The Acadiana Advocate 10-28-2025

‘A

fighting chance’

While more innovation is on the horizon, doctors say AI is already enhancing patient care

electrophysiology

procedure.

BY EMILY WOODRUFF Staff writer

On a black screen facing an oper-

ating room, Dr Michael Bernard watched a storm of squiggly lines

flashing across the monitor: the electric chaos of a patient’s irregular heartbeat.

The patient had atrial fibrillation, a disordered heart rhythm that can cause fatigue, shortness of breath and more serious problems over time. Years ago, treating it required openchest surgery Now, through a vein in the leg, a thin catheter about the size of a spaghetti noodle snakes toward the heart, its tip burning tiny scars at a doctor’s command into tissue to block misfiring electrical signals and restore a steady beat

This time, Bernard wasn’t relying on instinct alone. He was using an artificial intelligence-powered mapping system designed to read the heart’s electrical patterns and highlight the precise areas driving the arrhythmia — a process that once depended largely on educated guesswork.

“Before, I’d have to look at that and say ‘maybe’ and ‘I think,’” said Bernard, an electrophysiologist at Ochsner Health in New Orleans, gestur-

ing toward a map of the heart. “Now this gives me my best chance to say, ‘All right, this has been proven to help affect long-term outcomes.’”

The system, called Volta, uses AI trained on nearly half a million electrical tracings from heart patients

across the country to spot the specific zones most likely causing rhythm disturbances.

The difference, Bernard said, is like “a smart bomb vs. a carpet bomb.” In

ä See CHANCE, page 4A

Guard not paying rent for UL site

Lease agreement signed for 55 years as school faces deficit

BY STEPHEN MARCANTEL Staff writer

The Louisiana National Guard is paying nothing to lease a property on West Congress Street, where it has begun construction on an 83,000-square-foot readiness facility

The University of Louisiana at Lafayette, in 2020, signed a lease agreement with the Guard for the next half-century and is receiving no rent in return, according to documents obtained by The Acadiana Advocate.

The Guard has complete control of the property, which is located between West Congress Street and Cajundome Boulevard, for the next 55 years, with the ability to construct, maintain, alter, and replace structures, fixtures, additions and improvements attached to the property, according to lease documents.

The agreement states that no rent would be due from the Louisiana National Guard.

The university could take control of the

ä See GUARD, page 4A

They claim state’s sweeping regulations add burdens

BY PATRICK WALL Staff writer

Two Christian schools have filed a federal lawsuit challenging Louisiana’s new law that imposes sweeping regulations on private pre-kindergarten programs, arguing that the law unconstitutionally disadvantages religious schools. Act 409 sets new minimum safety standards for all preschools and requires pre-K programs at private schools to obtain a day care center license, subjecting the schools to dozens of additional regulations, site inspections and staff background checks. While the safety standards apply to all schools with pre-K programs, public schools and Montessori schools are exempt from

ä See SUIT, page 6A

Emerson to challenge Cassidy for Senate seat

Carencro Republican joins crowded field

BY MATTHEW ALBRIGHT and MEGHAN FRIEDMANN Staff writers

State Rep. Julie Emerson, RCarencro, announced Monday that she is running for the U.S. Senate, giving Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Baton Rouge, another prominent challenger Emerson, 37, is chair of the influential House Ways and Means

Committee, which oversees legislation concerning taxes and major state construction projects.

“It’s clear that Louisiana Republicans have grown frustrated with our incumbent senator, and they’re looking for a fresh new voice, and we want to make sure that we have someone in there who can get the job done,” Emerson said Monday Emerson sponsored several prominent bills in recent sessions, including flattening the corporate income tax rate, ending the corporate franchise tax and creating LA GATOR, a program backed by

Gov Jeff Landry that gives parents money to help pay for private school. She also sponsored the legislation that moved Louisiana to a closed party primary system, in which the Republican and Democratic candidates compete for their party’s nomination before the general election. Previously, all candidates, regardless of party, competed in an open primary election.

Emerson emphasized her legislative record in her announcement saying “our country doesn’t need

more ineffective legislative outrage.”

“Voters want a strong conservative senator who can get things done — someone focused on results, not rhetoric,” she said in a news release. “I’m running to bring home real outcomes for Louisiana: infrastructure investment, new jobs, and a seat at the table where decisions get made.”

Emerson joins a crowded field of Republicans in the race. Many political observers believe Cassidy

ä See

World’s oldest president reelected in Cameroon

YAOUNDE, Cameroon The world’s oldest president, Cameroon‘s 92-year-old Paul Biya, has won election again, the country’s top court said Monday after days of protesters’ clashes with security forces left at least four people dead as opposition supporters demanded credible results.

Biya has led the central African nation since 1982, ruling longer than most citizens have been alive. Over 70% of the population of almost 30 million is below 35. The Oct. 12 election has displayed growing tensions between Africa’s youth and its many aging leaders.

The Constitutional Council said Biya received 53.66% of votes while former ally Issa Tchiroma Bakary got 35.19%.

The turnout was 57.7%.

In a social media post after the announcement, Tchiroma asserted that security forces had shot at civilians, killing two in his hometown of Garoua.

“Shooting point-blank at your own brothers — I can’t help but wonder if you’re mercenaries,” he posted. “Kill me if you want, but I will liberate this country by any means necessary What blatant impunity.”

Tchiroma had claimed victory days ago, citing results he said were collated by his party Biya’s party members dismissed the claim.

Biya in a statement on Monday said his “first thoughts are with all those who have unnecessarily lost their lives, as well with their families, as a result of the postelection violence.”

Police: Officer kills man who attacked firefighter WRIGHTSVILLE, Ga. — A police officer who was talking to a firefighter outside a Georgia convenience store shot and killed a man who drove up to the store and began attacking the firefighter with a machete, authorities said Monday After arriving at the store in a vehicle, the man walked over to where the police officer and firefighter were talking and suddenly began swinging the weapon, authorities said.

“Fearing for the life of the firefighter and in defense of himself and the firefighter the officer was left with no other option than to use deadly force to stop the threat,” Wrightsville police said in a statement.

The attack and shooting happened in the small town of Wrightsville at around midnight, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said.

The firefighter sustained severe injuries to his arms, but is expected to survive, Wrightsville police said. The 32-year-old man shot by the Wrightsville police officer was taken to a hospital, where he died. The officer was not injured, police said.

U.K. king dedicates LGBTQ+ troop memorial

LONDON King Charles III on Monday dedicated Britain’s first national memorial to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender troops, 25 years after the U.K. ended a ban on homosexuality in the armed forces.

The king, who is the ceremonial head of the armed forces, laid flowers at the monument in the National Memorial Arboretum in central England at a service attended by scores of serving troops and veterans. The sculpture takes the form of a crumpled bronze letter bearing words from personnel who were affected by the ban.

Between 1967 and 2000, soldiers, sailors and air force personnel who were — or were thought to be — gay or transgender were labeled unfit to serve and dismissed or discharged from the forces. Some were stripped of medals or lost their pension rights, and many struggled with the stigma for decades.

The government lifted the ban after a 1999 ruling from the European Court of Human Rights. In 2023 then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak formally apologized for what he called “an appalling failure of the British state.” A compensation program was established, with veterans who were dismissed from the military because of their sexual orientation or gender identity receiving up to $93,000 each

Melissa bears down on Jamaica

Category 5

hurricane could be strongest on record for island

BY JOHN MYERS JR. and DÁNICA COTO Associated Press

KINGSTON, Jamaica Hur-

ricane Melissa intensified into a Category 5 storm Monday as it drew closer to Jamaica, where forecasters expected it to unleash catastrophic flooding, landslides and widespread damage. At that strength, it would be the strongest hurricane to hit the island since recordkeeping began in 1851.

Blamed for six deaths in the northern Caribbean as it headed toward the island, Melissa was on track to make landfall Tuesday in Jamaica before coming ashore in Cuba later in the day and then heading toward the Bahamas. It was not expected to affect the United States.

Anticipating the hardship in store for his country, Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness said, “I have been on my knees in prayer.”

Hanna Mcleod, a 23-yearold hotel receptionist in the Jamaican capital of Kingston, said she boarded up the windows at her home, where her husband and brother are staying. She stocked up on canned corned beef and mackerel and left candles and flashlights throughout the house.

“I just told them to keep

the door closed,” she said “I am definitely worried. This is actually the first time I’ll be experiencing this type of hurricane.”

Category 5 is the top of the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale, with sustained winds exceeding 157 mph. Melissa would be the strongest hurricane in recorded history to hit the small Caribbean nation directly, said Jonathan Porter, chief meteorologist at AccuWeather

A storm surge of up to 13 feet was expected along coastal Kingston, which Porter said is home to critical infrastructure such as Jamaica’s main international airport and power plants.

“This can become a true humanitarian crisis very quickly and there is likely going to be the need for a lot of international support,”

Porter said in a phone interview

On Monday afternoon, Melissa was centered about 140 miles southwest of Kingston and about 320 miles southwest of Guantánamo, Cuba. The system had maximum sustained winds of 175 mph and was moving northwest at 3 mph, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami.

Parts of eastern Jamaica could see up to 30 inches of rain while western Haiti could get 16 inches the hurricane center said, citing the likelihood of “catastrophic flash flooding and numerous landslides.”

Mandatory evacuations were ordered in flood-prone communities in Jamaica, with buses ferrying people to safe shelter

But some insisted on stay-

ing.

“I hear what they say, but I am not leaving,” said Noel Francis, a 64-year-old fisherman who lives on the beach in the southern town of Old Harbor Bay, where he was born and grew up. “I can manage myself.”

His neighbor, Bruce Dawkins, said he also had no plans to leave his home.

“I am not going anywhere,” Dawkins said, wearing a raincoat and holding a beer The fisherman said he had already secured his vessel and planned to ride out the storm with his friend.

Several towns along Jamaica’s southern coast already reported power outages as winds picked up throughout the night.

“My only concern is flooding, because we live near the sea,” said Hyacinth

White, 49, who said she had no plans to evacuate to a shelter

Officials said the biggest storm surge was expected in the Black River community in western Jamaica, where Sandra Walker was the sole street vendor working just hours ahead of the hurricane.

“I have no choice but to be here,” she said as she sorted potatoes, green bananas, tomatoes and scallion stalks in her stall.

Walker, a single mother of two, is still struggling to recover after Hurricane Beryl destroyed her business and home last year She lives by the ocean but does not plan to go to a shelter because she had a “terrible” shelter experience during Hurricane Ivan, when the facility offered only a handful of tins of corned beef to share.

Jamaican government officials said they were worried that fewer than 1,000 people were in the more than 880 shelters open across the island.

“It’s way, way below what is required for a Category 5 hurricane,” said Daryl Vaz, Jamaica’s transport minister, who urged people “to be smart If you are not, unfortunately, you will pay the consequences.”

The slow-moving storm has killed at least three people in Haiti and a fourth person in the Dominican Republic, where another person remains missing Two people died in Jamaica over the weekend as they cut trees ahead of the storm.

Israel: Turkish troops won’t have role in Gaza force

BY JUSTIN SPIKE and RENATA BRITO Associated Press

BUDAPEST, Hungary — Israel will not allow Turkish troops to take part in an international force the United States has proposed to oversee the ceasefire agreement in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, Israel’s top diplomat said Monday

The 20-point deal brokered by President Donald Trump earlier this month calls for a force to monitor the ceasefire but does not mention which countries would provide troops.

It says the U.S. would “work with Arab and international partners to develop a temporary International Stabilization Force” to deploy in Gaza.

The force would train and provide support to “vetted Palestinian police forces” and will “consult with Jordan and Egypt, who have extensive experience in this field.”

The first phase of the ceasefire agreement is still being carried out, and focuses on the release of

that,” King Abdullah II of Jordan said in an interview with the BBC.

Speaking to journalists during a visit to Hungary Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said Israel opposes the participation of Turkish troops in Gaza because of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s long-standing hostility to Israel. Saar said Israel has communicated its stance to U.S. officials.

“Countries that want or are ready to send armed forces should be at least fair to

Saar said. He did

not elaborate. U.S. officials have said there would be no American boots on the ground in Gaza. Around 200 U.S. troops are now in Israel working alongside its military and other countries’ delegations at a coordination center, planning Gaza’s stabilization and reconstruction.

During visits to Israel last week, Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio said multiple countries would be interested in joining the international force for Gaza.

the remaining dead hostages in Gaza, in exchange for Palestinian bodies held by Israel.

Late Monday, Israel’s military said Hamas has handed over the remains of another hostage to the Red Cross in Gaza.

Since the ceasefire began on Oct. 10, the remains of 15 hostages have been returned to Israel. After the latest body is returned to Israel, another 12 bodies still need to be recovered in Gaza and handed over

Countries that are considering taking part in the international force in Gaza also want more clarity on its mandate. Officials from some Arab and Muslim nations have said the focus must be on peacekeeping in Gaza, not acting as an enforcer of peace between Israel and Hamas.

“What is the mandate of security forces inside of Gaza? And we hope that it is peacekeeping, because if it’s peace enforcing, nobody will want to touch

Judge says suspect in Kirk killing can wear street clothes in court

BY HANNAH SCHOENBAUM Associated Press

SALT LAKE CITY The 22-year-old Utah man charged with killing Charlie Kirk can appear in court wearing street clothes but must be physically restrained due to security concerns, a judge ruled Monday

Attorneys for Tyler Robinson argued images of him shackled and in jail clothing would spread widely in a case with extensive press coverage and public interest, which they said could prejudice future jurors.

Judge Tony Graf agreed to make some allowances to protect Robinson’s presumption of innocence before a trial, agreeing that

the case has drawn “extraordinary” public and media attention.

“Mr Robinson shall be dressed as one who is presumed innocent,” Graf said during a virtual court hearing.

Utah prosecutors have charged Robinson with aggravated murder in the Sept. 10 shooting of the conservative activist on a Utah college campus and plan to seek the death penalty

While Robinson has no prior criminal history, Graf said the charges he faces are extremely serious and present safety concerns in the courtroom. It’s the court’s highest priority to protect the attorneys, court staff and Robinson himself during what could be emotional

hearings, Graf said before denying Robinson’s request to appear without restraints. He did, however, prohibit members of the media from photographing or filming Robinson’s restraints.

Robinson is accused of firing a fatal gunshot at Kirk, a close ally of President Donald Trump who worked to steer young voters toward conservatism, from a rooftop overlooking a crowded courtyard at Utah Valley University in Orem. He was arrested the following night when he showed up with his parents at his hometown sheriff’s office in southwest Utah, more than a three-hour drive from the site of the shooting, to turn himself in.

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Venezuela moves to cancel energy deals with Trinidad

More response to U.S. warship docked at island nation

BY JORGE RUEDA Associated Press

CARACAS, Venezuela Venezuela’s vice president said Monday that energy agreements with Trinidad and Tobago should be canceled over what she described as “hostile” actions by the island nation.

Trinidad is now hosting one of the U.S. warships involved in a controversial campaign to destroy Venezuelan speedboats allegedly carrying drugs to the United States.

On Sunday, the USS Gravely, a destroyer fitted with guided missiles, arrived in Trinidad to conduct joint exercises with Trinidad’s navy

Venezuelan authorities described Trinidad’s decision to host the ship as a provocation, while Trinidad’s government has said that joint exercises with the U.S. happen regularly.

“The prime minister of Trinidad has decided to join the warmongering agenda of the United States,” Venezuela’s Vice President Delcy Rodríguez said Monday on national television.

In an email to The Associated Press, Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar said she was not concerned over the potential cancellation of the energy agreement, adding that the military training exercises were exclusively for “internal security” purposes.

