The Acadiana Advocate 11-12-2025

UL faculty sound alarm over search

Board could pick new president without input from staff, students, public

BY MEGAN WYATT and ASHLEY WHITE Staff writers

Faculty members of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette are expressing concern over the possibility that the UL system Board of Supervisors could name a new university president this week despite a lack of involvement from faculty staff, students or the public.

The Advocate | The TimesPicayune reported Sunday that Ramesh Kolluru, UL’s vice president for research, innovation and economic development, is the front-runner for the position and a selection could come as soon as Thursday The UL system board has announced a special meeting for Thursday morning at the university, but the agenda has yet to be published.

There has been no formal presidential search process happening at UL, and no public announcement of a search committee or plans on how to hire the new president. In a Monday letter to UL system board Chair Mark Romero and the rest of the board, the UL chapter of the American Association of University Profes-

sors demanded a transparent process for finding the next university president.

“Regardless of who is ultimately selected for the position, the process for identifying the next president of UL Lafayette must be fair and open and must involve the input of faculty, staff, and students,” the letter said.

“To that end, we ask that you

Honoring those who served

direct the Board of Supervisors to form a search committee composed of these constituencies to lead the process of selecting the next president,” the letter added.

“The Board’s own policy on filling Chief Executive vacancies requires appointment of a search committee with ‘a faculty member of the affected institution, selected by the Faculty Senate of the affected institution’ on its membership. This policy and process must be

ceremony.

Vaccination remains crucial for community safety, officials say

BY EMILY WOODRUFF Staff writer

A traveler with measles passed through the New Orleans airport Sunday night, a brief encounter that health officials say poses a low risk for most people. But for those without immunity, such as children too young to be vaccinated or people with health conditions that prevent vaccination, the risk is higher

The Louisiana Department of Health said the individual, an adult from the state’s Region 9 which includes Livingston, St. Helena, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa and Washington parishes — was exposed to measles while traveling internationally

People who were in Concourse B at the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport between 5 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. on Sunday may have been exposed. The patient’s vaccination status is unknown, and they are isolating at home until they are no longer contagious, officials said.

Anyone who was on the same flight or in that section of the airport may have been exposed. Measles can remain in the air for around two hours after an infected person leaves.

People who were on the plane

See MEASLES, page 9A

Ex-coach Kelly files suit against LSU

He claims school now wants to fire him for cause

BY WILSON ALEXANDER Staff writer

Brian Kelly has filed a lawsuit against LSU as he seeks confirmation that the school fired him without cause and that he is owed his full buyout of nearly $54 million, according to a copy of the filing obtained by The Advocate. Kelly’s attorneys said in a petition for declaratory judgment that LSU representatives told them during a call Mon-

ä Scott Rabalais: Kelly’s lawsuit against LSU bodes poorly for school, coaching search. PAGE1C

day he was not “formally terminated” as the football coach on Oct. 26 and the school now seeks to fire him for cause.

“LSU took the position that Coach Kelly had not been formally terminated and informed Coach Kelly’s representatives, for the very first time, that

LSU believed grounds for termination for cause existed,” the lawsuit said. If fired for cause, LSU would not have to pay Kelly his full buyout. Kelly would be owed 90% of his remaining base salary and supplemental compensation if fired without cause, which would be paid through 2031, under the terms of his contract. The lawsuit did not specify what case LSU has for terminating Kelly for cause or who represented the school on

ä See KELLY, page 9A

China’s stranded space crew ‘in good condition’

BEIJING The stranded crew of a Chinese space mission is “in good condition, working and living normally,” China’s Manned Space Engineering office said on Tuesday

The three astronauts on the Shenzhou-20 mission are facing a delayed return to Earth after their scheduled Nov 5 return was aborted after their spacecraft was believed to have been struck by a small piece of space debris. The return has been pushed back to an unspecified date, but the mission team is carrying out tests and drills according to a statement issued by the space agency “The Shenzhou-20 crew is in good condition, working and living normally,” the statement said

The three astronauts — Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie — traveled to the Tiangong space station in April and were finishing their six-month rotation Turkish military plane with 20 crashes

ANKARA. Turkey A Turkish military cargo plane with 20 people on board crashed in Georgia near the border with Azerbaijan on Tuesday, authorities said, but they gave no immediate confirmation of feared casualties.

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and top officials from Georgia and Azerbaijan signaled that at least some of those aboard were believed to have been killed, without providing details.

Video footage aired on Turkish news outlets appeared to show the aircraft spiraling down and leaving a trail of white smoke.

The C-130 plane had taken off from Azerbaijan and was on its way back to Turkey when it crashed, Turkey’s Ministry of National Defense said on X The ministry said there were 20 military personnel on board, including crew members. Georgian authorities reached the crash site at around 5 p.m., Turkey’s Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said, adding that a search and rescue operation was continuing.

The Georgian Interior Ministry said the aircraft crashed in Georgia’s Sighnaghi municipality, close to the Azerbaijani border, adding that an investigation has been launched.

Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency quoted the Georgian aviation authority as saying that contact with the plane was lost a few minutes after it had entered Georgia’s airspace. The plane had not issued a distress call, it said.

Turkey’s military deployed an unmanned aerial vehicle to support the rescue operation while an accident investigation team was making preparations to leave for Georgia, private news broadcaster NTV reported.

Erdogan said he was deeply saddened” by the crash and expressed his condolences for the “martyrs.”

‘Mellon Blue’ diamond sells for $25.6M

GENEVA A blue diamond weighing nearly 10 carats has sold at auction in Switzerland for $25.6 million including fees.

The pear-shaped 9.51-carat “Mellon Blue” — named for the late American arts patron Rachel “Bunny” Mellon — had been expected to fetch $20-$30 million at the Christie’s auction on Tuesday

The house said the stone came in on the estimated range. The final price includes the “buyer’s premium” and other fees.

“Not the dazzling moment I expected,” said Tobias Kormind, managing director of online jeweler 77 Diamonds. He said the gem was “tipped as the season’s headline act” but was weighed down by a broader market mood.

“Geopolitical tensions — from the war in Ukraine to Trump’s tariffs and a weakened Chinese economy that kept many usual buyers away, left the room distinctly cautious,” he said in a statement.

The Mellon Blue was previously sold in 2014, the year that Mellon died, for $32.6 million, which was one of the highest prices ever paid for a colored diamond at auction, Christie’s says.

Israeli settlers attack villages

More violence being carried out on Palestinian residents

BY JOSEF FEDERMAN, SHLOMO MOR and MELANIE LIDMAN Associated Press

JERUSALEM Dozens of masked Israeli settlers attacked a pair of Palestinian villages in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, setting fire to vehicles and other property before clashing with Israeli soldiers sent to halt the rampage, Israeli and Palestinian officials said.

It was the latest in a series of attacks by young settlers in the West Bank

Israeli police said four Israelis were arrested in what it described as “extremist violence,” while the Israeli military said four Palestinians were wounded. Police and Israel’s Shin Bet internal security agency said they were investigating.

Videos on social media showed two charred trucks engulfed in flames, with a nearby building on fire. Settler violence has surged since the war in Gaza erupted two years ago. The attacks have inten-

sified in recent weeks as Palestinians harvest their olive trees in an annual ritual.

Earlier on Tuesday, tens of thousands of Israelis attended the funeral of an Israeli soldier whose remains had been held in Gaza for 11 years, overflowing and blocking surrounding streets as somber crowds stood with Israeli flags.

