The Times-Picayune 11-10-2025

SAINTS PA NT HERS 17 7

WINNING FORMULA

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JACOB KUPFERMAN

Saints cornerbackAlontaeTaylor celebrates intercepting apass intendedfor Carolina Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillanduring the second half of Sunday’sgame in Charlotte, N.C. It wasa breakthrough Sunday for the Saints, who earned the first road victory in the career of Kellen Moore andthe first win of any kindfor rookie quarterback Tyler Shough, who passed for282 yardsand twotouchdowns in a17-7 Saints victory over the Panthers. TheSaints’defense played abig role, too, holding the Panthers to 175 totalyards and forcing two turnovers. Wins have been hard to come by in a2-8 season, but the Saints provided alittlelight atthe end of the tunnelheading intotheir bye week.Up next is ahomegameagainst the AtlantaFalconsonNov.23.

ä Seecomplete coverageofthe Saints game PAGE 1C

USDA demandsstates‘undo’fullSNAPpayouts

States warn of ‘catastrophicimpact’

BY SCOTT BAUER and NICHOLAS RICCARDI Associated Press

President Donald Trump’sadministration is demanding states “undo” full Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits paid out under judges’ orders last week, now that theU.S. Supreme Court has stayed those rulings, marking the latest swing in aseesawing legal battle over the anti-hunger program used by

ä Senate poised to takesteps to end government shutdown. PAGE 3A

42 million Americans. The demand from theU.S. Department of Agriculture came as more than two dozen stateswarned of “catastrophic operational disruptions” if the Trump administration does not reimburse them for thoseSNAP benefits they authorized before theSupreme Court’sstay Nonprofits and Democratic attorneys general suedto force the Trump

ä See SNAP, page 5A

BY JONAH MEADOWS Staff writer

Along-awaited study is calling for an overhaul of NewOrleans’ controversial vacation rental regulations, suggesting aban on new commercial short-term rentals in someneighborhoods, alimited expansion in others,and thecreationofnew definitionsfor different categories of lodging.

Among the recommendations in the 127page draftreport, unveiled publicly on Oct. 28, are: acitywide, one-per-block limit on new commercial short-term rentals and traditional bed-and-breakfasts; newsizecategories for commercial short-term rentals and hotels that would determine where they are allowed; and moreclosely aligning zoning rules withcommercial short-term rental regulations.

The report comes morethan twoyears after the City Council first directed the City Planning Commission to commissionthe study amid legal challenges to its existing short-term rental rules and an outcry from residents over the proliferation of the popular tourist housing in their neighborhoods.

The report, preparedbyMetairie-based consultant Desire Line, was supposed to help guide the council as it sought to revise its laws to withstand legalscrutiny.Some city leadersand neighborhood activists nowquestion whether it will makematters better or worse.

ä See RULES, page 4A

in spring

BY ALYSE PFEIL Staff writer

When Louisiana votes next spring in its new closed primaries, registered Republicans will vote for Republican candidates and registered Democratswillvotefor Democraticcandidates —and alarge swath of unaffiliated voters will get to pick one party or the other But some Louisiana Republicans aren’t happy with that system. They think that their party’sprimaryshouldbelimited only to those whohave signed up as amember of the GOP. “Weshouldn’tbeallowing anyone to come into our party,our organization, who haschosen not to be part of it and have avoice,” said Christy Haik, aconservative activist and member of the state party’sgoverning body “A nonmember coming into this club and having avoice and avote —how is that fair in any organization?” she said. On theother hand, some state leaders—including some Republicans —thinkcompletely closing primaries is abad idea.

Lt.Gov.Billy Nungesser, foryearsanoutspokenadvocatefor Louisiana’sopenprimaries, said they draw amore representative, less

ä See VOTERS, page 5A

BRIEFS

Vietnam Warpilot’s remains returntoVa.

NORFOLK,Va Capt. Thomas EdwinScheurich,aVietnamWar pilot missing in action for57 years, was repatriated to Norfolk on Friday

His remains were identified earlier this year at the crashsite of his plane, which vanished on March 1, 1968, after completing abombing mission. His children, TomJr. of Virginia Beach and Marianne of Richmond, attended the homecoming, with burial set for Friday at Arlington National Cemetery Scheurich, aNebraska native, was assigned to Attack Squadron 35, Air Wing 9. He chartereda plane from Naval Station Oceana in December 1967 anddeployed aboard the USS Enterprise.

Forensics showed the A-6 that Scheurich had been pilotingonthatMarcheveninghad dropped its bombs and headed back to base. But Scheurich and the aircraft’sbombardiernavigator,Lt. Richard Lannom, never returned. Decadeslater, an eyewitness accountofaplane crash from that night ledinvestigators to the site.

Lannom’sremains were identified in 2018.Six excavations later,additional remains were recovered in 2024,only 40 yards from where his plane made impact.Early this year,Scheurich’sremains wereidentified

“My dad was areally,really smart farm kid,” Scheurich Jr previously told TheVirginianPilot and Daily Press.“He was a very easygoing, mild mannered person —avery loving,caring guy.”

VIRGINIAN-PILOTPHOTO

The plane carrying the remains of Navy pilot Capt. ThomasE Scheurich, whose planewent down 57 years agoduring the Vietnam War, arrivesatNorfolk International AirportonFriday.

Powerful quake strikes off the coast of Japan

TOKYO— Apowerful quake

rattled northern Japan Sunday evening, followed by several more temblors, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency Atsunami advisory was issued.

The earthquake, with an upgraded magnitude of 6.9 and depthof10miles, struckoff the coast of Iwate prefecture at 5:03 p.m.

Therewerenoimmediatereportsofinjuriesordamage, or any reports of abnormalitiesat thetwo nuclearpower plants in the area. The agency issued an advisory for atsunami of up to 3feet along the northern coastal region, and subsequently said the water could reach as highas10 feet in some spots.

The tsunami advisorywas lifted about three hours after the initial quake, but the meteorological agency told reporters the area wasatrisk for strong quakes for about aweek, especially the next two or three days. Man kills 3co-workers, self at Texas business

SAN ANTONIO A21-year-old man shot and killed three coworkers at aSan Antonio, Texas, landscape supply company and then died after shooting himself, authorities said Sunday Twomen and awoman died in the shooting Saturday at the business on the city’snorth side, according to the San Antonio Police Department.

Other employees ran from the scenewhenthe gunfireerupted around 8a.m., KSAT-TV reported.

Police responded and secured the area, and hours later they found the gunman with aselfinflicted gunshot wound, officials said. He was identified by policeas Jose Hernandez Galo.

While the motive for the shooting wasn’timmediately known, PoliceChief William McManus said during aSaturdaynewsconference that it was not random.

People await the arrival of acoffinhanded over to Israel from

asoldier

of

Israel receives remains of soldierkilledin2014

BY MELANIE LIDMAN and KAREEM CHEHAYEB Associated Press

TEL AVIV,Israel— IsraelonSunday confirmed it had received the remains of Hadar Goldin, a soldier killedinthe Gaza Strip in 2014, closing a painful chapter for thecountry

The23-year-old was killed two hours after a ceasefire took effect in that year’swar between Israel and Hamas. Goldin’sfamily waged apublic campaign for 11 years to bring home his remains. Earlier this year,they marked 4,000 days since his body was taken.

Israel’smilitary had long determined that he had been killed, based on evidence found in the tunnelwhere his bodywas taken, including a blood-soaked shirtand prayerfringes. His remains hadbeen the only ones left in Gaza predating the current war between Israel and Hamas.

Theremains of four hostages taken in the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7, 2023, which sparked thecurrent war,are still in Gaza.

Thereturn of Goldin’sremains were asignificant development in the U.S.-brokered truce, which hasfaltered duringthe slow returnofbodies of hostages andskirmishesbetween Israeli troops andmilitants in Gaza.

Dozensofpeople gathered along intersections where the police convoycarried the remainsto the national forensic institute, paying last respects.

Many more gathered later outside the home of Goldin’s parents, who noted the “many disappointments” in their efforts over the years and said that Israel’smilitary and “not anyone else” had brought home their son —apparent criticism of PrimeMinister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Netanyahu told the weekly Cabinet meeting that holding the body forsolongcaused “great

agonyofhis family,whichwill now be able to give him aJewish burial.”

For each Israeli hostagereturned, Israel has been releasing the remains of 15 Palestinians. Ahmed Dheir,director of forensicmedicine at Nasser Hospitalinthe southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, said thatthe remains of 300 have now been returned, with89identified.

U.S.President Donald Trump’sson-in-law, Jared Kushner,has returned to Israel to help pressahead with ceasefire efforts, aperson familiar with the mattersaidonconditionof anonymitybecause the visit hasn’tbeen publicly announced.

Kushner,atop adviser to Trump, was akey architect of Washington’s20-point ceasefire plan. The deal that took effect Oct. 10 has focused on the first phase of halting the fighting, releasing all hostages and boosting humanitarian aid to Gaza. Details of the second phase, including deploying an international securityforce, disarming Hamas and governing postwar Gaza, haven’t been worked out Goldin’sfamily hadheldwhathis mother, Leah Goldin, has called a“pseudo-funeral”atthe urging of Israel’smilitary rabbis. Butthe lingering uncertaintywas like a“knife constantlymaking new cuts.”

Leah Goldin told The Associated Press earlier this year that returning her son’sbody has ethical and religious value and is part of the sacrosanct pact Israel makes with its citizens, who are required by law to serve in themilitary

“Hadar is asoldier whowent to combat and they abandoned him, and they destroyed his humanitarian rights and ours as well,” Goldin said. She said that her family often felt alone in their struggle to bring Hadar, atalented artist who had just becomeengaged, home forburial.

SuperTyphoon Fung-wong slamsintothe Philippines

BYJIM GOMEZ Associated Press

MANILA,Philippines Super Typhoon Fungwong slammed ashore on Sunday in the northeastern coast of the Philippines, where themassive storm hadalready left at least two people deadand forced more thanamillion people to evacuate from flood- and landslide-prone areas, officials said

The typhoon blewinto Dinalungan town in Aurora province Sunday night aftersettingoff fierce rain andwind in northeasternPhilippineprovinces all dayfromoffshore, with sustained winds of upto115 mph

The biggest typhoon to threaten the Philippinesinyears, Fung-wong could cover two-thirdsofthe archipelago with its 1,118-mile-widerain and wind band, forecasters said. It approached from the Pacific while thePhilippineswas still dealing with the devastation wrought by Typhoon Kalmaegi, which left at least 224people dead in central provinceson Tuesday before pummelingVietnam, where at least fivewere killed.

Avillagerdrowned in flashfloods in the eastern provinceofCatanduanes and another died in Catbalogan city in eastern Samarprovincewhen she was hit by debris, officials said Philippine President Ferdinand MarcosJr. hasdeclared astate of emergency due to the extensive devastation caused by Kalmaegi andthe expected calamity from Fung-wong, whichisalsocalled Uwan in thePhilippines.

Tropical cyclones with sustained winds of 115 mph or higherare categorizedin thePhilippines as asuper typhoon, a designation adopted years ago to underscore the urgency tied to more extreme weather disturbances.

“The rain andwind were so strong therewas nearly zero visibility,”Roberto Monterola, adisaster-mitigation officer for Catanduanes, told The Associated Pressbytelephone.

Over amillion peoplewereevacuated from high-risk villages in northeastern provinces, including in Bicol, acoastal region vulnerable to Pacific cyclones and mudflows from Mayon, oneofthe country’smost active volcanoes.

DefenseSecretaryGilberto TeodoroJr. warned about the potentially catastrophic impact of Fung-wong in televised remarks Saturday.Hesaid the storm could affect avast expanse of the country

More than 30 million people could be exposed to hazards posed by Fung-wong, theOffice of Civil Defense said. Teodoro asked people to follow governmentorders and seek shelter away from villagesand towns prone to flash floods, landslides and coastal tidalsurges. “We need to do this because when it’salready raining or the typhoon has hit and floodinghas started, it’s hard to rescue people,”Teodorosaid.

2atBBC resign aftercriticism of editingof Trumpspeech

BY JILL LAWLESS Associated Press

LONDON Thehead of the BBC andthe British broadcaster’stop newsexecutive both resigned Sunday aftercriticism of the way the organization edited aspeech by President Donald Trump. The BBC said Director-General Tim Davieand news CEODeborah Turness had both decided to leave the corporation.

Britain’spublicly funded national broadcasterhas been criticized for editing aspeech Trumpmade on Jan. 6, 2021, before protesters attacked the Capitol in Washington.

Critics said that the way the speech wasedited for aBBC documentary last year wasmisleading andcut out asection whereTrump said that he wanted supporters to demonstrate peacefully In alettertostaff,Davie said quitting the job after five years “is entirely my decision.”

“Overall the BBC is delivering well, but there have been some mistakes made and as director-general Ihave to take ultimateresponsibility,” Davie said. Turness said that the controversy about the Trumpdocumentary “has reached a stage where it is causing damage to the BBC —aninstitution that Ilove. As the CEO of BBC News andCurrent Affairs, the buck stops with me.”

“In public life leaders need to be fully accountable, andthatiswhy Iamstepping down,” she said in anote to staff. “While mistakes have been made, Iwant to be absolutelyclear recentallegations thatBBC News is institutionally biased are wrong.”

Trump posted alink to aDaily Telegraph story aboutthe speech-editing on his Truth Social network, thanking the newspaper“forexposingtheseCorrupt ‘Journalists.’ These are very dishonest people who tried to step on the scales of aPresidentialElection.” He calledthat“a terrible thing forDemocracy!”

Pressure on the broadcaster’stop executiveshas been growing sincethe rightleaning Telegraph published parts of a dossiercompiledbyMichael Prescott, whohad been hired to advise the BBC on standards and guidelines.

As well as the Trump edit, it criticized the BBC’scoverage of transgender issues and raised concerns of anti-Israel bias in the BBC’sArabic service. The broadcaster has beencriticized from all angles over its coverage of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. In February, the BBC removed adocumentary about Gaza from itsstreamingserviceafter it emerged that the child narrator was the son of an official in theHamas-led government.

Senate poised to take stepstoend shutdown

BY MARYCLARE JALONICK and LISA MASCARO Associated Press

WASHINGTON The Senate was vot-

ing on the first steps to endthe 40day government shutdown Sunday after agroup of moderate Democrats agreed to proceed without aguaranteed extension of health care subsidies, angeringmany in their caucus who wanted to continue the fight.

The group of three former governors —New HampshireSen Jeanne Shaheen, New Hampshire Sen. Maggie Hassan and Independent Sen. Angus King of Maine —said they would vote to reopen if the Senate passed three annual spending bills and extendthe rest of governmentfunding until late January.Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D.,endorsedthe deal Sunday night and called an

immediate votetobegin the process of approvingit. Thedeal would also include afuture voteonthe healthcare subsidies, which wouldnot have aguaranteed outcome, anda reversal of the mass firingsoffederal workers that havehappened sincethe shutdown began on Oct. 1. The full text of the deal has not yet been released “Wemust not delay anylonger,”

SenateAppropriationsCommittee Chairwoman Susan Collinssaid in aSenate floor speech, adding that she is “relieved” that the shutdown appeared headed towardanend.

Republicans need five Democratic votes to reopen the government.Inaddition to Shaheen, King andHassan,Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, home to millions of federal workers, also said he would support the agreement After Democrats met forover

two hourstodiscuss the proposal

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer,D-N.Y., said he could not “in good faith” support it

“America is in the midst of a Republican-made health care crisis,” Schumer said on the floor just ahead of the expected votes. He saidAmericans would “suffer immensely” and that the crisis would only get worse. “Democrats have sounded the alarm,” Schumersaid, and “will not give up thefight.”

Finalpassage of the legislation could take several days if Democrats object and draw out the process. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said thatgiving up the fight was a “horrific mistake.”

Republicans have been working with the groupofmoderates as the shutdown continued to disrupt flightsnationwide, threaten food assistance for millions of Americans and leave federal workers without

pay.But many Democrats have warned their colleagues against giving in, arguing that they can’t end the fight without an agreement to extend the health subsidies. Returning to the White House on Sunday evening afterattending a football game, President Donald Trump did not say whether he endorsedthe deal.But he said, “It lookslike we’re getting close to the shutdown ending.”

Democrats have now voted 14 times not to reopen the government as theyhavedemandedthe extension of tax credits that makecoverage more affordable forhealth plansoffered under the Affordable CareAct.Republicanshave refused to negotiate on the health care subsidies while the government is closed, but they have been supportive of the proposal from moderate Democratsasitemerged over the last several days.

Dailyflightcancellations top2,000

Secretarywarns of Thanksgiving travel slowdown

By The Associated Press

WASHINGTON U.S.airlines

canceled more than 2,100 flights on Sunday as Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned that air traffic in the U.S. could “slow to atrickle” if the federalgovernment shutdown lingers into the busy Thanksgiving travel holiday season.

The slowdown at 40 of the nation’sbusiest airports is beginning to cause more widespread disruptions.The Federal AviationAdministration last week ordered flight cuts at the nation’s busiest airportsassome air traffic controllers, who

BY PHIL WILLON Los Angeles Times (TNS)

Gov.Gavin Newsom

strode onstage in Houston on Saturday to acheering crowd of Texas Democrats, saying Proposition 50’s victory in California on election day was awin for the nation and afirmrepudiation of President Donald Trump.

Newsom possessed the air of apolitician running for presidentatthe boisterous rally,apossibility the California governor says he is considering —and the location he chose was not happenstance.

Newsom accused Trump of pressuring Texas Gov.Greg Abbott to rejigger the state’s congressional districts with the goal of sending more Republicans to Congress, an action that triggered California’sProposition 50. Newsom successfully pushed for aspecialelection on the ballot measure to counter the efforts in Texas, which the governor said was an attempt by Trump and the Republicans to “rig” the 2026 midterm election. Cheers erupted from the friendly,union-hall crowd

have goneunpaid for nearly amonth, have stopped showingupfor work.

In addition, some 7,000 flight delays were reported on Sunday alone, according to FlightAware, awebsite that tracksair travel disruptions. More than 1,000 flights were canceled Friday, and more than 1,500 on Saturday

TheFAA reductions started Friday at 4% and will increase to 10% by Nov 14. They areineffect from 6a.m.to10p.m. and willimpact all commercial airlines.

Hartsfield-JacksonInternational Airport in Atlanta had themost cancellations Sunday,with more than 570, followed byNewarkLiberty International Airport in New Jersey,with at least 265.

The FAAsaid staffing shortages at Newark and LaGuardiaAirport in New

when Newsom belittled Trump as an “invasive species” and a“historically unpopularpresident.”

“On every issue, on the economy, on terrorists, on immigration, on health care, (he’sa)historically unpopularpresident, and he knows it, and he knows it,” Newsom said. “Why else did he make that call to yourgovernor? Why else did he feel theneed to rig the election before even one votewas cast? That’sjust weakness, weakness masquerading as strength. That’s Donald Trump, and he hada very badnight on Tuesday.”

Newsom was the main politicalforce behindProposition 50,which California votersoverwhelmingly approvedinTuesday’sspecial election. The statewide ballot measure was an attempt to counter Trump’spush to getRepublican-led states, most notably Texas, toredraw their electoral maps to keepDemocrats from gaining control of the U.S. House of Representatives in the2026 midterms and upending hisagenda. Newsom and CaliforniaDemocrats hope thechange will netan

York were leading toaveragedeparture delays of about 75 minutes

Detroit Metropolitan Wayne CountyAirportin Michigan was mostlyempty Sunday morning, withminimal wait times at security checkpoints as delays and cancellations filled the departures andarrivalsboards.

Duffy warned that U.S. airtraffic could decline significantly if theshutdown persists.Hesaid additional flight cuts —perhapsupto 20% —might be needed, particularly after controllersreceivenopay for a second straight pay period.

“More controllers aren’t coming to workday by day, the further they go withouta paycheck,” Duffy told “Fox News Sunday.”

And he preparedAmericansfor what they could

additional five Democrats in California’scongressional delegation, cancelingout any gains in Texas.

Newsom thanked Texas Democrats for putting up a fight against the redistricting effort in their state, saying it inspired an uprising.

“It’sdawning on people,all across theUnitedStates of America, what’s at stake,” Newsomtoldthe crowd “Andyou put astakeinthe ground. Peopleare showing up.I don’tbelieve in crowns, thrones.Nokings.”

Newsom’s trip to Texas comes as theformer San Franciscomayor hasbeen openly flirtingwitha2028 run for president.Ina recent interview with “CBS News Sunday Morning,” Newsom was asked whether he would give “serious thought” after the 2026 midterms to aWhiteHouse bid.

“Yeah, I’d be lying otherwise,” Newsom replied. “I’d just be lying. AndI’m not Ican’tdothat.”

Newsom was on his way to Belém, Brazil, where representatives from 200 nations are gathering to kickoff the annual United Nations climate policysummit. For

face during the busy Thanksgiving holiday

“As Ilook two weeksout, as we get closer to Thanksgiving travel, Ithink what’s going to happen is you’re going to have air travel slow to atrickle as everyone wants to travel to see their families,” Duffy said.

With “very few” controllersworking, “you’ll have afew flights taking off and landing” andthousandsof cancellations, he said.

“You’re going to have massive disruption. Ithink alot of angry Americans. I think we have to be honest about where this is going It doesn’t getbetter,” Duffy said. “It gets worse until these air traffic controllers are going to be paid.”

The government has been short of air trafficcontrollers foryears, and multiplepresi-

Theagreementwould fund parts of government —food aid, veteransprogramsand thelegislative branch, among other things —and extend funding foreverything else until the end of January.Itwould take up Republicans on their longstanding offertoholda future vote on thehealthcaresubsidies,with that vote occurring by themiddle of December,the people said.

The deal would reinstate federal workers who had received reduction in force, or layoff, notices and reimbursesstates that spent their ownfunds to keep federal programs running during the shutdown. It would also protect against future reductions in force through January,the people said.

“I have long said that to earn my vote, we need to be on apath toward fixing Republicans’ health care mess andtoprotect thefederal workforce,” Kaine said.

dential administrations have tried to convince retirementagecontrollers to remain on the job. Duffy said the shutdownhas exacerbatedthe problem, leading some air traffic controllerstospeed up their retirements. “Up to 15 or 20 aday areretiring,” Duffy said on CNN. Duffy deniedDemocratic charges that theflight cancellations are apolitical tactic, saying they were necessary due to increasing nearmisses from an overtaxed system “I needed to take action to keep people safe,” Duffy said. “I’m doing whatIcan in amess that Democrats have put in my

Lauper,Salt-N-Pepa,OutKast join rock hall

BY ANDREWDALTON Associated Press

LOS ANGELES Cyndi Lau-

per turned “True Colors” into adefiant call for courage and the music of OutKast, Soundgarden and the White Stripes brought waves of emotion Saturday night at the Rock& Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony

Partway through the song Lauper shouted the line “don’t be afraid!,” thrust her fist in the air and kept it thereasthe music stopped for along and dramatic stretch.

ShewasthenjoinedbyRaye to sing “Time After Time” and Avril Lavigne for “Girls Just Want to Have Fun,” backed by an all-female band that included Gina Schock of the Go-Go’s. As Lauper called for the ladies to sing with her Salt-N-Pepa —who earlier in the night donned their old tricolor jackets to rock the crowd with “Push It” for their induction —came dancing out and joined her Chappell Roan, who inducted Lauper while wearing ahuge, ornamented, showgirl-style headpiece, said Lauper “redefined what apop star could look like, sound like, sing like.”

