded in South Korea fell as much as over 8% on Tuesday closing 5.8% lower

The escalation of antagonisms raised doubts over whether Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping will go ahead with a meeting planned for late this month. But Beijing said on Tuesday that China and the U.S. held working-level talks on Monday and have maintained communication.

China accounts for more than half of all new shipbuilding, with South Korea at about 30% and Japan just over a tenth of the total.

Fed mulls more rate cuts amid U.S. hiring slowdown

builds and installs modern-style kitchen cabinets, uses plywood and melamine panels from Asia and Europe in its projects, cofounder Josh Qian said A suitable domestic alternative does not exist, he said.

“The kitchen cabinet industry is highly globalized, and even U.S.-based manufacturers depend on imported materials, hardware, and finishes,” Qian said. “These tariffs may sound protective, but in reality, they often raise costs across the entire supply chain.”

At the same time, cabinet companies that don’t sell foreign products or rely on imported components look forward to capturing more business. One is ACO Denver Custom Cabinetry in Denver, Colorado, which enlists Amish, Mennonite, and New German Baptist shops in the Midwest to handcraft custom cabinets.

Andrea Mulkey, the company’s president and co-founder, said her main concern is whether interest in American-made cabinets will grow too quickly

“It’s hard to predict how much new business might come our way as competitors are affected,” Mulkey said. “We simply couldn’t serve everyone if demand suddenly surged. The real challenge is similar to what we saw post-COVID, when everyone got busy at once, and access to raw materials became strained.”

The Curio Design Studio has its custom cabinets made in Minnesota and Wisconsin, but Harlow worries about the tariffs costing her customers.

“I think it will decrease consumer confidence and create a narrative that the work is going to get inherently more expensive,” Harlow said. “I think we will have to work harder to attract potential clients with messaging of how this blanket statement, ‘Kitchen cabinets will go up 50%,’ does not impact our particular business model.”

Fed will likely cut its key interest rate twice more this year Powell said in a speech in Philadelphia that despite the federal government shutdown cutting off official economic data, “the outlook for employment and inflation does not appear to have changed much since our September meeting,” when the Fed reduced its key rate for the first time this year Fed officials at that meeting also forecast that the central bank would reduce its rate twice more this year and once in 2026. Lower rates from the Fed could reduce borrowing costs for mortgages, car loans and business loans. Powell spoke before a meeting of the National Association of Business Economics.

Powell reiterated a message he first delivered after the September meeting, when he signaled that the Fed is slightly more worried about the job market than its other congressional mandate, which is to keep prices stable. Tariffs have lifted the Fed’s preferred measure of inflation to 2.9%, he said, but outside the duties there aren’t “broader inflationary pressures” that will keep prices high.

“Rising downside risks to employment have shifted our assessment of the balance of risks,” he said Economists said Powell’s remarks solidified expectations for further rate cuts, starting at its meeting Oct. 28-29.

“While there was little doubt the (Fed) was angled to cut rates at its next meeting, today’s remarks were strong confirmation of that expectation,” Michael Feroli chief U.S. economist at JPMorgan Chase, said in a note to clients.

Powell also said that the central bank may soon stop shrinking its roughly $6.6 trillion balance sheet. The Fed has been allowing roughly $40 billion of Treasuries and mortgage-backed securities to mature each month without replacing them.

“We may approach that point in coming months,” Powell said The shift could slightly lower borrowing costs over time. Economists at BMO Capital Markets estimated that the yields on Treasury securities ticked down slightly after Powell’s remarks.

Separately, Powell spent most of his speech defending the Fed’s practice of buying longer-term Treasury bonds and mortgage-backed securities in 2020 and 2021, which were intended to lower longer-term interest rates and support the economy during the pandemic.

Yet those purchases have come under a torrent of criticism from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, as well as some of the candidates floated by the Trump administration to replace Powell when his term as chair ends in May

engraving, Lusnia traced it in the Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum —a source forLatin inscriptions—and found that the grave marker had come from acemeteryin Civitavecchia, Italy

Thetombstone inscription begins, “Tothe spirits of the dead for Sextus Congenius Verus,” according to atranslation by Lusnia. It notes that he served in the military for 22 years and lived to the age of 42. His heirs, who commissioned the marker, described himinthe engraving as “well deserving.”

Further researchthrough additionaldatabases revealed that the tombstone belonged to the National Archeological Museum in Civitavecchia. It was one of 21 that disappeared after the museum was destroyed by bombings in World WarII.

Since the museum reopened in the 1970s, nine of those tablets havebeen recovered, shenoted, some only in fragments. By this pointinher research, Lusnia said there was “this gap when it could have gonejust about anywhere” after the war.

Meanwhile, Ryan Gray an archaeologist and professor at the University of New Orleans who also helped identify the tombstone —zeroed in on census records to learn who lived in the Carrollton home after the war and who their neighborswere.

The records led Gray to Frank Simon, ashoe company manager who livedin the house in 1950. He and his colleagues at TheNational WWII Museum found that Simon served in the war,but only in the Pacific. It wasa dead end.

The questions of who was responsible were finally answered last week as worldwide news outlets started to report on the find.

Erin Scott O’Brien was driving her daughter to school when her ex-husband called and said, “Look at this

video and callmeback.”

Thevideo he sent showed the backyard of their former house in Carrollton, where they had once decoratedthe garden with thegravestone —a piecepassed downbyher grandparents. They had forgotten the tabletwhen they movedand sold the house to Santoro and Lorenzo in 2018.

“Wejust were looking at the video, lookingateach other,looking at thevideo eyes getting wider,” O’Brien said.“It was unbelievable.”

DuringWorld WarII, O’Brien’smaternalgrandfather,Charles Paddock Jr., wasasoldier stationed in Italy,where he met and married hergrandmother.Theylater returned to NewOrleans, where Paddock taught voice lessons at Loyola University.

O’Brien said her mother and uncle remembered the tablet being moved around her grandparent’shome sometimes ending up in a cabinetorinthe garden buttheynever spoke of its origins. It remains unclear whether it was hergrandfather or grandmotherwho brought the stone back from Italy

“It was just left by accident when we movedout of the house,” O’Brien said. “But in hindsight, it was meantto be that it was left there and

found by the right people who knew what it was, and now it’s going where it should be. I’mhappy withthe way this story’sending.”

Thestone is currentlybeing held by the FBI’sart crime unit, which is overseeing its repatriation process back to Italy. TheFBI did not respondimmediately to comment due to thefederal government shutdown.

In recent months, the stone has taken on new meaning for those who have been part of itsjourney

ForO’Brien, it hascast an international spotlight on her family’shistory —arecognitionthat is “veryspecial to her.”

ForSantoro, aNew York native, it revealed thecloseness of New Orleans’ community and its network of

researchers. ForLusnia and Gray,it embodies the importance of historic preservation. And, Lusnia added, “for Romans, memory was the way that theygot their lasting life.”

Grammy-winning R&B singer D’Angelo died Tuesday after a long bout with cancer his family said in a statement.

Grammy-winning R&B singer D’Angelo dies at 51

BY JONATHAN LANDRUM JR. Associated Press

D’Angelo, the Grammywinning R&B singer recognized by his raspy yet smooth voice and for garnering mainstream attention with the shirtless “Untitled (How Does It Feel)” music video, has died. He was 51.

The singer, whose real name was Michael Eugene Archer, died Tuesday after a long bout with cancer, his family said in a statement. It called him “a shining star of our family and has dimmed his light for us in this life,” adding that they are “eternally grateful for the legacy of extraordinarily moving music he leaves behind.”

In his music, D’Angelo blended hip-hop grit, emphatic soul and gospel-rooted emotion into a sound that helped spearhead the neosoul movement of the 1990s. Earlier this year, the Virginia

native celebrated the 30th anniversary of his debut studio album “Brown Sugar,” a platinum-selling offering that produced signature hits like “Lady” and the title track. The 1995 album earned him multiple Grammy nominations and cemented him as one of R&B’s most original new voices.

D’Angelo’s sultry vocal style — a mix of raspy texture and church-bred fluidity — set him apart from his peers That voice became inseparable from the striking visuals of his 2000 single “Untitled (How Does It Feel).” The minimalist, shirtless music video became a cultural touchstone, igniting conversations around artistry sexuality and vulnerability in Black male representation. The song earned him a Grammy for best male R&B vocal performance and propelled his sophomore album “Voodoo,” topping the Billboard

200 chart and winning the Grammy for best R&B album.

With an idiosyncratic spirit not unlike Prince, D’Angelo’s devotion was always to the craft — not the machinery around it In a 2000 interview with The Associated Press, he spoke candidly about the cost of chasing commercial success.

“(Musicians) have gotten trapped into that mode of thinking marketable and commercial. That destroys art, that destroys the essence of what it is about,” he said. “You cannot, you cannot work like that. You cannot make music like that. That’s not what this is about.”

That same year, D’Angelo reflected on his need for solitude amid fame: “I used to hang out a lot, but now I’ve become more of a recluse,” he told AP “I long for just peace and silence.”

BY BECKY BOHRER, CEDAR ATTANASIO and GENE JOHNSON Associated Press

JUNEAU, Alaska — Officials in Alaska rushed Tuesday to evacuate and find housing for people from tiny coastal villages devastated by the remnants of Typhoon Halong. But the remote location and severe damage are limiting their options as they race against other impending storms and the onset of winter High winds and storm surge battered low-lying, isolated Alaska Native communities along the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta in southwest Alaska, nearly 500 miles from Anchorage, over the weekend. The Coast Guard plucked two dozen people from their homes after the structures

floated out to sea in high water, three people were missing or dead, and hundreds of people were staying in school shelters — including one with no working toilets, officials said. The system followed a storm that struck parts of western Alaska days earlier Across the region, more than 1,300 people were displaced. Dozens had been flown to a shelter set up in the National Guard armory in the regional hub city of Bethel, a community of 6,000 people, and officials are considering flying evacuees to longer-term shelter or emergency housing in Fairbanks and Anchorage as they run out of room there. Fuel storage depots intended to support communities in the region had apparently been damaged,

threatening pollution that could harm the fish and game the Alaska Native residents rely on for subsistence. Some people in the area may have lost freezers full of food such as salmon and moose intended to get them through the winter The hardest-hit communities included

Russianaerialattackhitshospital

ZelenskyytomeetFridaywithTrump to askfor missiles

BY ILLIA NOVIKOV

Associated Press

KYIV,Ukraine Russian forces launched powerful glide bombs and drones against Ukraine’ssecond-largest city in overnight attacks,hitting ahospital and wounding seven people, an official said Tuesday, as European military aid for Kyiv dropped sharply and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy preparedtoask U.S. President Donald Trump for Tomahawk missiles

The Russian attack on KharkivinUkraine’snortheast hit the city’smain hos-

pital, forcing the evacuation of 50 patients, regional head OlehSyniehubov said. The attack’smain targets were energy facilities,Zelenskyy said, without providing details of what was hit.

“Every day,every night, Russia strikespower plants power lines, and our (natural) gas facilities,” Zelenskyy said on Telegram.

Russian lon g-range strikes on its neighbor’s powergrid are part of a campaign since Moscow launched afull-scale invasion in February 2022 to disable Ukraine’s power supply, denying civilians

heat and running water during the bitter winter

The Ukrainian leader urgedforeign countries to help bluntRussia’slongrange attacksbyproviding more air defense systems for the country,which is almost thesizeofTexas and hard to defend from the air in its entirety

“Weare counting on the actionsofthe U.S. and Europe,the G7, all partners who have these systems and can provide them to protect our people,”Zelenskyy said.

“The world must force Moscow to sit down at the table for real negotiations.

Landslides,floodingcut off300 communities

By The Associated Press

MEXICO CITY More than 300 communities in central and eastern Mexico remained cutoff by deadly landslides and floodingonTuesday,as thousands of soldiers and civilian workers scrambled to reopenblocked roads.

The government confirmed that at least 64 people have died due to the torrential rains. Dozens are still missingand officials warn the full extent of the devastation in remote towns of 500 to 1,000 residents remains unknown.

The rains were triggered by theconvergence of two tropical storms churning offMexico’swestern coast, striking at the end of an unusuallyheavy rainyseason that has left rivers overflowing and hillsides weakened.

“Reopening roads is one

of our greatest urgencies,”

President Claudia Sheinbaum said. “Wehave to secure airbridges, food supplies, water,and check on howeach person is faring.” Health teamsbegan fumigatingaffected areas to prevent outbreaks of dengue, a disease spread by mosquitoes.

The hardest-hit states are Veracruz,Hidalgo and Puebla. In Hidalgoalone, where roughlyhalfofthe isolated villages are located,about 100,000 homes were damaged or destroyed by flooding rivers and mudslides. In Veracruz, where at least 29 people died, rainfall reached 24 inches in just fourdays. Veracruz Gov. RocíoNahle said more than 300,000 people were affectedinthe state alone. In Poza Rica, resident RobertoOlvera said an oil refinery alarm alerted him to

rising waters from thenearby Cazones River,which reached 13 feet in some areas. “It was terrifying, many people in theneighborhood couldn’tescape,” he said. Floodwatersthere also left a black, oily residue believed to havecome from nearby oil and gas installations, coating trees and rooftops. Dozens of health centers were damaged, including one in Álamo, Veracruz, where floodwaters reached 6.5 feet, destroying all equipment.Local health director Martí Batres said medical staff are now working outdoors. While thousands of soldiers andrescueteams search for the missing and deliveraid, helicopters are ferrying supplies to isolated zones and private constructionfirmsare helping to reopen key roads.

Butthe latest dataonforeign military aid to Ukraine showed asharp drop-off in recent help.

Military aid in July and August plungedby43% compared to the first half of theyear,Germany’sKiel Institute, which tracks support to Ukraine, said Tuesday

That fall occurred after the creation of afund that poolscontributions from NATO members, except the United States, to purchase American weapons, munitions and equipment forUkraine.The financial arrangement is known as the PrioritizedUkraine Requirements List, or PURL.

Zelenskyyisdue to meet with Trump in Washington on Friday

The talks areexpected to center on the potential U.S. provision to Ukraine of sophisticated long-range weapons that can hit back at Russia.

In the first half of 2025, military aidhad exceeded whatwas sent between 20222024, despite the lack of U.S. contributions, the institute said.

Nominate a BatonRouge Top Workplace for2026

BobHelbig •Energage

This article is brought toyouviaapartnership between Energage andTheAdvocate

Great workplaces don’t happenbyaccident. They arenurtured and built to bring outthe best in people.Ifyou knowofone,nominate it as a BatonRouge TopWorkplace.

Forthe first time, The Advocate will honoroutstanding workplace cultureinthe region with the TopWorkplaces awards.Any organizationwith 35 or more employees in the region is eligible to compete. Standout companieswill be honoredin early 2026

Anyone can nominate an outstanding companyfor a TopWorkplaces award. The nominationdeadline is Oct. 24. Public, private, non-profit, a school,orevenagovernment agency.Tonominate an employer or formoreinformationonthe awards,justgoto theadvocate. com/nominate

There is no cost to participate. To qualify as aBaton RougeTop

Workplace,employees evaluate their workplaceusing ashort 25-questionsurvey thattakes justa fewminutes to complete Companieswill be surveyed through January

Energage, the Pennsylvaniabasedresearchpartnerfor the project, conducts Top Workplacessurveys formedia in 65 marketsnationwideand surveyed morethan 2million employees at morethan 8,000 organizations in thepastyear.

“Earning aTop Workplaces awardisa celebrationof excellence,”said Eric Rubino, CEOofEnergage. “Itserves as areminder of the vital role apeople-firstworkplace experienceplays in achieving success.

BobHelbig is mediapartnerships director at Energage, aPhiladelphiabasedemployeesurvey firm Energageisthe surveypartner for TopWorkplaces

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Lawyers intervene in retirement system

Officials had found appointee not eligible to participate

BY TYLER BRIDGES Staff writer

Gov Jeff Landry’s lawyers intervened with an independent state retirement system to allow one of his appointees to keep making contributions to that system, emails and letters show The lawyers acted after officials at the Louisiana State Employees’ Retirement System determined that Christopher Hebert, chair of the Louisiana Gaming Control Board, could not continue participating in the program, the records show Three months ago, the governor’s lawyers said they would seek an advisory opinion from Attorney General Liz Murrill on whether Hebert could continue — but the request wasn’t made until Oct. 9 by Col.

Man pleads guilty to bank robbery charges

Customers subdue gunman during May 8 heist

BY MATT BRUCE Staff writer

A Zachary man who held up a Regions Bank at gunpoint earlier this year, only to have his plans foiled by a pair of good Samaritans, pleaded guilty to a slate of felony charges Tuesday morning inside a Baton Rouge federal courtroom

Quarles James Harris, 52, entered pleas to charges of bank robbery, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and using, carrying, possessing and brandishing a firearm during, in relation to, or in furtherance of a violent crime. With possible enhancements he faces up to 47 years in federal lockup on the charges. If a judge determines he had three prior convictions for violent crimes, he could get a life sentence for having a gun in his possession while a convicted felon Harris’ charges stem from a May 8 robbery at the Regions Bank branch in Sherwood Forest. He stole $2,800 from tellers after holding employees and customers at gunpoint inside the bank in the 3100 block of South Sherwood Forest Boulevard, according to federal prosecutors.

It was the second time Harris had robbed that particular institution He walked into the same Regions Bank branch in April 2014 pointed a gun at a pair of tellers and told them, “You know what time it is. Give me the money,” according to an arrest warrant. Harris pleaded guilty to first-degree robbery in March 2015, and a district court judge sentenced him to 10 years in prison for that robbery

After Harris entered his guilty pleas Tuesday for this year’s robbery, U.S. Middle District of Louisiana Chief Judge Shelly Dick ordered a presentencing investigation by federal probation officers The judge told Harris he would receive his sentence after the report was completed and he had had time to read it. Dick did not set a sentencing date

Tuesday

According to federal prosecutors, Harris stole a 2008 Honda Civic that he noticed idling in a driveway near his Zachary home the morning of the May 8 robbery He drove the stolen car to Regions and walked into the bank just after 10 a.m. wearing a purple LSU sweatshirt. Prosecutors said Harris lingered in the back of the lobby near the deposit slips for several moments until a teller called him to her window Harris pulled out a .22-caliber pistol and a black bag and demanded money, ordering the teller to “give me everything that you’ve got,” according to a Baton Rouge police report. He told the teller she had three seconds to give him the money and threatened to shoot her if she put a dye pack in the bag.

Prosecutors said the teller had no cash in her drawer and began

Robert Hodges, superintendent of the Louisiana State Police. It came on the same day that The Advocate | The Times-Picayune asked why it hadn’t been sought yet.

While awaiting that opinion, officials at LASERS said they have been allowing Hebert to keep contributing to the system Otherwise, he would have to join the Social Security system, which

provides about half the benefits. Hebert did not respond to requests for comment. But the Governor’s Office continues to say that he remains eligible for the program.

in an email. “There is no one more qualified to hold the position in the state and arguably the country Our attorneys disagree with LASERS’ interpretation.”

“Chris is an exceptional regulator and the first Black chairman of the Gaming Control Board,” Kate Kelly, the governor’s spokesperson, said

On July 16, officials at LASERS sent a letter to Hebert informing him that they shouldn’t have allowed him to continue in the state retirement system a year earlier when Landry named him to chair the gambling board and now planned

ä See LANDRY, page 2B

Little moments

Victor Amaut and Angelina Sidiropulou share a laugh together while sitting nearby a water installation at Repentance Park on Thursday

Council grapples with food truck rules

Gonzales looks to expand ordinance

BY CHRISTOPHER CARTWRIGHT Staff writer

With a possible food truck festival on the horizon next month, the Gonzales City Council is taking a look its rules for where the mobile businesses can set up shop.

