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Woodward outatLSU

Athletic director finalizing separation from university in wake of critical comments from thegovernor

BY KOKI RILEY and WILSON ALEXANDER Staffwriters

LSU and athleticdirector Scott Woodward are finalizing his separation from the school, one day after Gov.Jeff Landry said Woodward wouldnot be the one to hire the replacement for coach Brian Kelly LSU conﬁrmedinanannouncementThursday thatWoodward and the school agreed to part ways effective immediately LongtimeLSU athletic official Verge Ausberry will serveasthe interim athleticdirector as the school nears the endofits search for anew presidentand looks for anew head football coach

With four years left on hiscontract, Woodward is owedabuyout of roughly $6.7 million. LSU is expected to comply with the termsofhis deal, according to Yahoo Sports. Woodward’s buyout would be paid out into 2029 and could be offset bythe salary at his next job. According to the contract, Woodwardhas aduty to ﬁnd anotherathletic director job or asimilar position.

“Wethank Scott for thelast six years of service as athletic director,” Scott Ballard, the chair of the LSU Board of Supervisors, said in astatement. “He had alot of success at LSU, and we wish him nothing but the best in the future. Our focus now is on moving the athletic department forward andbestpositioningLSU to achieve its full potential.”

The decision had been expected, especially after Landry criticized Woodward for what he described as a“pattern” of bad coaching contracts. Landry claimed Woodward was to blame for the nearly $77 million buyout that Texas A&M paid Jimbo Fisher,and LSU owes Kelly anearly $54 million buyout that is still being negotiated.

Woodward hiredFisherat Texas A&M to a10-year,$75 million contract in 2017. Twoyears after Woodward leftfor LSU, then-Texas A&M athletics director Ross Bjork gave Fisher

ä See WOODWARD, page 9A

Historic sharecropper cabins demolished

BY CHRISTOPHER CARTWRIGHT

Staff writer

Shutdown threatens Head Start programs

Earlylearning centers face uncertainfuture

BY MARK BALLARD Staff writer

WASHINGTON —Along withfood stamps, airtravel and other casualties of theprolonged federal government shutdown, manyHeadStartprograms will run out of money Saturday,threatening early learning, food assistance and health screenings for preschoolers, as well as free child care and job training fortheir lower-incomeparents.

About10% of the programsnationwide won’t receive funds Saturday, affecting morethan 58,600 children at 134 Head Start centersin41states,accordingtothe National Head Start Association.

In Louisiana, 1,344 children at morethan adozen centers, primarily in New Orleansand Acadiana, have scrambled to cover the impact of not receiving checks.

LIBBIE SONNIER, chief executiveofficer at Louisiana Policy Institute for Children

“Weknow that the affected grantees will likely stayopenaslongasthey can using the revenue fundsorother resources. But the longer the shutdowncontinues, the harder it’ll be for them to be able to hold on,” said Libbie Sonnier, chiefexecutive ofﬁcer at Louisiana Policy Institute forChildren, aNew Orleansbased research nonproﬁt.

Head Start serves about 13,800 of the 100,000 Louisianachildren wholiveinhouseholdsator near the federal poverty line.

“Wealso know that, when centers are forced to close, parents will have to make impossible choices of eithergoing to work to sustain theirfamily or notmaking an income andstaying home with their children,” Sonnier said.

Advocates seethis latest hurdle as another unwelcome wrinkle in ayearlong struggle over thefutureofthe 60-year-old program, says Teresa Falgoust, director of data and research with Agenda forChildren, an advocacy group based in New Orleans.

ä See SHUTDOWN, page 7A

For more than 130 years, four sharecropper cabins have stood in aline along GreatRiverRoad in the upper west bank of Ascension Parish. Last week,ahead of planned industrial developmentin the rural area, crews demolished two in amove that sparked grief and outrage fromsome residents.

The cabins sit beside the Mulberry GrovePlantation house,which was constructed in 1836 in the Greek Revival style, andall are listed on theNational Register of Historic Places. A1993 form about thesite estimated that thecabins were built around1890. Ashley Gaignard, founder of the Donaldsonville-based Rural Roots

Louisiana advocacy group, and otherlocalsexpressed griefover the destruction of thecabins. Her uncle,ClovesteJoseph, was born in oneofthem,and she said they servedasaliving reminder of where her family came from.

“It’s thelittle things that you can bring your kids to and say, ‘Hey,

ä See CABINS, page 9A

What’sleft of a sharecropper cabinbuilt around 1890 lies beside sugar cane fields near Modeste on Tuesday.

STAFFPHOTO By CHRISTOPHER CARTWRIGHT

STAFF FILEPHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

ScottWoodward washired as LSU’sathletic directorinApril 2019 and led an athletic department that wonsix national championships under his guidance.

King Charles III strips

Prince Andrew of title

After a year of embarrassing sex allegations related to Jeffrey Epstein, Prince Andrew on Thursday was stripped of his title by Buckingham Palace.

“Prince Andrew will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor,” a statement said.

“These censures are deemed necessary, not withstanding the fact that he continues to deny the allegations against him. Their majesties wish to make clear that their thoughts and utmost sympathies have been, and will remain with, the victims and survivors of any and all forms of abuse.”

Andrew has been stripped of positions for several years.

Andrew stepped away from the spotlight after he was linked to the notorious late billionaire financier This month Andrew publicly announced he would not use his title or honors, distancing himself even further from the royal family.

Andrew continued to deny the accusations. But the royal family’s decision to strip him of his titles, after emails emerged that he remained in contact with Epstein longer than he previously admitted, is a grave consequence for King Charles III’s younger brother, who has faced questions about his relationship to Epstein.

Andrew faced accusations that he had sex with Virginia Giuffre, who said she was trafﬁcked by Epstein, when she was 17. Giuffre sued Andrew and the two reached an out-of-court settlement in 2022, but Andrew did not admit any wrongdoing

2 Mississippi sheriffs and 12 officers charged JACKSON,Miss.— Federal authorities on Thursday announced indictments against 20 people, including 14 current or former Mississippi law enforcement officers, that allege the officers took bribes to provide safe passage to people they believed were drug traffickers

The yearslong investigation swept across multiple law enforcement agencies in the state’s Northwestern Delta region. Two Mississippi sheriffs, Washington County Sheriff Milton Gaston and Humphreys County Sheriff Bruce Williams, were among those arrested. Some bribes were as large as $20,000 and $37,000, authorities said at a news conference.

“It’s just a monumental betrayal of public trust,” U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner said.

Sunflower County Sheriff James Haywood conﬁrmed the arrest of a deputy, Marvin Flowers, on Thursday morning. Haywood said Flowers worked for the department for 13 years. Ohio panel unveils proposed House map

Ohio’s Republican-led redistricting commission unveiled a proposed U.S. House map Thursday that could give Republicans a chance at winning two more seats in next year’s midterm elections, bolstering President Donald Trump’s efforts to hold on to a slim congressional majority Ohio is required by its state constitution to enact new congressional districts before the 2026 elections because the current map was adopted by Republican ofﬁcials without bipartisan support. Republicans currently hold 10 of Ohio’s 15 congressional seats, but some Republicans view the mandatory redistricting as opportunity to expand upon that.

The proposed map appears to increase Republican chances in the districts held by Democratic U.S. Reps. Greg Landsman in Cincinnati and Marcy Kaptur around Toledo, an area that gave Trump a majority in the 2024 presidential election.

Bus of Va. gubernatorial candidate catches fire NORFOLK,Va. — Lt. Gov Winsome

Earle-Sears’ campaign bus caught on ﬁre Thursday afternoon. She posted on X that everyone is safe. She did not say what had caused the ﬁre.

Earle-Sears, the Republican candidate in Virginia’s gubernatorial race, takes on Democrat Abigail Spanberger in Tuesday’s general election.

5 more arrested in Louvre heist

BY THOMAS ADAMSON and ANGELA CHARLTON Associated Press

PARIS The dragnet tightened around the Louvre thieves on Thursday Five more people were seized in the crown-jewels heist — including a suspect tied by DNA — the Paris prosecutor said, widening the sweep across the capital and its suburbs.

Authorities said three of the four alleged members of the “commando” team, as French media have dubbed the robbers, are now in custody

The late-night operations in Paris and nearby Seine-Saint-Denis lift the total arrested to seven.

Prosecutor Laure Beccuau told RTL that one detainee is suspected of belonging to the brazen quartet that burst into the Apollo Gallery in broad daylight on Oct. 19; others held “may be able to inform us about how the events unfolded.”

Beccuau called the response an “exceptional mobilization” about 100 investigators, seven

days a week, with roughly 150 forensic samples analyzed and 189 items sealed as evidence.

Even so, she said the latest arrests did not uncover the loot — a trove valued around $102 million that includes a diamond-and-emerald necklace Napoleon gave to Empress Marie-Louise as a wedding gift, jewels tied to 19th-century Queens Marie-Amélie and Hortense, and Empress Eugénie’s pearl-and-diamond tiara.

Only one relic has surfaced so far — Eugénie’s crown, damaged but salvageable, dropped in the escape.

Beccuau renewed her appeal: “These jewels are now of course, unsellable There’s still time to give them back.”

Experts warn the gold could be melted and the stones re-cut to erase their past.

Key planning details have snapped into focus. Nine days before the raid, a mover who owns a truck-mounted lift — the kind movers use to hoist furniture through Parisian windows — was

mysteriously booked for a “moving job” on the French classiﬁeds site Leboncoin, a site similar to Craigslist, Beccuau said Wednesday

When he arrived in the town of Louvres, north of Paris, around 10 a.m. on Oct. 10, two men ambushed him and stole the lift truck.

On the day of the heist itself, that same vehicle idled beneath the Paris museum’s riverside façade.

Online observers have noted a remarkable coincidence: How a plot that began in Louvres ended at the Louvre.

At 9:30 a.m. the basket lift rose to the Apollo Gallery window; at 9:34 the glass gave way; by 9:38 the crew was gone — a four-minute strike. Only the “near-simultaneous” arrival of police and museum security stopped the thieves from torching the lift and preserved crucial traces, the prosecutor said.

Security footage shows at least four men forcing a window, cutting into two display cases with power tools and fleeing on two scooters toward eastern Paris. In-

Haiti, Jamaica, Cuba pick up pieces after Melissa

BY ARIEL FERNÁNDEZ, ANDREA RODRÍGUEZ and JOHN MYERS JR. Associated Press

SANTIAGO DE CUBA, Cuba The rumble of large machinery, whine of chain saws and chopping of machetes echoed through communities across the northern Caribbean on Thursday as they dug out from the destruction of Hurricane Melissa and surveyed the damage left behind.

In Jamaica, government workers and residents began clearing roads in a push to reach dozens of isolated communities in the island’s southeast that sustained a direct hit from one of the most powerful Atlantic hurricanes on record.

Stunned residents wandered about, some staring at their rooﬂess homes and waterlogged belongings strewn around them

“I don’t have a house now,” said Sylvester Guthrie, a resident of Lacovia in the southern parish of St. Elizabeth, as he held onto his bicycle, the only possession of value left after the storm.

Emergency relief ﬂights began landing at Jamaica’s main international airport, which reopened late Wednesday, as crews distributed water, medicine and other basic supplies Helicopters dropped food as they thrummed above communities where the storm ﬂattened homes, wiped out roads and destroyed bridges, cutting them off from assistance.

“The entire Jamaica is really broken because of what has happened,” Education Minister Dana Morris Dixon said.

Police said at least 14 people have died in Jamaica, and they expected the death toll to keep rising.

More than 13,000 people remained crowded into shelters, with 72% of the island without power and only 35% of mobile phone sites in operation officials said. People clutched cash as they formed long lines at the few gas stations and supermarkets open in affected areas. In Cuba, heavy equipment began to clear blocked roads and highways and the military helped rescue people trapped in isolated communities and at risk from landslides.

The town of El Cobre in the eastern province of Santiago de Cuba was one of the hardest hit. Home to some 7,000 people, it is also the site of the Basilica of Our Lady of Charity, the patron saint of Cuba who is deeply venerated by Catholics and practitioners of Santería, an Afro-Cuban religion.

“We went through this very badly So much wind, so much wind. Zinc roofs

were torn off. Some houses completely collapsed. It was a disaster,” said Odalys Ojeda, a 61-year-old retiree, as she looked up at the sky from her living room where the roof and other parts of the house were torn away Even the basilica wasn’t spared.

“Here at the sanctuary, the carpentry, stained glass and even the masonry suffered extensive damage,” Father Rogelio Dean Puerta said.

A televised Civil Defense meeting chaired by President Miguel Díaz-Canel did not provide an official estimate of the damage. However officials from the affected provinces — Santiago, Granma, Holguín, Guantánamo, and Las Tunas — reported losses of roofs, power lines and fiber optic telecommunications cables, as well as roads cut off, isolating communities, and heavy losses in banana, cassava and coffee plantations.

In an unusual statement Thursday, the U.S. State Department said the United States was “ready to assist the Cuban people.” A news release said the U.S. “is prepared to provide immediate humanitarian assistance directly and through local partners who can deliver it more effectively to those in need.”

The statement did not specify how the cooperation would be coordinated or whether contact had been made with the Cuban government, with which it maintains a bitter conﬂict that includes six decades of economic and ﬁnancial sanctions.

Melissa also unleashed catastrophic ﬂooding in Haiti, where at least 30 people were reported killed and 20 others were missing, mostly in the country’s southern region. Some 15,000 people also remained in shelters

Haiti’s Civil Protection Agency said Hurricane Melissa killed at least 20 people, including 10 children, in Petit-Goâve where more than 160 homes were damaged and 80 others destroyed.

Steven Guadard said Melissa killed his entire family in Petit-Goâve, including four children ranging in age from 1 month to 8 years old.

Michelet Dégange, who has lived in Petit-Goâve for three years, said Melissa left him homeless.

“There is no place to rest the body; we are hungry,” he said. “The authorities don’t think about us. I haven’t closed my eyes since the bad weather began.”

When Melissa came ashore in Jamaica as a Category 5 hurricane with top winds of 185 mph on Tuesday, it tied strength records for Atlantic hurricanes making landfall, both in wind speed and barometric pressure.

vestigators say there is no sign of insider help for now, though they are not ruling out a wider network beyond the four on camera. French police have acknowledged major gaps in the Louvre’s defenses, turning an audacious theft into a national reckoning over how France protects its treasures.

Two earlier suspects, men aged 34 and 39 from Aubervilliers, north of Paris, were charged Wednesday with theft by an organized gang and criminal conspiracy after nearly 96 hours in custody Beccuau said both gave “minimalist” statements and “partially admitted” their involvement.

One was stopped at Charles de Gaulle Airport with a one-way ticket to Algeria; his DNA matched a scooter used in the getaway French law normally keeps active investigations under a shroud of secrecy to protect police work and victims’ privacy Only the prosecutor may speak publicly, though in high-proﬁle cases police unions have occasionally shared partial details.

Radio Free Asia says it’s

halting news operations

BY DAVID BAUDER AP media writer

Radio Free Asia said it is shutting down its news operations on Friday with its ﬁnancing in dire straits due to the U.S government shutdown and the Trump administration’s moves against government-funded news services.

Since 1996, Radio Free Asia has been an independent news source operating online and on broadcast throughout that region, particularly in areas where the free flow of information is repressed. It has been operating with a skeleton staff the past few months, primarily producing a few stories online as the administration has sought to choke off its funding. Trump’s team has contended that operations like RFA, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Voice of America are poorly run and a waste of government resources.

“In an effort to conserve limited resources on hand and preserve the possibility of restarting operations should consistent funding

become available, RFA is taking further steps to responsibly shrink its already reduced footprint,” said Bay Fang, RFA’s president and CEO. Radio Free Asia will begin shutting down overseas bureaus, laying off and paying severance to staff members, most of whom have been on unpaid leave since last March, Fang said. With its own journalists and contractors, RFA has reported aggressively on stories some governments don’t want to see — the repression of Uyghurs in China, the aftermath of the 2021 military coup in Myanmar and the plight of defectors in North Korea. RFE/Radio Liberty, similar to RFA as a private corporation funded by the government, said its own news services are staying up, “and we plan to continue reaching our audiences for the foreseeable future,” the organization said this week. It operates in Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East The service had launched its own lawsuit against the administration.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By RAMON ESPINOSA Residents walk in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa in El Cobre, Cuba, on Wednesday

Newrulebarsstudent loan relief in certainorganizations

privatesector

BY COLLIN BINKLEY Associated Press

WASHINGTON The Trump administration is forging aheadwithplans to eject some nonproﬁts from apopular student loan forgiveness program if their work is deemed to have a“substantial illegal purpose” —a move that could cut off some teachers, doctors and other public workers from federal loan cancellation. New rules ﬁnalizedThursday give the Education Department expanded power to ban organizations from the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.The Trump administration said it’snecessarytoblock taxpayer money from lawbreakers. Critics say it turns

the programinto atool of political retribution. Set to take effect in July, the policy is aimed primarily at organizations thatwork with immigrants and transgenderyouth. It grantsthe education secretarypower to exclude groups from the program if they engage in activities including the trafficking or “chemical castration” of children, illegal immigrationand supporting terrorist organizations. “Chemical castration”isdefined as using hormonetherapyor drugs that delaypuberty gender-affirming care common for transgender childrenorteens. It amounts to amajor reworking of aprogram that hascanceled loansfor more than1millionAmericans andwas created by Congress in 2007 to steer more college graduates into lowerpaying public sector jobs. The Trump administration has yet to identify specific groups it intendstotarget,

but it estimates fewer than 10 would be barred per year

Theprogram“wasmeant to support Americans who dedicate theircareers to public service —not to subsidize organizations that violate thelaw,whether by harboring illegalimmigrants or performing prohibited medical procedures thatattempt to transition children away from their biological sex,” EducationUndersecretaryNicholas Kent said in astatement.

The newrulesare weaponizing loan forgivenessto make it harder for groups that work on issues like refugee and transgender rights, said Michael Lukens,executive director of the Amica Centerfor Immigrant Rights.

Lukenssaidmanyofthe attorneys, social workers and paralegals who workat his organization on deportation defense andother immigration litigation count on public serviceloanforgivenesstotake jobs that pay significantly less than the

Trumpsetsyearlyrefugee capof7,500

Most will be White SouthAfricans

BY REBECCA SANTANA Associated Press

WASHINGTON The Trump administration is restricting the number of refugees admitted annually to the United States to 7,500 and they will mostlybeWhite South Africans, adramatic drop announced Thursday that effectively suspends America’straditionalrole as ahaven for those ﬂeeing war and persecution. The move cements amajor shift in policy toward

DeputySecretaryofStateChristopher

Afrikanerrefugees

International Airportin Dulles, Va

“All of asudden, that’sgoing away,” Lukens said. “The younger generation, Ihope, will be able to wait this out for the next couple of years to see if it gets better,but if it doesn’t, we’re going to see alot of people leave theﬁeld to go and work in afor-proﬁt space.”

The program promises to cancel federal student loans for governmentemployees and many nonprofitworkers after they have made 10 years of payments. It has long been open to governmentworkers, teachers, firefighters and employees of public hospitals. Eligibility ruleslaid outbyCongress fo-

cus mostly on nonproﬁts’ tax status and their ﬁeld of work.

Thebenefit hasgoneto workers at organizations across thepolitical spectrum. YetinaMarch action demanding newlimits, President Donald Trump saidit has “misdirected tax dollars into activist organizations thatnot only fail to serve the public interest, but actually harm our national security and American values, sometimes through criminal means.”

Acentralconcernofcriticsisthe wide latitude the department is giving itself to determine if an organization’swork should be considered to have a“substantial illegal purpose.”

Employers across state and local government as well as nonprofits can be expelled fromthe programifastate or federal court rules against them, or if they agree to alegal settlement that includes admission of guilt. Performing gender-affirming care in the 27 states that outlaw it, for example, appears to be grounds for expulsion. Evenwithout alegal finding, the education secretary will be able to independently determine that an organizationshould be barred. The secretarywould weigh whether the “preponderance of the evidence” leans against the employer

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By JULIA DEMAREE NIKHINSON

Landau greets

from South Africa on May12atDulles

Lawmakersgrasp forwaystoend shutdown

BY LISA MASCARO AP congressional correspondent

WASHINGTON Certain senators know it. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton, knows it. And with President Donald Trump back in Washington from his overseas trip, perhaps the White House knows it, too.

For many,it’stime for thegovernment shutdown to come toan end.

From coast to coast, fallout from the dysfunctionofashuttered federal government is hittinghome: Alaskans are stockpiling moose, caribou and ﬁsh for winter, even before SNAP food aid is scheduled to shut off. Mainers are ﬁlling up their home-heating oil tanks, but waiting on the federal subsidies that are nowhere in sight.

Flights arebeing delayedwith holiday travel around the corner Workers are going without paychecks. And Americans are getting aﬁrst glimpse of the skyrocketing health care insurance costs that are at the center of the stalemate on Capitol Hill.

“People are stressing,” said Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, as food options in her state grow scarce.

“Weare well past time to have this behind us.”

While quiet talks are underway, particularly among bipartisan senators, the shutdown is not expected to end before Saturday’sdeadline when Americans’ deep food inse-

children.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Republicans now “have the nerve”tosuggest it’s apolitical strategy to withhold food aid. “Weare trying to lift up the quality of life for the American people,” Jeffries, D-N.Y.,said about his party

“The American people understandthat there’sa Republican health care crisis,” he said. “The American people understand Republicansenacted the largest cut to nutritional assistance in American history when they cut $186 billion from their one, big, ugly bill.”

curity —1 in 8peopledependon thegovernmenttohave enough to eat —could become starkly apparent if federal SNAP funds run dry

The White Househas moved money around to ensurethe military is paid, but refuses to tap funds for food aid. In fact,Trump’s

“big, beautiful bill” signed into law this summer,delivered the most substantial cut ever to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP,projected to result in some 2.4 million people off theprogram.

At thesametime, many Americanswho purchase their own health insurance through thefederal and state marketplaces, with open enrollment also beginning Saturday,are experiencing sticker

shock as premium prices jump

“Weare holding food over the heads of poor people so thatwe can take away their health care,” said the Rev. RyanStoess, during aprayer with religious leaders at theU.S. Capitol.

“God help us,” he said, “when the cruelty is the point.”

The House remains closed down under Johnson for the past month

The shutdown, in its30thday, appearsontrack to become the longestinhistory, surpassing the 35-daylapse that endedin2019, during Trump’sﬁrst termover his demands to build the U.S.-Mexico border wall.

The Republicans, who have majority control of Congress, find themselves in an unusual position, defending the furloughed federal workers and shuttered programs they have long sought to cut —includingmostrecentlywithnearly $1 trillion in reductions in Trump’s big tax breaksand spending bill.

Medicaid,the health care program, and SNAP food aid, suffered sizable blows this summer,inpart by imposing newworkrequirements. For SNAPrecipients, many of whom werealready required to work,the new requirements extendtoolder Americans up to age 64 and parents of older school-age

During the summer debate over Trump’sbig bill, Johnsonand other Republicans railed against what they characterized as lazy Americans, riding what the House speaker callsthe “gravy train” of government beneﬁts.

Thespeaker spokeabout ablebodied young menplaying video games whilereceiving Medicaid health care beneﬁts and insisted thenew work requirements for the aid programs would weed out whatthey called “waste, fraud and abuse.”

“What we’re talking about, again, is able-bodiedworkers, many of whom arerefusingtoworkbecause they’re gaming the system,” Johnsonsaidinspring on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”

“And when we make them work, it’ll be better foreverybody,a winwin-win forall,” he said.

BY MICHAEL CASEY and GEOFF MULVIHILL Associated Press

BOSTON Afederal judge in Boston on Thursday seemed skeptical of the Trump’sadministration’sargument that SNAP benefits could be suspendedfor the first timein the food aid program’shistorybecause of the government shutdown. During ahearing over arequest by 25 Democratic-led states to keep the funding flowing, U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani told lawyers that if the government can’tafford to cover the cost, there’sa process to follow rather than simply sus-

pending all benefits. “The steps involve finding an equitable way of reducing beneﬁts,” said Talwani, whowas nominated to the courtby then-PresidentBarackObama.

Talwani said she expects to issue aruling later Thursday and seemed to be leaning toward requiring thegovernment to put billions of dollars in emergency funds toward SNAP.That, she said, is herinterpretation of what Congress intended when an agency’s funding runsout “If you don’thavemoney,you tighten yourbelt,” she said in court. “You are not going to make everyonedropdead because it’s a

political gamesomeplace.”

Talwani acknowledged that even ordering emergency funds to pay for SNAP might still be painful for some SNAP recipients becauseit could mean they getless money and that the money they do get could be delayed. “Weare dealing with areality that absent a100% win for you, thebeneﬁts aren’tgoing to be there on Nov.1,” she told theplaintiffs. Thehearing came twodaysbeforethe U.S.DepartmentofAgriculture planned to freeze payments to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programbecause it said it can’tcontinue funding it

due to theshutdown.

Other lawsuits have been ﬁled over theprogram’ssuspension, including one filed Thursday in RhodeIslandbyacoalition of eight cities and community,business and union organizations. SNAP, whichcosts about $8 billionper month,servesabout 1in 8Americans and is amajor piece of the nation’ssocial safety net. Word in October that it would be aNov.1casualty of theshutdown sent states,food banks andSNAP recipientsscrambling to ﬁgureout howtosecure food. Some states said they would spend their own funds to keep versionsofthe pro-

gram going.

President Donald Trump’sadministration said it wasn’tallowed to use acontingency fund with about $5 billion in it for the program,which reversed aUSDA plan from before the shutdown that said that money would be tapped to keep SNAP running. The Democratic-led states argued that not only could that contingency money be used, it must be. Talwani pushed back against the Trumpadministration’sargument that suspending the beneﬁts was the best option, saying using emergency funds for beneﬁts seemed to makethe mostsense.

AP PHOTO By J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE House SpeakerMikeJohnson, R-Benton, departsa news conferenceThursday, the 30th day of the government shutdown, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOByMARIAM ZUHAIB

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.y.,speaksTuesday during a news conference at the Capitol.

Guardunits

Military leaderswant troops trainedtodeal with civildisturbances

BY KONSTANTINTOROPIN Associated Press

WASHINGTON Military leaders have orderedthe National Guard in every state to developa “quick reaction force” of troops trained to deal with civil disturbances and riots that canbeready to deploy with just hours’ notice, the latest indication of longer-term Trump administration plans to more readily dispatchsoldierstoU.S.streets.

Aset of memos circulatedthis month directs Guard unitsinall 50 states and U.S. territories, except the District of Columbia, to traina contingent of soldiers in aspecialized course that includes the proper use of batons, bodyshields,stun guns and pepper spray

tive order is cited as one of the authorities for thememo, about which thePentagon did not immediately respond to arequest for comment.

The NationalGuard has always had troops that wereonstandby to deploy at amoment’snotice, but they traditionally have been used to quickly react to natural disastersand did not receive special training.

The new,specialized quick reaction forces will be able to deploy afourth of alltheir troops within eight hours andall of thoseassigned to theunitswithin aday, according to the memo.

During aroundtableatthe White Houselast week with homeland security ofﬁcials, Defense Secretary Pete Hegsethwas askedabout a memo detailing similarplans Hegseth said he would not comment on the “particulars” but went on to say that there were “multiple layers of National Guard response forces.”

The memos, reported earlier by The Guardian, come afterTrump signed an executiveorder in August thatdirected the Pentagon to create quick reaction forces that would be “available for rapid nationwide deployment.”The execu-

Signed by MajorGen.Ronald Burkett, operations directorfor the National Guard, the memos reviewedbyThe Associated Press givevariousnumbers for each state’sforce —often 500 each that total more than 23,000 troops in all. The memos direct Washington,D.C., to maintain a“specialized” military police battalionwith 50 National Guard soldiers on active dutyorders. It presses forwardwith President DonaldTrump’sbroader vision for amuscular role forthe U.S. military in targetingillegalimmigration andcrime. He has already pushed traditional boundariesby sending theNational Guard into American cities,often over theobjectionofDemocraticlocal leaders

“We’ve gota lotofdifferent ways that, constitutionally and legally, we can employ” Guard troops, and “we will do so whennecessary,” Hegsethsaid.

While Trump hassent theNa-

tional Guard into cities including Los Angeles and D.C., his efforts to deploy troops in other placeshave faced swift legal challenges. The Trump administrationisblocked from sending troopsintothe Chicago area until at least the latter half of November,following aU.S. SupremeCourt order callingonthe sidestoﬁle additionallegal briefs And afederal trial seeking to block atroop deployment in Portland, Oregon, got underway this week. The memos,which weresent out to the states early this month, mandate that eachstate andterritory have its quick reaction forces operational by Jan. 1. To help with that goal, units will be provided 100 sets of crowd control equipment as well as twofull-time trainers by the National Guard Bureau. The units also will be allowedto use an additional ﬁve days of training for soldiers to get through the “InterserviceNonlethalIndividual Weapons Instructor Course.” Accordingtoone of thememos, the initial portion of the course includes topics like “crowdmanagement techniques,”“domestic civil disturbancetraining,”and “proper use of baton and body shields.”

DOJinvestigating fraudallegations in BLMmovement, sourcessay

BY AARON MORRISON and ERIC TUCKER Associated Press

WASHINGTON— The Justice Department is investigating whetherleaders in the Black Lives Matter movement defrauded donors whocontributed tens of millions of dollars during racial justice protests in 2020, according to multiple people familiar with the matter

In recent weeks, federal law enforcement officials have issued subpoenas and served at least one search warrant as partofaninvestigation into the Black Lives Matter GlobalNetwork Foundation Inc. and other Black-led organizations that helped spark anational reckoning on systemic racism, said the people, who were notauthorized to discuss an ongoing criminal probe by name and spokeon condition of anonymityto The Associated Press. It was not clear if the investigationwould result in criminal charges, but its mere existence invitesfresh scrutiny to amovement that in recent yearshas faced criticismabout itspublic accounting of donationsthey have received. The recent burst of investigative activity is also unfolding at atime when civil rights organizations have raised concerns about the potential forthe Trump administration to target avariety of progressive and left-leaning groups that

have beencritical of him, including those afﬁliated with BLM, the transgender rights movement and anti-ICE protesters.

Spokespeople for the Justice Department declined to comment on Thursday Oneofthe peoplesaid the investigationhad beeninitiated duringthe Biden administration but is getting renewed attention during the Trump administration. Asecondperson confirmed that allegations were examined in the Bidenadministration. Thefoundation said it took in over $90 million indonations, following the2020 murder of George Floyd, aBlack man whoselast breaths underthe knee of aWhite Minneapolis police officer sparked protests across theU.S. and around the world.

Critics of thenonprofit foundation, and of the BLM movementbroadly, accused organizers of not being transparent about how it was spending thedonations. That criticism grew louder after BLM foundation leaders in2022 conﬁrmed they used donations to purchase a$6million Los Angeles-area property that includes a home with six bedrooms and bathrooms.

The leaders previously have denied wrongdoing and publicly released tax documents.Nopriorinvestigations into thenonproﬁt’s ﬁnances have yielded proof of impropriety

Leadersofthe foundation have received subpoenas. In astatementemailed to the AP on Thursday,the foundation said it “is not atarget of any federal criminal investigation.

“Weremain committed to full transparency,accountability, and the responsible stewardship of resources dedicated to building abetter future for Black communities,” thefoundation said in the statement.

TheBlack Lives Matter movementﬁrst emerged in 2013 after the acquittalof George Zimmerman,the neighborhood watch volunteer who killed17-year-old Trayvon Martin in Florida. But it was the 2014 death of Michael Brown at the hands of police in Ferguson,Missouri, that made the slogan “Black lives matter” arallying cry for progressives and afavorite target of derision for conservatives.