Lauper looked at Roan during her speech when she said, “I know that Istandon the shoulders of the women in the industry that came before me. And my shoulders are broad enough to havethe women that came after me stand on mine.”

Lauper came back foran all-star jam and sang averse of inductee Joe Cocker’s “With aLittle Help From My Friends” along with Teddy

RULES

Continued from page1A

At its outset, the report’s authors acknowledged the challenge of rewriting the rules.

“A simple solution (such as an outright ban or abroad approval of transient lodging uses) will not resolve divergent perspectives and land use conflicts amongst owner and non owner cohorts,” the report said. “A reasonable compromise is needed.”

Afull presentation to the planning commissionis scheduled for Dec. 9.

Newdefinitions

The report contains aseries of recommendations designed to simplify enforcement, close loopholes and lessen thedamage that too many short-term rentals can do to neighborhoods.

The study says the overriding goal of the report is to prevent the proliferationof transient lodging from making housing less affordable and destroying the character of New Orleans’ historic districts.

“It is the very exceptional community character in NewOrleans that drives the tourism industry and increasesdemandfor STRs,” the reportsays. “For this reason, protecting community character must come first.”

Among the suggestions is aone-per-block limit for both bed-and-breakfasts and commercial short-term rentals across the city.The cap is already part of the city’srules for short-term rentals in residential areas,

Swims, Bryan Adams and Chris Robinson of the Black Crowes. Cocker’swas one of several posthumous inductions,including amoving tribute to late Soundgarden singer Chris Cornell. The power of women in music was called out loudly earlier in the evening at thePeacock TheaterinLos Angelesduringthe induction of Salt-NPepa.

“Thisisfor every woman whopicked up amic when they told her she couldn’t,” Cheryl “Salt” James said in arousing speech accepting her, Sandra “Pepa” Denton and DJ Spinderella’sentranceinto the hall.

OutKast

OutKast didn’tperform together for the first time since 2016 as somehad hoped, but theduo stood together on stage, surrounded by acrew of friends andcohorts as they

which require an on-site operator,soasimilar rule for the rentals in commercial areas would create more uniformity,the report said It also recommends rewriting the zoning code to divide CSTRs by size small,mediumand large— based on thenumber of units and rooms in agivenbuilding. The report suggests, for instance, that while only one medium-sized CSTR would be allowed perblock,each could have uptofour units perbuilding licensed as vacation rentals.

“New definitions create opportunities to permit less intense uses in zoning districts where impacts are minimal, and closeloopholes where CSTRsmay currently operatemorelike ahotel or bed-and-breakfast without having to meetthe building code or retain an operator on site 24/7,” the report said. Another suggestion from thestudy is aban on new CSTRs in historic residentialdistricts like theBywater,Marigny, Treme andthe French Quarter.However, the studysuggestsallowing them in the200-700 blocks of Bourbon Street, whichis part of aspecial commercial district, and, for the first time, in the 200-300 block of Decatur Street surrounding the House of Blues.

Other changes include the creationof anew category of smaller, “neighborhood” hotels and theconsolidation of two existing types of B&B permits into one.

Currentlypermitted shortterm rentals, hotels or other forms of lodging should be allowed to keep operating as long as their license remainsactive, thereport recommends.

gave grateful speeches after doing rock-paper-scissors to decide who would go first

Andre 3000 gave along, rambling funny speech “I’mfreestylin’ y’all!”—that endedintears when he talked abouttheir very beginnings in abasement “dungeon” in Atlanta in the early 1990s.He choked out the words,“Great things start in little rooms.”

Andre satout the performance but BigBoi, wearing shorts and afur coat,started offanexpress tour through theAtlanta duo’sdiscography that includedTyler the Creator,JID and Killer Mike.

Soundgarden

Emotionsran deep during Soundgarden’ssegment of the night, starting with the induction speech of Jim Carrey,the actor and Soundgardensuperfanwho seemed to be fighting off tearsthroughout as he talked about Cornell, who diedfrom suicide in 2017.

“When you looked into his eyes, it’s like eternitywas

Resolvingthe problem

Though still in adraft form and months, if not years, fromresulting in any zoning changes, the draftisdrawing mixedreviews from neighborhood activists and those on both sidesofthe shortterm rental debate.

“I think that theteamdid areally good job of trying to thread the needle of allowing them where appropriate and thennot,” said Erin Holmes, executive director of Vieux CarréPropertyOwners, Residents and Associates “But the thing is, the enforcementofshort-term rentals is an entirely different monster. It comes down to:What can an inspector access and seefromthe public right-ofway?”

TrippRuckman, chief operatingofficerofBookNola, manages more than 60 properties in New Orleans, the majority of which are commercial short-term rentals. While theconsultant’srecommendations purport to close loopholes in the code, Ruckman said someofthe proposedchanges, suchas the size distinctions, are too intricate to enforce.

“There’sgoing to be plenty of loopholes,” said Ruckman, who blames thehotel industry for “causing all the chaos, not the locals.

Airbnb officials have describedNew Orleans’ regulations as some of the “most extreme” in thecountry,and the company has sued the city over itslicensing regime. It is currently appealing arecent districtcourt ruling that upheld nearly all the city’srules and saiditisreviewing the new report.

Eleanor Graham,a retired lawyer who worked as a

staring back,” Carreysaid.

Each of hisband mates, all major godfathers of the Seattle grunge scene, paid their own tearful tributes

Taylor Momsen,who costarred as achild withCarreyin“How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” and Brandi Carlile showed serious vocal power withtheir versions of Cornell’smightywail, backed by hisband mateson“Rusty Cage” and “Black Hole Sun.”

BassistHiroYamamoto was among the few who brought up thepolitics from the stage.

“Thanks to my parents, whosestory is American citizens whoare rounded up and placed intoprison camps just for being Japanese during World WarII,”Yamamoto said to some of thebiggest cheers of the night. “Well that affected my life greatly, and it really echoes strongly today.Let’snot add another story like this to our history.”

WhiteStripes

The WhiteStripesreunion that some fans hadalso hoped for didn’thappen. Their induction was amongthe high-

city land use attorney in the 1990s, disagreed withthe report’sassumptionthat a short-termrentalban would be unworkable.

“It has provided unsafe living conditions on amass scaleand it cannotberegulated,” said Graham,a board member of the group Neighbors First for Bywater and a resident of acondominium building containing multiple commercial short-term rentals. “In my opinion, they need to dial back thelaw,and someone needs to put forwardlegislation to rescind.”

The city’smoratorium on

lights of the night anyway Twenty One Pilots brought the house downwith aversion of the duo’sstadium-shaking anthem “Seven Nation Army” andOlivia Rodrigo andFeist delivered an acoustic version of “We’re GonnaBeFriends.”

Their fellowDetroitrock legend Iggy Pop began his induction speech by leading the crowd in achorus of “Seven Nation Army” then remembered his thoughts on meeting them.

“Cute kids, they’re gonna go places,” Pop said. “And they did.”

DrummerMeg White, who hasled an almostentirely private life since the band broke up in 2011, did not show up for the ceremony, but Jack White said Meg, his ex-wife,helpedhim write the speech he delivered while wearing the band’ssignature red and white. Jack Whiteshouted out several great duos from acrossculture andsaid that kind of one-on-one collaboration is “the most beautiful thing you can have as an artist and musician.”

He nearly cried several

new commercial short-term rental licenses ended Tuesdaywith the expirationof an interim zoning district. Ahead of itsexpiration,the City Council unanimously adopted amotion calling on the City Planning Commission to replace it with anew citywide district requiring conditional-use permits for all types of transient housing. Ahead of the release of the report,DistrictBcouncil memberLesli Harris said the moratorium has placed a significant burden on elected officials and staff.

times as he told an Adamand-Eve-like tale of “the boy and the girl” who made magic together

Absent inductees

Stevie Wonderled afunky andflashytributetothe late Sly Stone to open the show that streamed live on Disney+. An edited versionairs on ABC on Jan 1. Wonder was joined by Questlove, Leon Thomas, Maxwell, Beck,Fleafrom the Red Hot Chili Peppers forrenditions of Sly andthe Family Stone hits “Dance to the Music,” “Everyday People” and “Thank You.” Jennifer Hudson joined them to wail through “Higher.” Stone, who was inducted into the hall in 1993, died in June. Brian Wilson, who died twodays later,got his own tribute from Elton John, who took thestagelate in theshow to sing the Beach Boys’ “God Only Knows.”

Mick Fleetwood of Fleetwood Macinducted Bad Company, callingthe British group founded by Paul Rodgers and Mick Ralphs in 1973 “classic rock legends.”

The late singer-songwriter WarrenZevon wasinducted by David Letterman, afriend andsuperfanwho made Zevon aregular on his NBC late-night show,including an appearance when Zevonwas dying of cancer in 2002.

“WarrenZevon is in my Rock &Roll Hall of Fame,” Letterman said. “Actually his own wing.”

Otherinductees whogot videotributesinthe theater wereChubby Checker,session bassist Carole Kaye, sessionpiano man Nicky Hopkins and record producer and executive Lenny Waronker

“It’snot only twoyears that we’ve been waiting, butit’stwo yearsthatweas aCityCouncil have hadto evaluate special exceptions, create rules around special exceptions, consider conditional uses, reject conditional uses,” Harris said. At-large council memberJPMorrelllikewise expressedfrustration that the report had taken so long. “I can tell you,” he said, “that when council member Harris and Iasked for atransient lodging study two years ago, we thought this would be resolved by now.”

VOTERS

extreme cross-section of voters. Closed primaries, he argued, push candidates toward the far ends of the political spectrum.

“The rhetoric is gonna get worse,” he said.

When the Republican-controlled Legislature early last year approved closed primaries, lawmakers ultimately agreed to give unaffiliated no-party” voters the option to cast a ballot in either the Democratic or Republican primary.

Now, the state Republican Party is resurfacing the debate, passing a resolution urging the Legislature to reconsider the decision — and gearing up for potential legal action.

“The first step would of course be to make the request to the Legislature,” said party Chairman Derek Babcock. “If the Legislature does not honor that request, then we’d have to file a lawsuit to close our primaries.”

A change to primaries could have significant impacts on Louisiana politics. U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Baton Rouge, is trying to hold onto his seat in the 2026 midterm elections. But many Republican voters want to boot him out in favor of a candidate they see as more aligned with President Donald Trump’s Make America Great Again political movement.

A running debate

Since the 1970s, Louisiana has mostly held elections under an open “jungle” primary system, in which all candidates compete with each other regardless of party, and voters regardless of their party affiliation, can cast a ballot for any candidate.

The state GOP for years has been

administration to maintain the program in November despite the ongoing government shutdown. They won the favorable rulings last week, leading to the swift release of benefits to millions in several states, and the Trump administration belatedly said the program could continue.

On Friday night, however, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson temporarily paused the two rulings ordering the SNAP disbursement while the nation’s highest court considered the Trump administration’s appeal That led the Department of Agriculture on Saturday to write state SNAP directors to warn them it now considers payments under the prior orders “unauthorized.”

“To the extent States sent full SNAP payment files for November 2025, this was unauthorized,” Patrick Penn, deputy undersecretary of agriculture, wrote to state SNAP directors. “Accordingly, States must immediately undo any steps taken to issue full SNAP benefits for November 2025.” Penn warned that states could face penalties if they did not comply It was unclear if the directive applies to states that used their own

pushing to close primary elections, however

That effort has at times revealed a fault line among Republicans here. Party activists and more right-wing candidates are often on one side, while those with more moderate leanings — or seeking the support of more moderate voters — are on the other

subsequent Republican Primaries are ‘Republican voters only’ primaries.”

“We’re certainly not trying to leave people out,” said Babcock. “We just want Republicans picking Republican candidates.”

launched a campaign in September to educate voters about the new closed primary rules.

Babcock said he’ll discuss the issue with lawmakers “between now and whenever the next session is called.”

In the early weeks of 2024, after Gov Jeff Landry took office, he quickly pushed for a switch to closed party primaries, in which Republicans and Democrats hold separate primary elections to choose their nominee to run in a general election.

Both House Speaker Philip DeVillier and Senate President Cameron Henry said it would be up to the Legislature as a whole to decide whether to exclude unaffiliated voters from the closed party primaries, though Henry said he’d be “surprised” if lawmakers were ready to change the closed party system they approved so recently

In a statement, secretary of state spokesperson Joel Watson did not give the latest date a change could be made regarding no-party voter participation, but said, “Our office will work with the legislature to implement changes to the closed party primary process, provided the proposed changes are possible.”

Watson noted the secretary of state didn’t take a position on closed primaries when they passed in 2024.

“Our office continues to take no position on closed party primaries or the position taken by the Republican Party of Louisiana,” he said. How it could affect races

Landry succeeded in instituting closed primaries for U.S. House and Senate races and a few other major offices. But he compromised on an important part of the plan after U.S. Sen. John Kennedy, R-Madisonville, helped broker a deal: Unaffiliated no-party voters get the choice to participate in either the Republican or the Democratic closed primary Of Louisiana’s nearly 3 million registered voters, just over 800,000 are unaffiliated with a party

There are 1.08 million registered Democrats and 1.05 million registered Republicans.

Republican Party weighs in

The Republican State Central Committee earlier this month passed a resolution sponsored by Haik that asks the Legislature to prohibit no-party voters from casting a ballot in the 2026 Republican primary elections. It also declares that, falling short there, “it is in the best interest” of the party to “investigate taking appropriate legal action to ensure that the 2026 and all

funds to keep the program alive or to ones relying on federal money entirely The USDA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In a filing in federal court on Sunday the agency said states moved too quickly and erroneously released full money SNAP benefits after last week’s rulings.

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, on Sunday called the directive “shocking” if it applies to states, like hers, that used their own money to prop up the program

“It’s one thing if the federal government is going to continue its level of appeal through the courts to say, no, this can’t be done,” Murkowski said “But when you are telling the states that have said this is a significant enough issue in our state, we’re going to find resources, backfill or front load, whatever term you want, to help our people, those states should not be penalized.”

‘We will see him in court’

Democratic Gov. Maura Healey of Massachusetts said SNAP benefits were processed and placed on EBT cards before the U.S. Supreme Court order Friday night, in line with the previous guidance from the USDA She said that if Trump attempts to claw back the money, we will see him in court.”

“We just put it in place two years ago. I don’t know whether the Legislature has changed its thought on that yet,” Henry said. “I guess anything’s possible.”

“I wouldn’t support it,” he added.

The next regular legislative session is scheduled to start March 9.

A special session could be called before then to redraw Louisiana’s congressional map ahead of the spring primaries for the 2026 midterms. But that prospect depends on an unpredictable outcome in a Louisiana redistricting case that’s pending before the U.S Supreme Court and could be decided any time between now and July Louisiana’s spring primaries are scheduled for May 16.

Babcock acknowledged that, as that primary draws closer, concerns about timing could become an issue.

“If the Legislature denies the request to close the primary, then when litigation is filed to do so, I’m sure Purcell is gonna come into play,” he said, referring to an informal legal doctrine known as the Purcell principle, which discourages courts from changing voting rules close to an election date to avoid confusing voters.

Secretary of State Nancy Landry, Louisiana’s chief election official,

“Massachusetts residents with funds on their cards should continue to spend it on food,” she said in a statement Sunday. “President Trump should be focusing on reopening the government that he controls instead of repeatedly fighting to take away food from American families.”

Democratshavehammered Trump for targeting the antihunger program during the government shutdown, contending the administration could have maintained it even with other parts of the government idle.

Assenatorsworkedthrough the weekend on a deal to end the stalemate, their bipartisan package of agreed-upon measures to keep open some aspects of government included full funding of SNAP programs and a provision that would ensure reimbursements for expenditures made during the shutdown.

More than two dozen states represented by Democratic attorneys general on Saturday warned in a court filing that, even before the Supreme Court put the rulings on hold, the Trump administration was refusing to reimburse them for those legallyordered SNAP payments.

Different directives Wisconsin, for example, loaded benefits onto cards for 700,000 residents once a judge in Rhode Island or-

Cassidy for years has been plagued politically by his 2021 vote to impeach Trump for his role in the Jan. 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol. Over the last several months, Cassidy has worked relentlessly to project alignment with the president.

At the same time, a crowd of Republican opponents looking to unseat him next year has gathered, most of whom are wielding Cassidy’s impeachment vote against him and branding themselves either more MAGA or more truly conservative.

LSU political science professor Robert Hogan said that, even under the current rules that allow unaffiliated voters to cast a ballot in the Republican primary Cassidy faces a difficult path to reelection.

“The vote to impeach President Trump is something the party activists can’t get out of their minds,” he said.

If the rules change to limit the GOP primary only to registered Republicans, Cassidy would have an even smaller pool of voters to draw from, presenting an even greater challenge, Hogan said.

Cassidy didn’t respond to a request for comment about the Louisiana GOP proposal to limit the 2026 primary to registered Republican voters.

His opponents took varied stances on the issue.

Louisiana Treasurer John Fleming, who is endorsed by the conservative group Haik leads, said unaffiliated voters shouldn’t have a say

“It should be Republicans that decide who their candidate is, not people outside the party,” Fleming said. “Republicans want to determine who their nominee is.”

Louisiana Public Service Commissioner Eric Skrmetta said he’s “concerned about Louisiana’s new closed Republican Primary.”

“For decades, conservative Democrats and independents have helped elect Republican leaders by voting their values,” he said in a statement. “Now, if modified, unless they formally declare as Republicans, they’re locked out of the GOP primary.”

People like seniors won’t change their party affiliation just to vote in the primary, Skrmetta said The Republican Party needs to take action to “welcome them into our big tent,” he said.

State Rep. Julie Emerson, who authored the Landry-backed legislation that set up the closed primaries last year, noted the bill originally would have instituted a pure closed primary which she supported. Emerson said regardless of a possible change now, she’ll run on her “conservative record and principles.”

State Sen. Blake Miguez didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Both Babcock and Haik said the proposal to exclude no-party voters from the primary wasn’t targeted at Cassidy

“We are a deeply red state. We’re a conservative state And we want to stay that way So that’s really the crux of it,” Haik said.

“By virtue of the fact that he voted to impeach President Trump, I just don’t think that we can say that Bill Cassidy is a conservative Republican and supports President Trump,” she said.

dered the restoration of benefits last week, but after the U.S. Treasury froze its reimbursements to the state, it anticipates running out of money by Monday, Democratic Gov Tony Evers’ administration warned in a lengthy statement on Sunday The lack of money could leave vendors unpaid and trigger escalating legal claims the states warned. “States could face demands to return hundreds of millions of dollars in the aggregate,” the states’ filing at the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals says. That situation “would risk catastrophic operational disruptions for the States, with a consequent cascade of harms for their residents,” the filing concludes. Evers issued a quick response to the Trump administration’s demand to undo the payments. “No,” the governor said in a statement.

Schools reject federal electric bus grant Opposition launches community campaign against vehicles

BY ELYSE CARMOSINO Staff writer

The Jefferson Parish School Board voted Wednesday to turn down a $7.1 million federal grant that would have helped cover the cost to replace some of the district’s school buses with electric vehicles after a contentious debate and some community opposition

The grant, which the district ap-

West Bank levee tax renewal back on ballot

Millage funds levees, pumps and hurricane defense

BY ALEX LUBBEN Staff writer

The New Orleans area’s West Bank’s flood protection authority will ask Jefferson Parish voters on Saturday’s ballot to renew crucial funding to maintain the region’s levees and pumps, which help protect against hurricane storm surge.

The Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-West, which operates in parts of Orleans, Plaquemines, Jefferson and St. Charles parishes, had asked voters in March on Jefferson Parish’s West Bank to renew its property tax millage — but voters rejected it. The agency is asking voters a second time to approve the millage, emphasizing that the funding is needed for raising and armoring levees and keeping the flood protection system storm-ready Though the agency operates across multiple parishes, it is funded by property taxes in each parish Because the flood protection authority largely operates on Jefferson Parish’s West Bank, the millage there makes up a large chunk of the agency’s revenue.

“The West Jefferson Levee millage currently funds half of our budget,” said authority Regional Director Jesse Noel. “It is a vital source of revenue.”

The agency maintains 80 miles of levees and flood walls, along with 67 floodgates and three closure complexes — including the massive Gulf Intracoastal Waterway West Closure Complex, a major pumping station that includes a navigable floodgate and flood walls. Noel stressed that a vote to approve the millage would not be a vote to raise taxes because the tax is already being collected. Rather, it would allow the agency to continue to collect that tax for a period of 10 years, from 2028 to 2037. If passed, it is expected to generate about $6.5 million in revenue for the agency in its first year, an amount that could fluctuate over the 10-year period as property is reassessed.

At 4.75 mills, the tax costs a homeowner with a $275,000 property — about the median home value in Jefferson Parish, according to real estate brokerage firm Redfin about $8 per month, or $95 per year

So far, the millage has funded $23 million to increase the height of levees, which naturally sink in swampy Louisiana soils, Noel said. Authority board President Scott Burke said he believed voters shot down the millage on the March 29 ballot because it appeared alongside four constitutional amendments put forward by Gov Jeff Landry that also failed to pass. That was due in part to a “vote no” campaign that encouraged voters to vote down those amendments. “That campaign to ‘vote no’

plied for in 2024 through the federal Clean School Bus Program, would have allowed it to replace 25 of its diesel-powered buses with zero-emission, battery-operated buses. The district would have had to contribute $3.4 million of its own funds to access the grant, which requires school systems to foot 30% of the bill.

Board members voted 6-3 on Wednesday not to pay the $3.4

million, effectively rejecting the federal grant. Some board members said the cost would be too burdensome, despite projections by district officials that the switch would save the district money in the long run.

Members Clay Moise, Ralph Brandt and President Chad Nugent were the only members to vote in favor of the motion.

The vote came after the Home

Defense Foundation, a New Orleans-area organization that advocates for conservative causes, led a campaign against the electric bus program. They distributed flyers that raised concerns about the vehicles’ costs and potential safety issues.

At the meeting, Brandt accused opponents of the plan of “bullying” board members to coerce them into voting against it. He added

that he and his colleagues received a barrage of emails and letters to their homes in the weeks leading up to the meeting, pressuring them to reject the funding.

“Bullying to influence thought raises serious ethical concerns,” Brandt said.

Board member Michael Pedalino, an outspoken critic of the grant program, said in an interview Thursday that while he had encouraged constituents to reach

the beginning of

ABOVE: WWII veteran Lincoln Brennan Sr., 100, shakes hands with Liam Kachtik, 13, before the New Orleans Veterans Day Parade in the Lakeview neighborhood of New Orleans on Saturday

RIGHT: Ryan Robicheaux, 11, holds a sign during the parade.

BY WILLIE SWETT Staff writer

of

BY WILLIE SWETT Staff writer

Raid targets

Kenner boat launch

BY JAMES FINN Staff writer

Federal immigration agents detained at least a dozen people at a Kenner boat launch Friday evening in a joint operation with local and state police, officials said.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Homeland Security Investigations agents took up to 15 people into custody after the raid, Kenner Police Chief Keith Conley said in a video posted Saturday on social media. Conley said the raid stemmed from “nuisance” complaints at the Kenner boat launch, adding that his agency worked with Louisiana State Police and federal agencies including the FBI, ICE, Drug Enforcement Administration and Homeland Security on the joint operation.