Currently, an ordinance passed last year allows food trucks to operate on properties that permit commercial vendors, provided the property owner obtains permission from the council. However, after receiving a request from a church during Monday’s City Council meeting, the councilors are now looking at expanding the ordinance. Before the council voted to table the agenda item, Division B council member Kirk Boudreaux ex-

plained that the city’s food truck regulations were an evolving process, considering they came about less than a year ago.

“This food truck stuff is new to us,” he said. “Basically, we’ve been doing it for less than a year now So, I mean, we’ve got some things that we need to fix.”

The issue stemmed from a February decision by the council allowing River Parishes Community College to host food trucks on its campus. The area is zoned as a traditional neighborhood development, rather than commercial, as stated in the ordinance.

At Monday’s meeting, the issue was revisited after the DoRight Baptist Church on La. 44 requested a similar permit to allow a food truck to operate on the church property. The Rev Cloyd Cann said the operator of Sam’s Greek and Lebanese food truck had asked to operate there on a

temporary basis in exchange for a donation.

“He gives a donation to the church. We did not put a salary or fee on it,” Cann explained. The church property is zoned as residential, the city’s zoning map shows. Yet because the council made an exception for the community college, City Attorney Allen Davis advised the council to look at adjusting the ordinance to provide consistency Division E council member Terri Lambert suggested there could be legal implications for the church a nonprofit organization receiving donations in exchange for a commercial business operating on the property Boudreaux motioned to table the item until the next meeting to give the council time to look at fixing the ordinance. The motion passed

BY HALEY MILLER Staff writer

The resignation of a Baton Rouge bus driver who said her sexual harassment claims weren’t taken seriously has become another flashpoint in the battle between the public transportation union and the

leged incidents.

“My comfort level was very low there, and I got to the point to where I didn’t want to be at work,” Young said. “My attitude was bad. I’m already a to-myself type of person and barely talk.

Parish attorney Moody dies at 71

BY CLAIRE GRUNEWALD Staff writer

Christopher Moody,who served as general counsel for multiple local municipal governments in the Florida Parishes, died Friday Moody was 71 years old.

The Hammond attorney represented Livingston, Tangipahoa and St. Helena parish municipal governments and the Tangipahoa Parish School Board.

As general counsel for parishes, Moody would provide legal advice during government meetings and represent parishes during legal proceedings.

In one of his most notable recent cases, Moody served as legal counsel for Livingston Parish’slawsuit against Deer Run, acontroversial 2,000-lot subdivision.

Assistant District AttorneyBradCascio,who also worked with Moody,described him as afriend,a longtime professional mentor and a“respected legal giant in our community.”

“Inthe beginning,I’d wear thefloor outwalking back

LANDRY

Continued from page1B

to remove him. Hebert had accumulated nearly 20 years of service time within LASERS fromhis workfor the Attorney General’sOffice, according to the letter,obtained through apublic records request. He had mostlyrecently chaired its gamingenforcement division.

The letter notedthat Hebert nowholds afull-time position, but LASERS officials wrote that Article X, Section 29.1 of the state constitution “provides that members of boards and commissions established by the state are deemed to be part-time public servants and shall not participate in any re-

CATS

Continued from page1B

Amalgamated TransitUnion Local 1546, said in anews release Monday that it is calling for an immediate investigation by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and state agencies into the “toxic and lawless environment” at one of the largesttransit operations in the state It’sthe latest in aseries of complaints voiced in recent weeks as the union advocates for the agency to move under the control of city-parish government Over the past year,union leaders haveargued CATS administration mismanages taxpayer funds, does notadequately payworkers and provides unsafe environments for drivers.

Theagencysaiditstrives to support driversand up-

andforth to his office.I’ve been able to learn an incredible amount from him over theyears,” Cascio wrote. Moody was involved in the Tangipahoa Parish community.Hehad served as president ofthe Hammond ChamberofCommerce, chairman for the Tangipahoa United Wayboard and chairman of the Louisiana Special Olympicsboard.

Moody practiced law for over 40 years as atrial lawyer and was asenior partner at Moody Law Firm, which practiced across southeast Louisiana and focused on representing local governments.

MoodyLaw Firmshared astatement thatsaid it was heartbroken and that “Moody passedawayunexpectedly at hishome.”

Thefirm said it was gratefulfor theloveand support from thecommunity.

There will be avisitation 5p.m. Thursday at the Brandon Thompson Funeral Home in Hammond. Afuneral service will be held at 11 a.m. Friday at Grace Memorial Episcopal Church

tirementsystem.”

After Hebertreceived that letter,the Governor’s Office swung into action on his behalf, according to an email. On July 21, Christopher Walters, the governor’s deputyexecutive counsel, asked to meet with Trey Boudreauxand Tina Grant, the executivedirector andexecutivecounsel of LASERS, respectively

Also participating in that meeting the next day was Angelique Freel, thegovernor’s executive counsel. She and Walters told Boudreaux and Grant that theyhad misread the constitutionalstatute,saying that it didallow Hebert to remain in LASERS, according to thepublic records.

Boudreaux and Grant rebuffed the arguments by

hold the rightsofworkers while providing transportation servicestothousands of Baton Rouge residents.

Some state leaders have echoed the call for changes to howCATSoperates— in March, Rep.Dixon McMakin, R-Baton Rouge, fileda bill to repeal the CATS Act and place theagency undercity authority.Itdiedin committee.

CATS is an independent agency funded by aproperty taxand federaland state transportation dollars. Its Board of Commissionersis appointed bythe East Baton Rouge ParishMetro Council.

“The continued dysfunction, corruption, and failure of oversight atCATShave reached abreaking point,” the union releasesaid. “It is truly time for the Louisiana Legislature toconsider handing CATS over to the City of Baton Rouge.” In the statement,CATS

FOOD TRUCKS

Continuedfrom page 1B

5-0. Food truckfestivalpitches

The discussion followed a discussion about apotential food truck festival in the city next month

FoodeesFest, anational organization that hassponsored large festivals featuring dozens of food trucks and vendors, partnered with the Tanger Outlet Mall

BANK

Continuedfrom page 1B

collecting money froma drive-thru counter.Harrisnoticed ateller in the next lane counting out cash for another customer and bumpedthatcustomerout of theway.Hebegan waving andpointing his gun at customers andemployees in that direction,then reached overthe counter andsnatched the cash out of thesecondteller’sdrawer, according to police.

Thecustomerthat Harrisknocked outofthe way noticedhis gun was positioned betweenHarrisand

Landry’slawyers. Thetwo were following the same line that LASERS took in 2015 when thestate retirement system terminated themembership of Ronnie Joneswhen he became chair of the gaming control board. Jones, who had worked for theDepartment of Public Safety,questioned the decision to no avail.

On July25, Freel followed up in alettertothe twoLASERS officials,askingthem to reconsider theirposition. If they wouldnot,Freel asked them to allowHebert to continue contributing to thestate retirement system pending an advisory opinion fromthe attorney general’s office.

Boudreaux and Grant agreed, although such an opinion does not have the

said the agency takes harassment allegations seriously,and Young’saccusationissubject to an “ongoing, confidential internal investigation.”

“The premature release of ATULocal 1546’sstatement, absent the completion of the investigation andall relevant facts, is regrettable as it threatensthe integrity and confidentiality of the investigative process,” aCATS spokesperson said.“CATS will continue to investigate the matter to its completion and in accordancewith its policies to ensure thatthe rightsofall parties involved are protected.”

Young said the inappropriate behaviorbegan on June 13, when she asked the supervisor to purchase her an energy drink during her shift. Whenshe reimbursed him,hetold her,“Ilike to be spoiled, too,” according to Young. She said he continued to

in Gonzales to host asimilar occasion on Nov.14to16. Representativesofthe festivaland the mall requested that thecouncil allow the event,which would feature around 40 food trucks and bringanestimated 10,000 people. The shopping mallhosted asimilar food truck festival in 2019, and FoodeesFest has already advertised the eventonits Facebook page. It is not guaranteed to happen, at least on afull scale. Boudreaux, Lambert and other council members

the counter and Harris wasn’tpaying attention to theweapon.

Prosecutorssaid the customer grabbed thegun andwrestled Harristothe ground. He managed to dislodge the weapon from Harris’ hands, and another customer picked up theweapon after it slid acrossthe floor

Abank employee called 911 and reportedthe robberyduring thescuffle. After disarming Harris, the customer wrestled with him on the floor of the bank’s lobby for about 61/2 minutes until police arrived to take Harris into custody,prosecutors said.

Surveillance cameras

force of law

Hebert has continued making his contributionssince then. LASERS officials said Thursday they have no plans to stop that.

Landrycould try to have state legislators change the law to allow Hebert to remain in LASERS.

In fact, Landry tried to do thatlast year just beforeofficially naming Hebert as the gaming control board chair —anindication that Landry realized the law posed aproblem for Hebert.

Thegovernoraskedstate Rep. Ed LarvadainIII, DAlexandria,totry to push through thechange by amending an unrelated bill of hislateinthe legislative process. The bill not only would have let Hebertjoin LASERS,

flirt with herafter that interaction,which led her to start recording parts of their conversations to file areport with humanresources. He often looked at her “seductively,”said she was “special” to him, and, in one instance,got physically closetoher to fix the fare box, saying,“Iguess we’ll be all on top of each other,” per Young’saccount of the events.

In one recording Young provided, sheconfronted the supervisor about his treatmenttoward her

“I want to know why you look at me like that, why every time yousee me, you messing with me?” she asked. “What’sgoing on?”

“Paying youa littleattention that you need,” the supervisorsaid in response, according to the audio.

“I don’tneednoattention.”

“Yeah, you always need attention.”

expressed concerns about traffic and public safety, pointing out that the mall only has one entrance and exit and is situated near the interstate. Gonzales PoliceChief Sherman Jackson struck acompromise, suggesting the public safety departments work with the groups to create arealistic plan forthe event. “With publicsafetyin mind, howabout we coordinate somebody from my office, somebody from the Fire Department’s office

in the lobby capturedthe whole encounter.Noone was seriously injured.

Once they got him back to the policestation, officers recovered the stolen $100 billsfromHarris’ waistband. He told investigators he planned to use the money he stole to start over somewhere else.

Standing in aWest Baton Rouge jail jumpsuit, Harris was subdued as he answered judge Dick’s questions during Tuesday’s hearing.

and,you know, help them determine how manypeople and how many spaces that they can do this with?” he said. “If we don’taddress this, it’sonly going to get bigger.”

Boudreaux motioned to tablethe request untila public safety plan was created and return to the agenda at thenextmeeting. It passed 5-0.

Email Christopher Cartwrightatchristopher cartwright@theadvocate. com.

“It’sall true,” he responded. Earlierinthe proceeding, the judge asked Harris if he wassatisfiedwith the representation he received during the case.

“She’sbeen the greatestpersonI’veevermet as far as an attorney is concerned,” he said of his federally appointed public defender,Marci Blaize.

Email Matt Bruceat matt.bruce@theadvocate. com.

After an assistant U.S. attorney read the allegations aloud in the courtroom Dick asked Harris if he agreed those werethe facts prosecutors would be able to proveifhetook thecase to trial.

it wouldhavelifted hisannual salary as chair by another $12,600.

Hebert was making $175,011 working in theAttorney General’s Office. Passing the bill wouldhaverequired atwo-thirds vote of the Legislature. ASenatecommittee amended the bill to favor Hebert with no discussion from the public or the committee members.

After anews story reported on what Landry was trying to do, legislators scuttled Larvadain’sbill. Larvadain did not respondtoarequest for comment.

LASERS told Hebert he could not stay in the program after aJuly 10 emailfrom The Advocate |The TimesPicayune raised aquestion abouthis eligibility.

“No, no, Idon’t. Idon’tbe looking forit.”

“I knowyou don’t. Ijust think you’re aniceperson, when you want to be.”

In multiple recordings, thesupervisor appeared to reiterate that Young was a“special” person to him. When askedinthe audio why he treated herdifferently,hemaintainedthathe did notwanttomake anyoneuncomfortable andsaid he had not done anything wrong.

“You got aspecial effect on me,” he said in the recording. “Imma leave it like that.”

According to Young’srecounting of her interview with human resources, the supervisor responded to her allegations by saying that she had tried to start aworkplace relationship with him Shesaidshe planstofile acomplaint withthe Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

BY QUINN COFFMAN Staff writer

Baton Rouge policehave arrested a16-year-old in connection with ashooting that wounded two people Saturday night duringthe Tigers’ Homecoming game against South Carolina.

The teen is set to be booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Juvenile Detention Center on one count each of illegal use of aweapon, illegalpossession of aweapon by ajuvenile, carrying a firearm on schoolproperty and two counts of attempted first-degree murder

LSU Police originallyarrived at the 3400 block of Highland Road near the campus’snorth gates about 8:30 p.m., with acampus alert going out 10 minutes later

At least two people opened fire during the incident, a Police Department spokesperson said, resulting in two men suffering injuries and being hospitalized. One of the injured is believed to be abystander

On Tuesday,police described the shooting as having stemmed from aprior altercation between theinvolved parties.

“Special thankstothe Baton Rouge community and to the Capital Region Crime Stoppers, who were instrumental in providing information that led to this arrest,” astatement from police reads.

Another shooting Saturday,which took place earlier in the day just before kickoff, is believed to be accidental. About 5:30 p.m., Lawrence Hubbard, an 18-yearold from Jefferson Parish, accidentallyshot himself in the thigh on South Stadium Drive, just outside Tiger

Stadium, according to LSU Police.

According to his arrest warrant, witnessessaw Hubbard adjusting his pants beforeshootinghimself. He thenlimped to anearby Department of Public Safety officer before he wastaken to ahospital.AGlock 21 firearm was foundatthe scene, which witnessessay Hubbardthrewon the ground, according to the warrant.

After he was treated for his wounds, Hubbard was arrested later the same night and booked into theEast Baton RougeParishPrison on one counteachofpossession of firearm on school property and illegal use of weapons

On Monday,Gov.Jeff Landry took to Xtosay he is ordering stateand local law enforcement to increase security oncampus for the next home game.

“I have orderedStatePolice towork with LSU PD, BRPD, andEBRSOtocome up with an enhanced security plan for the upcoming LSU/Texas A&M game,” Landry wrote. “Wewill continue assessingthe security to ensure allfuture games aresafe. The level of violence and disruption will not be tolerated.”

After Landry’scall for better security,LSU released a statement saying “thesafety and well-beingofthe LSU community”isthe school’s No. 1priority

“Inlight of recent events, we write to assure you that we maintain significantresources to ensure public safety,”LSU Board of Supervisors Chair ScottBallard and LSU interim President Matt Leesaidinanews release. “On game day,we typically have 600 trained on-duty police officersrepresentingLSU Police,local law enforcement,and state agenciestosafeguardour community.”

Reporter Aidan McCahill contributed to this report.

Armato,Wilda

Immaculate ConceptionCatholic Church in Lakeland, Louisianaat2pm

Bennett, Charles OurLadyofMt. Carmel Catholic Church in St.Francisville at 12pm

Collins, Samuel CharletFuneral Home,4230 High Street in Zachary, at 11 a.m.

Guttner,George St.AloysiusCatholic Church,2025 StuartAvenue,Baton Rouge,LAat 11am

Major,Almena

Mount PilgrimBaptistChurch Life Center, 9700 Scenic Highway,at10 a.m. Purpera, Mary NewRiver BaptistChurch,45270 LA-429, SaintAmant,LAat11am.

Obituaries

Bell,MaryLee Jackson

Mary LeeJackson Bell entered into eternalrestat her residenceinBaton Rouge,Louisiana on Octo‐ber 4, 2025. Shewas an 81yearold native of Chaneyville,Louisiana Viewing at Rose of Sharon Baptist Church on Friday October 17, 2025 at 11:00 amuntil CelebrationofLife Service at noon conducted byPastorStanley Plains

Survivors includeher chil‐dren, Nehemiah Bell (Shar‐lene),Newark, Delaware; Paula B. Turner,PortHud‐son;MarilynMartin (Luther), Terry Jackson (Renea),SeanJackson (Patrice),Merle Bell,Brian Bell(Jermaine), LindaB Brown (Ronald),Janice Bell, Peggy Carmena, Patri‐cia Cobb, Troy Williams and WilbertBell; 32 grand‐children, 41 great-grand‐children, otherrelatives and friends. Arrangements entrusted to Miller & DaughterMortuary.