The investigation is being run out of the U.S. Attorney’sOfﬁce for the Central District of California, in Los Angeles.

The top prosecutor there, Bill Essayli, was determined by afederal judge this week to have stayed in his temporaryacting U.S. attorney job longer than allowed by law but permitted him to effectively remain theofﬁce’s chief prosecutor but with a different title of FirstAssistantUnited States Attorney Essayli had previously served as aRepublican as-

semblyman in California, wherehetook up conservative causes and criticized thestate’sCOVID-19 restrictions. He hasbeenoutspoken againststate policies to protect immigrantsliving in the country illegally,and he has aggressively prosecutedpeople whoprotest Trump’sramped up immigration enforcement across Southern California.

As aprivate practice attorney,hecharacterized BLM as a“radical organization” while defending aWhite couple charged in 2020 with ahate crimeafter they were videotapeddefacing aBLM mural in Martinez, California

At the time, city-sanctioned BLM muralshad been painted on roadways in cities throughout the U.S. in an expression of solidarity with the racial justice movement. Essayli wasquoted as having told reporters at the time that his clients were simply expressingtheir political viewpoints and that they disagreed with taxpayer funds being used to “sponsor aradical organization, Black Lives Matter.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By RAHMATGUL

National Guardsoldiers patrolTuesday at Union Station in Washington.

BUSINESS

BRIEFS

FROM WIRE REPORTS

China to work with U.S. to resolve TikTok issues

President Donald Trump’s meeting Thursday with China’s top leader Xi Jinping produced a raft of decisions to help dial back trade tensions, but no agreement on TikTok’s ownership.

“China will work with the U.S. to properly resolve issues related to TikTok,” China’s Commerce Ministry said after the meeting. It gave no details on any progress toward ending uncertainty about the fate of the popular video-sharing platform in the U.S. Wide bipartisan majorities in Congress passed — and President Joe Biden signed a law that would ban TikTok in the U.S. if it did not find a new owner to replace China’s ByteDance. The platform went dark briefly on a January deadline but on his first day in office, Trump signed an executive order to keep it running while his administration tries to reach an agreement for the sale of the company Trump’s order was meant to enable an American-led group of investors to buy the app from China’s ByteDance, though the deal also requires China’s approval.

However, TikTok deal is “not really a big thing for Xi Jinping,” said Bonnie Glaser, managing director of the German Marshall Fund’s Indo-Pacific program, during a media brieﬁng Tuesday “(China is) happy to let (Trump) declare that they have ﬁnally kept a deal. Whether or not that deal will protect the data of Americans is a big question going forward.”

The security debate centers on the TikTok recommendation algorithm — which has steered millions of users into an endless stream of video shorts. China has said the algorithm must remain under Chinese control by law But a U.S. regulation that Congress passed with bipartisan support said any divestment of TikTok would require the platform to cut ties with ByteDance.

Universal Music, Udio settle suit, to team up

LONDON Universal Music Group and AI song generation platform Udio have settled a copyright infringement lawsuit and agreed to team up on new music creation and streaming platform, the two companies said in a joint announcement Wednesday

As part of the deal, Udio immediately stopped allowing people to download songs they’ve created, which sparked a backlash and apparent exodus among paying users.

Financial terms of the settlement weren’t disclosed.

Universal announced another AI deal on Thursday, saying it was teaming up with Stability AI to develop “next-generation professional music creation tools.” Udio and Suno pioneered AI song generation technology, which can spit out new songs based on prompts typed into a chatbot-style text box The companies said the new AI subscription service will debut next year

Meta shares slide on expense projections

Meta Platforms Inc. posted strong third-quarter results Wednesday but warned that its expenses will be significantly higher in 2026 than this year

Like its rivals, Meta has been on an artiﬁcial intelligence spending spree and said its costs will grow much faster next year, driven by infrastructure costs and employee compensation as it has hired AI experts at eye-popping compensation levels.

“Employee compensation costs will be the second largest contributor to growth, as we recognize a full year of compensation for employees hired throughout 2025, particularly AI talent, and add technical talent in priority areas,” Meta said.

Menlo Park, California-based Meta earned $2.71 billion, or $1.05 per share, in the July-September period. Excluding tax-related special expenses, the company would have earned $7.25. Revenue rose 26% to $51.42 billion from $40.59 billion.

Analysts, on average, were expecting earnings of $6.72 per share on revenue of $49.51 billion, according to analysts surveyed by FactSet Research

U.S. stocks sink on mixed news

Wall Street reacts to Big Tech profits, U.S.-China relations

BY STAN CHOE Associated Press

NEW YORK The U.S. stock market sank from its record heights on Thursday, as Wall Street sifted through mixed developments on everything from the U.S.-China trade war to proﬁts for Big Tech behemoths.

The S&P 500 fell 1% and pulled further from its all-time high set on Tuesday The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 109 points, or 0.2%, and the Nasdaq composite dropped 1.6% from its record set the day before.

President Donald Trump hailed his talk with China’s leader, Xi Jinping, as a “12” on a scale of

zero to 10, and Trump said he would cut tariffs on China. But while the talks may offer some stability for the near term, major tensions remain between the two countries.

Plus, stocks had already run to records earlier this week on expectations for potentially big improvements coming out of the Trump-Xi talks.

“The result was fine, but fine isn’t good enough given the expectations going in,” said Brian Jacobsen, chief economist at Annex Wealth Management. “The results were more like small gestures instead of a grand bargain.”

Microsoft sank 2.9% even though it reported stronger proﬁt and revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected. Analysts pointed to how it also expects to spend more on investments in 2026 than in 2025, while growth for its Azure business may have

U.S. farmers cheer China’s soybean promise

But they caution deal doesn’t solve everything

BY JOSH FUNK AP business writer

OMAHA, Neb American farmers welcomed China’s promise to buy some of their soybeans, but they cautioned this won’t solve all their problems as they continue to deal with soaring prices for fertilizer tractors, repair parts and seeds

The Chinese promise to buy at least 25 million metric tons of soybeans annually for next three years will bring their purchases back in line with where they were before President Donald Trump launched his trade war with China in the spring. But the 12 million metric tons that China plans to buy between now and January is only about half the typical annual volume

“This is a very good thing I’m very grateful,” said Iowa farmer Robb Ewoldt, who is a director with the United Soybean Board. “I don’t want to sound like a ungrateful farmer, but it doesn’t cure everything in the short term.”

Missouri farmer Bryant Kagay said it’s somewhat “crazy” that everyone is getting so excited about this deal when all it does is get farmers back to where they were before this trade war began.

“I don’t know why you would go to war on trade if you didn’t expect you could get a better outcome in the end,” said Kagay who is part owner of Kagay Farms in Amity, Missouri.

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said China also agreed to remove all its retaliatory tariffs on American ag products, which should open the door for sales of other crops and beef. Plus, China promised to resume buying U.S. sorghum which is another crop

BY MEG JAMES Los Angeles Times (TNS)

NBCUniversal owner Comcast, is interested in some of Warner Bros. Discovery’s assets.

On a Thursday call with analysts to discuss third-quarter earnings,

Comcast President Mike Cavanagh suggested the Philadelphia giant might bid for certain Warner assets, primarily the Warner Bros. ﬁlm and television studios and its streaming service HBO Max.

Sources had previously said Comcast was angling to join the Warner Bros. Discovery auction after that company’s board formally opened the process last week. The Warner board has unanimously rejected three unsolicited bids from David Ellison’s Paramount, which has offered $58 billion for all of Warner Bros. Discovery.

fallen a bit short of some investors’ expectations. On the winning side of Big Tech was Alphabet. Shares of Google’s parent company climbed 2.5% after its proﬁt and revenue for the latest quarter easily topped analysts’ expectations. How such companies do matters incredibly for investors. The trio of Alphabet, Meta Platforms and Microsoft alone account for 14.5% of the total value of all the companies in the S&P 500 index, which dictates the movements for many 401(k) accounts. That means movements for them and a handful of other Big Tech companies can easily overshadow what hundreds of other stocks are doing.

Elsewhere on Wall Street, Chipotle Mexican Grill tumbled 18.2% after the restaurant chain pointed to pressures weighing on its customers, particularly younger ones and those who aren’t making high

incomes. CEO Scott Boatwright said that households making less than $100,000 are dining out less often because of concerns about the economy and inﬂation. He pointed speciﬁcally to 25- to 35-year-old customers, who are feeling the weight of unemployment, increased student loan repayments and slower growth in wages with respect to inflation, and he said he thinks restaurants across the industry are seeing something similar Chipotle cut its forecast for an important underlying measure of sales growth this year

Eli Lilly, meanwhile, rose 3.8% after delivering stronger profit and revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected It credited strong growth for its blockbuster Mounjaro and Zepbound drugs for diabetes and obesity and it raised its full-year forecasts for revenue and proﬁt.

largely used for animal feed that depends on that market More than half the sorghum and soybean crops are exported every year with much of that going to China.

Having these promises from China should make it easier for farmers to get the loans they need heading into next year, but Ewoldt said “I hope the administration doesn’t think that this solves everything in the next 6 to 8 months or 10 months.”

Trump had promised to offer farmers a signiﬁcant aid package this fall to help them survive the trade war with China, but it’s been put on hold because of the ongoing government shutdown. Rollins said that aid package is still in the works, but she promised the administration is ready to “step in the gap” and address any sort of harm the trade war has caused farmers.

“We’ll see what the market does and we will be ready to continue to step in if in fact, we believe it’s necessary,” Rollins said.

Kurt Campbell, a former deputy secretary of state in the Biden administration and now chairman of The Asia Group, said it’s not surprising that Trump negotiated these soybean purchases because they will beneﬁt one of his core constituencies in rural America.

“Its key deliverables appear to be things that matter greatly to President Trump in the short term, notably progress on fentanyl and increased sales of soybeans from congressional districts that matter to the Republican Party,” Campbell said.

China is the world’s largest buyer of soybeans. It had been consistently buying about

gested that Comcast’s interest would be more narrow

He noted that NBCUniversal and Warner Bros. have compatible businesses. Comcast wants to grow its studios business and its struggling streaming service, Peacock, which lost $217 million during the quarter

“You should expect us to look at things that are trading in our space

It’s our job to try to ﬁgure out if there are ways to add value,” Cavanagh told analysts.

But he added a note of caution, saying the company didn’t feel that a merger was “necessary.”

“The bar is very high for us to pursue any (merger) transactions,” he said.

one quarter of the American crop in recent years. China bought more than $12.5 billion worth of the nearly $24.5 billion worth of U.S. soybeans that were exported last year

China quit buying American soybeans this year after Trump imposed his tariffs Yet it had been steadily shifting more of its purchases to Brazil and other South American nations over the past decade. Last year Brazilian beans accounted for more than 70% of China’s imports, while the U.S share fell to 21%, World Bank data shows. Argentina and other South American countries also are selling more to China, which has diversiﬁed to boost food security Farmer Caleb Ragland, who is president of the American Soybean Association trade group, said this agreement lays the foundation for restoring China’s traditional purchases of 25 million to 30 million metric tons of American soybeans.

“This is a meaningful step forward to reestablishing a stable, long-term trading relationship that delivers results for farm families and future generations,” said Ragland, who farms near Magnolia, Kentucky

Indiana farmer Brent Bible said this deal with China sounds good as long as they actually do what they promised, unlike what happened with the trade agreement China signed with the United States in 2020 after Trump’s initial trade war The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted trade between the two nations just as the agreement went into effect. In 2022, U.S. farm exports to China hit a record, but then fell.

To address that challenge, Comcast is spinning off its cable channels, including CNBC, MSNBC, USA and Golf Channel, into a separately traded company called Versant. That process is expected to be complete this year

As part of the transition, the liberal-leaning MSNBC is changing its name to MS Now and dropping the peacock from its network logo, reﬂecting its pending exit from NBC, which will remain part of Comcast.

launched it ﬁve years ago. To shore up Peacock and the NBC broadcast network, Comcast has doubled down on sports, including striking a $27-billion, 10-year deal for NBA basketball, a contract that kicked in this month with the new season. (Nielsen ratings for the inaugural NBA game on NBC last week were strong nearly 5 million viewers.)

Comcast isn’t looking to acquire the entire company or Warner’s large portfolio of cable channels that include CNN, TBS and Food Network. Instead, Cavanagh sug-

The Warner Bros. Discovery auction comes amid deep turmoil in the industry Traditional entertainment companies, including Warner and NBCUniversal, have long relied heavily on cable programming fees to boost proﬁt but consumers have been scaling back on pay-TV subscriptions amid the move to streaming.

Cavanagh suggested that Comcast would not double down in a declining cable channel business that it was already exiting. But Warner has other compelling businesses, including HBO and its Warner Bros. film and television studio. Warner and NBCUniversal are investing in their respective streaming services but both lag Netﬂix, YouTube and Walt Disney Co. in terms of subscribers and engagement. Peacock has 41 million subscribers; the service has lost billions of dollars since Comcast

Most analysts believe that Ellison’s Paramount is in the best position to win Warner Bros. Discovery They point to the Ellison family’s determination, wealth and political connections. Tech titan Larry Ellison, who is backing his son’s bid, is the second-richest man in the world behind Elon Musk, and President Trump views the elder Ellison as a good friend.

In contrast Trump has displayed a dim view of Comcast Chair and Chief Executive Brian Roberts, in large part, because of Comcast’s ownership of MSNBC, which Trump has accused of being an arm of the Democratic National Committee. Comcast

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL CONROy Soybeans are harvested on Sept 17 on the Warpup Farm in Warren, Ind.

Federalgrants cover about 80% of HeadStart funding, withlocal governmentsor private organizations putting up 20%. The grants are distributed directlytothe grantees at different times over the year

For instance, Baton Rouge’sfunding cycle renews Jan. 1.

“Wehave not received any notiﬁcation indicating adisruption or delay in funding,” said Leander Shane Zanders, director of the East Baton Rouge Parish’sDivision of Human Development and Services.

Baton Rouge has 657enrollment slots at six centers in 2024, down from 1,207 the previous year,according to reports submitted to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The budget in 2022 was $10.2 million, of which the federal government provided $9.3 million, according to the latest annual reportavailable.Inadditiontopaying staff, the money was used to purchase supplies,pay rent, utilities and other costs.

TwoLouisiana Head Start grantees receive their funding on Nov.1 and both have rearranged ﬁnances to keep their programs open.

Clover NOLA Inc. is one, said chief executive ofﬁcer Keith Liederman.

“Clover has acontingency plan in place that will allow our Head Start operations to continue for one month without interruption,” Liederman said.“Aprolonged shutdown would disrupt access to critical resources that help families work, learn and thrive.”

In just its Early Head Start programs, Clover had 390 funded enrollment slots in 2024, accordingtoreports to theU.S.HealthDepartment

The other Head Start grantee immediatelyimpacted by the shutdown is Prime Time Inc., which is a subsidiary of the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities. Prime Time Head Start and Early Head Start runs four centers, in Lafayette, New Iberia and Jeanerette, employing 150 staffers and serving about 635 children and their families.

TheEndowment’sboard

lent Prime Time $650,000 to cover the federal proceeds that won’tarrive Saturday,Randy K. Haynie, the board chair saidin anews release. Miranda Restovic, president and executive director of the LouisianaEndowment for the Humanities and Prime Time Inc., added: “Weknow even one day missed in the classroom is toomuch when you’re setting thefoundation forfuture learning and that our team members depend on us to take care of their own families. We fully expect our government leaders to reinstate this funding and are planning ahead for Dec.1, the next criticaldate if the shutdown continues.”

As more Americans are directly feeling the impact of the government shutdown, Democratic and Republican senators said Thursday they’ll work to find an accommodation. But nothing has happened yet.

Saturday marks afull month of the shutdown, which resulted in many programs, not just Head Start, running out of reservesand unable to appropriate further funding.

Saturday also is the first dayofenrollment for health insurance that lower-income workers and small business-

es buy through the Affordable Care marketplaces and is atthe heart ofthe dispute between Democrats and Republicans

Atax credit, which offsets thecost of the policies, expires at the end of the year

Without the credit, enrollees will pay an average 114% more fortheir policies in 2026, according to KFF,a nonprofitthat researches health policy.That would leave about 3.5 million fewer people without coverage, according to the Congressional BudgetOffice, aresearch arm of Congress.

Democratic senators have refused to agree to aRepublican Houseresolution passed Sept. 19 that would have continued government operationsafter theend of the ﬁscal year on Sept. 30.

Democrats arguethat Republicanmajorities have repeatedly refused to negotiate on many issues. Thus, Democratssay they can’ttrust Republicans to negotiate anextension of thehealthcare tax creditsabsent theleverageof keeping the government closed

HouseSpeaker Mike Johnson,R-Benton, says all SenateDemocratsneedto do is approve the House-passed resolution to reopen government and resume spending authorization for services suchasHead Start.Then, Republicans would negotiateanextensionofthe tax credits.

“OnSaturday,things become very dire,” Johnson said.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said Democrats’ refusal to reopen government affects government programs “like Head Start, grants to law enforcement to fight fentanyl and hire more cops to protect communities,rural development,”among other programs

“Why don’twejustopen thegovernment?”Thune said. “I’ve never seen anythinglike this.”

Conservatives recently sought to eliminate Head Start

Project 2025, an outline of conversative ideals put together by theHeritage Foundation,recommends ending Head Start because of what itcalls “rampant abuse and lack of positive outcomes.” Advocates counter that numerous studies have shown improved academic outcomes as Head Start students progress throughschool Head Start grants were amongthosefrozenby President Donald Trump.In April, The Associated Press reported that aTrump administration draft budget proposal sought to eliminate fundingfor Head Start.

The Government Accountability Office, aresearch arm of Congress, found in July that Trump illegally withheld about65% of congressionally approved Head Start funding —roughly $825 million —between Jan. 20 andApril 15.

TheWhite Houseproposed keeping the Head Start funding level for2026 at $12.2 billion —the same as 2025 —towhichaHouse Appropriationssubcommittee agreed. TheSenate AppropriationsCommittee increased the amount to $12.3 billion.

TheU.S. Department of Health andHuman Services issued regulations thatlimited Head Start attendance to U.S.citizens and “qualiﬁed aliens.” Afederal district court inSeattle on Sept. 11 grantedapreliminary injunction, effectively lifting the directive. Despite allthe hubbub, a

Because of the prolonged shutdown of

poll of 500 registered Louisiana voters released Oct. 27 found that 70% support Head Start. Drilling down the survey found 85% valued early learning programs that prepare childrenfor school success and 82% valued healthscreenings.

“Thispollunderscores the importance of theHead Start program in the lives of Louisiana families,”said SarahRittling, executive director of the First Five Years Fund, aWashingtonbased advocacy group that commissioned the survey “It’s time to end the government shutdown so Head Start programs can continue their good work withoutfear of closing.”

Email Mark Ballard at mballard@theadvocate. com.

EarlyVoting

TheEastBaton RougeParishRegistrar of Voters Office announcesthat EarlyVoting forthe November 15,2025Electionwill be held Saturday,November1,2025through Saturday,November8,2025 from 8:30 am until6:00pm (ClosedonSunday)

Main Office:CityHall–222 SaintLouis St.–Room604

Southeast: Fire StationBuilding–11010 CourseyBlvd. Archives:State Archives Building–3851Essen Ln Baker: MotorVehicle Building–2250MainSt. Central: CentralBranchLibrary–11260 Joor Rd

Voters will be askedtoidentifythemselveswitheithera photoID or signatureonavoter affidavit. Youmay useadriver’slicense,a Louisianaspecial ID,aLAWalletdigital driver’s license, aU.S.military identification card thatcontainsyournameand picture; or some other generallyrecognizedpicture ID thathas your name andsignature Sample ballotsare availableonlineatwww.GeauxVote.com Call (225)389-3940 formoreinformation

Despiteshutdown, farm serviceoffi

“When you look at the Farm Services Agency,they’re an integral partnerinthe business of agriculture.”

BY JENNA ROSS Staff writer

Offices that farmers count on for low-interest loans anddisaster relief programs have reopened, even as the federal government shutdown drags on.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture

Brooke Rollins announcedthe reopening of 2,100 ofﬁces of the Farm Service Agency across the country at acrucial time for row crop farmers who are wrapping up the harvest, deciding whether to sell or store and planning for the next growing season.

“It’sabsolutelycritical,” said Mike Strain, Louisiana’scommissioner of the Department of Agriculture and Forestry, citingthe agency’smany services, including crop insurance and bridge loans.

Strainadded that the agency is especially important at this time of year

Late last week, Rollins met with Gov.JeffLandry,Strainand others during hervisit to Louisiana.

Government programs are key for farmers who are facing adifficult market that includes high pricesfor most of what they buy, they say.Farmers have cited risingcostsoffertilizer, andlow pricesfor much of what they’re selling.

“President Trumpiscommitted to supporting America’sfarmers andranchers,”a USDA spokesperson said by email, “and this action will release over $3 billion in assistance for farmers that Democrats in Congress have held up for over 20 days.”

County ofﬁces will be staffed by two employees ﬁve days aweek.

The USDA spokesperson,who

declinedtogive their name, said thoseemployeesare beingpaid, but didn’tanswer aquestion about how thecenters’ reopening is being funded.

During avisit last week to Amite, Rollins said the USDA is tapping funds from theCommodity Credit Corporation, according to aFarm Bureau News article.

Not all theUSDA’sagriculture services have restarted, Strain said. Therewill be no newsignups forconservation programs, including cost-sharing for cover crops. The market reportsthat the

USDA typically compilesare still on pause, too, he said. Farms aretime-sensitive operations, partlybecause they’re selling perishable items, said Nichole Liuzza, who runs Liuzza Family FarminTangipahoa Parish, which grows arange of fruit and vegetables, from strawberries to squash. “Wedon’t maketires youcan stack up. It has to be harvested, it has to be sold.”

Liuzza, whoworks alongside her husband, afifth-generation farmer, was expecting another payment in Octoberfrom afederal disaster relief program for adrought that hit in 2023. Evenwiththe Farm Service Agency offices open, she’s unsure whether that payment will go through. The farm doesn’tcount on such funding, as “we never know when it’s coming or if it’s coming,”she said. Now,atleast, she knows where she can go to find out.

Liuzza is more stressed about the bigger,longer-term effects of the shutdown on folks’abil-

ity to buy produce. The 65-acre farm dependsonpeoplebeing able to afford fresh fruit and vegetables, rather than trying to stretch theirdollars by buying a 75-centcan of corn. She worries about federal workers missing paychecks and SNAP benefits being suspended.

“It’smore than just the USDA ofﬁces,” she said. “I need the whole systemtobeworking

Continued from page1A

acontract extension in 2021 that raised his annual salary to more than $9 million Fisher was ﬁred two years later,and Texas A&M paid him the largest buyout in college football history

“Weare not going down afailed path, andI want to tell yousomething:This is apattern,” Landry said Wednesday.“The guy that’s here now that wrote that contract cost Texas A&M 70some million dollars. Right now,we’ve got a$53 million liability.Weare not doing that again.”

After hiring him away from Notre Dame, Woodward signed Kelly to a10year,$95 million contract with additional incentives that made the total value of the deal more than $100 million. Kelly was ﬁred Sunday night in the midst of his fourthseasonwith a34-14 overall record

Woodward was quoted in astatement saying he made the decision to fire Kelly after a49-25 home lossSaturday to Texas A&M, the Tigers’ third loss in the past four games. Woodward called himself “the current caretaker of our athletics programs” and said LSU would begin anational search.

On Wednesday,Landry made it clear Woodward would not be part of it.

“No, Ican tellyou right now,Scott Woodward is not selecting the next coach,” Landry said. “Hell, I’ll let Donald Trump selectitbefore Ilet him do it.” Woodward had been the athletic director at his alma mater since 2019 after stints at Texas A&M andWashington. The Tigers won six national championships during his tenure. Three of his hires —baseball coach Jay Johnson, women’sbasketball coachKim Mulkey and gymnastics coach Jay Clark —won national titles. Thesix nationalchampionships included LSU’s last football title in 2019 under coach Ed Orgeron, who had been hired by formerLSU athletic directorJoe Alleva. As LSU stumbled to an 1112 record over the next two seasons, Orgeron was ﬁred. Woodward hired Kelly, believing he would stabilize the football program and consistently contend for championships. Kelly had ledNotre Dame tothe national championship game, appeared in the College Football Playoffand leftas

CABINS

Continued from page1A

this is where your foreparents came from,’”she said.

“‘This is the way theylived. These were the houses that they gave them to work the land.’

The site is set to be sold to Hyundai for its proposed $5.8 billion steel mill, according to anews release by the consulting ﬁrm TJC Group.The releasestated that Hyundai asked the property owner to halt further demolition, with Hyundai Steel Louisiana President Charles Jang stating that the company takes “historical and cultural preservation seriously.”

“Hyundai Steel willdevelop and implement amitigationplanthat appropriately addresses anyidentiﬁed cultural or historicalresources,” he added. “Weappreciate thelandowner agreeing to help protect this site in the best way possible.”

The rural community of Modeste sits at the center of adebate over Ascension Parish’sfuture. Multiple companies —including CF Industries, Ascension Clean Energy and Hyundai —hope to build industrial plants in the RiverPlex MegaPark, an industrial overlay area

larger than Manhattan Thearea wascreated by theParish Council in 2015, andthe AscensionEconomic DevelopmentCorporation says it is the largest contiguous undeveloped tract of land on the deepwater Mississippi River. Currently,the parish government is lookingintothe possibility of a buyout plan for residents, althoughsome locals have posted signs along La. 405 saying they refuse to sell.

According to Modeste resident TwilaCollins,crews begantearing down the cabinslast week.The plantation home and two cabins remain standing, but only piles ofwood remainwhere the other two once stood Collins said seeingthe cabins torn down was devastating.

“Those buildings have been there longer than I’ve been here, and I’ve been here 55 years,”she said. “And it’s devastating to seehistory justbeing torn down.”

TheNational Park Service website states that alisting on theNational Register of Historic Places doesn’tprevent property owners from modifying or demolishing structures. Theowner did not respond to arequestfor comment left at anumber listed on the National RegisterofHistoricPlaces form Another numberconnected

thewinningest coach in its program history

“Be patient,”Woodward said in an interviewwith The Advocatebefore Kelly’s ﬁrst season in 2022. “It’s not going to be aPicasso coming out of the box, but it will get there.”

But the Kelly eradid not panout. LSU nevercame close to reaching theplayoff, which expanded to 12 teamslast season. His most successful campaign was his first year,when LSU reached the SEC Championship Game and took down Alabama, 32-31, in overtime in Tiger Stadium Woodward made other successful hires.

Johnson had led Arizona to the College World Series twice, including the College WorldSeries finalin2016, beforehewas hiredasLSU’s

with the owner and listed in an online database was disconnected.

The form states the cabins are locally significant, as they are “extremelyrare survivors of aonce common building type.”

“Hundreds of these cabins existed in ruralAscension Parishatone time,” the form stated, adding only 34 were left in 1993. “Of this number,most are isolated cabins scattered throughout the parish. Only two clusters of cabins still stand in the row conﬁgurationsinwhich they were built. Mulberry Grove’scabinsformone of these clusters.”

Both Collins and Gaignard said various groups, like the Donaldsonville-basedRiver Road African American Museum, might have been interested in preserving the cabins. Darryl Hambrick, co-founderand executive director of themuseum, said theorganization hadn’tbeen contacted about preserving thecabins.

“Nobody had contacted us about those buildings, and sometimes funding is an issue,”hesaid. “So, we can take on those buildings, but if we don’thave the funding to make all of the preservation things happen,thenit makes it difﬁcult for us as a nonproﬁt to take on thatresponsibility.”

coach in June

tional championships in four seasons and coached three players whobecametop-3

picks in the MLB Draft. Mulkey was hired by LSU in April 2021 afterleading Baylortothree national championships in 21 seasons. It did not take long for her to win afourth title at LSUin2023 before reaching the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament in each of the past twoseasons. Woodward also hired men’sbasketballcoach Matt McMahon and gymnastics coach Jay Clark.

McMahon was appointed in March2022fromMurray State. Heading into hisfourth season in charge of LSU’s program, he has yet to reach the NCAA Tournament.

Clark guided the gymnastics program to its ﬁrst national title in 2024 after he was promoted fromhis position as co-head coach in 2021.

Ausberry will nowlead the department during aperiod of significantupheaval.A former LSU linebacker and New Iberia native,hehas servedwithinthe athletic department for24years.

2021. Since takingover in Baton Rouge, Johnsonhas wontwo na-

By HILARy SCHEINUK

LSU athletic director Scott Woodward, right, poses with newly hired LSU football coach Brian Kelly during Kelly’s introductorynewsconference on Dec.1,2021

State wants judge off Brooks case

After jury trial waived, impartiality questioned

BY MATT BRUCE Staff writer

State prosecutors cited 19th Ju-

dicial District Judge Gail Horne Ray’s past rulings and the defendant’s decision to waive a jury in lobbying for her removal Wednesday from the upcoming trial in the Madison Brooks rape case.

Ray has presided over cases involving two of the three defen-

dants for the past two years, and she is set to determine one defendant’s guilt or innocence in an upcoming bench trial.

Brooks was a 19-year-old LSU sophomore who died early the morning of Jan. 15, 2023, after a night of heavy drinking in Tigerland. She was allegedly raped in a car before being dropped off in

a subdivision and fatally struck by a vehicle.

Prosecutors said Ray has seen too much pretrial evidence about Brooks’ sexual history But when prosecutors cited the fact that Ray, a longtime defense attorney, represented her son in a rape case in the late 1990s, District Judge Brad Myers bristled at the inference.

“I’ll be quite honest with you, you’re offending me bringing this up,” said Myers, who will decide whether or not to recuse Ray from the upcoming trial. “The fact that in (1997), she represented her son, it’s irrelevant, quite frankly What is the saying — don’t blame the sins of the father on the son. Well, the opposite is true as well.

“So, other than attempting to trash her reputation, it’s irrelevant,” he said moments later

Prosecutors ﬁled a motion last month to have Ray recused from Casen John Carver’s case after she granted his request for a bench trial. That means the presiding judge, not a jury, will decide a verdict in Carver’s case after listening to evidence and testimony Carver, a 21-year-old Denham Springs man, is slated to be tried Dec. 1 on charges of first- and third-degree rape along with video voyeurism. If found guilty of the aggravated rape charge, he faces a mandatory life sentence.

LOOKING FOR TREASURE

Dana Roussel helps her daughter, Addleigh, 13, put together her pirate costume through various pieces found throughout The Purple Cow in Denham Springs on Tuesday STAFF PHOTOS By

JAVIER GALLEGOS

Police: Man fired gun in bar, injuring woman

A man was arrested late Wednesday

this year after being punched during an Omega Psi Phi

Man indicted in officer’s death

Eisworth died from injuries suffered in June crash

BY AIDAN McCAHILL Staff writer

A Baton Rouge man accused of intentionally ramming a police motorcycle ofﬁcer with his truck has been indicted on a charge of ﬁrst-degree murder His mental competency is now expected to play a central role in whether prosecutors can seek the death penalty

A special grand jury on Thursday formally charged 41-year-old Gad Black in the death of Sgt. Caleb Eisworth, a decorated Baton Rouge police ofﬁcer who died in August from injuries suffered in the June crash.

Investigators say Black deliberately struck Eisworth on Joor Road after following him for a short distance. Eisworth was on his way to a work-related escort assignment when he was hit.