“Our future does not depend on Venezuela and never has,” Persad-Bissessar wrote. “We have our plans and projects to grow our

economy both within the energy and non-energy sectors.”

Rodríguez, who is also Ven-

ezuela’s minister of hydrocarbons, said she would ask President Nicolás Maduro to withdraw from a 2015 agree-

ment that enables neighboring countries to carry out joint natural gas exploration projects in the waters be-

Indiana governor calls special session to redraw House maps

BY ISABELLA VOLMERT Associated Press

The Republican governor of Indiana said Monday he’s scheduling a special session to redraw congressional boundaries after weeks of pressure to back President Donald Trump’s bid to add more winnable seats with midcycle redistricting.

Trump has pressed Republicans to draw new maps that give the party an easier path to maintain control of the House in the midterms. But Democrats have pushed back in some states, including Virginia, where a special session Monday marked a first step toward redistricting. While Republicans in Texas, Missouri and North Carolina already have enacted new congressional districts, Indiana lawmakers have been hesitant. Indiana Gov. Mike Braun called for the General Assembly to convene Nov 3 for the special session. It’s unclear whether enough of the GOP-majority Senate will back new maps. Democrats only need to gain three seats to flip control of the U.S. House Trump hopes redistricting can help avert historical trends, in which the president’s party typically loses seats in midterm elections.

boundaries of congressional districts every 10 years after the census has concluded. Opponents are expected to challenge any new maps in court.

When Indiana Republicans adopted the existing boundaries four years ago, Bray said they would “serve Hoosiers well for the next decade.”

A Bray spokesperson said last week that the Indiana Senate lacked the votes to pass a new congressional map, and on Monday said votes are still lacking, casting doubt on whether a special session can achieve Braun’s goals

With just 10 Democrats in the 50-member Senate, that means more than a dozen of the 40 Republicans oppose the idea. Some Republican state lawmakers have warned that midcycle redistricting can be costly and could backfire politically

Republicans who vote against redistricting could be forced out of office if their colleagues back primary opponents as punishment.

Republicans outnumber Democrats in Indiana’s congressional delegation 7-2, limiting possibilities of squeezing out another seat.

However, many in the GOP see redistricting as a chance for the party to represent all nine seats.

Changing Virginia’s congressional districts requires more steps than in Indiana

The state is currently represented by six Democrats and five Republicans who ran in districts established by a court in 2021 after a bipartisan commission failed to agree on a map. Because Virginia’s redistricting commission was created by a voter-approved constitutional amendment, voters must sign off on any changes to the redistricting process. A proposed constitutional amendment would have to pass the General Assembly in two separate sessions and then be placed on the statewide ballot. Democrats are scrambling to hold that first legislative vote this year, so that they can take a second vote after a new legislative session begins Jan. 14. Democrats also are hoping for gains in California Voters there are deciding Nov 4 whether to scrap districts drawn by an independent citizens commission in favor of ones drafted by the Democratic-led Legislature that could help Democrats win up to five additional seats in next year’s election. Democrats already hold 43 of the 52 seats.

Vice President JD Vance and Trump have met separately with Indiana Republicans, including Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray, in recent months. Braun is a staunch Trump ally in a state the president won by 19 percentage points in 2024 but said previously he did not want to call a special session until he was certain lawmakers would back a new map. Indiana Republicans hold a supermajority in both chambers.

“I am calling a special legislative session to protect Hoosiers from efforts in other states that seek to diminish their voice in Washington and ensure their representation in Congress is fair,” Braun said in a statement Monday Typically, states redraw

The GOP would likely target Indiana’s 1st Congressional District, a longtime Democratic stronghold encompassing Gary and other cities near Chicago in the state’s northwest corner.

“I believe that representation should be earned through ideas and service, not political manipulation,” third-term Democratic U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan, who holds the seat, said in a statement Monday.

Republicans could also zero in on Indiana’s 7th Congressional District, comprised of Marion County and the Democratic stronghold of Indianapolis. But that option would be more controversial, potentially slicing up the state’s largest city and diluting Black voters’ influence

U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries was in Illinois Monday to meet with Democratic state lawmakers about the possibility of redrawing the state’s congressional districts to favor Democrats even more heavily Democrats already hold 14 of the 17 seats.

The Democratic-led Illinois General Assembly was scheduled to be in session this week.

In Kansas meanwhile, Republicans moved a step closer to calling themselves into a special session on redistricting through a legislative petition. Senate President Ty Masterson said Monday he has the necessary two-thirds in the Senate, but House Republicans have at least a few holdouts.

The petition drive is necessary because Democratic Gov Laura Kelly isn’t likely to call a session to redraw the current map that has sent three Republicans and one Democrat to the House.

tween both nations. Trinidad and Venezuela are separated by a small bay that is just 7 miles wide at its narrowest point.

Unlike other leaders in Latin America and the Caribbean who have compared strikes on alleged drug vessels to extrajudicial killings, Persad-Bissessar has supported the campaign. She has said that she’d rather see drug traffickers “blown to pieces” than have them kill the citizens of her nation. “I am tired of seeing our citizens murdered and terrorized because of gang violence driven by illegal drugs and arms trafficking,” she said. Trinidad, which has a population of about 1.4 million people, is sometimes used by smugglers to store and sort drugs before shipping them to Europe and North America.

Trump to meet Japanese PM, address U.S. troops during trip

BY JOSH BOAK and CHRIS MEGERIAN Associated Press

TOKYO President Donald Trump begins one of his busiest days of his Asia trip on Tuesday, meeting with the new Japanese prime minister, speaking to U.S. troops aboard an aircraft carrier and mingling with business leaders.

Although Trump is visiting one of America’s most steadfast allies in Asia, there’s no shortage of uncertainty while he’s there. Sanae Takaichi, who became the country’s first female prime minister only days ago, must solidify her relationship with Trump while defending her country’s economic interests. Trump is trying to nail down $550 billion in Japanese investment

as part of a trade deal that would reduce U.S. tariffs.

Takaichi is primed for a charm offensive, including a potential purchase of Ford F-150 trucks. Trump has often complained that Japan doesn’t buy American vehicles, which are often too wide to be practical on narrow Japanese streets.

Although Trump has focused his foreign policy toward Asia around tariffs and trade, he plans to speak aboard the USS George Washington, which is docked at an American naval base near Tokyo.

Trump arrived in Tokyo on Monday, when he met with the emperor in a ceremonial visit. He was previously in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia, where he participated in the annual summit of the Association of South-

east Asian Nations. The gathering was an opportunity for Trump to celebrate an expanded ceasefire agreement between Thailand and Cambodia which skirmished along their disputed border earlier this year Trump had pressured them to stop fighting by threatening to withhold trade agreements. There were also signs that tensions between the U.S. and China were cooling ahead of a planned meeting between Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, which is expected to take place in South Korea later this week Top negotiators from each country said a trade deal was coming together, which could prevent a potentially damaging confrontation between the world’s two largest economies.

BY RIO YAMAT AP airlines and travel writer

A shortage of air traffic controllers caused more flight disruptions Monday at airports around the country, including briefly at Los Angeles International Airport, where staffing problems a day earlier had led to flights being halted for a short time. The Federal Aviation Administration reported staffing-related delays on Monday afternoon averaging about 20 minutes at the airport in Dallas, while the airport in Austin, Texas, was seeing delays averag-

ing about 40 minutes after the FAA issued a temporary ground stop for about an hour there before it was lifted at about 4:15 p.m Earlier Monday, flights were also briefly delayed on average for about 25 minutes at LAX. On Sunday, the FAA had issued a ground stop at LAX for about two hours, meaning planes headed for Los Angeles were held at their originating airports until it was lifted. Aviation analytics firm Cirium said about 72% of the flights scheduled Sunday at LAX took off within 15 minutes of their scheduled departure times. The disruptions come as the federal government shutdown that began Oct 1 nears the one-month mark. Just last week, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy had predicted that travelers would start to see more flights delayed and canceled as the nation’s air traffic controllers work without pay during the shutdown. During a weekend appearance on the Fox News program “Sunday Morning Futures,” Duffy said more controllers were calling in sick as money worries compound the stress of an already challenging job. Continuing shortages of U.S. air traffic controllers bring more flight disruptions

clinical trials, patients had an 80% to 90% chance of being free from irregular rhythms ayearafter surgery His work reflects abroader shift in Louisiana hospitals, where AI tools arebeginningtoassist with everything from readingscansto reducing paperwork.

Nationally,investment in health care AI has surged. Venture-capital funding in the health sector climbed to about $23 billion in 2024, up from $20 billion the year before, with nearly30% of that totalgoing to AI-enabled companies, according to data from Silicon ValleyBank. In digital health,startupsusing AI drew about 62% of all venture funding in the first half of 2025, according to Rock Health, adigital advisory firm.

At LCMC Health,Chief Administrative Officer Ryan Hildebrand said the system is rolling out ambientlistening AI, aprogram that records doctor-patient conversations andturns them into clinical notes. The goal: fewer hours spent typing and more face-to-face interaction.

“Patients love it,”Hildebrand said.“They feel like theirdoctor is finally looking at them again instead of ascreen.”

By the end of the year,LCMC ex-

GUARD

Continued from page1A

property at any time over the next 55 years if the locationceases tobe used for military purposes for five consecutive years.

After that period, or at the end of the 55-year lease, UL can take ownership of the facilities.Ifthe university does not take over the complex, the Louisiana National Guard must demolish anystructureswithin nine months after expiration or termination of the contract. The Guard can extend itslease, according to previous reporting.

The university had plannedto develop the land where thereadiness center will stand, according to UL Master Plan documents. The location would have been used for records storage, auniversity bus depot and aresearch library

Whether the universityplans on constructing those facilities in another location is unknown. The university wasnot immediately available for comment.

The Louisiana National Guard called the agreement mutually beneficial.

That university is currently facing amountainous structural deficitwith an annual debt of $25 million.

EMERSON

Continued from page1A

is vulnerable because of his vote to convict President Donald Trump during his second impeachment trial over the Jan. 6, 2021, riots at the U.S. Capitol.

State Treasurer John Fleming; state Sen. Blake Miguez, R-Lafayette; Public ServiceCommissioner Eric Skrmetta; and St. Tammany Parish Council member Kathy Seiden have all announced campaigns.

In avideo launching her campaign, Emerson, like other candidates, expressed hersupport forPresident Donald Trump; she also shared heroptimismabout the country’sfuture.

“Under Republican leadershipinLouisianaand a second Trump administration, I’ve watched with hope, even awe, as mainstream Americahas begun

pects up to 1,000 providers to use the software. The hospital system is also testing AI thathighlights suspicious scans for radiologists and alerts stroke teams if ablockage is detected before adoctor views the scan. Other tools draft responses in patient portals, freeingstaff to focusonmorecomplex cases “Welook at AI as an assistant, not areplacement,” Hildebrand said. “People who know how to use AI will replace people who don’t.”

In Baton Rouge, hospitals are taking similarsteps.AtOur Lady of theLakeHealth,about 500 doctors are using note-taking AI, and thesystem is piloting discharge summaries —which patientsnotoriously don’tread —that areeasier for patients to understand, even testing short video summaries.

Employees receiving medical procedures are serving as early test subjects.

In the future, said Chief InformationOfficer Will Landry,it wouldn’t be out of thequestion for apatient to receive medication or care instructionsafter leaving the hospital from ahumanoid robot on apersonalized screen.

Thehospital isalso using AI to help read scans from the emergency room, prioritizing those that look like they might be something time-sensitive, such as astroke.

“Wecan have 20, 30, 40 reads in aqueue,” Landry said. “If it sees something significant, it is flagging

it for aradiologist.”

OurLady of the Lake is also piloting acommunication system that keepspatients updated in the emergency department,where long waits often cause frustration. Thesystem sendsreal-time updates predicting when lab results will be ready and alerting patients when adoctor has opened their chart.

An ethics committeeof10clinicians, technologistsand compliance officersreviews every proposed use of AI.

That same approach is used at Baton Rouge General, where Chief Information Officer Bennett Cheramie leads an interdisciplinary committee thatassigns risk scores to every AI proposal—and there are many

“Everything seems to be adding some AI feature to their package

Theice cream vendor has an AI component,” he said jokingly Healthsystems moveslowly when adopting new technology

“Westilluse fax machines,”Cheramie pointed out.

So part of the rollout involves training staff to understand both the power andthe limits of the software.

While hospitals areintegrating AI into daily routines to make life alittleeasier for doctors and patients, Louisiana researchers are looking at the biggerpicture of how the technology could help

As aresult, the university recently eliminated more than 70 positions,with themostrecent andlargest cuts occurring Thursday, according to an emailfromInterim President Jaimie Hebert obtained by the Acadiana Advocate.

Hebert said the impacted employees were alerted Friday in meetingswith their supervisors.

The cuts were made across all divisions through acombination of position eliminations, retirements,

resignations andreassignments, Hebert wrote. Of the 70 affected positions, 51 people —amix of civil service and noncivil service employees —werelaid off, Hebert clarified in an email to faculty and staffsent Friday afternoon.

The 70 affected positions are in addition to six position eliminationsannounced in September.The Office of Sustainability andCommunity Engagement was closed, according to theemail. The Office

address Louisiana’s deep health disparities.

At the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Dr.Raju Gottumukkala directs the Center for Applied Artificial Intelligence and leads a new National Science Foundationfunded collaboration knownasthe Accessible Healthcarethrough AIAugmented Decisions Center.The multi-university project, which includes Tulane University,Georgia Tech andthe University of Florida, aims to develop safe, evidencebased AI tools to improve care delivery,especially in rural and underserved regions. In practice, that might look like achatbotthat coaches someone with diabetes or heart disease on how to better address their condition.

“Asastate, we’ve had very poor health literacy,” Gottumukkala said. “That’swhy our chronicdisease rates are so bad —way below thenationalaverage.There arenot enough resources to help patients manage.”

He sees AI as away to bridge thatgap.

“If youwant to go and educate aSpanish-speaking person about how best to manage their diabetes, language is no longer abarrier,” he said. But Gottumukkala cautioned that AI must be appliedcarefully AI can easily develop bias if it’s trained on one demographic with certain characteristics. That could

of Communications andMarketing and the Office of Auxiliary Services were restructured. With theelimination of those positions andother cost-cutting measures that Hebert did not outline, the university has been able to decrease its $25 million structural deficit by $20 million, leaving another $5 million to be addressed.

Butthe university will still need to determine how to address its recurring annual debt of $25 million. Hebert saidheand leadership are aimingtomake an additional $15 million in reductions in the coming months.

That reduction wouldbeusedto eliminate the remaining $5 million of the structural deficit and help reduce the recurring deficit.

The Louisiana National Guard Lafayette Readiness Centeralso drew the ire of some nearby Oaklawn neighborhood residents, who saidtheywerecaught offguard when they learned of the complex’sconstructionatthe same time as everyone else at itsOct. 8 groundbreaking.

Some questioned whatthe facility would be used forand whether it would comply with local ordinances, such as quiethours.Residentsasked state Rep. Annie Spell and state Sen. Brach Myers to look into thefacility to answer someof their concerns.

Some answers to residents’ ques-

lead to misdiagnosis, he said.

In 2022, for example, amodel developed by Googletopredictacute kidney injury performed worse in women than in men because it had been trained mostlyondata from maleveterans.

AI chatbotshave also drawn concern. In February 2024, a14-yearoldFlorida boydiedbysuicide afterallegedly becoming deeply involved with aCharacter.AI chatbot, according to awrongful-death lawsuit filed by his mother.The case reignitedwarnings about chatbots that can “hallucinate” or offer harmfuladvice.