Few details of the operation were available Saturday Authorities have not identified the people who were detained, nor have they said what, if any, criminal charges or immigration laws they are accused of violating.

Mark McCormick, a Kenner police spokesperson, in a text message said Kenner police “did not arrest or charge any individuals.”

“These individuals were placed in the custody of ICE officers and any questions regarding charges or

LEVEE

Continued from page 1B

worked,” Burke said. “It wasn’t meant for us. But we became collateral damage.”

Without the millage, the agency says it would continue to seek federal funding for flood protection.

“But these funding sources are needed in addition to this millage renewal,” Noel said. “We will continue to look for additional sources of

SEWER

Continued from page 1B

partment of Environmental Services will begin examining the decentralized, on-site disposal systems, commonly called “septic systems,” across the southern half of the parish. Their goal will be to educate residents about how to fix their systems But residents who do not make an effort to fix malfunctioning systems could also face fines of up to $100 a month.

Homes north of the parish’s urban growth boundary, an east-west line that partly tracks La. 36 across the parish, will be exempt from the inspections. The parish also plans to prioritize which neighborhoods it will inspect based on water samples taken from ditches and waterways. Residents are also allowed to pay for third-party inspections.

Council member Jeff Corbin, who introduced the legislation with council member Joe Impastato, said he was “ecstatic” after it passed Thursday Impastato estimated the ordinance involved 30 meetings and hundreds of hours of work.

“We climbed Mt. Everest to get to the top of an anthill,” Impastato said.

Some council members who voted against the ordinance argued it was an expensive program that handed too much power to the government. Council member Arthur Laughlin, meanwhile, said the parish should instead focus on providing centralized sewage.

In 2022, Parish President Mike Cooper convened a task force to address water quality issues that stemmed from the under-treated or partially treated wastewa-

status should be directed to ICE officials,” he said. A State Police spokesperson, Capt. Nick Manale, also referred questions to ICE.

Spokespeople for ICE Homeland Security and the FBI did not respond to requests for the identities of those detained in the operation and information about what wrongdoing authorities may have accused them of.

The operation marks one of the largest immigration raids of President Donald Trump’s second term in the New Orleans area, immigrant rights advocates and attorneys say — second only to a raid at a New Orleans flood mitigation construction site in May in which between 15 and 24 people were detained.

Conley said the operation followed a need to get tougher on “lawlessness” and “nuisance crimes” he said have been occurring along the Lake Pontchartrain lakefront “Citizens were getting harassed, bullied,” he said in the video.

Law enforcement arrived at the lakefront and “interviewed a lot of people,” Conley said, adding that Homeland Security and ICE took “13 or 15 people into custody for further investigation.”

Union Migrante, an immigrant advocacy group whose members investigate and fact-check reports of immigration raids in the New Orleans area, shared video of the operation on its Facebook page, urging residents in Kenner, which

revenue, but realistically if the millage is not renewed, we may be forced to do more with less,” he added. The West Bank’s levee authority has not been subject to the same controversy as its counterpart on the east bank, the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-East, which has seen massive turnover on its board of commissioners over the past year It has also dramatically expanded its police budget, and lawmakers have questioned whether the agency’s focus on policing

ter Some estimates put the percentage of the parish’s 36,000 on-site sewage disposal systems that are not working at 50%.

Though the problem of impaired waterways and failing sewer systems was widely agreed upon, the solution was not. Council legislation introduced in 2023 to require inspections was postponed indefinitely, and some residents at the time took issue with the $100 fee the inspection required

The council conducted a pilot study of the inspection program in 2024 to look at 1,000 different home sewer systems in seven different council districts. In August of this year, Corbin and Impastato brought the legislation back, this time using funding from the St. Tammany Mosquito Abatement District to cover inspections.

Even so, the August version of the ordinance failed to initially win over some Parish Council members like Cheryl Tanner, who represents a largely rural area in the north of the parish, and it was delayed by two months.

In the final version of the ordinance, Corbin and Impastato added an exemption for homes north of the urban growth boundary, a line that Planning and Zoning Director Ross Liner said was established over 30 years ago to allow for different regulations in the less populated northern part of the parish. That removed large parts of Tanner and council member Martha Cazaubon’s district and won their support for the ordinance Addressing critics who claimed the exemptions were purely political in nature, Cazaubon said, “If this is what you want to call political, then yes, it is dealing with the

SCHOOLS

Continued from page 1B

has a large Hispanic community, to avoid the area.

The group said the operation was underway about 10:15 p.m. Friday and that a helicopter was involved.

The video shows ICE agents leading men with hands bound behind their backs to a row of what appear to be State Police cruisers.

Amid the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, State Police and Kenner police have both entered controversial 287(g) agreements, which empower local law enforcement to enforce federal immigration laws.

Kenner police have entered two deals under the program, federal records show

One, a “jail enforcement model” agreement, gives local jail staff and police authority to view arrestees’ immigration status through federal databases and to communicate with federal immigration agents to coordinate their detention.

The other is a “task force model” agreement, which gives local officers a wider array of authorities to perform immigration enforcement actions.

State Police, too, have entered a task force model agreement, records show Federal agencies that previously played little role in immigration enforcement, including the DEA and FBI, have seen agents redirected to such operations under the Trump administration.

Email James Finn at jfinn@theadvocate.com.

is a distraction from its primary mission of flood protection.

The West Bank agency does not have its own police force, and all of its operations are focused on flood protection.

“I’ve been doing this for more than eight years now, and when I got here, my mission was to make sure this was the best-run levee board in the state,” Burke said.

Email Alex Lubben at alex.lubben@theadvocate. com.

parish side that needs more help.”

Joining Laughlin in voting against the ordinance were council members Pat Phillips, Jimmy Strickland, Maureen O’Brien and David Cougle. Council member Pat Burke was not present at the meeting.

The majority — about 92% — of the homes in subdivisions above the urban growth boundary are on lots greater than 1 acre, which tend not to have home sewer systems that discharge into ditches, said Department of Environmental Services Director Tim Brown.

On Thursday, Brown also sought to address critics’ concerns about the costs residents may face to repair or replace their home sewer systems if they are failing.

A full replacement can cost around $6,000, Brown said. But he said a replacement would only be required if a resident had a conventional septic tank that was discharging into a ditch, which it is not supposed to do. Septic tanks are supposed to discharge onto properties.

More typically, St. Tammany residents have aerobic treatment units, in which air is pumped in to the system to treat the sewage before it is discharged into drainage ditches, Brown said.

Residents will also be able to apply through the parish for grants from the Department of Housing and Urban Development to pay for repairs and replacements.

The parish has also applied for more than $1 million in grant money to help offset costs for repairs and replacements of failing sewer systems.

Email Willie Swett at willie.swett@theadvocate. com.

out to board members with their concerns, he condemned any harassing messages.

Leo Doyle, a member of the Home Defense Foundation, said in an interview that he does not believe any messages the organization sent to board members were inappropriate or bullying.

“We basically were representing the people of Jefferson Parish,” he said. “We were all very concerned.”

Electric bus debate

In the district’s application for the program, officials projected that switching to electric buses would save the school system $2.3 million annually in fuel and maintenance costs Jefferson Parish was notified in January that its application was approved, and School Board members voted in April to accept the money But on Wednesday some members of the Home Defense Foundation claimed electric vehicle batteries are prone to exploding.

While not unheard of, data from the National Transportation Safety Board found that electric vehicles were involved in roughly 25 fires for every 100,000 sold — much lower than the approximately 1,530 gasolinepowered vehicles involved in fires for every 100,000 sold.

Linda Doyle, wife of Leo Doyle and also a member of the Home Defense Foundation, cited a congressional study about the electric bus

SUBDIVISION

Continued from page 1B

signs and burying exposed wires.

But while the developer Lonesome Development, is closer than ever to making the subdivision a reality after a six-year legal dispute, Lonesome still believes Abita Springs Mayor Dan Curtis is in contempt of court

The conditional approval represents “real progress,” said Lonesome Development’s lawyer, Howard Sinor But he noted there are a number of phases that need approval before the full subdivision is complete.

If the town gives final approval to the subdivision’s later phases and provides the subdivision with water, sewer and natural gas services, that “would go a long way to resolving the contempt issue,” Sinor said.

In September, Judge William “Billy” Burris of the 22nd Judicial District Court ordered Curtis to spend every weekend in jail until Curtis took steps to allow the subdivision to be constructed.

But after Curtis’ lawyers raised concerns about an upcoming back surgery, Burris agreed not to immediately send Curtis to jail.

In the meantime, Curtis appealed Burris’ order to the state 1st Circuit Court

program during Wednesday’s meeting. The House Committee on Energy and Commerce report looked at 33 school districts across the country that participated in the Clean School Bus Program in 2023.

The study, which was authored by the committee’s Republicans, found that electric buses significantly reduced districts’ carbon emissions, but the reduction did not outweigh environmental damage caused by the process of making and disposing of the vehicles’ lithium batteries.

Democrats on the committee criticized the report as “deliberately misleading” and accused Republicans of sabotaging the program to benefit the fossil fuel industry

The report also noted that the average electric bus purchased under the first iteration of the program cost $380,000, up to $300,000 more than the average diesel bus.

“It would be fiscally irresponsible to the taxpayers,” Doyle told the board, urging them to “please use your common sense.”

Federal funding doubts

Board member Derrick

Shepherd said Thursday that while he disagreed with many of the arguments against electric vehicles, he voted to turn down the grant over worries that the Trump administration, which does not support electric vehicles, would not fund the Biden-era program.

“The last thing I want to do is tie up $3.4 million in general fund money,” he said.

“That’s money we could use toward teacher bonuses or

of Appeal in Baton Rouge.

On Tuesday, Curtis’ lawyer Andrew Wilson, said the appeal was proceeding.

Wilson said he doesn’t think the Planning and Zoning Commission’s conditional approval of phase 1 renders the contempt charges against Curtis moot.

But Wilson said he does think the conditional approval helps show Curtis is not ultimately responsible for whether construction proceeds. He argued it is ultimately up to the Planning and Zoning Commission.

Burris’ September ruling marked the second time he had ordered Curtis to jail for not allowing the development to proceed.

Last year, Burris also found Curtis in contempt of court and ordered him to jail, but on appeal, the Louisiana Supreme Court sent the case back down to Burris after it found Curtis had not been properly notified about the original contempt hearing.

The case stretches back to 2018, when the town of Abita Springs made an agreement with Lonesome Development to allow it to build Abita Meadows.

The following year, Abita Springs reversed its position, accusing Lonesome of breaching the development agreement.

Lonesome sued, and Burris and the 1st Circuit Court of Appeal sided with Lone-

building maintenance while we wait on $7.1 million from the federal government.”

Pedalino noted that while he stands by his vote, he would potentially be open to future opportunities for the district to switch to electric vehicles.

“I need to see the data,” he said. “I am open-minded, but I don’t want to be a guinea pig in this process.”

During the board’s facilities subcommittee meeting last month, Moise and Brandt voted to approve the allocation of $3.4 million of the district’s money, which Moise said would have come out of the school system’s general fund Pedalino voted against it. The full board was scheduled to vote on the motion last month, but Moise requested that the decision be moved to November’s meeting to give board members more time to research the issue.

On Wednesday, several members pointed out that First Student Transportation, the bus company the district contracts with to oversee some of its bus routes, will incorporate 15 electric vehicles into its fleet in the next year, allowing the district time to see how well they work. Brandt said in an interview Thursday that he was disappointed with the outcome of the vote. “This was an opportunity,” he said, “and I think it’s unfortunate that something that could have benefited children and the school system was ignored.”

Email Elyse Carmosino at ecarmosino@theadvocate. com.

some. The company argued in 2023, however, that despite the courts’ findings the town was not letting the development proceed. Since then, the town has argued, based on an engineer’s finding, that its sewage collection system did not have the capacity to accept sewage from the new development. Under the conditional approval for phase 1, the developer must install a new sewer force main and upgrade a sewer pump before going on to phase 2, though the town’s operator could delay the requirement to a later phase depending on what they find, according to Kristin Tortorich, the planning and zoning director for Abita Springs.

Email Willie Swett at willie.swett@theadvocate. com.

NewOrleans

Area Deaths

Popp, Matthew

Williams Sr., Shan NewOrleans

Greenwood

Popp, Matthew

Lake Lawn Metairie

Fitzpatrick, Vaughan St Tammany

Honaker

Hartley, Juliette West Bank

DavisMortuary

Williams Sr., Shan

Obituaries

Fitzpatrick,Vaughan Owen

Victor VaughanOwen Fitzpatrick died in New Orleans on October 28, 2025, after asudden illness caused by an aggressive metastatic cancer.Hewas 76. Agifted storyteller and aman of powerful intellect, his deep and genuine curiosity and expansive knowledge of apanoplyof subjects made him highly sought after as asourceof sage advice, learned perspective, andthought-provoking discussion. Whether at alunch table at one of his treasured New Orleans clubs or in arocking chair on the porch of his mountain house in Hendersonville,North Carolina, Vaughan Fitzpatrick wassure to be engaging in astimulating conversation punctuated by boisterous laughter. He was as comfortablechatting with his toddler grandson as he was speaking with aRussianoligarch. He lived his life in equal measures of mirthand purposefulness. He was selflessand avisionary, putting the considerations of distant generations far ahead of his own. Vaughan was aman of kindness, love, and noble virtues. He was respected by his peers, loved by his family and friends,and willbe mourned by all who knew him. Vaughan was born in New Orleans on July 3, 1949, to William H. and Francis James Gasquet Westfeldt "Coo" Fitzpatrick,both native New Orleanians. He grew up in New York and Virginia. Summers were enjoyed in themountains of Western North Carolina, where his New Orleansbased extended family has vacationed for over 150 years. He was aproud and devoted graduate of Woodberry ForrestSchool in Orange, Virginia. He attended college at the University of Colorado Boulder, where he met his beloved MaryShelton. They wed in 1972. Vaughan and Mary began their married life abroad inNaples, Italy, throughVaughan's service in theU.S. Navy as an officer on adestroyer in the Sixth Fleet and at NATO. Life as expats suited them, and they decided to learn Arabic to advance Vaughan's career prospects overseas. They studied in Lebanon at the MiddleEast Center for Arab Studies until civilwar brokeout there, forcing their evacuation and relocation to St. Antony's College in Oxford, England. Areturn to New Orleans and Vaughan's enrollment inTulane Law School followed, including summer clerkships in Egypt and Bahrain.Upon graduation and passing the bar exam, Vaughan embarked on a long and multifaceted career as an executive with Chevron oil company, living and working in Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and London, while traveling for projects in spots as varied as India, Turkey, and the Horn of Africa. He was ahighly skilled negotiator,excelling in complex situations requiring political, l d ib l

governmental,and tribal strategic awareness.

After retiringfrom Chevroninitiallyin1992, thecompany calledhim back in 1995toserve as presidentofits Russiadivision(calledChevron Neftegaz). Vaughanmanaged allofChevron's operations in Russia, including facilitating the construction of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) pipeline from Kazakhstan across Russia to the Black Sea. Vaughan, Mary and their sons Fletcher andWelles movedhome to New Orleans'GardenDistrict in 1992. They promptlybecame deeply enmeshedin the social and civic fabric of the city.

Afterhis eventualsecond retirement from Chevron, Vaughan devoted time to the mission of preserving his family's legacy in North Carolina. He oversawthe meticulous deconstruction, relocation and transformation of the family's historic summerhomestead the GreenHouse to a smallnearbymountain, christened Two Jacks. With this move,hesecured more generations of North Carolina summersfor his extendedfamily.

On theold familyproperty wherethe Green House once stood, Vaughan workedclosely with localgovernment officialstodevelop the United States' first green industrial park. Aresounding success,Ferncliff Industrial Parkhas become amajor driveroftax revenue and employment inHenderson County, North Carolina. In the wake of Mary's sudden tragic death in 2013after 41 yearsofmarriage, Vaughan was comfortedbyhis loyal dog Kahn. In 2017, he was seated nexttoMelissa Gibbs at aNew Orleansdinner party. He found in her akindredsoul whosewanderlustand sense of curiosity matched his own. They married in 2023. Melissa's joie de vivre and devoted companionship gave Vaughan an unlimited amount of joy and intellectual stimulation in his final years. They traveledwidely,spending several months each year in France,and exploring numerous locations in Centraland South America in particular.One of their last trips together was to seeVaughan'sdear friends in Saudi Arabia. Melissa also shared Vaughan'slove for his treasured Two JacksinNorth Carolina. Vaughan enjoyednothing more than hiking that mountain with Melissa by his side, often with a grandchildintow, singing songsofhis youth or telling talltales. Vaughan was an enthusiastic and dedicated memberofmany New Orleanssocial clubs and Carnival organizations. He was apastboardmember of numerous civic and charitableorganizations, including the Bureau of Governmental Research and the Preservation Resource Center He was predeceased by his first wifeMaryShelton Fitzpatrick, hisparents Williamand Francis"Coo" Fitzpatrick, and hisbrother Peter Fitzpatrick. Vaughan is survivedby his wifeMelissa Gibbs Fitzpatrick, his sons from hisfirst marriage Fletcher Dugan Westfeldt (Lessley) Fitzpatrick and Welles Fleetwood Westfeldt (Laura) Fitzpatrick, his grandchildren Mary Harris Westfeldt Fitzpatrick, Evelin Hastings"Evie" Fitzpatrick, and James FennerFleetwood "Fenn" Fitzpatrick. He is also survived by his brothers hi fi ld d

Whitfield and James Fitzpatrick. As the Fitzpatrick family patriarch in NewOrleans, Vaughan also leaves behind his adored nephews, nieces, cousins, and their children -many of whom carry on his legacy in the family's cherished city. Wordscannot express howmuch they willmiss him. Amemorial service will be held on Wednesday November 12 at 1:30pm at TrinityEpiscopal Church, 1329 Jackson Avenue. Visitation willbeginat noon. Aprivateinterment for family willfollow.

Hartley, Juliette MarieHeitkamp

Juliette MarieHeitkamp Hartley, age90, of Slidell, Louisiana, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, November 5, 2025, at Slidell Memorial Hospital.Juliette wasbornAugust9,1935, in NewOrleans,Louisiana,to Juliette Hagstette Heitkamp andOscar Rudolph Ludwig Heitkamp.She was preceded in deathbyher belovedhusband of 57 years, Eugene Austin Hart‐leySr.;her parents, and siblings OscarHeitkampJr, Felix Heitkamp,RuthRein‐hart,LeahRichaud,Helen Klein, andRoy Heitkamp Sheissurvivedby five chil‐dren,David Eugene Hartley (Elaine),Randall LeeHart‐ley(Raelyn), Darryl Bruce Hartley(Denise), Stephen BrianHartley (Sonia), Eu‐gene Austin HartleyJr. (Paula); Also survived by thirteen grandchildrenand seventeen great-grandchil‐dren.Juliette wasa resi‐dent of Slidellsince 1964 andretired as histologist from SlidellMemorialHos‐pital. FuneralServiceswill be held on Saturday,No‐vember 15,2025, at HonakerFuneralHome, 1751 GauseBlvdWest, SlidellLA. Visitation will beginat9:00amfollowed by thefuneral serviceat 11:00am.Burialwillbein Forest Lawn Cemetery.In lieu of flowers, donations maybemadetoLambof GodLutheranChurch, 57210 AllenRoad, SlidellLA 70461. Please visitwww honakerforestlawn.comto sign guestbook.Arrange‐mentsbyHonaker Funeral Home,Inc Slidell, LA

Popp, MatthewFrancis Matthew FrancisPopp, 1971 -2025. Loving husband, devotedfather, principled lawyer,and aloyal friend Born in Dayton,Ohio, on March24, 1971, Matt was oneoffoursonsbornto NancyHortonPoppand

thelateAugustPopp. He is survived by hislovingwife, Kendra Couvillion,and his belovedchildren, Isabelle andJoshua.Heisalsosur‐vivedbyhis threebrothers, Christopher(Gena), Patrick (Michelle), andAndrew (Jessica). Matt wasloved andwillbemissedbyhis many nieces andnephews to whomhewas ahero. Matt attended Archbishop AlterHighSchool in Ketter‐ing, Ohio,where he ex‐celled academically and athletically.A dozenuni‐versitiesofferedhim schol‐arships, andhechose to attend Tulane University Therehestudied business andaccountingand wasa memberofthe Tulane Men’sBasketballteam from 1989-1993. Famous for hisrough styleofplayand protecting histeammates, Matt wasnamed team cap‐tain.Hewas at thecenter of theresurgenceofmen’s basketball at Tulane anda crowdfavorite. By hisse‐nior year,the program had achieved nationwide recognitionand played in theNCAAtournamentfor the firsttimeinschool his‐tory.Thatteamwas in‐ducted into theTulaneAth‐leticHallofFamein2020. Aftercompletinghis un‐dergraduatework, Matt re‐ceived ascholarship to at‐tend Tulane LawSchool where he earned hisJuris Doctor degree. Upon grad‐uation,heworkedasan AssistantDistrictAttorney forOrleans Parish prose‐cuting “the badguys.”He delightedinputting crimi‐nals in jail andtakingthem offthe streets. Afteryears as aprosecutor, Matt tran‐sitioned to civillaw,spe‐cializinginadmiralty,mar‐itime, andpersonalinjury defense. He became li‐censed to practice in the United States Supreme Court, theU.S.Courtsof Appealsfor theSecond, Fifth, andEleventhcircuits, andnumerousU.S.District Courts across Louisiana, NewYork, Florida, Texas, andOklahoma. Matt’s rep‐utationwas builtnot only on hisskill as atrial lawyer butonhis unwavering in‐tegrityand respectfor oth‐ers. He wasa seasoned andsuccessfultrial lawyer who earned therespect of otherlawyers andjudges, particularly in theEastern District of Louisiana, where he practicedoften.Matt Popp will be deeply missed by allwho knew him. Rela‐tivesand friendsare in‐vitedtoattenda visitation at 1:00 pm on Tuesday, No‐vember 11,2025, at Green‐wood FuneralHome, 5200 CanalBlvd.,New Orleans, LA 70124, followed by a mass at 3:00 pm.Wealso invite youtoshare your thoughts,fondmemories, andcondolences online at www.greenwoodfh.com Your shared memories will help us celebrateMatt’s

life andkeep hismemory alive. ationand InstructionalDe‐partment (GRID),the Gretna Boys andGirls Club, andthe LHSAAExecutive Committee, where he earned aLifetimeCoaching Card forhis dedication to athleticsand leadership.A manofdeep faith andfel‐lowship, Shan,Sr. wasa devotedmemberofMt. Pil‐grim BaptistChurch in Har‐vey, LA,where he served faithfully as Chairman of theDeacons’Ministryand amemberofthe Male Cho‐rus. He wasalsoa proud 50-year member of Omega PsiPhi Fraternity,Inc., Gamma RhoChapter (Past Basileus); amemberofthe Zulu Social Aid& Pleasure Club;and O.J. Dunn Lodge #85F&AM. In 2023, he was deeply honoredtoserve as GrandMarshal of NOMTOC Shan,Sr. wasprecededin deathbyhis belovedwife, Elois“Lulu”Brown Williams,and hisparents He is survived by hischil‐dren,Attorney Shandrea P. Williams (Tiffany) and Shan P. Williams, Jr (Keisha);grandchildren Shan III, Shayhan, Shaina, andShelby; faithfulcom‐panion,siblings, anda host of relativesand friends who will forevercherish hismemory. Relativesand friendsofthe family, also pastors, officers,and membersofMt. Pilgrim BaptistChurch,New Hope BaptistChurch,St. Stephen MissionaryBaptist Church, andall neighboring churches;members of L. B. Landry Alumni Association (Class of 1966),Omega Psi PhiFraternity, Inc.,Delta SigmaTheta Sorority,Inc Zulu Social Aid& Pleasure Club,O.J.Dunn Lodge#85 F&AM;activeand former administrators,faculty staff andstudentsof Southern University A&M College(LawCenter),Pur‐dueGlobalLaw School,and Andrew Wilson Charter School;activeand retired employees of theOrleans ParishSchool Board, Al‐giersCharter Schools, and InspireNOLACharter Schools; employees of L&R Security Services,Inc.are invitedtoattend aVisita‐tion at St.Stephen Mis‐sionaryBaptist Church, 1738 L. B. Landry Avenue NewOrleans,LAonMon‐day, November 10, 2025 from 4:00p.m.-7:00p.m.Cel‐ebration of Life will be held on Tuesday, November 11, 2025 at 10:00a.m. Pastor Norman Francis, host pas‐tor; Pastor LouisHarrison, officiating. Viewingwillbe held from 8:00a.m.10:00a.m. Interment: New Hope Cemetery-Gretna, LA Arrangements by Davis Mortuary Service, 230 Mon‐roeSt.,Gretna, LA.Toview andsignthe guestbook please go to www.davismo rtuaryservice.com. Face MasksAre Recommended

Williams Sr., Shan P.