Eisworth had served 23 years in the Police Department and joined the motorcycle division in 2008. He had earned the department’s Medal of Valor, its highest honor, and his death was deeply mourned throughout the local law enforcement community After the incident, Black reportedly posted on social media bragging about the attack. He was booked the same day into the East Baton Rouge Parish jail on a count of attempted first-degree murder of a police officer in connection with the crash. Counts of hate crimes against law enforcement and resisting an officer were later added.

In June, 19th Judicial District Court Commissioner Nicole Robinson denied his bail and appointed a sanity commission to examine Black’s ﬁtness to stand trial.

District Attorney Hillar Moore says he fully intends to pursue the death penalty for Black, but that his case will depend on what the sanity commission ﬁnds.

“My intent is to seek the death penalty in this case,” he said Thursday “But we’re in the middle of all these competency proceedings.”

Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill has previously publicly backed Moore’s intent to seek the death penalty A sanity hearing that will determine Black’s competency to stand trial is set for Dec. 11. Black’s lawyers have noted that he has been diagnosed with mental illness and committed to a mental institution in the past, and that he had not been taking medication when he rammed Eisworth.

Black also has a lengthy history of arrests, including incidents involving violence against police ofﬁcers In 2014, he was arrested in connection with trying to ram Baton Rouge police vehicles during a Fourth of July chase involving current Police Chief Thomas Morse, who was an ofﬁcer at the time.

Two doctors — Brandon Romano, a Baton Rouge psychologist, and Dr Sarah Deland, a New Orleans psychiatrist were initially appointed to evaluate Black’s mental state in June.

However, on Oct. 20, Moore’s ofﬁce ﬁled a motion to disqualify Deland, citing her

Eisworth

Early voting is from Nov. 1-8, excluding Sunday, Nov. 2, from 8:30 a.m. to 6p.m. for the Nov. 15 election

The deadline to request an absentee ballot is Nov. 12 by 4:30 p.m. (other than military and overseas voters). You can request an absentee ballot online through the Secretary of State’s voter portal at geauxvote.com or in writing through your Registrarof Voters Ofﬁce.

The deadline for aregistrar of voters to receivea voted absentee ballotisNov.14at 4:30 p.m. (except for military and overseasvoters).

On election day, the polls are open from 7a.m.-8 p.m.

The Secretary of State’s elections hotline number is (800) 883-2805. Beloware the propositions on the ballot in four Baton Rouge-area parishes: Ascension, East Baton Rouge, Livingston andWest Baton Rouge.

EAST BATONROUGE

PARISH

The three tax measures, branded as “ThriveEast Baton Rouge” by the mayor’s office, will together redirect money that currently goes specifically to the library council on aging, and mosquito abatement to the parish’s general fund, where Edwards says it can be more flexibly spent and help pay down debt.

LIBRARYTAX REDEDICATION, EXTENSION (1 OF 3)

To rededicate from apublic library property tax $52.4 million for parishwide general purposes and further to extend and rededicate the 11.1-mill property tax for an additional 10 years, beginning in 2026 and generating $67,432,500 ayear, dedicating 8.30 mills of the tax for the public library system and 2.80 mills for parishwide general purposes.

MOSQUITOCONTROL TAX

REDEDICATION, EXTENSION (2 OF 3)

To rededicate $6 million of a mosquito control property tax for parishwide general purposes, and further to extend and rededicate the tax at the rate of 1mill for 10 years, beginning in 2027, gen-

erating $6 milliona year,with 0.50 of amill of the tax for mosquito and rodent control and0.50 of amill for parishwide general purposes.

COUNCIL ONAGING TAX

EXTENSION, REDEDICA-

TION(3OF3)

To extend the 2.25-mill property tax, generating $13,668,750 ayear, for 10 yearsbeginning in 2027 and to rededicate the proceeds so (A) 2.0 mills shall be used forthe East BatonRouge Parish Council on the Aging Inc., or anysuccessor program providing services forthe elderly,and (B) 0.25 of amill for parishwide general purposes.

ZACHARYCOMMUNITY SCHOOL SYSTEMTAX

To levy a24-mill property tax, generating $8.4 million a year,for 20 yearsbeginning in 2026, for additional support for the system’s elementary and secondaryschools salaries and beneﬁts, and building and equipment improvements. In no event shall the tax proceeds, together with anytax levied for debt service, exceed 24 mills in anytax collection year

SOUTH BURBANK CRIME PREVENTION AND DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT PARCEL FEE

To renew the annual$100 parcel fee foreachresidential or commercial structure and$25 per parcel for each unit in acondominium, residential, orcommercial structurewith four or more units, for four yearsbeginning in 2026, and generating $270,400 ayear for crimeprevention, enhanced security andcreation of acrime-free housing program.

FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT 6PROPERTY TAX

To renew the 5-mill property tax for nine years, beginning in 2026, with the tax generating $351,195 ayear for ﬁre protection purposes.

ASCENSION PARISH

WEST ASCENSIONDRAINAGEDISTRICT TAXRENEWAL

To renew for 10 yearsthe West Ascension Consolidated Gravity Drainage District No. 1property taxof 4.67

mills, generating $820,613 a year, beginning in 2026 for equipment, special projects and other capital expenditures of the district.

LIVINGSTON PARISH

FIRE PROTECTION DIS-

TRICT 5PROPERTY TAX

To levya5-mill property tax generating $950,000 ayear for 20 years beginning in 2026 for ﬁreprotection services, facilities and equipment.

FIRE PROTECTION DIS-

TRICT 8PROPERTY TAX

RENEWAL

To renew the 15-mill property tax, generating $299,000 a year, for 10 years beginning in 2028, forﬁre district operations, facilities andequipment.

WEST BATONROUGE

PARISH

PARISHWIDE DRAINAGE

TAXRENEWAL

To renew the 7.2-mill tax property tax, generating $5.9 million ayear, for 10 years beginning in 2026 for maintenance, operation and constructionofdrainage projects.

PARISHWIDE LIBRARYTAX

RENEWAL

To renew the 4.1-mill property tax, generating $3.3 millionayear, for 10 years beginning in 2026, formaintenance, operating and capital expenditures for the library and its branches.

PARISHWIDE SCHOOL DIS-

TRICT NO.3TAX RENEWAL

(1 OF 2)

To renew the 12-mill property tax, generating $9.4 million a year, for 10 years beginning in 2027 forsalaries and beneﬁts of teachers and other school district personnel.

PARISHWIDE SCHOOL DIS-

TRICT NO.3TAX RENEWAL

(2 OF 2)

To renew the 12-mill property tax, generating $9.4 million a year, for 10 years beginning in 2027 forsalaries and beneﬁts of school employees.

PORT ALLEN CITY POLICE

TAXRENEWAL

To renew the 5.020-millproperty tax, generating $285,000 ayear, for 10 years beginning in 2026 formaintenance and operating expenses of the City Police Department.

position againstthe death penaltyand her experience as awitness in the trial of Daniel Callahan,inwhich afederal judge in New Orleans questioned her credibility.

“Her position is that she is clearly against thedeath penalty,”Moore said. “That doctor should not be allowed to rule on his compe-

BLOTTER

Continuedfrom page 1B

fraternity pledge ritual

Three men now face criminal hazing charges,among others, in relation to his death.

Wilson’sfamily hasalso beguna wrongful-death lawsuit against the men, Omega PsiPhi,SouthernUniversity and the state of Louisiana.

Manarrested on gun counts

A19-year-old manbelieved to be amember of the “Bleedas”gang has been arrested in connection with possession of amachine gun and armed robbery

Members of theLivingston Parish Sheriff’s OfﬁceNarcotics Division helped to arrest Tony King alongside the LouisianaState Police Fugitive Taskforce, the Sheriff’s Office saidina statement Wednesday King is aknown member of the Baton Rouge Bleedas gang, according tothe statement.Hehad active warrants forcountsofarmed robbery and machine gun possession.

Agents located King at a residence on Guy Street in the cityofWalker and took himinto custody,SheriffJasonArd said in therelease.

Ofﬁcerssearched the residenceand seizedthe following narcotics and paraphernalia:

tencytoassist counsel.” Black’sattorneys filed a motion Thursdayopposing Deland’sremoval, accordingtocourt records. Meanwhile, athird doctor,Dr. Jose Artecona, apsychiatrist, has been added to the sanity panel ahead of the December hearing.

If Black is found competent to stand trial, Moore says an additionalsanity hearing will be held to determine whether Black had the ability to understand the nature of his actions

n 284.5 grams of marijuana

n 23 THC vape carts

n 24.5 doses of Adderall

n 5doses of phentermine, an appetite suppressant

n 2does of tapentadol, a painkiller

n 5oz. of promethazine, a sedative

n $1,650 in cash.

Ofﬁcers also seized the following ﬁrearms:

n Two7.62-caliber handguns

n A.40-caliberGlock handgun, witha Glock switchattached.

Three others werealso arrested in relation to the case, although their counts were not shared by the Sheriff’s Ofﬁce.

BR man arrested in shooting

ABaton Rouge man has been arrested on acount of attempted second-degree murder afterpolicesaid he shot another maninthe back.

The shooting happened around 2p.m. Jan.11ata residence on Chippewa Street.

Steve Sanford, 41, was visiting witha woman at her residence.The womantold policethe two have hadan on-again-off-again relationship for more than eight years.

Another man arrivedatthe residence, wanting to speak to the woman. Sanford interjectedhimself and the two menbegan arguing.

The situation between Sanford andthe man escalated,

during the incident —alegal standard known as the M’Naghten rule “It’s, did he knowright from wrong at the time of his offense,” Moore said. Black’sgirlfriend,Asia Raby, 40, wasalsoarrested after the incident and booked on counts of obstruction of justice and accessory after thefact to attempted first-degree murder of apolice ofﬁcer.A grand jury laterruled there was not enough evidence to indicther

with Sanfordbecoming aggressive and allegedly charging him, according to the affidavit forhis arrest. Theman shoved Sanford against awalland tried to prevent Sanford fromattacking him further At that point, Sanford told the man to meet him outside to fight. But as soon as the man turned to walkaway, Sanford fired asingle shot. The bullet struck the man in the lowerback.Sanford then fled on foot. The woman told police Sanford wasknowntocarry ablack and chromehandgun. A9mmshell casing was found on the scene. Sanford was arrested by Baton Rouge police on Oct. 22 and booked into theEast Baton Rouge Parish jail on acount each of attempted second-degreemurder, illegal use of weapons and possession of aweapon by a convicted felon.

He is one of three men indicted for allegedly sexually assaulting Brooks. Desmond Carter,20, and Kaivon Deodre Washington, 21,alsofaceaggravated rape charges. All three are being tried separately

Ray is also presiding over Carter’scase

Ray ruled against prosecutors earlier this year in those two cases when she admitted testimony from two conﬁdential witnesses about asexual encounter Brooks had with aconsensual partner one day before the alleged rape. Defense attorneys argued the testimony would help prove her sexual injuries were caused by someone else, but prosecutors said it violated shield laws aimed at protecting victims in rape cases.

The 1st Circuit Court of Appeal overturned Ray’s rulinginMarch, deeming the evidence about Brooks’ sexual activity leading up to thealleged rape inadmissible “at this juncture.”

During avolatile hearing Wednesday afternoon inside the 19th Judicial District Courthouse, Assistant District Attorney Kathleen Barrios Heap argued Ray’s exposure to evidence that has now been ruled inadmissible entitled the state to her recusal.

“This is knowledge that goes far beyond someone reading anews article or havingheard about the case before,” she said.

“And because she’snow the sole trier of fact —if she were not, we wouldn’t have ﬁled this motion to recuse. But that bell cannot be unrung.”

Authorities said Brooks left Reggie’sbar in Tigerland with Carter,Carver, Washingtonand another man who was not indicted. She got in acar with the four men, and sheriff’s deputies said Carver pulled the vehicleinto a residential driveway in the 900block of Jennifer Jean Drive and parked there for 20 minutes.

That is where prosecutors allege Carter and Washington sexually assaulted Brooks in the back seat of the car,whileCarver cheered them on from the front seat and recorded portions of theencounter with his cellphone

Afterward, the men droppedoff Brooks in the Pelican Lakes development, deputies said. Minutes after she got out of the car,she was struck and killed on Burbank Drive by apassing driver Attorneysfor theindicted men have argued the sex was consensual, while prosecutors maintain Brooks was too intoxicated to giveconsent. She registered ablood alcohol contentof0.282, over three times the legal driving limit, according to awrongfuldeath lawsuit ﬁled by her parents.

Prosecutors said the judge has heard information about Brooks’sexual history and made determinations about her credibility by ruling to admit testimony on her past encounters. They contend that amounts to abias against thestate, but indicatedRay’s recusaldidn’t become necessary until Carver waived ajury trial and placedhis fate in the judge’shands.

“Wedon’twant to delay thetrial.Wejustwantour shotatafair trial,” Assistant District Attorney Jessica Fogansaid. “This judgehas been exposed to all of this highly inﬂammatory information thatshe found admissible.” Myers seemeduncon-

Funerals Today

vinced by the argument that Ray’s prior rulings in thecase were signsofbias.

“Every judge’sruling that goes adverse to aparty —whether it’s youorthe defendant —doesn’tprove thatthe judge is biased against theparty thatloses the motion,” he said Joe Long, Carver’s attorney, said there wasnoevidence that Ray is unable to conduct afair and impartial bench trial.

“Bias is bias,” he toldMyers. “This is agame they’re playing. They’re trying to game thesystem because they want to get abetter chance at adifferentjudge.

“If the prosecution can saythatbased on yourrulings that they can recuse you because you’re no longer fair,it’sashot across the bowtoevery judge in this district,” Long later added

When Long arguedthat the defendant had no ties to Ray,Myers confronted him with aquestionable textmessage Carver sent hisfather during the early stages of the case.

“The judge we aregetting, Ithink youknow about, but we are friends with her and she is really good forour case,” Carver wrote in the text, whichMyers readaloud in court during Wednesday’shearing.

“How does that inspire conﬁdence in theintegrity and impartiality of the judiciary when you have the defendant saying this?” Myers asked Long said it wasa teenage defendant speculating, and insisted Carver doesn’tactually know Ray

But Myers remained adamant that the texts can send the wrong message

“In avacuum,that’s all ﬁneand good. Butdoesthe public understand that? The public seesthese and says theﬁxisin. Howcan that conclusionnot be drawn?”

Nelson DanTaylor Jr., Ray’s46-year-old son, was convicted of two counts apiece of forcible rape and aggravated burglary in 1997. Ray was one of his trial attorneys, according to court records.

When prosecutors spotlighted her involvement in that case andanongoing obscenity case Taylor has in the 19th JDC now, Myers defendedhis colleague.

“I have no doubt that Judge Ray can be fair and impartial, quite frankly,” he said. “There’s nothing that suggests to me thatshe couldn’tbe.”

“We’re talking about more than just afamilial tie,” replied Fogan, one of theprosecutors. “This is not just arm’slength. It’s intimate involvement.”

“So because she represented her son in asimilar case, she can’thear any case involving arape allegation?” Myers shotback. Myers didn’tmake adecision at Wednesday’s hearing. He said he would continue to reviewbothsides’ argumentsand intends to issue his writtenrulingby Monday.

Email Matt Bruceat matt.bruce@theadvocate com.

Lawrence, Rosie

NewLight BaptistChurch at 11 a.m.

Nelson, Frank

St.AugustineCatholic Church at 11am

PattanIII, Gordie

ScottUnitedMethodist Church,310 AtchafalayaSt.,PortAllen, LAat 11am

Walker,Marlon

St.John BaptistChurch,820 New RafeMayer Rd BatonRouge,LAat

9:30am.

Wilson, Olivia

MosesBaptistChurch at 11am

Obituaries

Boulanger, St.Theresa

BishopSt. Theresa Boulanger 78 aresident of Baton Rouge,Louisiana Passed away peacefully on 10/21/2025.

Born12/7/1947 to Louida Smith Boulanger and Antoine Boulanger Sr

Known forserving at Point Coupee nursing home for25years and then becoming aBishopand spreading thewordofJesus everywhere she went She wasprecededin death by her parentsLouida Smith Boulanger and Antoine Boulanger Sr,her son, 2sisters, 3brothers, 1 brotherinlaw, 3auntsand 2uncles. She is survivedby her 2sons Fredrick J Boulanger and Montrell P Boulanger her sisterGwendolynlaneheart Derozan and 3brothers Arthur Boulanger, JC Boulanger and Antoine Boulanger and ahost of grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and host of nieces ,nephews, cousins and dear friends who will forever cherish her memory Afuneral service willbeheld at 1:00 PM on 2025-11-01 at Mt Era Baptist Church, 8616 Callegan Lane

Bourgeois, Ronald Joseph 'Ronnie'

Ronald "Ronnie" Joseph Bourgeoiswent to hiseternal rest with theLordon October26, 2025. He was preceded in death by his

Howtoplace an Obituary Notice

EMAIL: obits@theadvocate.com OR CALL FORMORE INFORMATION: 225-388-0289

Howtoplace a Memorial Ad

An In Memory Of”ad, is away to pay tribute to your lovedone.Thisremembrance is oftenprinted on theanniversaryofa lovedone’s death.The deadline is twodays priortothe dayyou want your ad to appear TO PLACEA MEMORIALAD GO TO: obituaries.theadvocate.com clicksubmitanobituaryand select create amemoriam.

parents, Mary Louise Bourgeois and Howard Joseph Bourgeois, his brother, Michael JosephBourgeois and sisters-in-law Sharon Compton and Vicki Batarseh. He is survived by his beloved wife CandyDianne Bourgeois,son Brent JosephBourgeois and wife Tracy, sonLance Joseph Bourgeois and wife Ellen, and grandchildren, Cole JosephBourgeois and wife Brandy, TaylorJoseph Bourgeois, Mason Joseph Bourgeoisand fiancée Sara Rester,and Anna Katherine Bourgeois. He is also survivedbyhis sisterLinda BourgeoisGoetting and husband Robin,his sisterin-law Becky André Bourgeois, brothers-in-law MontherBatarseh and Bobby Compton, and multiplenephews and nieces. Ronniewas born on December 17, 1943 in Port Allen, Louisiana. He graduated fromCatholicHigh School in 1961 and then went on to receive aBachelor of Science in Accounting fromLSU. He married theloveofhis life,Candy Dianne Hamilton, in 1967. While completing his college education,hebegan working forAnco Industries, where he invested themajority of his work

career,eventually becomingExecutive Vice President of thecompany. He wasalso the Co-Founder andPresident of BasicIndustries,Co-Founder of DistributionInternational, andlater in his career,the Founder andCEO of Louisiana CSI,where he workedalongside hispartners SonnyAndersonand Scott McClean,and CoFounder of CSI Coatings. He wasalso proudtoserve as aMemberofthe Board of DirectorsofFamcoEnterprises. Everyonewho knew Ronniewas aware that he exhibitedthe utmost integrity in everythinghedid.For those lookingfor amentor,he proudlyservedinthat role, launching them into greater effectiveness in whatever direction they pursued.Hewas atrustworthy anddedicated employee anda faithfuland loving friend. Hisgenerosity, warmness, and welcoming spirit wasexperiencedbysomanypeople as he opened his home and served many meals to belovedfriends and acquaintances. Ronniehad a special love for hisfellow graduatesfromCatholic High Class of '61, and he kept contactwith that il h d

group until the very end. We wanttothankall of them for themanykind andsupportive messages to himinhis last days with us.Ronniewas involvedin several churches throughouthis life in Baton Rouge including TheChapelon theCampus, Community Bible Church,and later The Chapel in the Oaks. He faithfully served in church andparticularly lovedhis days working withthe kindergarten class along with hiswife Candy. However,withouta doubt, Ronnie'sgreatest pride and joy on this earth as well as the focusofhis love,devotion, energy, time,investment andattention, washis family, especially his belovedwife,sons, daughters-in-law, andgrandchildren.Tohis ownacknowledgment,hewould notbe theperson he is without Jesus and owes everything he hastoHim.The love anddevotion he hadfor his Lordand SaviorJesus Christ transformed hislife, allowinghim to live thelife that he lived Relativesand friends are invited to attend visitation at 10:30 am withcelebration of life service following at 11:30 am on Saturday November 1, 2025 at

■ Friday, October 31, 2025

■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

Rabenhorst Funeral Home at 825 Government St. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Gideons International.Ronnie came to trust Christ as His personal Savior as aresult of reading aGideon's Bible in ahotel room back in the early 1970s. Due to this, the trajectory of his family changed forever,as Ronnie,along with Candy built alegacy of faithinthe Lord that has lived on in the families of their sons and grandchildren.

Marshall Clegg, 82, of Zachary, Louisiana,passed away peacefully on October20, 2025, at Clarity Hospice of Baton Rouge, surrounded by the love of his family. Marshallwas born on January 7, 1943, in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, to Sam L. and Effie H. Clegg. He was one of three children and issurvived by his sister, Sandra Clegg Travis. He was preceded in death by his sister, Terry Clegg Fagane. Marshall married the love of his life, Brenda Kirkland Clegg, and together they built afamily rooted in love,faith,and service to others. He wasa devoted father to Denee Clegg Anderson(Brad), BryonClegg, Lacy Tolle, Faith McElwee (Wesley), Caitlin Martin (Luke), and Dreher Tolle. He was also a proud grandfather "Peepaw"toQuinn Clegg, Colesie Bourgoyne (Ed), Kayleigh Davidson, Lawson Clegg, Emmett Nettles, and Ava Hopkins—and agreatgrandfather to Magnolia Bourgoyne. He was preceded in death by his beloved daughter,Rainey Jon Clegg. Marshall is best known throughout the community for his life's work at Clegg's Nursery, founded by his parents in 1955. He is also well known by many local landscapers for CNI Wholesale Nursery. He had agift for seeing potential in outdoor spaces and sharing that visionwith others—often sketching plans on the spot and giving advice freely. For Marshall, it was not just about plants; it was about people, relationships, and educating others to create beautiful surroundings. He believed in doing things right. Quality and customer service were at the heart of everything he did.

Outside of work, Marshall enjoyed fishing. He was amember of Central Church in Zachary, where his faith was his guiding light. He was the kind of person who never hesitated to lend ahand, sharea laugh, or brighten someone's day with his quick wit.

Above allelse, Marshall valued his faith, his family, and his friends. He had a servant's heart. Whetherit was helping with aproject, supporting and encouraging his loved ones, or simply giving good advice,he showed up with generosity, kindness, and ahumble spirit.

ACelebration of Life will

be held Saturday, November 1, 2025,atBethany Church- South, located at 11107Honore Lane, Baton Rouge, LA 70809. The service will begin promptlyat 11:00a.m. The familywill receiveguests from 10:0011:00a.m., and again following the serviceuntil 1:00 p.m. All are welcome to attend. In lieu of flowers, donationsmay be made to Caring to LoveMinistries (ctlm.org) or the Tim Tebow Foundation (timtebowfoundation.org). The family wouldlike to extendtheir deepest thanks to the compassionate team at ClarityHospice of Baton Rouge fortheir lovingcareinMarshall's final days. "He livedwith joy, servedwith love, and left beauty whereverhewent."

Arrangements arebeing handled by Rabenhorst Funeral HomeEast. Condolencesand memories may be sharedat www.rabenhorsteast.com

Coates, Bertha Bobby Bertha Green Coates was awomanofgrace, faith, and quietstrength. Born on September 3, 1950, to the late WilliamBen Green and LeeEster Stewart Green, shegrew up in Louisiana surroundedby family and love. At an early age, she acceptedChrist and was baptized at Beech Grove Baptist Church. Later inlife, she rededicated herlifetoGod under the leadershipofApostle Richard Hill atthe First Pentecostal Church of Wakefield.

On June 10, 1967,Bertha marriedthe love of her life, LionelCoatesSr.,and together they builta beautiful family rooted in faith, laughter,and togetherness. She was adevoted wife, mother,grandmother,and friend whosekindness and compassion touchedeveryoneshe met Bertha'sstrength was quiet but powerful she faced life's challenges with dignity and leanedonher faiththrough it all. She loved cooking, spending time with family, and seeing the joyonher children'sand grandchildren's faces. Herhomewas alwaysopen, her heart always full, and herlove unconditional. Sheleaves behinda legacy of love and faith through herchildren, grandchildren, family, and friends who willforever cherishher memory. Her spirit livesoninevery life she touched, and her words of wisdomcontinue to guidethose who loved her most.

Afuneral servicewill be held from 10:00 AM to 12:30 PM on 2025-11-01atBeech Grove Baptist Church, Jackson, Louisiana #1, 890 Hwy 68.

known forher love of family and friends, wittypersonality,and passion for helpingchildrenthrough her workinsocial services. She is survivedbyher husband, Paul L. Dunbar; children, Jasen and Jiles Armstrong, Shelby and NatalieRoss; mother, Patricia D. Armstrong; parents-inlaw, James and LydiaDunbar, Sr.; siblings, Victor Armstrong, Sr.(Lena), ElectraA.Middleton(Carl), and Nancy Armstrong; siblingsin-law,JamesII, Brandon, and Dedrick Dunbar, and BrendaVictorian (James); four grandchildren; and a host of nieces, nephews, relatives, and friends.

Preceded in death by her father, Herbert L. Armstrong, Sr.; brothers, Herbert,Jr. and Anthony Armstrong; and grandmother, Nancy G. Johnson.

Visitation willbeheld Saturday, November 1, 2025, at UnitedChristian Faith Ministries, 9229 N. Ridgewood Dr.,Baton Rouge, LA,from 8:00 a.m. until funeral servicesat 10:00 a.m. Servicesentrusted to HallDavis and Son Funeral Services.

Alice C. Fisher, anative of Clinton, Louisiana was born Sep. 27, 1940. She departed this life on Sunday Oct.26,2025 at her resident. Alice is survived by her husband of 66 years, Elgie Fisher Sr., 5children Julie,Betty, Florence,Troy Elize and 22 grandchildren. Religious services at 11am on Sat Nov 1, 2025 at Mt Calvary Baptist Church Norwood,LAArrangement entrusted to Mercy Funeral Home, Clinton Louisiana. Hendry, LynnCalongne

Lynn Calongne Hendry, affectionately known as "MeMe," passed away peacefully on Monday, October20, 2025, surrounded by her loving family.She was 79. Born on July 29, 1946, in NewOrleans, Lynn was thedaughterofMae Stella Calongne and Charles Octave"C.O."Calongne. She was theeldest of five children, and loved her siblingsdearly. Lynn was aproud graduateof St.Joseph'sAcademy and LSU, where she earneda degree in Elementary Education. She dedicatedher life to teaching and shaping youngminds. For more than 25 years, she taught first grade,influencingthe livesofcountless children with patience, wit, and just enough"mean" to keep everyoneinline. She was belovedbyher students and fellowteachers alike Adevout Catholic, Lynn was amember of St.Aloysius CatholicChurch. Her

home overflowed with love and warmth. She found joy in simple things -family gatherings, her newspaper and morning coffee, cooking,her flower beds, her dogs, and most of all, her belovedgrandchildren. Christmas Eve at her home was acherished tradition that she loved- lively, loud, and full of laughter -that perfectly exhibitedher unmistakable knack forentertaining.She is survived by her four children: Shannon Hendry Hernandez (Todd), Kelley Hendry Thompson (Todd), Tre Hendry (Brittney), and Michael Hendry (Leigh); herformer husband and father of herchildren, John Seaton Hendry, Jr.; 14 grandchildren: Ben Hernandez (Ashley),Brant Hernandez (Erin), Jordan ThompsonBowlin (Danny), Anna ThompsonRaetzsch (Wilson), Grace Hernandez, Clay Thompson, Lauren Hendry, Brady Hernandez, Mae Thompson, Emma ClaireHendry, Grant Hendry, Harrison Hendry Banks Hendry, and Wells Hendry; six great-grandchildren, MallieAnn Hernandez, HuddHernandez, John Todd Hernandez, Cohen Bowlin, Grady Bowlin and Sawyer Bowlin; her siblings: Don Calongne (Sheila), Terry Calongne (Kyrne), Ken Calongne (Ann), and LeslieCalongne Chauvin (Larry); and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, C.O. andMae Calongne, and by her infant granddaughter, Harper Hendry. She leavesbehind notjust her family,but alifetime of laughter, stories, and recipes that willberetold and remadefor generations. The family extends heartfeltgratitude to her devoted caregivers, Esther Brady, Eloyace Scott,Teresa Thomas, and Latrica Scott;her physicians, Dr. Daniel LaVieand Dr. Lara Falcon, and thecompassionateteam at Audubon Hospice. Visitation willbe held on Monday, November3,2025, at St.Aloysius CatholicChurch in Baton Rouge from 9:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m.,followedbya funeral Mass at 11:00 a.m. Burial willfollow at Roselawn Cemetery. In lieu of flowers,donations may be madetothe Alzheimer'sAssociation, theAmerican CancerSociety, or Metanoia Manor. She willbedeeplymissed b ll h k d l d

Jackson,BeverlyCarlene

byall who knewand loved her. Elam Fudge, son-in-law Joey, andher granddaughter, Morgan McKinley Fudge. She is also survived by her mother,SybilDay, her sister, ConnieLeBlanc, andbrother-in-law Kenneth"Muff" LeBlanc (Rhett).Her devotedcompanion, T'too, abeloved Great Dane, wasbyher side everyday, offering love andcomfort. Carlene demonstrated extraordinary courage, strength, andgrace Through it all, sheremained ashiningexample of resilience.The family extends theirheartfelt thanks to thecaregivers who lovedand supported Carlene. Also, ourgratitude to the family and friends that stood by her through thegood anddifficult times. We wouldlike to recognize herextended family at America's Best Signs,who helda special place in her heart. Carlene wasthe life of everygathering, awoman of wit, wisdom,and warmth who could turn anyoccasionintosomethingtruly special. Her love forconversation, her remarkableinsight,and her infectious energy made her an unforgettable presenceinevery room sheentered. She lived life with an unquenchablecuriosity, andher generous spiritofsharing knowledge touched everyone shemet.Carlene'sfamily andfriends will forever carryher in their hearts Herlegacy is one of beauty,love, laughter, and livingfully,and shewill be dearlymissed by allwho knew her Pallbearersare Andy Jackson,AnthonyLazerus, DavidElam, HunterCallihan, KennethLaBlanc "Muff" (Rhett), Matthew Elam, MauriceAdams, and Tommy Porter.Honorary Pallbearersare Joey Fudge,Tom Jackson,Greg Callihan, ScottCallihan, JacobSeimer,AlbertCernich, Benny Paul Jenkins, Tucker Alanzo, Melvin Green,and ValMurrell. Services will be held at SealeFuneral Homelocated at 1720 SouthRange Ave. DenhamSprings,LA. Visitation will beginSaturday, November 1, 2025 from9am to 12pm with service to followat12pm BurialatCenter Methodist Cemetery, Hwy1043 Greensburg,LA.

With deep sadness, we announce thepassing of Beverly "Babs" Carlene (Elam)Jackson,onOctober 24, 2025, at theage of 71. Awoman of unshakable strength, grace, anda vibrantlove forlife Carlene leaves behind a legacythat will foreverlive on in thehearts of allwho knew her.Carlene wasa graduateofLouisiana State University (LSU), where she earnedher Bachelor's degree in Psychology. Hereducation formed the cornerstone of alife dedicatedtounderstanding and helping others. Throughout hercareer in public service,education andasanentrepreneur, shebuilt meaningful connections that made alasting impact Carleneand her late husbandDicky Jackson hada passion forthoroughbred racing.Theyestablished Kidd Creek Thoroughbred Farm,that also served as arescue site for displacedhorses. They createdcountless memories at theracetrack and in thewinner's circle with FairwellMadrid,Ide Better Win, My Boy Coy, Fairwell Tax Break, TitaniumGirl, Chance of Rena,Robin's Sport andI Beg To Differ Other personal equines dear to them were TNT, Champand T'Gray. Carlene wasalsoa member of the LouisianaThoroughbred Association. Carlene wasprecededin death by herbeloved husbandof25years, Eddie "Dicky" Jackson, andher cherished grandparents, Rena andCarlDay, as well as her father, Dempsey McMorris Sheissurvivedbyher loving daughter, Taura

Clegg, Marshall

Fisher, Alice C.