SALUTING VETERANS

The burial of Lt. Hadar Goldin was a moment of closure for his family which had traveled the world in a public campaign seeking his return. The huge turnout also reflected the importance for the broader public in Israel, where Goldin became a household name. Hamas returned his remains on Sunday as part of the U.S.-bro-

kered ceasefire deal that began last month. The bodies of four hostages taken in the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, are still in Gaza. The U.N. humanitarian office last week reported more Israeli settler attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank in October than in any other month since it began keeping track in 2006. There were over 260 attacks, the office said. Palestinians and human rights workers accuse the Israeli army and police of failing to halt attacks by settlers. Israel’s government is dominated by West Bank settlers, and the police force is overseen by Cabinet minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, a hard-line settler leader In Tuesday’s incident, the army said soldiers initially responded to settler attacks in the villages of Beit Lid and Deir Sharaf It said the settlers fled to a nearby industrial zone and attacked soldiers sent to the scene and damaged a military vehicle.

Palestinian official Muayyad Shaaban, who heads the government’s Commission against the Wall and Settlements, said the settlers set fire to four dairy trucks, farmland, tin shacks and tents belonging to a Bedouin community

Nigeria agency investigates cocaine seizure

BY OPE ADETAYO

LAGOS, Nigeria Nigeria’s antinarcotics enforcement agency said on Tuesday it is working with its U.S. and British counterparts to “unravel the cartel behind the importation of 1,000 kilograms of cocaine” discovered at a port in Lagos. The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency said the cocaine was found in an empty container last weekend. It is said to be worth over $235 million, representing one of the largest drug seizures in the country’s history “In a swift response to the Agency’s request, officers of the US-DEA and UK-NCA, have already joined the ongoing investigation of the largest single seizure of cocaine at the Tincan Port Lagos,” Femi Babafemi, spokesperson for the agency, said in a statement.

The seizure was formally transferred to the NDLEA on Tuesday after its discovery

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star earned Oscar nomination

BY MARK KENNEDY Associated Press

NEW YORK Sally Kirkland, a one-time model who became a regular on stage, film and TV, best known for sharing the screen with Paul Newman and Robert Redford in “The Sting” and her Oscar-nominated title role in the 1987 movie “Anna,” has died. She was 84. Her representative, Michael Greene, said Kirkland died Tuesday morning at a hospice in Palm Springs, California.

Friends established a GoFundMe account this fall for her medical care. They said she had fractured four bones in her neck, right wrist and left hip. While recovering, she also developed infections, requiring hospitalization and rehab

“She was funny, feisty, vulnerable and self deprecating,” actor Jennifer Tilly, who co-starred with Kirkland in “Sallywood,” wrote on X “She never wanted anyone to say she was gone. ‘Don’t say Sally died, say Sally passed on into the spirits.’ Safe passage beautiful lady.” Kirkland acted in such films as “The Way We

Were” with Barbra Streisand, “Revenge” with Kevin Costner, “Cold Feet” with Keith Carradine and Tom Waits, Ron Howard’s “EDtv,” Oliver Stone’s “JFK,” “Heatwave” with Cicely Tyson, “High Stakes” with Kathy Bates, “Bruce Almighty” with Jim Carrey and the 1991 TV movie “The Haunted,” about a family dealing with paranormal activity. She had a cameo in Mel Brooks’ “Blazing Saddles. Her biggest role was in 1987’s “Anna” as a fading Czech movie star remaking her life in the United States and mentoring to a younger actor, Paulina Porizkova. Kirkland won a Golden Globe and earned an Oscar nomination along with Cher in “Moonstruck,” Glenn Close in “Fatal Attraction Holly Hunter in “Broadcast News” and Meryl Streep in “Ironweed.” “Kirkland is one of those performers whose talent has been an open secret

to her fellow actors but something of a mystery to the general public,” The Los Angeles Times critic wrote in her review “There should be no confusion about her identity after this blazing comet of a performance.”

Ki rkl and’s smal lscreen acting credits include stints on “Criminal Minds,” “Roseanne,” “Head Case” and she was a series regular on the TV shows “Valley of the Dolls” and “Charlie’s Angels.”

Kirkland was also known for disrobing for so many other roles and social causes that Time magazine dubbed her “the latter-day Isadora Duncan of nudothespianism.”

Kirkland volunteered for people with AIDS, cancer and heart disease, fed homeless people via the American Red Cross, participated in telethons for hospices and was an advocate for prisoners, especially young people.

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BY GEOFF MULVIHILL, MARK SHERMAN and MARGERYA.BECK Associated Press

The Supreme Court on Tuesday extended an order blockingfull SNAPpayments, amid signals that the government shutdown could soon end and food aid payments resume.

The order keeps in place at least for afew more days achaotic situation. People who depend on theSupplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to feed their families in some states have received their full monthly allocations, while others have received nothing.

The order,which is three sentences long and comes with no explanation on the

court’sthinking, will expire just before midnight Thursday

The Senate has approved a bill to end the shutdown and the House of Representatives could vote on it as early as Wednesday.Reopening the governmentwould restart the programthathelps 42 millionAmericans buy groceries, butit’snot clear how quicklyfullpayments wouldresume.

Thejustices chose what is effectivelythe path of least resistance, anticipating the federal government shutdownwill end soon while avoiding any substantive legal ruling about whether lower court orderstokeep full payments flowing duringthe shutdown are correct.

JusticeKetanji Brown Jackson was the onlyone of the nine justices to sayshe would have revivedthe lower court orders immediately, butdidn’totherwise explain her vote. Jackson signedthe initial order temporarily

freezing the payments.

The court’saction doesn’t do anything to settle uncertainty across the country

Beneficiaries in some states have received their full monthly allocations, while in othersthey have received nothing. Some states have issued partial payments.

How quickly SNAPbenefits could reachrecipients if thegovernmentreopens would vary by state. But statesand advocates say that it’seasier to makefull paymentsquickly than partialones.

Carolyn Vega,a policy analyst at theadvocacy group

Share Our Strength, also saidtherecould be some technical challengesfor states that have issued partial benefitstosendout the remaining amount.

In Pennsylvania, full November benefitswent out to some people on Friday.But JimMalliard, 41, of Franklin, saidhehad notreceived

anything by Monday Malliardisafull-time caretaker for his wife, who is blind and has had several strokes this year, andhis teenagedaughter,who suffered severe medical complications from surgery last year

That stresshas only been compounded by thepause in the $350 monthlySNAP payment he previously receivedfor himself, hiswife and daughter.Hesaid he is down to $10inhis account andisrelying on what’sleft in the pantry —mostly rice and ramen

“It’skind of been alot of late nights, making sure I had everything down to the penny to makesure Iwas right,” Malliardsaid. “To say anxietyhas been my issue for the past twoweeks is putting it mildly.”

The political wrangling in Washington has shocked many Americans, and some

have been moved to help.

“I figure thatI’ve spent money on dumber stuffthan trying to feed other people during amanufactured famine,” saidAshley Oxenford, ateacher whoset out a“little food pantry” in her front yard this week for vulnerable neighborsinCarthage, New York.

The Trump administration chose to cut offSNAP funding after October due to the shutdown. That decision sparked lawsuits and a string of swift and contradictory judicialrulings that deal with government power —and impact food access for about 1in8 Americans.

The administrationwent alongwithtwo rulings on Oct. 31 by judgeswho said thegovernment must provide at leastpartialfunding for SNAP.Iteventually said recipients would getupto 65%oftheir regular benefits. But it balked last week

whenone of thejudgessaid it must fund theprogram fullyfor November, even if that means digging into funds the government said need to be maintainedin case of emergencies elsewhere.

TheU.S. SupremeCourt agreed to pause that order in arulinglate Sunday An appeals court said Monday that full funding shouldresume, andthat requirement was set to kick in Tuesdaynight before the topcourt extended theorder blocking full SNAP payments.