Mr.ShanP.Williams, Sr wasbornonOctober 1, 1948, in NewOrleans, Louisiana, to thelate Arnold W. Brooksand JuanitaTheresa Williams Thomas.A native andlife‐long resident of Gretna, Louisiana, Shan,Sr. passed away peacefully on Satur‐day, November 1, 2025, 8:30 P.M.,atOchsner Medical Center Main Campus sur‐rounded by hislovingchil‐dren,Shandreaand Shan Jr., andhis devotedcom‐panion.A proud1966 grad‐uate of L.B. Landry Senior High School,Shan, Sr earned hisBachelor’sand Master’s Plus 30 degrees from Southern University andA&M CollegeinBaton Rouge. Atrailblazer in edu‐cation,hebecamethe first African-American Physical EducationTeacher and CoachatEdnaKarrJunior High School andlater served as Head Coachand AssistantCoach in football baseball,and trackand fieldatL.B.LandrySenior High School.Duringhis dis‐tinguished career with the OrleansParishSchool Board, Shan,Sr. served as HumanResources Special‐istfor CertificatedPerson‐neland InterimAthleticDi‐rector.Asprincipal,heled with vision anddedication at Thomas Alva Edison Ele‐mentarySchool,Francis T. Nicholls/Frederick A. Dou‐glassSenior High School, Joseph S. ClarkSeniorHigh School,L.B.LandrySenior High School (Interim), Oliver Perry Walker Senior High School,and LandryWalker Senior High School Afterretiringfromthe school system,hereturned to L.B. Landry High School as EducationAdministrator forthe AlgiersCharter School Association. As Presidentofthe Profes‐sional Administrators of NewOrleans Public Schools, Inc. (PANOPSI), Shan,Sr. wasinstrumental in affiliating theorganiza‐tion with theAmerican Federation of School Ad‐ministrators (AFSA),AFLCIO, Local17, creating the South’s firstorganized school administrators’ union.Healsodevoted his time to mentoringyouth throughthe Gretna Recre‐

Commentary of Voting Rights Act misses essential point

In histhoughtful interrogation of the Louisiana redistricting case by theU.S. Supreme Court, the commentator Quin Hillyer is certainly right about one thing. Section 2ofthe Voting Rights Act is fundamentally flawed. Clearly,itwas an imprudent solution to what at the timewas viewed as an emergency political problem.Black voters were beingsystematically denied their right to voting equality. States hadeffectively erased thepower of Black voters to elect congressional candidates of their choice. TheVRA successfully diminished theeffects of racially based gerrymandering.

But Hillyer’sessay neglectsto point out two essential components for any interpretation such as his. While correctly arguing thatBlack people can sometimes get Black candidates elected in local White majority voting districts, he equates thesewith gerrymandered congressional districts. They are not thesame. Simply compare the number of Black representatives in Congress before and after the passage of theVRA to get aroughapproximation of its effect. Should Section 2ofthis act be declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, he is not bothered by the almost inevitable probabilitythat the mapping of congressional districts, controlled entirely by white Republicans,willrevert to an equally racially based inverse of the current system. How many Black representatives will Louisianathen return to the House? Perhaps even more importantly, Hillyer offers no rationalsolution to the problem of nonracially influenced congressional district mapping. On what basisshould we draw congressional districts, andtowhom shouldthat duty be left —the political partyin power? There are rational cartographic solutions. One is theleast total boundary distance method. That map whose total congressional boundary lengths measure less than any other proposed map wins.

JAYD.EDWARDS Baton Rouge

MetawillgiveRichland Parish economynew life

Some have called Meta’s$10 billion data center in Richland Parish arecklesscorporate deal. In reality, it’sone of the mostpromising economic opportunities ever to reach rural Louisiana Fordecades, Richland Parishhas relied on agriculture and small industry —stable but limited sources of income. The Meta project represents achance to diversify theeconomy andconnect our region to thegrowing digital infrastructure that drives moderncommerce. Critics dismiss the5,000 constructionjobs as temporary,but theirimpact will be lasting. Every dollar spent on labor,materials,housing and food circulatesthrough local businesses. Roads are beingimproved, utilities upgradedand broadband capacityexpanded —investments that remain longafter the workcrews aregone The 500 permanent jobs at the facilityare high-skill, high-wagepositions. They will

anchor new opportunities in logistics, maintenance and technology support, while giving local students and workers areason to stay and build careers at home.

Meta’spresence also raises Richland Parish’s national profile, signaling to other industries that north Louisiana is ready forhigh-tech investment. The company’scommitment to renewable energy and advanced efficiency standards will strengthen, not burden, local infrastructure. This project is not aboondoggle —it’sa bridge to the future. It bringslasting infrastructure, meaningful jobs and the credibility that attracts more opportunity.For too long, communities like Richland Parish have been left behind. Now,with vision and collaboration, they have achance to lead.

WOODYBILYEU Winnfield

AI is agrowing threat to workers

Those whoown the means of production have beenanxioustoreduce their often most expensiveinput, labor,for as long as workers havebeen seeking higher wages. This backand-forth has surely produced cautionary tales andmisery,but has also led toastounding innovation, safety and prosperity. This is especially true in industries with strong, positive relationshipswith labor AI is different. U.S. job losses in 2025 are approaching 1million. Manufacturing continues to slowly shed jobs, but manyofthese cuts have impacted white-collar workers. One million losses haven’t been seen since the pandemic andare increasingly related to AI. This is thetip of the iceberg. AI is to shareholders and companyowners what fentanyl is to an addict: impossible to resist and singularly destructive.

“If we could just get rid of all these workers, we could really get some work done around here” maybemore than amanagement joke in the ageofAI. Short-lived, however.Ifthe

predicted 10 to30% unemployment resulting from AI’sadoption materializes, who will buy all the stuff? Vacations, plumbers, health care, theendless garbage we buyonAmazon, cars, roads, clean water,defense, healthy children —the economyispaid for by people with jobs. Think your trade job or consumer products company is safe? Good luck. Those we count on to chart asustainable course for our country through debate and compromise as our Constitution demands are instead focused only on sustaining inane, unsatisfying culture wars. Politicians should bear in mind, however,that when 30% of thenation is unemployed, thepublic won’tbethinking about 10 transgender people in the NCAA. More likely,they will be looking fortheir torches and pitchforks. It’s comforting, though, that the tech billionaires can escape to theiryachts and bunkers

BRIAN HENNESSEY NewOrleans

Giving thankstoa leader who hasinspired residents for decades

Ninety years ago, one of America’sfinest men was born in Minot, North Dakota.From the dayofhis birth to his 90th birthday, Dale Brown has brought hope andhealing to countless people throughout Louisiana WhenLouisianawas at its lowest, Brown redeemedit through his convictions andcompassion, reviving the state back to its glory through loving allpeople. Whenyou seepeople from various backgrounds loving each otherthroughout our city andstate,you have Brown to thank forbringing thatto life.Whenwethink of how far Louisiana hascome,weowe “Daddy Dale” ourgratitude for his voicethathas echoed to us since1972. Brent Musburger once calledDaleBrown “Billy Graham in sneakers,” and Shaqhas said thatBrown is the man who opened the door to basketball for him. At 90, Brown is still sharing the good news of life with his heart and opening the doorsofjoy with his hands, bringing hope to all of Louisiana.I knowofnoone whose words have matched his actions more thanBrown. Proverbs 18:21 says, “Death andlife areinthe power of the tongue,and those who love life will eat its fruits.” Thanks forspeaking hope andlife for90years, Dale Happy Birthday, my friend.

CARYHUGHES Baton Rouge

It’s time forvoters to demand change

OUR GUIDELINES: Letters are published identifying name and the writer’scity of residence.The Advocate |The Times-Picayune require astreet address and phone number for verification purposes, but that information is not published. Letters are not to exceed 300 words. Letters to the Editor,The Advocate, P.O. Box 588, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-0588, or email letters@theadvocate.com. TO SEND US ALETTER SCAN HERE

Movieisacautionarytalefor Trumpera

Watchingthe Trumpadministration unfold often feels eerily similar to watching the 2006 film“Idiocracy.” The movie, intended as satire, imagined afuture where society’sintelligence andvalues had decayed to thepoint where ignorance wascelebrated andexpertise mocked What once seemed like far-fetched comedy began to mirror reality during Trump’spresidency In “Idiocracy,” thenation is led by aloud, self-promoting celebrity who governs through slogans, spectacle and emotion rather than reason. Facts are dismissed as elitist, and science is treated as amatter of opinion. The administration’s casual disregard for truth, from “alternative facts” to climate denial, reflected themovie’swarning about what happens when critical thinking is replaced with entertainment andtribal loyalty Yet, thecomparison also reveals something

deeper about us as citizens. The film wasn’t just mocking stupidity; it was awarning about complacency.Democracies fail because of bad leaders and because peoplestop valuing knowledge, civilityand accountability.When leaders can say or do almost anything without consequence, when expertise becomes suspect and outrage becomes normal, we inch closer to that dystopian future Mike Judge tried to warn us about The Trumpera should serve as awake-up call, not just apunchline. “Idiocracy” was never supposed to be aprophecy,but acautionary tale. If we want to prove it wrong, we must once again value education, truth and empathy over spectacle and division. Otherwise, we risk living in aworld where satire is no longer satire. It’sjust theevening news.

KARL ALBRITTON Central

In Louisiana, all our representatives in Congress are Republicans but two. Our two senators are Republicans, our governor and mostofour legislators are Republicans. The current administration in Washington, D.C., all three branches are controlled by Republicans. We have the Speaker of the House and No. 2top man in the House from Louisiana.

My question is, with all of this political power in Baton Rouge and in Washington, D.C., whyisLouisiana last or near last in everything good and first or near first in mostthings bad? Ithink this is aquestion that should be answered by all the people Ijust mentioned. Nextyear at the midterm elections, let’seliminate the red and blue and vote foran independent.

CLIFF LEONARD Hammond

WINNER: KERIANNESTIEGLER, NEW ORLEANS

NEWLOOK NEEDED! We received 642 in thisweek’s Cartoon CaptionContest. From presidential pardons to turkey necks, these were agreatmix of creativeconcepts. Our winnerhit thejackpot witha deep-fried delight.Well played, everyone! As always, when we have duplicate entries, and we always do,wepick the earliestsent in Great job! Walt

LYNN WISMAR, KENNER: “For astarter can youdosomething about this turkey neck?!”

KEITH G. C.TWITCHELL, NEW ORLEANS: “I don’t have to quack likeaduck, Ijust have to look likeaduck!”

MARYH.THOMPSON, GREENSBORO, GA: “I don’t want to look… overdone.”

JAYDARDENNE, BATONROUGE: “That’s outrageous. If you’re gonnacharge me a leg and aleg Imay as well geteaten.

BETTY BORDELON, KENNER: “Anything butanAtlanta Falcon, Doc!”

BILL POTTER, BATONROUGE: “you are going to do what with achicken and a duck!”

JIMMIE PAPIA, METAIRIE: “A big set of antlers, and abright shinynose. ”

ERIN O’SULLIVAN FLEMING, RIVER RIDGE: “I need amakeover….. something tasteless.”

JOE ALFORD,BATON ROUGE: “I wantto look GOOD,but not APPETIZING!!!”

Dick Cheney’s complicatedlegacy COMMENTARY

WhenGeorgeW.Bush ranfor president in 2000, he faced awidespread public perception that he was callow and inexperienced, even though he was 54 years old and the governorof Texas. That’snot an unheard-of situation in presidential politics; the solution is for the less-experienced candidate to pick an older and more experienced running mate to give the ticket some gravitas. That is what Bush did. It’sfair to say that Bush’s choice, Dick Cheney,fitthe bill, and more. Cheney,who died lastatage 84, probably knew more about the workings of the U.S. government than any man active in politics at the time. Hehad been the youngest White House chief of staff ever,for President GeraldFord. Then he served 10 years in the House,representing his home state of Wyoming. Thenhe was tapped by President George H.W Bush to serve as secretary ofdefense. Cheney later became CEO of amajoroil services corporation, Halliburton. That’s quite aresume. So Cheney added weight to the GOP ticket.Maybe just enoughweight— Bush-Cheney lost the 2000 popularvote but won the presidency onthe strength of 537 votes in the Florida recount. In the next few months, the team enacted much of its campaign agenda, passing the Bush tax cuts and making substantial progress on the president’seducation initiative, the No Child Left Behind Act At that point, just eight months into the term, the Bush-Cheney administration seemed oddly without direction, with little else to do.

CHARLES THEAUX, PONCHATOULA: “I cameheretohavemyneck skintightened. Whywas your assistant putting abuttery glaze on every partofmebut my neck?”

MARIANO HINOJOSA, BATONROUGE: “I’m tiredofalwayslookingoverdressed.”

DENNIEWILLIAMS,ALEXANDRIA: “Is there anyway Icouldget abreast and thigh reduction before Thanksgiving?”

BOBUSSERY, NEWORLEANS: “I’drather go under the knife here than on the kitchentable.

CAMILLE JUPITER (2NDGRADE), LANGSTONHUGHES ACADEMY,NEW ORLEANS: “I need to look likeapigeon.”

MICHELE STARNES,KENNER: “I want to look less ‘farmfresh’ and more fabulous!

LAUREN A. GAUTHIER, KENNER: “yes,you heardmeright, Iwant to be pink with long legs. I’m retiring to Florida!”

JAYFOX,MADISONVILLE: “No, Idon’t mind my neck,but my giblets are sagging.”

DENISE CHETTA, NEWORLEANS: “yeah, doc, this is not agood look forthe

holidays!”

PETER KOVACS, BATONROUGE: “Canyou makemelook likeanutria?”

BILL HUEY,BATON ROUGE: “My pardon fell through.you’ve gottodosomething!”

JOHN WEGER, BATONROUGE: “I just need something to getmethrough November.”

DAVIDA.BRIGGS,NEW ORLEANS: “I was thinkingalong the lines of acrow, because no one wants to eatthat.”

HOWARD KISNER, BATONROUGE: “Cancel the turducken look!”

SCOTT BODET, METAIRIE: “Wait… why is there adeep pan and an oven behind you??”

RALPH STEPHENS,BATON ROUGE: “you need to startcutting before someone starts carving.”

KEVINSTEEN, CORPUS CHRISTI,TX: “I was hopingfor some lipo;I am tired of beinga butter ball.”

JIM KERRIN, NEW ORLEANS: “COOKOFFS?!!?”

When Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth ordered the cancellation of any official observance of “cultural awareness” months in the military service, Iimmediately wondered what it would mean forthe legacy of Milton Olive.

In case you didn’tknow, Milton Lee Olive III wasthe first Black American soldier to receive the Medal of Honor in the Vietnam War.

Sadly,hedid not live long enough to receive it in person.

He was18years old on Oct. 22, 1965, when he and four others, including his platoon commander,were pursuing aband of Viet Cong through thick, tangled growth near Saigon, running into varying degrees of enemy fire.

“As the platoon pursued the insurgents” through the jungle together,according to Olive’scitation, “an enemy grenade was throwninto their midst. Pfc. Olive saw the grenade, and then saved the lives of his fellow soldiers at the sacrifice of his by grabbing the grenade in his hand and falling on it to absorb the blast with his body.”

The citation continued, “Pfc. Olive’sextraordinary heroism,atthe risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty,are in the highest traditions of the U.S. Armyand reflect great credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of his country.”

On April 21, 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson presented the Medal of Honor to his father and stepmother

Later that year,Mayor Richard J. Daley led the unveiling, along with Olive’sparents, of amonument in his honor at the newly renamed Olive Park, near Navy Pier

When Imoved to Chicago in 1969, fresh out of college and still draft-eligible, Olive’ssacrifice in the controversial war wasstill being talked about and widely honored.

When my draftboard caught up with me, Ivividly recall, Ihad Milton Olive on my mind and drew somespiritual strength from my desire to do his memoryproud. As it happened, Inever wenttoVietnam, but Ialso neverforgot Milton Olive or the split-seconddecision he made to give his lifesohis battle buddies could live.

Now,morethan ever,itisimportant to remember men and womenlike Milton Olive, and indeed to memorialize them,as PresidentDonaldTrumpand his White nationalist movement wagewar on diversity, equity and inclusion.

took aleading role in formulating what became known as GWOT —the Global WaronTerror It would taketoo long to recount all thedetails.But first, the U.S. attackedAfghanistan, aiming to find and kill every personwho planned, executed,financed or otherwise aided or abetted 9/11.That is what Bushand Cheney began, but after making initial progress, the mission went on and on, became bogged down in nation-building and, in more than seven years, failed to find and kill the one manmostresponsible for theattack —Osama bin Laden.

Meanwhile, around theWhiteHouse, there was talk suggesting that Iraqi dictator SaddamHussein had some connection to 9/11 and thatthere was some link betweenSaddam and al Qaeda. Then the White House argued thatSaddam had weapons of massdestruction, which in a maddictator’shands created an intolerablydangerous situation for the United States. Cheney became the administration’smostaggressive promoter of invading Iraq, toppling Saddam and neutralizing the WMD.

Everyone knows what happened next. The intelligence was wrong, therewere no WMD, and thewar in Iraq turned into adisaster.That was not because of any failure by the U.S. military —they performedbeautifully.But Bush and Cheney hadbeen dreadfully wrong about the premisefor invading.

ClearPolitics average of polls.

In the caseofCheney,herewas a man withbroad and deep knowledge of how the world and the U.S. government worked, who dedicated himself to protecting the United States in the aftermath of the worst terrorist attack in history, who meant well —and who made terrible mistakes that ensuredhis time in office would be seen as afailure.

Cheney’stime in office also changed Republican politics.Itisimpossible to imagine the 2016 GOPprimaryracegoing the way it did absent the legacyofthe Bush-Cheneyadministration. The BushCheneyteam was in the field in 2016 in the person of Jeb Bush. Candidate Donald Trump took great delight in bashing Jeb, andhewas remarkably effective at it.

Trump called the Iraq war “a big, fatmistake,” and Republican crowds applauded. He called the entireBushCheney administration a“disaster.” He dumped all over the Bush-Cheneylegacy and went on to win the Republican nomination. Things had changed.

Still, Cheney actually supported Trump as the Republican nominee in 2016.Only after theJan.6,2021, Capitol riotdid Cheney declare Trump a“coward” and a“threat to our republic.” Cheney ended up casting his last votefor president for Kamala Harris in 2024.

Earlier this year,inhis zeal to root out everything “woke” in the military,Hegseth directed the Department of Defense to purge the department’swebsite of mentions of historically significant American fighters, including the Navajo code talkers, the Tuskegee Airmen and many Medal of Honor recipients simply because they were members of minorities —and despite their significant contributions to defending American freedom.

Also at Hegseth’sorders, out went Black History Month in February,Women’sHistory Month in March, Pride Month in June, and National Hispanic Heritage Month, which takes place from mid-September until mid-October

Interestingly,Sig Christenson, an investigative reporter at the San Antonio Express-News, couldn’tfind anyone who had aclear reason forwhy these observances had to be banned, or whyStPatrick’sDay remains honored.

Goodquestion. I’mBlack, but I’malso aproduct of Chicago culture, and we celebrate St. Patrick by turning the Chicago River green forthe big parade day I’ve also recently discovered, thanks to 23&Me, that I’mgenetically about 19% Irish. As John Mellencampsang, “Ain’t that America?”

Such is the nature of our diversity,which Ilike to think is afeature, not abug, of America’smelting pot.

Afellow veteran whosays he agrees is C. Douglas Sterner,who has published about adozen books on decorated military heroes and whooperates the HomeofHeroes website, which documents the stories of Medal of Honor recipients, among other heroes.

Then came Sept. 11, 2001, and Bush, Cheney and the nation had an urgent new direction for the future. Cheneywas at the White House when it happened; Bush was in Florida on atrip to promote child reading. From that moment on, Cheney

Afterahuge loss in the2006 midterms, Bush and Cheney tried to salvage the situationinIraqwitha“surge”ofU.S troops.But the war ended in amassive failure.And then,asfate would have it,as the Bush-Cheney administration entered its finalstretch, theeconomy nearly collapsed. Disaster upon disaster.Bythe time of the 2008 election, Bush hadajob approval of 24.6%, according to theReal-

By then, Cheney’sbrand of Republican politics, whatever you might think of it, had receded far into the past.The man who was Gerald Ford’schief of staff half acenturyearlier could find no placein today’sGOP politics. The bitter irony was thatCheney,withthe misadventure in Iraq and thecalamitous end of the BushCheney administration, had himself contributedtocreating Trump’sRepublican Party

Byron York is on X, @Bryon York. Email him at byronyork@yorkcomm.com.

“Saddened deeply” by the DoD’sscrubbing of our “women and ethnic minority heroes” earlier this year,Sterner collaborated on anew book titled “Beyond Woke: The Diversity of U.S. Military Heroes.”

The cover art depicts Milton Olive in the act of saving his fellow GIs,ending his own lifebut living on, Ihope, in the memories of our grateful nation.

Email Clarence Page at clarence47page@ gmail.com.

LSU, Kellyatoddsovercontractbuyout

STAFFPHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

Former LSU coach Brian Kelly watchesa playagainst South Carolina on Oct. 11. Kelly is requesting the full sum of his buyout

New Orleans, Saints lost a friend in Tagliabue

New Orleans lost afriendSunday. Former NFL commissioner PaulTagliabue died at his home in CapeCod,Massachusetts, at the age of 84. His health had been in decline for monthsashebattled Parkinson’sdisease. The apparentcause of deathwas heart failure

BY WILSON ALEXANDER Staff writer

Former LSUfootball coach BrianKelly has requested that the school pay his full buyout of nearly $54 million, according to documentsobtained by The Advocate, as negotiations continue two weeks after he was firedduring his fourthseason.