LeeAnna Bady Kelly de‐partedthislifeonOctober 22, 2025, at theage of 87 She leaves to cherishher lovingmemoryher two sons, CharlesR.Kelly,Jr. and Rodney (Lisa) Kelly,I; two grandsons, Rodney Kelly,IIand Joshua (Treavealon)Kelly;two great-grandsons,Josiah and Rodney Kelly, III; two nephews,Henry (Sharon) Badyand Tony Bady;three great-nieces, Brianna,Syd‐ney,and Sage Bady;three aunts, Mary Badger, Lenoreand Lois Whitaker; and onesister-in-law, Dorothy LeeJackson.View‐ing will be held on Satur‐day,November1,2025, at GethsemaneBaptist Church,1101 CharlesT Smith Dr BatonRouge,La 70802 at 9amuntil theser‐viceat11am. Rev. Dr DanielE.Johnson will be ofﬁciatingthe service. In‐terment will be in Southern MemorialGardens Arrangementsentrusted to MJR Friendly ServiceFu‐neral Home

FrankMcKnightJr. en‐tered into eternalrestat Baton RougeGeneral Med‐icalCenter-Bluebonnet on October 27, 2025. He wasa 73-year oldresidentof Geismar,Louisiana.View‐ing at Miller &Daughter MortuaryonTuesday,No‐vember4,2025at10:00 am until CelebrationofLife Service at 11:00 am con‐ductedbyDr. MariePowell; interment at LouisianaNa‐tionalCemetery. Survivors include hisdevoted wife, Annie McKnight;mother, Elizabeth McKnight, Zachary,Louisiana;chil‐dren, NaomiDillon(Christ‐ian), Seattle, Washington; ThomasJames Lee (Jayantrey) andFrankie McKnight(KaylaBrown)all ofGeismar;and Darnell Lee (Danyelle), Gonzales, Louisiana;siblings, Bobby McKnight(Gracie), Baton Rouge,Louisiana;and Dr Marie Powell (Rev Charles), Baker, Louisiana; seven grandchildren; other relatives andfriends;pre‐ceded in deathbyhis fa‐ther, FrankMcKnight, Sr.; brothers, Leroyand John McKnight; mother-in-law and father-in-law, Lillyand MorrisBatiste

she touched. Shewillbe rememberedfor thegenerosity, laughter, and unwaveringlove. Those who knew her willnever forget hergentleheart and her ability to makeothers feel caredfor and valued. We wouldliketothank Church Funeral Services fortheir support and guidance through this difficulttime. (https://www.churchfuner alservices.com/obituaries/ barbara-kees)

Acelebrationofher life willbeheldatSandy Creek BaptistChurch on Saturday, November 1, 2025 with visitation from 10:00am until 12:00 pm, and service following.

Veronica

Noil,Yvette

It is with profound sorrowthat we announce the passing of Ms. Yvette Veronica Noil who departed thisearthly lifeonthe 21st of October,inthe year of our Lord2025,atthe distinguishedage of 60. A public viewing shall be held in her honor on Saturday, the 1st of November, from 9:00 AM to 11:00AM at WinnfieldFuneral Home. The celebrationoflifeservicesshall follow at 11:00 AM. Her earthly remains shall be laid to rest at Winnfield Memorial Park. The distinguished& solemn arrangements have been entrusted to the care of Winnfield Funeral Home of Baton Rouge &C.D Slaughter,FDIC

Sanders, Rosalie Ann'Rose'

Rosalie“Rose”Ann Sanders,passedawayon Sunday, October19, 2025 atChateau Terrebonne in Houma,LA. Shewas 70,a nativeofLabadieville, LA and resident of Thibodaux, LA. Visitation on Saturday, November1,2025, at Williams &SouthallFuneral Home, 1204 ClevelandSt., Thibodaux,LAfrom9:00 amtoreligious services at 11:00 am.Interment pri‐vate. Arrangements by Williams &SouthallFuneral Home, 1204 ClevelandSt., Thibodaux,LA70301, (985) 447-2513. To sign guest book or offercondolences visit ourwebsite at www williamsandsouthallfune ralhome.com.

Spears,Helen DeloresW.J

Helen Delores Wright Jackson Spears was born on November 18, 1932, to theunionofthe late GeorgeLeandus and Annie Mae JohnsoninDarlington, Louisiana. She departed this life on Monday, October27, 2025, at theage of 92.

Helen leaves to cherish her legacy and memories five children; JerryJackson, Jr.(Idora),Michael Wayne Jackson, Brenda CherylJackson, Tonja Rena Spears and Sonja Renese Spears allofBaton Rouge, LA.; siblings Bobby Johnson (Margaret), Dorothy Spears,Diane Knighten (Ernie) allofBaton Rouge, LA.; BettyAdams (Edward) of Baker, LA and Jacqueline Hart of Greensburg LA.; 3goddaughters;Charmaine S. Washington, GayleL.Pope,and Mecca Daigre; 11 grandchildren; 14 great-grandchildren; 2 great-great-grandchildren and ahost of cousins, nieces, nephews, relatives, and friends. Viewing willbeheldon Saturday, November 1, 2025 at Greater Allen Chapel AMEChurch, 6175 Scenic Hwy., Baton Rouge, LA 70805 at 10 am until the religious service at 12 noon.Rev.Ranches Hall willbeofficiating theservice. Interment willbein Darlington Cemetery.

Arrangementsentrusted to MJR Friendly Service Funeral Home

"Cookie"was born Dec. 11, 1948, in Baton Rouge, La. and was called by God to Eternal Life on Saturday, October25, 2025, at Our Lady of the LakeRegional Medical Center in Baton Rouge, La. Cookie is survivedbyher son, Eric JosephVaughn and wife, Tyra, siblings, Sedley (Jesse) Roach, Eugene (Bobbie)Coates,Suzan Lancaster,LeslieCoates, Rev. Roderick J. D. Coates, S.S.J.,and Matthew Poydras;grand-children, Imani Vaughn and Nicholas Vaughn, and ahost of nieces, nephews, otherrelatives and friends. Preceded in death by her parents, Leanderand Myrtle Coates, grandson Christopher Vaughn, her brother, theRev.LeanderCoates Jr. and sisterChandler CoatesWhitley. Cookie was a1967 graduateof McKinley Sr. HighSchool and later attended Southern University of Baton Rouge. She retired from theUnited States Postal Service after 33 years of service.She was alifelong member of St. Francis XavierCatholicChurch where she sang in the Church Choirfor several years. Cookie had two greatpassions, one was remembering thebirth-

days of allher friendsand family and calling them at 12:01 am to wish them a happy birthday as their daybegan. Her other passionwas crocheting. Cookie made blankets, hats, and other items by hand forall her family members and for many of her close friends. Services entrusted to DesselleFuneralHome 263 Eddie Robinson Sr. Drive, Baton Rouge, LA

Whitaker,Terry Lynn

Terry Lynn Whitaker de‐partedthislifeonSatur‐day,October 18, 2025, at Our Lady of theLakeRe‐gionalMedical Center in Baton Rouge, LA.Hewas 57, anativeofWhite Cas‐tle,LAand resident of Don‐aldsonville,LA. Visitation onFriday, October31, at Williams andSouthallFu‐neral Home,101 Loop 945, Donaldsonville, LA from 2:00pmto4:00pm. Visita‐tiononSaturday, Novem‐ber 1, 2025, at Virginia Bap‐tistChurchfrom8:00amto religious services at 10:00 am. IntermentinPearly Gates Cemetery.Arrange‐ments by Williams & SouthallFuneralHome, 101 Loop 945, Donaldsonville, LA70346, (225) 473-1900. To signthe guestbook or offercondolences,visit our website at www.william sandsouthallfuneralhome. com.

Williams, Classie Belle

Classie Belle Williams, 95, passed away October 18, 2025. Born October1, 1930 in NewIberia, LA, to MarthaCurtisand Trinity Williams. Shewas the youngest of fivechildren andgrewupinthe closeknit communityof"Neco Town." Shewas aproud Southern University graduate with adegree in business and worked for American Bank for many years. AdevoutCatholic. Shewas active with theLadies of Auxiliary at Immaculate Conception,anAdorerat OurLady of Mercy, anda volunteerwith theCatholic Diocese.She is survived by hersister,Ethel Mouton (103 yearsold), daughters Judy TauriacLondon and AndreaBatiste Hopkins (spouse Reginald), six

grandchildren, four great grandchildren, andahost of nieces, nephews, cousins, and dear friends. Sheispreceded in death by herparents, siblings (Lucille, Jonoth, Ruby), former significantothers (Walter and Irving), and is nowlovingly reunited with herinfantson,Joseph.The visitation will be held from 9:00-10:55 AM andA Mass of Christian Burial willbegin at 11:00 AM on 11-12025, all at St.Joseph Cathedral,401 Main Street, Baton Rouge,LA. ACommittal/Burial will immediately follow at Southern Memorial Gardens, 3012 BlountRoad, Baton Rouge, LA.

Anna Bady

McKnight Jr., Frank

Vaughn, Aline Frances 'Cookie'

Redistrictingmustbefairand havepublicinput

for committeedebates.

The Legislature convened in extraordinary session to push back election dates for the 2026 closed congressional primary elections under mirror legislation, House Bill 1and Senate Bill 1, that was ﬁled by legislative committees on governmental affairs, with jurisdiction over elections, voting rights and redistricting.

Legislativeleaders saidthese bills are intended to buy time for the U.S. Supreme Court to decide Louisiana v. Callais, which will determine the proper application of the U.S. Constitution and Voting Rights Act to Louisiana’scongressional map.

Gov.Jeff Landry has saidthat the Supreme Court’sdecision could provide new guidancethat Louisiana must weigh when enacting maps and, too, that new congressional district linesmay be required if the court’sholding strikes down the current map. We pray that does not happen. Any assumption about the timing and nature of the Supreme

Court’sdecision-making, or that another special sessiononredistricting may be required as aresult, remains pure speculation.

Few responsibilities could carry more consequences than redistricting andthe distribution of political power

This process determines which voices areheardloudestwhen choosing the electedofficials who make decisions thatimpact every community member’sdaily life. Indeed, the makeupofdistricts caninfluenceifand how elected officials respondtocommunity needs.

From the delta to thebayou, congressionallines in Louisiana will determine what federaldollars are investedinLouisiana’s communitiesand the policy decisions thatwill shape opportunities forgenerations to comeontopics fromeducationtohousing, foreign policytoour domestic economy.

The Legislature holds incredible poweroverhow any potential midcycleredistrictingprocesswould

Jeff Landryaddresses

proceed in thestate. No matter how opinions may vary on the ultimate conﬁguration of districts and the values reﬂected in the state’s maps,weall should be able to agree on aset of values to guide theprocess.

We askall involved to commit to

Thrive vote is keytothe future of East BatonRouge

Twoweeks from tomorrow,East Baton Rouge Parish residents will vote on the Thrive EBR plan, made up of “Parish Propositions 1, 2, and 3” on the Nov.15ballot

ensurethese values are honored should aredistricting session be held:

n Make committeehearing dates and times are made public with at least ﬁve days’ notice.

n Publish mapbills at least three days before they are scheduled

n Provide all legislators and members of the public with equal access to relevant, nonprivileged information committeemembers mayconsider about how maps comply with all relevant rules and other redistricting criteria as deﬁned by state and federal law

n Provide for public in-person community meetings outside of the State Capitol and/or virtual opportunities for community education and feedback on maps under consideration by the committees.

n Refrain from invoking time limitations on public testimony and legislative debate.

Every citizen deserves an equal voice in our political process. This includes the process of drawing lines for the districts where Louisianans live, work, worship and raise families. We must ensure our communities’ voices are not minimizedorsilenced in any redistricting process.

DavanteLewis represents District 3onthe Public Service Commission and AshleyShelton is the founder, president and CEO of thePower Coalition for Equity andJustice.

These proposals do not impose new taxes, but simply renew what voters have previously approved. Thrive EBRisaparish-wide partnership between the East Baton Rouge Library System, Council on Aging, Mosquito Abatementand Rodent Control and the city-parish. Essentially,Thrive EBR has two parts: the renewal of all three millages, and the rededication of aportion of each to the city-parish’sgeneral fund. All three agencies fully support the plan and will maintain the same services our citizens expect

In terms of the renewal portion of the proposition, the library’smillage hasbeen renewed at 11.1 mills every 10 years since the initial vote in 1985, most recentlyin 2015. It is important to notethat the library millage expires in December; if this vote fails, they will not have any new funding for all of 2026.

The Council on Aging was approved at 2.25 mills in 2016 and mosquitoabatement’s secondary millage was approved at 1.0 mills in 2006. Those millages expire at the end of 2026.

The rededication portion of the proposal involves balancing the budget by paying off $52.4 million of debt and providing $4.5 million ayear for the stormwater master plan. Afull list of these projects can be viewed at stormwater.brla.gov

Residents across the parish know the importance of stormwater mitigation, especially in the aftermath of the 2016 ﬂood. These projects will reduce ﬂood risk for the whole parish.

Together,these rededicated funds and money saved from paying off debt would generate about $26 million.

However,this plan alone will not solve our budget problems, so my administration has prioritized streamlining operations to cut waste.

Efforts such as reﬁnancing sewer bonds, maintaining ahiring freeze and adjusting retiree health beneﬁts are expected to save about $21 million. Those cuts, combined with the added resourcesfrom the Thrive EBR plan, are how we will balance the budget in 2026.

Thrive EBR has broad support —including all 12 council members, the mayors

Supporters of East Baton RougeParish Libraries pack the seats of Metro Council meeting on May14inwhich the Thrive proposal wasunder discussion.

of Baton Rouge, Central,Zachary and St. George, both the EastBaton Rouge Republican and Democratic parties, theBaton Rouge Union of Police, theBaton Rouge Professional Fireﬁghters Association and the AFL-CIO. Ican’trecall another measure or candidate endorsed by both political parties. For many years, EastBaton Rouge Parish residents endured substandardparks and lackluster libraries

However,several decades ago, our residents saw the need for improvement and made strategic investments to ourlibraries and parks. Today,the EBRlibrarysystem and BREC standout as two of the greatest strengths of our parish.Thesetwo entities rose to thechallenge withvisionaryleadership and along-standing ﬁnancial commitment from our residents.

Now,our parishisdealing with crumbling and outdated infrastructure as well as mounting debt.That same investmentthat resurrected our parksand libraries decades ago is now feasible with the Thrive EBR plan as it sets thetable for ﬁnancial stability and stronger infrastructure.

On Nov. 15, voters across the parish will see three separate millage proposals on the ballot.Therewill be no mention of “Thrive EBR”— it’s simply thename we’ve used to brand this initiative.

Iask that residents supportthe renewal of these three millages —and help our parish thrive for yearstocome.

Sid Edwards is themayor-president of East Baton Rouge Parish.

For my entirelife, getting to school felt like arace against the clock, accompanied by constant worry My journey from being akid in Detroit to astudentatLouisiana State University is one of hard work and acrucial support system that ensured Ihad asafeand reliable way to get to class. My experience serves as living proof that policy can change lives and that dedicated federal funding for students experiencing instability is essential for creating real futures.

As thenational conversation turns to education funding, my story is awarning against converting specific, lifesaving funds into broad block grants. Alack of consistent transportation was one of thebiggest challenges Ifaced as a student experiencing homelessness. For mostofmylife, Ilived in atwostory flat in Detroitwith arelative. After thesummer following eighth grade, when Iwas forced to move back, my room had been turned into astorage space, and Inolonger had a bed. For months, Islept on the floor Despite this instability,I wasdetermined to attendaspecific high school that offered the educational benefits I needed. Butstaying there wasadaily struggle. Imoved four or five times during those years, sometimes living as far as 40 minutes from school with no available bus service. To cover the cost of getting there, Istarted working specifically to pay forride-shares. The panic was constant. Iremember tellingmycounselor Ihad no money for an Uber and would miss school and lacrosse practice. Afriend of hers drove me forawhile, but once that fell through, Iwas completely on my own.Iended up spending nearly $1,200 of my own money to get to school and myextracurriculars. This fear is asilent barrier no child should ever have to face. This is where policy becamepersonal.

SkipDrive, asupplemental transportation provider,toget me to school. Finally,I had adaily,reliable and free-to-me ride from asafe adult. Because those federal funds were speciﬁcally targeted forstudents experiencing homelessness, my school was able to direct that money toward my most urgent need. That solution —a simple, saferide —became my lifeline. It allowed me to stay at my high school, participate in lacrosse and an entrepreneurship program and ultimately build acompetitive college application. My experience illustrates the importance of the national conversation about education funding. People are debating whether to give states money in big “block grants” to use however they want. My story is aclear argument forkeeping funding like the McKinney-Vento grants targeted so kids like me don’tfall into the cracks.

Icredit a“village” of support, including my guidance counselor and my entrepreneurship teacher,for helping me get to where Iamtoday As someone whodidn’thave astable guardian, Ioften felt like “no one’s kid.” This support wasablessing because it showed me that someone was responsible formywell-being. This funding can be effective in ensuring that dollars are available to support students experiencing housing instability

Instead of debating whether block grants are good or bad in theory,let’s use my journey to talk about how we can best use federal money to support students.

Transportation isn’taseparate issue —it’sakey part of the conversation about how we can use education funding effectively

The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act is afederal law that ensures children and youth experiencing homelessness, like me, have access to afree education, including aright to transportation assistance. Eventually,myschool district was able to use those dedicated McKinney-Ventofunds to partner with Hop-

All my hard workand all the support Ireceived paid off. Iama student at LSU, and my success wasthe direct result of effective, targeted funding. Iurge lawmakers to protect these programsand ensure that for every student facing instability,the ride to school is abridge to their future, not abarrier

Angel Dawson is ajunior studying mass communications and public relations at LSU

Angel Dawson GUEST COLUMNIST

STAFF PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

Gov.

the Louisiana Legislature on opening dayof the legislativesession in April at the Louisiana State Capitol in Baton Rouge.

FILEPHOTO

ISSUE OF THE WEEK SPORTS BETTING SCANDAL

The revelation that an FBI investigationintoillegal sports gamblinghad led to thearrests of an NBAcoach and twoplayers sent shockwavesthrough the sports world. Sports betting has exploded in popularity in recentyears,but some warnitcouldbechanging the game for fans, athletes, teamsand leagues in undesirable ways.Will the unfolding NBAscandal prompt abroaderreckoning or is it simply too late to rein in legalized online betting platforms that rakein billions ayear? Here are twoperspectives:

Badbet by SupremeCourt opened door to scandal

In 2018, the Supreme Courtvoted 6-3to strike down afederal law banning sports gambling, thus allowing individual states to decide whether to allow it,or not. It didn’ttake agenius to predict what might happen, especially when politicians can find new sources of revenue beyond income, property and sales taxes. Last week, more than 30 people wereindictedaspart of anational sports betting scandal involving high-profile figures, including Portland Trail Blazerscoach

ﬁrst thingtogo. It will be difﬁcult to get it restored.

Americacan no longer ignore itsgamblingproblem

One wonders how people making millionsofdollars would be enticed by offers of afew hundred thousand dollars to do somethingthey had to know was against thelaw.Perhaps it was the thrill one can get from such behavior.Perhaps it was the instant cash delivered to their doorsteps.Whatever it was is crazy stupid.

Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier.Billups was charged in ascheme involvingrigged poker games, and Rozier was chargedfor allegedly providing insider information to an illegal sports bettingring. Aformer player, Damon Jones, was also indicted for sharing insider information.The FBI said arrests were made in 11states with more arrests likely to come. What may have surprised manywere allegations that these schemes are linked to three different Mafia families. Isn’tthe Mafia the stuff of movies like “Goodfellas” and “The Godfather”? People may have thought crime families had been putout of business years ago by federal agents likeEliotNess, then leader of a Chicago team knownasthe “Untouchables” that took on Al Capone. ATVseries by that name ran from 1959 to 1963 and starredRobert StackasNess. The series captivatedAmerican audiences. Threeofthe five crime families allegedly involved in sports betting and rigged poker games are familiar topeople with long memories: the Gambinos, theBonnanosand theGenoveses families.

The NationalBasketball Association, which has Fan Duel and Draft Kings as its “ofﬁcial”sports betting partners, issued astatement followingthe indictments. It read in part: “Wetakethese allegations with the utmost seriousness, and the integrity of ourgameremains our top priority.” The “integrity of our game”was the

Not all vices can be regulated. Prohibition is usually presented as theworst example. While not everyoneconforms to every law (if they didthe prisons would be empty), the law sets astandard which tells people what history andsocieties have shown is best forthem andthe nation.

Gamblers, like thepoor,wehave alwayshad with us, but when gambling (now called “gaming” to supposedly make it more palatable) becomes the norm andespecially when it is advertised during breaksinNBA and NFL games, it sends amessage that this vice is acceptable, even recommended. Putting in small printonthe screen “Gambling problem?” andan1-800 number to dial is notaquick ﬁx for thosewho can’tafford to lose the rent or food money CincinnatiReds star player Pete Rose was banned from baseball in 1989 for betting on games when he managed theclub. After denying theallegation for years, Rose eventually admitted thecharge which ended his eligibility for Hall of Fame consideration. He will be reconsidered for admission when the special committeethatdecides who gets in meetsin December 2027. Given thescandal involving the NBA, with possibly more indictments to come, Rose should be granted admission to the Hall and Congress should consider more regulation of thegambling industry that could pass Supreme Court muster Email Cal Thomas at tcaeditorstribpub. com.

Terry Rozierofthe Miami Heat has built arespectable NBAcareer,averaging about 20 pointsper game some years. In all likelihood, though, the point guard will now be remembered less forwhat he did on the courtthan as anotherdata point in how runaway sportsbetting is corrupting major athletics. Rozier, at the timea memberof the CharlotteHornets, stands accused of tipping off gamblers that he would leave agame againstthe New Orleans Pelicans early in March 2023 based on asupposed injury This allowed his coconspirators to bet the “under” on his performanceand proﬁt handsomely,sharing the proceeds withRozier.A former NBAplayer and unofﬁcial coach for the Los Angeles Lakers, meanwhile, allegedly leaked to bettors the information that LeBronJames, the NBA’s biggest star,would be sitting out (for legitimatereasons)agame in February 2023.

This scandal is obviously ablow to the NBA’sreputation. The league can’thave fans thinking everytime aplayer sits a shady associate has placed apricey bet on DraftKings that he’ll score fewer than 10 points.

There have been sports-gambling scandals before (Shoeless Joe Jackson, I’mlooking at you).Yet we’ve created, out of nothing, an enormous industry that is inherently corrupting, encourages people to waste their money andruins lives.

The corruption cases are adding up. Former TorontoRaptorscenter Jontay Porter recently pled guilty in asimilar scheme to tank his performance, hoping to get relief from his own gambling debts. TwoCleveland Guardians pitchers are under investigation for unusual betting activity around speciﬁc pitches

Sports betting has always been with us, but it mushroomed into ajuggernaut when the Supreme Court struck down in 2018, on federalist grounds, aban on sports betting calledthe Professionaland Amateur Sports Protection Act

The sportsleagueshad opposed legalized sports betting on grounds, as they put it on

one brief, that “gambling on amateur and professional sports threatens the integrity of those sports.” They were right, but we were off to the races nonetheless. With nary apause for prudent experimentation, nearly 40 states legalized sports betting in a matter of several years. The market is apowerful thing, and one of its greatest strengths is creating ever-more alluring products. In this case, that product lavishly marketed and constantly innovative —iswhat has been traditionally considered avice, and rightly so.

Writing in The Atlantic, Charles Lehman of the Manhattan Institute notes, “The rise of sports gambling has caused awave of ﬁnancial and familial misery,one that falls disproportionately on the most economically precarious households.”

Since sports betting is addictive, Lehman continues, the industry’s“proﬁts largely comefrom the compulsions of people with aproblem. Asmall number of people place the large majority of bets —about 5% of bettors spent 70% of the money in NewJersey in late 2020 and early 2021.” What to do? It’d be best if states that haven’talready legalized sports betting stay away,and states that have taken the plunge reconsider.That’sunlikely,though.

America loves its sports betting, an obsession that transcends partisan politics. Polling sponsored by the American Gaming Association shows that two-thirds of Americans approve of legal sports betting, with an equal 71% of Democrats and of Republicans in favor At the very least, states should restrict so-called proposition bets on the individual performance of players, whichismuch more easily gamed than the outcomeofa contest depending on the efforts of an entire team. Once arelatively marginalphenomenon, sports betting is now part of the American mainstream, and we haven’tseen the last of the scandals.

Rich Lowry is on Twitter @RichLowry

Rich Lowry

Cal Thomas

ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTOByJENNy KANE Portland Trail Blazers head coach ChaunceyBillupswalks to avehicle after his federal courtappearanceonOct. 23 in Portland,Ore.

Baton RougeWeather

SPORTS

RUNNINGSTART

LSUguard Flau’Jae Johnson goes up for alayup against Langston in an exhibition game on Thursdayatthe Pete Maravich Assembly Center.LSU won121-41.

LSUshowcases dangeroustransitionoffense in exhibition victory

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

MikaylahWilliams put her ﬁngerprintsall over the LSUwomen’sbasketballteam’sﬁrst exhibition game,a 102-point victoryover DivisionII Mississippi College.

Then, on Thursday, the starjunior took amoment in the Tigers’ second preseason tune-up to offera glimpse into the ways in which coach Kim Mulkey’snew-lookgroup could ﬁnd their way back intothe FinalFour. First, shestole theball from aLangstonguard on the perimeter.Thenshe started afastbreak anddropped anifty behind-the-back pass to MiLaysia Fulwiley, who converted an open layup to cap thetransitionchance.

LSUlikes to run. Especially becauseits topthree players all thrive in transition, as each of Williams, Fulwiley andFlau’jae Johnson showed on Thursdayina 121-41 exhibition win over the NAIA Lions.

The No. 5Tigers forced Langstoninto 36 turnovers and capitalized with 41 points on thefastbreak.Six players scored in double ﬁgures forLSU, whichshot 59% from theﬁeld and assisted 23 of the 44 bucketsitscored.

In the ﬁrst exhibition,Mulkeydid notput LSU’strio of stars in thestarting lineup.Instead,sophomoreJada Richard started at point guard, while Fulwiley came off the bench. Her starting frontcourtwas EastCarolina

ä See LSU, page 2C

Saints have delicate balancebetween tradedeadline, Shough’s development

BY MATTHEW PARAS Staff writer

Twocompeting ideas can be true for the New Orleans Saints regarding the NFL trade deadline.

One, movingonfromeitherwidereceiver ChrisOlave or Rashid Shaheedmight hurt Tyler Shough‘s development.

Two, sending at least one wideout away could be the best for the franchise in the long haul.

Shough’sﬁrst start, Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams, comes at afascinating time for the Saints. The black and gold must see what they have in theirsecond-round quarterbackover the ﬁnal nine games.But at 1-7, the Saints have the kind of record that puts them at the epicenterofthe league’s Tuesday trade deadline. And the Saints have two receivers —Olave andShaheed —who might fetch real value, assets that would accelerate the team’srebuild.

That’sadelicate position to be in. Could Shough’sﬁrst start be his lastthrowing to Olave and/or Shaheed?

“I don’tthink you’reworried about it one bit,”Saints coach Kellen Moore said when asked how Shough’sdevelopment couldbeimpacted by what the Saints do at the deadline. “Wehave an awesome group of guys. Yeah, we haven’t won enough games, but theway this group practices still, the energy that it brings …it’sa really awesomegroup.

TheSaints could just look at last year’s team to see how dire ayoung quarterback’splay can be without topwideouts to target. After season-ending injuries to Olaveand Shaheed lastfall, Spencer Rattler spent

LSUshould call Saban ﬁrst,then go down this list

Scott Rabalais

The ﬁring of Brian Kelly and the now active search forhis successor as LSU’s football coach are the stories that ate the local newscycle. Who will LSU hire? When will it hire someone? Who will be doing the hiring? How much will Gov. Jeff Landry inject himself into the process? Will Omar the Tiger be forced into making acomeback tour? Anything right nowabout who will getthe job andwho will be offering thejob is pure speculation.But at this early stage, allowmetoweigh in withmytop 10 candidates and reasonswhy they would or wouldn’ttakethe job

We’ll start with No.1,the greatest college football coach of all time:

1. NICK SABAN, 73 YEARS OLD (RETIRED) Yes, he will be 74 on Friday.Yes, he got out of coaching at Alabamabecause of the sea change in college athletics with the transfer portal and NIL.But Ibelieve the competitive ﬁres still burn. Ithink LSU is the one school that could get Saban to un-retire, even if just fortwo, three or four seasons, enough timefor LSU to stabilize the program and set it backona national contender course. He’salso the one candidate who could get everyone from the governor on down to stop squabbling and

ä See RABALAIS, page 4C

OleMisscoachLane Kiffin, left,and Alabama coachNick Saban share a laugh before agame on Oct. 2, 2021, in Tuscaloosa, Ala

BY TOYLOYBROWN III Staff writer

Overwhelmed with gratitude,Michele Strother walked across Southern’sPete Richardson ﬁeld in August. She waswith herson,joyful andrelieved. Ashton Strother,the youngest of herthree kids, had landed at adream football destination for his junior season after awinding path in asport that hasn’talways been kind to him.

“There were timesIdid worry abouthim as aperson, because he wasdevoting so much time, so much effort, so much energy to this sport, and he wasn’treaping (what) he thought he should at that time,” Michele Strother said. Before his phone callfromSouthern’s coaching staff, AshtonStrother’sresolve hadalreadybeen tested. Learning aplaybook after joining aprogram eight days before the season opener was far from his biggest form of adversity

See SOUTHERN,

STAFF PHOTO By HILARySCHEINUK

2:35

4:35

Ohtani captivates the world

Japan has been glued to their TV sets to cheer on Dodgers in World Series

BY YURI KAGEYAMA

AP business writer

TOKYO “Ohtani. Home run. Awesome. Ohtani. Home run.” Cocochan Hayakawa, a chatty parrot with nearly 48,000 followers on Instagram, is one of millions of admirers of Shohei Ohtani, the baseball superstar starring again for the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series.

“He is the greatest,” said Hideyuki Kamimura, who heads a dental clinic in a town north of Tokyo and goes to Los Angeles every year to watch a Dodgers game. Although the Dodgers are trailing Toronto 3-2 in the World Series, Kamimura still believes Ohtani and the Dodgers will prevail.

He adores Ohtani so much that he has an Ohtani memorabilia collection including three of the player’s helmets.

“Ohtani has always delivered

A window

watches to bottled water to noodles to omusubi (rice balls). He reportedly earns around $100 million annually from endorsements, part of the reason he asked the Dodgers to defer all but $2 million of his $70 million annual salary

In one ad for a home security company, Ohtani even faces a legend in Japanese baseball who died this year at 89. A computer-graphics dream faceoff has Ohtani pitching to a young Shigeo Nagashima. The ad ends before the ball reaches the plate.

His Dodgers teammates have made viral fun of Ohtani’s gesture in a sunscreen ad in which he draws the bottle across his face and replicates it while rounding the bases.