The U.S. Senate on Monday passedlegislation to reopen the federal government with aplanthat would include replenishing SNAPfunds. Speaker Mike Johnsontold members of the House to return to Washington to consider the deal asmall group of Senate Democrats made withRepublicans.

BY KATE PAYNE Associated Press/Reportfor America

AChristian missionary father and his daughter were killed when asmall plane bound for ahurricane relief mission in Jamaicacrashed in aSouth Florida neighborhood.

Christian ministry organization Ignite the Fire identified the two victims of the Monday morningcrash as the group’sfounder,Alexander Wurm, 53, and his daughter Serena Wurm, 22

Thepairwerebringing humanitarian aid to Jamaica, according to the organization, when the Beechcraft King Air planethey were flying in crashed into apondin aresidential area of the Fort

Lauderdale suburb of Coral Springs, narrowlymissing homes. As of Tuesday morning, investigators had not reported anyother victims.

Ignite theFire is “dedicated toempowering youth through missions and evangelism across theCaribbean,” according to the organization’s website. A statement on the group’s social media describedthe Wurm family as passionate about humanitarian work and their Christian faith.

“Together,theirfinal journeyembodied selflessness and courage, reminding us of the power of serviceand love,” the statement reads, adding, “Rest in peace, Alexander and Serena —your lightendures in allwhose lives you changed.”

In recent weeks,AlexanderWurm hadhelped deliver medical supplies, water filtersand StarLink satelliteinternet equipment to Jamaica for the relief organization Crisis Response International, according to a statement the group posted.

“What Ican tell youabout Alex is that he had ahuge vision for the people of the Caribbean nations. And when this hurricane happened, he didn’thesitate. He sprung into action anddid what he could,”Crisis Response International founderSean Malone said.

“He really made adifference in the lives of the people on the ground by getting theresources in that he did He saved lives andhegave his life,” Malone added.

of the moderate

whoallowedthe shutdowntoend.

in his

Schumerfaces criticism as shutdown nearsend

Aftertough year, jobappears safe

BY MARYCLAREJALONICK

Associated Press

WASHINGTON Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer led his caucus, and the country,into arecord-breaking government shutdown and voted againstreopening when asmall groupof his members defected. But there are still calls for him to step aside from Democrats who think he should have fought harder

It’sa now-familiar position for the Democratic leader, who was pilloried by the liberal base in March when he voted with Republicans to keep the government open. This time, he’sgetting blowback for the actionsof the moderate senators in his caucus who allowed the shutdown to end without the extension of health care subsidies that Democrats had demanded for more than six weeks.

“The American people asked us over and over to fight for health care and to

lower our costs overall,” said Massachusetts Sen.Elizabeth Warren,who declined to say if she still had confidence in Schumer.“Obviously thatbroke apart at theend. Ourjob is to deliver for the American people.Weneed to do that moreeffectively.”

No senator has explicitly called for his resignation as leader,and his jobappears safe despite thecriticism fromoutside.

Butit’sbeen atough year forSchumer as the unexpected, overwhelming angerfrom base votersathis March vote hasturned more of aspotlight onhis leadership,and as heand hisparty havestruggled to counter President DonaldTrump. Andhecould face new challenges ahead as riled up voters demand results even though Democrats have little power

“It’sanimpossible job,” said Vermont Sen. Peter Welch, who like Schumer voted against reopening the government.“In my view,he did it well.”

Welch said he doesn’t blame Schumerfor the smallgroup of moderates

whobroke the stalemate and voted with Republicans to reopen, sending the bill to the House. He says he believes Democrats succeeded in elevatingthe issue of the healthcare subsidies that expire at theend of theyear as Republicans refused to negotiate on the issue

“Wehave to remember thatthe leader is one of many,” Welch said. “He’s first among equals, but there’s independent agency for senators.”

Schumer has not yet publiclyresponded to thecriticism, instead trying to keep the focusonRepublicans.

“Americans will remember Republican intransigenceevery time they make asky-high paymentonhealth insurance,”hesaid on the Senate floor just before the finalSenate vote on Monday. Democrats inside and outside the Senate were furious on Sundaywhenthe moderatesenators broke ranks.

Senate Majority leader John Thune,R-S.D., promiseda mid-December vote on extensionofthe subsidies,but there is no guaranteedoutcome.

Johnsoncould seeunruly Houseaslawmakers return

Representatives havepent-up demands

BY LISA MASCARO AP congressional correspondent

After refusing to convene the U.S. House during the government shutdown, SpeakerMike Johnson is recalling lawmakers back into session —and facing an avalancheofpent-up legislative demandsfrom those who have largely been sidelined from governing.

Hundreds of representatives are preparing to return WednesdaytoWashington after anearly eightweek absence, carrying a torrent of ideas, proposals and frustrations over work thathas stalledwhen the Republican speaker shuttered theHouse doors nearly two months ago.

First will be avotetoreopen thegovernment. But that’sjust the start. With effortstorelease theJeffrey Epsteinfiles andthe swearing in of Arizona’s Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva, theunfinished businesswill pose afresh test to Johnson’s grip on power and put arenewed focus on his leadership.

“It’sextraordinary,” said MatthewGreen, aprofessor at the politics department at The Catholic University of America.

“WhatSpeaker Johnson and Republicans aredoing, you have to go back decades to find an example where the House —either chamber —decided not to meet.” When theHousegavels back intosession, it will close this remarkable chapter of Johnson’stenure when he showed himself to be aleader whoisquietly, but brazenly,willing to upend institutional norms in pursuit of hisbroader strat-

egy, even at theriskofdiminishing the House itself.

Rather than use the immense powers of the speaker’s officetoforcefully steer the debate in Congress, as a coequalbranch of thegovernmentonpar withthe executive andthe courts, Johnsonsimply closed up shop —allowing the House to becomeunusually deferential, particularly to President Donald Trump.

Over these past weeks, the chamber hassidesteppedits basicresponsibilities, from passing routine legislation to conducting oversight

The silencing of the speaker’sgavel has been both unusualand surprising in asystemofgovernment where the founders envisioned the branches would vigorously protect their institutional prerogatives.

“You can see it is pretty empty aroundhere,”Johnson, R-Benton, said on day three of the shutdown.

“When Congress decides to turn offthe lights, it shifts the authority to theexecutive branch. That is how it works,”hesaid,blaming Democrats, with their fight over health carefunds, for the closures. The speaker has defended

his decision to shutter the House during what’snow the longest government shutdowninU.S. history He argued that the chamber,under the GOPmajority,had already done its job passing astopgapfunding bill in September.Itwould be up to theSenatetoact, he said. When theSenate failed over and over to advance the House bill, morethan a dozen times, he refused to entertalkswiththe other leadersona compromise. Johnson also encouraged Trump to cancel an initial sit-downwith the Democratic leadersSen.Chuck Schumer andRep. Hakeem Jeffries to avoid abroader negotiation while the government wasstill closed. Instead, the speaker, whose job is outlined in the Constitution, second in line of succession to thepresidency, held almost daily newsconferences on his side of the Capitol, aweekly conference call with GOP lawmakers, and private talks with Trump. He joined the president for Sunday’s NFL Washington Commandersgame as the Senate was slogging through aweekend session.

BY ANTONIO MARÍADELGADO Miami Herald (TNS)

The world’slargest and most technologically advanced aircraft carrier,the USSGerald R. Ford, has entered the U.S. Southern Commandarea of responsibility,further expanding what is already the biggest U.S. military presence in the Caribbean in decades,the Navy said Tuesday The deployment —officially framed as amission against narcotics trafficking and transnational crime comes as tensions escalate betweenthe U.S. and Venezuela, where the Nicolás Maduro regime is rushing to reinforce atroubledRussian- and Iranian-backed air defensenetwork. The Ford Carrier Strike

Grouparrives as newantiaircraft platformssurface across Venezuela. Last week, Russian-made BukM2E medium-range surface-to-air missile systems werespotted inside Caracas’ La Carlota military airport, followinganurgent appeal by Maduro for Moscow and Beijing to help prepare for what he describes as the threat of aU.S. invasion.