“By design, they can hallucinate, which means they can go off the rails,” Gottumukkala said. That’s why they’relooking at “where things could fail” as wellaswhere it could help, he said.

Still, physicians like Bernard seethe benefits firsthand. He’s gone fromfeeling like he’s offeringpatientsacointossto, more often than not, eliminating acondition that stole their breath, their energy and their health.

About 10 patients have used the new system so far,and several moreare scheduled.

“Before, we didn’thave agood guide of where to go,” Bernard said. “Thisgives me afighting chance.”

Email Emily Woodruff at ewoodruff@theadvocate.com.

tions may be delayed because of the federal government shutdown, they said. Spell said at the time that she hopes to host atownhall on the issue.

Residents mayhave noticed that the facility wascoming to Lafayette if it had gone through the usualbureaucraticprocess.However,because it is astate project on state property,those local approvals were not required.

The readiness centerbegan receiving state funding in 2022, according to capital outlay budgets. During that time, the project would have passedoverthe desk of then state Rep. Jean-Paul Coussanand formerstate Sen. Page Cortez.

In 2024, U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins, R-Lafayette, secured $33 million in federal funding forthe facilitythrough the NationalDefense Authorization Act. Higgins has thrownhis support behind the construction of the facility

The Louisiana National Guard is currently in an old armory building on Surrey Street near the Lafayette RegionalAirport,far from residentialareas.The new complex will replace the current 50-year-old facility Construction of the new facility is expected to be completed in 20 months.

Staff writer Ashley White contributed to this article.

to embracethe conservative ideas many of us have beenfighting for for years,” she said.

“The eraahead will demand visionand conviction.The light is returning, the future is calling, and I’m uniquely prepared to help leadAmericatoward it,” she added.

Pearson Cross, whoteaches political science at the University of LouisianaMonroe, said Emerson “brings aspirit to the race thatmaybe we haven’t seen in the other candidates.”

“She’sdefinitelykind of theyouthcandidate, so to speak,” he added.

With so many candidates in therace, the percentage of votes needed to enter aprimary election runoff grows slimmer,Cross said.

“This has certainly got really interesting,” he said.

“Thewild card here hasto reallybePresident Trump’s endorsement.

Thefield of candidates has long beenvying for that en-

dorsement, but Cross said he suspectsTrumpmight not give one until after the Republican primary Unlike in previous Louisianaelections, Republican candidates will compete against each other to decide who will represent the party in November 2026. If neither candidate getsover 50%ofthe vote, thetop two vote-getters will advance to arunoff for that spot.

Emerson said in August she was considering running butwas waiting to see whether U.S.Rep. Julia Letlow would enterthe race. Letlow, whosedistrict stretches from Baton Rouge up to Monroe, has long been rumored as apotential candidatebut has so far not announced she is running.

Aspokespersonfor Letlow did not return arequest for comment Monday

Email Matthew Albright at malbright@theadvocate. com.

Continued frompage1A

thelicensing requirement

Proponents of the law which took effect in August, have celebrated it as awin for child safety and school accountability.But critics call the regulations excessive, warning that some private schools might raise tuition or discontinue their pre-K programs due to the costs of compliance, such as hiring extra staffers, conducting background checks and making facility upgrades.

Act409 “unlawfullydiscriminates against religious schools and the families they serve by subjecting them to unfunded mandates in the form of burdensome licensure and regulatory requirements,” says the complaint, which asks the court to strike down the law’slicensing requirement. It was filed last week in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana

About 80% of the state’s private schools with pre-K programs are faith-based, includingChristian,Islamic and Jewish schools, according to the lawsuit, which alleges that the law violates the schools’ religious liberty and equal protection rights

The federal lawsuit was brought by two Christian schools that offerpre-K Providence Classical Academy in Bossier Cityand The Dunham School in Baton Rouge —and acouple, Claire and Joshua Cox, whose child attends Providence’s pre-K program. Representing the plaintiffs are two conservative advocacy groups: the Louisiana-based Pelican Institute for Public Policy and the Center for American Rights,anational nonprofit based in Chicago.

State Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley is responsible for enforcing the legislation, also knownas Charlie’sLaw,which gives private schools that offer pre-K until Jan. 1toapply for “early learning center” licenses. While Brumley is

one of the defendants named in thelawsuit, he suggested that privateschoolshave legitimate grievances with thelaw

“While many in Louisiana understand thepurpose behindCharlie’sLaw,there areconcerns around the finallegislationrepresenting government overreach into private institutions,” hesaid in astatement.

“Louisiana nonpublic schools have everyright to challenge some of the unintended consequencesofthis new law.”

StateSen. Regina Barrow, D-Baton Rouge, who authored the bill, called Brumley’sstatement very disappointing.” Shesaid herstaff worked closely withthe state Department of Education when crafting the legislation andhad tried to address issues the agency flagged.

Barrowsaidshe couldnot comment on the lawsuit, butexplained that her bill focused on private schools partly because public and Montessori schoolswere already held to higherstandards in certain areas, such as staff-to-student ratios. Still, she added, sheisworkingonanew bill that should addresssome of theregulatory concerns that private schools have raised

“We’re not trying to make thisonerous on anynonpublicentity,we’re not trying to infringe on anybody’s rights,” she said. “What I’m trying to do is ensure that we are safeguarding children. Period.”

The new regulations followallegations by aMetairie couplethat their daughter wasassaulted by another student at aprivate preschool, which, at the time, didnot need astate license. The school denies the allegations and says it complies with all state laws.

Inspired by the couple’s testimony,Barrowdrafted a bill to further regulate preschools that theLegislature passed unanimously this yearand Gov. JeffLandry signed into law

The32-page law includes some rules that applytoall preschool programs, such

as minimum staffing levels.

But thelicensing requirementonly applies topre-K programs at private schools. Schools that fail to obtain licenses can be fined $1,000 per day

The lawsuit asks thecourt to invalidate thelicensing requirement and block the statefrom enforcing it.

Aspokesperson for state Attorney General Liz Murrill, who is responsible for defending thestate in court, saidher office needs more time to review the complaint before commenting. The lawsuitlists dozensofchild care regulations that will applytothe state’sroughly 250 privateschools with pre-K programs once they become licensed.Theywill have to undergo state Fire Marshal and HealthDepartmentinspections, assign employees to monitor all school visitors, keep pre-K students separate from olderchildren at recess, accompany 3-year-olds to the restroom and more, the lawsuit says.

Many private schools, including Providence Classical Academy andthe Dunham School, will need to hire additionalteachers andadministrators to comply withthe regulations, the lawsuit said.

“Act 409, if implemented, could force schools like ProvidenceClassical Academytoraise tuition or shut down,” Pelican Institute General CounselSarah Harbisonsaidina statement. “This would severely limit options for families in North Louisianalike the Coxes,who chose aChristian, classical curriculum for their nine children, including their prekindergartner.”

While no Catholic schools are named in the lawsuit, their leaders have spoken outagainst Act 409, arguing thatthe schools already follow extensive safety protocols and thatthe day care regulationsare notsuited forschool-based pre-K programs. They also have said it’s unfairtoonly impose the

JanRisher

LOUISIANA AT LARGE

Chiefjustice showstrue colors in art

Rarely have Ifelt as fancy as Idid last week when Idrove up to the guards’ booth at the Louisiana Supreme Court and the guards greeted me by name and ushered me to basement parking.

First of all, basement parking less than three blocks from the Mississippi River in New Orleans, acity largely below sea level, took me by surprise. Driving down the ramp beneath the beaux arts-style, neoclassicalbuilding, Icouldn’thelp but think, as Ieased my car underground, “Well, Ihope it doesn’t rain today.”

Iwas on my way to meet Chief Justice John Weimer in his chambers —Ihad never met anyone in their “chambers” before. The chief justice’schambers were, according to all sources, notintheir typical state. Dozens of framed and unframed pieces were leaning against the walls and furniture.

“These are the rejects,” Weimer explained. He had just met with acurator who also visited his chambers to decide which pieces of the chief justice’sartwork would be included in an upcoming art show,set to open Nov.14, at the Rodrigue Gallery,730 Royal St., in the French Quarter In judicial fashion, he couldn’t resist explaining the term and chuckled as he said, in legal terms, that a“curator” is acourtappointed guardian with the legal duty and power to manage the property and affairs of an individual deemed incapable of doing so for themselves.

Shemsi Frezel wasn’tthat kind of curator for Weimer.She was there to see his art and select piecesfor the show

“I was curated yesterday,and I’ll be hung next week,” he said with asmile. “She said she was surprised at the quantityof paintings —and Iguess the, I don’twant to say quality,but the acceptance. She said they met her standards.”

Weimer readily admits that his title is what is probablyattracting people to look at his work “as opposed to the quality” of the art. He’swilling to let others give the final verdict and poke some fun in the process by titling the show,“Youbethe Judge.” Wayne Fernandez, “strategy consultant”for Rodrigue Gallery, and Weimer go back all the way to their college days at Nicholls State University

“John and Iwere in student government together at Nicholls,” Fernandez said. “He was the president of the student body, andIwas asenatorfor the CollegeofLife Sciences. Iwasn’t surprised that he became the chief justice, but what did surprise me is that he is atalented visual artist.”

After some persuasion, Fernandez said Weimer agreed to do a showing of his works.

Frezel describes the pieces she selected as asampling of Weimer’swork that look at his interpretations of the Louisiana landscape. He also paintsanarray of duck decoy paintings.

“It was interesting to hear his stories. He feels very connected to the places he paints,” Frezel said. “I’venot curated ashow like this before. There are an abundance of options, alot of ground to cover —work he’screated recently and work he created years ago. The show is about finding the through line.”

For Weimer,connectionto place is at hiscore. Behind the robe and the paintings lies astory of resilience. He was the oldest of five kids, and his mother passed away when he was9

“That left my dad with five kids to raise on his own,”hesaid. “Work was mandatory.”

Gaza-related trialupinthe air Lafayetteman notfacingdeath penalty

BY CLAIRE TAYLOR Staff writer

Recent Lafayette resident Mahmoud al-Muhtadi, accused of conspiring with the terrorist groupHamas in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, could be on trial next fall

An FBIaffidavit presented in federal court Oct. 17 accuses al-Muhtadi ofgathering armed meninGaza shortly after the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel be-

gan, thencrossing the border to participate in theattack where children,men andwomen were killed,some tortured and some taken hostage.

The FBI based its reportoninterviews,cellphone towerpings andemails,and was aided by Israel

AfederalgrandjuryonOct. 17 indicted al-Muhtadi on charges of conspiring to provide material support to adesignatedforeign terrorist organizationresulting

in deathand visafraud for providing false information June 26, 2024, on his visaapplication to enter the United States and obtain legal permanent resident status.

Al-Muhtadipleaded not guilty

Assistant U.S. Attorney JohnNickel said prosecutors are not seeking the death penalty

U.S.District Judge David Joseph, of the Western District of Louisiana, metMonday morning

in Lafayettewith federal prosecutors andal-Muhtadi’sdefense counsel to begin hammering out adeadline schedule for motions, discovery and atrial date. Nickel presented aproposed deadline schedule tentatively agreeduponbythe defense with asuggested trialdateina year “A year’salong timefor a criminal case,” Joseph said. Al-Muhtadi is being held in Calcasieu Parish.

One of al-Muhtadi’sattorneys,

PUMPKINPICKIN’

Musician Jeffery Laperousediesat59

Bands, family honor keyboardist

BY JA’KORI MADISON Staff writer

Keyboardist andvocalistJeffery Laperouse, of St. Martinville, died Sunday at the age of 59.

According to his daughter Courtney Simar, Laperouse had been battling chronic lung disease along withotherhealthcomplications for several years.

“Our hearts are shattered,but we are at peace knowing he is no longer suffering andisresting

Deputies in Acadia Parish arrested aBasile man following an investigation into allegations of child molestation. Bu rle yS ylestine,62, was booked on three counts of molestation of ajuvenile, aggravated crimesagainst nature and obstruction of justice. Authorities said the investigation began after afamily member made acomplaint alleging that Sylestine molesteda juvenile, according to police. Investigators collectedevidence supporting theallegations, which reportedly

ABOVE: Parc de Oaks hosted apumpkin patchonSundayfor Lafayette residents. Activities included pumpkinpainting, pumpkinbowling anda Kids’Zone with games,face paintingand a virtualreality gamingtrailer

LEFT: Four-year-old Cecilia Guilbeau, secondfromright, servesTucker deBoisblanc,12, fromher booth

occurred multiple times over several years. Sylestine was booked into the Acadia Parish Jail on Thursday on a$75,000 bail. Pedestrian hitbycar, critically injured Amajor vehicle crash in Lafayette has leftapedestrian in critical condition, police said. The crash occurredabout 7p.m.Saturdayinthe 100block of Mudd Avenue.Aninitialinvestigation by the Lafayette Police Department Traffic Unit indicated avehicle was traveling westbound when the pedestrian

AfterBrian Kelly’souster, what comes next is crucial forLSU fans

As the final seconds ticked down inside Tiger Stadium Saturday night, the unthinkable happened.

Visiting fans from TexasA&M grewlouder and more boisterous, drowning out the home support. LSU fans headed for the exitsin droves. There were evenafew “Gig Ems” from Aggies in the LSU student section.

Less than 24 hours later,LSU brass parted ways with head coach Brian Kelly,reportedly after aheated meeting withAthleticsDirector Scott Woodward.

Now as Woodward and other universityleaders turn to findinga replacement,weurge them to keep the fans at the forefront of their minds. The next LSU coach will not only occupy one of the best jobs in college football, he willalso be the state’shighest-paidand most visible public employee.He will carry the hopes of many LSU fans onto that field every Saturday night.

The search comes at akey time for LSU, which is also in the midst of asearch for anew president.

Kelly’souster wasn’tsurprising after Saturday night. He will leave withtens of millions of dollars in abuyout, even more than former LSU Coach Ed Orgeron got just afew years ago.

Kelly departs LSU witha34-14 overall record in his three-plus seasons, winning nearly 71% of his games. However,his teams nevermade the College Football Playoff and struggled in key SEC matchups.

In previouseras, Kelly’srecord would have been more than enough to ensure along tenure in purple and gold. But not anymore. Thestate of college sports right now,college football in particular,issuch that it demands sterling results or else.

To add insult to injury,atthe same time the team was struggling, LSU was announcing football ticket priceincreases for next year That reflects increasing focus on revenue in college athletics, where competition has moved beyond the gridiron to the new arenas of name, image and likeness and revenue share payouts directly from schools to athletes.

While it would be easy to decry recent changes in college sports as the source of LSU’sproblems, that is too simplistic. The new situationmeans the players —the young men andwomen who put in thework and put their bodies on the line bringing millions in revenue forthe school —are now being compensated forthat.

LSU’snext coach will need toconfront all of these evolvingdynamics. It’sabig joband LSU’sdecisions now will have aprofound effect on the fans.

It was those fans whodeserted the stadium Saturday night, many of them disgusted by what they considered asubpar performance that comes at an ever-increasing premium. The right hire can bring back the magic to Death Valley on Saturday nights. And in today’senvironment,the choice is more crucial than ever

and the

of residence TheAdvocate |The Times-Picayune require astreet address andphone number for verification purposes, but that information is not published. Letters are not to exceed 300 words. Letters to the Editor,The Advocate, P.O. Box 588, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-0588, or email letters@ theadvocate.com. TO SEND US A LETTER, SCANHERE

Using intimidation to silence opponents is un-American

This Republican federal government has ignored thebedrock principle of free speech and entered into an area utilizing criminal threats and investigation to silence its opponents.