To Japanese fans, Ohtani is just about perfect: He hits home runs, pitches great, steals bases and has a reputation for being kind and humble.

NBA approves $10 billion Lakers sale to Walter Mark Walter is the majority owner of the Los Angeles Lakers after the NBA Board of Governors approved his purchase of a controlling stake from the Buss family, the league conﬁrmed Thursday Jeanie Buss will remain the Lakers’ governor under the deal for at least the next five years, and will oversee day-to-day operations “for the foreseeable future,” the team said. Her father, Jerry Buss, bought the Lakers in 1979.But the Lakers are now primarily owned by Walter, the billionaire who is the controlling owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers and the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks among his numerous investments.Walter bought a 27% minority stake in the Lakers in 2021 before the current sale, which was completed with a franchise valuation of $10 billion — the highest ever for a pro sports team.

Nationals set to hire Rays’ Butera as manager

The Washington Nationals are

ﬁnalizing a deal to hire 33-year-old Blake Butera as manager, according to a person with knowledge of the situation.The person spoke on Thursday on condition of anonymity because nothing had been announced. The Nationals ﬁred Dave Martinez in July, and Miguel Cairo took over on an interim basis.

While being able to watch Ohtani’s games live — after breakfast in Tokyo time he’s also popular in advertisements and his face is all over billboards and merchandise and TV

He’s seemingly everywhere in Tokyo, pitching everything from

dramatic victorious endings from totally critical situations,” Kamimura said It is hard to escape Ohtani in Japan, even while the country was glued to its own World Series equivalent, the Japan Series. The SoftBank Hawks won their 12th championship Thursday night over the Hanshin Tigers, one of Japan’s oldest clubs dating to the 1930s.

Max Bedding, a chemist from Sydney, was visibly happy after he bought an Ohtani cap during a vacation in Japan. Baseball isn’t that big in Australia but Bedding is moving to the U.S and wanted proof he’s up with the times.

“Being in Japan, I’ve seen how much of a cultural phenomenon he is,” Bedding said of Ohtani.

Pels look to shake off embarrassing losses

BY ROD WALKER Staff writer

The New Orleans Pelicans have been embarrassed for two straight games this week

The ﬁrst one came Monday at home in a 122-90 loss to the Boston Celtics.

The second one came Wednesday night, a 122-88 point beatdown by the Denver Nuggets.

The Pelicans are 0-4 on this young season to start the Joe Dumars era and have lost nine games in a row dating back to last season.

“Pretty much we are a team right now that has to dig down and find our identity,” said Pelicans’ head coach Green “We have to believe in each other That’s first. The first order of business is you’ve got to compete harder play harder, play more together and the belief has to be there.”

The Pels have done none of that this week. As a result, Green’s seat is hotter than it’s ever been after his team got outscored 29-2 to start the third quarter and 39-11 by the time the quarter ended Wednesday night.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHTO By DAVID ZALUBOWSKI

Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray, center, drives the lane as Pelicans forward Herb Jones, left, and center yves Missi defend in the first half on Wednesday in Denver. The Pelicans lost 122-90.

ä Pelicans at Clippers. 9:30 P.M.

FRIDAy WAFB

Oklahoma City Thunder, last season’s NBA champions.

night and just two points. He bounced back Wednesday “Just continuing to show them why they should trust me and doing everything I can to try to help my team win,” Fears said.

Fears didn’t get much help from the rest of the starting lineup. His 21 points were almost as many as the rest of the starting lineup combined. Zion Williamson (11), Trey Murphy (7), Herb Jones (5) and DeAndre Jordan (2) combined to score just 25 points. Yves Missi (10 points) came off the bench and was the only player other than Fears and Williamson to reach double ﬁgures.

Williamson didn’t record a single rebound on a night the Pels were outrebounded 56-36. It was the second game in his career that he didn’t get a rebound. The ﬁrst time was as a rookie when he was on a minutes restriction in a game against the Utah Jazz played in the bubble.

Butera would be the youngest manager since Minnesota’s Frank Quilici in 1972, according to ESPN. Washington has had six straight losing seasons since Martinez managed them to the 2019 World Series title. The Nationals went 66-96 this year Washington also ﬁred president and general manager Mike Rizzo in July Paul Toboni is the team’s new president of baseball operations.

Nebraska extends Rhule’s contract through 2032 LINCOLN, Neb Nebraska announced a two-year contract extension with coach Matt Rhule on Thursday, adding salary bonuses for College Football Playoff appearances but leaving his base salary unchanged. The deal runs through the 2032 season.Rhule is in his third season at Nebraska and there was speculation two weeks ago that he might be a candidate to fill the job at Penn State followingJames Franklin’s firing. “Coach Rhule has shown he is the right leader at the right time for Nebraska football,” athletic director Troy Dannen said.Last season, Rhule led Nebraska to its first winning season in eight years and first first bowl victory since 2015. Nebraska is off to a 6-2 start this season, its best eightgame record in nine seasons.

Thunder’s Topic diagnosed with testicular cancer

“They are an elite team,” Green said. “Once they punch you, you’ve got to punch back Tonight we didn’t. No response in the second half and that’s the difference in the game.” For four straight games to start the season, the Pelicans have had a lull at some point that has ended up costing them.

LSU

Continued from page 1C

transfer Amiya Joyner and Notre Dame transfer Kate Koval. Mulkey switched up that group for the second exhibition Fulwiley and freshman ZaKiyah Johnson — the star of the first scrimmage — joined Williams, Flau’jae Johnson and Koval in the starting lineup. Richard and Joyner checked in about halfway through the first quarter Williams scored 16 points and assisted 7 shots in the first exhibition. In the second, she notched 8 points and 2 rebounds in eight minutes of action. Koval finished with a 12-point, 11-rebound

The Pelicans (0-4) are one of three winless teams in the NBA, joining the Indiana Pacers and the Brooklyn Nets. Getting win No. 1 won’t be easy on the remainder of this three-game road trip. The Pelicans play the Los Angeles Clippers (2-2) Friday night and conclude the trip Sunday afternoon against the

Rookie Jeremiah Fears got very little help in Wednesday’s debacle in Denver Fears made 10 of his 15 shots and ﬁnished with a teamhigh 21 points and 6 assists.

“He was the bright spot tonight,” Green said. “But he’s been playing like that with toughness and getting downhill and connecting with his teammates.”

Fears’ big night came just two days after he struggled against Boston with a 1-for-11 shooting

Murphy and Jones shot a combined 3-for-15 from the floor as the Pelicans lost in Denver for the ﬁfth straight time.

Now the Pelicans will try to get a win against the Clippers. The Pels have won seven of their last 10 games against the Clippers, including four of the past ﬁve in Los Angeles.

“Once we get that first win, we’re going to get rolling,” Fears said. “We just have to keep trusting in each other and believing.”

Knox, who fouled out in the eight minutes she played in the ﬁrst exhibition. LSU cleared the 100-point threshold in both of its exhibition games for the second time under Mulkey. It beat Mississippi College and Langston by an average margin of 100.5 points — the widest so far in any of the pairs of exhibition contests it’s played across the last ﬁve seasons. Next for LSU, the real games begin. The Tigers will host Houston

OKLAHOMA CITY Oklahoma City Thunder guard Nikola Topic has been diagnosed with testicular cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy Sam Presti, the team’s general manager announced the diagnosis on Thursday Topic had a testicular procedureearlier in the month.The Thunder said at the time he’d be out for at least four weeks.Presti said doctors are “extremely positive” about his long-term outlook. He said Topic has been working out throughout the process and didn’t want the diagnosis revealed until after he started treatment.“He has all the tools that you could ask for somebody to take on and conquer the situation,” Presti said.Topic was expected to be an important addition to a team that otherwise changed very little after winning the NBA title last season.

Sinner reaches Paris Masters quarterfinals

PARIS Jannik Sinner beat Francisco Cerundolo 7-5, 6-1 in the third round of the Paris Masters on Thursday to extend his indoor winning streak to 23 matches and maintain his chances of reclaiming the No. 1 ranking. The four-time Grand Slam champion needs to win the tournament to take the top spot from Carlos Alcaraz Sinner’s quarterﬁnal opponent on Friday will be Ben Shelton. The ﬁfth-seeded

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

STAFF PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK LSU guard ZaKiyah Johnson drives to the basket as Langston guard Natalya Jones, left and guard Areyanna Hunter defend in an exhibition game on Thursday at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By yURI KAGEyAMA

display in Tokyo features Shohei Ohtani’s photo on Thursday in Iwate, Japan, which is where Ohtani is from.

THE VARSITYZONE

Crosetto signs with LA Galaxy academyteam

BY JACKSON REYES Staff writer

Dutchtown High School’s

Noah Crosetto became one step closer to his dream of playing professional soccer after he put pen to paper to sign with the LA Galaxy Academy

Crosetto, asophomore, will head to Los Angeles to join the MLS club’sacademy at just 15 years old.

“I’m extremely grateful, said Crosetto, who signed with the team on Thursday morning at Dutchtown.

“This is just atestament from God, putting this plan in my life. Trusting in him, and ﬁnally,this opportunity comes.”

Crosetto played on Dutchtown’ssoccer team as afreshman, but was born in Los Angeles. The 6-foot, 170-pounder said he’sexcited about theopportunity to return to L.A. and compete.

Crosetto ﬁrst caughtthe Galaxy’sattention when he competed in aSeattle tournament in the summer.He sent an email to the club with his ﬁlm and information about himself, and the team decided to bring him in for aweek of training and playing with them to assess his talent up close.

The Galaxy invitedhim back in October.Not long after,the club called his father to offer his son aspot on the academy team for the spring season. He remembers he was in California when his dad got the call.

“It was just crazy,” Crosetto said. “I just felt overjoyed.”

He’sexcited for this moment, but now he knows the hard work starts to maintain hisposition on the team and potentially play for the senior teamone day

“Everything that I’ve learned, all the little things just got to keep going,” Crosetto said. “I’m grinding to make that next level.” He said he was alsograteful to the opportunities Dutchtown has given him to showcase his talent.

Beau Crosetto, Noah’sfather,said the opportunity to join any MLS club’sacademy is exciting, but one as great as the Galaxy’swas especially so.

“There’smillionsofkids in southernCalifornia that areincrediblesoccer players,not to mention the amount of great soccer players around thecountry,”Beau Crosetto said “Tohave akid fromLouisiana getcalled to join the team at this age is pretty incredible when you think aboutthe odds.”

He usedthe old saying “hard work beats talent,” but he knew hisson always possessed talentwiththe soccer ball at his feet

“Talent that works hard can’tbe beat,” Beau Crosetto said. “I said, You’re talented, you’reathletic. You’re made differently. Work harder than everyone else, no one’sgoing to catch you.’

With the resources the Galaxy has to offer,Beau Crosetto said hisson will continuetosoar

Dutchtown coach Marcus Dyer called Noah Crosetto’sopportunity ablessing not just forthe school, but thecommunity.He’sone of theﬁrst soccer players to be recognized at thenationallevel from Ascension Parish.

DyersaidCrosetto made sacrifices like missing weekendshangingout with friends to train for soccer or rest.He’sstayed committedtohis goals, andit’s paid off.

“He’smatured alot in just what it takes to be a high-levelathlete,”Crosetto said.“He has grown as aholistic athlete just to recognize the sacriﬁces he has to make if he wantsto get there.I’m superproud of him.”

Dyer said oneofthe hardest things about thesportis just beingseen. In astate that focuses on football, Crosetto hadtowork hard to be noticed by MLS clubs.

“It’satough road, just to getinfront of eyes,” Dyer said.“The coach’seyes can see, ‘Hey,this kidhas it. He has the work ethic, he hasthe attitude.Let’s bring him. That’swhat happened.’”

Now,Dyer hopes to see Crosettocontinuetogrow and one day suit up for the LA Galaxysenior team.

“I hope to watch him on TV one day,” Dyer said.“It would beawesome.”

MICHAEL JOHNSON

has been adefensiveleader for the Wildcats, whohosted ZacharyonThursday night.

BY JACKSON REYES Staff writer

Central linebacker Jake Jarreau is amodel of consistency

Wildcats coach David Simoneaux never has to look over and check whether he’sdoing the right thingsinpractice.

The senior’shard work has translated into big numbers and three years starting for aCentral team that won the Class 5A state title last year and is 6-2, 2-1 this year

“He’sbeen acoach’s dream,” Simoneaux said. “He’sgot his own personal discipline and passion to be his personal best.”

Jarreau’x dedication is evident every rep and workout, but he’sstuffed thestat sheet,too. Jarreau has tallied 31 tackles,41/2 tackles for loss, half asack and three pass breakups.

“Welive in aworld today where players want to call alot of attention to themselves and celebrate every play,” Simoneaux said. “Jake’sjust kind of a throwback guy that is just silently going about his business.”

Can’tmeasure heart

Jarreau is not be aprototypical linebacker sizewise. The senior is 5-foot-8, 195 pounds, but his work ethic and athletic ability morethan makeupfor it.

“He’sjust adude who’s always going to be there doing what he’ssupposed to be doing,” Simoneaux said. “I love that because he’snot aﬁve-star recruit,but he’sa dang good high school football player,and aguy I’dgo to war with any day.”

Asidefrom his plays wrapping up ball-carriers, Jarreau’sabilitytodefend thepassing game also stands out

“He makes all these plays in coverage that he shouldn’tbeable to make,” Simoneaux said. “This little dude covering big receivers or running backs that run better than him, and he

ä Because of earlydeadlines, Thursday’s football scores and game stories were not available at press time. FOR UPDATES,GOTOTHEADVOCATE.COM

can just make plays.”

His success on the ﬁeld goes back to his preparation and consistency Simoneaux said. Jarreau is someonethe coaching staff and teammates trust to makeplays when needed.

Jarreau’splayed football since he was 8years old, starting in the Central ﬂag football league. He’d always wanted to play the sport,watching it on television and playing in theyard with his friends.

His love and motivation for football come from just being around the people he cares about.

“I just love playing with thepeople around me,” Jarreau said. “I like to hit Ijust do it for thepeople around me. When Ihit people, it ﬁres me up, and when Isee people around me making big plays, it just gives us energy ” Jarreau was arunning back on the freshman team theyear before Simoneaux becameCentral’scoach. He madethe movetolinebacker in his sophomore season.

In Week 7ofthe 2023 season, he madehis ﬁrst start againstCatholic. The Wildcats lost that game, but what stood out toSimoneaux was Jarreau stufﬁng Bearsquarterback and current UL freshman Daniel

Beale on afourth-and-goal quarterback sneak.

“Itwas the beginning of something that we knew was going to be really,really good,” Simoneaux said. “Even though he didn’t have all the measurables. Youcan’tmeasure the size of this kid’sheart.”

Leadingbyexample

Jarreau is praised forpreparing and training in the right way

“He’sanoffseason warrior and just adude that works his butt off forus,” Simoneaux said.

His knowledge of the defense also stands out. Jarreau makes all of the calls on defense. His football IQ matches his workethic in practice and in games. Jarreau said his ability to read offenses has been where he’sgrownthe most this season.

“It’shelped me this year alot,” Jarreau said. “Being able to be in the right spots at the right time.”

Simoneaux recalled a play against Woodlawn this season that exempliﬁed Jarreau’simprovement.

He was the mike linebacker when the Panthers ran ajet sweep. He was over the ball in his assignmentwhen aspeedy Woodlawnreceiver took the ball and darted to the boundary Jarreau quickly beat a block and stretched out his body to makeavicious tackle.

“Itshowed this set of skills that was not only to block the feet, not only the ability to run ball carriers down, but also be able to

ﬁnish at the point of attack with nasty intentions,” Simoneaux said. “Itwas like, ‘Man, this is elite linebacker play.’ ” The play was eye-opening forSimoneaux and the coaching staff, as they watched aplayer whocould cover sideline to sideline or in the box.

Finishingstrong

While the Wildcats are 6-2, they haven’tlived up to their standard defensively Central surrendered more than 50 points in both of its losses. Their quest to repeat as state champions isn’t discussed often, but the team knowsthey’re getting every opponent’sbest each weekwith their reputation as champions.

“Wejust know that we’ve got to play that much better,” Jarreau said. “You can’tback downtoanything, because everybody’s obviously coming with their best shot, so we have to bring our best shot every game.”

Central built adefensive covenant on Tuesday this week, and Jarreau was a vital piece in building it. The team talked about the reputation they want their 2025 defense to leave. Jarreau was akey piece in voicing their motivation to be aunit that is knownfor its passion and physicality, with players whocan count on each other

“I just hope we go out and play the rest of our games like it’sour last game,” Jarreau said. “Just play free and just do our best.”

STAFF FILE PHOTOByMICHAEL JOHNSON

Central linebacker JakeJarreau, left, celebrates after scooping up aDenham Springs fumbleonSept. 12 in Denham Springs. Jarreau

Ten players LSU must try to keep for next season

BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer

LSU football has fired coach

Brian Kelly

The Tigers decided to move on from the former Notre Dame coach Sunday night after less than four years in Baton Rouge. The ﬁring came on the heels of LSU’s 49-25 loss to Texas A&M on Saturday, marking the team’s third loss in four games.

Kelly’s departure comes before an offseason where LSU was going to need to rebuild much of its roster Fifth-year senior quarterback Garrett Nussmeier senior cornerback Mansoor Delane and junior linebacker Harold Perkins are just a handful of names that are set to head to the NFL after this season. But with the transfer portal also set to open on Jan. 2, whoever LSU’s next coach is must also worry about the possibility of key returning players departing the program Here are 10 players LSU will need to keep for next season

TE Trey’Dez Green

Despite LSU’s recent struggles, Green has emerged as the top pass-catching target over the past three games He’s led the team in receptions in each contest, accumulating 19 catches for 274 yards and three touchdowns in that span. As a sophomore, the 6-foot-7 Green has one more season before becoming eligible to be selected in the NFL draft. He’d be the perfect big weapon for whoever LSU’s next quarterback is CB DJ Pickett

Pickett has emerged as a potential star at cornerback through eight games, playing 266 snaps despite only being a freshman, according to Pro Football Focus. The former ﬁve-star prospect has allowed just eight receptions for 82

Texas quarterback Arch Manning runs out of bounds against Mississippi State on Saturday in Starkville, Miss.

ASSOCIATED

JAMES PUGH

yards, per PFF, and hasn’t given up a touchdown Pickett has the potential to be a cornerstone on defense for whoever LSU’s next coach is. Retaining the 6-5 phenom is a must for the Tigers’ defense moving forward.

RB Harlem Berry

Berry has shown flashes of promise in recent weeks, rushing for 56 yards on eight attempts in the ﬁrst half against Texas A&M after averaging 5 yards per carry on 11 attempts against Vanderbilt.

The freshman provided the kind of speed and explosiveness the running back corps has missed in recent seasons. Berry has two

Manning is ‘making good progress’ but uncertain to play against Vanderbilt

BY JIM VERTUNO AP sportswriter

AUSTIN, Texas Texas quarterback Arch Manning was “making good progress” in practice, coach Steve Sarkisian said Thursday, but his status to return from a concussion in time to play against No. 9 Vanderbilt was still uncertain.

Manning has been in concussion protocol since being injured at the beginning of overtime in No. 20 Texas’ 45-38 win over Mississippi State last week. Backup Matthew Caldwell came on to throw the winning touchdown as Texas rallied from 17 points down in the fourth quarter Manning has spent the week in Texas’ concussion protocol and he returned to practice Wednesday He was listed as questionable on the team’s Wednesday night injury report to the South-

RABALAIS

Continued from page 1C

fall into line. It would require a moonshottype ﬁnancial commitment — who knows? — maybe $20 million a year guaranteed. But if I was hiring, I would make the call and make Nick tell me no. I know he told me when he went to Alabama he knew it was a mistake to leave LSU for the Miami Dolphins a couple of months into the job, but by then it was too late. I think he would consider it for his deep affection for LSU and to not have to sit next to obnoxious Pat McAfee every week on the “College GameDay” set.

2. DAN LANNING • 39 • OREGON When Saban says his no is ﬁnal, my next question would be,

eastern Conference.

“I don’t have anything beyond for Arch just because we have to follow the protocol of the days and the reps, but he’s making good progress,” Sarkisian said.

If Manning can’t play, Caldwell will start. He is a graduate transfer from Troy

“We haven’t changed anything that we’ve done,” Sarkisian said.

“The game plan is the game plan. All of his teammates have conﬁdence in Matt if it’s his time to go.”

Manning has passed for 1,795 yards and 15 touchdowns. A preseason favorite for the Heisman Trophy, Manning struggled for much of the early season but played his best game against Mississippi State with 346 yards passing and three touchdowns. He passed for 169 yards in the ﬁnal quarter

“Nick, who should my next call be to?” He might say Lanning, a former grad assistant for Saban at Bama and Kirby Smart’s former defensive coordinator at Georgia. Lanning is young, driven, a little maniacal and would be a fan darling if he won at LSU. He has a great job at Oregon and would be expensive to lure away ($10.4 million salary, $20 million buyout, juicy incentives) but he can’t love the cross-country Big Ten road trips the Ducks must now make).

3.MARCUS FREEMAN • 39 • NOTRE DAME It almost seems unthinkable that LSU could hire two straight coaches away from Notre Dame. Freeman has done the unthinkable since replacing Kelly in South Bend: taken the foundation and enhanced it. The Fighting Irish reached the CFP ﬁnal this past season and are rumbling toward another CFP berth after an

more years left before becoming draft-eligible.

WR Aaron Anderson

There’s a strong chance Anderson forgoes his ﬁnal year of eligibility and enters the NFL draft But if the junior wide receiver does return to college for a ﬁfth season, LSU needs to make sure that last year is spent in Baton Rouge.

Injuries have hampered Anderson in 2025, but last year he led the team in catches and yards receiving.

DT Dominick McKinley

A former five-star recruit,

SOUTHERN

Continued from page 1C

Strother endured the sudden death of his dad from a heart attack when he was 14 and later had a kidney laceration injury that he felt could jeopardize his football future. When difﬁculties arose, he did what his parents taught him: pray lean on a support system and confront the challenge.

That’s what the 21-year-old, now the Jaguars’ starting quarterback, continues to do as he tries to lead Southern (1-7, 0-4 SWAC) to victory

“Got to go hunt and go get these wins,” Strother said. “I know people are looking at us like an easy win, but I don’t think of it that way I feel like we’re continuing to get so much better each and every day with practice.”

The Jaguars’ next contest is against Arkansas-Pine Bluff (3-5, 1-3) at 2 p.m. Saturday at Simmons Bank Field in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Strother has completed 54.2% of his passes, throwing for a team-high 626 yards passing, a touchdown and two interceptions in six games.

Football runs in the Strother family His dad, Adrian Strother was an offensive lineman at Ole Miss from 1988-90 and got his two sons interested in the game. Ashton Strother picked up football when he was 5 and successfully resisted any position change throughout. At Christian Brothers High School, he was the starting quarterback for his last three years.

In the season opener of his senior season, the 6-foot-3 signal caller took a crushing tackle that he thought might have damaged one of his ribs. Strother returned to the game and later threw the game-winning touchdown. But

0-2 start. He’s making at least $7.4 million per year, is a Midwest guy and could well be at his dream job. But like Saban, I’d make him tell me no.

4. LANE KIFFIN 50 OLE MISS I believe Kiffin would have taken the job when LSU hired Kelly four years ago. Now I’m not so sure, but he’s won big in Oxford, though he hasn’t reached the CFP or the SEC championship game yet The Rebels could well do both this year and convince Kiffin he should stay at Ole Miss, which is paying him $9 million per year and would likely go higher to keep him Fox Sports college football analyst Joel Klatt said he believes Kiffin will take the LSU job If he won here, I think Tiger fans would take Kiffn’s offense and his tweaking opponents on social media and eat it up with a knife and fork. 5. JON SUMRALL • 43 • TULANE There once was a stigma to LSU

McKinley started at defensive tackle against Vanderbilt. His production hasn’t been immense this season, but he’s only a sophomore, and LSU would only beneﬁt from having an experienced super athlete on its defensive line.

S Dashawn Spears

Spears hasn’t played more than 23 snaps in any game this season, per PFF, but the sophomore is in line to start next year with starters AJ Haulcy and Tamarcus Cooley likely heading for the draft after the season. Despite his lack of starting experience, Spears had two interceptions against Florida in Week 3.

postgame, he knew something was wrong once he went to the restroom and his urine was red. He was taken to the hospital, where he stayed for a couple of weeks, and was told of his kidney laceration. He also learned that there was a chance he wouldn’t recover in time to return to the ﬁeld, which would put a damper on his final high school season and slow the momentum on his college recruitment.

Strother credits his mom for taking him to the right specialist, where he was able to heal and return as a starter two months later

Although some college interest dried up, he finished his final high school season on his own terms and played on an undefeated statechampionship basketball team. His next chapter was at Missouri Baptist at the NAIA level, followed by Coahoma Community College, a Mississippi junior college Both stops offered experiences that helped him hone his skills and test his tenacity Strother initially transferred to Division II Kentucky State, but he didn’t feel fully confident in his decision and mulled sitting out a season.

hiring coaches from Tulane or UL (see Napier, Billy). No more. Not with a candidate like Sumrall. He has won at Troy and Tulane (granted, not Power Four jobs), knows how to recruit the region and is from the South (Texarkana, Texas). I agree with our Jeff Duncan: LSU will be hiring Sumrall or coaching against him in 2026 at another Power Four school.

6. ELI DRINKWITZ • 42 • MISSOURI Has probably done more with less at Mizzou than most coaches could. Kind of a poor man’s Lane Kifﬁn, if you will, but a sharp offensive mind. He could also be a poor man’s Brian Kelly: He’s 7-16 against the AP Top 25.

7. JEFF BROHM • 54 • LOUISVILLE Conversely, Brohm has a reputation as a giant killer, having knocked off top-3 foes Miami, Ohio State, Iowa and Michigan State in recent years. He’s also from Louisville and played at

DL Lamar Brown

Brown is a ﬁve-star defensive lineman and the No. 1 player in the nation from the Class of 2026, according to the 247Sports Composite. The University High prospect is from Baton Rouge and is still committed to LSU as of Monday, but the Tigers will need to work to keep his pledge in place following Kelly’s ﬁring.

He visited Texas A&M, Texas and Miami before committing to the Tigers in July

DE Trenton Henderson

LSU’s highest-rated commitment besides Brown, Henderson is an elite edge rusher from Florida ranked as the No. 43 recruit in the nation and the No. 3 player in the state.

With three seniors at edge rusher set to depart after this season, Henderson is the type of talent LSU needs at the position moving forward.

CB PJ Woodland

Woodland has become a key piece of LSU’s defense after earning playing time as a freshman The sophomore has started every game this season and has allowed just 14 receptions for 209 yards, according to PFF Retaining Woodland and Pickett would be a great start when it comes to rebuilding LSU’s secondary for next season.

RB Caden Durham

Durham has lost some touches to Berry this year, but the sophomore is still LSU’s lead ball carrier and is averaging nearly 5 yards per carry

If LSU brings back Berry and Durham, its running back room would be a strength next season.

Email Koki Riley at Koki. Riley@theadvocate.com.

Then Southern called Not long after, he visited the Baton Rouge campus with his mom and joined the team.

“I was so grateful for the opportunity for him, because when you see your child work so hard for something that he loves, and then someone recognizes and believes in him— I’m just so thankful, so thankful to God, because I know it was his plan,” Michele Strother said.

Strother’s ﬁrst extended appearance was as a backup at Fresno State. When the offense was ﬂoundering early, he spearheaded a 75yard drive for a touchdown in the second quarter He did the same thing when he entered in the third quarter against Bethune-Cookman.

“He’s a sharp young man,” former Southern coach Terrence Graves said after the Fresno State game. “He’s attentive. He pays attention to detail You know, he got in a situation like that, and it wasn’t too big for him.”

Strother has also had low moments as a starter, such as his twoturnovergameagainstPrairieView

“Just trying to get out of my own way, because, you know, I got here kind of late,” he said. “Sometimes you’ll get out there and don’t really get all the reps that you really wanted with the team throughout fall camp, and OTAs.”

Trusting his eyes is the biggest message coaches are telling him. As he trusts those eyes, he’s soaking up every moment of the season, as he has come a long way

“My career, I can only say, it’s just been a blessing from God,” Strother said “You know, what kind of crazy story is this? I come eight days before the (ﬁrst) game and end up being the starting quarterback. If I wasn’t grounded in my faith, I would be nowhere where I am today.”

Louisville, so the pull could be expensive.

8. BRENT KEY 47 • GEORGIA TECH Also coaching at his alma mater, which he has led to its ﬁrst 8-0 start since 1966. A Saban disciple (Bama’s offensive line coach, 2016-18), he’s 8-1 against ranked ACC opponents.

9.CLARK LEA • 43 •VANDERBILT You have to be impressed with what Lea, Kelly’s former defensive coordinator at Notre Dame, has done to take the Commodores from SEC doormat to the top 10. My only question is how much is it Lea and how much is it quarterback Diego Pavia?

10.KENNY DILLINGHAM 35 ARIZONA ST Deep ties to home (Phoenix native, played at ASU) and took the Sun Devils to the CFP last year One wonders if he has bigger aspirations. He has been offensive coordinator at Auburn, Florida State and Memphis.

STAFF PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS Southern quarterback Ashton Strother scores a touchdown against Florida A&M on Saturday at A.W Mumford Stadium.

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU tight end

Trey’Dez Green races past South Carolina linebacker Fred Johnson on Oct. 11 in Tiger Stadium.

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE

STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

QB Shough to face tough test vs. Rams’ ferocious pass rush

BY LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer

As New Orleans Saints coach Kellen Moore said Wednesday, there are “no soft landings” in the NFL that said, rookie quarterback Tyler Shough may face an especially hard landing for his ﬁrst NFL start.

The Los Angeles Rams defense that the Saints are facing this week will bring one of the league’s most ferocious pass rushes against Shough and a Saints offensive line that is already without its best player in center Erik McCoy. The Rams have recorded 26 sacks, good for second in the NFL through eight weeks.

“We played these guys a couple times last year when we were in Philly and this is as good of a defensive line as you’re going to see in this league,” Moore said. “They’re really young and they’ve got tons of energy, tons of juice. They make impact plays. They can do it in a variety of different ways.”

Eleven different Rams defenders have recorded at least one sack in defensive coordinator Chris Shula’s attacking scheme.

Third-year edge rusher Byron Young has led the charge with nine sacks — already a new career high while 2024 Defensive Rookie of the Year Jared Verse has four sacks and is tied for second in the league with 17 quarterback hits.

“They’re very aggressive, and they turn those guys loose,” said offensive coordinator Doug Nuss-

SAINTS

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most of his rookie season throwing to the likes of Marquez ValdesScantling, Mason Tipton and Kevin Austin Rattler struggled from a completion percentage standpoint, but the circumstances made it difﬁcult to properly assess the signalcaller

Avoiding a repeat scenario with Shough would be ideal, especially if the Saints end up with a top pick in next year’s draft and have to determine whether to take a quarterback. As much as teams try to stay patient with prospects, the chance to draft a signal-caller near the top of the draft doesn’t tend to come around often.

To make that decision, the Saints need to understand as much as they can about Shough — and he has to show them what he’s capable of. Trading away his top target(s) could again complicate that evaluation, though the Saints’ depth at receiver appears to be better this year

That said, the prudent move still might be to trade one of Olave or Shaheed if not both.

That obviously depends on the compensation that the Saints would receive, but last year’s Marshon Lattimore deal was a great example of how New Orleans could spin a veteran for positive assets In sending the cornerback to the Washington Commanders, the Saints received several draft

meier

New Orleans got a sense of how tough the Rams are this summer during a joint practice, when Los Angeles consistently made life miserable on the Saints quarterbacks and offensive line.