In aNov.5letter sent to LSU athletic director VergeAusberry and LSUBoard of Supervisors member John Carmouche, Kelly’sattorneys asked for writtenconfirmation by 5p.m. on MondaythatLSU will “fulfillits contractual obligation” to pay the full sum.

“Absentthiswritten confirmationbythat date, coach Kelly will pursue all available legal remedies,” the letter states.

Kelly is owednearly $54 million if fired without cause, asum thatwould be paid in equal monthly installments through the end of his contract in 2031. Kelly’sattorneys claimed in documentsthat LSU fired him without cause,inwhichcaseKelly is owed 90%ofhis remaining annual compensation under theterms of the deal.

Theletter states Kelly would still be “open to anyadditional offers” to settleif he receives thewritten confirmation. LSU offeredlump-sum payments of $25 million and $30 million the day Kelly was fired, doc-

uments said, but Kelly rejected them.They were made when Scott Woodward wasstill LSU’sathletic director.Heand the school parted four days later

The two sides are expected to have ameeting Monday, sources said, before the deadline set by Kelly’srepresentatives.

Kelly’sattorneys said in the letter he was firedwithout cause during an in-person meetingOct. 26 between himand Woodward, Ausberry,LSU executive deputy athletic director Julie Cromer and LSU associateathletic director of football administration Austin Thomas.

SHOUGH ANDAWE

New Orleanians will forever owe adebt of gratitude to Tagliabue forhis serviceto the city and the Gulf Coast region in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. In thefinal year of his 17-year tenure as commissioner,hedeftly managed thecrisis and spearheaded the New Orleans Saints’ return to the city It’stoo simple to say the Saints wouldn’t have returned to NewOrleans if it weren’tfor Tagliabue. But it’s fair to say they wouldn’thave returned as successfullyasthey did without his shrewd leadership.

One of Tagliabue’sfavoritesayings was “A friend in need is afriend indeed.” New Orleans learned that firsthandfrom Tagliabue when it needed it most

It was Tagliabue who assuaged thenSaints owner TomBenson’s fears in the wake of the storm and facilitated the club’s return to the citybyfast-tracking resources to the club and cutting through redtape on Capitol Hill.

It was Tagliabue who rallied support for the team by arranging aseries of meetings with local and regional business leaders, including apivotal gathering at local businessmanTommyColeman’scamp along the Mississippi River batturenear the Orleans-Jeffersonparishline. The meeting featured some of the city’s richest and most powerful men and women —awho’s who of banking, energy,shipping and real estate —and served as the catalyst forthe Saints’ return.

And it was Tagliabue who showcasedthe city’spost-Katrina recovery on aglobal stage by putting the Saints’ returntothe SuperdomeonMondayNight Football, the league’spremier platform

“The whole thing turnedaround in

ä See DUNCAN, page 3C

STAFF FILE PHOTOByELIOTKAMENITZ

Former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue, right, speaks next to Saints ownerTom Benson during anewsconferenceonJan. 11, 2006. Tagliabue playedapivotal role in the Saints’return to NewOrleans after Hurricane Katrina.

to make apass againstthe

Charlotte,

BY MATTHEWPARAS Staff writer

CHARLOTTE, N.C. Kellen Moore delivered the play call over his headset and said nothing else to Tyler Shough. There was no need. It wasthird-and-12late in Sunday’sgameagainstthe Carolina Panthers, and the New Orleans Saints’ coach andtheir rookie quarterbackunderstoodwhat was on the line. After Moorenotably took the ball out of the quarterback’shands for the previous fewthird downs, the momentcalled for an obvious passing situation withthe Saints trying to preserve alead.Itwas time for the Saints to truly see what they had in the26-year-old. No motivational speech. No encouragement. Just executethe call.

“Kellen knew the importance of finishing that drive,” Shough said. “Mymindset is I’malways goingtobeaggressive.”

So, Shough got aggressive. As the second-round draft pickscanned the field, Shoughimmediately realized the high-low concept the play intended forwasn’tthere.But as the pocket collapsedand he drifted to hisleft, Shough sawtight end Juwan Johnson —the last player in the quarterback’s progression —break off from his man. The quarterback let it fly Touchdown. Shough hit Johnson fora 30-yard score to seal NewOrleans’ 17-7 winover the Panthers, earning New Orleans’

On TV

MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

5:30 p.m. Maine at Rutgers BTN

5:30p.m. Columbia at UConn FS1

6p.m. Stetson at Miami ACCN

7p.m. Mississippi St. vs. Iowa St. ESPNU

7:30p.m. Cleveland St. at NorthwesternBTN

7:30 p.m. Santa Clara at Xavier FS1

8p.m. SE Louisiana at Georgia Tech ACCN

WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

6p.m. Furman at Vanderbilt SECN

8p.m. Cent.Arkansas at Arkansas SECN

9:30 p.m. Oklahoma at UCLAFS1 NBA

6p.m. Washington at DetroitPeacock

8p.m. NewOrleansatPhoenixWVUE

9:30 p.m. Atlanta at L.A. Clippers NBATV NFL

7:15 p.m. Philadelphia at Green BayABC, ESPN

NHL

7p.m.HockeyHOF Induction NHLN MEN’S SOCCER

6:15 a.m. Switzerland vs.Mexico FS2

9:30 a.m. Egypt vs. England FS2 TENNIS

5a.m.ATP Finals: DoublesTennis

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11 a.m. ATPFinals: Doubles Tennis 1:30 p.m.ATP Finals: SinglesTennis

QB switch intended to throwoff Bama defense

BY WILSON ALEXANDER Staff writer

With the LSU offense struggling in a20-9 loss to No.4Alabama on Saturday night, starting quarterback Garrett Nussmeier was benched with the game still in the balance forthe first time this season.

The Tigers inserted sophomore Michael VanBuren in his place in the third quarter.Van Burenfinished 5-of-11 passingfor 52 yards. He also gained21yards rushing on four carries with two sacksremoved from his final line. Afterward, interim coachFrank Wilson was noncommittal about whether the Tigers will have a quarterback competition going into their game next week against Arkansas.

“I haven’tput that kind of thought into it right now,” Wilson said. “Right now,Ijust want to be there for our players to let them know we’re going to be all right, to pick their heads up andwe’re standing by you. We’re in this thing together.Decisionsofdepth moving forward, we’re notatthat stage right now.”

VanBuren entered the game after LSU settled for afieldgoal on the opening drive of thesecond half. The Tigers had first and goal at the Alabama 9-yard line,but they only gained 1yard on their

next two plays.

Aftergettingbacked up by a delay of game penalty,LSU took its first timeoutofthe half. Nussmeierwas then sacked fora14yard loss.

“Weknew there could be opportunities in the quarterback run game,and theninthe back end as they triedtobringclosure to it, they would make it difficult to justsit in the pocket,” Wilson said.

“Wewanted to move (Van Buren) around and do some things. We thought that he gave us achance

to do those things.

WilsondescribedVan Buren’s play as “solid.”Heliked theway he steppedupinthe pocket, extended plays with his legs and threw theball. He said he wanted VanBurentohavetwo hands on the ball when he was strippedon LSU’slast offensive play

VanBuren has appeared in three games this season, his first since transferring from Mississippi State. He played late in awin over Southeastern Louisiana and aloss to TexasA&M. Wilson had

suggested for the past two weeks that LSU might use him in certain situations against the Crimson Tide.

Nussmeier completed 86% of his passes (18 of 21) for121 yards with no touchdowns andnointerceptions.Itwas only the second time in two years as LSU’s starting quarterback that Nussmeier did not throw atouchdown in a game.Healso did notthrowone in a34-10 winlastseason at Arkansas.

“I thought he did some good thingsearly on,” Wilson said. “We moved him outofthe pocket, and Ithought he startedthe game off extremely well. As we moved into thedepth of the game, we thought it was an opportunity forusto change up, to throw their defense off.

“I don’tknow it’snecessarily something he did so bad. We just thought that it would be an advantage and the things thatMichael could give us.”

Nussmeier could be seen on the sideline wearing his helmet when LSU was on offense andencouraging his teammates when they returned to the sideline.

“He cameuponthe sidelines after everybreak trying to keep our spirits up andjuicing us,” center Braelin Moore said. “Even though he wasn’tinthe game, he was still uplifting everyone.”

Indiana’sclose wincreated change at No.1

Week 11 of the college football season was filled withclose calls. Penn State nearly took down Indiana. Oregon almostlost to Iowa. Vanderbilt squeaked past Auburn.

MLB pitcherscharged with taking bribes to rig pitches

NEWYORK Cleveland Guardians pitchers EmmanuelClase andLuis Ortiz have been indicted on charges they took bribes from sports bettors to throw certaintypes of pitches, including tossing balls in the dirt instead of strikes, to ensure successful bets.

According to the indictment unsealed Sunday in federal court in Brooklyn, the highly-paid hurlers took several thousand dollars in payoffs to help two unnamed gamblers from their native Dominican Republic winatleast $460,000 on in-game prop bets on the speed and outcome of certain pitches.

Clase, the Guardians’ former closer,and Ortiz, astarter, have been on non-disciplinarypaid leave since July,when MLB started investigating what it said was unusually high in-game betting activity when they pitched.

Griffinwins in Mexicofor third PGA Tour titleofyear

LOS CABOS,Mexico Ben Griffin avoided the mistakes that slowed his two challengers Sunday and rolledinthreelongbirdie putts for a9-under 63 to win the WorldWide Technology Championship forhis third PGATour title of the season.

Griffin two-putted forbirdie on the par-5 18th at El Cardonal at Diamante fora two-shot victory He joined Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy as the only players with at least three wins, with one of thosefor Griffin ateamevent in New Orleans at the Zurich Classic. Griffin, playing forthe second timesince his Ryder Cup debut, ranoff fivestraight birdiesstarting at No.8 Griffin moves to acareer-best No.9inthe world ranking.

Rai edges pastFleetwood in Abu Dhabi playoff

Credit to the victorsfor not suffering losses that could have greatly damagedtheir chances of making the College Football Playoff and their standing in my poll. But sometimes, at least in this humble author’sopinion, even close wins can be slightly detrimental to ateam’sranking.

Here’smylatest AP Top25 poll following an exciting weekend in college football.

My Week 11 AP Top25 poll

1. Texas A&M, 2. Indiana, 3. Ohio State,4.Alabama, 5. Georgia, 6. Texas Tech, 7. Notre Dame, 8. Ole Miss, 9. Oklahoma, 10. Oregon, 11. Utah, 12. BYU, 13. Miami, 14. Southern Cal, 15. Texas, 16. Louisville, 17. Vanderbilt, 18. Michigan,19. Tennessee, 20. Iowa, 21. Illinois, 22. Georgia Tech, 23. Missouri, 24. Cincinnati, 25. Pittsburgh

Just missed: Houston, Virginia, Washington, South Florida

Anew No.1

It’ssafe to say the margin be-

Continued from page1C

Kelly’s attorneys further claimed LSU officials confirmed Kelly was fired without cause duringa phone call Oct. 27 with Ausberry,Cromer and Kelly’s representatives.The letter said LSU “intended to honor the terms of the agreement pertainingtotermination without cause.”

During the Oct. 26 meeting, Woodward said LSUwantedto enternegotiationstopay Kelly alump-sum payment of $25 million instead of the fullbuyout, the letter said. LSU offered“one or more accelerated payments,” documents said, and the elimination of mitigation or offset language that would reducethe cost of the buyout if Kelly gets another job in football.

tween TexasA&M andIndiana shrank for me after the Hoosiers nearlylost to 3-5 Penn State. Granted, it was only Indiana’s second close game this season, butafter the Aggiesdominated a solid Missouri team on the road Saturday,itwas just enough for me to flip those two in my poll. Neither team has lost, but both sides now have near defeatsto subpar teams. For Indiana, it was this Saturday, while Texas A&M had aclose affair with Arkansas. Arkansas is probably worse than theNittany Lions, but you could also say that Indiana was much closer to defeat than the Aggies were in their game.

That fairly even trade-off helps accentuate A&M’sstrength over Indiana: its bevy of impressive wins.

Between Indianaand Texas A&M, the Aggies own thestrongest win (Notre Dame on the road) and have amoreimpressive collection of dominant victories (Missouri on the road, LSU on theroad andMississippi State at home, which has played most teamsclose).

Ialso don’tthink Indiana’smassive win over Oregon aged well this week,after theDucks barely beat Iowa. Either way,all of this is to say that Ibarely have Texas A&M ahead of Indiana for thetop spot in my poll.

ACCchaos

Louisville was my top-ranked

LSUhas notput Kelly’s termination in writing with negotiations ongoing, sources said, so it is continuing to payhim in monthly installments

clauses. LSU hasnot put Kelly’s termination in writingwithnegotiations ongoing, sources said, so it is continuing to pay himinmonthly installments. It couldcomplicate the situation that Woodward and LSU parted ways Oct. 30, aday after Gov. Jeff Landrycriticizedhim andsaid hewould nothireLSU’s next football coach. Landry called Kelly’sbuyout a“liability.”

ACC team heading intothis week. Butafter theCardinals lost to amiddling-at-best California team at home, Isomehow have theseventh-place team in the conference (Miami) with the highest ranking in my poll.

The six teams ahead of the Hurricanes in theconference standings are Georgia Tech, Virginia, Pittsburgh, SMU, Duke and Louisville. Georgia Tech only has one loss, but it fell to middling NC State and is severely lacking aquality win. Virginia also lost to NC State and dropped another contest this week to Wake Forest. Pittsburgh is on afive-gamewinning streak but lacks agood win and lost to lowly West Virginia. AndDuke dropped itsthird nonconference gameonSaturday to UConn. Louisville and SMU beat Miami, but theCardinals lost despitehaving amajor time-zone advantage over California, and SMU has defeatstoWake Forest and Baylor.Those losses dropped bothteams behind Miami, although the margin between Louisville and Miami, admittedly,is close.

Miami is pretty flawed —especially on offense —but itswin over Notre Dame is still more impressive than anything anyone else in theconference has done, and its two losses didn’tcome against bad teams. It’sgoing to be atall climb for the Hurricanes to makethe playoff, since their

Oxford,Miss.

pathtothe ACC title gameisnarrow,but Istill think they’re the best team in avery flawed and chaotic conference.

Othernotes Pittsburgh squeaked by Houston for thelastspotinmypoll, and the differencebetween the two sides mostly came down to one team. Oddly enough, both teams have losttoWestVirginia.And though thedefeatswereugly, Houston’s losstothe Mountaineers was uglier.Unlike with Pittsburgh, Houstonfell to West Virginia by two scores at home. The Panthers, at least, were on theroad and lost by just seven. Apoint in Houston’sfavor is that it probably has the best win between the two sides, having beaten Arizona State away from home. Butthatwasn’tenough to make up forthe West Virginia defeat or the fact that the Cougarshave had acouple of close calls against weak competition (Oregon State andUCF).

Istill want to seePittsburgh earn that signature win, but itsonly otherlosscameto Louisville by atouchdown. Meanwhile,Houston wasalso soundly beatenbyTexas Tech, admittedly abetterteam than Louisville, but still worth noting nevertheless.

Email Koki RileyatKoki. Riley@theadvocate.com.

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates AaronRai of England overcame ashockingshort miss with apair of late birdies fora5-under 67 and beat Tommy Fleetwood (66) on the first playoffhole with a10-foot birdie putttowin theAbu Dhabi Championship. Rai returnedfrom atwo-month break to win for the first time this year andpickuphis thirdEuropean tour title— hisfirst on the tour sincedefeating Fleetwood in the 2020 Scottish Open. He wonthe Wyndham Championship in August 2024 for his first PGA Tour title. Rory McIlroystartedthe back nine at YasLinks withfive straight birdies and closed with a 62, matching hislow score on the European tour

Oladipo joins Milwaukee’s NBA GLeague affiliate

OSHKOSH, Wis. Two-time All-Star guardVictorOladipo,who hasn’t played in the NBAsince suffering amajor injuryin2023, hasjoined the Milwaukee Bucks’ NBAG League affiliate.

The Wisconsin Herd announced Sunday they had added the 33-year-old Oladipo to their roster The Herd acquired Oladipo from the SantaCruz Warriors after he hadentered theNBA GLeague’s player pool.

Oladipo tore his leftpatellar tendon while playing forthe Miami Heat in a2023 first-round playoff series with the Bucks. Oladipo hasn’tbeen in the NBA since, though he appeared in some NBA preseason games this year while playing for the Chinese Basketball Association’sGuangzhou LoongLions.

grounds for the termination. Kelly would then have seven days to respond. His attorneys saidinthe letter LSU did notsatisfy those requirements and addeditwould be “entirelybaseless” if LSU asserted cause for firing him.

“LSU hasnot asserted at any time thatcoach Kelly was terminated for cause, or that any potential justificationfor sucha termination exists,” the letter states.

Later that day,documents said, Cromer raised the offer to $30 million over two installments with the removal of mitigation or offset

While Landry claimed Louisiana taxpayers couldbeonthe hook for the money,Carmouche said at anews conference, “the state has never —the taxpayershave never— paid fora coachand never will.”

Carmouche, the head of theLSU board’sathletics committee, is a key figure in the negotiationson LSU’sside. Alocal trialattorney, he hasexperiencenegotiating multi-milliondollarsettlements.

Kelly’scontract states that if he were to be fired for cause, LSU would have to provide written notice anda statement on the

Afterhewas informed of the intention to fire him on Oct. 26, Kelly sent an emailtoLSU athletic officials at 5:43 p.m. In part, he said he is “open to your desire to reach asettlement of what’sowed to me underthe contract, although of course it would have to make sense financially.”

LSU signed Kelly to a10-year deal worth morethan $100 million when it hiredhim away from Notre Dame at theend of the2021 regular season. If paid in full, hisbuyout would be the secondlargestincollege football history behind the$76 million thatTexas A&M paid Jimbo Fisher LSU

Big Ten: USC’sfakepunt was unsportsmanlike ROSEMONT,Ill. Southern California should have been assessed an unsportsmanlike conductpenalty duringits gameagainst Northwestern forhaving areserve quarterback whoexecuted afake punt wear the samenumber as the Trojans’regular punter,the BigTen announced Sunday Early in the second quarter of Friday’sgameinLos Angeles, third-string quarterback Sam Huard linedupinthe punter’sspot wearing jersey No.80onafourthand-6 play.Hetook the long snap and completed apass to Tanook Hines fora10-yard gain. The Trojansscored five plays later and won38-17.

SamJohnson,the Trojans’ regular punter whowears No.80, punted for thefirst time on thenext possession.

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE

Taylor runs for 244 yards, scores OT winner

By The Associated Press

BERLIN Jonathan Taylor completed a 244-yard rushing day with an 8-yard touchdown run in overtime to give the Indianapolis Colts a 31-25 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday in the first regular-season NFL game in Berlin, Germany It was Taylor’s third touchdown of the game and came after Colts kicker Michael Badgley tied the game with a 44-yard field goal with 25 seconds left Tyler Allgeier’s second touchdown was a 1-yard plunge that give the Falcons a 25-22 lead with 1:44 left in regulation.

That was after Taylor had put the Colts in front 22-17 with an 83yard touchdown run on the previous drive. It was the longest run of the season in the NFL. Daniel Jones’ pass attempt on the 2-point conversion was batted down. On the big play, Taylor ran into traffic up the middle, bounced out to the left and sprinted down the sideline into the end zone. The score moved him past Hall of Famer Edgerrin James for most rushing touchdowns (65) in Colts history

JETS 27, BROWNS 20: In East Rutherford, New Jersey, New York got touchdowns on a kickoff return and a punt return in the same game for the first time in franchise history, Breece Hall took a screen pass from Justin Fields 42 yards for the go-ahead score and the Jets held on to defeat the Cleveland Browns.

Five days after trading cornerback Sauce Gardner and defensive tackle Quinnen Williams in stunning moves, the Jets came off their bye-week break to win their second game in a row

Kene Nwangwu returned a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter and moments later, Isaiah Williams brought back a punt 74 yards for a score. The Jets had one previous game with two kickoffs returned for scores and another with two punts returned

for TDs But never one of each in the same game.

BEARS 24, GIANTS 20: In Chicago, Caleb Williams threw a touchdown pass and scrambled for a go-ahead score in the fourth quarter, helping the Chicago Bears beat Jaxson Dart and the New York Giants.

Led by Williams, Chicago scored the last 14 points after Younghoe Koo’s 19-yard field goal gave New York a 20-10 lead with 10:19 left.

C.J. Gardner-Johnson had two sacks for the Bears, including one on Russell Wilson on a key third down in the final period.

Williams sparked the rally with a 2-yard touchdown pass to Rome Odunze, making it 20-17 with 3:56 left. Odunze finished with six receptions for 86 yards after he was shut out during last weekend’s 4742 win at Cincinnati.

TEXANS 36, JAGUARS 29: In Houston, Backup Davis Mills threw two touchdown passes in the final quarter and scrambled 14 yards for the go-ahead score with 31 seconds left and the Houston Texans rallied from a 19-point fourth-quarter deficit for the win.

Mills threw for 292 yards and

By

ASSOCIATED PRESS

NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue answers questions following a luncheon to rally New Orleans-area businesses to provide long-term support for the Saints on Feb 14, 2006, in

Continued from page 1C

remarkably quick time,” Tommy Coleman told me for a column I wrote in 2015. “Paul was really the inspiration behind it all. He’s really a phenomenal guy He didn’t want to see anything happen to the franchise in New Orleans. He made it happen.” Ever the diplomat, Tagliabue expertly handled the politically sensitive situation. Privately he worked behind the scenes to steer the Saints back to New Orleans after the club’s relocation to San Antonio, Texas, after Katrina. Publicly, he defended Benson and had the owner’s back after fans in the city pilloried him for his post-Katrina flirtations with San Antonio.

basketball team played in the Sugar Bowl Classic basketball tournament. He grew to love the spirit, passion and culture of the city and South Louisiana. He developed an affinity for Cajun Zydeco music and returned to the area often after he retired as commissioner in 2006. He even took a tour of the Tabasco plant in Avery Island.

“People like to fit others with black hats or white hats in life, when I have found there are usually more shades of gray to everyone.”

PAUL TAGLIABUE, former NFL commissioner

“People like to fit others with black hats or white hats in life, when I have found there are usually more shades of gray to everyone,” he said in a meeting with the Times-Picayune editorial board in 2005.

Tagliabue fell in love with New Orleans in the early 1960s when his Georgetown Hoyas

“Paul was a great friend, not only to me and my husband, Tom, but also to the city of New Orleans, hosting three Super Bowls during his tenure,” Saints owner Gayle Benson said in a statement. On a visit to New Orleans years after Katrina, Tagliabue had dinner with Gary Solomon, the CEO of Crescent Bank and Trust, who was one of the power brokers in attendance at the 2006 summit meeting at Coleman’s camp. Solomon asked Tagliabue why it meant so much to him to ensure New Orleans’ recovery from Katrina

“He told me, ‘My daddy taught me never turn a back on your friend,’” Solomon said.