Extortion is thewrongful use of actual or threatened force, violence or intimidation to gain money or propertyfrom an individual or entity.Extortion generally involves athreat being made to the victim’sperson or property,ortotheir family or friends.

While the threat of violence or property damage is commonplace in extortion, it can alsoinvolve reputational harm or unfavorable government action. Accomplice is defined as one associated withanother,especially in wrongdoing. Intimidation is defined as “tocompel or deter by or as if by threats.”

We areata crossroads in the United States. Acts of individuals arebeing attributedto“theotherside” to incitefear intimidate others intosilence and threaten fellow citizens with criminal and civil

penalties unless theother side bows to the people in power Donald Trump’svitriolic and caustic statements,his total disregard of the Constitution and law,gounchallengedby Congress and theSupreme Court. These unjust actions also affect the health and safetyofthe citizens by ignoring scientific,economic and education experts, and the stripping awayofhumanitarian treatment of its own citizens. We are experiencing actions taken by despots, dictators, autocrats and tyrants. Despitethe difficult times in which we live, there will be accountability at the ballotbox,the hallmark of atrue democracy.Although thepresent government seeks to limit voting by the other side the tide will turnand then the other side will be in charge. Thequestion is whether the other side will stoop to the level of the Republicans or will they live up to the principles of atrue democracy DANIEL NODURFT Harahan

Help combat over-policingbyembracing jury duty

With theLouisiana governor requesting the National Guard, residents must prepare for theimpact of expanded policing. Louisianaalready has one of thehighest incarceration rates in the nation, and New Orleanshas operated under afederal consent decree for over adecade because of unconstitutional police practices.

We have seen theresults elsewhere.

In Washington, D.C.,federal influence has led to spikes in arrests, manyfor minor charges.There, grand juries have slowed abusive prosecutions by rejectingweak cases. That lesson mattershere: Juror action is one of the strongest checks communities have when aggressive arrest tactics take hold. If arrests rise in New Orleans, communitymembers can resist by responding to jury summonses. Jurors have the

power to ask hard questions, require evidence and decline indictments that do not meet thestandard. Empty jury seatsonly reduce oversight. We should also monitor policy signals: Guard deployments, new federal partnerships or sudden surges in low-level charges. These are indicators that aggressive arrest tactics are moving into place. Documenting court outcomes and sharing records can expose patterns early Jury service may not be flashy,but it is apractical act of resistance. In this moment, it is one of the clearest ways to protect our communities from unnecessary harm.That is whyweneed to support organizations like The Juror Project andour court watch systems now morethan ever.

MARYAMFOYE NewOrleans

Politics shouldn’tshutdownfederal government

Iamsickened and angry watching innocents be punished by being furloughed and unpaid (and now possibly fired through no fault of their own) during political dogfights and yet another government shutdown.

Iagree withthe legislation suggested by Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson and Rep.Bryan Steil, the“Eliminate Shutdowns Act,” that keeps prior funding on

two-week continuing resolutions if an agreement cannot be reached.

More to thepoint, however,weshould pass legislation that stops paychecks to all members of Congress and their staffs during shutdowns. Ibet if they weren’tgetting paid, they could hammer outadeal pretty darn fast.

SUSIEALLEN

NewOrleans

Cellphone etiquette is greatly needed

What is with the use of speaker phones? Lately,I’m always hearing someone’sspeaker phone. Whether it is on any street, in the library’scomputer room,the Whole Foods market or any other grocery store, or,infact, anywhere else.

Hearing one-half of someone else’stelephone conversation at a sound level several decibels higher than anormal speaking voice wasbad enough; now we have to hear someone else’smusic, sports event or the rant of someone’s podcast.

Why can’tpeople use earbuds? They are, after all, cheap enough. The prevalence of the use of speaker phones greatly hampers the ability to eavesdrop on other conversations as well. People should be considerate of others whomay be nearby

THOMAS SUYDAM NewOrleans

LSUfanslet down team with earlyexit

Iama Texas A&M fan, as anyone whoknowsmeknows. Iwas thrilled with the winand happy forour team.But Isaw something that wasjust gut-wrenching and had to say something. If you ever go to agame with me, you will know Idonot leave till it is over Watching those so-called LSU fans empty the stands while their guys wereplaying their hearts out wasjust wrong. So what if they were losing? They never stopped trying and having to look up and see all those empty seats that were full when the gamestarted, had to be crushing.

Ilived mostofmylifeinNew Orleans, and sorry,LSU,I was never afan, but those young men should be praised forthe way they did not give up —unlike those fans wholeft the game.

MARYCARNES Clarendon, Texas

Everytownneeds aStanley Nelson

If the value of local news were incarnate, it would be in the person of Stanley Nelson.

Faimon Roberts

Nelson, who died earlier thisyear at the age of 69, was the longtime editor of the Concordia Sentinel, the local newspaper based in Ferriday,just across the Mississippi River from Natchez, Mississippi. A native of CatahoulaParish, Nelson spent most of his journalism career working for small papers in Louisiana. He became the editor of the Sentinel in 2006. And that’swhere he found his calling. Thanks to arandom snippet on aTV news broadcast, Nelson learned about the case of Frank Morris, aBlack owner of aFerriday shoe-repair shop whowas burned alive inside his shop in 1964bya group of Klansmen.Morris was inside the shop when the men doused it in gasoline and set it on fire. When he tried to escape,they forced him back in at gunpoint.Hediedfour days later No one was ever prosecuted for the crime. Four decades later,Nelson took to the story with the same qualities that he brought to police jury,school board and other local stories: patience, determination and an unflappable manner.Hetracked down former Ku Klux Klanmembers and informants, writing scoresofstories andeventually finding one of the men he believed was at the store that night. Then, like agood reporter, he went to the man’sfarm and asked him about it.

That man denied it, but his kids later told Nelson that they hadheard their father talk about the incident.Asaresult of Nelson’swork, agrand jurywas convened.Sentinel owner Sam Hanna told me he had few doubtsabout the man’sguilt and Nelson’sreporting.

Ididn’tknow Stanley Nelson, and it is aprofoundregret. To understandhim alittlebetter,Ialsoreached out to Joe Curtis, whowas hiredasareporter by Nelson in 2013 andtook over as editor of the Concordia Sentinel when Nelson retired in 2023.

“He just went about his business every day as acommunity journalist,” Curtisrecalled. In other words, Nelson didn’tchasestories with theidea of getting aNew York Times profile. He did it out of love and service to his community

Atruenewspaperman, Nelson once toldareporter he made every approach with his notebook in his back pocket and his pen in his shirtpocket and “just try to talktothem.”

“He was always even-keeled,” Curtis said. Andfocused on reporting.

“You got to just put thefacts out there andpeople will know,” Nelsonremembers Curtistelling him.

Hanna agreed.

“He didn’tbring any bias to the table,” he recalled. “Hejustgave everyone afair shake.”

We need billionaires whodothe rightthing

Idon’tget politicians whorail against billionaires. There are all kinds of billionaires. Many got rich inventing products we hold dear.Others got rich doing societally useless things like inventing crypto meme coins. And somemade their pile through corruption and crime.

Nelson wrote two books about Klan murders in Louisiana and Mississippi. Andthe LSU Cold CaseProject, in which studentssift through old cases, is an outgrowthofthe workthat Nelson began.

Nelson’scoverageofthe Morriscase ruffled some feathers, including at the FBI, where officials asked Nelson to hold aMorris story naming thesuspect because it might interfere with their investigation. He agreed to wait one month, then he ran it over theirobjections

Thestory was areflection of Nelson’s style, which was one of quiet resolve, Hanna told me.

“Stanley would just dig until he got the truth,”Hanna said.

For his work on the Morris case, Nelson was aPulitzer Prize finalistin 2011, a“big honor” for the smallpaper Hanna said.

The Morris story set Nelson on a journey.Hetook on anumber of the Civil Rights-eramurders of Black men in Louisiana andMississippi, including DeputyO’Neal Moore just outside Bogalusa and Wharlest Jackson in Natchez, whodiedwhen abomb exploded inside his truck.

Since he passed,remembrances have focused on Nelson’sdogged pursuit of thetruth in those cases, andrightfully so. He’sdone more to give thefamilies of those racist murders closure than local or federal authorities ever did. But his legacy was alsomore than that. It was the reporters and editors he mentored andwho worked for him and the studentshetaught. It was his love for and commitment to serving his community

Curtisfeels it every day

“It’sanhonor,and Iwant to make him proud,” he said. “Hewas something else.”

Email Faimon A. Roberts III at froberts@theadvocate.com.

ThetrendsinNew Jersey andVirginia

No two states voted more alike and closer to the national averageinlast year’s presidentialelection than thetwo states that have gubernatorial elections in this odd-numberedyear: New Jersey and Virginia.

New Jersey voted 51.8%for Kamala Harris and 45.9% for Donald Trump. Virginia voted 51.8% for Harrisand 46.1% for Trump. Aside from the seven target states and Democratic underperformance in New Hampshire and Minnesota, these were the two closest states in the country

This is about the good ones. Hamdi Ulukaya madebillions founding Chobani, a producer of high-quality yogurt. AKurd born in Turkey,Ulukaya created jobs in struggling parts of the U.S. His factory in Twin Falls, Idaho, is now the largest yogurt production plant in the world. Ulukaya also promotes paying workers well.

Doesanyone resent the estimated $11 billion that Steve Jobs had amassed when he died wayback in 2011? The genius behind Apple created the coolest tech products for the masses.

Other billionaires are admirable because they don’tgobegging fortax cuts. Warren Buffett, the legendary investor with anet worth of $150 billion, famously said: “There’sclass warfare, all right, but it’smy class, the rich class, that’smaking war,and we’re winning.”

Buffett once complained that he only paid 19% of his 2006 incomewhile his office workers paid 33%.

And he said it before Donald Trump further slashed his taxes through tax cuts forthe richest few. That tax policy leftordinary Americans to foot the bill through shrinking programsand supercharged deficits.

They have other similarities. Large percentagesoftheir voters live in metropolitan areas centered on cities outside the state,such as New York City and Washington, D.C. Bothofthose metroareas have populations far above the national average in education credentials and income.

That has tilted them toward the Democratic Party in this era when upscale voters, in line with their liberal stands on cultural issues, trend that way.It’s atime when million-plus metro areas, evenly divided in the 1980s, havebecome heavily Democratic, while the half of Americans living outsidethose big metro areas have,often despitehistorical Democratic allegiances, been deliveringincreasingmarginsfor Trump’s Republicans. It comes as second nature to political writers to seek omensinthe results and trends of off-year elections. It helps that Democrats havemanaged to nominate candidates with attractive biographies and reputations, despitetheir generally party-line voting records, as centrists. Both arewomen with national security experience who were first electedtothe House of Representatives in the Democratic year of 2018.

U.S.Rep.Mikie Sherrill, D-N.J., was a Navy helicopter pilot andlater worked as alawyer After her military service, she wentto graduate school, earning alaw degree and an Arabic language certificate. She captured an exurban, traditionally Republican New Jersey district when the incumbent retired. Shewon her first primary easily and has won general elections with 53% to 59% of the vote.

FormerU.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., also earned agraduatedegree, taught at northernVirginia’sIslamic Saudi Academy, and was an intelligence officer in the CIA for six years. Shewon her suburban House seat, stretching from Richmond to Fairfax County,against an incumbent Republican by 2points, twice won reelection —first by 2 points, then by 5—and stepped down in 2024, with thegovernor’s race in mind.

Current RealClearPolitics pollingaverages have Sherrill ahead of 2021 nominee Jack Ciattarelli by a48% to 44% margin, and Spanberger leading Lt. Gov.Winsome Earle-Sears by 50% to 44% —margins not that far from the virtually identical margins by which Harris carried bothstates.Republicans hold out some hope in bothraces.

Ciattarelli lost by only 51% to 48% against incumbent Democrat Phil Murphy in 2021, campaigning against the high taxes that have helped Republicans win fourofeight New Jersey elections starting in 1993, despitethe state’sDemocratic lean in presidential politics.

And Sherrill, Republicans say,ison the defensive for having been required not to appear at her graduation from the Naval Academy,apparently for not having reported another cadet’sviolation of the honor code.

In Virginia, Spanberger was set back by the revelation on Oct. 3that Democratic attorney general candidate Jay Jones sentmessages in 2022 expressing adesire to shoot the then-Republican House speaker and see his children murdered in their mother’sarms.

Spanbergerexpressed abhorrence but refused to call on him to step aside and announced her early vote for him.

October polling shows Jones trailing incumbent Attorney General Jason Miyares47% to43%.

Despite their identical responses in 2024, these two states have different traditions. In assessing thechances for an upset in either race, it may be useful to look at thedifferent surges of migration,immigrant and internal, that have populated these two states over the years. In New Jersey,one can find traces of

Dutch settlers from Nieuw Amsterdam and Quakers in the Delaware River Valley from colonial days. But thebig surge of migration camefromthe descendantsofthe Ellis Island migration of 1892 to 1924, Italians, Jews and Poles spilling over from the big cities across theHudson and Delaware rivers. Their offspring responded favorably to theappeals of Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, as the anti-tax constituency was reduced by migrantstoFlorida.

Butinflation and illegal immigration in the Biden years have pushed them towardTrump, who raised Republicans’ presidential percentages from 41% in 2012 to 2020 to 46% in 2024.

That move was accentuated by Trumpwardmoves among Hispanics. The1940 to 1965 northwardmigration of Black people has ebbed in New Jersey,leaving only twomunicipalities (EastOrange and Lawnside) with Black majorities

In contrast, thepost-1982 Hispanic migration has produced 29 municipalities with Hispanic majorities.

In those two-thirds or more Hispanic, Trumpmade major gains in 2024, reducing their average Democratic margins from 40% in 2020 to 12%. NBC analyst Steve Kornacki pointed out that if Ciattarelli in 2021 had won Trump2024 percentages in majoritynon-White municipalities, he would have lost by only 0.3%.

Virginia is adifferent story.The demographic surge has been an influx of affluent, highly educated Americans plus relatively high-skill immigrants, with significant numbers of Asians and Hispanics, over the past 30 years. Northern Virginia’sshare of the statewide vote has increased from 25% in 1980 to 36% in 2024.

In that setting, Spanberger’scoldblooded refusal to renounce Jones, and her stubborn refusal to oppose girls in boys’ sportslook like efforts to avoid disenchanting Democratic votersin one of the strongest anti-Trump constituencies in America.

Trends may be working for Trump’s party in New Jersey but lesssoinVirginia.

Michael Barone is on X, @MichaelBarone.

Rich people whopay their taxes are the major source forsafety net spending. I must repeat that Sweden has morebillionaires per capita than the U.S., and they pay high taxes forpublic benefits. And after taxes, they are still unimaginably rich. Which brings us to the subject of Mike Bloomberg, whose net worth is estimated at over $100 billion. Bloomberg madehis fortune in finance and media. But he then served his city,New York, as the best mayor in memory. (First as aRepublican, then as an independent, finally as aDemocrat.) Sen. Bernie Sanders is always hollering about “billionaires” this and “billionaires” that. It used to be millionaires until Sanders becameone.

There was amemorable momentduring a 2020 Democratic presidential debate, when Sanders asked candidate Bloomberg in his righteous gotcha voice, “Which tax haven do you have your home?” Bloomberg answered: “New York City, thank you very much, and Ipay all my taxes. And I’mhappy to do it because Iget something forit.”