“They’re probably the best in the league just from a disruptive standpoint,” Shough said “... I’ve got to do my role and protect the ball, be ready to step up, ﬁnd different lanes and just be comfortable back there.”

New Orleans has struggled to keep its quarterbacks upright in recent weeks After giving up 11 sacks in their ﬁrst six games, Saints quarterbacks were dropped behind the line nine times in losses to the Bears and Buccaneers.

Old friends

Two 37-year-olds will play central roles in Sunday’s game between the Saints and the Rams.

One is Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, who is enjoying one of the best 2025 seasons by an NFL quarterback. The other is the Saints’ Kellen Moore, who is still looking to turn his team into a winner eight games into his debut season as the NFL’s youngest head coach.

Stafford is actually ﬁve months older than Moore one of 15 active NFL players who are older than the Saints head coach.

The two have a bit of a shared history: Moore began his NFL playing career with the Detroit Lions, serving as a backup to Staf-

ford for three seasons. Stafford is still going, having thrown for 61,675 yards in his playing career with 394 touchdowns, while Moore immediately went into coaching upon the conclusion of his playing career in 2018.

Now in his 17th NFL season, Stafford has thrown 17 touchdowns against 2 interceptions, and his 109.4 passer rating is on track to be the best mark of his career

“It’s really remarkable the type of quarterback he’s been for such a long time, one of the premier quarterbacks in our league,” Moore said. “You don’t want to give him the ball too many times in some opportunistic situations he’s going to deliver, he’s delivered year after year He’s still playing at as high a level as anybody in this league.”

Injury report

The Saints had nearly perfect practice attendance Thursday Defensive tackle Davon Godchaux was the only active player who was not present for practice, continuing a recent trend where he has been given veteran rest days on Thursday

Defensive back Alontae Taylor (shoulder), wide receiver Rashid Shaheed (hip) and running backs

Alvin Kamara (ankle) and Devin Neal (ankle) were limited participants in practice for the second consecutive day

Tight end Juwan Johnson (neck) and receiver Chris Olave (ankle) were listed on the injury report as full participants

sation were fair and right.”

So, “what’s fair and right” for Shaheed? Schefter reported the Saints would like a third-round pick for the 27-year-old, which is more than what the team gave up for Vele (a fourth and a seventh).

A third-round pick would also be more than what Shaheed could fetch as a compensatory pick if he were to sign elsewhere in free agency

“What round his contract would be valued in (for a comp pick) depends on how much he’d sign for per year with his new team,” Over The Cap analyst Nick Korte said in a direct message, noting any such compensation also depends on how active the Saints are in free agency

“This is an extremely early estimate that is subject to change, but I would guess he’d need at least $16 (million) APY to make the 4th round, and at least $10 (million) APY for the 5th.”

Bengals defense holds players-only meeting to try to spark turnaround

BY CHARLIE GOLDSMITH Associated Press

CINCINNATI

The Cincinnati Bengals defense — which ranks 30th in the NFL in points allowed per drive and was most responsible for last week’s 39-38 loss to the New York Jets — came together for a players-only meeting on Monday

“We have leadership,” rookie linebacker Demetrius Knight Jr. said “The guys are leading us Trey (Hendrickson). Logan (Wilson), (Oren Burks), Geno (Stone) and (Jordan Battle) and BJ (Hill), they’re leading us quite well. It can be easy to lose your head to put it shortly after a game like that. It’s all about coming together and having love for each other We’ll hold you accountable, but we’re going to grow and get better together as well.”

While players haven’t revealed the content of the meeting, the focus this week around the defensive side of the ball going into Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bears has been centered around intangible qualities and around tackling.

Following Sunday’s loss, coach Zac Taylor said that he was looking for someone to step up and lead the defense He said Monday’s meeting was a step in the right direction.

“You want guys to take ownership and take accountability for it,” Taylor said. “Everybody’s got the right intent. Everyone’s got great energy. Everyone wants to play well on defense and help us win games. The offense has to do their job as well. Special teams have to step up and do their job as well. Sure, they (the defense) has gotten a

lot of the attention this week, but at the same time, there’s things in all three phases we have to improve on.”

The Bengals also lead the NFL in missed tackles. Before practices this week, the Bengals have done extra tackling drills that give the players a chance to work on technique. While they’re not actually tackling other players to the ground, they’re working on the fundamentals.

Coaches have also spent extra time talking with players about tackling during meetings.

“You just got to trust your technique and go at the end of the day,” defensive coordinator Al Golden said. “We want to have a defense that plays fast and tackles well in the alley and plays great fundamental football. As coordinator I deﬁnitely don’t want hesitancy at any level of the defense, so we work hard to eliminate that. We want the guys playing fast, playing with energy, playing with passion and if there is hesitancy, we have to get rid of it fast.”

Golden also viewed the playersonly meeting as a positive.

“There’s a higher standard there,” Golden said “We let our brothers down on special teams and offense and we can’t do that. It’s as simple as that. I don’t know what was talked about, nor should I. It does feel like the fact that that was called is a sense of urgency there, as there should be, because we cannot do that to the offense or special teams again.”

Defensive end Trey Hendrickson remains day to day with a hip injury, which has been bothering him for a few weeks and took him out of Sunday’s game against the Jets.

Colts are showing all the traits of being a contender

BY WILL GRAVES AP sportswriter

PITTSBURGH Shane Steichen believes championship-level teams share a common DNA.

What the Indianapolis Colts coach believes constitutes that specific type of DNA is hardly new Creating takeaways on defense, having a balanced offense that can score in a variety of ways and a coaching staff able to make the adjustments necessary in real time have been a part of the game practically from the moment it was invented.

What is new is that Steichen’s team has spent the first half of the season consistently showing it might have that DNA in abundance.

Only Chicago and Jacksonville have forced more turnovers than the dozen the white-hot Colts (71) have through the season’s ﬁrst eight weeks heading into Sunday’s game at suddenly reeling Pittsburgh (4-3).

And no offense has produced more yards or more points than the group guided by Steichen and coordinator Jim Bob Cooter, who credit a sense of collaboration among the staff for setting Indianapolis on a trajectory few outside the building saw coming.

It’s been a fun and frenetic two months. Yet the Colts, who haven’t made the playoffs in ﬁve years, are hardly getting ahead of themselves.

nal score would indicate.

Still, Mike Tomlin is hardly panicking. He’s weathered plenty of storms in his 18-plus seasons in Pittsburgh, all of which ended with his team .500 or better and in the postseason more often than not.

Are there things the Steelers need to correct, and quickly, considering a daunting November schedule includes four games against teams with winning records, three of which are in playoff position? Yes. The details of how that happens are immaterial to Tomlin.

“The ﬁx happens in stadium,” Tomlin said. “And the rest of it is just talk.”

Taylor’s trends

Colts running back Jonathan Taylor is the hottest player on the league’s hottest offense.

He scored three more touchdowns last week — the third time he’s done that in four games and the fourth time he’s done it this season — needing just 12 carries to produce 153 yards rushing. Taylor leads the NFL with 850 yards rushing, 12 TD runs and 14 total touchdowns, and he’s shown no indication of slowing down.

picks they used to take safety Jonas Sanker, cornerback Quincy Riley and running back Devin Neal two starters this season and one key reserve.

ESPN insider Adam Schefter fanned the ﬂames this week when he said that he thinks “at least one” Saints receiver would be traded by next week.

“If I had to bet, I would say that Rashid Shaheed is the guy who interests most teams for his speed and his talent,” Schefter said on his podcast. “And the guy whose contract is up after this year, who the Saints, I think, would be most willing to part with if the compen-

If the Saints do trade one of their wideouts, it’s easy to wonder if they’ve been bracing for the move.

Look at the last few months. New Orleans acquired Devaughn Vele from the Denver Broncos in late August and then Ja’Lynn Polk from the New England Patriots in September — even though the latter will miss the entire season with a shoulder injury. Both are still on their rookie-scale contracts, too.

Perhaps that’s simply overthinking it. But part of running an NFL team is always accounting for the future, even when it conﬂicts with the present.

Email Matthew Paras at matt paras@theadvocate.com

“Don’t get complacent with anything because we know, like I’ve said before, it’s a week-toweek league and we got to come ready,” Steichen said. “I mean we’re going to play a hell of a football team on the road in a hostile environment so we’ve got to be ready to roll.”

Technically Steichen is right, Acrisure Stadium can be a hostile place. Of late that hostility has been directed at the home team, which has dropped two straight and looked like the first-place group it is in name only The NFL’s highest-paid defense is dead last in the league against the pass and 30th overall. It hasn’t produced a takeaway in a month and last week let Green Bay’s Jordan Love complete 20 straight passes on his way to a near ﬂawless performance in a 35-25 loss that didn’t feel as close as the ﬁ-

“His vision has been off the charts,” Steichen said. “But the physicality, the way he’s running through these arm tackles and spinning 360 (degrees) off these guys and getting the extra yards and toe tapping on the sidelines. I mean, it’s hard to really explain because it’s so impressive to watch.”

E for effort?

Longtime Steelers defensive captain Cam Heyward raised eyebrows inside and outside the locker room when he questioned his team’s fight in the second half against Green Bay, when the Packers scored on five straight possessions to win going away The 35-year-old didn’t back down in the aftermath, putting the onus on the group to stick together during a difficult stretch.

“I challenge everybody, I challenge myself ﬁrst and foremost, that’s always the way I’ve been raised,” Heyward said. “You can’t look at anybody else, you’ve got to look at yourself And the way to get this bad taste out of our mouth is just play better football.”

STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

Saints wide receiver Chris Olave carries the ball during the second half of a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday at the Caesars Superdome.

New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough runs up filed against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the second half of the game on Sunday at the Caesars Superdome.

FLOWER POWER

The Baton RougeGarden Club will present a National Garden Club Flower Show, “Perfect Vision,”from 1p.m. to 4p.m. Saturdayand Sundayat theBaton RougeGarden Center Lots of horticulture will be on displayatthis small standard flower showand tea. Free and open tothe public;children welcome.

THINGS TO DO THIS WEEKEND

FRIDAY NIGHT AT THEFAIR

BY JUDYBERGERON Staff writer

Ren Owens may need to stop and pinch himself when he takes the stage at the Greater Baton Rouge State Fair on Fridaynight.

Owens, of Walker,saw the late “Prince of Darkness” Ozzy Osbourne for the ﬁrst time at the fair in 1983.Hewas fortunate enough to seethe heavymetal icon in concert two more times. Osbourne died July 22 at age 76 “NowI gettopay honorto Ozzy at the ﬁrst place I’ve ever seen him live,” Owens, who takes on theOsbourne persona to sing vocals forthe Louisiana tribute band Oz Born, says. The band’s four members, all in their 50s and with day jobs, get together each Sunday to rehearse,i.e.rockout.And they’d like you to join them at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Airline Highway Park/Fairgrounds to bang your head, too. Beforethe guys putontheir blackT-shirts, jeans and chains, and grab their guitars, they answered afew questionsabout the birth and life of Oz Born

PHOTO Ren Owens first sawhis idol Ozzy Osbourne at the Greater Baton RougeState Fair in 1983.

So who else is in the band?

Brad Vicory,ofWatson,is on guitar and backing vocals; Johnny Wilson, of Baton Rouge, is on bass; and drummer is Keith Knight, also of Baton Rouge. How long has the band been together? How did you getstarted?

Owens: Oz Born originated in April 2022. Our ﬁrst show was Oct. 29, 2022, with Liliac (a ﬁvepiece family hard rock band fromAtlanta). I’ve been doing Ozzyfor over 30 yearsindifferent bands. That originatedwith ashow with the AC/DC tribute Noise Pollution, out of California.Atthe end of the show,they called me to the side and told me, “We’ve played all over United States andplayedwith many top Ozzy Osbourne tribute acts. YoudoOzzy better than anybody we’ve ever seen! Youneed to do an Ozzy tribute band.” So, Isaid, “That sounds like agreatidea!” Finding the right group of guys was thehard part. Would you sayyou’re all big Osbourne fansorisone of you consideredthe biggest?

AREAL PAGE-TURNER

For its 21styear,the Louisiana Book Festival will offer 236 featured participants, including authors, moderators,programs and activities from 9a.m. to 4p.m.Saturday in downtown Baton Rougeinand around the State LibraryonFourth Street. Free. louisianabookfestival.org

FALL FESTFOR ALLREDO

Afterarainy, stormy forecast ledto postponement of the arts celebration last weekend, the event has been rescheduled for 11 a.m. to 7p.m. Sundayinand around the Shaw Center for the Arts downtown. Featuring livemusic, performances,food and vendors. Free. artsbr.org.

Alicia Whaley of

her head at The Museum of Illusions NewOrleans as Jasmine Whaley prepares to stir thepot

Owens: Hell yes!! We alllove Ozzy!Who doesn’t? What are your musical backgrounds? Knight: I’ve been playing for 39 years. I’m moreofa ä See TRIBUTE, page 2D STAFF

Boots

Bignames, local artistsjoin John Foster at inauguralevent

BY JUDYBERGERON| Staff writer

The impressive lineup for the inaugural Boots on theBayou Festival this weekend in Gonzales reads like awho’swho of contemporary country music —Chris Stapleton, Keith Urban,Parker McCollum and Riley Green. Louisianaisrepresenting as well, with rising artist and “American Idol” runner-up John Foster also on the Friday night bill. Foster is fresh off ahomecoming concert last week in Plaquemine; the release of anew single, “Little Goes aLong Way,”; and a beneﬁt appearance in Minnesota on Monday whereherubbed elbows withElton John andKevin Costner

PROVIDED

San Antonio, loses

on the Festival lineup,from left:John Foster,Keith Urban, Chris Stapleton, Riley Green, ChaseTyler

PROVIDED PHOTOS

TODAYINHISTORY

By The Associated Press

Today is Friday,Oct. 31, the 304th day of 2025. There are 61 days left in the year.This is Halloween.

Todayinhistory:

On Oct. 31, 1984, Indira Gandhi, India’sprime minister for more than 15 years,was assassinated by two of her own security guards.

Also on this date:

In 1864, President Abraham Lincoln signed aproclamation making Nevada the 36th state, eight days before the presidential election.

In 1941, work was completed on the Mount RushmoreNational Memorial in South Dakota, begun in 1927.

In 1950, Earl Lloyd of the Washington Capitols became the ﬁrst African American to play in an NBA game; Lloyd would go on to play for nine seasons, winning an

ILLUSIONS

Continued from page1D

for dear life. Imagine becoming apart of agigantic kaleidoscope, dangling from asecond-story window ledge withoutfear of falling, playing poker with five exact clones of yourself, or seemingto shrink like Alice in Wonderland. Those are the sorts of experiences visitors to The Museumof Illusions New Orleans will enjoy The marvelous thing about the many exhibits and activities in the museum is that they arenot high-tech, digital productions. Basically,The Museum of Illusions New Orleans is acollection of timelessamusements based on lighting, reflection and gravity.Noartificial intelligence required. Get this, theinscrutable puzzles in the kids’ play area are made of wood. Wood!

The museumheld asoft opening Oct. 17. During apreview tour,museum spokesperson Pien Koopman said that the Museum of Illusions was conceived in Croatia in 2015 and has sincespread to 63 locationsin29countries. Koopman pointed out that the

TRIBUTE

Continued from page1D

progressive rock/jazz fusion player but always loved metal as well. Istudied with assorted instructors overthe years, including some at LSU School of Music and with recording artist Matt Greiner of August BurnsRed. Wilson: 40 years (of playing) for me.

Vicory: I’ve been playingfor 51 years. Have you beeninany other bands that Baton Rougearea readers mayremember?

Knight: Black Rose, Soldier Blue, Subculture and Ballistic Drift

Wilson: Stomping Ground, Money Shot and BallisticDrift

Owens: Iwas in several bands butmyband Scary Lane was my main inspiration because Iwas in that project for 33 years,and we played alot of big shows

Vicory: MetalAnthem, Vieux Carré, Accomplice, Modesty Blaze, Ash and Bedlam

What is your favorite Ozzy Osbourne song to perform?

Owens: “Fairies Wear Boots”

NBA championshipin1955 with the SyracuseNationals.

In 1961, the body of Josef Stalin was removed from Lenin’s Tomb as part of the Soviet Union’s“de-Stalinization” drive.

In 2005, President George W. Bush nominated Judge Samuel Alito to theSupremeCourt.

Today’sBirthdays: Former CBS anchorman Dan Rather is 94. Actor Stephen Rea is 79. Olympic gold medal marathoner FrankShorter is 78. TV host Jane Pauley is 75. Football coach Nick Saban is 74. Film director Peter Jackson is 64. Rock drummerLarry Mullen Jr.(U2) is 64. Rock musician JohnnyMarr is 62. Baseball Hall of Famer Fred McGriff is 62. Actor Rob Schneider is 62. Actor Dermot Mulroney is 62. Country singer Darryl Worley is 61. Actor-comedian Mike O’Malley is 59. Rapper andguitarist Adam Horovitz (Beastie Boys) is 59. Rapper Vanilla Ice is 58.

optical trickeryinthe exhibits is suitable for children, but sufﬁciently mysterious for adultsas well. The perspective and lighting anomalies may explain how magicians and Hollywood directors fool our eyes,she said.

Isaac Morales, one of the many young museum guides who helped visitors master themuseum’sillusions during the preview,captured thespirit of theplace when he said: “Thisjob is amazing. We getpaidto laugh andtakepictures. Yes, the staff will aid in producing prime selﬁes of the experience.

Cory White,who happened on the newmuseum while visiting New Orleans from Mississippi, saidthat his favorite part was the disorienting “vertigo tunnel,” mentioned earlier.Koopman said theattraction isactuallytitled “The Vortex Tunnel,” but White’s description is better.

The museum is at 600 Decatur St. The hours are from10a.m. to 9p.m. Sunday through Thursday; from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, with finaladmission one hour before closing. Admission is$26.12 for timed tickets, $35.62 for untimedtickets, and $103.29 for family passes. For tickets, visitthe museumwebsite.

Knight: Probably either “Crazy Babies” or “Believer.”The drums in those are really fun

Vicory:“Over theMountain”

Wilson: “Believer”

Can Iask what yourday jobsare?

Knight: Istarted and have owned and run aprofessional aquarium services company called Copperﬁsh Aquatics. Starteditin1991.

Wilson:I do machine shop work.

Vicory: Project manager/estimator for acommercial electrical contractor

Do you performanything in addition to Ozzy tunes?

Owens: Collectively,weknow thousandsofsongs, butwejust do Ozzy andBlack Sabbath (the band Ozzyco-foundedin1968) in theOzBorn tribute

Wouldyou runthrough howa typical rehearsal goes?

Owens: We set up and rehearse like we’re doing ashow. We will stop and discuss thebeginnings and endings of songs, rehearse theintros and workongetting everything tight and sounding like the album. We want to give the fans the best show we can possibly givethemsotheycan walk away believingthat they just saw Ozzy Osbourne.

FRIDAY

LATE BLOOMIN: Prejean’s, Broussard, 6p.m

AARON HEBERT: SHUCKS!, Abbeville, 6:30 p.m

CHARLES AND WENDY

TRIO: Whiskey&Vine, Lafayette, 7p.m

DUSTIN RAY: Silver Slipper, Arnaudville, 7p.m

HALLOWEEKEND —THE

ULTIMATE HAUNTED BALL: Black Bull, Youngsville, 6:30 p.m.

JACK WOODSON: Charley G’s, Lafayette, 6p.m

THE MINTLLYILLBILLIES: Adopted DogBrewing, Lafayette, 6p.m

CRYRS: Rock ’n’ Bowl, Lafayette, 9p.m

GOREGASM: Blue Moon Saloon,Lafayette, 8p.m

MONSTERMASH FEATURING DAIRYFREE, HYPNO

NUN, JACOB’SLADDER & BONE ORCHARD: Artmosphere, Lafayette, 8p.m

KREWE DE HALLOWEEN

BALL: Heymann Center, Lafayette, 8p.m

ONE TRICK PONY: Lakeview Park,Eunice, 8p.m

SATURDAY

GENO DELAFOSE &FRENCH

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

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

SATURDAY MORNING JAM

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

CAJUN JAM: Moncus Park Lafayette, 9a.m

MARCO SAVVY: Adopted DogBrewing,Lafayette, 11 a.m.

CAJUN FRENCH MUSIC

JAM: Vermilionville, Lafayette, 1p.m

LAFAYETTE TOOL LIBRARY

BDAY BASH: Adopted Dog Brewing, Lafayette, 1p.m

DRUM CIRCLE: NUNU Arts

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

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

BOOTS

Continuedfrom page1D

GRACE NOVOSAD: Adopted DogBrewing,Lafayette, 6p.m

ETHAN HUNT: SHUCKS! Abbeville, 6:30 p.m.

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

GRANDHOORAH: Lakeview Park,Eunice,8 p.m

AMIS DU TECHE: Blue Moon Saloon,Lafayette, 8p.m

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

THE GOOD DUDES: Rock ‘n’ Bowl, Lafayette, 9p.m.

SUNDAY

GLENN ZERINGUE: Whiskey &Vine, Lafayette, 11 a.m.

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

JAMBALAYA ACOUSTIC MUSIC JAM: Tom’s Fiddle &Bow,Arnaudville, 12:30 p.m.

“I really commendthe organizers of Boots on the Bayou for making one of what Ithink is one of thecoolest concerts Louisiana’s had in areally longtime,” Foster said. “The fact that they were able to put Chris Stapleton and Keith Urban andRileyGreenand Parker McCullough andsomany otherson thesame festival in Louisiana, like 45 minutesfrom my house, is incredible.”

Although not part of theoriginal lineup, Urban is pinch-hitting for Texas singer-songwriter Cody Johnson,whose recent surgery to repair arupturedeardrum will put him out of commission for the rest of the year

“Of course, we wish‘Cojo’ could’ve made it, but as asinger, Iknowthatthose health issues come first. Because younever wanna do permanent damage to yourself,” Foster,19and an Addis native, said. “But KeithUrban, I mean, he’saglobal superstar and he’s hopefully gonna bring just as much crowd.”

Fosteraddedthat he’s “super excited” to perform at the outdoor festival Friday-Saturday at the Lamar-Dixon Expo Center

“Tobeapart of thelineup, to have my name among thenames of, you know,Chris Stapleton and whatnot is asuperbig honor,”he said. “Andofcourse it’salwaysa

MIKE LARSON &THE ONES

THATGOT AWAY: Hideaway on Lee, Lafayette, 1p.m. CAJUN JAM: BayouTeche Brewing, Arnaudville, 2p.m.

CHUBBYCARRIER: Cypress Cove Landing, Breaux Bridge, 3p.m.

STEPRIDEAU: Rock ’n’ Bowl, Lafayette, 5p.m. FOREST HUVAL: Hideaway on Lee, Lafayette, 7p.m.

MONDAY PATRICIO LATINO SOLO: Café Habana City, Lafayette, 11 a.m.

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

TUESDAY KID’SCAJUN JAMNIGHT: Buck &Johnny’s, Breaux Bridge, 6p.m. LIFE DRAWING: NUNU Arts &CultureCollective, Arnaudville, 6p.m.

pleasure andanhonor to share the stage with Chase Tyler,our local country stararound here It’s always apleasure to go and sit in with him foracouple tunes.”

TheBoots lineup alsoincludes Carly Pearce, Marcus King Band, Elle King, Tyler Braden, Ashley Cooke, TheKruse Brothers, Maddox Batson and others.

Fosterwill be bringing his newest vehicle —a tour bus —tothe festival.

“I hope to travelinitasmuchasI can because if you ever travel on a bus like that, it spoils you,”hesaid.

“Just driving like from my house to anywhere in Baton Rouge, Iwas alwaysthinking, ‘Man, Iwish Iwas on abus right now just sitting on thecouch and not have to worry about driving.’ So forsure you’ll see it down there.”

Foster has seen alot of the road since the “Idol” finale in May, criss-crossing the country and sometimes having to ask abusmate which city they’re in.

“It’s really great though because Iget the opportunity to travel to places thatIprobably would’ve never traveled to if Ididn’tdothis line of work. Itake that as ablessing for sure,” he said.

Festivalgoers in Gonzalescan expect to hear Foster’s“LittleBit,” an up-tempo, fun tune described as “honky tonk-ready.” It’s his ﬁrst new release in ayear “So it wasjustsorefreshing to ﬁnally havenew materialthatmy audience and my followers can enjoy and that Ican enjoy playing on

TERRYHUVAL &FRIENDS: Prejean’s Restaurant Lafayette, 6p.m.

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

GLCFARMERS MARKET: GLCMeat Market, New Iberia, 2p.m.

SWEET CECILIA: Café Sydnie Mae, BreauxBridge 5p.m.

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

LIVE MUSIC: Park Bistro, Lafayette, 6p.m. LIVE MUSIC: TapRoom, Youngsville,6:30 p.m

DUSTIN DALE GASPARD: SHUCKS!, Abbeville, 6:30 p.m

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

THURSDAY BROUSSARD SESSIONS FEATURINGRAY BOU-

DREAUX: CentralPizza& Bar, Broussard, 6p.m.

DUSTIN SONNIER: SHUCKS!, Abbeville, 6:30 p.m LIVE MUSIC: CharleyG’s, Lafayette, 6p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Naq’s-n-Duson, Duson, 6p.m. BERT KREISCHER: Cajundome,Lafayette, 7p.m.

KATHIGGINS: Acadiana Center for theArts, Lafayette, 7:30 p.m

MEDICINEMEN SUPER JAM: Rock ‘n’ Bowl, Lafayette, 7:30 p.m LIVE MUSIC: TapRoom, Lafayette, 8p.m.

Compiledby MarchaundJones Want yourvenue’s music listed? Email info/photos to showstowatch@ theadvocate.com. The deadline is noon FRIDAY forthe following Friday’spaper.

stage,” Foster said. “I really hope that people catch on to it andsee just howhardweall workedonit and how excited we are. Ihope that they feel that too.”

Foster spent agood deal of time working on the new music with songwriters Bart Butler,Corey Crowder and Deric Ruttan.

“So this is one of those great situations where the artistry comes in theinterpretation. So I’msomebody whofirmlybelievesthat there’salot of artistry in song interpretation,” he explained. “So even if you didn’twrite something, taking that song, interpreting it andimplying it to your lifestyle is just as beautifulsometimes as writing it.”

Foster has so much going on that he almost forgot to mention the aforementioned Minnesota gig where he joinedSir Elton John and Costner in Minneapolis for the Starkey Hearing Foundation gala this week. The intimate, black-tie evening aids the foundation’smission “to give thegiftofhearing to those in need, empowering them to achieve their potential,” according to its website. Also on the guest list on Monday night?Chris Tucker,JCChavez. Jimmy Jam and the incomparable David Foster For moreonBoots on the Bayou, including ticket options, parking and camping info, tailgate parties and more, go to botbmusic.com Email Judy Bergeron at jbergeron@theadvocate.com.

THROUGH SUNDAY

GREATER BATON ROUGE STATE FAIR: 5 p.m.-10 p.m.

Monday-Friday and noon10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Airline Highway Park/Fairgrounds, 16072 Airline Highway. Lego Extravaganza, carnival midway, petting zoo, live music, roaming entertainers, food and more. gbrsf. com.

THROUGH FRIDAY, NOV. 7

FANFARE: Various days and times, Southeastern Louisiana University, Hammond. The university’s annual fall festival of the arts, humanities and social sciences is marking its 40th season as the university itself is in its yearlong 100th anniversary celebration. The ﬁnal installment of the Fanfare lecture series, at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 5, in the Student Union Theatre, will feature history alumnus Nicholas Scamardo talking on “Soil v Soul; Thomas Paine’s Vision of American Identity.” Also the Opera/Music Theatre will present “The Magic Flute,” complete with a live orchestra, at 7 p.m. Thursday-Friday, Nov. 6-7, at the Columbia Theatre.

FRIDAY

RHETT GUILLOT: The Edge Bar at L’Auberge, 5 p.m.

MAXWELL: Court To Table, 6 p.m.

EDDIE SMITH: T’Quilas, Zachary, 6 p.m.

ROCKIN’ ROUGE: El Paso, Denham Springs, 6 p.m.

DON POURCIAU & KON-

SPIRACY: Galvez Seafood, Prairieville, 6 p.m.

ERIC CANTRELLE: Sullivan’s Steakhouse, 6 p.m.

ERIC STELLY: Agave Blue, Zachary, 6:30 p.m.

THE LEE SERIO BAND: The Legacy, 7 p.m.

THE DRUNK UNCLES: Crowne Plaza, 7 p.m.

JOVIN WEBB: Bin 77, 7 p.m

THE COVERLY BROTHERS: On the Half Shell, Prairieville, 7 p.m.

MATT TORTORICH: 18 Steak at L’Auberge, 7 p.m.

ACOUSTICRATS: The Brakes Bar, 7 p.m.

OZ BORN: Greater Baton Rouge State Fair, 7:30 p.m

BRYAN SOUTHWICK: Riverbend Terrace II at L’Auberge, 8 p.m.

FINAL ESSAY/DOUBLE

KNOCKOUT/GUT ZOMBIE: Brickyard South, 8 p.m.

NV BAND/MODEL CITIZEN/ WAVE RUNNER: Mid City Ballroom, 8 p.m.

UNSELFISH LOVERS OF THE BLUES: Phil Brady’s, 8 p.m.

HENRY TURNER JR. & ALLSTARS: Henry Turner Jr.’s Listening Room, 8 p.m.

SUGAR SHAKER: Court To Table, 8:30 p.m.

BRENT ARMSTRONG: The Vineyard, 9 p.m.

SPANK THE MONKEY: Coop’s on 621, Gonzales, 9 p.m.

OZZMOSIS: L’Auberge Event Center, 9 p.m.

REGENERATION: The Edge Bar at L’Auberge, 9 p.m.

DAMON KING & BO

JAMISON: Fat Cat Saloon, Prairieville, 9 p.m.

ELECTRIC RENDEZVOUS: O’Hara’s Irish Pub, 9 p.m.

PARADIGM: Murphy’s, 9:30 p.m.

$30, adults; $15, students, faculty and staff; free, SLU students with university ID. For schedule, go to https://www.columbiatheatre.org/fanfare.

FRIDAY-SUNDAY

HARVEST FESTIVAL ON FALSE RIVER: 5 p.m. Friday-6 p.m. Sunday, 211 W Main St., New Roads. Food rides, arts and crafts vendors, family fun. https:// www.harvestfestivalnewroads.com/ LA FETE DES BAYOUS FESTIVAL: 5 p.m.-11 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m.-midnight Saturday, and noon-5 p.m. Sunday, Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Catholic Church, 44450 La. 429, St. Amant. Live music, carnival midway, jambalaya cook-off, 5K Nun Run, car show, outdoor Mass, live and silent auctions, rafﬂe https://www.geauxlafete. com/.

SATURDAY

BATON ROUGE KIWANIS PANCAKE FESTIVAL: LSU’s Carl Maddox Fieldhouse, Nicholson Drive. Includes talent contest, student juried art show, music, kids’ corner with face painting. Meal features all-you-caneat pancakes, sausage, coffee and milk. Look for

local celebrity guest chefs.

LOUISIANA BOOK FESTIVAL: 9 a.m.-4 p.m., downtown Baton Rouge in and around the State Library on Fourth Street. With 236 featured participants, including authors, moderators, programs and activities. Free. www louisianabookfestival.org.