Email Jeff Duncan at jduncan@ theadvocate.com

patient and smart in his second game back from injury, and Baltimore continued their defensive resurgence to beat Minnesota.

Malaki Starks and Marlon Humphrey each intercepted deep passes by J.J. McCarthy, whose touchdown throw to Jalen Nailor with 3:19 left cut Baltimore’s lead to one possession but was too little, too late for mistake-prone Minnesota.

The Ravens turned three takeaways, including a fumbled kickoff return early in the third quarter by rookie Myles Price, into 13 points to keep their climb back into the AFC North race going after a 1-5 start.

After trailing 10-9 at halftime following their first half without a touchdown in 21 games with Jackson as the starter, the Ravens leaned harder on their rushing attack in the second half to wear down a Vikings defense that fared well with little help from the offense.

Sam Darnold rolled out to his left and found Jaxon Smith-Njigba for a 43-yard touchdown on the first drive of the game. It only got worse for the Cardinals (3-6) from there. On Arizona’s first possession, Tyrice Knight walloped quarterback Jacoby Brissett and jarred the ball loose. Lawrence scooped it up off a bounce and ran untouched 34 yards for a touchdown.

A 9-yard rushing touchdown by George Holani gave the Seahawks 21 points in the first quarter, which equaled the franchise scoring record for the opening period Seattle also scored 21 points in the first quarter of a 44-13 rout of the New Orleans Saints on Sept. 21.

RAMS 42, 49ERS 26: In Santa Clara, Matthew Stafford threw four touchdown passes to give him the most in a three-game span in Rams history and Los Angeles beat San Francisco for a fourth straight victory

shook off a forgettable three quarters to lead the remarkable comeback while filling in for C.J. Stroud, who was out after suffering a concussion last week.

The Jaguars (5-4) were trying to get into field-goal range after the score by Mills, but Trevor Lawrence was sacked by Will Anderson Jr and fumbled Sheldon Rankins recovered the ball and ran 32 yards for a TD to seal the victory DOLPHINS 30, BILLS 13: In Miami Gardens, Florida, Tua Tagovailoa threw for 173 yards and two touchdowns, De’Von Achane added a pair of rushing scores and the Miami Dolphins beat the Buffalo Bills.

The Bills (6-3) had not lost to Miami since Week 3 of the 2022 season but came out flat on Sunday Achane finished with 225 scrimmage yards and fourth-quarter touchdowns of 59 and 35 yards. Tagovailoa completed 15 of 21 passes with two interceptions to give him a league-leading 12 picks this season. RAVENS 27, VIKINGS 19: In Minneapolis, Lamar Jackson played it

PATRIOTS 28, BUCCANEERS 23: In Tampa, Florida, TreVeyon Henderson had touchdown runs of 69 and 55 yards, Drake Maye threw two TD passes, and the New England beat Tampa Bay for their seventh straight win. After Maye threw an interception in the end zone, the Patriots (82) made a big stop on fourth-and-3 at their own 27. Henderson then sealed the win with his 69-yard TD run.

The rookie finished with a career-high 147 yards rushing on 14 carries.

The Buccaneers (6-3) were the first team in NFL history to have each of their first four wins of the season come on a game-winning score in the final minute of regulation.

SEAHAWKS 44, CARDINALS 22: In Seattle, DeMarcus Lawrence returned two fumbles for touchdowns during a dominant first half for Seattle, who beat Arizona.

NFC West-leading Seattle (7-2) beat its division rival for the ninth straight time dating to 2021, and this one was hardly competitive.

Kyren Williams added two touchdown runs for Rams, who avenged a home loss in overtime to the 49ers (6-4) in Week 5 to remain in a tie for first with Seattle in the NFC West.

Stafford and the passing game have been a big reason for the success as he leads the NFL with 25 touchdown passes and has 20 TD passes with no interceptions in the past six games.

LIONS 44, COMMANDERS 22: In Landover, Maryland, Dan Campbell’s Detroit Lions do not lose consecutive games, so as the head coach seemingly took over play-calling Sunday, Jared Goff threw three TD passes and Jahmyr Gibbs found the end zone three times in a bounce-back win over Washington in front of President Donald Trump.

With Trump watching from a suite after arriving late in the first half — making him the first sitting U.S. president at a regular-season NFL game since 1978, and just the third ever — the Lions (6-3) scored the first 22 points and never looked back.

Packers to face off with Eagles in playoff rematch from last season

BY STEVE MEGARGEE

AP sportswriter

GREEN BAY, Wis. The Green Bay Packers’ playoff loss to the Philadelphia Eagles last season offered a stark reminder of how far they must go to catch up with the NFL’s top teams.

Ten months later, the Packers will get an indication of how far they’ve come since.

Green Bay hosts Philadelphia on Monday night after losing to the eventual Super Bowl champion Eagles twicelastseason.ThePackersopened their 2024 campaign with a 34-29 loss to the Eagles in Brazil before falling to them 22-10 at Philadelphia in an NFC wild-card playoff game

“Obviously, two losses against them last year, so it’s going to be a test,” quarterback Jordan Love said. “We know that.”

Both teams are on pace to return to the playoffs

The Packers (5-2-1) gained star power since that postseason loss by acquiring defensive end Micah Parsons from the Dallas Cowboys shortly before the season. Green Bay leads the NFC North but has endured surprising losses to the Cleveland Browns and Carolina Panthers.

“I think they play hard,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said. “They play with good fundamentals. They have good schemes with good, talented players. A lot of respect. A lot of good players throughout every layer of their defense, a lot of good players through every layer of their offense and special teams.”

Philadelphia (6-2) owns a commanding lead in the NFC East and shares the conference’s best record with Tampa Bay, Seattle and the Los Angeles Rams.

With such a crowd of teams at the top of the NFC standings, this game could help determine playoff positioning. For the Packers, it’s also a measuring stick.

“That’s exactly what it is,” Packers defensive lineman Colby Wooden said. “It’s a new opp. That’s all you can ask for is an opportunity They’re the defending champs.” Eagles’ new faces

The Eagles were busy around the trade deadline and added some

key pieces, including edge rusher

Jaelan Phillips from Miami.

They also landed two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Jaire Alexander from Baltimore. Alexander played seven years with the Packers before his stint with the Ravens this season.

The trio of bye-week trades started with the acquisition of nickel cornerback Michael Carter II from the New York Jets. Brandon Graham also returned to the Eagles after the 37-year-old defensive end concluded his brief retirement. Graham has 76 1/2 career sacks to rank third in team history

Tush push drama

Green Bay was the team that proposed a ban on the tush push that the Eagles have used so effectively in short-yardage situations for years. A ban on offensive players pushing, pulling, lifting, grasping or encircling a runner was supported by a 22-10 vote — two votes short of the three-quarters majority required under league bylaws.

“The key to defending it (is) don’t let them get third-and-short, obviously,” Wooden said.

Losing Kraft

The Packers will be playing their

first full game since losing star tight end Tucker Kraft to a torn anterior cruciate ligament. Kraft had 32 catches for a team-high 489 receiving yards and six touchdowns. Luke Musgrave is likely to take over as the first-string tight end.

The Packers took Musgrave in the second round and Kraft in the third round of the 2023 NFL draft.

Count on Brown

A.J.

SAINTS 17, PANTHERS 7

BY THE NUMBERS

Jordan notches 125th career sack

exactly where I’m at.”

Neal 4-22, Hill 7-20, Shough 4-(minus 3). Carolina, Dowdle 18-53, Hubbard 3-14, Young 2-6. PASSING—New Orleans, Shough 19-27-0282, Hill 0-1-0-0. Carolina, Young 17-25-1124. RECEIVING—New Orleans, Olave 5-104, Johnson 4-92, Kamara 3-32, Neal 3-9, Moreau 2-16, Vele 1-15, Mitchell-Paden

1-14. Carolina, McMillan 5-60, Sanders 5-32, Coker 3-21, Dowdle 3-10, Hubbard 1-1.

PUNT RETURNS—New Orleans, Pettis 2-8. Carolina, Etienne 2-15.

KICKOFF RETURNS—New Orleans, Pettis

1-31. Carolina, Hubbard 3-78, Etienne 1-30.

TACKLES-ASSISTS-SACKS—New Orleans, McKinstry 4-2-0, Taylor 4-1-0, Werner 3-3-0, Riley 3-0-0, D.Davis 2-5-0, Bresee 2-2-0, Jordan 2-0-1, Shepherd 2-0-1, Reid 1-4-0, C.Young 1-2-0, Stutsman 1-1-0, Granderson 1-0-0, Godchaux 0-2-0, Sanker 0-2-0, Stalbird 0-2-0, Bullard 0-1-0. Carolina, Moehrig

6-1-0, Smith-Wade 6-0-0, Scott 4-2-0, D.Brown 3-6-0, Wallace 3-1-1, Wharton 2-50, Wonnum 2-4-0, Scourton 2-2-1, Robinson

2-2-0, Rozeboom 2-2-0, Ja.Horn 2-1-0, Umanmielen 2-1-0, Cherelus 1-2-0, Ransom 1-1-0, M.Jackson 1-0-0, Gipson 0-1-0. INTERCEPTIONS—New Orleans, Taylor 1-11. Carolina, None. MISSED FIELD GOALS—Carolina, Fitzgerald

48. OFFICIALS—Referee Brad Allen, Ump Marcus Woods, HL Sarah Thomas, LJ Walter Flowers, FJ Rick Patterson, SJ Chad Hill, BJ Tyree Walton, Replay Kevin Brown.

SAINTS

Continued from page 1C

second victory of the season — and the team’s first with Shough under center

The Saints now enter the bye week with a 2-8 record, and for the first time all season, the Saints played true complementary football. The defense shut down the league’s hottest running back in Rico Dowdle and forced two turnovers. The offensive line and the Saints’ running backs imposed a physicality upfront that allowed the black and gold to run out the final 7:35 of the game clock

But little mattered more than Shough. He was always going to be the main focus over the back half of the Saints’ season. The Saints have to find out whether he can be a franchise quarterback, or whether they’d be better off using what will likely be a high pick in the draft on another signal-caller

Beating the Panthers (5-5) may not provide a definite answer to that question, but Shough’s outing — 282 yards for two touchdowns on 19-of-27 passing — was impressive, nonetheless.

“Tyler took an awesome step (in his second start),” Moore said.

“He’s been playing well,” Johnson said. “That’s really encouraging.” The most encouraging aspect

BY MATTHEW PARAS AND LUKE JOHNSON Staff writers

CHARLOTTE,N.C. The last time Cam

Jordan was at Bank of America Stadium was one of his darkest days with the New Orleans Saints.

He played a career low 10 snaps and was so frustrated that he was captured wandering almost aimlessly outside the locker room after the game. His team had just lost to the Carolina Panthers, their seventh straight defeat of the season. And coach Dennis Allen was fired the next day

“Top 3 (lowest) moment, sure,”

Jordan said Thursday

His next time at Bank of America Stadium was a different story

Jordan recorded his 125th career sack in Sunday’s game against the Panthers, putting him half a sack behind Pro Football Hall of Famer Dwight Freeney on the all-time list — something Jordan was well-aware of.

“I grew up idolizing the spin move guy, so I really wanted that next one,” Jordan said. “I know

of Shough’s performance might have been what he was able to do on third down — an area that had been a lost cause for the Saints for most of this season, particularly outside short-yardage situations Against Carolina, Shough went 7 of 10 for 201 yards on third down with both of his touchdowns. He converted even on plays that appeared dead on arrival, such as when he danced around the oncoming pass rush to find Johnson for a 52-yard strike on New Orleans’ opening drive Shough’s willingness to push the ball downfield helped the Saints offset what the team lost days earlier at the NFL trade deadline. By sending wide receiver Rashid Shaheed to the Seattle Seahawks and guard Trevor Penning to the Los Angeles Chargers, one of the more pressing questions regarding the Saints is whether the moves would hurt the quarterback’s chances to develop.

But the Saints felt confident they had enough talent to get a fair evaluation of Shough — and that looked to be the case Sunday It helps, for instance, to still have Chris Olave With 9:21 left in the second quarter, Shough saw a streaking Olave in one-on-one coverage against cornerback Jaycee Horn down the sideline and ripped off a pass that traveled 55.6 yards through the air Olave outmus-

Jordan’s sack — his third-and-ahalf of the year — Sunday came with 5:32 left in the first half. The 36-year-old beat Panthers left tackle Ikem Ekwonu on an inside move to get a clean hit on quarterback Bryce Young The play resulted in a 9-yard loss for Carolina.

The hit was part of a strong overall performance from the Saints’ defensive line. New Orleans had two sacks and sped up Carolina’s offense throughout the game.

Jordan began the season as a main part of the Saints’ defense, but he’s been relegated to a more rotational role since Chase Young returned from a calf injury in Week 6. Even then, the 15-year vet has found ways to contribute — with his sack on BryceYoung being the latest example. It was also his first sack since New Orleans’ Week 4 loss to Buffalo.

Blocked kick explained

For a moment, the Saints looked like they’d made a huge play to preserve a 10-7 lead when Nathan Shepherd got his hand on a 48-yard field goal attempt with 6:29 remaining in the third quarter

Then the officiating crew reviewed what happened after the block during the ensuing com-

cled Horn to complete the catch — proceeding to take it to the house for a 62-yard score to give the Saints a 10-7 lead, their first in a game since Week 6. The touchdown was rewarding for Olave who suffered a season-ending concussion just a year ago on this field but it also said a lot about Shough.

Not only did the throw demonstrate Shough’s aggression, but it also showed what he could do

mercial break. They saw Jordan attempt to fall on the ball and not maintain possession beyond the line of scrimmage, and they saw the Panthers recover and they determined the Panthers retained possession upon the recovery

Speaking to a pool reporter after the game, NFL vice president of instant replay Mark Butterworth explained the ruling.

“The ruling on the field was a failed fourth down,” Butterworth said. “We go back and doublecheck everything. (Jordan) touches the ball past the line of scrimmage, and once the defense touches a blocked kick past the line of scrimmage, the ball becomes live after he touches it.

“When it becomes live, whoever recovers it, it’s a first and 10.”

The failed recovery ultimately didn’t matter: Four plays later, Carolina fumbled the ball on an end-around, and Saints linebacker Pete Werner recovered.

After the game, Jordan owned up to the mistake.

“I didn’t know where the ball was,” Jordan said “First instinct is to secure the ball, and then I was skidding on the turf. You’re supposed to get out of the way, but the reaction made me head towards the ball.”

with a clean pocket.

For most of the afternoon, Shough was under duress and navigated hectic pockets with the Saints deploying three backup offensive linemen. The rookie quarterback slipped and weaved his way through traffic, taking only two sacks.

In a way however Shough’s ability to handle Carolina’s pressure was also a sign of growth.

In training camp, the 26-yearold looked a step slow when tasked with diagnosing blitzes. While that could be expected of most rookies, it was one of the reasons that Shough wasn’t named the starter out of the gate with Spencer Rattler winning the summer’s quarterback competition.

But over the course of the season, Shough improved — and his coaches and teammates saw it. Each week on the scout team, Shough would be asked to handle the planned blitzes and pressures that defensive coordinator Brandon Staley would scheme up for the upcoming game. And although Shough wasn’t running New Orleans’ exact playbook in this setting, the chaos created on these plays made Shough comfortable facing the speed of an NFL pass rush.

“I’ve been watching him closely, trying to see what type of quarterback he is,” Olave said. “He excels in the scramble drill.” Added Johnson: “People don’t re-

Welcome to Fines

The hit that left Saints rookie quarterback Tyler Shough needing therapeutic needles to ease the pain in his jaw last week resulted in a hefty fine for Los Angeles Rams pass rusher Byron Young

The NFL fined Young $8,417 for the hit, in which the crown of his helmet connected with Shough’s jawline. Young recorded a sack on the play, but was penalized for unnecessary roughness, prolonging a drive that would ultimately end in a Shough touchdown pass. Officially, the fine was for a “blow to the head/neck.” After the game, Shough laughed the play off, describing it as his “welcome to the NFL moment.” Odds and ends

Tight end Jack Stoll was not active for Sunday’s game, the only one of the Saints’ five questionable players not to suit up. With Stoll out, Zaire Mitchell-Paden made his Saints debut After two straight weeks of winning the coin toss and receiving the opening kick, the Saints won the toss and deferred this week Veteran Dante Pettis handled punt and kick return duties after the team traded Rashid Shaheed to Seattle this week.

alize how athletic he is.”

It was encouraging for the Saints that Shough seemed to take lessons from his first start, a beatdown against the Los Angeles Rams just one week ago. And unlike last week, the quarterback also received considerable support from his teammates.

The defense never appeared to get fazed, even when the unit seemed headed for another long day after Demario Davis’ interception was wiped out by a penalty and Carolina went on to score on its opening drive.

The Saints always responded. There was Pete Werner’s fumble recovery, just two plays after officials ruled the Panthers recovered a blocked field goal that New Orleans accidentally touched once the ball hit the ground. There was cornerback Alontae Taylor’s interception, which set up Shough’s pivotal, game-sealing drive.

Afterward, Shough nodded his head when it was pointed out that he was the Saints’ first rookie quarterback to win a start since 1981.

“I think it was Archie (Manning), right?” Shough said.

It was actually Dave Wilson, reporters corrected quickly But it’s OK if Shough doesn’t know the exact history of the Saints. As long as he keeps this up, he’ll be around long enough to learn.

Email Matthew Paras at matt. paras@theadvocate.com

SAINTS 17,PANTHERS7

THREEAND OUT: JEFF DUNCAN’S

1

TYLER SHOUGH LOOKED LIKE QB1

In his second startsince taking over for Spencer Rattler,Shough commanded the office with poise and command, while completing 19 of 27 passes for 282 yards and twotouchdowns.His passerrating was anifty 128.9. Most of all, he injected some muchneeded juice into the passing attack by connecting with Chris Olave,Juwan Johnson and AlvinKamara forbig-play passes of 61, 52 and 26 yards,respectively. He added a30-yard touchdown pass to Johnson that essentially sealed the outcome. Shough also showed moxie. On the big completion to Johnson, he eluded pressure and kept his eyes downfield to find thetight end forabig gain.

THEDEFENSE DOMINATED

2

In their most dominant overall performance of the season, the Saints held the Panthers to season lows of 175 yardsand 7points. Carolina averaged just 3.5 yardsaplayand converted only 3of9 third downs.The Saints heldBryce young to 124 passing yardsand shut down the Panthers’ vaunted running game, holding Carolina to 73 yardson32carries.Theyonly surrendered one runofmore than 10 yards, a13-yarder by Rico Dowdle early in the game. It was atotal team effort, led by Demario Davis (seventackles, pass defensed and an overturnedinterception) and Alontae Taylor (interception, pass defensed and tackle for loss).

3

NOTICEABLE ENERGY,EFFORT

The Saints entered the game witha fourgame losing streak, and theylooked and playedlikea desperate team.After falling into an early 7-0hole, the Saints playedinspired football and stormedback to takea10-7halftime lead, only their second lead at the intermission this season. The momentum carried over to the second half as the Saints dominated playonboth sides of the balland playedwith an energyand enthusiasm that was evident in their bodylanguage. The Saints were the hungrier team on Sunday, and theysure played likeit.

‘WEPLAYEDTOGETHER’

With win, Saints provethey’re stilla proud defense

BY LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer

CHARLOTTE, N.C. Here was an interestingdevelopment for ateamthat has spent most of the last two monthstrying and failing to win footballgames: The New Orleans Saints played witha sense of togetherness at the exacttime everyone expected them to fall apart It was earlier in the week when the Saints shipped off two of their starting players at the trade deadline. They entered Sunday’sgame with a1-8 record, with the last three losses making them look like ateam closetofalling apart. And then they aligned as one andpunched an ascending Carolina Panthers team in the mouth.

Carolina mustered just 175 net yards against the Saints defense.Running back Rico Dowdle, who’drushedfor more than650 yards in the previous five games, managed just 53 yards and 2.9 yards per carry against New Orleans. With the run game shut down, Bryce Young looked flustered against the Saints rush.

“We’ve been talkingabout it and it came to fruition today: We played together,” said safety Justin Reid. “We played disciplined football. Guys stayed in their gap; it wasgap sound, and we trusted each other.Guys played fast.” The performance against the run wasespecially impressive.Dowdle had come into Sunday’scontest having rushed for 206, 183and 130 yards in recent weeks, and he looked like he might be on track for another big performance early.Hepunctuated the Panthers’ opening drive witha 5-yard touchdown run, then opened the ensuing Panthers drivewith a14-yarder Hislongest run after that went for just4yards.

“Great player; you look athis film, he’smakingexplosives allover the tape,” said Saints defensive lineman Nathan Shepherd. “Wejust kind of told ourselves as adefense, hey,not one of us can go stop him, butwe’ve got to stop him with all 11.” With the run game snuffedout, the Saints zeroed their sights in on Young. The former No. 1pick found very lit-

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOByJACOB KUPFERMAN Saints cornerback Alontae Taylor, right, celebrates intercepting apass intended for Carolina Panthers wide receiverTetairoa McMillan during the second half Sunday in Charlotte, N.C.

tle room to breathe againstthe Saints, who brought consistent pressure and stayed glued to the Carolina pass catchers in theback end.

All11were consistently doing their job, even when theywere getting in their own way.New Orleans committed severalpenalties that nullified third-down stops, including one roughing penalty on Reid that negated aDemario Davis interception. Those types of miscues have sunk this Saints team at times thisseason, but not Sunday The buy-in came from everyone, including (and maybe especially) from those who weren’tsurethey’d be there.

AlontaeTaylorstood behind alectern at BankofAmerica Stadium and acknowledged the truth: Earlier this week, he had no idea wherehe’d be playing onSunday It comes with the territory fora talentedyoung player on an expiring contract whoisplaying for ateam that had won just one of its first nine games. He woke up on Tuesday morn-

ing as aSaint, but as the day stretched toward the 3p.m.trade deadline, he had several conversations with his agent about the possibility that another team would trade for him. No deal was struck. Taylorremained with theSaints, then playeda central role in the club’sbestdefensive performance of theseason.

“I enjoy this group, Ienjoy this team. Iknowwe’re in arough patch right now,but Ilove going to work with these guys,”Taylor said. “I’m glad to be here, super excited tofinish out this season.”

Taylor picked off apassand contributed toanother turnover.Hemade five tacklesand atacklefor loss, andhe got intoYoung’shead when he showed pressureoff theedge. “Bigtime,” Reidsaid. “Just ahuge performance by him. And he’s capable of doing thatevery week. That’s the type of player he is. I’msoproud of him that he was able to shine like that, and when we come back from this bye week, the first thing I’m going to tell

him is we need moreofit.”

Remember the season opener last year, when Taylor sacked Youngthree times in ablowout Saints win? That memory mayhave lingered when Young saw Taylor walk up to the line of scrimmage with 13 minutesleft, the Saints leading 10-7.

But instead of blitzing, Taylor quickly dropped back into the flat. Young either didn’tsee him or made apoor decision. Either way,Taylor made an easy interception,setting up theoffense’sfinal touchdown drive of the game.

“I made alittle bold move myself going super close to the line of scrimmage, but Iknew what my job was and trusted everybody else around me,” Taylor said.