The above multi-billionaires all established charitable foundations. They have vowed to give much or nearly all their wealth to worthy causes.

Charles and David Koch built the enormousKoch Inc., based in Wichita, Kansas. Charles went on to support conservative and libertarian causes. David favored cultural landmarks, from the Smithsonian in Washington to the Metropolitan Museum in New York. And he has financed medical facilities in various places. His widow,Julia, continues the good deeds.

Alice Walton, heir to the Walmart fortune, donates to the arts, education and health care.

There’snow an Alice L. Walton School of Medicine in Bentonville, Arkansas, where Walmart is based.

There’snoneed to worship or envy any billionaire’sassets. Many superrich people are depressed and lonely.(Thomas Lee, aprivate-equity mogul worth $2 billion, died by suicide in 2023.) Somebillionaires are pitiful in their unquenchable need for showymega-yachts, private islands and penthouses in the sky.And one can smirk at those whodisplay their half-dressed femalesex trophies, supposedly as amark of their virility From apolitical standpoint, manyonthe farleft and farright often mechanically link enormous wealth with destructive tendencies. Billionaires ought not be lumped into adespised class but judged forthe deeds they do as individuals —like the rest of us.

Froma Harrop is on X, @FromaHarrop. Email her at fharrop@gmail.com

La.Democrats blastpotential redistrictingatCapitol protest

BY MEGHAN FRIEDMANN Staff writer

As Democrats continue to opposeRepublican legislation that could set the stage for the elimination of one or both of the state’stwo majority-Black congressional districts, they led several hundred people in aprotest on the stepsofthe Louisiana State Capitol on Monday

“What is at stake? Everything is at stake,” state Rep. Edmond Jordan, D-Baton Rouge, who chairs the LegislativeBlackCaucus,told the crowd.

Jordan stood with agroup of Black politicians, including U.S. Rep. Cleo Fields, D-Baton Rouge, and U.S. Rep. Troy Carter,D-New Orleans. Officialstook turns addressing the protesters during the hourlong event. Inside the Capitol, Republican lawmakers have spent recent days pushing through legislation that would delay next year’sprimaries,givingthem time to potentially redraw the state’scongressional map, which is being challenged in aclosely-watched Supreme Court case, Louisiana v. Callais.

Democratic lawmakers, most of whom are Black,are

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in the arms of our Savior ” Simar wrote in aFacebook post. Another daughter,Danielle Laperouse Delahoussaye, wrote on Facebook, remembering her father, “hewas the most wonderful man Iknow.”

Laperouse was wellknown in Acadiana’s music

tryingto stopthe legislation but standlittle chance of doing so while Republicans hold supermajorities in both the House andSenate. About one-third of Louisiana’spopulationisBlack, but until last year,justone of thestate’s sixcongressional districts were represented by Black politicians. Lawmakersredrew the state’scongressional map to add asecondmajorityBlack district after ajudge ruledthatthe oldmapsviolated the Voting Rights Act. With the new map, voters elected Fields, aBlack Democrat, to Congress. That gave Democrats two seats in the six-member delegation; previously, Carter, whoalsoisBlack,heldthe delegation’sonly Democratic seat.

But agroup of non-Black voters challenged that map in acase known as Louisiana v. Callais, which hasmade its way to the Supreme Court. The casegives the court theopportunity to overturn Section 2ofthe Voting Rights Act, which hasfor decades allowed civil rightsgroups to challenge maps theysay disenfranchise Black voters.

“If this fails forus, if the Supreme Courtcomes back

scene, admired for histalent on the keyboard. Over the years, heperformed with several local bands, most recently as keyboardistfor the Stone Cold Cajuns, aCajun and zydeco group known for performingat festivals, dance halls and community events He also served as manager and musical director for hisdaughter Courtney Blaire, supporting her singing career and performing alongside heron

and rulesagainst us as it relates to Section 2ofthe Voting Rights Act, everything is at stake —every congressional district, every legislative district, every metro council and town city

stage. In atribute postedonsocial media, theStone Cold Cajuns wrote: “Ourhearts are broken, butwetakecomfort knowing ourbrother Jeff Laperouse, our beloved keyboard player,isnow playing some heavenly melodies. Heaven’s choirjust gained anew member.”

Email Ja’koriMadison at jakori.madison@ theadvocate.com.

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Working hard became the guiding principle of his life —offshore, boats and more. His father ran aservice station in Thibodaux.

“He sold motorcycles out of his service station. So we pretty much opted not to go to school,” Weimer said. “And now,I’m engaged in this major truancy issue.” When he was 16, his father got sick. Ultimately, the service station closed. Weimer ended up working and eking out away to go to college and, eventually, to law school.

“I’ve always told people that working for my father in that service station taught me invaluable life lessons,” Weimer said. “The virtue of honesty,the value of hard work —and how very important it is to treat everyoneregardless of their station in life with dignity.” Somewhere along the way,herealized he could draw and paint. He primarily does so late at night.

As apractice, he doesn’t sell his work. Thoughhe did sell one piece while he was in lawschool and nearly “destitute,” he said. These days, he donates pieces to auctions to help organizations raise money. Iasked him what commonalities he sees between capturing beauty and his work as the chief justice. Both, he said, require his full attention.

“It requires preparationand being your own worst critic,” he said. “As a painter,Iamvery slow and

methodical —asIamasa judge.”

We walked from his chambers throughout the historicbuilding as he told me many of its stories and pointed out exceptional pieces in thecollection of portraits that hanginits halls Whether on thebench or on canvas, Weimer seems intent on getting thedetails —and thejudgment —just right

EmailJan Risher at jan. risher@theadvocate.com.

district, every school board district,every elected positionthat you can think of in whichyou have amajority-minority district is at stake,” said Jordan. It remains unclear when

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Dustin Talbot, agreed with atrial in about a year based on several significant issues such as al-Muhtadi speaks only Arabic anditisdifficult to arrangefor interpreters to meet with him and

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enteredthe vehicle’spath, causing the collision. Thecircumstances surroundingthe pedestrian entering the roadway are unknown, police said. As of Sunday,the pedestrian remained in critical condition Woman hospitalized after train hitscar

Awoman wascritically injured after the vehicle

theSupremeCourtwill makeadecision in the case, or whatthat decision will be.But if the court rules before the end of the year, Landry and lawmakers have said they could draw amap

withfewer majority-Black districts. At the protest, Press Robinson, aplaintiff in the court case that got Louisiana a second majority-Black district, worried Republicans could get rid of both Black seats.

“This playbook is as old as Reconstruction itself,” saidCarter.“After the Civil War, Black Americans helped build multiracial democracies, and when those whohad always held power couldn’twin fairly,they imposed poll taxes, literacy tests, violence andgerrymandering.” Louisianans from as far away as Shreveport came out to rally in support of the existing maps. Sona Anderson, of Opelousas, said she came to Baton Rouge to “defend our right to fair votinginLouisiana as African American citizens.” The fight comes as Democrats andRepublicans across thecountry look for anyadvantagestheycan get ahead of next year’s midterms, when control of Congress will be at stake.

Email Meghan Friedmann at meghan.friedmann@ theadvocate.com.

his attorneys in Lake Charles. Because of the federal government shutdown, interpreterscannot be paid at this time,he said. Defense attorneys have only been able to meet with al-Muhtadi twice. They are scheduled for anothermeeting next week, Talbot said, to discuss through an interpreter the scheduling order and al-Muhtadi’sright to a speedy trial. Another problem,Talbot said, is that the alleged crime occurred in awar zone, making it difficult to conduct an international investigation. Joseph said he won’t set atrial date until defense attorneys have discussed the date with al-Muhtadi.

she was driving was hitbya train in Eunice, police said.

The Eunice policeresponded to atrainand passenger vehicle collision about8:52a.m. Sunday on North 12thStreet Police said thewoman was driving southbound on North 12thStreet,and the UnionPacifictrain was heading eastboundonthe tracks. Forunknown reasons, police said, thedriver failed to stop andyield to the train priortocrossing the tracks, andthe train collided into the passengerside of thevehicle. It was unable to stop until it reached

North Eighth Street

The driver wasalone in the vehicleand transported to aLafayette hospital for further treatment. As of Monday,the driver’scondition was listed as critical but stable.

SPORTS

Scott Woodward has built his reputation as an athletic director on making the big hires. The splashy hires. Landingthe fish no onethought he could land. The kind of hires thatdefine a career At Washington, he lured Chris Peterson away from Boise Statewhen no onethoughthecouldtoleadthe Huskies to the national championship game. At Texas A&M, he lured Jimbo Fisher away from an increasingly unhappy relationshipwith Florida State. And at LSU, he got Hall of Fame women’sbasketballcoach Kim Mulkey to leave Baylor and stunned the collegefootball world whenhegot

BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer

Room for error no longer ex-

ists for the UL Ragin’ Cajuns. At 2-6, coach Michael Desormeaux’s team must winall four remaining games to achieve abowl berth for the eighth consecutive season.

“That’sthe reality,” said Desormeaux, whose Cajuns play at South Alabama at 2:30 p.m.

Brian Kelly to leaveNotre Dame, where he was the program’swinningest coach. But big hires don’talways mean successfulhires. Not everyone is aMulkey. That’s certainly been thecase with Woodward’stwo biggest footballhires —Fisher and Kelly Both turned outtobeswings and

ä UL at South Alabama, 2:30 P.M. SATURDAy,ESPN+

Saturday.“Any postseason hopes you’ve got, you’rein the playoffs now …one at atime. You’ve got to win each oneyou have to have achancetodoit. That’sjust where we’re at rightnow.”

Desormeaux said his Cajuns are still playing hard

“What option do we have?”

misses, their firings leaving their respective schoolswith huge buyouts to payoff. Woodward didn’tgive Fisher the contract extension that led to his record $77 million buyout there two years ago, but he didgivehim the keys to the Aggies’ football complex in the first place. And after LSU parted wayswith Kelly on Sunday, the school is contractuallyobligated to pay him about$54 million LSU’speople andKelly’s people are in theprocess of negotiating that settlement, andifKelly gets another coachingjob or aTVgig,the buyout

he said. “I know what happens when youquit… that’salready written.Ifyou keep busting your tail andyou keep working really hard, you go trytoflip this thing around in the last four games you’ve got to continue to fight.”

Desormeauxalso said his team hasn’tgiven in to the excuses from all of theinjuries along the offensive line.

“This hasbeen one of the hardest working groups I’ve

been around,” he said. “We’ve got eight O-linemen that are out right now.Not one of them in that building has said aword about it, not one personhas complained aboutwhatwedon’thave …not oneperson hassaid athing about theproblemswe’ve had.

“These guys are going to bust their rear ends for this team and this university forthe rest of the

BY WILSON ALEXANDER and REED DARCEY Staff writers

LSUfired offensive coordinator Joe Sloanthe dayafterBrian Kelly waslet go as head coach, the school announced Monday morning.

The movecomes after athletic directorScottWoodward decided to elevate associate head coach Frank Wilson to takeoverthe program on an interim basis.

Tight ends coach and run game coordinatorAlexAtkins will take over as the play-caller for LSU,The Advocate hasconfirmedthrough asource with knowledge of the decision. Atkins was the Florida State offensive coordinator forthree seasons before the Seminoles firedhim last season in the midst of a 2-10 campaign. Filling Sloan’s role as quarterbacks coach will be offensive analyst Tim Rattay,asource said. Rattay joined the program in February after spending the past five years as theOklahomaState quarterbackscoach.Hewas also the quarterbacks coach forthe Washington Commanders in 2019. Wide receivers coach Cortez Hankton will stay in his position as passing gamecoordinator,asource said. And

Caesars Superdome isn’t supposedtolook like it did in the fourth quarter Sunday afternoon The Domewas almost completely empty,asifit was doing an impression of LSU’sTiger Stadium from the night before. The Saints were in the closing minutes of being throttled 23-3 by the division rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers,much like LSU had been hammered 49-25 by Texas A&M lessthan24 hours earlier

Only two groups of people stuck around until the end Saturday at Death Valley and Sunday at the Dome.

1. Fans of the Aggies andBuccaneers.

ä Saints at Rams, 3:05P.M. SUNDAy,FOX

2. Thecrew waiting to clean up themess in thestands. It’ll be uptosomeone else to clean upthe mess on the field.

Fans ofthe hometeams couldn’t stomach stickingaround to see theclock strike zero this weekend,and whocould blame them?

Whether your colorsofchoice are purple andgold, black and gold or both,thisisn’twhat you payyourmoney to see.

It was aroughweekend in both the 225 and the 504. Tulane had abye week, so the GreenWave wasn’table to salvage the weekend How bad of aweek has it been for football in southeast Louisiana?

LSUfired head coach Brian Kelly on Sunday.Six days earlier, Southern fired Terrence Graves, meaning both Baton Rouge schools are searching for ahead coach.

The Saints, meanwhile, are 1-7. It’stheir worst start since 1999, when they lost to (you guessed it) theBuccaneers to fall to 1-7.

That team 26 years ago won its next gametoimprove to 2-7. The Saints travel to face the Los Angeles Rams next week, so historyisn’tlikely to repeat itself. The Saints opened as 131/2-point underdogs and likely will be 1-8 this time next week. It’sunclear who will start at quarterback for the Saintson Sunday at SoFiStadium. On aday when acollege head

Notable transfers can make big impact

Ex-New Mexico guard is among college basketball’s top transfers

BY STEVE MEGARGEE Associated Press

UCLA guard Donovan Dent embraces the responsibility that comes with playing for one of college basketball’s most storied programs.

“It’s an honor just having the four letters in front of you,” the former New Mexico guard told reporters. “It’s a very historical program. The point guard position has been very elite here It’s a blessing for me.”

Once Dent entered the transfer portal, he didn’t need much persuading to pick UCLA. He already had a relationship with UCLA coach Mick Cronin from high school. He enjoyed watching former Bruins point guard Lonzo Ball while growing up in Riverside, California. UCLA’s campus is a relatively short drive from his family’s home.

Dent now wants to build on the success he enjoyed last season while leading New Mexico to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The 2025 Mountain West Conference player of the year enters this season as one of the most notable transfers.

He had 20.4 points and 6.4 assists per game last season. Dent averaged 17.5 points and 6 assists in two NCAA Tournament games as New Mexico defeated Marquette before losing to Michigan State.

Dent can team up with Louisville transfer Skyy Clark to give UCLA a speedy new backcourt. They combined for 31 points this month in the 12th-ranked Bruins’ 67-60 exhibition victory over San Diego State. Dent went 4 of 16 in that game, but he continually drew fouls and made all 10 of his free throws to end up with 18 points.

“To have a guy who knows that if he is struggling to score, let me just get fouled and go make a one-and-one, that is so big in a college game, for him and Skyy to do that,” Cronin said.

Cronin noted the 6-2 guard will need to be able to pressure the ball 94 feet and serve as a defensive sparkplug to have a successful NBA career

“When (Cronin) called me, he knew exactly what he wanted,” Dent said. “He wanted to play faster because that’s how his defense is. His defense creates faster offense. So he felt like I could fit right into that system He just needed someone he could trust with the ball in their hand. I felt like that’s what I could bring to the table.”

all-Big East pick. Tennessee G Ja’Kobi Gillespie (Maryland)

Gillespie had 14.7 points, 4.8 assists and 1.9 steals per game and shot 40.7% from 3-point range last season. He had 17 points in an NCAA regional semifinal loss to eventual national champion Florida. That followed a 2023-24 season in which the 6-foot-1 guard scored 17.2 points per game for Belmont. Gillespie was a preseason secondteam all-Southeastern Conference along with Florida’s Boogie Fland, another transfer (Arkansas). Kansas State G P.J. Haggerty (Memphis)

a first-team all-American Conference player and the league’s defensive player of the year for two straight seasons.