The Buk-M2E, knownby NATO as the SA-17Grizzly, canengage multiple aircraft, helicopters and cruise missilessimultaneously with its 9M317E interceptor,which has arange of up to 28 miles.

TheFord strike group, consistingofguided-missile destroyersUSS Bainbridge, USSMahan and USS Winston S. Churchill, was or-

dered intothe region after Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth directed additional forces to support President Donald Trump’smandate to dismantle transnational criminal organizations and counter narco-terrorism threatening the U.S. homeland.

“The enhanced U.S. force presenceinthe SOUTHCOMAOR willbolsterU.S capacity to detect, monitor and disrupt illicit actors and activities that compromise the safety and prosperity of the United States homeland,”Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a Navynews release. “These forces will enhance andaugmentexisting capabilities to disruptnarcoticstrafficking anddegrade anddismantle TCOs.”

Top diplomats from G7 countries meet in Canada

Trade tensions rise with Trump

BY ROB GILLIES AND MATTHEW LEE Associated Press

NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE, Ontario

Top diplomats from the Group of Seven industrialized democracies are converging on southern Ontario as tensions rise between the U.S. and traditional allies like Canada over defense spending, trade and uncertainty over President Donald Trump’s ceasefire plan in Gaza and efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand said in an interview with The Associated Press that “the relationship has to continue across a range of issues” despite trade pressures as she prepared to host U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and their counterparts from Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Japan on Tuesday and Wednesday

“We’re tackling a range of critical issues with one main focus: putting the safety and security of Americans FIRST,” Rubio said in a social media post.

Anand also invited the foreign ministers of Australia, Brazil, India, Saudi Arabia, Mexico South Korea, South Africa and Ukraine.

Anand said critical priorities for discussion Tuesday night include talks on advancing long-term peace and stability in the Middle East.

“The peace plan must be upheld,” Anand said The diplomats will meet

Kan. county to pay

$3M

in newspaper raid fallout

BY JOHN HANNA and HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH Associated Press

TOPEKA, Kan. — A rural Kansas county has agreed to pay a little more than $3 million and apologize over a law enforcement raid on a smalltown weekly newspaper in August 2023 that sparked an outcry over press freedom. Marion County sheriff’s officers were involved in the raid on the Marion County Record and helped draft search warrants used by Marion city police to enter the newspaper’s offices, the publisher’s home and the home of a local city council member “They intentionally wanted to harass us for reporting the news, and you’re not supposed to do that in a democracy,” the editor and publisher, Eric Meyer said Tuesday. He added he hoped the payment was large enough to discourage similar actions against other news organizations in the future. The raid prompted five federal lawsuits against the county, the city of Marion and local officials. Meyer’s 98-year-old mother Joan, the paper’s co-owner, died of a heart attack the next day something he blames on the stress of the raid. During the raid, authorities seized cellphones and computers from the newsroom and rifled through reporters’ desks Search warrants linked the raid to a dispute between a local restaurant owner and the newspaper, which had obtained a copy of her driving record while reporting on her request for a city liquor license The raid also came after the newspaper had dug into the background of the police chief at the time who led the raid. The raid triggered a national debate about press freedom focused on Marion, a town of about 1,900 people set among rolling prairie hills some 150 miles southwest of Kansas City Missouri. Police body camera footage from Meyer’s home showed his mother, who lived with him, visibly upset and telling officers “Get out of my house!”

taken a tougher line on Russia than Trump has.

The two-day meeting in Niagara-on-the-Lake on Lake Ontario near the U.S. border comes after Trump ended trade talks with Canada because the Ontario provincial government ran an anti-tariff advertisement in the U.S that upset him. That followed a spring of acrimony, since abated, over Trump’s insistence that Canada should become the 51st

U.S. state.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney apologized for the ad and said last week that he’s ready to resume trade talks when the Americans are ready

Anand said she will have a meeting with Rubio but noted that a different minister leads the U.S. trade file. The U.S. president has placed greater priority on addressing his grievances with other nations’ trade

policies than on collaboration with G7 allies.

“Every complex relationship has numerous touch points,” Anand said in the interview “On the trade file, there is continued work to be done — just as there is work to be done on the numerous touch points outside the trade file, and that’s where Secretary Rubio and I come in because the relationship has to continue across a range of issues.”

with Ukraine’s foreign minister early Wednesday Britain says it will send $17 million to help patch up Ukraine’s energy infrastructure as winter approaches and Russian attacks intensify The money will go toward repairs to power, heating and water supplies and humanitarian support for Ukrainians.

U.K. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, who made the announcement before the meeting, said Russian President Vladimir Putin “is trying to plunge Ukraine into darkness and the cold as winter approaches,” but the British support will help keep the lights and heating on Canada recently made a similar announcement.

Canada’s G7 hosting duties this year have been marked by strained relations with its North American neighbor, predominantly over Trump’s imposition of tariffs on Canadian imports. But the en-

tire bloc of allies is confronting major turbulence over the Republican president’s demands on trade and various proposals to halt worldwide conflicts.

One main point of contention has been defense spending. All G7 members except for Japan are members of NATO, and Trump has demanded that the alliance partners spend 5% of their annual gross domestic product on defense While a number of countries have agreed, others have not.

Among the G7 NATO members, Canada and Italy are furthest from that goal.

Anand said Canada will reach 5% of GDP by 2035.

There have also been G7 disagreements over the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, with Britain, Canada and France announcing they would recognize a Palestinian state even without a resolution to the conflict

With the Russia-Ukraine war, most G7 members have

ShellandSouthernCelebrate thePowerof Partnership

Southern University andA&M Collegehas received atransformative$5million investment from Shelltoexpandstudentsuccess initiatives in theCollege of Business andthe CollegeofSciencesand Engineering. This investment directly supports theSouthern University System’s StrategicPillars,includingStudent Success.

Asignificantportion of theinvestmentwill enhancethe chemical engineeringprogram within theCollege of Sciencesand Engineeringtoprepare students to become competitivescientists, engineers, andinnovators. Shell’ssupport willstrengthencurriculum development, laboratory operations,and experiential learning opportunitiesthat alignwiththe college’sstrategic innovation andtransformation goals.

In addition,the investment willfundthe creation of aStudent Success Center designed

to providestudentswithacademic support, career developmenttools,and supplemental instruction. Theseresources arecriticalto ensuring students thrive both in theclassroom andintheir future careers.

“Weare proudtocontinuetopartner with Shell, whichhas aconsistentpresenceon theBaton Rougecampus,”saidDennisJ Shields, presidentofthe Southern University System.“Positive studentoutcomesisa top priority,and corporateengagementisvital to this.Collaborating with Shellatthislevel ensuresthatwecan continue to producea prepared andpoisedworkforce.”

Shell’sinvestmentalsoreflects itscommitment to advancingSTEMeducation and building askilled workforce. Thecompany actively supports Southern throughits involvementinthe Business andIndustry Clusterand theCollege of Sciencesand Engineering’sExecutive Leadership Council, helpingalign academic programs with

evolving industry needs.

“Withthisinvestmentinengineering educationand studentsuccess, we arefurther strengtheningShell’s partnershipwith Southern University andempoweringthe next generation of innovators andleaders We can’t wait to seehow they willshape thefutureofenergyand technology for our industry andthe world,”saidEmmaLewis ExecutiveVicePresident,Shell Chemicals.