SATURDAY-SUNDAY

GIANT OMELETTE CEL-

EBRATION: 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Saturday and 6 a.m.-

4:30 p.m. Sunday, downtown Abbeville. It’s the 41st year for the 5,000-egg family-oriented event, which includes a kids’ world, arts & crafts show, live music, egg cracking contest, antique cars. Note that the cooking of the huge omelette is only on Sunday afternoon. www.giantomelette.org.

ROOMIE’S MERRY MARKET: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, and noon-4 p.m. Sunday, Pennington Center, Southeastern Louisiana University, Hammond. More than 80 local vendor boutiques, gourmet foods, art and holiday decor. Also, photos with Santa, live music from a KSLU Radio DJ, concert from the Southeastern Community Music School

SHOWS TO WATCH — BATON ROUGE

STAFF FILE PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS

Catch Baton Rouge bluesman Jovin Webb at 7 p.m. Friday at Bin 77 or at 11 a.m. Sunday at On the Half Shell, Prairieville.

SATURDAY

MARK SKIDMORE: Leola’s Café, 11 a.m.

JAMES LINDEN HOGG: Main Library at Goodwood, 2 p.m.

JAKE ROUNDS: Greater Baton Rouge State Fair, 4 p.m.

ROCK IT: Papi’s Fajita Factory, Watson, 6 p.m.

KAITLYN WALLACE: Court To Table, 6 p.m. SOUTH OF CENTRAL: Blue Iguana, 6 p.m. CLIFF NOT CHRIS: Le Chien Brewing Co., Denham Springs, 6:30 p.m.

GRITZ N’ GRAVY: Bin 77, 7 p.m.

THE LAGNIAPPE TRIO: The Brakes Bar, 7 p.m. THE REMNANTS: On the Half Shell, Prairieville, 7 p.m.

PETER SIMON: 18 Steak at L’Auberge, 7 p.m.

BEN RAGSDALE: Greater Baton Rouge State Fair, 7:30 p.m.

CHRIS OCMAND: Riverbend Terrace II at L’Auberge, 8 p.m.

ACOUSTIC SATURDAYS W/ HENRY TURNER: Henry Turner Jr.’s Listening Room, 8 p.m.

SHADOW ROAD: Court To Table, 8:30 p.m.

THE MAIN EVENT: Cousins’ Bar, Port Allen, 8:30 p.m.

WEREWOLF: Icehouse Tap

Room, 9 p.m.

HEATH RANSONNET: The Vineyard, 9 p.m.

TRIGGA WARNING: Phil Brady’s, 9 p.m.

CHRIS LEBLANC BAND & ZYDECO MIKE: Fred’s on the River, Prairieville, 9 p.m.

ISSY: Brickyard South, 10 p.m.

SUNDAY

ERIC BASKIN: Watermark Hotel, 10 a.m.

JOVIN WEBB: On the Half Shell, Prairieville, 11 a.m.

JUSTIN BURDETTE TRIO: Superior Grill MidCity 11 a.m.

BRENT ARMSTRONG: Leola’s Café, 11 a.m.

ERIC GAUTREAUX: Red Stick Social, noon

LATIN MUSIC DAY: Greater Baton Rouge State Fair, 2:30 p.m.

SONGWRITER SUNDAYS: La Divina Italian Cafe, 5 p.m.

LUCY YOES: Pizza Byronz, 5 p.m.

RED STICK RHYTHMS: Main Library at Goodwood, 6 p.m.

LORI ST GEORGE: The Edge Bar at L’Auberge, 6:30 p.m.

OPEN MIC JAM: Fat Cat Saloon, Prairieville, 7 p.m.

MONDAY

JEFF BAJON PROJECT: Su-

on Saturday, lunch, Lionettes Dance Team holiday dance workshop for children ages 5-13 on Sunday. Beneﬁts the Lion Up Recovery program. $5. southeastern.edu/roomiesmerrymarket.

SUNDAY FALL FEST FOR ALL: 11 a.m.7 p.m., Shaw Center for the Arts, 100 Lafayette St., downtown Baton Rouge. Featuring live music, performances, food and vendors. Free. artsbr.org.

CAP CITY BEER FEST: 2 p.m.-5 p.m., North 14th Street at Spanish Town Road. Showcases beers from around the country and the world. Patrons receive a commemorative sampling glass and have access to unlimited samplings. Also, live music, games, and food available for purchase. Dog-friendly Fundraiser for Companion Animal Alliance. VIP, $85 in advance, $95 at the door; general admission, $45 in advance, $55 at the door; designated driver, $10. https://www.capcitybeerfest.org/. Compiled by Judy Bergeron and Maddie Scott.

perior Grill MidCity, 6 p.m.

ACOUSTICRATS: Phil Brady’s, 6 p.m.

TUESDAY

CHRIS LEBLANC DUO: Superior Grill MidCity, 6 p.m.

EDDIE SMITH: On the Half Shell, Prairieville, 6:30 p.m.

WEDNESDAY

JEFF BAJON PROJECT: Superior Grill MidCity, 6 p.m.

LSU JAZZ BAND: Classic Vinyls, 6 p.m.

SONGWRITERS OPEN MIC: Le Chien Brewing Co., Denham Springs, 6 p.m.

KIRK HOLDER: Bin 77, 6:30 p.m.

SONGWRITERS OPEN MIC

W/HEATH RANSONNET: Coop’s on 621, Gonzales, 7 p.m. ANDY PIZZO TRIO: Hayride Scandal, 7:30 p.m.

OPEN MIC JAM: O’Hara’s Irish Pub, 8 p.m.

THURSDAY

MICAH LIPSMEYER DUO: Superior Grill MidCity, 6 p.m.

KYBALION: El Paso, 6 p.m.

BEN BELL & THE STARDUST

BOYS: The Brakes Bar, 7 p.m.

THE BISHOP ELLIS TRIO: Hayride Scandal, 7 p.m.

AMBROSIA: Manship Theatre, 7:30 p.m.

HENRY TURNER JR. & ALL-

STARS: Henry Turner Jr.’s Listening Room, 8 p.m.

BRITTON MAJOR: O’Hara’s Irish Pub, 8 p.m.

BLUES JAM: Phil Brady’s, 9 p.m.

RHETT GUILLOT: The Vineyard, 9 p.m.

Compiled by Marchaund Jones. Want your venue’s music listed? Email info/photos to showstowatch@ theadvocate.com. The deadline is noon FRIDAY for the following Friday’s paper

AROUND BATON ROUGE

THURSDAYS-SUNDAYS THROUGH SATURDAY, NOV. 8

13TH GATE HAUNTED ATTRACTION:

6:30 p.m.-11:30 p.m., 832 St. Philip St. Journey through 13 nightmarish realms in the 40,000-squarefoot house, where your worst fears come true and anything can happen. Plus, Flashlight Fright Nights Friday-Saturday, Nov. 7-8. $35, general admission; $75, VIP https://13thgate.com/#dates.

FRIDAY

TRUNK-OR-TREAT: 5 p.m.-7 p.m., St. Augustine Catholic Church parking lot, 809 New Roads St., New Roads. Plus car decorating contest. Free. for all ages.

FRIDAY NIGHT LECTURE: 7:30 p.m.8:30 p.m., BREC’s Highland Road Park Observatory, 13800 Highland Road. Skygazing tips, physics phenomena, space programs and famous events are covered. For ages 14 and older. Free. hrpo.lsu. edu. Also, evening sky viewing from 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday.

FRIDAY-SATURDAY

ST. FRANCIS EPISCOPAL CHURCH

PUMPKIN PATCH: 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, 726 Maple St., Denham Springs. Variety of pumpkins, photo opportunities and pumpkin bread.

HOUSE OF HALLOWEEN BAR CRAWL: 7 p.m.-11:45 p.m., downtown Baton Rouge. Haunted playground with nine-plus bars, DJs, drink specials, and hundreds of costumed crawlers. $35 wristband allows free entry to all participating venues. https://13festivals.com/event/ house-of-halloween-2025-bar-crawl.

BATON ROUGE ZYDECO VS. COLUMBUS RIVER DRAGONS: 7 p.m., Raising Cane’s River Center Arena, 275 S. River Road. $25 and up. ticketmaster.com.

SATURDAY BATON ROUGE ARTS MARKET:

8 a.m.-noon, Fifth and Main streets, downtown. Vendors sell a variety of unique, original works of art including pottery, woodwork, textiles, glass, paintings, sculptures, photographs, handmade soaps, handmade toys, jewelry and more. artsbr.org.

RED STICK FARMERS MARKET:

8 a.m.-noon, Fifth and Main streets, downtown. Farm-fresh produce, goods, cooking demonstrations. breada.org.

RUMBLE IN THE JUNGLE: 9:30 a.m.3 p.m., BREC’s Baton Rouge Zoo, 3601 Thomas Road. Car show of classic cruisers to custom builds. Enjoy a full day of animal encounters, family-friendly activities, and cars, all included with the price of admission. brzoo.org.

FAMILY-HOUR STARGAZING: 10 a.m., Irene W. Pennington Planetarium at the Louisiana Art & Science Museum, 100 S. River Road. Learn about the stars and constellations in the local nighttime sky, followed by an all-ages show. lasm.org.

PBS KIDS’ “CARL THE COLLECTOR: A FUZZYTOWN HALLOWEEN” & “WEATHER HUNTERS: FOGGY TRICKOR-TREAT”: 10:30 a.m., Manship Theatre, 100 Lafayette St. A sensoryfriendly show presented by Films at Manship and Louisiana Public Broadcasting. Rated PG. Free; register for tickets at manshiptheatre.org.

JAMES LINDEN HOGG PERFORMANCE: 2 p.m., Main Library at Goodwood, 7711 Goodwood Blvd. In support of America 250 events, musician, historian and author Hogg will perform traditional revolutionary music on a variety of instruments and give a presentation on early American history jameslindenhogg.com.

“THE SMASHING MACHINE”: 2 p.m., Manship Theatre, 100 Lafayette St. MMA ﬁghter Mark Kerr reaches the peak of his career but faces personal hardships along the way in this sports drama presented by Films at Manship. Rated R. $8.50. manshiptheatre.org.

CAT TALES & COCKTAILS: 6 p.m.9 p.m., Crowne Plaza Executive Center, 4729 Constitution Ave Costume party fundraiser for Cat Haven’s rescue mission. Costumes encouraged and there will be a contest, live music, live and silent

auctions. $40 and up. cathaven.org.

SATURDAY-SUNDAY

PICKLEBALL TOURNAMENT: The Legacy at Bonne Esperance, 1655 Sherwood Forest Blvd. Proceeds will beneﬁt BC Unity and their mission to support individuals and families battling cancer. https:// swishtournaments.com/.

ANIMEVERSE: 7 p.m., Raising Cane’s River Center Exhibition Hall, 275 S. River Road. Fans of anime and video gaming will take part in panels, cosplay contests and shop a variety of vendors, including those selling rare ﬁgurines and collectibles. $36.10, adults; $19.70, children. ticketmaster.com.

SUNDAY FREE FIRST SUNDAY: Louisiana Art & Science Museum, 100 S. River Road; Old State Capitol, 100 North Blvd.; Old Governors’ Mansion, 502 North Blvd.; Magnolia Mound Museum + Historic Site, 2161 Nicholson Drive; LSU Museum of Art, 100 Lafayette St.; and Cary Saurage Community Arts Center, 233 St.

show exploring sounds, rhythms, and instruments through your favorite Blippi hits. $34 and up. Also, photo experience with Blippi after the show, $73.20. ticketmaster.com.

“BILLY GOATS GRUFF AND OTHER TALES”: 2 p.m., Manship Theatre, 100 Lafayette St. Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia’s newest production and a sensory-friendly show. $10. manshiptheatre.org.

RED STICK RHYTHM CONCERT SERIES: 6 p.m.-8 p.m., Main Library at Goodwood, 7711 Goodwood Blvd. With musical artists DJ Kale and A Band Named Hyckoriii. Free. ebrpl.com.

TUESDAY RED STICK FARMERS MARKET: 3 p.m.-6 p.m., Main Library at Goodwood, 7711 Goodwood Blvd. Farm-fresh produce, goods, cooking demonstrations. breada.org. BATON ROUGE CHESS CLUB: 6 p.m.8 p.m., La Divina Italian Cafe, 3535 Perkins Road, Unit 360. A chance to play and learn; all levels welcome. Free.

TRIVIA NIGHT: 6:30 p.m., Burgersmith, 18303 Perkins Road. Collect your team and jockey for ﬁrst place. loom.ly/y-CKtQ4.

WEDNESDAY

RED STICK FARMERS MARKET: 9 a.m.-noon, ExxonMobil YMCA, 7711 Howell Blvd. Farm-fresh produce, goods and more. www.facebook.com/redstickfarmersmarket. TRIVIA NIGHT: 6:30 p.m., Burgersmith, 27350 Crossing Circle, Suite 150, Denham Springs. Collect your team and jockey for ﬁrst place. loom.ly/y-CKtQ4.

THURSDAY

RED STICK FARMERS MARKET: 8 a.m.-noon, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, 6400 Perkins Road. Farm-fresh produce, goods and more. facebook.com/redstickfarmersmarket.

WEEKLY SOCIAL BIKE RIDE: 7 p.m., Geaux Ride, 521 N. Third St., Suite A. Free. fareharbor.com.

Compiled by Judy Bergeron Have an open-to-the-public event you’d like to promote? Email details to red@ theadvocate.com. Deadline is 5 p.m. Friday for the following Friday’s paper.

scoRPIo (oct.24-nov. 22) Socializing will spark your imagination and set youon acreativejourney. Put your emotions aside to makeroom forexploring possibilities and gaining insight into how to diversifyyour skills.

sAGIttARIus(nov. 23-Dec. 21) Invest time, money and energy into your lifestyleand your surroundings. Speaking freely anddoingasyou please work only if you allow others the same privileges. Choose peace over discord cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Work hard, play hard and enjoylife to the fullest. You're in control of your destiny; wise choices will result in long-term benefits. Takethe initiative to adopthealthy habits.

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Payattention to detail,financesand taking care of your health and well-being. Achange at home that encouragesyou to do somethingyou enjoy couldleadtoadditional income.

PIscEs(Feb. 20-March 20) Expressyourself, but do so with compassion, honesty andpurpose. Refusetolet anger infiltrate your messageordetainyou from going the distance.

ARIEs(March 21-April 19) Emotional choices will be costly. Work in unison with people who are close to youorare experiencing asimilarsituation, and together you'll finda solution

tAuRus (April 20-May 20) Participation will lead to gratitudeand insight into howtomakeadifference. Offerhands-

on help instead of donating money. Followyour passion, and don'tlook back

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) You'll crave change, but your emotions will make youhesitate. Focus on self-improvement, personal growth and discovering diverse ways to useyour skills to advance.

cAncER (June 21-July22) Stop letting negativity stand in your way.Listen to your heart andfollow through with plans that will secure your place in the universe. Afinancial opportunity is apparent.

LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Aforce playmay be necessary.Takeona challenge if it accomplishessomething meaningful.Communicate passionately, and you'll fire up your audienceand create abuzz.

VIRGo (Aug.23-sept. 22) Sayless anddo more. Your actionswill send amessagethat declares what's essential.A partnership looks promising, but cautionisnecessary regarding shared expenses. LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Stay calm, put your emotions asideand focuson your words and what youare trying to achieve. Don't forget to reward yourself when all is said anddone.

CelebrityCipher cryptograms are created fromquotations by famous people, past and present. Each letter in the cipher stands foranother.

toDAy's cLuE: IEQuALs y

FAMILYCIrCUS

Sudoku

InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1to9inthe empty squares so that each row,each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

THewiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS Hi and LoiS

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

By PHILLIP ALDER

Anne Tyler said, “People always call it luck when you’ve acted more sensibly than they have.”

That is often true, but there can still be matters out of your control. Take today’s deal,forexample.LookatonlytheNorthSouth hands. In whichcontract would you choose to play?

When the deal was originally played, the bidding went as shown. North-South were using two-over-one game-forcing. On thethird round, South broke agolden rule of Blackwood by using the convention with two fast losers in both unbid suits, with no guarantee that partner had afirst- or second-round control in those suits. Southshouldhave bid four spades. Then,Northprobablywouldhavepassed, although with controls in both hearts and clubs, therewould have been agoodcase for his using Blackwood.

Six diamonds and six spades are both excellent contracts, apparently losing onlyoneclubtrick.However,atthetable, against six diamonds,Westled the club jack. East won with her king and realized that, unless West had aslow trump trick like jack-fourth, there was only one waytodefeatthe slam —shift to aspade

WesthappilyruffedandSouthunhappily wrote minus 100 on her scoresheet. Then North pointed out that six spades wasmaking. Against thatslam, East’s best lead is alow club! If North carelessly plays low from the board, West wins and gives his partner adiamond ruff. ©2025 by NEA, Inc., dist. By AndrewsMcMeel Syndication

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

Previousanswers:

word game

InstRuctIons: 1. Words mustbeoffour or moreletters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,”are not allowed. 3. Additional words made by adding a“d” or an “s” may not be used. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.

toDAy’s WoRD sAcHEts: sah-SHAYS: Small bags containing perfumed powder or potpourri.

Average mark 18 words Time limit40minutes

Can you find 32 or more words in SACHETS?

yEstERDAy’s WoRD —DWARFIsH

today’s thought

“I have showed you allthings, how that so laboring you ought to support theweak,and to remember thewords of the Lord Jesus, how he said,Itismoreblessedtogive than to receive.” Acts20:35

wuzzles

loCKhorNs

marmaduKe

Bizarro

hagar the horriBle

Pearls Before swiNe

garfield

B.C.

PiCKles

re-averagingyour sewer bill based on your water usage. It is imperative that you keep your water usage down so your East Baton Rouge Sewer Rate will notgoup. We areurging customers that arehaving problemspaying their bills on time to please callthe Utility Billing Department at 775-9952 to make arrangements beforethe bill becomes past due. This will help us facilitate your needs in atimely manner

We continue to strive to provide youwith excellent service and, as always, if you have any questions or concerns please call ourUtilityOffice at 775-9952 or Public Works Department at 775-5584. Sincerely

Director of Public Works

We Can Be The Solution To Stormwater Pollution

Acommon contributor of storm water pollution is the discharge of hazardous household chemicals, trash, oil grease,and other such items into the City’ssewer and storm water systems. Storm drainage systems and sanitary sewer systems aredesignedasseparate systemswithin the City of Baker.However,grease clogsinsewer lines, resulting many times from pouring grease in your sink or storm drain or absent grease traps, area major cause of seweroverflows, which in turncontribute toward surface water pollution.

As storm water flows over driveways, lawns, and sidewalks, it picks up debris, chemicals, dirt, and other pollutants. Storm water can flow into a storm sewer system or directly to alake, stream, river,wetland, or coastal water.Anything that enters astorm sewer system is discharged untreated into the water bodies we use for swimming, fishing, and providing drinking water.Polluted runoffisthe nation’sgreatest threat to cleanwater By practicing healthy household habits, homeowners can keep commonpollutants like pesticides, pet waste, grass clippings, and automotive fluids offthe ground and out of storm water.Adopt healthy disposal habits and help protect lakes, streams, rivers, wetlandsand coastal waters.

REMEMBER:

•Dispose of or recycle grease, paint, pesticides, oil, and antifreeze properly throughahousehold hazardous waste collectionprogram.

•Repair leaky vehicles andmachinery.Clean up spills with absorbent material and dispose of properly

•Purchase and use nontoxic, biodegradable,and recyclable products.

•Never pour cooking grease in your sink or storm drain.

•Dispose of trash properlyinaclosed container

•Don’tlitter

•Maintain ditches on your property,keeping them debris and litter free.

•Use pesticides and fertilizers sparingly.Avoid application if rain is forecasted.

•Never over water your lawn.

•Cover piles of dirt and mulch to prevent blowing or washing off.

•Plant vegetation on barespots in your yardto prevent erosion.

•Sweep up yarddebris rather than washing down areas.

•Cover storm drains beforebeginning outdoor projects.

•Pick up pet waste and flush in sanitary sewer

•Drain swimming pools only when no chlorine levels aredetected.

•Use commercial car wash or wash cars on alawn to minimize amount of dirty soapy water entering storm drains.

To report any drainage problems and ditch maintenance, please contact 225-775-5584.

City of Baker Natural Gas System Public Awareness Notice

Please read the following gas system safety information. It is provided to promote public awareness anddamageprevention awareness.

The City of Baker owns and operates anatural gasdistributionsystem in and around the City.The gas system consists of an underground network of pipelines throughout the City and in unincorporated areas adjacent to the City limits. The purpose of the gassystem is to provide areliable and safe economical source of energy for heating purposes to the homes and businesses adjacent to the underground gaspipelines. The pipeline system has the capacity to reliably deliver natural gas to the customers. The hazards of natural gas arethat it is: odorless, colorless, tasteless, lighterthan air and can ignite and/or explode with tremendous forcewhen mixed with the right amount of air

Prevention measures takeninclude:

•Adding odorant to the gas to give it that distinctive smell, similar to rotten eggs, to warnusofits presence

•Testing the odorant level each calendar quarter

•Performing annual gas leakage surveys

•Conducting periodic pipeline patrols

The following aresigns that may indicate agas leak

•A hissing or roaring sound (caused by escaping gas)

•A patch of dead or discolored vegetation in an otherwise green setting along apipelineroute

•Blowing dirt, grass or leaves near apipeline

•Continuous bubbling in wet, flooded areas

•A “gas smell,” similar to rotten eggs

Safety Procedure:

Anyone who may smell this odor or noticeany unusual conditions on or near gas mains, vents, servicelines, meter sets, or especially inside of abuilding should call the City immediately.Ifyou smell astrong gas odor inside abuilding, notify everyone in the building to leave. Do not operate any switches or use the phone. Go asafe distance away upwind of the gas smell and call the City of Baker.With anygas leak protect life first then property, then notify the City of Baker Excavator Procedure: Pipeline markers aremaintained to inform thepublic of the gas line location. State and federal laws requireexcavatorstonotifyLAOne-Call two (2) full working days beforedigging.Ifany excavationisplanned you

devices usuallydonot save gas and can be hazardous. Flue vent dampers must be installed by qualified service personnel.

•Ifyour heatingsystem has air filters, clean or replace themannually beforethey becomeclogged with dirt. AND YOUR APPLIANCESINGOOD SHAPE: Have all gas appliances installed and serviced by licensed or qualified professionals.

•The flameonyour gas range shouldbeblue.Ifnot, have aservice representative check the range.

•Make surethe drain pipefromthe relief valve on top of thewater heater is unobstructed. If water or steam comes from this pipe, shut theheater offand have it serviced. Regular service is important for maximum performance and longevity

•Drain apail fullofwater from the water heater at leasttwice ayear to remove sediment from thebottom. If this has never been done before, have it done by aservice person.

GOOD HOUSEKEEPING IS SAFE HOUSEKEEPING:

Keep the kitchen range clean. Wash gas range burners withwater and detergent

•Rinse and dry burners beforereinstalling. Be careful not to damage or change settingonair shutters or sleeves.

•Ifholes in stove burners become clogged, open them with apaper clip or apiece of wire.

•When cooking, lower the flameonthe gas burner so it doesn’t extend beyond the bottom of thepot. Toohigh a flamewastes energy and is dangerous.

•NEVER use the kitchen range as aspace heater.This can damage therange and produce dangerous carbon monoxide gas.

HOW TO BE ATROUBLESHOOTER:

Read and follow manufacturer’sinstructions on your gas equipment.

Knowhow to shut appliances offinanemergency

•Ifyour gas range burners don’tlight, see if the pilot lights are burning.Ifthey’renot,turnall burners to “off” and applyamatch to each pilot light (unless you have electronic ignition or if there’sa strong odor).

•Ifyou have problems with your gas water heater,furnace, or range, followmanufacturer’sinstructions for turningequipment on or off, or call your gas company

TEACHGAS SAFETY TO YOUR FAMILY:

Get thewhole family together and go over the facts in this letterwith them.Conduct aguided tour of your home’sgas-burning appliances. Start with thegas meter,which measures your home’sgas consumption.

•Explainthe gas shut-offvalve at the meter.This valve should be closed onlyinthe event of agas emergency in your home.

•Demonstrate the correct way to light and relight thepilot lightson thekitchen range and gas burners.

•Let everyone smellnatural gas by brieflyturning on an unlit burner

Thisisthe warning smell of aGAS LEAK.

TEACHGAS SAFETY TO CHILDREN:

Teach smallchildren to stay away from thegas range and all gasburning appliances.

•Instruct older children to leave thehouse and call your gas company from anearby phone if they smellagas leak while you’re out.

•Don’tlet children swing from pipes or play with flexibleconnector pipes leading to gas meters, water heaters, or gas ranges.

LEARN FIRST AID FOR CARBONMONOXIDE POISONING:

Incomplete combustion of any fuel can produce poisonous carbon monoxide gas. Symptomsofcarbon monoxide poisoning areoften similar to flu: dizziness, fatique, nausea, and heart palpitations. Take these steps:

•Get the victim into fresh air immediately

•Get medical attention as soon as possible by calling 911 or an emergency number

•Ifthe victim is unconscious and not breathing,give mouth-to-mouth resuscitation until help arrives.

•Open doors and windows to ventilatethe house.

LEARNTOTREAT BURNS:

If someone is burned in the kitchen or anywhereelse, don’tpanic.

Learn first aid for burns.

•Cool aburnbyholding it under coldrunning water.Don’tuse butter, ointment,orice.

•Cover minor burns withasterilebandage.

•Ifburns aresevere, wrap the patientinaclean sheet and cover with ablanket until the doctor or trained medical assistant arrives.

•Rush thevictim to ahospital or call an ambulance. DON’T DELAY.

NATURAL GASSAFETY RULES:

To Prevent Accidents

•Follow manufacturer’sinstructions withall gas appliances.

•Have your gas appliances installed, serviced, and repaired by professionals.

•Keep chimney flues and vents for appliances clean and in good repair.

•Keep areas around your gas water heater and furnace clean.

•Teach small childrentostay away from gas appliances.

•Teach familymembers what to do if they smellgas.

In Case of aGas Emergency

•Ifyou smell gas and can’t find the source, immediately go to a neighbor’shouse and call the gas company

•Ifthe odor is not strong, open doors and windows for ventilation.

•Ifthe odor is strong, get everyone out of the house.

•Don’tuse the telephone or flashlight, switch alight on or off, or light amatch if you smell gas.

•Don’ttry to relight agas furnace, water heater,orrange untilyou are surethere’snomoresmellofgas.

•Get immediate medical attention for victimsofburns or carbon monoxide poisoning.

These area few suggestions for gas safety in your home. If youhave agas problem, call 775-9952, 24 hours aday

The City of Baker owns and operates anatural gas distribution system in and around the City. The gas system consists of an underground network of pipelines throughout the City and in unincorporated areas adjacenttothe City limits. The purpose of the gas system is to provide areliable and safe economical source of energy for heating purposes to the homesand businesses adjacent to the underground gas pipelines. The pipeline system has the capacity to reliablydeliver natural gas to the customers. The hazards of natural gas arethat it is: odorless, colorless, tasteless, lighter than airand can ignite and/or explode with tremendous force when mixed with the right amount of air

Prevention measures to be taken include:

•Adding odorant to the gas to give it that distinctive smell,similar to rotten eggs, to warnusofits presence

•Testingthe odorant level each calendar quarter

•Performing annual gas-leakage surveys

•Conducting periodic pipelinepatrols

The following aresigns that may indicatea gasleak:

•A hissing or roaring sound (caused by escaping gas)

•A patch of dead or discolored vegetation in an otherwise green setting along apipelineroute

•Blowing dirt,grass, or leaves near apipeline

•Continuous bubbling in wet, flooded areas

•A “gas smell,”similartorotten eggs

SafetyProcedure:

Excavator Procedure:

Pipelinemarkers aremaintained to inform the publicofthe gasline location. State and federal laws requireexcavators to notifyLAOne-Call two (2) fullworking days beforedigging. If any excavationisplanned, you must notify LA One-Call,which willnotify theCity to locate thegas lines.

The CityofBaker maintains membershipinthe LA One-Callprogram. Emergency ContactInformation: To obtain additional information or report agas-related issue, callthe City of Baker.The City of Bakerphone number is 225-775-9952 (24 hour). The LA One-Call Centerphone number is 811. This information andthe pipeline signs areprovided as public awareness and damageprevention awareness notices.

The WaterWeDrink CITYOFBAKER WATERSYSTEM PublicWater SupplyID: LA1033003

We arepleased to present to you the Annual Water QualityReportfor the year 2024. This report is designed to inform you about the quality of your water and services we deliver to you every day (Este informecontiene información muy importantesobresuagua potable. Tradúzcalo ohable con alguien que lo entienda bien).Our constant goal is to provide you witha safe and dependable supplyofdrinking water.Wewant you to understand the effortswemake to continuallyimprove the water treatment process and protect our water resources. We arecommittedtoensuring the qualityofyour water

Our water source(s)

The sources sources of drinkingwater (both tapwater andbottled water) include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs, springs, andwells. As watertravels overthe surface of land or through theground, it dissolves naturally-occurringmineralsand, in some cases,radioactive material, and can pick up substances resulting from thepresence of animals or from humanactivity.Contaminants thatmay be presentinsource water

MicrobialContaminants- such as viruses andbacteria, whichmay come from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, agriculturallivestock operations, andwildlife Inorganic Contaminants- such as salts andmetals, whichcan be naturallyoccurring or result from urban stormwater runoff,industrial, or domestic wastewater discharges, oil andgas production, mining, or farming. Pesticides andHerbicides- whichmay come from avarietyofsources such as agriculture,urban stormwaterrunoff, andresidential uses Organic Chemical Contaminants–includingsyntheticand volatile organic chemicals, whichare by-productsofindustrialprocesses and petroleum production, andcan also come from gasstations, urbanstormwater runoff, andseptic systems. Radioactive Contaminants –whichcan be naturally-occurring or be the resultofoil andgas production andminingactivities.

ASource WaterAssessment Plan(SWAP) is nowavailable from our office. This planisanassessment of adelineated area around our listed sources through whichcontaminants, if present, could migrate and reach our source water.Italso includesaninventoryofpotentialsources of contamination within thedelineated area,and adetermination of the watersupply’ssusceptibilitytocontamination by theidentified potential sources. Accordingtothe SourceWater Assessment Plan, ourwater system hadasusceptibility ratingof‘MEDIUM’.Ifyou wouldlike to review the Source WaterAssessment Plan, pleasefeel free to contact our office. In ordertoensurethattap waterissafetodrink, EPAprescribesregulations whichlimit theamountofcertaincontaminants in waterprovided by public watersystems. Food andDrugAdministration regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water whichmust provide thesameprotection for public health. We want our valuedcustomers to be informedabout their waterutility.Ifyou have anyquestions about thisreport, want to attend anyscheduledmeetings, or simply want to learnmoreaboutyour drinking water,pleasecontact DARNELLWAITESat225-778-0300.

Unregulatedcontaminants arethose thatdonot yet have adrinking water standard set by USEPA.The purpose of monitoringfor these contaminants is to help USEPA decide whetherthe contaminants should have astandard.