Iowa G Bennett Stirtz (Drake)

Despite upheaval, LSU football lands WR pledge

LSU football picked up a verbal commitment from a three-star wide receiver recruit on Monday even though it has fired both coach Brian Kelly and co-offensive coordinator Joe Sloan.

Kervin Johnson, a senior from Tioga, flipped his pledge from Louisiana Tech to LSU after visiting the Tigers for their loss to Texas A&M. According to 247Sports composite rankings, he’s the 16thranked recruit from Louisiana. LSU’s 2026 class is ranked as the 11th-best group in the country As of Monday none of the 17 recruits now pledged to the class have backed off of their commitments.

The two headliners are Lamar Brown, five-star U-High defensive lineman, and Trenton Henderson, a Florida edge rusher who’s among the nation’s top 30 recruits.

Dodgers shortstop Betts wins humanitarian award

LOS ANGELES Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts has won the Roberto Clemente Award for his humanitarian work.

The former AL MVP and eighttime All-Star founded the 5050 Foundation in 2021 to help underserved youth with their mental and emotional health, nutrition, financial literacy and physical fitness. Betts donated over $30,000 in Nike apparel to victims of the deadly Los Angeles wildfires in January He also founded an AAU basketball program and an eponymous baseball tournament in his hometown of Nashville, Tennessee.

Betts also contributed $160,000 to hunger and homelessness initiatives. His efforts include founding sports programs and supporting pediatric patients at UCLA Children’s Hospital.

Some other potential impact transfers (former schools in parentheses): Creighton F Owen Freeman (Iowa)

Freeman, who is 6-10, was averaging 16.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.8 blocks through 19 games with Iowa before a broken finger ended his 2024-25 season early He scored in double figures in each of those 19 games. Freeman had 10.6 points and 6.6 rebounds per game in 2023-24 and became Iowa’s first Big Ten freshman of the year since Jess Settles in 1994 Freeman was a first-team preseason

Haggerty is the only active Division I player to average at least 21 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals each of the past two seasons. The 6-4 guard scored 21.7 points per game for Memphis last season to rank third in Division I. Haggerty also was an AP AllAmerica second-team selection that season. He scored 21.2 points per game for Tulsa in 2023-24. Kansas State is his fourth school.

Michigan F Yaxel Lendeborg (UAB)

Lendeborg was a first-team selection on the AP preseason AllAmerica team. The 6-9 graduate student averaged a double-double each of the past two seasons (17.7 points, 11.4 rebounds). A year earlier, Lendeborg had 13.8 points, 10.6 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game while helping UAB reach the NCAA Tournament. He was

Stirtz, a preseason all-Big Ten selection, began his college career playing for Ben McCollum at Division II program Northwest Missouri State. He followed McCollum to Drake and helped the Bulldogs reach the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Now he’s at Iowa, which hired McCollum in the offseason. Stirtz was the first player in Missouri Valley Conference history to compile at least 600 points, 200 assists and 70 steals in a season. He led the conference in scoring (19.2), steals (2.21) and assist-turnover ratio (2.86) and ranked second in assists (5.7). Stirtz scored 21 points in each of Drake’s two NCAA Tournament games — a 67-57 victory over Missouri and a 77-64 loss to Texas Tech.

NC State F Darrion Williams (Texas Tech)

Williams comes to NC State after collecting 15.1 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game last season to earn first-team allBig 12 honors at Texas Tech. He averaged 21 points in four NCAA Tournament games and scored at least 20 in each of Texas Tech’s past three March Madness contests, including a 23-point effort in a regional final against Florida. The 6-foot-6 forward is a preseason all-Atlantic Coast Conference selection.

Hendrick, JGR rekindle rivalry for championship

BY NATE RYAN Associated Press

Jeff Gordon was in the thick of dissecting Hendrick Motorsports’ prospects for the NASCAR championship when he was interrupted by a text message from his team’s chief rival

This wasn’t any typical trash talk about the title.

Joe Gibbs Racing president Dave Alpern instead was contacting the Hendrick vice chairman to convey how privileged JGR felt in facing a longtime adversary

“He just beat me to the punch; I would have done the same thing,” Gordon said Sunday night at Martinsville Speedway, where Hendrick locked up the final two berths in the title round of NASCAR’s premier series. “It just goes to show you the respect we have for one another We’re honored as well I’m really proud to have the relationship that we have with Gibbs. Off the track, we say we’re teammates, but on the track, we’re fierce competitors.” For the second time in four years, the Championship 4 in the Cup Series is an even split be-

and the fourth time with at least two Championship 4 drivers for JGR, which had a record three in 2019 (winning the title with Kyle Busch). The powerhouses have combined for 547 Cup wins in a friendly rivalry dating back more than three decades, when Joe Gibbs consulted Rick Hendrick about starting a NASCAR team after winning three Super Bowls as a Hall of Fame football coach. With five Cup championships, Gibbs eventually became a NASCAR Hall of Fame team owner in 2020, three years after Hendrick was inducted into the stock-car racing shrine. This year’s title field is deep, featuring the regular-season champion (Byron) and the leaders in wins (Hamlin with six) and top-five finishes (Briscoe with 15).

Peterson arrested in Texas on DWI and gun charges

SUGAR LAND, Texas — Former NFL running back Adrian Peterson remained jailed on Monday after being arrested a day earlier in a Houston suburb on charges of driving while intoxicated and unlawfully carrying a weapon, according to authorities.

Peterson was taken into custody Sunday morning by the Sugar Land Police Department, said agency spokeswoman Alicia Alaniz. It’s the second DWI arrest in seven months for the 2012 NFL MVP and three-time league rushing champion. Peterson, 40, was a high school football star in East Texas and has lived in the Houston area. He played at Oklahoma before spending the first 10 years of his NFL career with Minnesota.

Manning in concussion protocol ahead of Vandy AUSTIN, Texas Texas quarterback Arch Manning was in concussion protocol and did not practice Monday ahead of the No. 20 Longhorns’ game against No. 9 Vanderbilt.

Coach Steve Sarkisian said the team would get an update on Manning’s injury later in the week.

Manning was injured on the first play of overtime in Texas’ 45-38 win over Mississippi State. If he can’t play against the Commodores (7-1 3-1 Southeastern Conference), Texas (6-2, 3-1) would hand the offense to graduate transfer Matthew Caldwell, who has seen only spot duty this season but came off the bench to throw the winning touchdown pass against the Bulldogs on his only pass attempt of the game.

Hard-hitting Raiders great Atkinson dies at age 78

George Atkinson, a hard-hitting former Raiders safety who struck fear in the opposition, has died. He was 78. The Raiders said Atkinson’s family informed the team of his death on Monday. The team said he died in Georgia without revealing a cause of death.

tween the two winningest playoff teams in NASCAR history The best finisher of four drivers in the Nov 2 season finale at Phoenix Raceway will claim the crown. Hendrick will be represented by 2021 champion Kyle Larson and William Byron, who beat Ryan Blaney at Martinsville for the team’s record-extending 62nd playoff victory Ranking second with 42 playoff victories (including wins in five of the first nine playoff races this season), Gibbs has Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe. It’s the third time Hendrick has owned half the title field

Toss in Larson, the only former champ in the bunch who ranked second in laps led and top fives, and it’s a wide-open championship without a clear favorite because there is no driver from Team Penske, which won the past three championships with Blaney and Joey Logano.

The Raiders called Atkinson the anchor of the team’s “Soul Patrol” secondary of the 1970s that helped lead the team to its first Super Bowl title. Atkinson had disclosed he was suffering symptoms consistent with CTE.

Atkinson’s most famous hits came against Pittsburgh and Hall of Fame receiver Lynn Swann. He knocked him out in the 1975

championship game and again in the

opener on a

when Swann didn’t even get the

BY SPENCER URQUHART Staff writer

LSU fired offensive coordinator Joe Sloan on Monday a day after Brian Kelly was terminated as head coach. Run game coordinator and tight ends coach Alex Atkins has taken over as the new play-caller

Atkins will assume the playcaller role in his first year at LSU after previously serving as the Florida State offensive coordinator Below are five things to know about Atkins, who will take over the LSU offense with four regular-season games remaining.

Previous OC experience

Atkins was the Florida State offensive coordinator the previous three seasons before joining the LSU coaching staff prior to the 2025 season. He was promoted to offensive coordinator in 2022 after two years as the Florida State of-

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could be mitigated. But LSU officials sent Kelly packing fully aware they may have to pay him all of that money That’s money that counts on Woodward’s ledger As much as the money, it’s the lack of significant winning by Fisher and Kelly that counts most. Fisher was 45-25 and never led A&M to an SEC title or the College Football Playoff. Kelly was 34-14 and never led LSU to an SEC title (his Tigers did play in the 2022 SEC championship game) or to the CFP

It’s great to hire a Jay Johnson to steer the LSU baseball team to two College World Series titles. It’s great to hire a Mulkey to lead the women’s basketball team to a national title. Same for Jay Clark, who Woodward gave the job to for gymnastics after D-D Breaux retired. Clark subsequently led the Tigers to their first NCAA crown. But athletic directors at football-mad schools like LSU are defined by their football hires. Even Skip Bertman, who led the Tigers to five CWS crowns, was reminded that the man he hired as athletic director to replace Nick Saban would define a large part of his legacy at LSU.

“All the championships you’ve won, all of the games, all of that goes down the drain if you don’t hire the right one,” assistant athletic director Verge Ausberry told Bertman in 2004. Bertman hired Les Miles. He was eventually fired in 2016, but not before leading LSU to the 2007 BCS title and a second trip to the national championship game in 2011.

Right now, the Kelly and Fisher hires are anchors on Woodward’s resume If you swing and you miss even a couple of times, the prospect of getting a third chance is extremely iffy

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with Wilson being promoted to interim head coach, a source also told The Advocate that offensive analyst Cordae Hankton will have a larger role in coaching the running backs Sloan — a former East Carolina quarterback and Louisiana Tech assistant — worked as LSU’s primary offensive play-caller for the past two seasons. Kelly hired him to coach the LSU quarterbacks in 2022, then named him and Cortez Hankton as co-offensive coordinators after former play-caller Mike Denbrock left for the same job at Notre Dame after the 2023 season In 2024, LSU signed Sloan and Hankton to three-year, $3.05 million contracts. Then the Tigers took a couple of steps backward on offense.

Last season, LSU finished 25th among FBS teams in total offense but 47th in scoring offense. It finished last in the SEC in both rushing attempts per game and rushing yards per game, while also struggling to convert in the red zone. More than 90 FBS teams scored touchdowns on a higher percentage of their trips inside the 20 that year than the Tigers did. LSU then lost four offensive linemen to the NFL, but it also brought back quarterback Garrett Nussmeier and added skill-position talent in the transfer portal. The results didn’t match the investment.

This is a tricky time for LSU. The school is expected soon to hire a president to replace William F. Tate IV (he left in May for Rutgers) Governor Jeff Landry will get the president he wants to run LSU, one of the biggest appointments any Louisiana governor can make. It should be expected he will want to have influence on who LSU’s next football coach will be, and the future of the person who will be that coach’s boss.

Being athletic director at LSU is pretty much a thankless job.

When Joe Dean took the job he was “Mr String Music” on SEC basketball telecasts, virtually a folk hero in these parts. He was vilified for hiring Curley Hallman, arguably LSU’s worst football coach ever Even Bertman’s considerable star lost some luster for decisions he made as athletic director

Hiring the next LSU football coach will be the most important hire in the history of the school’s athletic program. LSU won’t finish paying Ed Orgeron’s $17 million buyout until December after firing him during the 2021 season. It could be paying Kelly’s buyout through 2031, to the tune of about $740,000 per month.

The school can’t afford to miss on Kelly’s replacement. Another big buyout four years from now is too staggering to contemplate.

When LSU introduced Kelly in December 2021, Woodward was the man standing next to him, handing Kelly a replica of the “Win!” bar that hangs over the Tigers’ locker room door

The next coach needs to win big. With an exclamation point. That’s an easy assumption to make.

Will Woodward be the man standing next to him is the bigger question

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

Through the first seven games of the 2025 season, Nussmeier battled injuries, but the Tigers rushed for even fewer yards per game than they did in 2024. Their red-zone touchdown conversion rate plateaued, while their thirddown conversion rate fell from a league-leading 49% to a 10thranked 42%.

LSU entered Week 9 as one of only two power-conference teams that hadn’t scored at least 25 points in a game against an FBS opponent this season.

The Tigers hit that mark against Texas A&M, but only after their offense allowed 35 second-half points go unanswered. LSU punted on each of its first four drives of the second half, then turned the ball over on downs on its fifth.

Nussmeier threw for only 168 yards before he was pulled late in the fourth quarter, and he was sacked six times. LSU also converted only 2 of 12 third-down tries and rushed for just 60 net yards.

Sloan has one year left on his contract, and LSU owes him 90% of its remaining value, which means his buyout could cost the school up to $990,000.

“When things are not going well from a football standpoint,” Kelly said after LSU’s loss to Texas A&M, “the head football coach has to be agile enough and able to make those changes and find out what we need to do to get our football team to play better.”

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

fensive line coach. Atkins’ time at Florida State ended last November when he was fired after a 1-9 start.

Success as an OC Atkins had success at Florida State prior to 2024, with the offense averaging more than 30 points per game during both the 2022 and 2023 seasons. Florida State averaged 36.1 ppg during a 10-win 2022 season and followed that up with 13 victories in 2023 with Atkins’ offense averaging 34.6 ppg.

Big Kelly hire

Kelly didn’t make major changes to his coaching staff prior to the 2025 season, but he brought Atkins on to replace previous tight ends coach Slade Nagle. Kelly said, “(Atkins) brings a great deal of experience as a coordinator, but more importantly, his depth and background in the run game as an offensive line coach, he adds another perspective in that room.”

Well traveled

Atkins was born in Chicago and graduated from Tennessee-Martin, where he began his coaching career in 2007. He has coached at eight different schools since leaving his alma mater for Marshall in 2009. Florida State was Atkins’ longest stop, which began in 2020 and lasted nearly five years.

Tulane ties

Atkins got familiar with the state of Louisiana prior to joining the LSU coaching staff, serving as the Tulane offensive line coach beginning in 2016 for a total of three seasons. He took on the added role of run game coordinator in 2018 under former Tulane head coach Willie Fritz, who Atkins previously coached under at Georgia Southern.

Email Spencer Urquhart at surquhart@theadvocate.com.

CAJUNS

Continued from page 1C

year Just because things haven’t gone the way that we planned on them going, doesn’t mean they’re doing things wrong.”

The Cajuns withstood two key interceptions to trail only 28-23 with 7:08 left to play on the road against first-place Troy on Saturday

Desormeaux maintains the first interception, thrown by Walker Howard on his only play of the game, was just an unlucky development that the Troy defense forced. The second one, thrown by Lunch Winfield on the next drive, Desormeaux blamed himself for

“The first one was unfortunate,” he said “It’s the right decision, right read The second one managing the game and the flow of it, that’s on me. It was maybe trying

WALKER

Continued from page 1C

coach in Louisiana lost his job, a starting NFL quarterback in Louisiana also may have lost his. Spencer Rattler was benched Sunday after being unable to get the Saints into the end zone. He committed two turnovers Sunday (a fumble and an interception), bringing his turnover total to six in the past two games. A season that started with him doing a splendid job of taking care of the ball (three turnovers in the first six weeks) all of a sudden went south.