Christensen, Marvin Michael'Mickey'

Marvin Michael 'Mickey' ChristensendiedonSaturday, October 11 in Baton Rouge at theage of 86. He was born on September 9, 1939 in Omaha,Nebraska, theson of Marvin Virgual Christensenand Olga Kauss Christensen. The family moved fromOmaha to Amite,Louisiana in 1941, latermoved to Pontchatoulaand then to Baton Rouge in 1954. Mickey was a1957 graduateof IstroumaHighSchool.He graduated from LSUin1961 with adegree in MechanicalEngineering. He returnedtoLSU in 1963 and earnedhis Masters degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1965 and went to work at Dow Chemical in Plaquemine. He retired from Dow in 1993 and established TQM Systems consulting He and his son, Mike, established Ornamental Pond Fish in Port Allen in 2000. He was amember of St.James Episcopal Church, DowRetirees, and Baton Rouge Round Table He is survivedbyhis wife of almost 60 years, Jane Tucker Christensen, son JosephMichael "Mike" Christensen, hiswife,

Debra Girouard Ewing,a nativeofBroussard,Laand resident of Batchelor, La, passed away on Sunday October12, 2025 at 9:52 pm at PointeCoupee General Hospitalatthe age of 71. She was aretired Physical

Therapy Assistantand Paralegal. Debraissurvived by herhusbandof37 years, Ted Ewing; son, KevinJohnEwing;sister Karen Travesos andbrother,JohnnyGirouard. Sheis preceded in death by her parents, Elmo Girouard andMaxine Williams Girouard; father in law and mother in law,Dalton and BeverlyEwing;brother RonnieGirouardand brother-in-law, HillaryTravesos. Avisitation willbeheldat St.Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in Innison Friday, October 17, 2025 from 10 am untilMass of Christian Burial at 11 am. Theinurnmentwill follow at St.StephensCemetery in Innis. Aspecial thanks to Pointe Coupee General Hospital andHospice and Lakeview Manor Nursing Home. Memorial donations may be made to Hospiceof Pointe Coupee or St.Vincent de PaulCatholic Church

Fairchild, Sharon Sharon Fairchild passed away at the ageof78 peacefully andsurrounded by herloved ones. Shewas anative of Woodville, MS anda longtime resident of Denham Springs, LA. Sharon was the beloved motheroftwo: Victoria Jordan Guitreau (Patrick) andMatthew Jordan (Kristy) andthe cherished grandmommy of three grandchildrenshe adored: Lauri Jordan,James Michael Jordan,and Chloe Guitreau. This amazing lady wasa graduate of USM with alove for animals (especially cats), books, and Diet Coke, butnothingwas more valuabletoher than herfamilyand friends whom she loved fiercely andunconditionally. Her kindness andcompassion knew no bounds and wordscannotexpress just howspecial shewas. Shewas preceded in death by herparents JamesHaydenFairchild andCelesteSibley Fairchild,son ClayHayden Jordan,brother Charles HenryFairchild,and lifelong best friend Kathleen Daly. Sheissurvivedby hersistersand brothers-in

4B ■ Wednesday, October 15, 2025 ■ theadvocate.com

-law, Maudell Hill(Jamie), Abigail Weaver (Dick)and her sister-in-law Peggy Fairchild. Sharon is also survived by additional family members Rocky Jordan (Mary) and Travis Jordan Fuller. Family and friends are invited to attend her celebration of life on Saturday, October25, 2025 from noon to two at Seale Funeral Home located at 1720 S. Range Ave. in Denham Springs, LA. In lieu of flowers, her children ask that you instead consider donating to the American Diabetes Association at https://donors.diabetes.or g/. Gallagher, Lillie Petit

Fleming, Jimmy Wayne'Ace'

JimmyWayne “Ace Fleming,a resident of Slaughter,passedaway peacefullyonSunday, Oct. 12, 2025 at hishome. He was 78 yearsold andwas retired from Wyesco with 22years of service. Visita‐tionwillbeatSlaughter First BaptistChurch on Fri‐day,Oct.17, 2025from9 amuntil serviceat12pm. BurialwillbeinSandy Creek BaptistChurch Cemetery, Zachary. He is survivedbyhis wife of 53 years,Kathleen“Kathy” Fleming.Their children David WayneFleming and wife, Adele, TonyaMarie Knost andhusband,Eddie, and KevinLee Flemingand wife, Jessie. Grandchildren, Cameron andDelaney Brown,Laney Fleming, Dylan Fleming, Knox Flem‐ing,and AveryFleming Great grandchildren, Sadie Katherine andCameron ClaireBrown.His first cousin, LindaFleming,nu‐merousnieces and nephews andhis furbaby, Gizmo.Heisprecededin death by hisparents,David and IdaLee Fleming, sib‐lings,BobbieJeanHamil‐ton,VirgieMae Bridges, Carol Lee, Walter David Fleming,Jr.,RonnieEarl Fleming andGlynn Flem‐ing,and by hisnephew, David KeithFleming.Pall‐bearers will be RonniePoe, EddieKnost,Dylan Flem‐ing,Cameron Brown, Todd Bridges,Steve Cupit, Knox Fleming,Butch McLinand PJBourgeois.Honorary pallbearerwillbeTim Fleming.“Ace” wasanavid fisherman. He enjoyed spendingtimeathis camp inCocodrie. He wasa mas‐ter brickmason,talented musician, especially on his 12-string guitar.Hewas a woodworker,gardenerand artistjusttonamea fewof his hobbies. TheFamily wishestoextendveryspe‐cialthankstoDavid Flem‐ing,Linda Flemingand Kathy Taylor with Hospice ofBaton Rougefor allthe careand compassion given toour “Ace”. Sharesympa‐thies,condolences,and memoriesatwww.Charlet FuneralHome.com

Lillie PetitGallagher,88, passed awayOctober 12th in Baton Rouge, Louisiana with her son Charles by her side. Lillie was born on May 24, 1937, to Samand Lillian Petit in CutOff, Louisiana,asmallFrench speaking community. After graduating from St. Mary's Dominican College in New Orleans in 1959,Lillie movedtoBaton Rouge, whereshe met the love of her life,George Clark Gallagher. There,she raised her family and remained until her passing. A Louisiana educator, adoption advocate,and arts patron, Lillie helped shape Baton Rouge's cultural and civic life for more than five decades through herquiet yetpowerful leadership Aftergraduating from St Mary'sDominican College and earning agraduate degree in childdevelopment and socialservices from Louisiana State University, she devoted her career to education and childadvocacy. Lillie taught early childhood development and, in 1966,founded the original MontessoriSchool of Baton Rouge.In1975, she went on to establish Louisiana's first statewide Gifted and TalentedProgram as program director forthe Louisiana Department of Education. Lillie's most enduringwork came as the founding Executive Director of St. Elizabeth Foundation, anon-profit adoption agency founded in 1988byA.Hayes Town, which provides support and care forpregnant women across Louisiana. Since its inception, this charitable organization has beenresponsible for placingmorethan 600 babies with lovingparents. For herwork,Lillie was named an AngelinAdoption"bythe Congressional Coalition on Adoptionfor whichshe was recognized by President George W. Bush in 2001.Through compassion, grace,and quiet strength, Lillie was instrumental in fostering legislationthat reshaped adoption servicesacross the state. Aconsummate volunteer andsteadfast patron of the arts, Lillie also devoted herselftohistoric preservation and communityservice. With her guidance,volunteers from LSU,Southern University, and localhighschools have helped maintain the historic AfricanAmerican LutheranBenevolent Society Cemeteryfor many years. Lillie was particularly keenonpreservingBatonRouge's iconic City Park and its golfcourse, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. When the historic golfcourse faced redevelopment, she led acommunity effort to preserve its historic layoutand community use and form. In 2024,the Friends of City Park Group, along with representatives of the state, city-parish and BREC honored her legacy with a bench at the firsttee, which recognized her unwaveringefforts to preserveCityPark.These efforts continued into her final weekoflifeand are now carried forwardbya dedicatedgroupofdiverse communityleaders, everydaycitizens, and golfers d ld h l

youngand old.TheGallagher family supports and encourages thecommunity'scontinued efforts to preserve City Park Golf Course for thebenefit of future generationsto come. Lillie livedher values as beautifully as she spokethem. Throughher devotion to her Cajun French heritage, Lillie and her husband funded the Lillie Pettit& GeorgeClark GallagherGraduate Student Traveland Research Scholarship in French Studies.This scholarship helpsensure that future studentscan sustainthe French culture and Louisiana history she so dearly cherished and celebrated.Lilliewas also passionate and devoted to the annualBastille Day Mass and Celebration held at St. JosephCathedral,celebrating the shared French heritage of theCathedral and theCityofBaton Rouge. Her signature red lipstick was ever-present. It was her small, butunmistakable symbol of confidence and care. Lillie's elegance was never vanity, it was respect for others and forthe causes she championed.Lillie'sstory is oneoflegacy and humanity. She was an educatorwho shaped minds, an advocate who builtfamilies,and apatronwho madeher city morebeautiful, one act of kindness at atime.Toher family & friends, she was simply Mom, MiMi,orMs. Lillie buttosomany others she was theheart of Baton Rouge. The family would like to expresstheir most sincere gratitudetoAntoinetteRobertsonfor her years of caring,lovingsupport, and assistance, along with her dedicatedphysician, Dr. Susan Richarme. Aspecial thanksisalso extendedtoher son Charles, who has providedtireless care to his mother over the years. Lillie is preceded in death by her husband, GeorgeClark Gallagher; her parents, Lillian Camille DeFelice and Sampson JosephPetit; her sister, Joyce PetitFontaine,and Joyce's husband,Lenhard James Fontaine; and her niece, Allyce Fontaine Juenke. Lillie is survived by her children MaryCatherine GallagherEymard (Hilton Jr.), John Joseph Gallagher(CarolGiltner), Paul GeorgeGallagher (MichelleBourgeois), and Charles Petit Gallagher; her grandchildren, Ashton GallagherEymard,Hilton JosephEymard III, and CamilleRuthGallagher; and numerous nieces and nephews who lovingly knew her as "Nan Lillie." Visitation willbeheldfrom 5:00-7:00 p.m. with a Rosaryat6:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 16, at Rabenhorst Funeral Home, 825 Government Street, and from9:00-10:00 a.m. on Friday, October 17, at St JosephCathedral,401 Main Street,with funeral Mass to follow at 10:00 a.m. In lieu of flowers,memorial giftsmay be madetoSt. ElizabethFoundation, 8054 Summa Avenue, Baton Rouge, LA 70809. Aprivate family burial willfollow at L'Ange CallahanCemetery, Sacred Heart Church in Cut Off, Louisiana. Rabenhorst Funeral Home Downtown is in chargeofarrangements. Those who believe in theCommunionof Saints are asked to pray forher soul and thespiritual welfare of her survivors.

"Behold my beloved i h I ll son,

Gilbert Anthony Guidry

April22, 1943 -October 11, 2025

Gilbert Anthony "Gil Guidry passed away peacefully on October11, 2025, following recent illnesses. He was born on April22, 1943, in Church Point,Louisiana,and grew up in Bunkie, Louisiana.

Gil was agraduateof BunkieHighSchool and Louisiana StateUniversity. He served in theUnited States AirForce, stationed at SuffolkCounty AirForce Base and Keesler AirForce Base, beforereturning to Baton Rouge to continue his educationatLSU. He had acareer as a banker with Fidelity National Bank and later as a commercial realtor.

Gil was preceded in death by his parents, Berton and Jeanette Guidry of Bunkie, Louisiana. He is survivedbyhis threechildren,Jack (Lacy) Guidry, Scot(Sandy) Guidry, and Angie (Joe) Galatas; ten grandchildren; one greatgrandchild;and hissiblings, Jennifer(Johnny) Campbell,Catherine Macmurdo,and Dexter (Margie) Guidry. He shared 60 years of marriage with Dianne Cochran Guidry, with whom he built afamily and alifetimeofmemories.

Gilenjoyed hunting, fishing, and cheering on LSU. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be madetothe LSUBurden Museum and Gardens in his honor. Avisitation will be held from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM on 2025-10-20 at Rabenhorst Funeral Home, 825 Government St.

Winifred Mary LaBauve Landrya native of Baton Rouge Louisiana andresident of Central Louisiana died on October14, 2025, at 5:44 am at the age of 93. Shegraduated from St Joseph Academy and retiredfromEarl K. Long Hospital after 29 years of service.She waspreceded in death by herhusband JamesW.Landry Sr Grandson Brandon Denson, Parents John andMarie LaBauve,Brother Wilfred LaBauve,Sisters Marie Staggand Juanita Mattingly. Sheissurvived by children ShirrelLandry, James W. LandryJr., Vickie and Gary Denson,Sonya and RickyAcosta, grandchildren Kellyand Mark Terrebonne,Nicole Denson, Candaceand VincePolito, and Erica andDevinClements, 9great grandchildrenand 3great great granddaughters. Familyand friends are invited to attend the visitation whichwill be held at RabenhorstFuneral Home East, 11000 Florida Blvd,onWednesday, October15, 2025, from 5pm until 9pm. Visitation will resume on Thursday at St.Isidore Catholic Church,5657 Thomas Rd,from8am until Mass of Christian Burial at 9:30am. Burial will follow Port Hudson National Cemetery

he moved withfamilyto Hammond in 1970, graduating from HammondHigh School in 1972. Chris, as he wasaffectionately known by hisfamilyand many friends, attended Louisiana State University, wherehewas amember of AcaciaFraternity. Chris received ajuris doctorate degree andpassed his Louisiana Bar exam in 1978. Throughout his40+ years of practicinglaw as oneofLouisiana's leading trial lawyers, Chris was very active in the community, in charitableorganizations andinservice and support of publicendeavours,havingservedas presidentofthe Hammond Chamber of Commerce, as chairman of theboard for both theTangipahoa United Way andthe Louisiana Special Olympics, as secretaryofthe board for theKiwanis ClubofHammond, andasa lifelongpatron of theSoutheastern Louisiana University foundation.Chrishas wonnumerousawards andaccolades,including AV PreEminentratingfrom Martindale-Hubbell and wasadmittedasanattorney-counselorofthe SupremeCourt of theUnited States. Among hishonorswerestatetournament directorofDixie Majors Baseball and awarded 2022's top 50 lawyers presented by Civil Litigation Louisiana. Most recently, Chris wasgeneral counsel for local municipal governments of Livingston Parish, Tangipahoa Parish,and St Helena Parish,aswell as Tangipahoa Parish School Board.

Chris is preceded in death by his father,Caesar Boyd Moody Jr.of Nashville, TN his mother, IreneFitzerMoody of London,England, wife Jana Sturgill Moody of NewOrleans, LA, andgranddaughterSarah Elizabeth Rashford

Chris is survived by his son, MatthewRandolph Moody (Melissa and daughter Madyson) of Austin, TX, daughter Amanda Moody Rashford (Jared, and children Stephen(Erin),Michael, Mary, James, and Anna) anddaughterHannahMarlinMoody (Seth Murray, daughterJana Mae,son Seth Murray), sister Gayle Moody Kirwan (son Harrison) of Baton Rouge brotherRandolph Moody (Kristie, daughterKayla, son Mark, granddaughter

Natalie),and girlfriend Barbie Butler Vallot and family.

In lieu of flowers, donations to the SLU foundation fund or Louisiana Special Olympics or Grace Memorial Church would be appreciated.

Relatives and friends of the family are invited to attend the visitation at BrandonG.Thompson Funeral Home at 12012 Hwy 190 W Hammond, LA 70401 on Thursday, October 16, 2025, from 5:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. AMemorialService will follow on Friday, October 17, 2025, at Grace Memorial Episcopal Church at 11:00 a.m. Areceptionwill follow. Interment at Rose Memorial to happen at alaterdate.

Condolences and other information may be found at www.thompsoncares.com.

Arrangments have been entrusted to Brandon G. Thompson Funeral Home

Sherman Wayne Pierson, alife-long resident of Baton Rouge, departed this life peacefullyonThursday, October 9, 2025, three days after his 67th birthday. Viewing at Mt. Bethel Missionary Baptist Church, 13540 Scenic Hwy on Friday, October 17, 2025 at 10:00AM until celebration of life at 11:00 AM; interment at Louisiana National Cemetery. Survivors include Kimberly McCoy (James), sons Christopher McCoy (Faith) and Elder Jamar Pierson;4grandchildren, Kennedy, Kiian, Imani and Zavion; sister Rose Kaufman-Williams (John) and 2brothers, Joseph Pierson and Elizah Pierson, Sr. (Sandra). Arrangements are entrusted S.L. Booker Family Funeral Services, LLC. Visitusat www.slbfamilyfuneral.com to sign our guestbook.

Schexnaydre, Angela Bergeron

It is with profound sad‐nessthatthe family of An‐gelaBergeronSchexnaydre announces herpassing on October 12,2025, at theage of76. Alifetimeresidentof Convent,Louisiana,Angela was adevoted wife, motherand grandmother. She wasa graduate of Romeville High School, class of 1966, anda former employeeofAudubon Ford She wasknown forbeing a passionateanimallover and having an infectious sense of humor.She never met astrangerand loved spreading laughter.Her greatestjoyscamefrom spendingtimewithher family, whether that meant watchingher grandchil‐drenat theirsporting events, hostinga crawfish boilunder herfavoriteoak tree, handingout candy duringthe annualHal‐loween party, or exchang‐ing giftsatthe family Christmas party. Shealso loved solvingthe daily cryptoquote and word jum‐ble.Itwas always arace withher husband to see who couldsolve thepuzzle first. Most importantly, An‐gelawas childofGod and prayedher rosary daily. Angelaissurvivedbyher lovinghusband,Christo‐pher Schexnaydre; her three children,Shannon St Pierre(Brittany), Erin Campbell (Lance), and KimberlySt. Pierre;and her fourgrandchildren,Landry Campbell, Lyla Campbell, KnoxSt. Pierre,and Jack St. Pierre.She is also sur‐vived by siblings,Debra Andermann (Mark) and DennisBergeron, andnu‐merous nieces and nephews.She will also be truly missed by herador‐ing pets Bella, Max, and Dixie Bell.She waspre‐ceded in deathbyher par‐ents, John andMarie Berg‐eron, andher siblings Alice Robert, Valerie Chauvin, JohnnyBergeron, Elaine Gauthreaux, andJames “Jimmy” Bergeron.A visita‐tioninher memory will be heldonFriday, October17, 2025, at St.Michael Catholic Church in Con‐vent, LA,from8:00a.m.to 9:00a.m.for family and from9:00a.m.until thefu‐neral serviceat11:00 a.m. for friends, followed by a MassofChristian Burial IntermentwillfollowatSt. Michael Catholic Church Cemetery. Thefamilyex‐tends theirheartfelt thanksfor theloveand support shownduringthis difficult time.Angelawill bedeeplymissedbyall who knew andloved her.

2025, withhis wife by his side. Alovinghusband, supportivefather, respected boss and mentor,and cherished friend, Guy will be missed dearly by all who knew him. The fourthofseven children born to Dayton and LadySchexnaydre,Guy was born in Donaldsonville, LA, on January9, 1967. After graduating fromLouisiana StateUniversity, Guy worked in construction managementfor over 35 years, serving as Executive Vice President of ConstructionatBrown & Root Industrial Services. He lovedspendingtime with his family,fishing, and golfing withhis friends, and,morethan anything,talking aboutall of those thingswith friends, family,and strangers alike

Guy is survivedbyhis belovedwife of 34 years, Tina Lopinto Schexnaydre; children, Dylan Schexnaydre(Hannah), Madeline Daigle(Brandon), and DeanSchexnaydre; grandchildren, Parker and Nolan Daigle; mother, Carmen "Lady" DaigleSchexnaydre;brothers Dale (Deenie), Neal (Judy), Chris (Torrie), and Brian (Jeanette) Schexnaydre; sisters CarmenRamber (Dawson) and Diane McGovern (Kelly); and many nieces and nephews. His family willremember him as funny, affable, and generous, always walking around whistling and offering people ajob or aplace to stay. He was preceded in death by his father, Guy Dayton Schexnaydre. The family wishes to thank Dwayne Labatut, NP, Dr. McCanless, Dr. Wood, Dr. Leblanc, and their teams. Thanks to their care, Guy was able to enjoyhis son's wedding and thebirth of his second grandsonthis year. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be madetoCancerServices of Greater Baton Rouge. Family and friends are invitedtoattenda night wake for Guy on Thursday, October16, 2025 from5:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Ourso Funeral Home,13533 Airline Hwy, Gonzales, Louisiana 70737. Avisitationwilloccur Friday, October 17, 2025 from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM at St. AnthonyCatholic Church, 37311 Highway 22, Darrow, Louisiana70725, with aMass of Christian burial following at 11:00

AM. Guy willbelaid to rest in SerenityOaksMemorial Park, 15304 Hwy 73, Prairieville, LA.Fondmemoriesand words of condolence can be expressedat www.OursoFH.comfor the Schexnaydre family

WhiteChambers, Betty

Betty Barbara "Betty Bob" Whitewas borninBatonRouge,LAonMarch 8,1941 to theunionof Wilbert Michael White,Sr. and Louise Decuir White. Bettyentered into eternal life on October12, 2025, at The Crossing at Clarity

Hospice Betty wasa very active member of St.Francis Xavier Catholic Church SheattendedSt. Francis Xavier Catholic School, McKinley High School, and wasa graduate of SouthernUniversity in Home Economics. Betty taught Kindergarten at St.Francis Xavier Catholic School for ashort time andalso taughtatPolk Elementary. Shespecialized in teaching Artand taughtatWinbourne Elementaryduring herlater years as an educator. Betty was known for herend of theyear Art Showsfeaturing work by thestudents. Betty marriedLionel Chambers in 1972, and theyweremarriedfor 40 wonderfulyearsuntilhis death.Betty and Lionel were avidSouthernUniversityfootballfans. They were season ticket holders andhad aprime parking space for theirRVoncampusand wouldhost atailgate party for friends and Jaguar fans at everyhome game.