That was the name of this game for theSaints this Sunday:Whenthe world thinks you’refalling apart,show them howmuchyou trust theguys next to you.

“Everybodywas doingtheir job… and when you do that good things happen,” Taylor said.

The last time the New Orleans Saints made the trip to Charlotte, they lost their head coach This time, they have found their quarterback. All the talk of the Saints tanking this season and selecting another quarterback in April was likely put to rest Sunday at Bank of America Stadium. The Tyler Shough-Spencer Rattler debatesare over now, too. Shough, in his second NFL start, showed why he is the guy Kellen Moore coveted with the 40th draft pick in April

Rod Walker

Yes, Iknow what you’re thinking. “Slow your roll. It’sjust onegame.” But Shough displayed everything you need to see in the Saints’ 17-7 victory over the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. Big arm. Check. Poise under pressure. Check Accuracy Check. (See the throw of him threading the needle on adartto Devaughn Vele.)

Decision making. Check (See him not taking asafety and throwing the ball at the feet of Devin Neal when trapped in the end zone.)

This time aweek ago, there were still some questions. Shoughwas

averageatbest in his debut against theLos Angeles Rams.But one thing we knew after that game was that Shough wouldn’t see adefense as goodasthe Rams the rest of the season. Last week, Kellen Moore threw Shough into thedeep end of the pool against one of the NFL’s best defenses. That mostcertainly madethings easier for Shough when thewater was abit shallower.The Panthers (5-5) aren’tthe Rams,but they aren’t pushovers either.Just aweek ago, Carolina went to Lambeau Field and beat the Packers Shough completed 19 of 27 passes for 282yards andapair of touchdowns. He did his bestwork on third downs, hitting on 7of10passes for 201 yards and both touchdowns. Shough was sacked twice, including the first timehedropped back to pass. But it wasthe sack that he avoided on the very next play that really set the tone. Shough eluded a sack and found Juwan Johnson for a 52-yard completion to get hisbig day started. He also connected on a62yard touchdownpass to Chris Olave.

“He’sahelluva player,” said Olave. No rookie quarterback since Dave Wilson in 1981 had won agame for

theSaints. He’ll get plentymore chances to win more. He might not have to wait long, with theback half of the Saints’ schedule alot lighter than the front half. Teams like the up-and-down Atlanta Falcons and the struggling New York Jets, MiamiDolphins and Tennessee Titansare on the schedule after the upcoming bye week. It seems fitting that the Saints got someanswers about their futureon thesame field they closed the book on their past. This time ayear ago, the Saints lost to thePanthers at BankofAmerica Stadium and fired Dennis Allen the very next day.Itwas thestartofthe team hittingthe reset button.They hired Moore in theoffseason, and Moore, in turn, drafted Shough.

On Sunday,Moore and Shough became the first rookie quarterback and first-year coach duo to win agame in franchise history

While Shough’sdecision-making Sunday was solid, there were times when his coach’sdecisions were not Tengames into the season, and it’s still hard to tell at times if Mooreis conservative or ariverboat gambler He goes for it on fourth down when you thinkheshouldn’t, and other times he doesn’tgofor it when you

think he should. But it didn’tmatter on aday when the Saints (2-8) were solid in all three phases of the game and snapped asix-gameroad losing streak.

“Itwas agreat feeling in the locker room with everybody dancing and having fun,” Shough said. “For me, it’sjust been so funlearning every day,each weekthe formula forsuccess.”

Shough’stime cameabit sooner than expected. The best guess here was that Moore would wait until after next week’s bye to start Shough. Moore decided not to wait any longer after Rattler struggled to move the offense in Week 8against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. At the time, most people (me included) figured the Saints would use the final nine games of the season to evaluate whether Shough is their quarterback of the future. Turns out, it maynot take that long to make that determination at all.

Sunday told us what we need to know

Ateam that has been trying to solidify its quarterback position ever since Drew Brees stepped out of the building mayhave finally found their guy Email RodWalkerat rwalker@theadvocate.com.

Rummel-Holy Cross rematch set in select playoffs

Karr, St. Aug, Curtis have byes

BY CHRISTOPHER DABE Staff writer

The first round of the LHSAA Division I select playoffs will include an all-Catholic League matchup for the second year in a row

One year after John Curtis ousted Brother Martin in the opening round, No. 11 Rummel (6-4) will host No. 22 Holy Cross (4-6) in the first playoff matchup between the schools, set for 7 p.m. Friday at The Shrine on Airline. Rummel most recently defeated Holy Cross 24-3 in their Week 8 matchup at Tad Gormley Stadium, and the win upped Rummel’s series lead to 41-15.

Although Rummel has largely dominated the series since it began in 1966, Holy Cross won recent matchups in 2021 and 2023.

The winner will advance to face No. 6 Tioga (8-2) in the second round, and the winner there could advance to face No 3 St. Augustine (9-1) in a quarterfinal.

St. Aug, with its highest playoff seed since 2013, has a bye and will face the winner between No 14 Acadiana (7-3) and No. 19 Carencro (6-4) in the second round

Other District 9-5A schools with byes are No 1 Edna Karr (10-0) and No. 7 John Curtis (7-2) Reigning state champion Karr with a 23-game winning streak — will face the winner between No 16 McDonogh 35 (7-3) and No 17 Jesuit (5-5). Karr has shutouts against both of those schools this season: 63-0 vs. McDonogh 35 and 41-0 vs. Jesuit.

John Curtis will face the winner between No. 10 St. Thomas More (7-3) and No. 23 Lafayette (6-4) In the first round, No. 12 Brother Martin (6-4) will play host to No. 21 Liberty (6-4) with the winner ad-

on

and No. 12 Kennedy (6-4) against No. 21 Douglass (5-4).

New Orleans area pairings

Division I select No. 1 Edna Karr (10-0), bye No. 3 St. Augustine (9-1), bye No. 7 John Curtis (7-2), bye No 17 Jesuit (5-5) at No 16 McDonogh 35 (7-3) No. 18 Bonnabel (7-3) at No. 15

Riverdale (8-2)

Oct. 26, 2024. The teams will meet in the first round of the playoffs on Friday.

vancing to face No. 5 Alexandria (8-2), last season’s state runner-up. Warren Easton (3-7) did not qualify for the playoffs.

Byes for St. Charles, Shaw

St. Charles (9-1) is a No. 1 seed in Division II select

The Comets had their streak of five consecutive trips to the state finals snapped last season with a second-round loss as a No. 12 seed against Madison Prep.

St. Charles has a bye into the second round and will face the winner between No. 16 L.B. Landry (5-5) and No. 17 Northside (5-5), with No. 8 E.D. White (7-3) as a potential

quarterfinal opponent.

Reigning Division II select state champion Shaw (6-4) is the No 7 seed and has a bye to face the winner between No. 10 Haynes Academy (6-4) and No. 23 Abramson (6-4).

Extra points

• No 15 Riverdale (8-2) and No 18 Bonnabel (7-3) will meet for the second week in a row after Bonnabel won 34-12 in a Week 10 matchup that gave the winner the outright District 10-5A championship.

• In Division III select, No 4 Newman (6-2) has a bye and will

await the winner between No. 13 Holy Savior Menard and No. 20

Thomas Jefferson. No. 11 Country Day (6-4) will open the playoffs at home this week against No. 22 Beekman Charter No. 18 De La Salle (4-6) will play on the road against No. 15 Episcopal.

• In Division IV select, No. 2 Riverside (8-1) seeks a return to the state finals after the Rebels were a state runner-up in 2023. Riverside will face the winner between No. 15 St. Martin’s and No. 18 Delta Charter in the second round.

• Two all-local matchups in Division II select are No. 11 Carver (63) against No. 22 Livingston (4-6)

Four area teams get high seeds in nonselect playo

BY CHRISTOPHER DABE Staff writer

Destrehan, Belle Chasse, Lakeshore and South Plaquemines all could have home games through the quarterfinal rounds of the nonselect playoffs.

The release of the LHSAA playoff brackets on Sunday showed each of those schools with a top 4 seeding in their respective playoff brackets, giving each a bye into the second round. But none was a top 2 seed, which would have assured it of a home semifinal game if it advanced that far into the playoffs.

Destrehan has the No. 3 seed in the Division I nonselect playoff bracket, the same seeding the Wildcats held when they won the state title in 2022.

Destrehan is entering the playoffs with a seven-game winning streak following losses to CatholicBaton Rouge and Alexandria.

The Wildcats will wait to face the winner between No. 14 Ouachita Parish and No. 19 St. Amant in the second round. Also in Destrehan’s quadrant of the bracket is No. 11 Hahnville, which will open the playoffs at home against No. 22 Slidell.

The Division II nonselect brack-

South Plaquemines celebrates its win over Haynesville in the Division IV non-select championship game at the Caesars

on

South Plaquemines has a first-round bye and will face West St. Mary or Basile in the next round.

et has Belle Chasse at No. 3 and Lakeshore at No. 4. Belle Chasse will wait to face the winner between No. 14 Pearl River and No. 19 Opelousas. Meanwhile, Lakeshore — which lost by one point to eventual state runner-up Franklinton in a quarterfinal last season — will wait to

face the winner between No. 13

Cecilia and No. 20 Carroll.

South Plaquemines, the reigning state champion in Division IV nonselect, is the No. 3 seed and will wait to face the winner between No. 14 West St. Mary and No. 19 Basile.

Haynesville, the runner-up to

South Plaquemines last season, is again the No. 1 seed, just as it was a year ago.

New Orleans area pairings

Division I nonselect No. 3 Destrehan (8-2), bye No. 18 Mandeville (6-4) at No. 15

Thibodaux (8-2) No. 20 Salmen (6-4) at No. 13

Zachary (6-3) No. 22 Slidell (6-4) at No. 11

Hahnville (8-2) No 27 Covington (6-4) at No 6

Contact Christopher Dabe at cdabe@theadvocate.com

Norris wins F1’s Brazilian Grand Prix to extend his lead with 3 races left

BY MAURICIO SAVARESE AP sportswriter

SAO PAULO McLaren driver Lando Norris significantly extended his lead in the F1 championship after winning the Brazilian Grand Prix on Sunday, with his main rival and teammate Oscar Piastri receiving a 10-second penalty and again failing to make the podium. Norris, who also won Saturday’s sprint race and started from pole position, earned his first win at Interlagos with Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen second and third, respectively. Norris, who also won the Mexican Grand Prix on Oct. 26, now has 390 points in the standings, with Piastri’s fifth place leaving him 24 points behind on 366 with three more races to go. Norris had led the Australian by one point at the start of the weekend and increased that lead to nine points after the sprint race.

At a press conference after the race, Norris said that he doesn’t feel he is now in a commanding position to win the title, calling it “just another weekend trying to win, get

the most points I could.” Piastri has struggled lately; he is now winless in six races and has not reached the podium since Monza in Italy two months ago when he finished third.

Four-time world champion Verstappen has 341 points in third place overall and has played down his title chances. It was a frustrating weekend for Ferrari drivers. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton both failed to finished the race in Sao Paulo.

“It is a nightmare,” Hamilton told Sky Sports. “It is a flip between the dream of driving for this amazing team and then the nightmare of the results.”

‘Still a long way to go’ Norris won his seventh race of the season, the same number as Piastri. Asked after the race how he managed to bounce back in the championship, Norris replied: Just ignore everyone who talked crap about you.”

He added, “Still a long way to go (in the drivers’ championship), this could change so quickly.” Piastri’s chances were hurt

shortly after lap 8, when he made contact with Antonelli as they fought for second position. Piastri pushed the Mercedes driver into Leclerc, who was forced to retire as a result. Piastri, who started the race in fourth spot, later received his time penalty for causing the collision.

“In my opinion, I had a very clear opportunity in the inside,” said Piastri, who argued he couldn’t have gone anywhere else when the contact took place. “I can’t just disappear.”

The next Grand Prix is in Las Vegas in two weeks’ time. Norris said he is not confident he and McLaren will compete for a win there.

“It was our worst race last year I can’t say I am looking forward to it,” Norris said. The 25-year-old Englishman dedicated his win to Indianapolis 500 winner and Brazilian icon Gil de Ferran, who died in 2023.

“This one was for Gil, one of my mentors This one was for him. I’m sure he’d be very proud of it all,” Norris said. “I was thinking of that while driving. A perfect weekend.”

New era brings salary cap, sort of

BY EDDIE PELLS Associated Press

Imagine an NBA where teams in the Eastern Conference have a salary cap twice as big as those in the West. In college basketball, it’s sort of like that with the added fact that, ultimately, nobody really knows what everyone else is spending.

With schools now allowed to shell out $20.5 million to their players this year, most are doling out the lion’s share to football players and giving whatever’s left to the hoops stars.

Some schools — think St. John’s, Gonzaga and Wichita State — don’t have to worry about football, which could expand their possibilities. Adding uncertainty to the arrangement is how the role of payments above and beyond the $20.5 million that come from third parties impact the competitive and financial balance

The 2025-26 hoops season is the first where we find out how big an impact these tilted salary caps might have on the hardwood. As the completely unpredictable football season has shown who foresaw Indiana, Georgia Tech and Vanderbilt in the top 10 in late October? — anyone who thinks they have the answer to a still-evolving question involving name, image, likeness payments in hoops before the first ball is tipped is fooling themselves.

“The short answer is, it remains to be seen who are going to be the winners and who are going to be the losers in this system,” said Val Ackerman, the commissioner of the Big East, where only UConn plays football.

The ‘real’ salary cap

At some schools where some, or most, of the $20.5 million must be parceled out to football, the concern over basketball teams getting less of that pie doesn’t feel all that palpable. The main reason is because nobody really believes the $20.5 million is the real salary cap. Under terms of the House settlement, schools are allowed to share up to that amount with their players. But it did not do away with the option to provide thirdparty deals outside the school-toplayer payments. Those deals are subject to scrutiny from the College Sports Commission, though there is still uncertainty over what kind of deals it will approve. And though the CSC promised to add a level of transparency to the entire business of paying players, so far, most schools are operating in the dark.

“They deserve to be paid,” Villanova coach Kevin Willard said.

“Do we have the right system? No. We don’t have any system And that’s why you have fans who embrace it and fans who hate it.”

Early on, the CSC tried to take a more restrictive approach to those deals — putting out guidance that third-party deals would not be approved if those parties were set up solely as a way to pay players After the plaintiffs in the House case challenged that, the CSC rewrote the guidance to set a more liberal standard.

“To understand what we need to do, yeah, understand the Big East, they have that advantage,” said Duke coach Jon Scheyer

“Understand other schools, other conferences can make more money and all that. But I don’t spin my wheels on that too much, to be honest, because I think it’s a little bit of a waste of time.”

The best deals

This season rosters are also stacked with players whose deals were finalized before the House settlement, which meant the $20.5 million salary cap didn’t apply, and neither did the CSC’s oversight of the third-party deals.

Some of the more massive deals have gone to BYU recruit AJ Dybantsa, whose reported NIL haul of $5 million to $7 million with the school’s collective is less than the reported $10 million he’s receiving from the sports-merchandise company Fanatics.

Texas Tech’s JT Toppin received a reported $4 million NIL deal to stay with the Red Raiders after his successful sophomore season

The website 247 Sports put out a list of the 10 teams believed to be spending $10 million or more on their basketball rosters. Only one, St. John’s, came from a school that didn’t have football

Pelicans sharpshooter starting to heat up

BY ROD WALKER Staff writer

Trey Murphy knew the shots would start falling.

So he wasn’t really fazed by his rough start to the season.

A night like Saturday would eventually come. Murphy poured in 41 points in a 126-119 loss to the San Antonio Spurs, tying a career-high that he reached both last season and in the 2022-’23 season.

While Murphy would have much rather have had a win to go with it, it’s good to see him get back to the form of a player who has All-Star aspirations. Murphy couldn’t get anything to fall the first four games of the season. He made just 18 of

52 shots, including only 5 of 23 3-pointers. That came with backto-back games where he scored just seven points against the Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets But since then, he’s heated up. He’s made 21 of his last 47 3-pointers (44.7%). He hopes to continue that Monday night when the Pelicans (2-7) play at the Phoenix Suns (5-5).

“I think the biggest thing is just shooting the ball with confidence and getting back into the flow of things,” Murphy said last week. “Law of large numbers. The more of a sample size you get, the more it’s going to go back to where it’s

supposed to be.”

Murphy shot 15-of-22 from the floor Saturday He buried a 38-foot jumper at the end of the third quarter His night also included nine rebounds, one shy of his season-best 10 boards he grabbed in the first game against the Spurs. He’s averaging a career-best 6.7 rebounds per game

“Trey is a fantastic basketball player,” said Pelicans coach Willie Green. “He’s opening up the floor for his teammates. He’s putting a ton of pressure on the defense right now, and those are some of the things that we want him to continue to do.” And his teammates are making things easier for him. Particularly rookie Derik Queen. “Big credit to DQ as well,”

Murphy said. “Me and DQ are starting to find some synergy together He’s a really good player. And he’s going to be really good in this league I feel like me and him complement each other really well.

After Monday’s game against the Suns, the Pelicans return home for a 5-game homestand.

The Pels host the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday They follow that up in the Smoothie King Center with a brutal four-game stretch against the Los Angeles Lakers (Friday), Golden State Warriors (Sunday), Oklahoma City Thunder (Nov 17) and Denver Nuggets (Nov 19).

Email Rod Walker at rwalker@ theadvocate.com.

LSU women hit century mark again in win

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

The LSU women’s basketball team enjoyed one of its best shooting games in program history on Thursday in an 89-point win over Southeastern Louisiana.

And the No 5 Tigers (3-0) still haven’t cooled off.

On Sunday, they defeated Georgia Southern 118-70 on the road in a homecoming game for star senior guard Flau’jae Johnson.

LSU shot 53% from the field and 9 of 20 from 3-point range against the Eagles, and now it’s scored at least 100 points in each of its first three contests.

The Tigers have strung together at least three 100-point outings to start a new year only once before in their NCAA-era history

They hit that mark five straight times to begin the 2022-2023 season, the year in which they took home the program’s first national championship.

The 118 points LSU scored on Sunday is a season-high.

“A lot of people can score the ball,” coach Kim Mulkey said. Mulkey likes to schedule nonconference games in or near her star players’ hometowns. Angel Reese played a game in Baltimore. Aneesah Morrow went back to Chicago. Mikaylah Williams returned home for a contest in Bossier City And now Johnson has played in Statesboro, Georgia, a city about 50 miles west of her hometown of Savannah. She notched 19 points, six assists and four rebounds in Sunday’s game, which doubled as LSU’s third nonconference matchup of the new season — and its third beatdown of an overmatched foe.

“It was more fun,” Johnson said. “Like, it wasn’t any pressure. It just felt like I was right at home.

“So, this was just unbelievable. I was smiling the whole game, even on turnovers. Sometimes I was like, ‘OK, just smile.’”

The Tigers converted nine of their first 11 field-goal attempts to build a 19-4 lead in the first quarter Jada Richard canned a transition 3-pointer from the left wing. Then Kate Koval buried an 18-foot jumper, and MiLaysia Ful-

wiley mixed in three layups, including one after she stole away a possession and started her own fast break.

Fulwiley was one of six LSU players to score in double figures on Sunday She scored 19 points on 9-of-14 shooting. Williams added 15 points, four rebounds and three assists. Koval — a transfer center from Notre Dame scored 12 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, while freshman forward ZaKiyah Johnson chipped in another 17 points. She’s scored at least 11 in all three games. Georgia Southern shot it well from 3-point range. In the first half, the Eagles sank seven of the 19 long-range shots they attempted. The problem, of course, was

that LSU never slowed down on offense.

The Tigers assisted 25 of their 46 field goals, committed only 12 turnovers and took their largest lead of the game (48) in the waning seconds of the fourth quarter

“We’ve got to get better defensively,” Mulkey said. “We gave up too many points, in my opinion. But the third game in, I don’t hesitate to put anybody out there, and that’s one through 12.

“Now, it may change, but if we can do that for a long period of time, I just think you’re gonna develop players that you grow confident in, and it’ll make us better.”

Johnson’s homecoming game officially drew 5,322 fans — the largest crowd in Georgia Southern women’s

LIVING

By

Christopher Rice: ‘I had fun in the French Quarter during the years when Iused to have fun. Ithink there is alot of angst and pain anyyoung person goes through growing up.It’sbetter to do it in NewOrleans, where there’sgood food.’ |

More research needed to determineif cinnamon has health benefits

What role does cinnamon playinlowering the risk of Alzheimer’sdisease?

INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHOR

Chri st ophe rR ic er et ur ns to Ne wO rleans to honorhis famo us mo th er an dr ef le ct on th ep as t

BY POETWOLFE | Staff writer

Onacool Wednesdaymorning, sunlight slipped through thecurtains of ahotel suite in downtown New Orleans, where Christopher Rice was staying for theweek.

Starting with thebroad balcony overlookinghigh-rises and ablue sky,hegave abrief tour ofthe palatial suite before takingaseat at thedining table near apicture window

Black coffee kept arriving in thick-rimmed mugs while two platesofpowderedbeignetswaited nearby.Rice appeared relaxed—dressed in agreen knitpolo and blue jeans, his brown hair gelledtothe side.

It wasone of his fewidle days in the city he grew up in, after his televisionappearancethat morning, beforehe would host acelebration at Orpheum Theatre on AllSaints’ Dayfor his late mother Anne Rice, the New Orleans-born Gothic authorbest knownforher 1976 novel “Interview with theVampire.”

ä See RICE, page 2D

Supernatural experience in N.O. haunts actress

BY MARCOCARTOLANO

Staff writer

Jennifer Lawrence believes in ghosts. The Academy Awardwinning actress known for her roles in “The Hunger Games” series and “Silver Linings Playbook” recounted astrange, supernatural encounter she once had at aNew Orleans hotel on the “Las Culturistas”podcast this week withhosts Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers.

Lawrence

Describing hauntings sheexperienced in both New Orleans and Charlotte, North Carolina, as “really bad,” Lawrence recalled filming her 2022 movie“Causeway” in the CrescentCity Lawrence said she moved three times while filming in New Orleans and eventually landed in ahotel. Lawrence said she was in bed there one day when she heard ahousekeeperenter herroom.