Tyler Shough, drafted by the Saints with the No. 40 pick in April, took over for Rattler Shough completed 17 of 30 passes for 128 yards but also couldn’t get the Saints into the end zone.

Coach Kellen Moore said he would use the next 48 hours to decide who will start in L.A. Truth be told, it may not matter Yes, the Saints need to figure out who their quarterback of the future is going to be. Rattler? Shough? Or someone who isn’t on the current roster

But as Sunday reminded us, the Saints’ issues are more than just at quarterback. The receivers and tight ends drop way more passes than NFL players in those positions should. The offensive line play hasn’t been

to do too much to push it down the field on the second one. That was kind of a momentum swing.”

Desormeaux also addressed the pressure on head coaches in light of recent firings at bigname programs, including LSU moving on from Brian Kelly

“The pressure from the outside is very minimal compared to what’s on the inside,”

Desormeaux said. “The pressure day after day is to lead your guys into something that they can’t see. The pressure day after day is to provide hope when there’s not a lot there. The pressure day after day is to have the right words, you know, when it’s really something that’s not very explainable.”

In other words, his focus is on treating his players properly

“I feel more pressure about making sure I do things the right way inside of our building and making sure that I’m making sure that everyone knows that

they have a lot more value to this organization, to the society than they do just as football players,” Desormeaux said. “Stress and pressure and negativity, all that stuff can’t roll downhill and it can’t come from me because there’s enough of it on the outside.”

The injury report is a weekly priority during Monday’s media gatherings.

Desormeaux said Collin Jacob had surgery Monday morning for his broken arm and is lost for the rest of the season.

Tight end Caden Jensen “is in concussion protocol.”

Right guard Matt Broussard “is most likely going to be out this week I don’t see a scenario where he can come back in and play.” Safety Jalen Clark didn’t finish Saturday’s game, but he is expected to be back at South Alabama.

Email Kevin Foote at kfoote@ theadvocate.com.

great, a big reason Rattler and Shough found themselves under so much duress. Penalties still plague the team. The defense, which has had its rough moments this season, played well enough to win Sunday Unfortunately, it didn’t get any help from the offense. “Defense is doing their thing,” Rattler said. “Offense has to wake up.” The offense has pretty much been asleep all season. The Saints have scored 20 points just twice in eight games.

Moore, hired because of his offensive mind, will have to figure it all out.

“We have a lot of stuff to work through, improve and get better at,” Moore said. “That’s the journey we get to take.” So far, the journey has been a rough one. It’s been hard to watch at times. On Sunday, most chose not to stick around to watch.

Email Rod Walker at rwalker@ theadvocate.com.

DC Sniper’s trailled through Louisiana. Hisex-wife tellsstory of abuseinnew documentary

BELOW: Mildred Muhammad, ex-wife of DC sniper John Allen Muhammad

‘The man that I married wasa

complete stranger

BY JUDYBERGERON

Staffwriter

In September 2002, Hong Im Ballenger,45, aBaton Rouge wife and mother,was robbed and killed by asingle gunshot to the head as she left work at aFlorida Boulevard beauty supply store.

“She was abeautiful woman and awonderful mother to my three sons,” her husband, Jim Ballenger,said the followingday

His wife died at the hands of JohnAllen Muhammad, 41, a NewOrleans-bornand Baton Rouge-raised former U.S.Army sergeant who later became known as the DC Sniper,and his accomplice, Lee BoydMalvo, 17, born in Jamaica andrelocating to Miami illegally in 2001. The woman was oneofthe duo’s preliminary victims. Shootings in Alabama, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Texasand Washingtonalsowereeventuallylinked to the pair

When their subsequent23-day reign of terror through Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia was over,10people were dead and three critically injured, bringing the assailants’ 10-month tally to 17 deaths and 10 wounded. Theywere captured at arest stop in Maryland on Oct. 24, 2002.

Although all of the serialattacksseemed random at the time, it would be revealed in court proceedings that it was all part of an elaborate plantokill Muhammad’sex-wife, Mildred, andgain custody of their three children Mildred Muhammad, 65, who lives in Maryland, will tell her

story in ID’s“Hunted by My Husband: The Untold Story of the DC Sniper” at 8p.m.Tuesday Appropriately,the newdocumentary is airing during Domestic Violence AwarenessMonth.

“The man thatI marriedwas acompletestranger,” Mildred ä See DC SNIPER, page 6C

BY MADDIE SCOTT Staff writer

ABOVE: Convicted sniper John Allen Muhammad

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By STEVE HELBER

LEFT: James Ballenger holdsupapicture of his wife, Hong Im Ballenger,athis Baton Rougehome in 2002 which he shares with their twosons Joshua, 10, left, and Jimmy 20. Ballenger has found peacesince the murder of hiswife in 2002.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By JENNIFER ZDON

By The Associated Press

Today is Tuesday,Oct. 28,the 301st dayof2025. There are 64 days left in the year

Todayinhistory:

On Oct. 28, 1886, the Statue of Liberty,agift from the people of France, was dedicated in New York Harbor by President Grover Cleveland.

Also on this date:

In 1636, the General Court of Massachusetts passed alegislative act establishing Harvard College.

In 1858, Rowland Hussey Macy opened his firstNew York store at Sixth Avenue and 14th Street in Manhattan.

In 1919, Congress passed the Volstead Act, which provided the means for enforcement of a Prohibition era ban on alcohol, over President Woodrow Wilson’sveto.

In 1936, President Franklin D. Roosevelt rededicatedthe Statue of Liberty on its 50thanniversary

In 1962, Soviet leaderNikita Khrushchev informed the United States that he had ordered the dismantling of missile bases in Cuba; in return, the U.S. secretly agreed to remove nuclear missiles from U.S.installations in Turkey as the two superpowers defused tensions of the Cuban missilecrisis.

In 1991, what became known as “The Perfect Storm” began forming hundreds of miles east of Nova Scotia; lost at sea during the storm were the six crew members of the Andrea Gail, a fishing boat from Gloucester, Massachusetts.

In 2001, the families of people killed in the Sept. 11 terrorist attack in New York gathered at ground zero in lower Manhattan for amemorial service filled with prayer and song.

In 2012, the San Francisco Giants won their second World Series title in three years, beating the Detroit Tigers to completea four-game sweep.

In 2018, The Boston RedSox beat the Los Angeles Dodgers to win the World Series in five games.

In 2021, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said his company was rebranding itself as Meta, an effort to encompass its virtual-reality vision for the future, while keeping theFacebooknamefor the social network itself.

In 2022, Tesla CEO Elon Musk took control of Twitter for$44 billion after aprotracted legal battle and months of uncertainty.Hesubsequently rebranded the social media platform as X in 2023.

In 2022, Paul Pelosi, the 82-year-oldhusband of House SpeakerNancyPelosi, was severely beaten by ahammerwielding assailant who broke into their San Francisco home. Less than three weeks later, Nancy Pelosi announced she would remain in the House but step down as speaker in the next Congress.

In 2024, the Pentagon disclosed that NorthKorea had sent about 10,000 troops to Russia to train and likely fight against Ukraine, amove seen as piling more pressureon Ukraine’soverstretched army and stoking geopolitical tensions in the Indo-Pacific region. Today’sBirthdays: Basketball HallofFamer Lenny Wilkens is 88. Actor Jane Alexander is 86. Actor Dennis Franz is 81. Actor-singer Telma Hopkins is 77. TV personality and Olympic gold medal decathlete Caitlyn Jenner is 76. Actor Annie Potts is 73. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is 70. Actor Daphne Zuniga is 63. Actor Lauren Holly is 62. Talk show host-comedian Sheryl Underwood is 62. Football Hall of Famer Steve Atwater is 59. Actor-comedian Andy Richter is 59. Actor Julia Roberts is 58. Singer Ben Harper is 56. Football Hall of Famer Terrell Davis is 53. Country singer Brad Paisley is 53. Actor Joaquin Phoenix is 51. Actor Gwendoline Christie is 47. Actor Matt Smith is 43. Actor Troian Bellisario is 40. Singersongwriter Frank Ocean is 38. Tennis player Taylor Fritz is 28. Actor Nolan Gould is 27.

DUTCH BROS

Continued from page5C

Wish list takesfun outofchoosinggifts

Dear Miss Manners: Each year,Halloween heralds my own personal horror: theseason during which my family harassesmetoprovide them with alist of itemsthat Iwould like for Christmas. Iabhorthisannual ritual. To me,the value in receivinggifts is the knowledge that the giver took the time and effort to thinkabout what Imight really like andselect something they thought might please me Thebeauty in gift-giving is in the attention paid to thereceiver: looking carefully around their home to see if there is an item of comfort they might be missing;

listening to their conversations for tidbitsabout their interests and hobbies; noticing theslight look of pleasure in their eyes when they see an artwork in agallery window and deciding to makethat pleasure permanent Ihave tried to gently explain this to my family,yet they are adamant that I should give them alist. My sister has taken to calling me daily to demand such a document,and she is now threatening tohave my father,stepmother and other siblings do the same until Ichange my phone number or crack under thestrain. Iwould prefer receiving no

gift at all to receiving one Iselected myself.I doubt my family membershave noticed, but each year they makelists and circulate them, andeach year Igotoa great deal of effort to select gifts for them that are NOTontheir lists, yet areareflection of their personal tastes and interests. How can Ipolitely decline their repeated demands? Idonot wish to suppress their joy in the holiday,but Isimply cannot bring myself to accede to their wishes.

Gentlereader: Alas, it is timeto point out to them how much more efficient it would be to have all of you do your own shopping. Miss Manners is sorry to see theend of an ancienttradition that was oneofthe hallmarks of

civilization. As you have experienced, the giftregistry/wish list has killed it. Just look at what this has done to what used to be referred to as the Christmas Spirit. If they won’t agree to dropping either the lists or the entire custom, you will have to tell them that you are opting out. And you may have to change your telephone number after all.

Sendquestions to Miss Manners at herwebsite, www missmanners.com; to her email, dearmissmanners@gmail.com; or through postal mailtoMiss Manners, Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City,MO 64106.

Dating appmatch leadstoworkplace tension

may be able to help you.

Dear Harriette: Irecently matched with someone on adating app, and after chattingfor abit, we realized we work at the same company.It’sahuge organization, so we had never crossed paths before —until, of course, we suddenly started running into each other in the office after matching. We never acknowledged it directly, andsince then, things have felta little awkward.It’snot like anythinginappropriate happened between us. We just exchanged afew friendly messages before things fizzled out, butnow every hallway run-in feels tense. Ican’ttell if he’spretending it never happened or if he’s just as unsureasIamabout how to act. Part of mewants to laugh it off andbreak theice, but another part worries that it might make

thingseven weirder.I’ve caught myself overthinking what to say when Isee him and wondering if other co-workers have picked up on the tension. It’sgotten to the point where Isometimes takeadifferent route to avoid the awkwardness altogether.Should Ibring it up to clear the air or just keep acting like nothing happened and hope the awkwardness fades on its own? —Unmatched Dear Unmatched: Be the adult in the room. Next time you see this man, walk up to him and discreetly address theobvious.You can start with humor.Yes, it is uncanny that the two of you would meet online and end up working in the sameplace, but it doesn’tneed to be awkward. Youdidn’tend up hooking up. It was innocent enough, and now it’sover.Agree

to stop dodging each other in the building, be cordial and moveon. Dear Harriette: This year has been stressful for me. Ilost my job and have used most of my savings just to survive. Ihaven’ttalked about my situation muchatall. It’sfrustrating enough to live it without the embarrassment of admitting that, at 40 years old, my great career ended because of no fault of my own. Isuddenly became seen as aDEI hireeven though my job had nothing to do with diversity.I feel deflated and scared. I’ve been looking for work but can’tfind anything, and I’m worried about what to do next. —Lost Dear Lost: Sadly,there are hundreds of thousands of wellcredentialed, hardworking people like you in this country whoare recently outofwork with seemingly nowhere to turn. Nowisthe time to talk to your friends and reach out to organizations that

With friends, band together and help each other —first by revealing your situation and then asking forhelp. Somepeople have formed meal collectives where they cook together and share the expenses of food. Others help with babysitting. Still others have provided shelter fornewly unhoused former professionals. On adifferent level, reach out to human rights organizations forhelp. The ACLU,for example, is looking to support people whofeel they were wrongly dismissed. Drop the shameand speak up foryourself. Telling your story may be the waytosave yourself and others like you.

Sendquestions to askharriette@ harriettecole.com or c/o AndrewsMcMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.

Lightupany room by alternativemeans during outages

Dear Heloise: Acautionary thought to aneighbor across the river in Omaha, Nebraska, who had asuggestion on solar lightsfor emergency use. Be sure not to depend on bringing them in during athunderstorm. Stay in the house when thunderstorms are in the area. Use thealternative optionsthat you should alreadyhaveon-hand in case thepower goes out. Save the solar lights for long-term outages after any storms are out of the area. —Steve T.,inCouncil Bluffs, Iowa

PLANTS

Continued from page5C

mums work wonderfully in almost any seasonal display

Steve, there are also light bulbs thathave batteries in it, and every time you turn on the lamp thatcontains one of these lights, you can charge up the battery When astorm (orany other mishap) comes along, you can turn on the lamp that contains this bulb because it will be running on the battery ratherthan electricity Allmylamps contain these bulbs, and Iget themata hardware store. —Heloise Test your hearing Dear Readers: How’syour hear-

ing? If you’re like mostfolks, you might ignore the signs of potential hearing loss. Millions of people experience unsafenoise levels at work, and 20% of teenagers have reported hearing loss due to loud noise. Hearing loss is the second most-widespread healthissueworldwide. The National Campaign for Better Hearing (CampaignForBetterHearing.us) wants you to check your hearing beginning at age 60 with its “Test Your Ears at 60 Years” campaign, and then once ayear after this. To schedule afree hearing assessment, call

866-TEST-AT-60 (866-837-8286). For every hearing test given, participating health practices will donate $5 toward upping the awareness of the risks of ignoring hearing loss. They will also distribute free hearing aids to those whocan’tafford them.For more information, you can email Info@ CampaignForBetterHearing.us. P.S. Experts agree that 30 minutes of exercise five times per week can help maintain your good hearing! —Heloise Send ahinttoheloise@heloise com.

When shopping for mums, avoid plants that are in full bloom (unless you’rebuyingthem to decorate for aspecial occasion or havesome other need for instant flower power). Instead, pick plantsthat have tightly closed buds. This will extend theamount of time you can enjoy these pretty flowers. Mums can stay in bloom and look attractivefor several weeks.

Most people keep mums in containers, but they can be planted into the ground, too, and sometimes will perennialize this way.Just be careful when handling mums;they tendtobequite fragile.

Crotons

With leaves featuring vivid streaks of red, orange, yellow andgreen,crotonsare another

DC SNIPER

Continued from page5C

Muhammad saysinthe documentary

Viewers will hear hertellof years of emotional, financial and psychological abuse she endured before herex-husband’skilling spree.

“When the person you love becomes the one you fear,you are scared to the core of your being. Everythingyou thought was real has become an illusion, it is disconcerting,” Muhammad said in 2009. “You feel as though you have fallen into adeep hole and there is nothing to hold onto, because there, everythingyou thought was there is gone,and youslip deeper anddeeper.”

they’re edible.

quintessential plant for autumn.