Betty is survivedbyher siblings, Wilbert White, Jr (Geraldine)ofAtlanta, GA, Sophia White, Arthur Leon White, CarlWhite, andJ Darrell White, all of Baton

Rouge,and ahostof cousins, nieces, nephews, and godchildren. Shewas preceded in death by her husband, herparents, her sister,Josephine "Joann" White, andher brother, Michael WayneWhite. Visitation at St Francis Xavier Catholic Church 1150 S12th St,onThursday, October16th from 9:30 am until Mass of Christian Burial at 11:00 am. Rosary at 10:30 am. Interment at Greenoaks Memorial Park. Arrangements by DesselleFuneral Home. Thefamilywould like to thank thestaff at ThePearlatJamestown andThe Crossing at Clarity Hospice fortheir exceptional care

Groves’ capturebrings long, sad escape tale to itsbestend

When aClayton County police dog sniffedout Derrick Groves in the crawlspace of an Atlantaarea home last week, it brought awelcomeend to the five-month drama that beganwhen 10 Orleans Justice Center inmates wentthrough ahole in the wall, over afence and acrossInterstate 10, leaving behind taunts scrawled on the walls as they fled.

It will likely be months,ifnot years, before the escape story’smany threads are fully untangled and studied, but at this point, afew things are clear

First, we are glad that Groves,who is aconvicted double-murderer,and his nine compatriots are all now back behind bars.

We are doubly glad that, as of now,itappears that during their time on the lam Groves and the others did not commit further acts of violence that would have compounded the tragedy.Itseems distant now,but the hours immediately after newsofthe escape were scary for prosecutors, witnesses and others, some of whom fled because they feared they would become targetsof the newly free escapees.

Second, it is clear that jail security was frightfully bad. Exactly who is most to blame for this will require some further investigation. Sheriff Susan Hutson has rightly come in for plenty of criticism, but jail conditions and funding for upkeep are also the responsibility of city government.

Third, we applaud the agenciesinvolved in thecapture for impressive cooperationand coordination across anumber of jurisdictions.

Agents from the U.S. Marshal’sService, troopersfromLouisiana State Police, officersfrom the Atlanta Police Department and others all participated in bringing the 10 escapees back into custody

It wasn’teasy.Most were captured within days, but two of them —Antoine Masseyand Derrick Groves —remained free for much longer.Massey posted aseries of videos to social media proclaiming his innocencebefore he was recaptured in June, but Groves had seemingly vanished without atrace.

According to accounts,neighborsnear the house where he was found had seen someone matching his description peeking out of windows. When the home was searched, authorities found 15 pounds of marijuana, apistol and arifle magazine, they said.

Even with all of the escapees now in custody,many questions remain. We hope many of them are answered in the ensuing investigations, including one being conducted by Attorney General Liz Murrill’soffice

It’salso worth noting that change is coming to the sheriff’s office. Former interim New Orleans Police Superintendent Michelle Woodfork defeated Hutson in Saturday’selection, and will take over the office next year

We are confident that Woodforkwill take seriously the lessons from this escapade, and we are hopeful that she will work with the city to improve conditions at the jail for inmates and staff.

An

Thrive EBRplan leaves outkey details

Concerning theEast Baton Rouge city-parish Thrive EBR tax proposals, St.George will obtain tax funds from theEBR city-parish government, but St.George will also take over some goods and services from theEBR city-parish. My question is, what is thecost estimate of the goods and services that St.George will take over from theEBR city parish government? Iwould like to see an itemized spreadsheet of the taxes the EBR city-parish will transfer to St. George

plus thevalue in dollars of the goods and services that St. George will take over from the city-parish thatthe EBRcity-parishnow provides. Also, thethree Thrive taxproposals are for 10-year terms. Why doesthe EBRcity-parishgovernment need extra funds for 10 years? Ipersonally cannot be in favor of theThrive tax proposals as they are now structured.

PHILLIP LILLARD Baton Rouge

We need to understand true impact of Big, BeautifulBill

Both our senators have now sent in letters here to tell us their “big, beautiful [tax]bill” will benefit our state. YetGoogle tells me of looming state-wide impacts, all harmful to the physical well-being of our citizens: Perhaps 200,000 Louisianians will lose healthcoverage, health costs will rise precipitously and many rural hospitals will be threatened withclosure. Please, senators, explain this stark contradiction to us thepeople. Can it be that asearch engine is more truthful than them? Can it be that our senators, one amedical doctor,voted against theinterestsofLouisiana, astate which already faces many health-care challenges? Please, Advocate, since facts are your stock-intrade, help us your readers to understand the truth behind this critical question.

DAVID PORTER Baton Rouge

PeaceCorps hasenrichedmanylives sinceits founding

As theU.S. prepares to celebrate its 250th birthday,the nearly quartermillionindividuals who served in the Peace Corps are also preparing for a key milestone, launched 65 yearsago on Oct. 14.

In theearly hours of Oct. 14, 1960, then candidateJohn F. Kennedy and his team stopped by thestepsof theUniversity of Michigan Student Union. They found10,000 students and others there to greet him. It was at this point that Kennedy delivered some imprompturemarks, including: “How manyofyou who are going to be doctorsare willing to spend your days in Ghana? Technicians or engineers, how many of you arewilling to work in theForeign Service and spend your lives traveling around theworld? On your willingnesstodo that, not merely to serve one year or two yearsinthe service, but on your willingness to contribute part of your life to this country,Ithink will depend theanswer (sic) whether afree society can compete. Ithink it can!

AndIthink Americans are willing to contribute. Butthe effort must be far greater than we have ever made in thepast.”

The next day,studentsresponded by circulating apetitionwhich basically said, “ifyou give us the opportunity, we’ll answer your call to service.” Lessthan five months later, President Kennedy signed an executive order establishing the Peace Corps.Four months after that, the first Peace Corps volunteers were training for assignments. The Peace Corps has been changing lives —including mine —for 65 years. Ourcommitment to service doesn’tstop when our post is completed. Globally,returned Peace Corps volunteersare making adifference every day

Ourcountry needsthe Peace Corps so service-minded citizens can continue to answer President Kennedy’s call to serve.

LORI HALVORSON Baton Rouge

In the next fewdays, people will be gathering forthe No Kings protest —not just here in Baton Rouge, but in cities across thecountry andeven around theworld. Ihopefolks understandwhat this movement is really aboutbefore they judge it Despitewhatsome political voices are saying, this isn’ta“hate America” rally.It’sthe opposite. The No Kings protest is apeaceful defenseofdemocracy,free speech andthe idea that no leader or government agency should be above accountability. We’re standing up because we care aboutthis country —and we don’t want to see it drift further toward authoritarian control or the silencing of dissent. Thatsaid, how we protest matters. Angerisunderstandable, but if we letitcontrol us,weplayright intothe narrative that peaceful Americans are somehow the threat. Staying calm, steadyand nonviolent is themost powerfulanswerwecan give.

The real danger isn’tpeacefuldissent. It’s thewar on democracy,truth andprogress.

So when Baton Rouge adds itsvoice to this movement,let’sshowwhatreal patriotism lookslike —calm, peaceful andgrounded in love forthis country

ELLEN HOLLIDAY REID Baton Rouge

As Iwas reading today’snewspaper,I opened to the Sports page. Now Iknow Baton Rouge is amajor football town, and Iknow baseball is huge here as well, but Ihave to ask you: Where do women fit in? Iknow there are women’ssports teams at LSU, but all you managed to fit in on the very back page of arecent Saturday Sports section was atiny blurb about awoman’sbasketball team (no mention of which team) that was playing in Las Vegas. Now,tell me,dear editor,don’tLSU women(or any womenathletic teams for that matter) deserve aplace in your esteemed pages? Go ahead, take achance and put us in our place (on the Sports pages)!

DOREEN BOULANGER Baton Rouge

Bondifaces critics, ‘burns’them

Alot of political figures are understandably nervous about facinga Senatecommitteeprobe. Not Pam Bondi. In more than four hours of testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee last week, she responded to the most polite questions with the air of contempt worthyofher boss, President Donald Trump, who tends to react to the idea of accountabilityas if it were apersonal insult, especially when it is requested by Democrats. Her rude, taunting demeanor in the halls of Congress is not without precedent. Luminaries of the current administration such as Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Healthand Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr.and FBI Director KashPatel have allturned in pugnacious performances before committee-room cameras Democratic committeemembers, startingwith Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin wereeager to questionBondi about the politicization of the Justice Department, including efforts to shield President Donald Trump and his allies and naked efforts to prosecutethose who have ever crossed Trump,such as formerFBI Director James Comey Democrats, and afew Republicans, were also eagerto know more about Bondi’sdecision not to release any more files relating to convicted sex offender and former Trump associate Jeffrey Epstein.

These are important questions, and the attorney general is in akey position to provide some answers. However, in this, her first oversight hearing as attorney general, Bondi made it clear that she owed the Senate neither answers nor illumination of anysort.All theywould get was attitude.

She set the tone with Durbin, at one point sneering at him, “I wish you lovedChicago as much as you hate Trump.” She loved this groaner so much that she repurposed it with Sen. Alex PadillaofCalifornia, substituting thename of his home statefor “Chicago.”

Responding to Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, she revived acontroversy old enough to have whiskers, referencing his imputed claim to have served in Vietnam, to brand him as some sort of habitual liar.(Blumenthal hadserved during the war,but never in Vietnam.) Blumenthal, afamously soft-spoken institutionalist, had asked whohad ordered the FBI to flag any mentions of Trump in the notorious case known widely as “the Epstein files.”

Attorney General PamBondiappears Oct. 7before the Senate JudiciaryCommittee oversighthearing,onCapitol Hill in Washington.

“I’m not going to discuss anything aboutthat with you, senator,”she snapped.

Similardisdain greeted questions from Democratic Sen. Sheldon WhitehouseofRhode Island aboutwhathappened to the $50,000 cash bribe that border czar TomHoman received from undercover FBI agents in 2014. Bondi had come to the committee hearing with one goal —tocreatethe in-your-face “content” Trump’sbase craves —and by thedubious standards ofthe right-wing infosphereshe seemed to have succeeded. Video highlights of her sick burns populated X, TikTok and Fox News.

Butaclue to her gamewas revealed when Reuters photographer Jonathan Ernst caught an imageofthe inside of afolder of notes she kept in front of her during questioning.

Thephotos revealed acollection of screenshots of social media posts, along with scripted comebacks and other notes that might help her to deliver agood “gotcha” moment.

On social media, thebinder took on such titles as “Pam Bondi’sburn book,” areference to the movie “Mean Girls,” in which ascrapbook is filled with pictures and cruel, mean-spirited gossip, comments and secrets concerning lessfavored girls.

As ameasure of her respect for the public’sright to know what our lawmakers andhighofficials are doing in our name andwith ourdollars, that’s pretty close to themessage theattorney general was offering us.

Secrets? She’ll tell us when she’s goodand ready,not amoment before

—and maybe never

Iwas ready to tune out when Bondi turned to thedecaying pathways of old Hunter Biden conspiracy theories. Don’twehave any fresh fears and resentments to worry about?

Butthen Iwas jerked alert, not for thefirst time, by an item farther down Bondi’slist of all-purpose barbs prepared for Whitehouse: “You are atotal hypocrite.”

Did she need to write that down?

The United States is currently in aconstitutional crisis, and theU.S. Department of Justice is at the heart of it. FBI personnel are being shunted from crime-fighting duties to catch undocumented immigrantsinplaces like Chicago. Andwhile it would be foolish to try to predict theoutcomeofacriminal prosecution that is clearly apriorityfor a U.S. president, especially one as deceitful as Trump, thecase against Comey is problematic, to say theleast.Hehas pleaded innocent and has signaled his intention to argue that the case is malicious and selective prosecution. Butaswe’ve seen elsewhere in Trumpworld, sometimes the win-loss tally is lessimportant than the highlight reel. At atime when the government is in another shutdown, raising anxieties from farms to factory towns, we need serious, sensible people in Washington to get thepeople’sbusiness done. They are nowhere to be seen in the Trump administration.

E-mail Clarence Pageat clarence47pagegmail.com.

Georgiasalon meetsTrumpishprotectionism

TwoSupreme Courtcases, oneunasked question

U.S. SupremeCourt Justice SoniaSotomayor cut straight to theheart of Chilesv.Salazar with one hypothetical:Ifa dietitian decides to help anorexicsstarvethemselves, can thegovernment stop them?

Thatmightseem like auseless question —obviously, no dietitian would do that, and obviously,ifthey did, thegovernment should banit. Butwhile alaw might be unnecessary in practice, exploring imaginary extremes can help us understandprinciplesand theirlimits.

ega McArdle M n

In this case, heard by theSupreme Courtlast week, theprinciple was free expression.Coloradohas bannedLGBT“conversion therapies” that aimto change someone’ssexual orientation or gender identity.TherapistKaley Chilesarguesthatthis infringes on herFirst Amendment rights. The state of Coloradounsurprisingly disagrees,contending that it is merelyprotecting vulnerable children from harmful andineffective treatments

Colorado’scase leaned heavily on themedical consensusagainstconversion therapy. Chiles’ lawyerargued (amongmanyother things) that the state’sevidence didn’tsupport aban on thekind of talk therapyshe provides. This is where Sotomayor’s hypothetical comes in. Do we need studies to tellusthatdietitians shouldn’thelpanorexics starvethemselves? Andisstopping them fromdoing so really aFirst Amendment issue? This wasclarifyinginmore ways than one, illuminating notjustthe legaldispute, but deeper problems withhow our country is handling LGBT issues.

Sotomayor’sanalogy was apt, but it wasalso a littlestartlingcoming from her,because in these debates comparisons to anorexia usually come from skeptics of pediatricmedical transition. Whenananorexic feelsatoddswiththeir body, theskeptics argue, we use therapytoalter their feelings. So howcome when gender dysphoric kids feel that way,weuse hormones and pubertyblockers to alter theirbodies?

It’s an obvious question,but Idoubt that Sotomayor meanttobring it up, sinceshe is hardly critical of pediatricmedical transition. Her dissent in last year’sU.S. v. Skrmetti,whichupheld Tennessee’sban on medical transition forchildren, proclaimed thatthe court wasabandoning “transgenderchildren andtheir families to political whims.”

The federal government, vain about its successes running businesses (e.g., Amtrak; oh, well), has recentlyplunged into “industrial policy.” Thegovernment of Clayton County,Georgia, also enjoys economic planning If its opposition to Khalilah Few succeeds, she, asingle mother with ateenage son, will have lost much of her savings, andher opportunity for financial security.She will be collateral damage fromher local government’svision of “smart growth.” She is, however,represented by the libertarian litigators of the Institute for Justice. Clayton County has met its match. Few graduated from beauty schoolin 2012 and in 2023 opened her own salon Seeking to relocate, she invested more than $30,000 in renovatingand renting aspace that had previously beena barbershop. When in May this year she applied for apermit, she assumedapprovalwould be perfunctory In July,however,she was denied a permit for two reasons,one unintelligible, the other unconstitutional. The former was that her salon would be incompatiblewith the county’svision of “smart growth.” Whatever this vacuous phrase denotes is,the county thinks,compatible witha dry cleaner, awatch repair shop and apet groomer opening in the same area without needing permits. The county’sunconstitutional reason was that Few’ssalon would create“saturation”: There are several other salons within afive-mile radius. This rationale is pure protectionism, adomestic version of aperennial rationale for national tariffs.

Clayton County might seem to be mimicking the Trumpadministration’s insinuation of the national government into the operations of large corporations(U.S.Steel, Intel, Nvidia, MP Materials,etc.).Perhaps, however,the administration’s“industrial policy” —“smart growth” as envisioned and enforced bysupposedly prescient bureaucrats —should be seen as mimickingfamiliar practices of local governments, but on agrander scale. Familiar, but incompatible with the Constitution,properly construed. For years, libertarian litigators have been combatingdomestic protectionism.

Forexample,adecade ago, such litigatorsopposed Kentucky’s“certificate of necessity”regulation that said: If youwant tostartorexpand amoving company, you mustfirst prove that existingmoving companies are “inadequate,” andthat the proposed new service “is or will be required by the present orfuture public convenience and necessity.”

Litigators argued that this violated the Constitution’sguarantee of equal protection of the law because it is a “competitor’sveto,” favoring existing companies over prospective rivals. Andthey saidcrucial terms in the law were unconstitutionally vague. “Required” by what circumstances?How far into thefog of the“future” must youpeer?

Besides, in 1932 theU.S. Supreme Court overturned an Oklahoma law requiring any proposed new ice company to prove a“public need forit.” The court said: “The principle is imbedded in our constitutional system that there arecertain essentials of liberty” that government can not abridge, including “the opportunity to apply one’slabor and skill in

an ordinary occupation.” Georgia’s Supreme Court has probablymadeitunnecessary for Few to have recourse to the U.S. Constitution. The court says it has “long recognized” that the state’s constitution“entitles Georgians to pursue alawfuloccupation of their choosing free from unreasonable government interference.

ElsewhereinGeorgia,Awa Diagne, an immigrant from Senegal, hasdefeated protectionist zoning. After her husband died of COVID-19, shespent almost $20,000 preparing to move her hair-braiding salon to astorefront near herchildren’sschool. TheSouthFulton planning andzoningcommissionsapproved,but theCityCouncil voted 4-3to deny her zoning permit.One councilor said it was “notfair” for anearby salon to “have to compete.” Another said, “Wedon’t wantany business to suffer anylosses due to an oversaturation.” Representedbythe Institute for Justice, Diagne won at trial, and the county surrendered.

In August, in theU.S.Court of Appeals for the 7thCircuit, the institute successfully represented adeath doula (doulas arrange logistical and other assistance for dying individuals and their families) in aFirst Amendment challenge to an Indianalaw that protected the funeral industry from what it considers competition.The law required doulas tospend thousands of dollarsacquiring afuneral homelicenseand afuneral director license, to take irrelevant classes and to purchase or rent afuneral home. The Institute for Justicehas steady work.The task of protecting Americans from protectionistswillnever end. Email George Will at georgewill@ washpost.com.

For lawyers, Skrmetti andChilesinvolvetwo importantprinciples. While both touch on pediatric medical transition, Colorado’slaw also coversgay kids,and thelaws were challenged on different grounds. Skrmetti litigated whether it’s sexdiscrimination to ban pediatricmedical transition, andChilesistesting whether it’s aFirst Amendment violation to crack down on certainforms of talktherapy. That’sall very interesting forthe lawyers. But formost peoplethe semantics are irrelevant,and both cases involve thesame keyquestion,though notthe onethatwas actually before thecourt: Should gender dysphorickidsbeencouragedto transition,orencouraged to embrace theirbiological sex?

The rest is strategic word games,whichishow ametaphor favored by oneside can so easily slip its moorings and turn up bobbing around on the other side of theharbor.Gendernonconforming children,including gay kids,absolutelyneed to be protected from discrimination. Butbiological sex is an essential fact of ourspecies in away other protected characteristics are not, andthose facts can neither be mooted by lawnor erased by medicine.Ifyou think these issues are fundamentally thesame, youaren’t thinking aboutthemvery hard;transgender rights raise additional complicated issues, from what to do about women’ssports andprisons, to how to handlekidswhose identities may still be in flux.

For alongtime,most of theleft wasn’tthinking toohard about anyofthis. Withinthe closed epistemic loop of academia, activismand Democratic politics, peopletended to outsource theirthinking to others who assured them that thescience of pediatricmedical transition was settled and“trans women are women” in every way that matters. This wasnot agood way to makepolicy, or build social consensusonacomplicated set of issues. Now theskeptics are trying to useconservative courts andlegislators to break theloop open andforce the left to reckon withall thequestions it failedtoask. Iagree thata reckoning is due— it is shocking that pediatricmedical transitionbecame so widespread without randomized controlledstudies to establishits effectiveness —but theSupreme Courtisnot theright venue forit. Nine lawyers are notequipped to answer the questionsweactually care about. Unfortunately, emotion, political partisanship andfuzzy thinking have rushedinto the void that ought to have been filledbyreasoned argument andcarefulempirical evidence. So now we’re demanding that theSupreme Court rush in as well.