As Lawrence got outfrom under thecovers, thehousekeeper apologized for waking her and left. Lawrence toldYang and Rogers it wasn’tuntil she gotout of bed later that sherealized her door was deadbolted, making it impossible for anyone to enter Lawrence concededtoRogersthat it waspossible shemay have been in andout of sleepat thetime. “I don’tknow, Ijustcomefrom aworld wherewebelievewom-

en,” Lawrence retorted. Theunexplained hotelencounteratthe hotel wasn’tthe first time Lawrence felt the presence of aghost in New Orleans. At one of the houses she would movefrom during the “Causeway” shoot,Lawrence said she was watching TV when the kitchen doorsstarted slamming with no onearound. When she was washing her hair,Lawrence saidshe saw atowel fall from the toilet and lay out perfectly on the floor

Cinnamon is full of antioxidants and has been shown to assist in inflammation in the body,cuts the risk of heart disease, fights bacterial and fungal infections, treats digestion, and can even lower blood sugar In 2013, scientists at the University of California at Santa Barbara released outcomes of their studies on the possibility of cinnamon to prevent Alzheimer’sdisease, concluding that the two compounds found in cinnamon —cinnamaldehyde and epicatechin —has shown somepromising results in preventing the development of the filamentous “tangles” found in the brain cells that characterize the disease. During the process of Alzheimer’sdisease, aprotein madeupof twisted fibers (tangles) called tau form inside dying cells. In healthy brain areas, tau assists in keeping the cell-to-cell transport on course, but in the areas of the brain where tangles are forming, the twisted strands break up this transport system and the nutrients and other essential supplies can no longer move through the cells, and thus, eventually die, leading to Alzheimer’s. Brain tissue in individuals with Alzheimer’sdiseaseisexposedto oxidative stress during the course of the disease. Scientists studiedthe compounds found in cinnamon and in the research found thatitprevented the tauknots fromforming by protecting taufromoxidative stress, an imbalanceinradical production of reactive oxygenand antioxidative defense.Italso hinderedthe tau protein’saccumulation in the brain. The compounds in cinnamon tended to protect the tauprotein by binding cysteine (amino acids) residues

ä See CINNAMON, page 2D

Nominate someone extraordinaryfor the2025

Staff report

Louisiana Inspiredisall aboutshining alight on people and organizations who are working toward solutions in Louisiananeighborhoods,communities, towns, cities and throughout the state —it’swork that takes extra effort by special people,demonstrating the good stuff of the humanspirit. Nominate someone youknow who is making apositive difference in the livesofothersatnola.com/site/forms/ the_inspirit_award by Nov.17. We encourage nominations of people of allages —those who systematically go aboutdoing theirbestto makethe world abetter place. The nomination process focuses on people who are working toward solutions in their workplaces, schools, neighborhoods, communities and state. Be sure to include stories of impact and details of personal stories that inspire change. Award recipients will be announced in December in Louisiana Inspired.

Pain in knee suggests mild MCLinjury

Dear Doctors: Iwas on the couch with my right leg on an ottoman when our black Lab rammed into the inside of my knee. The next day,itreallyhurt to extend or turn my knee. (Notpainfulto the touch, though, which seemed weird.) It felt better in aweek, but Iwant to know what got hurt. Dear reader: Theknee is the largest joint in the body,and it’s one of themost complex. It’sa hinge joint with anetwork of muscles, tendons and ligaments. These connect it to the femur (thigh bone) above, and to the tibia (shin bone)below.Although designed for bending and straighteningthe leg, the anatomyofthe knee also allows for some slight rotation. All of this provides the strength

Dr.Elizabeth Ko

Dr.Eve Glazier ASK THE DOCTORS

and stability needed for all the demandswemakeonthis hardworking jointaswewalk, run, turn, crouch,jump and balance.

From yourdescription of the event, it soundslike you sustained amild injury to the medial collateral ligament, or MCL. This is theband of tough,fibrous tissue that anchors the femur and the

tibia to theinner,ormedial, side of the knee joint. This type of soft tissue injury can happen when you get hit on the inner part of the knee while your leg is extended. It can also occur when your foot is planted on the ground, which is why this is afairly common injury in sports suchassoccer, football and rugby Force to themedial side of the knee can also cause other injuries. Abump to theknee could affect the other threemajor ligaments, the four major tendons in the joint,the cartilage within the knee capsule, or the articular cartilage thatcoatsthe ends of the bones, the shin and the thigh. Repetitive impact can inflamethe bursa within the knee. Bursa are small,

No,really: Please don’tbring anything

Dear Miss Manners: How does one diplomatically, yet adamantly,state that guests should not bring a dish to supplement your holiday event?

I’m frequently asked, “What can Ibring?” Ialways reply,“Your good cheer and appetite, please!” Inevitably, friends will show up with their awardwinning dish and promptly put it on the serving line. Unfortunately,there is the potential that their contribution is tainted —and being the host, the unfortunate results are on me. The well-being of my guests is essential.

responsible for murder.It is quiteenough that it is your house, and you do not want to share the hostly duty of providing the dinner

RICE

fluid-filled sacs that act as across between cushions and shock absorbers. Bone bruises and strained or torn muscles are also possible. In your case, because your thigh was supported by the couch, it stayedfairly still in this incident. But the bump fromthe dog —and Labradorsare pretty solid —was forceful enough to shift the lower leg out of alignment for an instant. Ligaments, which provide stability, have limited elasticity.That sudden collision likely overstretched the MCL, causing your injury.Your recovery time of aweek suggests amild strain. This is when the ligament itself remains intact, but the tissue develops microscopic tears. It can causethe type of pain and limited

range of motion you described. The pain is asignal that the tissues need time to heal. Treatment for amild strain begins with resting and elevating the joint. In the past, icing wasadvised. Newer thinking suggests this practice mayslow healing. Anti-inflammatory medications can help manage the pain. Due to the complexity of the knee, it’sagood idea to get a medical assessment of an injury even when the injury is mild.

Sendyour questions to askthedoctors@mednet.ucla. edu, or write: Ask theDoctors c/oUCLA HealthSciences Media Relations, 10880 Wilshire Blvd.,Suite1450, Los Angeles, CA, 90024.

Continuedfrom page1D

to forgo respect in the vain hope of being taken for younger

Butasyour mild little response is ignored, MissManners will have to provide you with something clearer: “Thank you, but I am doing the entire dinner,and Ican’t serve anything else.” Or:“Please don’t. I appreciatethe offer,but it would only go to waste.”

Gentle reader: The idea that private dinner parties are always done cooperatively has now become so firmly ingrained in the American mind that it has taken on a whether-the-hosts-like-itor-not urgency

And this goes double on holidays, when cooperative meals are so common that no one believes in an exception. That there are hosts who prefer to provide all the refreshments —orare infuriatedtohave others messing in their kitchens—isdismissed as insincere politeness.

To justify stopping this, you needn’tresorttoinvoking that dreadful scenario in which guests bring lethal treats and you are left

By The Associated Press

Today is Monday,Nov.10, the 314th day of 2025.There are 51 days left in the year

Todayinhistory: On Nov.10, 1898, amob of up to 2,000 White supremacistskilled dozens of African Americans in Wilmington, North Carolina, burned Black-owned businesses and forced the mayor,police chiefand aldermen to resign at gunpoint before installing their own mayor and city council in what became known as the “Wilmington Coup.” Also on this date: In 1775, the U.S. Marines were organized under authority of the Continental Congress. In 1954, the U.S. Marine

CINNAMON

Continued from page1D

which can ensure proper functioning of the protein.In other words, the cinnamon is apowerful antioxidant which helps neutralize cellular processes and prevents oxidation in the brain. More researchneeds to be done regarding the use of cinnamon and Alzheimer’sdisease risk and prevention; however, because of its many evidence-based health benefits, cinnamon itself is notatreatment for Alzheimer’sdisease. Most

Onemore option: “I’m sorry,but the chef absolutely forbids any contributions to the meal.” This last one isthe strongest because chefs seem to hold the last positions that are still able to command authority Never mind that, in this case, you happen tobethe chef.

Dear Miss Manners: Icame across this statement on a social media page: “I hate being called ‘ma’am.’ Some people think it is respectful, but it is NOT; it is ignorance speaking. Iknow theydon’tknow any better, but Ihave little tolerance for it.”

Itruly did think thatusing “ma’am”was ashow of respect.Have Ibeen wrong all these years? Why is it impolite?

Gentlereader: It is respectful. But some people want

TODAYINHISTORY

CorpsMemorial, depicting theraisingofthe American flagonIwo Jima in 1945, was dedicated byPresident DwightD Eisenhower in Arlington, Virginia. In 1969, the children’s educational program“Sesame Street”madeits debut on National Educational Television (now PBS). In 1975, theGreat Lakes freighter SS Edmund Fitzgeraldsank in asevere storm on Lake Superior, claimingthe lives of all 29 crew members. In 2021, Kyle Rittenhouse took thestand in his murder trial, testifying that he was under attack andactinginself-defense when he shotand killed twomen andwounded athird duringa turbulent night of

experiments in the studies so far have been conducted in cells grown in thelab so it is unclear if thesame effects will beseen in animal modelsorhumans, or if there will be any impact on thefunction of braincells. Additionally,the levels of cinnamon an individual would have to eat to replicate theresults of many of theexperimentsthathave taken place wouldbetoxic. Yet, it doesn’thurt to incorporate cinnamon in an overall diet plan forits numerous health benefits as it is adeliciousand healthy spice for food andbeverages. Addingcinnamon to

MissManners has noticed that nothing says Crabby OldAge so clearly as indignation at being treated respectfully

Dear Miss Manners: My housemateismale, 73 and retired. He rises in the morning and spends his day in aratty terry cloth bathrobe. He is naked underneath, and the robe is barely closed.

Irefuse to sit down at a table or engage with him looking like this. He says I’m weird and silly.Ithink he’sa pig.

We’ve never been anythingbut casual friends, and while he has acrush on me, thefeeling has never been mutual. Is it just me, or do others think this attireisdisrespectful and disgusting?

Gentlereader: Disgusting is in the eye of the beholder, and as you are the sole beholder,you do not need an aesthetic judgment from Miss Manners —unpleasant as she found thedescription.

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

street protestsinKenosha, Wisconsin. (He would be acquitted of all charges.)

Today’sbirthdays: Lyricist Tim Rice is 81. Country singer Donna Fargo is 80. Film director RolandEmmerich is 70. Actor-comedian Sinbad is 69. Actor Mackenzie Phillipsis66. Author Neil Gaiman is 65. Actor Hugh Bonneville is 62. Actor-comedian Tommy Davidson is 62. Long jump world record holder Mike Powell is 62. Country singer Chris Cagle is 57. Actor-comedian Tracy Morgan is 57. Actor Ellen Pompeo is 56. Rapper-producer Warren Gis55. Actor Walton Goggins is 54. Football Hall of Famer Isaac Bruce is 53. Rapper-actor Eve is 47. Country singer Miranda Lambertis42.

your coffee, or tea, sprinkling it on toast,cereal or oatmeal and shaking it on baked or raw fruit are just somewaystoinclude it in your daily nutrition plan. Cinnamon can also be taken as asupplement,incapsule form (two 500 mg daily are recommended)

Dana Territo is an Alzheimer’s advocate and author of “What My Grandchildren Taught Me About Alzheimer’s Disease.” She hosts“The Memory Whisperer.” Emailher at thememorywhisperer@ gmail.com.

Thecelebration of her life on AllSaints’ Day, Nov.1,took Rice and his longtime collaborator, author Eric Shaw Quinn, about 5years to create— aprocess requiring intricate production work that called for “a different side of thebrain thanthe writer’sbrain,” he said. The two put together what Rice describes as “ananthology of documentaryfilms” that unfoldthe lifeofAnne Rice before and after her fame.

Thefilms trace her early days after moving to Texas, achange that “really broke herheart.She never left New Orleans in her heart,” Rice said. There, shemet his father,poet StanRice, in high school. The two would eventually pack an oldbeat-uptruck and follow theBeat Generation to San Franciscotobecome artists. Once her big break came as anovelist in the 1980s, she returned home to NewOrleans with her husband. These arejustafew chaptersrevealed by the documentaries, with the help of roundtable interviews with people who were close to Anne Rice. Ultimately,the documentary films weave in momentsthat allow her fans to grieve —they couldn’t do so at apublicservice when shedied during the coronavirus pandemicin 2021 —and “to walk away inspired by the storyofher as aperson, as acharacter, as somebody whocould notbetrampledon, who followed her dreams at all costs,” Rice said.

“We’ve put so muchinto it. It is like making amovie, which then releases and putsout intothe world. What do you do next?” he said. “The answer is: alot of what we want to do.”

The last few years of his career haven’tbeen entirely consumed by the celebration. Riceand Quinn regularly produce episodes fortheir true crimepodcast,“The Dinner Party Show.” In 2023, the two helpedsolve a 1990coldcasemurderin Los Angeles. Andjust this month, Rice wasinvitedto interview actressDonna Mills forafeature in Vogue magazine This week,though, his focuscenters on Anne Rice andthe local haunts she loved.One stopis Commander’s Palace sheoncewarnedthe staff abouther mock jazz funeralacross thestreet at Lafayette Cemetery,where she was famously carried in acoffin to abook signing at Garden District Book Shop, another destination on his list. He’salsovisiting Vincent’s ItalianCuisine because “their corn and crabmeat bisque kept her going for years,” he said. Rice’sown relationship withNew Orleans is complex. He hasn’tlived here since 2001, when he permanently moved to Los Angeles Hisfirst10years were in SanFrancisco,until his parentstold him they were spending asummerinNew Orleans— except they hadbought ahouse there and enrolled him in Trinity Episcopal School. Rice quickly realizeditwasn’t

avacation;itwas arelocation. He called the move “an absoluteculturalshock.” At his school in San Francisco, grades weren’tgiven at all to spare feelings, and students linked armsin protests around City Hall. Aprivate school in Uptown felt worlds away “I don’tthink (mymother) mindedmeconnecting with abigger set of points of view out in the world,” Rice said.“Shewas alifelong Democratand aliberal, but she wanted me not to assume that everybody around me felt theway that Idid.” For high school, he transferred to IsidoreNewman School, where he still felt outofplace as acloseted gayteenager andtheater kid at an athletics-obsessed institution. He channeled that angerinto his first novel,“ADensity of Souls,” a NewYork Times-bestseller writtenwhile his mother wasina diabeticcoma. In time, though, he realized just howprivilegedhehad been, he said. He never planned to be anovelist. At BrownUniversity,Riceexpected to conquer the theater department, buthenever got acall back. That rejection fueled hislove forprose. He had writtenscreenplays, but avoidedbooks— he didn’t want to invitecomparisons to his mother.Bythe time he left Brown, his perspective had shifted. Writing novels wassomething he could control completely

“Nobody could tell me not to do it,” Rice said. “They couldn’tstand in between me and the computer.”

His fearofcomparison eventually dissolved. In 2017, he and his mother collaborated forthe first time on their novel called “Ramses the Damned: The Passion of Cleopatra” —a sequel to Anne Rice’sbook “The Mummy or Ramses The Damned.” The two spent 6months working in the desert of Coachella Valley,where she was living at the time. During the writing sessions, Anne Rice would scrawl big notesona sketchpadwhile hersister jogged their memories of the first book. Collaborationwith another writer can feel like acustody battlefor the story.Thatwasn’tthe case forRiceand hismother. She offered two gentle suggestions to him: more hats on characters, considering it wasset in the Victorian era, and no true

villains. After all, her vampirecharacters weremirrors of thehuman condition —conflicted, damned andisolated,despitetheir supernatural nature.

“I don’treally do villains,” she told him.“My whole thing, the world that Icreated, was about going into thepoint of view of the vampire andmaking you relate to them.”

During thepandemic, they began the third novel of the series. Meanwhile, Rice grew intriguedby romancefiction andthe e-book revolution, when authorsweredefying the traditional expectations of publishers.

Mornings were for the Ramses novel; afternoons, when he would normally hitthe gym, became time for aseries of gayromance novels under thepseudonym C. Travis Rice —his “alter ego.” The “Sapphire Cove” series began light, then darkened, tackling addiction and suicide beneath the gloss of aposh Southern California beach resort.

Yearsprior,in2013, he had written “The Heavens Rise” —his “attempt to writealess angry novel aboutNew Orleans” than his debut. That resentment never returned. Growing up, his mother interpreted the city for him —teaching him to admire thepurple sunsets and hum of cicadas.Now he carried his own reverence. Whenstorms approached, especially during Katrina, whenthe places he loved werewashed away,hefelt afierce protectiveness. As morning gave way to noon on Wednesday,his love for New Orleans becamevivid. Over asecond cup of black coffee, he recalled his mother’slegendaryvampire ballsevery Halloween —heand his theater friend singing show tunes till dawninacabaret room.His favorite were the Mardi Gras parties, when her Lower Garden District homebecame arevelry of king cake, flowing beer and plasticbeadsflung against windowsand live oaks. “Wewere very privileged. Igot agreat education,” Rice said. “I had fun in the French Quarter during the years when Iused to have fun. Ithink there is alot of angst and pain any young person goes through growingup. It’s better to do it in NewOrleans, where there’sgood food.”

Email Poet Wolfe at poet. wolfe@theadvocate.com.

sCoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Try not to exhaust yourself or spend too much time on matters you cannot control. Look around you, and you'll recognize opportunities that will help you move forward.

sAGIttARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Review your expenses and initiate changes that will reduce your overhead Do your best to ease stress and to transition to a path that encourages you to put yourself first.

CAPRICoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Look for opportunities that encourage you to use your skills and charm to draw others to see and things your way. Acting on your plans and utilizing your physical attributes and abilities will spark interest.

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb 19) Emotions will surface. Make personal adjustments that increase your happiness. Understanding and compassion are necessary, and words and actions will count for much.

PIsCEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Slow down and take your time; let the dust settle and your temper dissipate. Snap decisions and heated conversations will lead to chaos if you let them. Discipline and patience will be called for

ARIEs (March 21-April 19) With change comes opportunity; a chance to switch positions, earn more, have an investment pay off or achieve financial gains. Now is not the time to neglect meaningful relationships.

tAuRus (April 20-May 20) Take a deep breath and relax. Refuse to let the little things get to you. It's essential to keep your thoughts to yourself if you want to keep the peace. Consider how you can reduce your overhead.

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Talk is cheap, but it can provide you with a good sense of what's doable and what isn't. Follow your heart, your instincts and your passion, and you'll find your happy place.

CAnCER (June 21-July 22) Be straightforward and display your talents. Renegotiate old deals, and you'll come out on top. Do your best not to put yourself in physical jeopardy.

LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Pay attention, be mindful and nurture your home, your loved ones and yourself Make positive changes and learn as you proceed.

VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) Listen carefully, find common ground and do your best to make adjustments that meet demands. Life is too short to let trivial matters ruin your day or your relationships with others.

LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Keep situations in perspective. Getting a change of scenery, meeting a group with whom you share much in common or learning something new can help you rethink what's best for you.

The horoscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact. © 2025 by nEa, inc., dist. By andrews mcmeel syndication

Sudoku

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

Saturday’s PuzzleAnswer

By PHILLIP ALDER

Confucius said, “The superior man, when resting in safety, does not forget thatdangermaycome.Wheninastateof security, he does not forget the possibility of ruin. When all is orderly, he does not forget that disorder may come.”

For someone who died in 479 B.C., he came out with some doozies.

At the bridge table, an expert always wonders about dangers — distributions that might upset his contract. This deal would be misplayed by the unwary, who would assume all will be secure. But how would a careful declarer proceed? South is in four spades. West leads the heart ace, cashes the king and shifts to a low club.

South’s two-club rebid was New Minor Forcing. It promised at least game-invitational values and asked partner to describe his hand further. Here, North bid two spades to show three-card support.

South has two losers outside the trump suit, so he can afford one spade loser but nottwo.Regardless,themathematicians tell us that five missing cards will divide 3-2 a whopping 76.8 percent of the time. So what’s the problem? Win the third trick, play a spade to dummy’s king, and return a spade to the ace and go down one. We forget that a 4-1 split has a probability of 28.3 percent — not a lot short of one time in three. As no doubt you have noticed, on the second round of trumps, South should play his 10. When it wins, he can claim. Butifitlosestothejackorqueen,spades are breaking 3-2 and the contract is safe. © 2025 by nEa, inc., dist. By andrews mcmeel syndication

wuzzles

Each Wuzzle is a word riddle which creates a disguised word, phrase, name, place, saying, etc. For example: nOOn gOOD = gOOD aFTErnOOn

Previous answers:

word game

InstRuCtIons: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four

dIrectIons: make a 2- to 7-letter word from the letters in each row. add points of each word, using scoring directions at right. Finally, 7-letter words get 50-point bonus. “Blanks” used as any letter have no point value. all the words are in the Official sCraBBlE® players Dictionary, 5th Edition.

Saturday’s Puzzle Answer ken ken

InstructIons: 1 Each row and each column must contain the numbers 1 thorugh 4 (easy) or 1 through 6 (challenging) without repeating. 2 The numbers within the heavily outlined boxes, called cages, must combine using the given operation (in any order) to produce the target numbers in the top-left corners. 3 Freebies: Fill in the single-box cages with the number in the top-left corner. HErE is a

WiShinG Well

PUBLIC NOTICE

NOTICE TheLouisiana Depart‐ment of Culture, Recre‐ation& Tourism, Office of StateParks is issuing

Requestfor Information (RFI)tosolicit anyand

projectideas to addor improvecabins, cot‐tages, andother

at anypark within theLouisiana StateParkSystem. The objectives in soliciting informationare to pro‐mote theState Parks mission, achieveproper balanceofpreservation andutilization of State ParksPropertieswhile becoming more finan‐cially self-sustaining, andbetterserve the needsofcitizensand of visitors to Louisiana throughcollaboration utilizingPublicPrivate Partnerships.The RFI packet,which includes a timeline,instructionsfor proposal submission andselection criteria,is available at http://www opportunitiesinlouisiana. com. It mayalsobe picked up between9 a.m. and4 p.m. weekdays at theOffice of StatePark, CapitolAnnex, Third Floor,1051 NorthThird Street,Baton Rouge, LA 70802. WrittenProposals must be received by StateParks at this ad‐dressnolater than 4:00 p.m. CT on Friday,Janu‐ary30, 2026.

Vertical Bridge Develop‐ment,LLC wouldliketo placeonnoticethe pro‐posedconstructionofan installation consisting of a120’ (125’ includingall appurtenances) mono‐pole towerknown as Villerelocated at 29°55’45.4440” northlati‐tude and89°56’58.0560” west longitudenear1910 East St.Bernard High‐way, Chalmette,St. BernardParish, Louisiana 70043. Vertical Bridge De‐velopment,LLC is pub‐lishingthisnoticeinac‐cordance with FCCregu‐lationsimplementingthe National Environmental Policy Actand Section 106 of theNationalHis‐toricPreservationAct (47 CFRPt. 1, Appx.C,§ V.C. and47CFR §1.1307).If youhaveany concerns regardinghistoricprop‐erties that maybeaf‐fected by this proposed undertaking, please re‐spondwithin30daysto: StephanieSperrazza LotisEnvironmental,LLC at Sperrazza@TheLoti sGroup.com or (716) 8639224. In your response please includethe pro‐posedundertaking’s lo‐cation anda list of the historic resourcesthat youbelieve to be af‐fected alongwiththeir respective addressesor approximatelocations 166139-nov10-1t $150.46

Failure to Register/Notifyasa SexOffender.Date Convicted: 12/6/2010. 15:542 -Failure to Register/Notifyasa SexOffender.Date Convicted: 6/16/2016. My Addressis: 4621 JEFFERSON HWY, AptC

GARI YATCO EVANGELISTA, have been convictedof18 USC2422 (b)- Coercion andEnticementofa Minor. Details: CrimeCode: 18 USC 2422 CrimeDesc: Transportation for Enticement of Sexual Activity.State Equivalent:14:81.3Computer Aided SolicitationofaMinor Date Convicted: 7/17/2002. My Addressis: 2500 MANSON AVE, APT204, METAIRIE,LA70001 Race:WHITE Sex: MALE Date of Birth: 10/9/1980 Height:5'6 Weight:180 Hair Color: BLACK EyeColor:BROWN Scars/Tattoos: