UL SURVIVES TEXAS STATE IN SUN BELT CLASH 1C THE
ACADIANA
ADVOCATE
T H E A C A D I A N A A D V O C AT E.C O M
|
S u n d ay, n ov e m b e r 9, 2025
‘People just can’t afford to live’
As federal shutdown threatens SNAP, Louisiana residents have long seen increased need
$2.50X
Lengthy campaign, and Landry, landed LSU president Political insiders say Wade Rousse, allies charmed board, governor
BY TYLER BRIDGES Staff writer
STAFF PHOTOS By DAVID GRUNFELD
People wait in line for a hot meal at Grace Place Ministries Soup Kitchen on Jackson Street in Monroe on Wednesday. The nonprofit has seen a surge in demand as SNAP benefit reductions and the ongoing federal shutdown make it harder for many families in northeast Louisiana to put food on the table. BY JENNA ROSS Staff writer
MONROE — The friends arrived at the soup kitchen with toddlers in their arms and worry in their eyes. Ashleigh Pearce and Sabrina Spearman had heard that because of the federal shutdown, their food assistance would be cut. (“Just gone.”) Then they heard that Louisiana would restore a quarter of their allotment at a time. (“So I’ve gotta buy some eggs.”) Then, they could lose benefits, long-term. (“People really need those funds.”) They were weary, not only from the whiplash but from the challenges that keep bringing them to
teer Nathaniel Cooper bellowed, opening the back door, where a dozen people were waiting Wednesday morning to choose free clothes from the organization’s closet. He removed his hat and began to pray: “Father God, thank you for dressing us here today. I would ask that you cover them. Bless their mind and body that they may know and understand that you are here for them right now, in this time of Grace Place Ministries Soup Kitchen serves hot meals to the shutdown that is taking those in need on Jackson Street in Monroe. place in the world.” Even before the federal Grace Place Ministries, on of shoes. The air had turned shutdown threatened food the city’s south side, week chilly, and Spearman’s son assistance for 42 million after week, for a hot meal was barefoot. ä See SNAP, page 6A and, on this morning, a pair “Good morning!” volun-
Four days before the LSU Board of Supervisors would select a new university president, McNeese State President Wade Rousse and University of Alabama Provost James Dalton met at the LSU president’s house. Publicly, both were still candidates for the LSU job. Behind the scenes, however, Rousse had already secured it. Gov. Jeff Landry had spread the word quietly weeks earlier that Rousse’s business-oriented approach for LSU aligned with the governor’s vision. Lee Mallett, the board’s vice Rousse chair and a close Landry ally, had been working assiduously to arrange for Rousse to show off his can-do personality in meetings with other board members and key political and business leaders. But Rousse had publicly faced complaints from some Landry faculty and students who said he wasn’t qualified to become president of LSU because he didn’t have the necessary experience at a large research university. So Rousse and Dalton met at the president’s house to see if they could agree on an arrangement to Mallett share duties. Board members fervently hoped they could agree, to assuage the critics. When Rousse and Dalton emerged an hour or so later, they told several anxious board members that they had gotten along well. Rousse would serve as the system president, overseeing athletics and the entire university system, while Dalton would focus on academics and research at the flagship campus in Baton Rouge and LSU’s medical facilities in Baton Rouge and New Orleans. “It’s not often, if ever, that during a presidential search you get lucky enough to have two candidates with the same vision whose different backgrounds complement each other to the betterment of the entire university,” board Chair Scott Ballard said during a news conference afterward. “I am proud today that
ä See ROUSSE, page 4A
Bob Giles, left, winner of the 2025 Lafayette Civic Cup, and Sandy Giles sit with their dogs at their home on Oct. 9. PHOTO By ROBIN MAy
WEATHER HIGH 70 LOW 61 PAGE 6B
Bob Giles is 2025 Lafayette Civic Cup honoree Businessman has built a legacy and given back to community
moved to Lafayette on his 28th birthday in 1982 to open a Volkswagen, Porsche and Audi dealership. It was scary and exciting, and, Giles said, the best thing that could have happened to him. Lafayette is where he met Sandy, his wife of 41 years, and where the couple raised their daughters, Halley and Ashley. BY ASHLEY WHITE He now operates eight dealerships Staff writer in Louisiana and California, owns Businessman Robert “Bob” Giles Mr. Bubbles Auto Spa and is a real grew up in a small Texas town. estate developer. His connection to the community A third-generation car dealer, he
Business ......................1E Deaths .........................3B Nation-World................2A Classified ..................14A Living............................1D Opinion ........................4B Commentary ................5B Metro ...........................1B Sports ..........................1C
is deeper than that. Inspired by the integrity and involvement of his grandfather and father in the communities where they operated dealerships, Giles has continually given back to and championed others to do the same throughout Acadiana. Giles was named the 93rd Lafayette Civic Cup recipient, which recognizes those efforts. “I am truly, deeply honored to accept this award,” Giles said.
ä See CIVIC CUP, page 4A
101ST yEAR, NO. 132