MeganMcArdle in on X, @asymmetricinfo

Injury bugbitingSU; severalstartersout

BY TOYLOYBROWN III

Staff writer

Southern had several major contributors not play or get injured during its 45-14 loss at BethuneCookman on Saturday afternoon.

Running backMike Franklin was out because of afoot injury,coach Terrence Graves said during Tuesday’smedia availability.The Jacksonville State transfer hadfoot surgery on Oct. 7, according to a post he sharedonX Southern (1-5, 0-2 SWAC) plays PrairieView (4-2,3-0) at4 p.m.

Saturday. Franklin didn’tget noticeably hurt during Southern’s38-13 loss to Jackson State on Sept.27and Graves said he doesn’tknow if the running back will be outfor the season.

“He had afoot injury,and it was anoncontact deal,” Graves said.

“Unfortunately,we’ve had at least threeofthosetypes of injuries, noncontactinjuriesthat have hindered us and what we’re doing this year.Some guys will recover fast andsome guys don’t. So we’ll see.”

Graves didn’tname the other

ä PrairieView at Southern. 4P.M. SATURDAy

players who had those types of injuries. TheSouthwesternAthletic Conference doesn’thave an injuryreportingsystem thatmandates teamstopubliclyshare players’ physical conditions before games.

Graves did say that the fact that players are hurt isn’tenough reason for his team’spoor record.

“That’s part of it,(but) we don’t make any excuses,” he said. “It’s

next man up, and then it’suptous, whomever is available, we have to makesure that they know what they’re doing when they go out there and play hard.”

Franklin, a6-foot-2, 225-pound senior,has 135 yards rushing on 32 carries, second among running backs.

Defensiveinjuries

Safeties Horacio Johnson and Herman Brister wereboth injured during the second quarter of the Bethune-Cookman game. Brister briefly crouched forward in pain

afterpursuinga tacklebefore returning in the third quarter to play the rest of the contest.

Johnson,who made thepreseason All-SWAC first-team,didn’t return afterBethune-Cookman’s first drive of the second quarter Graves said he thinks Johnson, whoisconsidered one of the team’s leaders, twisted his ankle. Johnson also suffered an injury against Jackson State and didn’t return.

“That’sunfortunate,” Graves

NewEngland Patriots widereceiver Kayshon Boutte catches a25-yard touchdown pass as Saintscornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry defends during the first quarterSundayinthe Caesars Superdome. The Saints trailed 14-6after one quarter in a25-19 loss.

BY MATTHEW PARAS Staff writer

Saints safety Justin Reid said forthe past four games, it has taken two drives forthe defense to settle in.

This pattern, he made clear,was “unacceptable.” Each week, the Saints put together agame planaimed to get off to a strong start. But in each of the past four games, the defense has allowed consecutive touchdowns to begin thegame

Reid said he sees too many mentalmistakes —problems he said fall on theplayers, not the coaches.

“Once we execute, the product is alot

better,” Reid said, “but we can’tkeep startingevery game giving up 14 points before thefirst quarter is over with.”

There’sstarting slowand thenthere’sthe Saints defense.

NewOrleans is thefirstteam to allow back-to-back touchdowns on its firsttwo defensive possessions in fourstraight games since at least 2000, according to TruMedia.

Thestreak started during New Orleans’ horrific lossinSeattle, when SamDarnold found Jaxon Smith-Njigba for a12-yard

touchdown and then Kenneth Walker ran in for a3-yard score.

Since then, the Saints have been diced in allsorts of ways. A43-yard catch-and-run touchdown from Buffalo’sKhalil Shakir Twotouchdowns to the Giants’ Theo Johnson. A53-yard coveragebust was exploited by New England’sDrake Maye and DeMario Douglas. The lack of defense hasbeensopoor that theSaints’ first-quarter point differential sits at minus-49 —trailing only the 2014 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (minus-55) through thefirst six weeks of aseason

ä See SAINTS, page 4C

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

MiLaysia Fulwiley has yet to discuss herdecisionatlength. So far,she’s talked about it only once publicly —inabrief offseason appearance on aSports Illustrated podcast

That fact will change on Wednesday,when Fulwiley accompanies coach Kim Mulkey,Flau’jae Johnson and Mikaylah Williams to SEC

basketball media days in Birmingham,Alabama. There, thegroup will discuss the LSU women’s basketball team’snew-look roster, which now features astar guard who left her hometown South Carolina team to join oneofits top rivals, completingone of the2025 transfer portal window’s most intriguing moves “I kind of felt like Ijust needed anew environment,” Fulwiley told Sports IllustratedinSeptember “A new,fresh start.”

Now Fulwiley is LSU’s new point guard —atleast for now.Mulkey said on Sept. 23 that she’s challenging the junior to assume the No.5 Tigers’ primary ball-handling responsibilities, while also making sure shereceivesopportunities to play off the ball as well. She, Johnsonand Williams can form oneof the mosttalented, versatile backcourts in thecountry

“A lot of that will depend on how quickly she catches on to what we need her to do as apoint guard,” Mulkey said.

The challenge is anew one for Fulwiley,the junior who averaged 11.7points and2.1 assists pergameatSouth Carolina while

Notes on agolf scorecard celebrating that we have passed the Rab Solstice: We’re closer to the start of Masters week 2026 (174 days from Tuesday) than we are to the end of the 2025 Masters (184)

ä LSU at Vanderbilt

11 A.M. SATURDAy,ABC

This columnist wasquick to criticize Gov. Jeff Landry in April 2024 when he demanded all student-athletes be on the field or court for the pregamenational anthem, alogistical conundrum for manyteams. LSU, and all other state schools to my knowledge, let that edict fade away,asdid Landry Now we are here to quickly commend the governor foranother edict that we certainly hope won’tgounheeded.

Landry announced Monday he issued an order forstate and local Baton Rouge law enforcement to increase security on LSU’scampus in the wake of two game-day shooting incidents this season. The governor directed state police to work with Baton Rouge and LSU police and the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’sOffice to “comeupwith an enhanced security plan” before the Tigers’ next homegame Oct. 25 against Texas A&M (6:30 p.m., ABC).

LSU officials were quick to reply that there are typically about 600 law enforcement officials on campus forfootball games. Certainly that’sasubstantial number, but clearly moreneeds to be done. As the governor said, “violence and disruption will not be tolerated,” nor should it be.

There were tons of people on campus on Saturday,agorgeous October day and night surrounding LSU’s 20-10 winagainst South Carolina. Barring bad weather the campus will be overflowing again forthe Texas A&M game.

If the Tigers beat Vanderbilt and if the Aggies winSaturday at

ä See RABALAIS, page 3C

shooting 43% from the field. In her two seasons with the Gamecocks,Fulwileyproved that she was one of the nation’s mostelectrifying players. But she started only three games and she playedabout 18 minutes pergame. Fulwileyhandledthe ball at South Carolina. But LSU runs adifferent system,one that needs clean, efficient point guard playtooperate at its best. “So much is askedofyou,” Mulkey said. “It’snot just what you’re capable of doing. You’ve got to know everybody else.”

NBA PRESEASON

Rockets get past Fears, Pelicans

BY ROD WALKER Staff writer

Jeremiah Fears won’t ever forget his 19th birthday

No, he didn’t get a victory

But the New Orleans Pelicans’ rookie guard showed why the Pels used a No. 7 overall draft pick on him.

Fears finished with a game-high 20 points, six rebounds and four assists in the Pelicans’ 130-128 preseason loss to the Houston Rockets in Birmingham’s Legacy Arena.

The Pelicans won their first two preseason games overseas against two teams in Australia’s professional league.

The competition got stiffer Tuesday night.

Pelicans coach Willie Green was

looking forward to seeing how his team would stack up when it stepped up in weight class against one of the NBA’s best teams last season.

“It will be a good test for us to see how we match up,” Green said at Monday’s practice. “Can we be as physical or more physical? Can we execute against their physicality offensively?”

The Pelicans didn’t quite pass the test as Fears’ desperation 30-footer at the buzzer wouldn’t go go down.

Zion Williamson filled up the stat sheet with 13 points, four steals, four assists and three rebounds.

Saddiq Bey scored 16 points off the bench in the Pelicans’ first game since playing in Melbourne, Australia 10 days ago.

The Pelicans’ starting lineup

Tuesday was Williamson, Trey Murphy, Jordan Poole, Herb Jones and Yves Missi The game was a homecoming for Jones, who played his high school and college ball in Alabama. It was Jones’ first preseason action after missing the two wins in Australia due to a left ankle sprain. Center Kevon Looney signed in the offseason, didn’t dress out and missed the game due to knee soreness.

The Rockets countered with a starting five that included three 6-foot-11 players and another 6-foot-10 player Their shortest starter was Amen Thompson (6foot-7). The Rockets outrebounded the Pels 49-46, but the Pels outscored them 74-54 in the paint. The Pelicans shot just 9-of-38 on 3-pointers.

Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado

and Houston’s Amen Thompson got into a skirmish in the second quarter, but neither player was ejected.

The Pelicans led 61-60 early in the third quarter, but the Rockets went on a 15-0 run to pull away The Rockets outscored the Pelicans 42-29 in the quarter Poole fouled out midway through the third quarter and finished with 10 points and three assists.

The Pelicans will play their final preseason game Thursday in Orlando against the Magic. They open the regular season on Oct. 22 on the road against the Memphis Grizzlies. The home opener at the Smoothie King Center is Oct. 24 against the San Antonio Spurs. Email Rod Walker at rwalker@ theadvocate.com.

Istrouma rallies over Glen Oaks in thriller

BY JACKSON REYES Staff writer

Istrouma trailed 14-13 in the fifth set against Glen Oaks.

The Panthers looked to close out the match, but an errant serve that went out gave the Indians new life.

Istrouma took a one-point lead after Glen Oaks returned a serve into the net. The Indians then completed the comeback after the Panthers failed to return sophomore Rhyli Brown’s serve

Istrouma (16-6, 1-0) won the match in five sets, 3-2, at Glen Oaks on Tuesday to notch its first District 5-III win.

“Just the right time for the momentum we have,” Indians coach Eric Brown said “I’m just happy for this win.”

The Indians opened the first set with a 12-3 lead. Istrouma rolled out to a 25-13 win in the first set, relying on 11 aces to dominate the opening set.

Glen Oaks held a slim 10-9 lead in the second set before going on an 11-2 run to take a 21-12 advantage. Istrouma scored the next seven points to trim the deficit to just two.

The Panthers held on for the 2520 win in set two to tie it.

Glen Oaks jumped out to an 11-3 lead in set three. Istrouma battled back, but the Panthers would take a 2-1 lead after winning the set, 25-22.

Istrouma opened the fourth set with a 7-3 lead, looking to force a fifth set. Up by four, the Indians ripped off an 8-1 run to take a 15-4 advantage

The Indians used five aces throughout the set en route to a 25-12 win to force a fifth set

“At first we were serving good,” Brown said. “We just got too comfortable, and we took them lightly We picked it up at the end, so that made up for it.”

The Panthers won the first four points of the fifth set. Istrouma battled back to get within one point, down 8-7. Senior Eryn Brown tied it with an ace. Glen Oaks answered with four straight points. Kills from junior Ayana Johnson and Rhyli Brown tied the match at 13 points apiece. Istrouma closed out the win with a 16-14 victory in

the fifth set.

“Faith in senior leadership,” Brown said about the recipe behind his team’s comeback. “Eryn Brown, Amaya Spears and Aysia Moore, they really stepped up. We just had to calm down.”

Brown emphasized the growth he has seen from his team Several players are converted basketball players to help get their roster big enough for varsity volleyball.

“They’re basketball players, but they’re good athletes,” Brown

said. “Just teaching them how to serve and bump is key.” Serving has been the emphasis for Brown, coaching his team. Aces throughout the match were key to Istrouma’s victory

“Serving is key for us,” Brown said. “That’s how we’re going to win.”

Glen Oaks coach Katrina Dotson said her side needs to reset from an attitude perspective after the Panthers’ loss dropped them to 133, 0-1. Sabreka Johnson had nine

PREP REPORT

kills in the loss.

“We put too much attitude on the floor,” Dotson said “Wasn’t the right attitude. They didn’t play up to their potential, and they got in their own head. That really hurt us.”

Dotson wants her side to focus on playing with each other and bringing the right mentality to each match.

“What we need to do is focus on our game,” she said. “Not play other people’s games.”

IN

Spoelstra to coach 2028 Olympic basketball team

Erik Spoelstra was 13 the last time the Olympics were held in Los Angeles, and he remembers what it was like watching those games on television.

He’ll have a better view in 2028. USA Basketball made it official on Tuesday, announcing that Spoelstra, the longtime coach of the Miami Heat, has been confirmed by its board of directors as the coach of the men’s team for the 2027 World Cup in Qatar and the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. He takes over for Golden State coach Steve Kerr

USA Basketball men’s national team managing director Grant Hill ultimately made the pick to offer Spoelstra the job. Spoelstra was on Kerr’s staff for the 2023 World Cup in Manila and the 2024 Olympics.

Angels should be held responsible, lawyer says SANTA ANA, Calif. — The Los Angeles Angels should be held responsible for the 2019 drug overdose death of one of its pitchers because the team failed to follow its own drug policies and let an addicted and drug-dealing employee stay on the job and have access to the players, a lawyer for the pitcher’s family said on Tuesday The allegations came in opening statements of the long-awaited civil trial in a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the wife and parents of Tyler Skaggs. The family contends that the MLB team should be held responsible for the 27-year-old pitcher’s death after its communication director, Eric Kay, was convicted of providing the fentanyl-tainted pill that led to Skaggs’ fatal overdose on a team trip to Texas.

Mavericks give coach Kidd another multiyear deal

DALLAS The Dallas Mavericks have again extended the contract of coach Jason Kidd, who led them to the NBA Finals as a coach two seasons ago and a championship as their point guard in 2011. The Mavericks announced Tuesday night that they agreed to a multiyear extension but didn’t reveal the length or any other details of the deal for Kidd, who is going into his fifth season as their coach. His first multiyear extension came in the middle of the 2024 playoffs when they made the NBA Finals before losing to Boston. Kidd has a 362-339 record in nine seasons as an NBA head coach with Dallas, Brooklyn and Milwaukee. He is 179-149 for the Mavericks with two deep playoff runs.

MLB postseason having highest viewership in years

NEW YORK Major League Baseball is having its most-viewed postseason in the U.S in 15 years through the Division Series.

Viewership is averaging 4.33 million through the Division Series according to MLB and Nielsen, a 30% increase over last year and the best since 2010.

Last Friday’s 15-inning thriller between the Seattle Mariners and Detroit Tigers averaged 8.72 million viewers on Fox, Fox Deportes and streaming. The Mariners’ 3-2 victory in the fifth game of the ALDS was the most-watched division round game on Fox since Detroit’s Game 5 win over the New York Yankees in 2011 averaged 9.72 million.

The two AL Division Series on Fox, FS1 and FS2 averaged 4.15 million.

Raducanu’s health issues lead to another early exit NINGBO, China Ailing Emma Raducanu was knocked out by local wild card Zhu Lin in the first round of the Ningbo Open on Tuesday, her second straight early elimination due to health issues.

The 219th-ranked Zhu won 3-6, 6-4, 6-1.

The British No. 1 and former U.S. Open champion needed a medical timeout when she was 4-3 down in the second set and again when she was trailing 2-1 in the final set. Her movement still remained limited and Zhu raced to a victory by winning 16 of the last 19 points. Last week, Raducanu retired ill during a hot and humid opening match at the Wuhan Open. American Ann Li was

Tough road stretch awaits Aggies

BY KRISTIE RIEKEN Associated Press

COLLEGE STATION,Texas No. 4 Texas

A&M has played only one game away from home in its undefeated start to the season.

This week, the Aggies will travel to Arkansas for the first of three straight road games where a win will give them their first 7-0 start since 1994.

It will be a stark change for Texas A&M, which had a crowd of 105,086 for its 34-17 win over Florida on Saturday for its 10th straight game with at least 100,000 fans at home dating back to last season.

“It’s a big-time challenge when you leave Kyle Field,” linebacker Taurean York said. “We know it’s a matchup nightmare for opposing quarterbacks (at home). But it’s all good, though. We’re going to take our talents on the road.”

The matchup with the Razorbacks, who have lost four in row is Texas A&M’s first road game since a last-minute 41-40 victory against then-No. 8 Notre Dame on Sept. 13. The schedule only gets more challenging after this week with games at 10th-ranked LSU and No. 16 Missouri coming up next

“We’ve got to become road warriors and go on the road for three straight, starting with a really talented Arkansas team,” coach Mike Elko said. “And I’m sure they’ll be fired up for the return of coach (Bobby) Petrino back into Fayetteville. That’s a tough place to play So, we have to get ready and go out and try to be 1-0 again.” Arkansas lost to Tennessee on the road last week and Saturday will be Petrino’s first game at home since he was named interim coach after the firing of Sam Pittman late last month.

Elko knows better than to under-

RABALAIS

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Arkansas, it will be a top-10 matchup that could draw ESPN’s popular “College GameDay” show to campus. There’s no way to guarantee 100% safety from gun incidents and LSU certainly isn’t alone. There were three shootings this past weekend involving high school games in Mississippi. But this is a vital issue for LSU, which could suffer a knock-on effect impacting not only attendance at games but the university’s overall image. Credit to Gov Landry for realizing this and doing what he can to mobilize an even better game-day security effort.

Franklin fell quickly

It was absolutely stunning to watch the fall for Penn State coach James Franklin, from 3-0 and ranked No. 3 in the country to fired after consecutive losses to Oregon, UCLA and Northwestern. It’s the first time since 2016, when LSU fired Les Miles four games into the season, that a preseason AP top-five team has pressed the eject button on the coach’s hot seat this quickly

Speculation on Franklin’s successor for one of the nation’s premier jobs was practically instantaneous, with fourth-year LSU coach Brian Kelly on lists compiled by Sports Illustrated and The Athletic.

SOUTHERN

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said. “You know we had both safeties out at one point in time.

“Our secondary was our strength coming into the season, and we’ve had some major hits back there. And so now we’re forced to play a lot of young people. And so when you play young people, you got to kind (see) what they can do and let them learn on the run basically.”

Starting defensive tackle Zak Yassine was also out for the BCU game. Punter Kenny Pham was hit twice after punts and had to be helped to the sideline both times.

The junior did return to play both times.

Offensive injuries Against BCU, Southern

estimate the Razorbacks (2-4, 0-2

Southeastern Conference) despite their struggles this season.

“There’s no easy environments,” he said. “There’s no easy team. There are no ‘good’ opportunities you’re going to face adversity so you better be ready for it.”

It will be Texas A&M’s first visit to Fayetteville since 2013, when Johnny Manziel led the team to a 45-33 win. These teams have played 10 of their 11 matchups since then at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, with the lone exception coming in a 42-31 Texas A&M win at home in 2020

Marcel Reed, who has 12 touchdown passes and has run for three more scores this season, said the key to road success will be staying

At first glance, it’s hard to imagine Kelly being considered a stronger candidate for the Penn State job than Nebraska coach and former Penn State linebacker Matt Rhule or hotter-than-thesun Indiana coach Curt Cignetti. You also have to doubt whether Kelly, who turns 64 on Oct. 25, would be interested in another big career move.