Unregulated Contaminants Collection DateAverage Concentration Range Unit Lithium 2024 3.50-9.4ppb Thereisnosafelevelofleadindrinkingwater.Exposure to lead in drinking watercan cause serious health effectsinall age groups, especially pregnant people,infants (both formula-fedand breastfed), andyoung children. Some of the health effectstoinfants andchildren include decreasesinIQand attention span. Lead exposurecan also result in new or worsened learningand behavior problems. Thechildren of persons who areexposedtoleadbeforeorduringpregnancymay be at increased risk of these harmfulhealth effects. Adults have increasedrisks of heart disease, high blood pressure, kidney or nervous system problems. Contact your health careprovider for moreinformation about yourrisks. The Louisiana Department of Health andHospitals -Office of Public Health routinely monitorsfor constituentsinyourdrinkingwater according to Federal andState laws. Thetables thatfollow showthe resultsofour monitoring duringthe period of January 1st to December 31st, 2024. Drinking water, includingbottledwater,may reasonably be expected to contain at leastsmall amountsofsome contaminants. Thepre8enceof contaminants does notnecessarily indicatethatwater poses ahealth risk. In thetables below,you will find many terms andabbreviations you might not be familiarwith.Tohelpyou betterunderstandthese terms, we’ve provided the following definitions:

Parts per million (ppm) or Milligrams per liter(mg/L)– onepartper million corresponds to one minuteintwo years or asingle penny in $10,000. Parts per billion (ppb) or Micrograms perliter(ug/L) –one partper billion corresponds to one minutein2,000 years, or asingle penny in $10,000,000. Picocuriesper liter(pCi/L) –picocuries per literisa measure of the radioactivity in water.

Treatment Technique(TT) –anenforceableprocedure or level of technological performance whichpublic watersystems must follow to ensurecontrol of acontaminant

Action level(AL) –the concentration of acontaminant that, if exceeded, triggers treatment or otherrequirements thata water systemmustfollow Maximum contaminantlevel(MCL) –the “MaximumAllowed” MCListhe highest level of acontaminant thatisallowedindrinkingwater.MCL’s are set as close to theMCLG’sasfeasible using thebest available treatment technology Maximum contaminant level goal (MCLG) –the “Goal” is thelevelofa contaminant in drinkingwater below whichthere is no knownorexpected risk to humanhealth. MCLG’s allow for amargin of safety Maximum residual disinfectantlevel(MRDL)–The highest level of a disinfectantallowedindrinkingwater.There is convincingevidence thataddition of adisinfectant is necessary for control of microbial contaminants. Maximum residual disinfectantlevelgoal(MRDLG) –The level of adrinking waterdisinfectantbelow whichthere is no knownorexpected risk to health. MRDLGs do notreflect thebenefits of theuse of disinfectants to controlmicrobial contaminants.

Level 1assessment –Astudy of thewater system to identify potential problems anddetermine (if possible) whytotalcoliform bacteriahave been foundinour watersystem. Level 2assessment –Averydetailedstudy of the water system to identify potential problems anddetermine (if possible) why andE.coli MCL violation hasoccurred and/or whytotalcoliform bacteriahave beenfound in our water system on multiple occasions.

Our watersystem tested aminimumof15sample(s) per month in accordance with theTotal Coliform Rule for microbiological contaminants. With the microbiological samplescollected, thewater system collects disinfectant residuals to ensure control of microbial growth.

Disinfectant Date Highest RAA Unit Range MRDL MRDLGTypical Source Chlorine 2024 1.1ppm 0.0 -2.2 44 Wateradditive usedtocontrol microbes

In thetables below,wehave shownthe regulatedcontaminants thatwere detected. Chemical Samplingofour drinking watermay notberequired on an annualbasis; therefore, information provided in this table refers back to thelatest yearofchemical samplingresults.

The state of Louisiana regularly monitors source water per State and FederalRegulations. Treated watersamples aremonitored to further evaluate compliance.

Lead and Copper Date 90TH

and Recorder of theParishof

FIVE

SEVEN(1557),saidsubdi‐vision,saidlot having such measurements and dimensions andbeing subjecttosuchservi‐tudesasare more partic‐ularly describedonsaid subdivisionmap (the "Property") TERMSOFSALE: Cash to thehighest bid‐der, at Public Auction WITHOUTAppraisement andaccording to law. SidJ.Gautreaux,Sheriff East BatonRouge Parish ADVERTISED DATE October31, 2025 December 01, 2025 $252.60

Parish of East Baton RougeState of Louisiana Acting under andby virtue of Writ of Seizure andSaleissuedout of thehonorable court aforesaid,inthe above entitled andnumbered cause, dated, July 11, 2025 andtomedirected, Idid seizeand will,be‐ginningat10:00 o'clock a.m. on December 03, 2025, viaanonlineauc‐tion site at www bid4assets.com/EBR SOsheriffsales,offerfor sale at public auctionthe followingdescribed mortgagedpropertybe‐longingto: DELINDA PHILLIPSDOWDEN One(1) certainlot or par‐celofground,together with allthe buildingsand improvements thereon, situated in theParishof East BatonRouge,State of Louisiana, in that sub‐division knownosMag‐noliaWoodsSubdivision anddesignatedonthe Ofﬁcial mapthereof of record in theOfﬁce of theClerk andRecorderof theParishofEastBaton RougeinPlanBook21, Page 2as LotEightyTwo (82) Magnolia Woods Subdivision, said Lot82 measuringOne Hundred and4/10(100.4')feet frontonMagnoliaWoods Avenue andhaving a depthonits northerly side line of TwoHundred FortySeven and7/10 (247.7')feet anda depth on itssoutherly side line of TwoHundred Thirty Nine (239')feet with a widthacrossthe rear of OneHundred (100')feet andbeing subjectto a servitudeoften (10')feet across therear, Whichhas theaddress of 812 Magnolia Wood Av‐enue,Baton Rouge, LA 70808

TERMSOFSALE: Cash to thehighest bid‐der, at Public Auction WITH Appraisement and accordingtolaw SidJ.Gautreaux,Sheriff East BatonRouge Parish ADVERTISED DATE October31, 2025 December 01, 2025 $260.22

SHERIFF'SSALE

Suit No:(17) 759919

theClerk andRecorder forsaidparishand state, as LOTNUMBERONE HUNDREDFIFTY-THREE (153),saidsubdivision said lothavingsuch measurements anddi‐mensions as shownon said map. Whichhas theaddress of 864 FrancesHarriet Drive, BatonRouge,LA70815

ONE(1) CERTAINLOT OR PARCEL OF GROUND)to‐gether with allthe build‐ings andimprovements thereon, andall the rights,way,privileges, servitudes,appurte‐nances andadvantages thereuntobelonging or in anywiseappertaining; situated in theParishof East BatonRouge Louisiana, in that subdi‐vision thereofknown as OLDEASTPLACE SUBDI‐VISION,SECONDFILING, andbeing designated on theofficial plat thereof on file andofrecordin theoffice of theClerk andRecorderfor East BatonRouge Parish, Louisiana, as LOTNUM‐BERSEVENTY-SEVEN (77) said subdivision; said lot having such bearings anddimensionsand beingsubject to such servitudes andbuilding line restrictions of record andasshown on theoffi‐cial subdivisionplat. Whichhas theaddressof 2767 PeachtreeLane, Zachary, LA 70791

TERMSOFSALE: Cash to thehighest bid‐der, at Public Auction WITHOUTAppraisement andaccording to law. SidJ.Gautreaux,Sheriff East Baton RougeParish ADVERTISED DATE October31, 2025 December 01, 2025 $234.71

FEDERALHOMELOAN MORTGAGE CORPORA‐TION VS ELISEN.THOMP‐SON BatonRouge,LA 19thJudicialDistrict Parish of East Baton RougeState of Louisiana Acting under andby virtue of Writ of Seizure andSaleissuedout of thehonorable court aforesaid,inthe above entitled andnumbered cause, dated, April02, 2025 andtomedirected, Idid seizeand will,be‐ginning at 10:00 o'clock a.m. on December 03, 2025, viaanonlineauc‐tion site at www bid4assets.com/EBR SOsheriffsales,offerfor sale at public auctionthe followingdescribed mortgagedpropertybe‐longingto: ELISEN THOMPSON ONE(1) CERTAINLOT OR PARCEL OF GROUND,to‐gether with allthe build‐ings andimprovements thereon, situated in that subdivisionofthe Parish of East BatonRouge, StateofLouisiana knownasEASTBROAD‐MOOR,and beingdesig‐natedonthe official sub‐division map, on file and of record in theoffice of

2. Pledge of Allegiance

Mr.Leblanc

3. Roll Call Jessica Blanchardconducted arollcall

The following boardmembers werepresent

•Mr. Burke Fiscus, BoardMember

•Dr. AtleyWalker Sr Vice President

•Mr. RonaldLeBlanc, BoardMember

•Mr. MatthewDaigrepont, BoardMember

•Mr. Michael Maranto, BoardMember

•Mrs.Teri Bergeron, BoardMember

•Mr. Alden Chustz,President

Aquorum was made

The Following boardmembers wereabsent:

Mrs.Hayley Clouatre,BoardMember

Ms.SonceriaEvans, BoardMember

Ms.Chareeka Grace, BoardMember

4. Agenda Add aitem to introduce new teachers

1. IntroductionofNew Teachers

Each principal introduced their new teachers.

The chairman declared the floor open forpubliccomment

Informational Item,Noaction necessar

2. Receiveand review Head Start DirectorsMonthly Report. (CrystalLeon) The boardreviewed the head start directors report

The chairman declared the floor open forpubliccomment

Informational Item No action necessary

3. Consideration of request for approval of themonthly expenditures and financial reports forJune 2025 (Jared Gibbs)

Mr.Gibbs went over attached report

The chairman declared the floor open forpubliccomment That the boardapproves monthly expenditures and financial reports forJune 2025

Motionmade by: Mr.Alden Chustz

Motionseconded by: Mr.Matthew Daigrepont

Voting: Unanimously Approved

5. Adjourn That the Finance committee is adjourned.

Motionmade by: Mr.Alden Chustz

Motionseconded by: Mrs.Teri Bergeron

Voting: Unanimously Approved

MEETING MINUTES

Regular Meeting of the WBR Parish School Board 08/20/2025 05:00 PM BoardRoom Central Office 3761 RosedaleRd, PortAllen, LA

Scan the above QR code with your phone to view this meeting agenda on your phone.

Attendance

Voting Members

Mr.Burke Fiscus, BoardMember

Mrs.Hayley Clouatre,BoardMember

Mr.RonaldLeBlanc, BoardMember

Ms.SonceriaEvans, BoardMember

Ms.Chareeka Grace, BoardMember

Mr.MatthewDaigrepont, BoardMember

Mr.Michael Maranto, BoardMember

Mrs.Teri Bergeron, BoardMember

Mr.Alden Chustz, President

Non-Voting Members Jessica Blanchard, Executive Secretary Jared Gibbs, Supervisor of Business

Dr.Chandler Smith,Superintendent

1. Call to Order The Chairman calledthe meeting to order

2. Pledge of Allegiance

Mr.Chustz ledusinThe Pledge of Allegiance

3. Roll Call Jessica Blanchardconducted the roll call. The following werepresent

•Mr. Burke Fiscus, BoardMember

•Mrs. Hayley Clouatre,BoardMember

•Mr. RonaldLeBlanc, BoardMember

•Ms. Sonceria Evans, BoardMember

•Ms. Chareeka Grace, BoardMember

•Mr. MatthewDaigrepont, BoardMember

RougeState of Louisiana Acting under andby virtue of Writ of Seizure andSaleissuedout of thehonorable court aforesaid, in theabove entitled andnumbered cause, dated, April22, 2025 andtomedirected, Idid seizeand will,be‐ginningat10:00 o'clock a.m. on December 03, 2025, viaanonlineauc‐tion site at www bid4assets.com/EBR SOsheriffsales,offerfor sale at public auctionthe followingdescribed mortgagedpropertybe‐longingto: RICA CHAR‐MAYNEGERMANY One(1) certainlot or par‐celofground,together with allthe buildingsand improvements thereon. andall of therights. ways.privileges. Servi‐tudes, appurtenances andadvantagesthere‐untobelonging or in any‐wise appertaining,situ‐ated in theParishofEast BatonRouge,State of Louisianainthatsubdivi‐sion knownasST. GER‐ARDPLACE NO.TWO.and designated on theoffi‐cial plan thereofon file andofrecordinthe of‐fice of theClerk and Recorder of theParishof East BatonRouge.Stale of Louisiana. as LOT NUMBER SIXTEEN (16) said subdivision.saidlot having such measure‐mentsand dimensions andbeing subjectto such servitudes andre‐strictions as aremore particularly shownon said map. Having amunicipalad‐dressof4212 Hollywood Street BatonRouge.LA 70805.

TERMSOFSALE: Cash to thehighest bid‐der, at Public Auction WITH Appraisementand di l

www bid4assets.com/EBR SOsheriffsales,offerfor sale at public auctionthe followingdescribed mortgagedpropertybe‐longingto: DARREN D. STINSONAND DANA DI‐ANNEJONES AKADANA DIANNE JONESSTINSON ONE(1) certainlot or parcel of ground,to‐gether with allthe build‐ingsand improvements thereon, Parish of EAST BATONROUGE,State of Louisiana, in that subdi‐vision knownasBROWN HEIGHTS, SECTIONONE (1), beingmoreparticu‐larlydescribed according to theofﬁcial mapof said subdivision, on

•Mr. MichaelMaranto, Board Member

•Mrs. Teri Bergeron, BoardMember

•Mr. AldenChustz, President Aquorum wasmade. The followingwereabsent

Dr.AtleyWalker Sr Vice President

4. Approval of Minutes Be it Resolved, That theapproval of theminutesofthe RegularBoard Meeting held on July16, 2025 be approvedaspresented.

The Chairmandeclared the floor openfor publiccomment.

Motion made by: Mr.Ronald LeBlanc

Motion seconded by: Mr.MatthewDaigrepont

Voting: Mr.Burke Fiscus -Yes

Mrs. Hayley Clouatre-Yes

Mr.Ronald LeBlanc-Yes

Ms. SonceriaEvans -Yes

Ms. Chareeka Grace -Absent

Mr.MatthewDaigrepont -Yes

Mr.Michael Maranto -Yes

Mrs. Teri Bergeron-Yes

Mr.AldenChustz -Yes

5. Superintendent’sReport

Ms. Grace arrivesat5:05pm

Dr.Smith went overhis attached report

The chairman declaredthe floor open forpubliccomment

Informational Item, No action Necessary

6. ReportfromCommunity Committees/Agencies

1. Reports from Families In Need of Services (GracieBergeron) Bergeron went over thepacket thatwas handedout to theboard members.

Thechairmandeclared the floor open forpubliccomment.

InformationalItems, No action necessary

7. UnfinishedBusiness

8. Presentation of Consent Agenda

1. Consideration of requestfor approval of the monthly expenditures and financial reports forJune 2025 (Jared Gibbs)

9. Approval of Consent Agenda

Be it resolved thatthe Board does hereby approve andadopt the Above Consent Agenda Items #1

The Chairmandeclared the floor openfor publiccomment.

Thatthe boardapprovesand adopts theAboce Consent Agenda Item #1.

Motion made by: Mr.Ronald LeBlanc

Motion seconded by: Mr.Burke Fiscus

Voting: Unanimously Approved

10. End of Consent Agenda

1. Reportand approval of the PublicHearing on the Consolidated Budget for 2025-2026, heldat4:55P.M.onAugust 20,2025. Mr.Chustz openedthe PublicHearing on theConsolidated Budget for 2025-2026at4:55P.M. He askedthe audience if anyonehad questions or comments, andafterhearing no questions or comments from theaudience, Mr.Chustz closedthe public hearing at 4:58P.M.

Thechairmandeclared the floor openfor publiccomment.

2. Consideration of requestfor approval and adoption of the Consolidated Budget for 2025-2026. Approvaland adoption of theConsolidatedBudgetfor 20252026.The chairman declaredthe floor open forpubliccomment.

Motion made by: Mrs. Teri Bergeron

Motion secondedby: Mr.MatthewDaigrepont

Voting: Unanimously Approved

3. Consideration to approve Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) for Cohn Project (Dr.Chandler Smith)

Dr.Smith explainedtothe board theGMP for theCohnProject would be $25,069,200.00

The chairman declaredthe floor openfor publiccomment

Thatthe board approves theGuaranteed Maxiumum Price(GMP) for CohnProject

Motion made by: Mr.Burke Fiscus

Motion seconded by:Mr. RonaldLeBlanc

Voting: Unanimously Approved

11. Organization Items

12. Any other businessunanimously approvedbythe boardfor consideration

13. Adjourn

Be it Resolved, That the meeting be adjourned.

The Chairmandeclared the floor open forpubliccomment.

Motion made by: Mr.MatthewDaigrepont

Motion seconded by:Mrs. Hayley Clouatre

Voting: Unanimously Approved

andaccording to law. SidJ.Gautreaux,Sheriff East BatonRouge Parish ADVERTISED DATE October31, 2025 December 01, 2025 $244.89

SHERIFF'SSALE Suit No:(17) 762535 REGIONSBANKOBA RE‐GIONSMORTGAGEvs SHIRLEYCALDWELLGER‐ALD BatonRouge,LA 19thJudicialDistrict Parish of East Baton RougeState of Louisiana Acting under andby virtue of Writ of Seizure andSaleissuedout of thehonorable court aforesaid,inthe above entitled andnumbered cause, dated, May19, 2025 andtomedirected, Idid seizeand will,be‐ginningat10:00 o'clock a.m. on December 03, 2025, viaanonlineauc‐tion site at www bid4assets.com/EBRS0sh eriffsales,offerfor sale at public auctionthe fol‐lowing describedmort‐gaged property belong‐i

g g p p y g ing to:SHIRLEY CALD‐WELL GERALD THAT CERTAINCONDO‐MINIUM UNIT 10436-DOF NESSERGARDENS CON‐DOMINIUMS, as created by DeclarationofCondo‐minium,registeredin Original 420, Bundle 11681, of theConveyance RecordsofEastBaton RougeParish, Louisiana, whichsaidunitincludes ownershipofanundi‐videdinterestinthe commonelementsofthe Condominium, andwhich unitand commonele‐mentsare situated upon thepropertysubjected to thecondominium decla‐ration;and subjecttoall of therestrictions, oblig‐ations,charges andall otherprovisionsofsaid CondominiumDeclara‐tion,asamended,the bylaws of theOwner's As‐sociationofsaidCondo‐minium,the provisions of theLouisiana Condo‐

minium Actof1979, LSARS 9:1121.101 et seq, andall servitudes andre‐strictions of record TERMSOFSALE: Cash to thehighest bid‐der, at Public Auction WITH Appraisement and accordingtolaw SidJ.Gautreaux,Sheriff East BatonRouge Parish ADVERTISED DATE October31, 2025 December 01, 2025 $232.15

BatonRouge,LA 19thJudicialDistrict Parish of East Baton RougeState of Louisiana Acting under andby virtue of Writ of Seizure andSaleissuedout of thehonorable court aforesaid,inthe above entitled andnumbered cause, dated, May19, 2025 andtomedirected, Idid seizeand will,be‐ginningat10:00 o'clock a.m. on December 03, 2025, viaanonlineauc‐tion site at www bid4assets.com/EBRS0sh eriffsales,offerfor sale at public auctionthe fol‐lowing describedmort‐gagedpropertybelong‐ingto: JESTINAVIOLET LEMARJOHNSON ACERTAIN LOTORPAR‐CELOFGROUND, TO‐GETHER WITH ALLBUILD‐INGS ANDIMPROVE‐MENTSTHEREON,SITU‐ATED IN THEPARISHOF

EAST BATONROUGE STATEOFLOUISIANA,IN THAT SUBDIVISION KNOWNASWESTMERRY‐DALE,THIRD FILING,AND BEINGDESIGNATEDAC‐CORDINGTOTHE OFFI‐CIAL MAPTHEREOF ON FILE IN THEOFFICE OF THECLERK AND RECORDER OF SAID PARISH AS LOTFIFTYTWO(52),SAIDWEST MERRYDALE, THIRDFIL‐ING, SAID LOTMEASUR‐INGSIXTY-SEVEN AND 75/100 (67.75) FEET FRONTONVINEYARD DRIVEBYA DEPTHONITS EASTERLY SIDELINEOF ONEHUNDRED THIRTY AND44/100 (130.44) FEET ADEPTH ON ITSWEST‐ERLY SIDELINEOFONE HUNDREDEIGHTEEN AND 82/100 (118.82) FEET AND HAVING AWIDTH ACROSS THEREARFOR NINETYTWOAND 63/100 (92.63) FEET;SAIDLOT BEING SUBJECTTOA SEVENAND 5/10 (7,5)FOOTSERVI‐

TUDE ACROSS THEREAR FORPUBLIC UTILITIES; subjecttorestrictions, servitudes,rights-of-way

raise,futureraises

Be it Resolved, that themeeting be adjourned.

Motionmade by: Dr.Atley WalkerSr.

Motionseconded by: Mr.RonaldLeBlanc

Voting: UnanimouslyApproved

MEETING MINUTES

2. Pledge of Allegiance Dispense with The Pledge ofAllegiance

3. Roll Call

Mr.Gibbs conducted aroll call: The following board members were present:

•Mr. Burke Fiscus, BoardMember

•Mrs. Hayley Clouatre, BoardMember

•Dr. Atley Walker Sr Vice President

•Mr. Ronald LeBlanc, BoardMember

•Ms. Sonceria Evans, BoardMember

•Mr. Matthew Daigrepont, BoardMember •Mrs. Teri Bergeron, BoardMember

•Mr. Alden Chustz, President

The following boardmembers wereabsent:Ms. Chareeka Grace, BoardMember Mr.Mike Maranto, BoardMember

4. Agenda

1. Receive and approve a financialreportfor the EFID Board’s salestax (as hereinafter defined)monies received and expended for the fiscal year July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025. The Boardthen received and reviewedthe attached Financial Report. The chairman declared the flooropen for public comment. Be it resolved, that without objection, the Boardresolved that the financial report be accepted and adoptedaspresented. Motion made by: Mrs. Hayley Clouatre Motion seconded by: Mr.Ronald LeBlanc

Voting: Unanimously Approved

2. Receive areport with respect to the salestax monies appropriated and expended by the School Board in compliance with the 45%/55% dedicationapprovedbythe voters in the election of May 1, 1999.

The chairman then invited the public comment at this time with respect to agenda item #2. No one appeared to comment.

Be it resolved, that without objection, the boardresolved that the report with respect to thesales tax moneys, appropriate and expended by the School Boardincompliance with the 45%/55% dedication approved by the voters in theelectionofMay 1, 1999 be adopted as presented.

Motion made by: Dr.AtleyWalker Sr

Motion seconded by:Ms. Sonceria Evans

Voting: Unanimously Approved

3. Adopt an annual budget for the EFID with respect to sales tax moneys estimated to be receivedbythe EFID Board in the fiscal year July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026, tobe appropriated by the EFID Boardtothe West BatonRouge Parish School Boardfor the purposes approvedbythe voters.

The Chairman invited public comment at this time with respect to this agenda item.

No one appeared to comment.

Be it Resolved, that without objection, the Boardresolved that the report with respect to adopting an annual budget for the EFID with respect to sales tax moneys estimated to be received by the EFID Boardinthe fiscal year July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026, to be appropriated by the EFID Boardtothe West Baton Rouge Parish School Boardfor the purposes approved by the voters.

Motion made by: Mr.Ronald LeBlanc

Motion seconded by:Mrs. HayleyClouatre

Voting: Unanimously Approved

4. Adopt aresolution appropriated forthe SalesTax moneys to the West Baton RougeParish School Board, to be applied for the purposes approved bythe votersinthe proposition approved in the election of May1,1999 (“theEFID Moneys”) which are: The Chairman invited public comment at this time with respect to this agenda item. No one appeared to comment Whereupon, after afull discussion the following resolutionwas offered That the sales tax moneys appropriated to the West BatonRouge Parish School Board, be applied forthe purposes approved by the voters in the proposition approved in the election of May 1, 1999 (“the EFID Moneys”) which are:

a.)

Regular Meeting of the WBR Parish SchoolBoard 09/17/2025 05:00 PM BoardRoom Central Office 3761 RosedaleRd, PortAllen, LA

Scanthe above QR code withyour phone to view this meetingagenda on your phone. Attendance

Voting Members

Mr.Burke Fiscus, BoardMember

Mrs.Hayley Clouatre,Board Member

Dr.Atley WalkerSr.,VicePresident

Mr.RonaldLeBlanc, BoardMember

Ms.Sonceria Evans, BoardMember

Mr.Matthew Daigrepont,BoardMember

Mrs.Teri Bergeron, BoardMember

Mr.Alden Chustz, President

1. Call to Order The chairman calledthe meeting to order

2. Pledge of Allegiance

Mr.Chustz ledusinThe Pledge of Allegiance

3. Roll Call

Mr.Gibbs conducted aroll called The following boardmember were present:

•Mr. Burke Fiscus, BoardMember

•Mrs. HayleyClouatre, BoardMember

•Dr. AtleyWalkerSr.,Vice President

•Mr. RonaldLeBlanc, BoardMember

•Ms. Sonceria Evans, BoardMember

•Mr. MatthewDaigrepont, BoardMember

•Mrs. Teri Bergeron, BoardMember

•Mr. Alden Chustz, President

The following boardmembers wereabsent: Ms. Chareeka Grace, BoardMember Mr.Micheal Maranto, BoardMember

4. Approval of Minutes

Be it Resolved, That the approval of theminutes of the Regular Board

Meeting held on August 20, 2025 be approved as presented. The Chairman declared the flooropen for publiccomment. Motionmade by: Mr.RonaldLeBlanc Motionseconded by: Dr.Atley WalkerSr. Voting: UnanimouslyApproved

5. Superintendent’sReport

Dr.Smith went over his attached Superintendent Report. Chairman declared the flooropen for publiccomment. Informational Item, No ActionNecessary

6. ReportfromCommunityCommittees/Agencies

7. Unfinished Business

8. Presentation of Consent Agenda

1. Consideration of request to adopt the Board’sGeneral Liability renewals/quotes for the period 10/01/25 -10/01/26. (Finance Committee Report9/9/25)

2. Consideration of request to adopt amotion rejecting uninsured motorist coverage for the 10/1/25 -10/1/26 policy year and instructsthe Superintendent not to accept said coverage. (Finance CommitteeReport 9/9/25)

3. Consideration of request to adopt the Board’sProperty Workers’ Compensationand CyberLiability insurance renewals/quotes for the period 10/01/25 -10/01/26 as presented by Gallagher Insurance Services. (Finance Committee Report9/9/25)

4. Consideration of request for approval of theCertificated andSupport StaffStipend Guidance and Differentiated Pay (ILTStipends) Allocation from the Louisiana Department of Education. (Finance Committee Report 9/9/25)

5. Consideration of request for approval of themonthly expenditures and financial reports forJuly 2025 (Finance Committee Report9/9/25)

9. Approval of Consent Agenda

Be it resolved that theBoarddoes hereby approve and adopt the

Above Consent Agenda Items#1-5

The Chairman declared the flooropen for public comment

Motion made by: Mr.Burke Fiscus

Motionseconded by: Mrs.Teri Bergeron

Voting: Unanimously Approved

10. End of Consent Agenda

11. Organization Items Committee Meeting:Tuesday,October 7, 2025 Regular Board Meeting: Wednesday,October 15, 2025

12. Any other business unanimously approvedbythe boardfor consideration

13. Adjourn

Be it Resolved, That the meetingbeadjourned. The Chairman declared the floor open forpublic comment.

Motionmade by: Dr.Atley WalkerSr.

Motionseconded by: Mr.Ronald LeBlanc

Voting: UnanimouslyApproved

Voting Members Mr.Burke Fiscus, BoardMember Mrs. Hayley Clouatre, Board Member

Dr.AtleyWalker Sr Vice President

Mr.Ronald LeBlanc, BoardMember Mr.MatthewDaigrepont, BoardMember Mrs. Teri Bergeron,Board Member

Mr.Alden Chustz,President

Non-Voting Members Jessica Blanchard, ExecutiveSecretary

Dr.ChandlerSmith, Superintendent Jared Gibbs, Supervisor of Business

1. Call Meeting to Order The chairmancalledthe meeting to order

2. PledgeofAllegiance Mr.LeBlancled us in The PledgeofAllegiance

3. Roll Call Jessica Blanchardconducteda roll callThe following boardmembers were present: •Mr. Burke Fiscus,Board Member •Mrs. Hayley Clouatre, BoardMember •Dr. AtleyWalker Sr Vice President •Mr. RonaldLeBlanc, Board Member •Mr. MatthewDaigrepont, Board Member •Mrs. Teri Bergeron, BoardMember •Mr. AldenChustz,President Aquorum wasmade The followingboard members were absent: Ms. SonceriaEvans, BoardMember Ms. Chareeka Grace,Board Member Mr.Mike Maranto, BoardMember

4. Agenda 1. Receive and review Head StartDirectors MonthlyReport. (Crystal Leon) Theboard members reviewed the MonthlyReport Thechairmandeclared the floor openfor publiccomment Informational Item, No action necessary

2. Consideration of requesttoadopt the Board’sGeneral Liability renewals/quotesfor the period10/01/25 -10/01/26. (Jared Gibbs) General Liability Renewalsfor $206,206.Its up 10% from last year Thechairmandeclared the floor openfor publiccomment. Thatthe boardapprovestoadopt theBoard’s General Liability renewals/quotesfor the period 10/1/25-10/1/26 Motion made by: Dr.AtleyWalker Sr Motion seconded by: Mr.MatthewDaigrepont Voting: Unanimously Approved

3. Consideration of request to adopt amotion rejecting uninsured motoristcoverage forthe 10/1/25 -10/1/26 policy year and instructs the Superintendent not to accept said coverage.(Jared Gibbs) Theboard discussed whytheyreject theuninsuredmotorist coverage Thechairmandeclared the floor openfor publiccomment Themotion is to vote to reject uninsured motorist coverage for 10/1/25-10/1/26 policy yearand instructthe Superintendent not to accept said coverage. Motion made by: Mr.AldenChustz Motion seconded by: Mrs. Teri Bergeron Voting: Unanimously Approved

4. Consideration of requesttoadopt the Board’sProperty, Workers’Compensation and Cyber Liability insurance renewals/quotesfor the period10/01/25 -10/01/26 as presented by Gallagher Insurance Services Property $593,215.09 Workers Comp Program$294,593 Cyber/Crime $43,003 Thatthe chairman declaredthe floor open forpubliccomment Thatthe boardapproves to adopt theBoard’s Property,Workers’ Compensation andCyber Liability insurancerenewals/quotes 10/1/25-10/1/26 as presentedbyGallagher Insurance Services. Motion seconded by: Mr.Burke Fiscus Voting: Unanimously Approved

5. Consideration of request forapprovalofthe Certificated and SupportStaffStipendGuidance and Differentiated Pay (ILTStipends)Allocation from the Louisiana Department of Education. (Dr. ChandlerSmith and Jared Gibbs) Stipend from theState .Itis$2000 for certificated and$1000for Support Employees.Must be paid out beforeDec 15,2025 Thechairmandeclared the floor open forpubliccomment Thatthe boardapproves the Certificated andSupportStaff Stipend Guidanceand DifferentiatedPay (ILTStipends) Allocation from theLouisiana Department of Education Motion made by: Mr.Burke Fiscus Motion seconded by: Mrs. Hayley Clouatre Voting: Unanimously Approved

6. Consideration of requestfor approvalofthe monthly expenditures and financial reports for July2025 (Jared Gibbs) Mr.Gibbs went overattached report Thechairmandeclared the floor open forpubliccomment Thatthe boardapproves monthlyexpenditures and financial reports for July 2025 Motion made by: Mrs. Teri Bergeron Motion seconded by: Mr.MatthewDaigrepont Voting: Unanimously Approved

5. Adjourn Thatthe Financecommitteeisadjourned. Motion made by: Mr.Burke Fiscus Motion seconded by: Mrs. Hayley Clouatre Voting: Unanimously Approved