“The missionofthe CollegeofSciences andEngineering is to providetransformative educationalexperiences —thisgenerousgift willallowustodoso,”saidLealonMartin,dean of theCollege of Sciences andEngineering

This latest contributionexemplifies the powerofcollaboration betweenhighereducation andindustrytodrive innovation, student achievement, andeconomicgrowth— all centraltoSouthernUniversity’sstrategic vision for thefuture.

InterimULpresident weighs applying forjob

BY ASHLEY WHITE Staff writer

Jaimie Hebert, who has been the University of Louisiana at Lafayette’sinterim presidentsince July,“is interested in participating in asearch as an applicant for the next UL president,” sources, who are not authorized to speak on the record, told The Acadiana Advocate.

That news comes after The Advocate |The TimesPicayune reported Sunday that Ramesh Kolluru, UL’s vice president for research, innovation and economic development, is the frontrunner for the position and a selection could come as soon as Thursday Hebert did not immediately return arequest for comment.

The UL system board has announced aspecial meeting forThursday morningat the university,but the agenda hasyet to be published. There has been no formal presidentialsearch process happening at UL, and no public announcement of a search committee or plans on how to hire the new president. If apresident were selected without aformalsearch, it would be adeparture from how higher education leaders have typically beenselectedinLouisiana.

The UL chapter of the American Association of University Professors wrote aletter to the UL system board and its chair,Mark Romero, demanding transparency in theprocess and aformal search.

SEARCH

Continued from page1A

followed.

“Given thecurrent financial crisisatthe University, the next president should be trusted to act in the best interests of theUniversity and the people that constitute this institution. A search process hidden behind closed doors, and without the input of those same people, will have the opposite effect.”

Kolluru did not return messages Tuesday UL Faculty Senate Executive OfficerLeah Orr said in an interview Tuesday that faculty members were under the impression they would be involved in the search based on arecent town hall meeting from interim UL PresidentJaimie Hebert. She said faculty are concerned about how the process is playing out, though the Faculty Senate has not made aformal statement on the issue.

“Faculty want to be involved and expect thatwe would be involved in some way,aswas done when we hired aprovost afew years ago,” saidOrr,agraduate coordinator and English professor.“There were multiple candidates brought to campus. They did publicpresentations. It was avery open process. They had anational search. Ithink everyone just kind of expectedthat something similar would happen this time.”

Although the FacultySenate has considered calling aspecial meeting, she said they’re taking await-andseeapproach until university leaders or UL system officials provide more information.

“A lot of the information that we get has been coming from news articles, not from within the institution,” Orr said. “The website they posted more or lesssums up everythingwe’ve been told, and it’snot very detailed.”

Thepotentialdecision to name Kolluru the next president of UL comes on theheels of LSU naming former McNeese State President Wade Rousse as its leader last week. LSU hired asearch firm, created asearch committee and held public interviews with finalists on campus. Rousse had the backing of Gov.Jeff Landry when he got the job Landry also reportedly weighed in on the UL presi-

“Regardless of who is ultimately selectedfor the position,the process for identifyingthe next president of UL Lafayette must be fair and open and must involve theinputoffaculty, staff, andstudents,” the letter stated “Tothatend, weask that you directthe BoardofSupervisors to form asearch committeecomposedof theseconstituencies tolead theprocess of selecting the next president,” theletter stated.

When Hebert stepped into the interim role, hetold stakeholdershis top priorities were fiscalstability and process efficiency

He laterannounced the university had a$25 million structural deficit, which he saidhas been reduced to about $5 million through the eliminationofmore than 70 positions through a combination of layoffs, retirements, resignationsand reassignments.

Hebert said work still needs to be done to address the university’s$25 million recurringannualdebt. To help addressthat, he’sasked universitydepartments to cut 10% from theiroperating budgets, and Academic Affairs to cut 5% to limit the impactoninstruction.

Former UL President Joseph Savoie, whosedeparture in July came soon afterthe Mayresignation of the university’slongtime vice president foradministrationand finance,Jerry Luke LeBlanc, will continue to earn hispresidential salary through the end of the

“Faculty want to be involved andexpectthat we wouldbe involved in some way, as wasdone when we hireda provost afew years ago.There were multiple candidates brought to campus. They did publicpresentations. It wasaveryopen process. They had a nationalsearch. Ithink everyone just kind of expected that something similar would happen this time.”

LEAH ORR, UL Faculty Senate executiveofficer

dential search after UL systemPresident Mark Romero asked if the governorhad a problem with Kolluru applying, TheAdvocate| The Times-Picayune reported. Landry saidinaninterview that he told Romero,“Igot no problem. Y’all go find whoever you want.”

Meanwhile,ULhas also been grappling with abudgetcrisis.

After being named interim president, Hebert announced in September that the university wasfacing a $25 millionbudget deficit that he inherited fromhis predecessor,former UL President JosephSavoie. Savoiestepped down in Julybeforehis contract was up. Hebert has since eliminated more than 70 positions at the university througha combination of layoffs, retirements, resignations and reassignments.

He also asked university departments to cut 10% from their operating budgets, and Academic Affairs to cut 5% to limit impact on instruction.

year,and hiscompensation packageincludedanannual salary of $510,500, housing on the UL campus and the use of avehicle or avehicle allowance of $1,000 per month

He’ll takeasix-month sabbatical beforemoving into afull-timetenured faculty positioninUL’sCollege of Education. Details about his new salary have notyet been disclosed,but he will earn theaverage of thetop three faculty salaries for that college.

Email Ashley White at ashley.white@ theadvocate.com.

EDUCATION

NOTICE Advertisementfor Bids Notice is hereby given that sealed bids (one original)willbereceived by theLafayette Parish School System Purchas‐ingDepartment, located at 202 RueIberville, Lafayette,Louisiana, 70508 andelectronicbids will be received at Cen‐tral AuctionHouse (www.centralbidding. com).Deliverytoany otherdepartmentother than thePurchasingDe‐partment is unaccept‐able andmay resultin non-considerationofthe bid. Bids will be received until 2:00 p.m.,onTues‐day, December 2, 2025 for construction of thefol‐lowing projectasde‐scribedinthe Bidding Documentsand listed on theBid Form: Lafayette Parish School System DavidThibodaux STEM Magnet AcademyGym Addition 805 TeurlingsDrive Lafayette,Louisiana 70501 LPSS BID#22-26

ProjectDescription:The work consists of provid‐ingall equipment, labor, andmaterialnecessary forthe construction of a newone storyapproxi‐mately 10,225 sf gymna‐sium addition It is furtherunderstood andagreed that thework under this contract shall be completedwithin TWOHUNDRED ANDSEV‐ENTY (270) consecutive calendar days of thedate specified in theContract or a Notice to Proceed subjecttoreimburse‐ment to theowner of liq‐uidateddamages in the amount of TWOHUN‐DRED ANDFIFTY

TheTerrebonneParishSchool Board seeksanoutstanding Superintendent of Schoolstoleadits public school sys‐temofthirty(30) schoolsand more than 14,579 students.Applications for thepositionmay be obtained on the District’s website(www.tpsd.org) and arecurrently beingaccepted. Applicants must possess, at thetimeof application, avalid Louisianateaching certificate whichdocuments School Superintendent as an area of certifica‐tion or possess aletterfromthe LouisianaDepartmentofEducation certifying theirimmediate eligibilityto serveasa school superintendent in Louisiana. Proofofsuchcertification must be included within theapplica‐tion