It’s interesting to consider the temperature of LSU fandom, though. To make a broad generalization, Tigers fans have always seemed lukewarm at best toward Kelly I’m sure there are LSU fans who would like another program to take Kelly off their hands.

Kelly is 34-12 with an SEC West title in 2022 and a Heisman Trophy winner he recruited in Jayden Daniels in 2023. His team is currently ranked 10th in the country, going into a season-defining stretch against No. 17 Vanderbilt, No. 4 Texas A&M and No. 6 Alabama.

Things could be better for Kelly and LSU, sure, but they could also be much worse. And there is no guarantee that anyone who replaces Kelly, whenever he leaves, will do better.

Getting wealthier

The Big Ten is considering whether to accept more than $2 billion in private equity investment to layer even more cash on what is already the nation’s wealthiest conference. More money always

was without starting offensive linemen Bryan Wallace, who last played against Mississippi Valley State, and Christian Garcia, who played against Jackson State.

Top wide receiver Darren Morris was the only offensive starter to noticeably get hurt during Southern’s loss to Bethune-Cookman Morris went down to the ground after being tackled following a 17-yard catch in the second quarter He played in the second half, finishing with three catches for 87 yards.

The redshirt junior was present to answer reporters’ questions at Tuesday’s media availability As he was being asked about his physical condition, a member of the team’s communication staff interrupted and told Morris to say, “Go Jags” instead of explaining what happened

QB Stockton brings toughness to UGA

BY CHARLES ODUM Associated Press

consistent.

“Just sticking to our character as a football team, not really letting anything change us,” he said. “Obviously, the environment is going to be different, but when the ball is spotted, we play football. That’s what it is, and it doesn’t matter where it is.”

But the second-year starter knows the longer they stay undefeated and rise in the AP Top 25 poll, the more that teams will be gunning for them. The Aggies ended the 2020 season ranked No. 4 in the final poll after a win in the Orange Bowl over North Carolina, but this is their highest in-season ranking since they were third for the first five weeks of the 1995 season.

sounds good, but what if the private equity folks start making demands about how things are run? What if they demand that non-revenue sports are cut?

What if it negates the tax-exempt status of public schools? And what if they decide one day to put their money into something else?

The SEC has taken a waitand-see attitude about private equity, not closing any doors but clearly willing to let the Big Ten take the first leap.

“If there are opportunities for mutual benefit, those would pique our interest,” SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said in July at SEC media days in Atlanta. “But the notion of just jumping to something because there’s a pot of money there seems (like) an uninformed direction.”

That seems wise, but what if the Big Ten signs on for the big private equity payday? Will the SEC feel its collective hand is forced by college athletics’ only other superpower conference?

As Texas A&M athletic director Trev Alberts said, college athletics doesn’t have “a revenue problem. We have a spending problem.”

Private equity seems from this corner of the world to be a bad deal for college athletics.

But it also feels inevitable.

For more LSU sports updates, sign up for our newsletter at theadvocate. com/lsunewsletter

Quarterback Jalen Woods’ health status is improving, Graves said. The sophomore was put in concussion protocol after a hit during Southern’s 34-29 win over Mississippi Valley on Aug. 30. Graves didn’t specify if he is available for the next game.

“Waiting on some things to come in for him,” Grave said. “And so he’s around like last night, he practiced. He threw the ball around. He’s feeling good and he’s feeling confident. You know, he went with us on the trip (to Bethune-Cookman), and that was good for him to get back into the groove. He’s getting better and better each day.”

Having as many players healthy will be crucial for the Jaguars in their upcoming game against Prairie View, which is first in the SWAC West and coming off an open date.

Gunner Stockton is earning a reputation for toughness in his first full season as No. 9 Georgia’s starting quarterback, taking full advantage of his skills as a runner and passer. There are times his toughness has drawn criticism for taking hits at the end of some runs that many quarterbacks try to avoid as Georgia prepares for Saturday’s important Southeastern Conference home game against No. 5 Mississippi.

While some may say Stockton should hit the ground faster to avoid those hits, no one can complain that the quarterback stays on the ground too long. So far, Stockton has always been quick to bounce back to his feet.

“I never really want to lay on the ground,” Stockton said Monday “It’s never really a good look. So I always, I don’t know, I always just popped up.” Stockton’s teammates have noticed.

“He’s just showing his grit and toughness and love for the game because he’s going to get back up regardless if he got hit or he didn’t,” linebacker Raylen Wilson said Tuesday “It just shows he’s a tough individual, and I already knew that myself.”

Stockton leads Georgia (5-1,

3-1 SEC) with six rushing touchdowns and is third with 220 rushing yards.

The junior also has passed for six touchdowns with only one interception.

Stockton completed 24 of 37 passes for 217 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions and had a late 10-yard scoring run as Georgia rallied from a 10-0 deficit to beat Auburn 20-10 last week.

Stockton also led Georgia to another important SEC road win, 44-41 in overtime at Tennessee on Sept. 13.

Those wins have kept Georgia close in the SEC race entering the matchup against Ole Miss (6-0, 3-0). They also have helped Stockton gain confidence in his new role as the starter and team leader

“Having the experience going to Tennessee and some of those games and just having those games under my belt, it’s definitely changed me,” Stockton said, adding that winning on the road “has grown my confidence a lot.”

Running back Cash Jones says he sees evidence of Stockton’s confidence growth.

“One is leadership,” Jones said Tuesday “He’s done a great job vocally leading. Throwing the ball, he’s done a great job. Even using his legs, he’s done a great job. Physically he has taken some big hits and he’s done a great job of showing toughness, resiliency, fire when he needs to. He’s just done a great job overall.”

Tailgate of theWeek: KappaKappa celebrates 20 years of good food,great friendsand Tiger pride

By Amanda McElfresh| amcelfresh@theadvocate.com

This articleisbrought to youbyBally’s

Fewtraditionscapture thespiritof Louisianaquite like tailgating on LSU gamedays.Evenbeforesunrise,the air aroundTigerStadiumfillswiththearomas ofCajundelicacies.Friendsandstrangers cladintheirbestpurpleandgoldgreetone anotherwithcheersof“GeauxTigers” throughout theday.For many,tailgating is just as importantasthe game itself –a timetoreconnect,celebrateteamprideand welcomenew fans into theTiger family

FormembersofKappaKappaTailgating, thattraditionbeganin2005whensomeone offeredupaBloodyMaryorascrewdriver at 4a.m.Thatgesture spurredlifelong friendships andbonds basedoncheering forLSU,cooking andsharing delicious mealstogetherandsupportingoneanother throughlife’sups anddowns Today, about25to50peopleare at each KappaKappa tailgate for LSUhome football games.

“WearriveasearlyasThursdaymornings. Thereare usuallyeight to 10 RVsinthe

krewe,”saidmemberGerardCaswell “Theonemust-haveonourlistiscooking equipment.”

That’sbecausegoodfoodisthetoppriority forKappa Kappatailgates.Italian nights arealongtimefavorite,asareSouthernand Cajundelicacieslikecornbread,peasand carrots, deer,porkand sausage.

“Tailgatingfor us meansfriends that arefamilyand good food,” Caswellsaid. “Theperfecttailgateexperiencehasgood friends,goodfoodand Tigerfans.”

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NFL

NFL’s best player?

Falcons RB Robinson makes his case with historic performance

BY CHUCK SCHILKEN Los Angeles Times (TNS)

LOS ANGELES Bijan Robinson is the best player in football.

That’s what Atlanta Falcons coach Raheem Morris said about his star running back Monday night after a 24-14 win over reigning MVP Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills.

While Morris may be somewhat biased toward his own player, national TV viewers might have trouble arguing with him after what they witnessed Robinson accomplish on this week’s “Monday Night Football.”

The third-year player tied his career high with 170 yards rushing (the most for a Falcons player during a prime-time TV game) in 19 carries. That included a spectacular 81-yard touchdown run in the second quarter that was the longest run of his career as well the longest in the NFL this season. It’s also tied for the secondlongest rushing touchdown in Falcons history.

Robinson now has three plays from scrimmage of 50 yards or more this season after having only one longer than 30 yards last year

“It’s just a thing of my game where I want to get better at and

“He’s the best player in football. I’ve said it multiple times, I can’t say it enough.”

RAHEEM MORRIS, Falcons coach

continue to get better at every single day,” Robinson said. “And you know, if I can get better at that and breaking those long runs, it’s only helping the team.”

Robinson also caught six passes from quarterback Michael Penix for 68 yards for a total of 238 yards from scrimmage, the most ever for a Falcons running back.

“There are some people who are just born to be a certain athlete,” Falcons receiver Drake London said after the game. “Like you have certain people who are born to be basketball players, such as LeBron (James). You have people who are born to be football players, like they have the perfect body shape for it. Now, (Robinson) goes out there, and it’s like art. It’s amazing to see.”

Speaking of James, the Lakers superstar also took notice of Robinson’s performance.

“Bijan so COLD!!!!!!!!!” James posted on X during the game.

A first-round draft pick in 2023 and a Pro Bowl selection last year, Robinson leads the league with

822 yards from scrimmage this season (484 rushing and 338 receiving), and it’s not even all that close.

The Falcons are one of only six teams that have had their open dates already, meaning Robinson has compiled his total in five games. The next 11 players on the list — starting with San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey at No. 2 with 780 yards — have all played in six games.

If he keeps this pace, Robinson will finish the season with 2,797 yards from scrimmage, which would break the record of 2,509 yards set by Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson in 2009. Johnson’s record was set during a 16-game season; Robinson is on pace to have 2,630 yards after his 16th game of the 17game season.

So maybe Morris wasn’t being all that biased in his post-game comments about Robinson after all.

“He’s the best player in football,” Morris told reporters. “I’ve said it multiple times, I can’t say it enough.

“You can always have your pick, you can always go out there and figure out who you want to vote for, but in my opinion, he’s the best player in football.”

League more wide open with no dominant or unbeaten teams

BY ROB MAADDI AP pro football writer

The NFL is more wide open than it’s been in years. There are no dominant teams this season, no unbeatens through six weeks.

Only the Buccaneers and Colts have five wins. The Bills and Eagles have gone from 4-0 to losing two straight. The Chiefs just evened their record at the expense of the Lions. The Steelers are quietly 4-1. The Packers have looked shaky since a 2-0 start. The banged-up 49ers along with the Seahawks, Rams, Lions, Patriots, Jaguars, Chargers and Broncos are 4-2. The Falcons, Vikings and Bears are 3-2. The Commanders, who reached the NFC title game last season, fell to 3-3. So who is going to win the Super Bowl? Who knows? There are no clear favorites at this point. About 15 teams have a chance to hoist the Lombardi trophy It’s rare to have that many teams in the mix at any point in an NFL season, including the playoffs when 14 make it.

Super Bowl odds

The Eagles (+650), Ravens (+700), Bills (+750), Chiefs (+750) and Lions (+850) had the best odds to win the Super Bowl entering the season, per BetMGM Sportsbook

Four of those teams remain in the current top five: Bills (+600), Chiefs (+650), Lions (+750), Packers (+800) and Eagles (+1000)

The injury-depleted Ravens

have dropped into a tie for 12th following a 1-5 start.

The Colts (5-1) and Buccaneers (5-1) aren’t getting much respect from oddsmakers. Indianapolis is seventh on the list at +1700 behind the Rams (+1400) Tampa Bay is tied with the Chargers and Broncos for eighth at +1800. Somehow, the Steelers (+3000) are below Baltimore (+2500) even though they have a 2 1/2-game advantage in the AFC North.

Three of the five teams with the current best odds lost last week.

The Eagles were dominated by the Giants in a 34-17 loss on Thursday night. Josh Allen and the Bills couldn’t get the offense going in a 24-14 loss at Atlanta on Monday night. The Lions were handled by the Chiefs 30-17 in a game that puts Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City back in the race after an inconsistent opening month.

“Nobody wants to lose, we certainly don’t want to lose but it puts a little extra sense of urgency on you, it puts a little bit of that bad taste,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said Tuesday Detroit, which won 15 games last season but lost its first playoff game, is facing tough competition coming up. The Lions host the Buccaneers on Monday night to start a stretch where they’ll face five teams that made the playoffs last season over the next six games.

“You’ve got to be on point when you play really good teams. And that’s what I love about this stretch that’s coming is we’re about to hit a row of them, right?” Campbell said.

Bears build more momentum after thrilling victory

BY ANDREW SELIGMAN AP sportswriter

CHICAGO No “Fail Mary.” Just another nail-biter

This time, Chicago prevailed on the final play in Washington. And unlike last season, when a loss on a desperation pass sent them into a freefall, Caleb Williams and the Bears have some momentum after squeezing past Jayden Daniels and the Commanders 25-24 on Monday night. They can thank Jake Moody, who went from having a 48-yard field goal blocked to kicking a 38-yarder as time expired. That gave the Bears (3-2) three straight wins heading into a home game against the New Orleans Saints this week.

“When it’s ugly, we’re still finding a way to win, and we’re developing that belief,” coach Ben Johnson said Tuesday “But at the same time, holy cow, how far can we push this thing? Let’s see how good we can really get this season.”

The Bears are no doubt in a better place than they were just a few weeks ago, let alone after their trip to Washington last season. They were 4-2 headed into that game, when everything fell apart.

Former coach Matt Eberflus made some questionable decisions down the stretch that players questioned in the aftermath, and Tyrique Stevenson made two big mistakes on the final play a 52-yard touchdown from Daniels to Noah Brown.

He had his back turned to the line of scrimmage and was motioning toward the crowd when the Commanders snapped the ball. Stevenson was late to the play and made things worse by sprinting toward the pack and jumping to deflect the pass rather than block out Brown. That sent Chicago into a 10-game skid, with Eberflus getting fired after an embarrassing Thanksgiving loss at Detroit.

The Bears began this season by blowing an 11-point lead against Minnesota at Soldier Field and getting blown out at Detroit. They then beat Dallas by 17 at home before pulling out 25-24 victories at both Las Vegas and Washington. That gave Chicago consecutive road wins for the first time since 2020.

What’s working

Takeaways The Bears have 11 in the past three games after forcing three against Washington and all three led to points Chicago forced turnovers on the Commanders’ first two possessions, with Jaquan Brisker in-

Upcoming games

There are several games featuring two winning teams this week. The Rams and Jaguars face off in London. The Eagles visit the Vikings. The Colts take on the Chargers. The Falcons play the 49ers.

Injuries have been a major factor for many teams across the league. Missing key players has impacted Baltimore significantly Lamar Jackson hasn’t played two games and the Ravens lost both. They’ve also been without several key starters. The 49ers managed to win their first three games without Brock Purdy while also losing George Kittle, Nick Bosa and half their starting offense. Mac Jones lost his first game of the season against Tampa Bay, and a season-ending injury suffered by All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner made it even worse. “The reality is we lost another really good player But, what are we going to do about it?” Niners coach Kyle Shanahan said. “I think we’ve got a lot of young guys doing some real good things on defense. But, what type of team are we going to become going forward? I think we have players here we can win with, but it makes it harder to make mistakes and things like that. We’ve got to put pressure on some veterans to play the best that they can. And these rookies who I believe are coming along need to put the pressure on themselves to clean up the mistakes.”

tercepting Daniels at the 2 and Montez Sweat forcing a fumble by Jacory Croskey-Merritt. The interception led to a field goal, and the recovery helped set up a 1-yard touchdown run by Williams. Most critical was the botched handoff late in the game between Daniels and CroskeyMerritt that Chicago’s Nahshon Wright recovered, leading to the winning drive.

What needs help

Penalties. The Bears will need to clean up the penalties after committing nine for 84 yards, including one in the third quarter that negated a touchdown. Left tackle Theo Benedet got flagged for an illegal formation, nullifying an 11-yard TD pass from Williams to Rome Odunze on third down, and Chicago settled for a field goal.

Stock up

Running back D’Andre Swift. The one-time Pro Bowler had what might’ve been his best allaround game in two seasons with the Bears. He ran for by far a season-high 108 yards on 14 attempts and added a highlight-reel touchdown reception when he turned a short pass into a 55-yarder early in the fourth quarter, pulling Chicago within 24-22. The 2-point conversion pass failed.

Stock down

No one. Moody, filling in with former Tulane star Cairo Santos sidelined by a quad injury, might have been in this spot. But he redeemed himself in the end after having that earlier attempt blocked. It was quite a moment for someone who was cut by San Francisco after missing two field goals in Week 1.

Key number

4 — The Bears haven’t won four in a row since the 2018 NFC North championship team closed the regular season with four straight wins. Chicago also had a five-game run that season.

SAINTS

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since the turn of the century

“I don’t think it’s all bad it’s just, ‘Hey, we’ve got to be really sound from the start and take advantage of every opportunity,’” coach Kellen Moore said. “That’s the thing that shows up: The big plays that impact the game could show up from Play 1 to Play 75. It doesn’t really matter when it is.

“They all essentially have the same value, so you’ve got to take advantage of each opportunity you have.”

The splits are still jarring. As bad as the defense has been to start the game, the Saints appear to lock in after that They’ve allowed the third-fewest points in the second half this season, behind only the Houston Texans and the Denver Broncos.

On Sunday, New England’s offense was only held to a field goal after halftime.

But if the Saints don’t improve, they’ll find themselves in rare company — if not setting records outright. On just the first defensive drive, the last time the Saints allowed their opponents to score in four straight games was 2005 — the year New Orleans went 3-13. If the opening-drive streak extends, the Saints would match the 2018 Atlanta Falcons with five straight such scores and the 2020 Houston Texans with six.

Since 1978, the first year of quarter tracking data available from Pro Football Reference, the 1984 Minnesota Vikings hold the record for most first-quarter touchdowns allowed by a defense allowed by a defense with 18 rushing or receiving touchdowns.

The Saints, whose defense has allowed nine first-quarter touchdowns, are on pace to break that mark.

Stats to know

35: Chase Young played 35 snaps in his season debut, good enough for 55% of the Saints’ defensive snaps. He received fewer than Cam Jordan who finished with 38 (59%). Moore said that was the range of snaps the Saints had in mind for Young given he missed more than a month with a calf injury -13.5%: Even after a bounce-back game for kicker Blake Grupe, the Saints have a special teams defense-adjusted value over average (DVOA) of minus-13.5% the lowest after six games since Washington in 2013, according to FTN Fantasy’s Aaron Schatz. DVOA is a stat that measures efficiency, and the Saints’ specialteams unit has been less than efficient to start the season.

64: Chris Olave has 64 targets this season, one behind only Los Angeles Rams star Puka Nacua. But Olave’s catch rate is just 60.9%, the sixth-lowest rate among players with at least 40 targets.

MAJOR LEAGUEBASEBALL

Mariners eye firstWorld Series berth

Afterwinning twiceonthe road, Seattleholdsa2-0 lead over Jays

BY ANDREW DESTIN AP sportswriter

SEATTLE With his team holdinga 2-0 lead over Toronto in theAmerican League Championship Series after winning twice on the road, Seattle Marinersmanager Dan Wilson wasn’tabout to belabor the obvious.

“It’savery advantageous position,” Wilson said Tuesday.“We’re excited about that. But there’s work to do here.”

That starts with Game 3on Wednesday in Seattle,where theMarinerscan clinch their first AL pennant by winning two of three potential home games. Seattle is the only major league team that’snever reached the World Series.

Much went right for the Mariners in Toronto:right-hander Bryce Miller was excellent on short rest in Game 1, and Seattle’s bats sprung to life in Game 2. Stellar starting pitching and clutch hitting have been hallmarks of this Mariners squadthatbecamejust

the fourthinfranchise history to win the AL West.

Both characteristics have caused difficultyfor the Blue Jays,who initially appeared to have the early advantage going into this series considering the Mariners needed to outlast theDetroit Tigers in 15 innings to win their AL Division Series in a4-hour, 58-minute Game 5thriller.Rather than arriving sluggish in Toronto, theMariners came out firing,which hardly surprised Blue Jays reliever Jeff Hoffman.

“I think whenteamsare kind of up against it like that,”Hoffman said,“where they have had some things that they can’tcontrol kind of happen and it affectstheir arrival time and all that, it affects their sleep —you do see teams rise to theoccasion.”

Now,it’sthe Blue Jays’ turn to go against thegrain.Theywill start 2020 AL Cy YoungAward winnerShane Bieber on Wednesday, then trot out three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer for Game 4inaneffort to reverse the tide.

The Mariners, meanwhile, will turn to right-handers George Kirby and LuisCastillo in Games 3and 4, bothofwhom played prominent roles in closing out theALDS.Even so, BlueJays manager John Schneiderisconfident hisALEast champions can bounceback “I like our chances really any

Yamamoto throws 3-hitter as DodgersbeatBrewers

BY STEVE MEGARGEE

AP sportswriter

MILWAUKEE Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitched athreehitter for the first postseason complete game in eight years as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Milwaukee Brewers 5-1 on Tuesday night to take acommanding lead in the National League Championship Series Teoscar Hernández and Max Muncy each hit asolo homer as the Dodgers left Milwaukee with a2-0 advantage in the best-of-seven series, which shifts to Los Angeles for Game 3on Thursday.Muncy’s412-foot drive to center field was the 14th homer of his postseason career,breaking the Dodgers record he had shared with Corey Seager and Justin Turner Yamamoto allowed ahome runtoJacksonChourioon the first of his 111 pitches but shut down the Brewers the rest of the way.The right-hander’scomplete game was his first in the majors and the first in the postseason since Justin Verlander did it for Houston against the New York Yankees in Game 2ofthe 2017 ALCS. The last Dodgers pitcher to throwcomplete game in the postseasonwas Jose Lima against the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 3ofthe 2004 NL Division Series This is the first time since 1970 that both LCS road teams started 2-0. The Seattle Mariners own a2-0 leadinthe ALCS heading into Game 3onWednesday in Seattle.

Twenty-four of the previous 27 teams that took the first two games on the road in abest-of-seven series with a2-3-2 format have gone on to win. Thethree teams to come back after losing Games 1and 2at home all came in World Se-

ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTO By ASHLEyLANDIS

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher yoshinobu yamamoto throws against the Milwaukee Brewers duringthe fifth inning in Game 2ofthe NLCS on TuesdayinMilwaukee.

ries: the 1985 KansasCity Royalsagainst the St. Louis Cardinals, the 1986 New York Mets against the Boston Red Sox, and the 1996 New York Yankees against the Atlanta Braves.

TheBrewers pulled out all the stopsTuesday as they tried to avoidthat 2-0deficit Former Milwaukeeslugger Eric Thames gotonthe field to exhort fansjustbefore thegame andpoppedopen hisjerseytoreveal hisbare chest.

The 21-year-oldChourio then delighted asellout crowd by sending Yamamoto’sfirst pitchover the wallinright-center fieldfor his fourth career postseason homer, tying Orlando Arcia and Prince Fielder for the Brewers record

Thatseemed like aforeboding start for Yamamoto, wholasted just two-thirdsof an inning in an8-1 loss the previous time he pitched in Milwaukee.But he bounced backand silenced the Brewers therest of theway

The Brewers have five

hits in theseries. Los Angeles left-hander Blake Snell limitedthemtoone hitand no walks over eight innings in theDodgers’ 2-1Game 1 victory

Los Angeles became the first team to have consecutive postseason starts of at leasteight inningsinthe same series since San Francisco’sMadison Bumgarnerand TimLincecumdid it in Games 4and 5ofthe 2010 WorldSeries against Texas.

After Chourio’shomer, Los Angeles wasted no time coming back against Brewers ace Freddy Peralta.

Hernández, whose baserunning mistake contributed to theBrewers’ unusual 8-62double play in Game 1, sent a3-2 curve over theleft-field wall for his fourthhomer of this postseason.Two outs later,KikéHernández singled and scored on Andy Pages’ double.

Pages had been 1for 27 in thepostseason before delivering his shot into therightfield corner

day, anywhere, against anyone,” Schneider said. “I think (the) off day was good for us today to kind of reset. Ithink the guys are going to come outknowing exactly what they have to do.”

What the Blue Jays have to do, of course, is defy historical precedent. Of the 27 teams that lost the first twogames at home in abestof-seven postseason series with a

2-3-2format, only threehaveralliedtowin: the1985 Kansas City Royals, the 1986 New York Mets and the 1996 New York Yankees all in the World Series.

Hoffman found himselfonthe wrong side of acomeback in 2023 with the Philadelphia Phillies, as the Arizona Diamondbacks stormed back from an 0-2deficitto winthe NL Championship Series.

“They totally just zeroed out our offense at that time,” Hoffman said. “Wewere chasing at an unbelievable rate andtheyused that to their advantage. They didn’t throw us any strikes, and they won those games, andtheydid what they hadtodotoget to the World Series.”

The Blue Jays certainlyhave thedisciplined bats to make it a competitive series. Four different Toronto players smacked at least20home runsinthe regular season. Three of them —Vladimir Guerrero Jr., George Springerand Daulton Varsho —have gone deep twice in the postseason.

“The seriesisnot over until it’s over,” Hoffmansaid. “We’ve just gottogoout andplayour game and focus on the now and execute our gameplan, and we’ll be in a pretty good spot.”

You knowhim well.Scotthas been covering LSU since 1992. He is theauthor of three highly acclaimed booksonLSU and was chosen as an LSU Expertfor ESPN’s SEC 150 Documentary

Each Monday,Scottwill puthis thoughts on the last week’sgameand thenextweek’sgame into avideo essayplacing the game in its context anddrawing historical parallels.

Lauren Cheramie BONVIVANT

Louisiana Bourbon Festival brings thespirits

Bon vi·vant /noun/ asociable personwho has cultivatedand refined tastes, especially with respect to food and drink

Newfood on theblock

Rock-n-Sake,3043 Perkins Road, Baton Rouge, released its October roll of the month for Tuesdays: The “Basilisk Bite” roll is made with salmon snow crab, tempurashrimp, Thai basil, green apple and pickled Fresno peppers, topped with miso-yuzu sauce and green onion. Dine in to getyour choice of aBasilisk Bite roll or tigerroll for $6 when you purchase any regular-pricedroll.

PROVIDED PHOTO

The October roll of the monthfor Tuesdays at Rock-n-Sake, 3043 Perkins Road, Baton Rouge,is the ‘Basilisk Bite’ roll. It’smade with salmon, snowkrab,tempura shrimp, Thai basil, green apple and pickled Fresno peppers, topped with miso-yuzu sauce and green onion.

There’sanew dessertat Soji, 5050 Government St., Baton Rouge. Trythe Fuji apple crisp, made withapples, Chinese five spice and abuttery crisp topping.

Learnsomething new Eloise Market and Cakery,1940 Perkins Road, Baton Rouge, has aslew of cooking classes in October,including ableedingheart cake decorating class, Irish soda bread and scone baking experience and abayou Cajun cooking experience. Tickets range from $40 to$80, with more information available at www.eloisemarket.com/classesandeventsbatonrouge.

Louisiana Bourbon Festival: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday at L’Auberge Casino, 777 L’Auberge Ave., Baton Rouge

The festival will feature seminars and distillery representatives from across the country to talk all things bourbon. From beginnersto connoisseurs, there’saseminar for everyone.The grand tasting will take place 7p.m. to 10 p.m.. Tickets start at $50 for the designated driver selection and $100 for the grand tasting, available for purchase at www. louisianabourbonfest.com In theknow

The Louisiana Inspired BookClub will celebrate and discussPaul Prudhomme and his “Louisiana Kitchen”cookbook with alive panel discussion and tasting of his recipes. The event will take place at noon Oct. 16, at the Main Library’slarge meeting room at 7711 Goodwood Blvd. in BatonRouge. Special guests Marcelle Bienvenu and Frankie Bertrand sharetheir Prudhomme insights and discuss Cajun and Creole cuisine and culture, moderated by Louisiana culture editor Jan Risher.

The first three cookies in our blind taste test were (in order) Caroline’sCookies, Salt Pepper Oakand Ambrosia

The fifth and sixth cookies in our blindtaste test were (in order) from Paige’sPantry in Denham Springs and CounterspaceBR

last cookie in our challenge was fromMulberry Market

We tasted 7 famous BR chocolatechipcookies in search of the finest

Staff report

Aclassic chocolatechip cookie freshout of the oven can create amomentofcomfort in this crazy world.

With anew waveofcookie specialists and bakeries popping up in Baton Rouge over the last several years, the newspaper’sfeatures team decided to put our tastersto the test. We gathered seven locally made chocolate chip cookies, adding those from local restaurantsin the mix too. We didnot includenational chains in our taste test.

As we tasted, we picked up on the variety of flavors and textures. While some shared similarqualities, no two wereexactly alike.

For thetasting, we included Caroline’sCookies, Salt Pepper Oak, Ambrosia,BLDG 5, Paige’sPantry, Counterspace andMulberry Market. Did we miss your favorite?

Letusknow what elseweshould try.Email joy.holden@theadvocate. com with suggestions. The ruleswere simple:

n Fivepeople picked up cookies from local bakeriesand restaurants

n The businessesdid notknow we were completing achocolate chip cookie taste test.

n The tasting was blind. Tasters didn’t know which cookies came from which stores.

n Each personjudgedontaste, texture, chocolate andoverall appeal on ascale of 1-10, 10 being the

Thai peanut shrimpsalad from Overpass MerchantinBaton Rouge

treat

highest

n Tasters sampled the cookies in differentorders (to prevent a single cookie from beingthe first cookie tasted).

The five tasters haddifferent ideas on what makes aperfect cookie. Some preferred crispy and crunchy,while others preferred a chewy center.Some liked athick, heavy cookie, while others liked a flatter,roundercookie “with more surfacearea,” as writer Maddie Scott put it.

Thecookies

Judges appreciated that Ambrosia’s chocolate chip cookie was simple and traditional.

BLDG 5’s cookie was massive in size and was Scott’s favorite cook-

ie.This cookie hada variety of sizes of chocolate chips and chocolate chunks, which was ideal for a chocolatelover.Itwas crunchyand flatter than the other cookies.

MulberryMarket’s cookie hadmore of ateacakeappearance andflavor. Writer Lauren Cheramieremarked that this cookie stood out forits differentflavor,almostlike asourdough cookie.

The cookie from Paige’sPantry bakery in DenhamSprings was a chocolate lover’sdream.Not only didithave chocolate chips inside, but they also topped the cookieas well. This cookie wasfeature writer Judy Bergeron’sfavorite.

The top three favorites were:

Hangingout with friends requires

Dear Harriette: My friends are always pulling out their phones to take photos whenever we hang out, whether it’satdinner,a casual walk or even just hanging out at someone’sapartment. Iknow it’s normalthese days, but Ihate being in photos because I feel awkward and self-conscious in front of the camera. Inever like how I look in photos, and instead of enjoying the moment, Iget stressed trying to pose or wondering if I look bad. It’sgotten to the point where Isometimes dread social plans because Iknow aphoto shoot will inevitablyhappen, and Ifeel pressure to participate so I don’tcome off as anti-social or the “boring” friend. How do Iset boundaries around not wanting to take pictures without making my friends feel like I’m rejecting them? Iwant to be part of the group and enjoy our time together,but Ialso want to feel comfortable and not forced into something that makes me anxious. Is there away to compromise so they can capture memories while I don’tfeel so exposed? —No

More Paparazzi

Dear No

By The Associated Press

Today is Wednesday, Oct. 15, the 288th day of 2025. There are 77 days left in the year

Todayinhistory:

Pierre Laval, wasexecuted fortreason.

In 1946, Naziwar criminal Hermann Goering fatally poisoned himself hours before he was to have been executed.

car in the Nevada desert faster than the speed of sound, officially shattering the world’sland-speed record.

your friendsknow that you love them, but you do not want to beinaconstant photo shoot. When the cellphonecameras whip out, step out of the frame. Turn around. Walk away.You can do that without too much fusssoasnot to disrupt the moment.You can also drawthe line. If it’s late, tell them you don’twant any photos “after hours.” I have afriend who requests no photos on the beach. When people do pull out theircameras, they know nottoinclude her.It is OK to stand up for yourself, though you may still find yourselfinaphoto or two.

Dear Harriette: My book club started acouple of years agoasafun waytoconnect with peoplewhile also keeping myself accountable to read more. In thebeginning, we hadthoughtful discussions about thebooks we picked, and Ilooked forward to hearing differentperspectives. Lately,the meetings have shifted into moreofasocial gathering where the book barely gets mentioned. Instead, most of the nightrevolves around wine, snacksand catching up on everyone’s personal drama.

While Ienjoy the company,Imiss the actual book discussions that originally drew me to thegroup. I feel like theodd one out for wanting to stay on topic, and Iworry that if Ibring it up, I’ll come across as uptight.Atthe sametime, Idon’twant to keep committingtime to something that doesn’tgive me what I signed up for.Sometimes I leave the meetings feeling disconnected and like my interests don’tmatter.Ijust want to enjoy the social aspect without sacrificing the love of reading that took me there in the first place. Should Ispeak up about wanting more structured conversations, or should I accept that the group has evolved into something different and find another outlet for my love of reading? —NoMore Reading Dear No More Reading: Speak up and say you miss the rich discussions about the book at your next meeting. Askafew members individually to see if othersshare your view.Ifso, request avote to see if members will consider going back to spending an allotted time on book discussion before socializing.

Send questions to askharriette@ harriettecole.com.

More Paparazzi: Let

BONVIVANT

Continued from page1D

Every Wednesday in October,watch adifferent Halloween movie at Tap 65,515 Mouton St., Baton Rouge. Last week, customers enjoyed ascreening of “Hocus Pocus.” Vino on the Bluff: 6:30 p.m Friday at the Leon R. Tarver II Cultural and Heritage Center,8320 G. Leon Netterville Drive, at Southern University,Baton Rouge The Southern University Ag Center and the College

COOKIES

Continued from page1D

In third place, Caroline’s Cookies was aconsistent high scorer among all five judges. The cookie is round, chewy and moist. Louisiana culture editor Jan Risherwrote that although she doesn’tusually like cake-y cookies, she loved this one In second place, Salt PepperOak,a new BBQ restaurant had the runner-up cookie. WriterJoy Holden remarked that the golden cookie was perfect with crunchyedges and achewy center.The melted chocolate andhintofsaltmade this cookie ahigh scorer across the board.

CounterspaceBR’s cookie was the only one to receive a

of Agricultural, Human and Environmental Sciences is hosting the fourth annual wine tasting and fundraiser with locally grown and crafted wine. Theevent will also feature whiskey tastings, farm-to-table-inspired food,asilent auction,live entertainmentand more. Money raised willbe used for theDarjean Jones WinesContinuing Education ScholarshipFund. Tickets are $75, available for purchase at foundation. sus.edu/vino-on-the-bluff. Chow Yumisserving up four courses withsake pairings, passed hors

score over 30 from the panel and won thetaste test. The winning cookie had adeliciouscombination of salty and sweet. Cheramiesaid she noticed “the crumbly top with fault lines.” Risher really liked the saltiness as well. Chewy atthe center andcrunchyonthe edges, the Counterspace cookie received thehighest praise.

d’oeuvres and asake cocktail. The exclusive evening is in partnership withInternational Wine &Spirits, Inc., Louisiana. Special guests include thebrewmaster from Kamoizumi, on his first stop in theUnited States, and The Sake Ninja. Tickets are $100 per person,available for purchase at www.chowyumbr com/events/private-sakedinner

If you have an upcoming food event or akitchen question, emaillauren. cheramie@theadvocate. com. Cheers!

Although the cookie tasters were in abit of achocolate coma after the event, they saidthey enjoyed the cookiesand the comments and were surprised at the wide rangeofflavors,textures, shapes and general appearances.

Email Joy Holden at joy holden@theadvocate.com.

On Oct. 15, 2017, actor and activist Alyssa Milano tweeted that women who had been sexually harassed or assaulted should write “Me too” as astatus. Within hours, tensofthousands had taken up the #MeToo hashtag (using a phrase that had been introduced adecade earlier by social activist Tarana Burke)

Also on this date:

In 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte, the deposed French emperor,arrived on the British-ruled South Atlantic islandofSt. Helena, where he spent the last 51/2 years of his life in exile.

In 1945, theformer premier of Vichy France,

In 1954, Hurricane Hazel madelandfall on the Carolina coast as aCategory 4 storm;Hazel was blamed forabout 1,000 deaths in the Caribbean, 95 in the U.S. and 81 in Canada.

In 1976, the first debate of its kind took place between vice presidential nominees. Democrat Walter F. Mondale and Republican Bob Dole faced off in Houston.

In 1991, despite sexual harassment allegations by Anita Hill, the Senate narrowly confirmed the nomination of Clarence Thomas to the U.S. SupremeCourt, 52-48.

In 1997, British Royal Air Force pilot Andy Green twice drove ajet-powered

In 2003, 11 people were killed and 70 were injured when aStaten Island ferry slammed into amaintenance pier.(The ferry’spilot, whohad blacked out at the controls, later pleaded guilty to 11 counts of manslaughter.)

Today’sbirthdays: Baseball Hall of Famer Jim Palmer is 80. Musician Richard Carpenter is 79. Film director Mira Nairis68. Britain’sDuchess of York, Sarah Ferguson, is 66. Chef Emeril Lagasse is 66. Actor Dominic West is 56. R&B singer Ginuwine is 55. Singer-TV personality Keyshia Cole is 44. Actor Bailee Madison is 26.

Embarrassedbymom’s tablesidehandwashing

Dear Miss Manners: Aftera meal at arestaurant, my mother is in the habit of vigorously rubbing both of her hands with one or two lemon slices, squeezing the juice into her palms, pouring water onto a napkin, then wiping her hands. She will even go so far as to shake excess water from her hands onto her plate. Mother thinks this is perfectly acceptable dining etiquette, especially since afinger bowlisusually not provided. Even if a finger bowl were available, Iunderstand that one’suse of it would be discreet; one wouldn’tscrub one’shands and shake them about.

Hang up accessible parkingsigns

driving, and with just a touch, it can hang from the mirror. —BarbaraC via email Weddingdilemma

Judith Martin MISS MANNERS

Ihave asked Mother repeatedly to stop her handwashing at the table. She makes agreat show of this, and Ifind it embarrassing. Naturally,Mother won’t take adaughter’sadvice.

Gentle reader: This must be quite ashow Incidentally,you are correct about this not being the way finger bowls are properly used. They are intended for aquick dip of the fingertips, if necessary,not abath.

MissManners would recommend, in descending order of difficulty:1.telling your mother that youare happy to accompany her to the washroom,asyou thank thewaiter and countermandyour mother’srequest for lemons; 2. stop going to restaurants with your mother; 3. stop going to events at restaurants with anyoneother than close family members; and4.stop sitting next to your mother at restaurants.