These tropical plants thrive in bright,indirect light and will lose their colorful variegations if they receive too much shade. Crotons

“Throughexclusive interviews, never-before-seen home video of the Muhammadfamily,and commentary fromdomestic violence expertsand law enforcement officers whoworkedtirelesslyto track and identify the snipers, the documentaryexplores how the justice system, media and public perceptionmissedcriticalwarning signs of abuse and coercive control, and challenges oursociety as awhole to rethink what we know of domestic violence,”a show synopsis states.

“John Muhammadhad aplan. He was going to kill her and thenshe would be just another random victim of the DC Sniper,” says oneof thedetectives.

Charged with murder,terrorism, conspiracy and theillegal use of afirearm,John Muhammad was convicted, received the death

can live many years and even do well as houseplants.

Ornamental peppers

There’sawide variety of orna-

penaltyand died by lethal injectionin2009. Malvo, now 40,was also found guilty and is serving four consecutive life sentences in aVirginia prison. MildredMuhammad hasturned hertrauma into an avenue to helpother abuse victims. She is an award-winning author,public speaker anddomestic violence awareness advocate. She also servesonthe Maryland Board of Victim Services, is acertified Consultant for the U.S. Department of Justice, aspeaker for the U.S. DepartmentofState anda CNN contributor

The National Domestic Violence Hotline is available to provide help at thehotline.org or the No More Foundation at declarenomore.com Email JudyBergeron at jbergeron@theadvocate.com.

mental peppers to choose from these days. Traditional options with yellow,orange and red peppers andgreen foliage are always awelcome addition to the fall garden. But youalso cannow find cultivars with unique featuressuchaseye-catching variegatedgreen,white and purple leaves anddeep redand purple fruit setagainst purple-to-black foliage.

Ornamental peppers often are waxy and very spicy,sothey’re not pleasant to eat —but they are aLouisiana Super Plant.

Kale andcabbage

While ornamental peppers generally aren’tedible, kale and cabbage are —and they also can add interesting foliage and, depending on the cultivars you grow, shades of red to the garden. Mix and match these plants, and you’ll create an aesthetically pleasing landscape that will tide you over until it’stimetoplant things like petunias and violas later this fall.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) Refuse to let what others do aggravate you. Channel your time and energy into finishing what you start and doing the best job possible. Change what you don't like.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Explore possibilities. If you limit yourself, you'll do yourself an injustice. Consider how you can use your skills and knowledge to do something you enjoy.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Create opportunities, and you will advance. Be aware of your limits and any health restraints. Avoid situations that pose a risk to your physical well-being.

AQUARIUS (Jan 20-Feb. 19) High energy alongside good timing and the urge to make a move will pay off. Fine-tune your skills, invest in yourself and take measures to look and do your best.

PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) Refrain from taking a leap of faith. You have time to consider every angle and redefine what you want to pursue. Trust your knowledge, intelligence and insight, and you'll discover the road that leads to victory.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) A change in how you earn or handle money will intrigue you. Find out as much as you can and submit your resume. Be reserved when reacting to emotional situations.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Build with what you have already instead of overpaying for something you don't need. Put more energy and time into partnerships and your home environment. Distance yourself from divisive people.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Impulsive action will tempt you. Be cautious when dealing with associates or those trying to provoke a reaction or prompt a hasty decision. Refuse to let anyone coax you into buying something you don't need.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) Put your energy into work, discipline and doing your utmost to thrive and survive. A unique approach to developing or showcasing your skills will help you advance. Think big, but don't lose sight of the budget.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Avoid debates or making impulsive moves under emotional conditions. Refrain from making a big decision without conducting a thorough investigation. Someone will take advantage of you if you give them the chance.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Chat up someone who can offer something in return. Be careful not to oversell or undersell yourself; truth matters and will determine your future. Display what you can contribute, and you'll find your niche. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Refrain from overdoing it today. The temptation to take on too much or make promises you cannot keep is looming. Channel your energy and pay attention to what's going on around you.

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

Sudoku

InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. Theobject is to place the numbers 1to9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. Thedifficulty level of theSudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

nea CroSSwordS La TimeS CroSSword

BY PHILLIP ALDER

Alexandre Dumas, the father, not his son, said, “All human wisdom is summed up in two words wait and hope.”

At the bridge table, one wishes that all wisdom isn’t summed up in two words — play and hope. Yes, you will often be hoping for the best, but ideally you find a 100 percent line of play or defense.

In yesterday’s deal, declarer had two chances to make his contract. Today’s is similar. South is in six hearts. West leads the club queen. What are declarer’s two chances? How should he play to combine them?

North’s two-no-trump response was the Jacoby Forcing Raise, guaranteeing at least four-card heart support and game-going values. South’s three-spade rebid indicated a singleton (or void) in that suit Then, after two control-bids (cue-bids), North made a very aggressive jump to slam.

If you bid the spots off the cards, you had better play them off, too — and get lucky.

South can see two possible losers: one diamond and one club. He has only 11 top tricks: one spade, six hearts, one diamond, two clubs and a spade ruff in South, the shorter trump hand. Declarer’s first thought is probably that the diamond finesse needs to work. But he might also find clubs 3-3. And that should be tried first.

South takes the first trick, draws trumps, and plays two more rounds of clubs. Here, they divide evenly and declarer can claim, stating that he will discard one of dummy’s diamonds on his last club. But if the clubs were not 3-3, the diamond finesse would still be available. © 2025 by NEA, Inc., dist. By Andrews

InstRuctIOns: 1. Words

tODAY’s WORD — AnALYZED: AN-uh-lyz’d: Examined in detail to understand.

Average

BRIEFS

FROM WIRE REPORTS

List of potential Federal Reserve chairs at 5

WASHINGTON Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Monday confirmed the names of five candidates to replace Jerome Powell as chair of the powerful Federal Reserve next year On an Air Force One flight to Asia with President Donald Trump, Bessent said he would engage in a second round of interviews in the coming weeks and present a “good slate” of candidates to Trump “right after Thanksgiving.” Trump said he expected to decide on Powell’s replacement by the end of this year The five people under consideration are: Federal Reserve governors Christopher Waller and Michelle Bowman; former Fed governor Kevin Warsh; White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett; and Rick Rieder, senior managing director at asset manager BlackRock.

The names suggest that no matter who is picked, there will likely be big changes coming to the Federal Reserve next year Bessent, who is leading the search for Powell’s replacement, last month published extensive criticisms of the Fed and some of the policies it has pursued from the Great Financial Crisis of 2008-2009 to the pandemic.

Trump on Monday, meanwhile, repeated his long-standing attacks on Powell, charging that he has been too slow to cut interest rates.

4.9M pounds of Hormel frozen chicken recalled

WASHINGTON Hormel Foods is recalling nearly 4.9 million pounds of frozen boneless chicken products it sold to restaurants, cafeterias and other outlets, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced Saturday Customers reported finding metal in the chicken breast and thigh products. Hormel concluded that the metal came from a conveyor belt used in production, the food safety service said. There have been no reports of illnesses or injuries.

The recalled Hormel Fire Braised chicken items were distributed to HRI Commercial Food Service, a restaurant supply company, at locations nationwide from Feb. 10 through Sept. 19. Consumers can reach out to Hormel Foods through the company website or by calling (800) 523-4635.

Soybeans surge amid talks by U.S.-China

Soybeans and other crops soared as progress in negotiations between the U.S. and China lifted hopes that the world’s two largest economies were edging toward a deal in their protracted trade war Soy futures rose as much as 2.8% in Chicago, reaching the highest amount since July 2024. That came after U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said China would make “substantial” purchases of the oilseed under a pact the two countries are close to finalizing. Wheat jumped by the most since Aug. 12. Agricultural trade was among a range of issues that American and Chinese negotiators said they came to terms on over the weekend, setting the table for leaders Donald Trump and Xi Jinping to finalize a deal and ease tensions that have rattled global markets. The two are expected to meet later this week in South Korea on the sidelines of the APEC summit.

Soybeans have been a central point of tension between the two agricultural giants. China, the world’s top importer of the crop, has deployed it as a bargaining chip in its trade war with the U.S., shunning shipments from its second-largest supplier, and turning instead to South America for record imports U.S. farmers, suffering from financial strain as their top consumer walked away, have urged Washington to reach an agreement with Beijing.

THEADVOCATE.COM/news/business

Cadence Bank

Huntington Bancshares negotiates all-stock deal

BY MICHELLE CHAPMAN AP business writer

Huntington Bancshares is buying regional bank Cadence Bank in an all-stock deal valued at $7.4 billion that will strengthen its position across the Southern U.S. Cadence, which has headquarters in Houston and Tupelo, Mississippi, has more than 390 locations across Texas and the South. Cadence has 24 branches in Louisiana. The company entered the Louisiana market in 2022, when it merged with BancorpSouth. Huntington runs more than 1,000 branches in 14 states. It is typically referred to as a super regional

bank, a group of large national banks that are significant in size, often hundreds of billions in assets and hundreds of branches, but are dwarfed in size by the banking giants Wells Fargo, Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase, who have size and scale that the super regionals cannot replicate. The super regionals have been growing considerably in recent years in order to better compete with the Wall Street titans in various businesses. For example, Capital One bought Discover Financial, which jointly created the nation’s largest credit card company Huntington Bancshares bought Detroit’s TCF back in 2021. And last

Passenger planes meant to rival Boeing, Airbus

BY CHAN HO-HIM Associated Press

HONG KONG China’s ambition to challenge Boeing and Airbus with its own homegrown passenger jet is running into turbulence, with deliveries of finished aircraft likely to fall far short of its target announced for this year

The C919 jet — a single-aisle passenger plane aiming to rival Boeing’s 737 and Airbus’ A320 — is made by state-owned aircraft manufacturer COMAC Beijing is showcasing it as evidence of China’s technological advancement and progress in self-reliance, though it uses many Western sourced components.

Trade friction with Washington threatens to prevent COMAC from securing core parts for the program that has been supported by huge Chinese government subsidies.

“COMAC faces significant risk from the volatile policy environment, with its supply chains vulnerable to export restrictions and tit-for-tat measures between the U.S. and China,” said Max J. Zenglein, Asia-Pacific senior economist at The Conference Board think tank

The C919 has 48 major suppliers from the U.S. including GE, Honeywell and Collins — 26 from Europe and 14 from China, according to analysts at the Bank of America. Trump threatened to impose new export controls on “critical” software to China after Beijing imposed stricter export controls on rare earths.

“Existing choke points are being exploited in the deal making process between governments,” Zenglein said. “This is likely to continue as critical dependencies have become political bargaining chips.”

Beijing has high hopes for the C919, which made its maiden commercial flight in 2023.

The mid-sized jet is meant to help fill vast domestic demand for new aircraft over the next few decades. China hopes to expand sales beyond its borders and fly globally, including in Southeast Asia, Africa and Europe.

COMAC delivered 13 C919s to Chinese carriers last year and only seven as of October this year, despite plans to ramp up production and deliver 30 jets in 2025, according to the aviation consultancy Cirium.

China’s biggest state-owned airlines — Air

BY STAN CHOE AP business writer

NEW YORK Stocks climbed to more records on Monday ahead of a week packed with potentially market-moving events for Wall Street. The S&P 500 rose 1.2%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 337 points, or 0.7%, and the Nasdaq composite jumped 1.9%. Each of the trio set an all-time high for a second straight day Stocks also rallied in Asia ahead of a meeting on Thursday between the heads of the United States and China. The hope is that the talks could clear rising tensions between the world’s two largest economies and allow the global economy to keep motoring.

month, PNC Financial announced that it plans to buy Colorado-based FirstBank for $4.1 billion.

Huntington said Monday that once the deal closes, it will become the No. 1 bank in Mississippi and a top 10 bank in both Alabama and Arkansas by deposits. The transaction will also give it a foothold in high-growth markets such as Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin, Atlanta, Nashville, Orlando and Tampa. Bank transactions are on the upswing of late. Merger and acquisition activity among U.S. banks jumped to a four-year high in the third quarter, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence data through Sept. 30. There were 52 U.S. bank deals announced in 2025’s third quarter That’s the

highest quarterly number of deals since the third quarter of 2021, when the industry disclosed 59 transactions.

Columbus, Ohio-based Huntington will issue 2.475 shares of common stock for each outstanding share of Cadence common stock.

Huntington does not plan to close any of Cadence’s branches. Cadence Bank teams and branches will operate under the Huntington Bank name and brand.

Cadence Bank Chairman and CEO James D Rollins III will become nonexecutive vice chairman of the board of Huntington Bancshares Inc. once the deal is complete. He will also serve as a director of Huntington Bancshares and The Huntington National Bank.

China, China Eastern and China Southern are the only commercial airlines currently flying a total of around 20 C919s.

Trade tensions between the U.S. and China have “directly affected” delivery schedules for the C919, said Dan Taylor head of consulting at aviation consultancy IBA. For one, output plans were disrupted when the U.S. suspended export licenses for the jet’s LEAP-1C engines around May, resuming them in July he said.

U.S.-controlled technology that needs export licensing for the LEAP-1C engines — jointly built by the U.S.’s GE Aerospace and France’s Safran -— means the C919’s engines require U.S. export clearance, Taylor said, making it “inherently sensitive to political shifts.”

“Engine and avionics dependence on Western suppliers continues to expose the program to policy decisions beyond COMAC’s control,” Taylor explained.

Geopolitical tensions alone are not the only cause for slower than expected production of the C919s. The program has been “marked by caution and prioritizing quality and safe-

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said there’s “a framework” for U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping to discuss at their meeting, while Trump said, “We feel good” about working things out with China.

That’s just one of many things that will need to go right this week in order for the U.S. stock market’s tremendous, record-breaking rally to continue. The S&P 500 has shot up a stunning 38% since hitting a low in April, when worries about Trump’s tariffs on China and other countries were at their peak. Besides hopes for easing trade tensions, the rally has also been built on expectations for several more things to happen. One is that the Federal Reserve

ty, so there also may be some operational reasons for the slower production ramp up,” said Zenglein from The Conference Board. While “it has always been the aim to reduce the reliance on foreign components as quickly as possible” for the C919, Zenglein said, many analysts say it is a challenging process. China’s own engine alternative — the CJ-1000A under development by stateowned Aero Engine Corporation of China (AECC) is still under testing, according to IBA.

Several airlines outside of China, including AirAsia, have expressed interest in flying the C919, but a lack of international certification has so far prevented the C919 from flying beyond China. Certifications from the U.S. and the European Union’s aviation regulators could take years.

For the C919 to succeed, it “needs to have each one of three things: good economics, a prompt global product support network, and certification from safety agencies”, said Richard Aboulafia, managing director of AeroDynamic Advisory “Any one of these three alone doesn’t mean much,” he said.

will keep cutting interest rates in order to give the slowing job market a boost. The Fed’s next announcement on interest rates is due on Wednesday, and the nearly unanimous expectation among traders is that it will cut the federal funds rate by a quarter of a percentage point at a second straight meeting. It’s not a certainty though, because the Fed has also warned it may have to change course if inflation accelerates beyond its still-high level. That’s because low interest rates can make inflation worse. The latest monthly report on inflation came in slightly better than economists expected, raising hopes, but it may be the final update for a while if the U.S. govern-

ment’s shutdown continues. That could cloud the forecast for cuts to rates to continue. Besides lower interest rates, another expectation that’s propped up stock prices is the forecast that U.S. companies will continue to deliver solid growth in profits. Keurig Dr Pepper climbed 7.6% Monday after reporting profit for the latest quarter that matched analysts’ expectations. The company behind Canada Dry and Green Mountain coffee said it benefited from higher prices for K-Cup products, among other things

Some of Wall Street’s most influential stocks are set to report their results this week, including Alphabet, Meta Platforms and Microsoft on Wednesday and Amazon and Apple on Thursday