Allapplications must be postmarked no laterthanDecember9,2025. Please mail theapplicationtothe following address: Terrebonne Parish School Board P. O. Box1818 Houma, LA 70361 Attention: Ramona Brunet

Applicationpackets postmarked after that date will notbeconsidered, nor will applications deliveredelectroni‐cally,inperson, or in anyfashion other than mailedtothe addressabove

TheTerrebonne Parish School Board expectstonegotiate acompetitive salary andbenefitspackage depend‐ingonthe candidate’s experience,ac‐complishments,and credentials. Forfurther information, call (985) 876-7400 Ext.860213

TheTerrebonneParishSchoolBoardis an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age race sex gender nationalorigin religion disability or membership in anyotherprotectedclassification

2212.E(6),bids forthisproject maybe submittedelectronically viauploadtoCentral AuctionHouse (www.cen tralbidding.com).All bid documentsshall be up‐loaded by thedue date andtimestatedabove Questionsabout this pro‐cedure should be di‐rected to CentralAuction Houseat(833) 412-5717. ABid bond will be re‐quired,per thecontract documents, andshould be uploaded with the rest of therequiredBid Documents. If ascanned copy of theBid Bond is uploaded,the original notarizedbid bond must be produced “on-de‐mand”per theOwner’s request. ThesuccessfulBidder shallberequiredtofur‐nish aPerformance and PaymentBondinan amount equalto100% of theContractonthe formsprovidedbythe School Boardand written in accordance with Louisianalaw Bids shallbeaccepted only from contractors whoare licensed by the LouisianaState Licensing Boardfor Contractorsfor theclassification of Building Construction.No bidmay be withdrawn fora period of forty-five (45) days afterreceipt of bids,exceptunder the provisions of La.R.S 38:2214. Contact DavidJ.Hebert with GraceHebertCurtis, LLCat337-513-0760. All Requests forInformation andSubstitutionRe‐quests shallbepostedto www.centerlinebidco nnect.com forany clarifi‐cation or information with regard to thebid documents. Responses will be issued viaASI on www.centralbidding. com. APre-Bid Confer‐ence will be held at the projectsiteatDavid Thi‐bodaux STEM Magnet AcademyGym Addition 805 Teurlings, Lafayette Louisiana70501 at 10:00 a.m.,November17, 2025. Theowner reserved the righttorejectany andall bids forjustcause TheLafayette Parish

y Louisiana, until 10:00 AM CentralTimeonthe 11th dayofDecember, 2025 for thefollowing: NORTHSAINT ANTOINE STREET EXTENSION (I-10TOMOOREPARKDR. NO 1) andwill, shortlythere‐after,beopenedand readaloud in theCouncil Briefing Room locatedat 705 West University Av‐enue,Lafayette,LA. Bids receivedafter theabove specified time foropen‐ing shallnot be consid‐eredand shallbere‐turnedunopenedtothe sender. Biddersare en‐couragedtoattendthe bid openingvirtually by using thefollowing link https://us02web.zoom us/j/87993430527? pwd=FuuPwzZIb6E9oCq 10KXBeuNLrgV3X5.1 MeetingID: 879 9343 0527 Passcode: 377611

ScopeofServices:The workshall consistofbut not be limitedtograding installingbasecourses Portlandcementcon‐crete andAsphaltic con‐crete roadways,side‐walks,drainagechannel storm drainsystem, lightingand otherwork per projectdrawingsand specifications. Allwork tobecompleted within 315 workingdaysfrom the issuance of Notice to Proceed In accordance with Louisiana RS 38:2212. vendors maysubmit their bidelectronically at thewebsite listed above. BiddingDocuments are available to view only at the website. Bidders may request theelectronic bid packagefrom Heather Kestlerat hkestler@lafayettela.gov Bidderswishing to sub‐mit theirbid electroni‐cally must firstberegis‐tered online with Lafayette Consolidated Governmentasa poten‐tialsupplieratthe web‐sitelistedabove.Bidders submittingbidselectron‐icallyare required to pro‐videthe same docu‐ments as bidderssub‐mitting throughthe mail assoon as available. Onlya bidbond, certified check or

certified check,cashier’s check, orbid bond payableto the Lafayette Consoli‐dated Government,the amount of which shallbe five percent(5%)ofthe basebid plus additive al‐ternates. If abid bond is used, it shallbewritten bya surety or insurance company currentlyon the U.S. Department of the Treasury Financial ManagementService list ofapproved bonding companies which is pub‐lishedannually in the Federal Register,orby a Louisiana domiciledin‐surance companywithat least an A-Rating in the latestprintingofthe A.M. Best’sKey Rating Guide towrite individual bonds uptoten percent(10%) ofpolicyholders’surplus asshown in theA.M Best’sKey Rating Guide, orbyaninsurance com‐panyingood standing li‐censedtowrite bid bonds which is either domiciledinLouisiana or ownedbyLouisiana resi‐dents.The bidbondshall beissuedbya company licensedtodobusiness inLouisiana.The certi‐fied check, cashier’s check,orbid bond shall begiven as aguarantee thatthe bidder shallexe‐cutethe contract,should itbeawarded to him, in conformitywiththe con‐tract documentswithin ten (10) days No contractor maywith‐drawits bidprior to the deadlinefor submission ofbids. Withdrawal of bidsthereaftershall be allowedonlypursuantto LAR.S.38§2214.C.Other‐wise, no bidder may withdrawhis bidfor at least forty-five (45) days after thetimescheduled for thebid openingof bids. Each bidshall be submitted only on the bid form provided within the specifications. The successfulbidderwillbe requiredtoexecute per‐formanceand laborand materialpayment bonds inthe full amount of the contractasmorefully definedinthe

DPR1000466 166256-nov12-16-23-3t $220.71

BRIEFS FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

Dow rallies 559 points to all-time record

Most U.S. stocks rose Tuesday and carried the market back to where it was before last week’s swoon.

The S&P 500 added 0.2% after erasing a loss taken during the morning. It’s been bouncing around lately, coming off Monday’s vigorous rebound following its first losing week in four

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rallied 559 points, or 1.2%, to a record, surpassing its prior all-time high set two weeks ago The Nasdaq composite lagged the market, though, as Nvidia got back to falling amid continued concerns that stocks caught up in the artificial intelligence frenzy may have become too expensive. The Nasdaq dipped 0.3% Helping to lead the market was Paramount Skydance, which jumped even though the entertainment giant reported revenue and profit for the latest quarter that fell short of Wall Street’s expectations.

It was the company’s first earnings report since Skydance closed its acquisition of Paramount in early August, and investors appeared to be encouraged that it raised its cost-cutting target to at least $3 billion from the previous $2 billion. Its stock leaped 9.8%. Close behind was FedEx, which climbed 5.4% after it increased its forecast for profit in the current quarter. Instead of expecting growth from just the summer, the delivery company now also expects profit to rise in this year’s holiday-shopping season from last year’s.

Boeing keeps steady with 53 deliveries in Oct.

Boeing delivered 53 airplanes in October, keeping up with a delivery cadence it has held in the second half of this year

In the first five months of 2025, Boeing delivered about 45 planes each month, before spiking the number of deliveries to 60 in June and then dipping back to 48 in July

Since then, it has delivered more than 50 airplanes every month, with 57 in August, 55 in September and 53 in October

Those numbers don’t necessarily equate to a production rate; deliveries each month include some nearly finished planes that have been waiting in storage, and some planes that roll out of the factory each month aren’t included in the delivery total as they wait in storage. But the number of deliveries can be an indicator of Boeing’s production pace.