Dear MissManners: Ihave a dear sister who is 50. She is a busy professional and homemaker.Iamher 65-year-old brother,livingabout four hours away,alsowell-educated. We have avery good relationship and see each other a few timesayear,but we also keep in touch by frequent textmessages. My sisterapparently doesn’tread and edit her texts prior to sending them. She likely usesa dictation system included in her phone that is prone to errors. Frequently,her messages have an incorrect word or two, andthey are often very confusing

—lacking context or just incomprehensible.

What is agentle way of tellingher that she needs to read and edit her messages because they don’t makesense? She suggested Iwas being curt, dismissive and impatient in my return messages, but Idid not suggest that her rushed, messed-up communications were part of the reason.

Gentle reader: Texts are not letters —they are not even emails —sowhile Miss Manners has not seen what your sister is sending, she would guessthatany lack of context,grammar,spelling, vowels, punctuation or readabilityputs her in the majority of those using the form.

Whether you can get her to change her behavior will depend on your relationship and her willingness to accommodate abig brother Butamore immediate fix would be to respond to unclear texts individually —and temperately: “Sorry: don’tunderstand.”Once you get comfortable with this unruly medium, you may graduateto: “?”

Send questions to Miss Manners at her website, www.missmanners.com.

Dear Heloise: So many people don’tknowthat the accessible parking placard is to be removed while driving. In many states, it can even getyou aticket! Ithink one of the reasons why people don’t remove the placard is thedifficulty in placingand removing it from the rearview mirror.For years, we struggled with it, and one day, my husband said that it was too bad there wasn’tsomething the sign couldstick to. Yeah,Velcro! Youcan buy Velcro in rolls liketapeand in small squares. Icut a short piece from my roll and place oneside on the placard andthe other on the back of themirror! Now the placard resides above the visorwhile I’m

Continued from page1D

When Iordered the salad the second time, Isubbed the shrimp for fried chicken, which certainly offered adifferent, more smoky flavor profile, but it was just as good. This salad is adish that I know I’ll go back to multiple times when I’m craving something fresh.

—Lauren Cheramie, features coordinator

Avocado toast and maple pecan shaken espresso n Birdman Coffeehouse,5687 Commerce St., St. Francisville

Iwas in St. Francisville for an interview and heard good things about Magnolia Cafe, so Istopped in for a bite and left very happy

The fall menu had amaple pecan shaken espresso with maple cold foam on top, and it was creamy and rich without losing its cof-

fee taste —alovely treat on afall day,and the perfect pairingwith asmall bite.

I’venever ordered avocadotoast before. Iactually realized Imeanttoorder a different menu item after the transaction, but then the toast was broughttomy table, anditlooked appetizing. The seasoningmadeit flavorful, andthe tomatoes and onionstasted very fresh

Ihighly recommend this spot if you’repassing throughSt. Francisville or visiting forthe day

—MaddieScott, features reporter

Sun kissed pesto pizza

n Rotolo’sCraft &Crust, 411 Ben Hur Road, Baton Rouge

When I’m not in the mood to cook, Ilove to order abig, saucy,flavor-filled pizza.And Ioften turn to

Rotolo’sCraft &Crust.The “Sun Kissed Pesto” is by far my favorite pie on the menu.

The pizza is layered with spinach, mozzarella, Canadian bacon (it’scompletely un-American, but this bacon is superior to all others), “sun-kissedtomatoes,” crushed red pepper, pestoand shaved asiago. Although not on the menu, if I need alittle extra protein, I ask thepizza parlor to add chicken.

The thin,crispy crust holds all of the fixings well and gives much-needed texture to aslice of pizza. If you’re daring, theDetroitstyle and Chicago-style pizzas arealso worth atry.The “Windy City” is the closest deep dish pizza to theSun Kissed Pesto. That’swhere I’d start first.

—Margaret DeLaney, healthsection coordinator

Dear Heloise: Iknow this is atouchy subject, but my fiancé wants to ask people to contribute to the expenses of our wedding. You’ve heard it before, I’m sure. He wants to ask for$200 per couple and $150 forsingle friends. We’ve had some very serious fights over this.

I’dbehappy with asmall family wedding in anice place or in my backyard, which is beautiful. He and his mother wantsome over-the-top extravaganza, and frankly,I’m ready to throw in the towel and walkaway. Is this anew trend to charge people, or

is it just tacky? —Suzanna D., in Mesa,Arizona Suzanna, mostcouples still do not charge people to attend their wedding. Personally,I don’tfavor the idea of charging others. Slow downand take a long hard look at your fiancé and the lifehewants. Ask yourself if you twoare really compatible on the important issues. Please keep this in mind: Youdonot marry someone with the idea that they will change or that you can change them. Toomany womenhave believed that they could change someone, only to find out the other person never wanted to change. Iwould advise counseling forboth of you before you take this important step in life. —Heloise

Sendahinttoheloise@ heloise.com.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Observe, digest and go about your business. Reactingto something you cannot change is awaste of time. Your power is in your kindness, consideration and simple needs.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) Saynotonegativity and lettingbias interferewith doing what's right. Step back, rethink your actions and reassess howyou want to proceed. Stop wasting timeon revenge; walk away or makeamends.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Tune in to what motivates your mind and stimulates your emotions. Turnyourthoughts intoactions and be an inspiration to friends and family whohavelost focus or need someone positive to setagood example.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Money and emotions will get you in trouble. Discipline is your strong point, so make it work for you, and find more affordable ways to satisfy your soul. Protect your assets.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Achange of scenery will help your sanity. It's time to rejuvenateand consideryouroptions. Follow your heart and incorporate what makes youhappy intoyour daily routine.

PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) Divide time between work, play and relaxation, and see how much you thrive.Balance is the key to happiness, tranquilityand motivation, making life purposeful.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) Putmore thought and timeinto bringing more revenue your way. Consideryour skills,

experience andhow you can diversify to broaden your marketability. Become the creator of your destiny.

TAURUS (April 20-May20) Be carefulnot to letyouremotionsturn into stubbornness. If you want to come outontop, you must find common ground andmake sense out of what's possible and what isn't.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Explore new activities, events andlooksthatkeep you in theknow and up to date. How you present yourself and your ideas will determine whom you attract into your circle.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) Don't hold back becausesomeone doesn't want to participate with you. Venture outand explore what lifeoffersand howyou can utilize your connectionstoget ahead LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Be carefulwhen dealingwithfamily,friends andassociates. Pay attention, listentoyourintuition and consider what others aregoing through beforedominating the conversation or imposing your will.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept.22) Look at change from allsides. You may notlike everything going on around you, but if you integrate what you can use into your daily routine or plans, youwill discover howtomakeends meet andreach your expectations.

The horoscope, an entertainment feature,isnot based on scientific fact. ©2025 by NEA,Inc dist. By AndrewsMcMeel Syndication

Celebrity Cipher cryptogramsare created fromquotationsbyfamouspeople,past and present. Each letter in thecipherstands foranother

CLUE:K EQUALS D

Sudoku

InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1to9inthe empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the samenumber only once. The difficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.

BY PHILLIP ALDER

ElbertHubbard was awriter who died when theGermanstorpedoed theRMS Lusitania in 1915. He said, “If pleasures are greatest in anticipation, remember that thisisalsotrue of trouble.” Bridge players take great pleasure in making acontract aftercorrectly anticipatingtroubleintheformofunfavorable distribution.Intoday’s deal, Southisin fourhearts.Westleadsthespadeaceand continues with the spade queen. After ruffing, howshoulddeclarer continue?

North’s takeout double was flexible, unlikeatwo-clubovercall. Also, note South’s jump to four hearts. This showed arelatively weak hand withalot of hearts. Withaverystrong hand, South would have started with atwo-diamond cue-bid.South hopes to take five hearts and five clubs. But he mustrealize that he might first concedeone spade, one heart and two diamonds. However, he can lose twodiamonds only if East gains thelead.DeclarermustworktostopEast fromwinning atrick.

So,attrick three, when South leads alow heart from his hand, he should anticipate West’s playing the king. And if he does, South must go low from the dummy,lettingWesttakethetrick.Then everything is undercontrol.

Finally, if you would have bid (a very risky)onespadewiththatEasthandover

North’s double, you would have reached four spades, which cannot be defeated. Also, if West doubles over four hearts, East might advancetofourspades. (Rebidding four spades over four hearts is debatable, being less flexible than doubling.) Once again, bridge is abidder’s game.

©2025 by NEA, Inc., dist.ByAndrews McMeel Syndication

Each Wuzzleisa word riddle which creates adisguised word,phrase, name, place, saying, etc. For example: NOON GOOD =GOOD AFTERNOON

Previous answers:

word game

InsTRucTIons: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by theaddition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed. 3. Additional words made by adding a“d” or an “s” may not be used. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.

ToDAY’s WoRD MonAuRAL: mon-OR-ul: Sound recording involving asingle transmission path.

Averagemark 17 words

Time limit 40 minutes Can you find 33 or more words in MONAURAL?

YEsTERDAY’s WoRD —ToILER

Suite4400, Gretna,LA 70053 beginningat2:30 p.m. on each bidopening date forthe following project: TwoYearGrass Cutting andLandscape Contract forthe Jefferson Community Action Programs(JEFFCAP)CommunityCenters Late Bids arenot ac‐cepted. JeffersonParishstrongly encourages theinvolve‐ment of minority and/or woman-ownedbusiness enterprises(DBE’s, in‐cludingMBE’s,WBE’s and SBE’s) to stimulatepar‐ticipation in procurement andassistancepro‐grams.

BatonRouge Advocate: October08, 15 and22, 2025 Foradditionalinforma‐tion,pleasevisit thePur‐chasingWebpage at https://www.jeffparish. gov/464/Purchasing or youmay call 504-3642678. 161416-oct8-15-22-3t $94.90

y ing,theamount of the Bond maynot exceed ten percentofpolicyholders surplusasshown in the latest A.M. Best’s Key Rating Guide. TheBid Bond shallbeinfavor of theLouisiana StateUni‐versityand Agricultural andMechanicalCollege andshall be accompa‐nied by appropriate powerofattorney.NoBid Bond indicating an oblig‐ationoflessthan five percent(5%)byany method is acceptable ThesuccessfulBidder shallberequiredtofur‐nish aPerformance and PaymentBondwritten by acompany licensed to do business in Louisiana, in an amount equalto 100% of theContract amount.Suretymustbe listed currentlyonthe U.S. Department of Trea‐sury Financialmanage‐ment ServiceList(Trea‐sury List)asapproved foranamount equalto or greaterthanthe con‐tractamount,ormustbe an insurancecompany domiciledinLouisiana or ownedbyLouisiana resi‐dents. If surety is quali‐fied otherthanbylisting on theTreasurylist, the contract amount maynot exceed fifteen percentof policyholders’ surplusas shownbysurety’smost recent financialstate‐ments filedwiththe LouisianaDepartmentof Insuranceand maynot exceed theamount of $500,000. However, a Louisianadomiciled in‐surancecompany with at leastanA-ratinginthe latest printing of theA.M Best’s KeyRatingGuide shallnot be subjectto the$500,000 limitation provided that thecon‐tractamount does not exceed tenpercent of policyholders’ surplusas showninthe latest A.M. Best’s KeyRatingGuide nor fifteen percentof policyholder’s surplusas shownbysurety’smost recent financial state‐ments filedwiththe LouisianaDepartmentof Insurance. TheBond shallbesignedbythe surety’s agentorattor‐ney-in-fact APRE-BID CONFERENCE WILL BE HELD 9:00 AM,Thursday October30, 2025 LSUPERTT Campus 2829 Gourrier Avenue BatonRouge,LA70820 Bids shallbeaccepted from Contractorswho arelicensedunder LA R.S. 37:2150-2163 forthe classification of BUILD‐INGCONSTRUCTION. Bid‐derisrequiredtocomply with provisions andre‐quirements of LA R.S. 38:2212 (A)(1)(c).Nobid maybewithdrawn for a period of thirty (30) days afterreceipt of bids,ex‐cept under theprovi‐sionsofLA. R.S. 38:2214. TheOwner reserves the righttorejectany andall bids forjustcause.Inac‐cordance with La.R.S 38:2212 (A)(1)(b), thepro‐visionsand requirements of this Section,those stated in theadvertise‐ment forbids, andthose required on thebid form shallnot be considered as informalities andshall notbewaivedbyany public entity When this projectis fi‐nanced either partially or entirely with StateBonds or federalfunds, the awardofthisContractis contingent upon the granting of linesof credit,the sale of bonds by theBondCommission or the commitment of fede lfund Th ni at __10:00 a.m. on the__13th_ dayofNo‐vember ,2025_,atthe ZacharyCityHalllocated at 4700 Main St Zachary, La 70791 Complete BidDocu‐ments, Instructions to Bidders, BidForm, Con‐tract, Plans, Specifica‐tions, andForms of the BidBond, Performance Bond andPayment Bond andother biddingdocu‐mentsmay be down‐loaded from theCityof ZacharyPlanRoom as hosted by CentralBid‐ding https://www.cen tralbidding.com(subject to fees andconditions) Forany questionsre‐gardingthe websitecall CentralBidding at 225810-4814. Prospective Biddersare solely re‐sponsiblefor obtaining themostup-to-datebid‐ding Documentsfromthe designated website. Bids will be received by mail and/or hand delivery to thelocationasstated above. In addition to paperbids, electronic bids andelectronicbid bondsfor thefollowing projectwillbeaccepted by theCityofZachary Electronic bids andelec‐tronic bidbonds must be submittedthrough the City of ZacharyPlan RoomashostedbyCen‐tral Biddinghttps:// www.centralbidding.com priortothe electronic biddingdeadline. Begin‐ning at 10:00 a.m. on No‐vember 13th, 2025, all bids will be downloaded No bids will be accepted afterthe said date and time Complete BidDocuments mayalsobeexaminedby emailingegomer@for teandtablada.com or at theOffice of theEngineer forthe contract;Profes‐sional EngineeringCon‐sultants Corp.- ADivi‐sion of Forteand Tablada locatedat9107 Interline Ave, BatonRouge,LA 70809; (225) 927-9321. Hard copies maybeob‐tained at this office upon paymentofa depositof $150.00. This depositwill be refunded upon re‐questinaccordancewith R.S. 38:2212. Contractorssubmitting bids shallbelicensed under LA R.S. 37:21502164, Municipaland Pub‐licWorks.The bidder shallshowhis license numberonthe bidand on thesealedenvelope submitting thebid TheOwner reserves the righttorejectany andall bids forjustcause;such actionswillbeinaccor‐dancewithTitle 38 of the LouisianaRevised Statutes

PUBLIC NOTICE

In accordance with R.S. 38:2212 (A)(1)(b), thepro‐visionsand requirements stated in theBidding Documentsshall notbe waived by anyentity.

NOTICE theLa. Dept.of Conservation andEnergy,

Office of Permitting and Compliance (OPC)has received arequest to ex‐tend forthe referenced CoastalUse Permit in ac‐cordance with theState andLocal CoastalRe‐sourcesManagementAct of 1978, as amended, (Louisiana R.S. 49:214.21214.41),and therules and regulationsofthe CoastalResources Pro‐gram.Applicationfor the proposed work maybe inspectedat617 North 3rdStreet,Room 1078, BatonRouge,LAoron theOPC webpageat: http://dnr.louisiana.gov/ index.cfm?md=pagebui lder&tmp=home& pid=591. Copies maybe obtained upon payment of cost of copying. Writ‐tencomments, including suggestionsfor modifi‐cationsorobjectionsto theproposedworkand statingthe reasons thereof, arebeing so‐licitedfromthe public Commentsmustbere‐ceived within 10 daysof h d f bli i f

Each Bidder must de‐positwithhis/her bid, security in theamount of at least five percent(5%) of thetotal bidprice provided on thespecified form andsubject to the conditions provided in theInformation forBid‐ders.Suretiesusedfor obtainingbonds must appear as acceptable on theU.S.Departmentof Treasury Circular 570. No bidder maywithdraw his/herbid withinfortyfive (45) days afterthe actual date of theopen‐ingthereof OWNER City of Zachary id vid government agencies andnonprofitorganiza‐tions(herein “Participat‐ingPublicAgencies”)is soliciting proposalsfrom qualified firmstoenter into aMasterAgree‐ment(s)for acomplete offering of Substitute TeacherServices, to sup‐port elementary,middle andhighschoolsina va‐rietyofsubjectsand gradelevels. Interested firmswillexecute and submit allinformation in accordance with the RFP’sProposalSubmis‐sion Requirements and Instructions. Thesolicita‐tion mayresultinan awardtomultiplecon‐tracts.Proposals aredue no laterthanOctober 28, 2025 @3:00pmEST Pre-Proposal Meeting: Seethe solicitation for details. Additional Information: Vendorlink (www.myv endorlink.com):Eachre‐spondent must have a currentvendorapplica‐tion on file with Vendor‐link to conductbusiness, receiveupdates and ad‐denda, andask ques‐tionsunder anyHCPSso‐licitation.HCPSmay dis‐qualifya Proposer for failuretocomplywith this condition. Fortechni‐calsupport contactthe Vendor Registration Helpdesk viaemail at support@evendorlink. comfor additional regis‐trationquestions 162595 Oct. 15, 16, 2t $429.08

y the dateof publication of this notice.The sole rea‐sonfor notallowingex‐tensionbased upon pub‐liccomment shallbethat therehas been achange in theconditionsofthe area affected by theper‐mitsince thepermitwas originally issued.Com‐mentsshouldbeup‐loaded to ourelectronic record,but maybe mailed, faxedoremailed to thedesignatedOPC Reviewer.All comments must containthe appro‐priate applicationnum‐berand thecommenter's full name andcontact in‐formation. OPC, P.O. Box 44487, BatonRouge,LA 70804-4487, Phone: (225) 342-9083, Email: melissa sherman2@la.gov, OPC Reviewer:Melissa Sher‐man, CUPNUMBER: P20230080 (Extended) Name:Plaquemines Parish Government,c/o Elos Environmental, Llc 607 West MorrisAvenue Hammond,La70403 Attn: BrianFortson Location: PlaqueminesParish, LA; Lat29-34-09.94N /Long -89- 45-51.32W;Back LeveeCanal;Pointea la Hache, 70082. Descrip‐tion:Proposedmainte‐nancedredgingwithin thelimitsofexisting boat harbor andadjacent channel. Approx.66,000 cy will be excavated, transportedvia dredge pipe andplacedindis‐posalarea. Approx.29ac of unvegetatedwater bottomsand marshhabi‐tatmay be impacted as a result of theproposed activities 162679-OCT15-1T

proposals must be submittedto 4731 NorthBlvd, Baton Rouge, LA 70806, by 4:30 PM CT,Friday, November 14, 2025, in accordance with theRFP.Nopropos‐alswill be received after thespecified date and time.THE RIGHTISRE‐SERVED TO REJECT ANY ANDALL BIDS ANDTO WAIVEINFORMALITIES 162141 Oct. 13, 15, 22, 29, Nov. 5, 12, 6t $102.16

N. 3rd. St 2nd. Floor,Suite 2-160, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, at 10:00 A.M. forthe follow‐ing: RFxNo. 3000025313, Footwear:Bootsand Shoes- SW,11/04/25 RFxNo. 3000025491, Lost Lake Stop Logs –CPRA, 11/04/25 Bidproposalforms,in‐formationand specifica‐tionsmay be obtained by accessing thebid num‐berinLaPac at www.doa Louisiana.gov/ospor from theprocurement sectionlistedabove.No bids will be received afterthe date andhour specified.The rightisre‐served to rejectany and ll bid d i