The aerospace manufacturer slowed production last year after a panel flew off a 737 Max midflight. Since then, it has worked with the FAA to create a series of metrics to gauge the health of its production system and increase the production rate when all of those metrics are metaphorically flashing green Baby formula recall is expanding

ByHeart, which makes organic infant formula, recalled all of its products sold throughout the U.S. on Tuesday amid a growing outbreak of infant botulism

At least 15 babies in 12 states have been sickened in the outbreak tied to ByHeart formula, state and federal health officials said. That’s an increase from 13 cases in 10 states reported Saturday. No deaths have been reported in the outbreak, which began in August. ByHeart officials said parents and caregivers who have the formula in their homes “should immediately discontinue use and dispose of the product.”

The outbreak has sickened babies age 2 weeks to 5 months. The infants were hospitalized after consuming ByHeart powdered formula, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

California officials confirmed that a sample from an open can of ByHeart baby formula fed to an infant who fell ill contained the type of bacteria that causes the toxin linked to the outbreak.

BUSINESS

THEADVOCATE.COM/news/business

LEAVING A MARK

Shutdown affects an already-struggling economy, from lost paychecks to canceled flights

BY CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP economics writer

WASHINGTON The longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history appears to be nearing an end, but not without leaving a mark on an alreadystruggling economy

About 1.25 million federal workers haven’t been paid since Oct. 1 Airlines have canceled more 9,000 flights across the U.S since the Federal Aviation Administration ordered flight cuts late last week, mostly to ease demand on control towers that are short-staffed during the federal government shutdown. Government contract awards have slowed and some food aid recipients have seen their benefits interrupted.

Most of the lost economic activity will be recovered when the government reopens, as federal workers will receive back pay But some canceled flights won’t be retaken, missed restaurant meals won’t be made up, and some postponed purchases will end up not happening at all.

“Short-lived shutdowns are usually invisible in the data, but this one will leave a lasting mark,” Gregory Daco, chief economist at accounting giant EY said, “both because of its record length and the growing disruptions to welfare programs and travel.”

The Congressional Budget Office estimated that a sixweek shutdown will reduce growth in this year’s fourth quarter by about 1.5 percentage points. That would cut growth by half from the third quarter The reopening should boost first-quarter growth next year by 2.2 percentage points, the CBO projected, but about $11

Watchdog

BY BARBARA ORTUTAY and MATT O’BRIEN AP technology writers

billion in economic activity will be permanently lost.

The previous longest government shutdown, in 2018-2019, lasted 35 days but only partially shut the government because many agencies had been fully funded. It only nicked the economy by about 0.02% of GDP, the CBO said then.

The current shutdown is adding to the economy’s existing challenges, which include sluggish hiring, stubbornly elevated inflation, and President Donald Trump’s tariffs, which have caused uncertainty for many businesses. Still, few economists foresee a recession.

About 650,000 federal workers didn’t work during the shutdown, which will likely boost the unemployment rate by about 0.4 percentage points in October, or to 4.7% from 4.3% in August, when the last report was released Those workers would all then be counted as employed once the government reopens.

Missed paychecks

All told, federal workers will have missed about $16 billion in wages by mid-November, the CBO estimates. That has meant less spending at stores, restaurants, and likely reduced holiday travel. Large purchases will probably be postponed, slowing the broader economy Trump had threatened during the shutdown to not provide back pay but the deal struck in Congress would replace those lost wages once the government reopens. The shutdown has added to the Washington, D.C. area’s economic woes, where the unemployment rate was already 6% before the shutdown, after Trump’s cuts to the federal

workforce this spring caused job losses. While the Washington, D.C. area — including the nearby suburbs in Virginia and Maryland has the highest concentration of federal workers, most live and work outside of the nation’s capital.

Federal workers make up about 5.5% of Maryland’s workforce, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center But they also comprise 2.9% of New Mexico’s workers, 2.6% of Oklahoma’s, and 3.8% of Alaska’s.

Then there are the federal contractors. Bernard Yaros, an economist at Oxford Economics, estimates they could total as many as 5.2 million, and they are not guaranteed back pay once the shutdown ends. Canceled flights

Another 1,200 commercial flights were scratched Tuesday as the Federal Aviation Administration bumped up its target for reducing domestic flights at the nation’s busiest airports to 6%, up from an initial 4% cut at those 40 airports. However, the cancellations so far Tuesday have been less than in the past couple of days.

Hub airports in Denver Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas and the New York area have seen the bulk of the cancellations. They’ve also been plagued by long delays caused by staffing shortages in regional air traffic control centers and towers. The canceled flights also mean less business for hotels, restaurants, and taxi drivers. And federal employees have already pulled the plug on upcoming trips, according to Tourism Economics, which may not be able to be rescheduled even when the government does reopen.

Analysts weigh 50-year mortgage plan

Some say it would do little to resolve issues

BY KEN SWEET AP business writer

NEW YORK — The White House says it is considering backing a 50-year mortgage to help alleviate the home affordability crisis in the country But the announcement drew immediate criticism from policymakers, social media and economists, who said a 50-year mortgage would do little to resolve other core problems in the housing market, such as a lack of supply and high interest rates.

Bill Pulte, director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, said on X over the weekend that a 50-year mortgage would be “a complete game changer” for homebuyers. FHFA is the part of the federal government that oversees Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which buy and insure the vast majority of mortgages in the country The 30-year mortgage is a uniquely American financial product and the default way to buy a home since the New Deal. Politicians and policymakers at the time wanted to create a standardized mortgage that borrowers could afford and pay off during their working years, when the average life span for an American was 66 years old. Extending the life of a mortgage to 50 years would decrease a borrower’s monthly payment. The average selling price of a home in the U.S. was $415,200 in September, according to the National Association of Realtors. Assuming a standard 10% down payment and an average interest rate of 6.17%, the monthly payment on a 30-year mortgage would be $2,288, while the payment on a 50year mortgage would be $2,022. That’s presuming a bank would not require a higher interest rate on a 50-year mortgage, due to the longer duration of the loan. Because even more of the monthly payment on a 50-year mortgage would go toward interest on the loan, it would take 30 years before a borrower would accumulate $100,000 in equity, not including home price appreciation and the down payment. That’s compared to 12-13 years to accumulate $100,000 in equity when paying off a 30-year mortgage, excluding the down payment.

A borrower would pay, roughly, an additional $389,000 in interest over the life of a 50-year mortgage compared to a 30-year mortgage, according to an AP analysis. Other analysts came to a similar conclusion.

“Extending a mortgage from 30 years to 50 years could double the (dollar) amount of interest paid by the homebuyer on a median-priced home over the life of the loan and significantly slow equity accumulation,” wrote John Lovallo with UBS Securities.

A 50-year mortgage does nothing to solve one critical issue when it comes to housing affordability — the lack of supply of homes. States like California and cities like New York have recently passed legislation or made regulatory changes to allow builders to build homes faster with less regulatory red tape.

demands withdrawal of AI video app Sora

The tech industry is moving fast and breaking things again — and this time it is humanity’s shared reality and control of our likeness before and after death — thanks to artificial intelligence image-generation platforms like OpenAI’s Sora 2. The typical Sora video, made on OpenAI’s app and spread onto TikTok, Instagram, X and Facebook, is designed to be amusing enough for you to click and share. It could be Queen Elizabeth II rapping or something more ordinary and believable. One popular Sora genre is fake doorbell camera footage capturing something slightly uncanny — say, a boa constrictor on the porch or an alligator approaching an unfazed child and ends with a mild shock, like a grandma shout-

ing as she beats the animal with a broom. But a growing chorus of advocacy groups, academics and experts are raising alarms about the dangers of letting people create AI videos on just about anything they can type into a prompt, leading to the proliferation of nonconsensual images and realistic deepfakes in a sea of less harmful “AI slop.” OpenAI has cracked down on AI creations of public figures — among them, Michael Jackson, Martin Luther King Jr and Mister Rogers — doing outlandish things, but only after an outcry from family estates and an actors’ union. The nonprofit Public Citizen is now demanding OpenAI withdraw Sora 2 from the public, writing in a Tuesday letter to the company and CEO Sam Altman that the app’s hasty release so that it could launch ahead of competitors shows a “consistent and dangerous pattern of

OpenAI rushing to market with a product that is either inherently unsafe or lacking in needed guardrails.” Sora 2, the letter says, shows a “reckless disregard” for product safety, as well as people’s rights to their own likeness and the stability of democracy The group also sent the letter to the U.S. Congress.

OpenAI didn’t respond to requests for comment Tuesday

“Our biggest concern is the potential threat to democracy,” said Public Citizen tech policy advocate J.B. Branch in an interview

“I think we’re entering a world in which people can’t really trust what they see. And we’re starting to see strategies in politics where the first image, the first video that gets released, is what people remember.” Branch, author of Tuesday’s letter, also sees broader concerns to people’s privacy that disproportionately impact vulnerable populations online.

OpenAI blocks nudity but Branch said that “women are seeing themselves being harassed online” in other ways, such as with fetishized niche content that makes it through the apps’ restrictions. The news outlet 404 Media on Friday reported on a flood of Sora-made videos of women being strangled.

OpenAI introduced its new Sora app on iPhones more than a month ago. It launched on Android phones last week in the U.S., Canada and several Asian countries, including Japan and South Korea.

Much of the strongest pushback has come from Hollywood and other entertainment interests, including the Japanese manga industry OpenAI announced its first big changes just days after the release, saying “overmoderation is super frustrating” for users but that it’s important to be conservative “while the world is still adjusting to this new technology.”

the call.

Kelly’s lawyers asserted he was fired without cause. They are seeking a “declaratory judgment confirming that LSU’s termination of Coach Kelly is without cause and that Coach Kelly is entitled to receive the full liquidated damages” within his contract, according to the filing.

The 48-page lawsuit was filed in the 19th Judicial District for East Baton Rouge Parish hours after the call An LSU athletics spokesperson and a representative for Kelly declined to comment Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill is reviewing the lawsuit.

“The lawsuit is being reviewed by the attorney general and LSU,” attorney general spokesperson Lester Duhe said in a statement Tuesday “We have no further comment on pending litigation Kelly, 64, was let go during his fourth season at LSU the day after a 49-25 loss to Texas A&M The Tigers were 34-14 overall during his

MEASLES

Continued from page 1A

with the infected person have the highest risk, said Dr. Margot Anderson, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Manning Family Children’s and Tulane University.

People who are fully immunized with two doses of the measles vaccine are relatively protected, but those who are unvaccinated, especially children who are too young to be vaccinated or people who cannot receive a vaccine due to health conditions, are vulnerable.

“That’s a very long period of time in a small airspace,” Anderson said. “Anyone who was vulnerable and on the plane would actually have a very high, high risk of getting measles in the next one to three weeks.”

Everyone on the flight should have been notified directly by health officials from their state of residence

Airplanes have excellent HEPA filtration and ventilation systems, said Dr Shweta Bansal, an epidemiologist with the Department of Biology at Georgetown University who studies infectious disease transmission. But they are not turned on while people are getting on and off the plane.

Airports also offer a lot of close encounters while waiting in lines, and because measles lingers in the air, there could be many chances for transmission.

“You don’t have to even be in the same space at the same time as the infected person to be infected by them,” Bansal said.

The Louisiana Department of Health did not specify where the patient’s international trip originated. However, on the same day, the Philadelphia Department of Public Health reported that a traveler with measles had passed through Philadelphia International Airport’s Terminals A and B between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Officials

tenure. He had six years remaining on a 10-year deal worth more than $100 million after coming from Notre Dame.

In previous documents obtained by The Advocate, Kelly’s attorneys said he rejected financial settlement offers of $25 million and $30

did not say whether it was the same individual.

The Health Department said those who were at the airport at the time of the potential exposure should contact their health care provider to see if they need a vaccine.

The department, which barred employees from recommending specific vaccinations earlier this year as it ended mass vaccination efforts, did not respond to questions about whether the vaccine is available at parish health units.

Measles is highly contagious. In a clinic waiting room with one infected person and 10 unvaccinated people, nine out of 10 would be expected to get the disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

“When we say it’s probably the most contagious disease from an airborne standpoint, it really is,” Anderson said.

The measles virus spreads through the air when an infected person breathes, coughs or sneezes, and can linger in an enclosed space for hours even after that person has left.

Unlike tuberculosis, which is primarily transmitted when someone is coughing a lot, measles can be transmitted just by sharing airspace, even if the person is not showing symptoms People are generally contagious four days before they get the rash that accompanies measles, said Dr Julio Figueroa, an infectious disease expert at LSU Health New Orleans.

Most people who get measles recover fully But the virus can cause severe illness in some cases leading to pneumonia, brain inflammation or even death, particularly among young children and those with weakened immune systems.

The MMR vaccine prevents about 93% of cases after one dose and 97% after two doses, according to the CDC.

“Ninety-seven percent — we can’t say that for any other vaccine,” Bansal said.

million, both of which included the elimination of mitigation and offset clauses that would reduce his buyout if he gets another job in football.

According to the filing, LSU’s representatives said Monday that then-LSU athletic director Scott

“Really, vaccination is the best bet.”

Children typically get the first measles vaccine at 12 to 15 months old and the second at 4 to 6 years old.

Anderson said parents of unvaccinated children who may have been exposed should contact their pediatrician to discuss early vaccination. They should be able to get the second shot early Infants too young to have gotten their first shot may also be able to get it as a preventive measure if it’s within 72 hours of exposure. After 72 hours of exposure to measles, people who are not immune from prior infection or vaccination may be given an immune globulin injection to prevent the infection. This provides temporary passive immunity and can help prevent or lessen the severity of the disease if administered within six days of exposure.

The case at the airport is Louisiana’s third this year, all linked to international travel, and comes amid a national resurgence of the virus. Once declared eliminated in the United States, measles has reemerged as vaccination rates have slipped since the COVID-19 pandemic.

As of Nov 4, 1,681 cases had been reported across the country — the highest number in more than three decades, with large outbreaks in Texas starting in undervaccinated communities.

Louisiana’s measles vaccination rate among kindergartners fell from 96.2% in 2021 to about 92% in 2025, according to the CDC.

Louisiana is already facing vaccine-preventable disease pressures. This year, a pertussis, or whooping cough, outbreak has reached levels not seen in at least 35 years. Two Louisiana babies died. Infectious disease experts said this is an example of why prevention through vaccination is important.

“We had the pertussis outbreak, which killed some infants. This has the same kind of potential,” said Figueroa.

Woodward did not have “the authority to terminate Coach Kelly and/or make settlement offers to him.”

Woodward and the school parted ways Oct. 30, the day after Gov Jeff Landry criticized his contracts and said Woodward would not hire LSU’s next football coach.

“LSU has never claimed that Coach Kelly was terminated for cause and, before November 10, 2025, never asserted that he engaged in any conduct that would warrant such a termination,” the lawsuit read. “To the contrary, LSU repeatedly confirmed, both publicly and to Coach Kelly, that the termination was due to the Team’s performance, not for cause.”

Kelly’s representatives disagreed with three points that LSU made during the call, according to the lawsuit: that he had not been terminated, that Woodward acted without authority and that “there were any grounds for termination with cause.”

Kelly’s contract with LSU states that if he were to be fired for cause, LSU would have to provide written notice and a statement on the

grounds for the termination within a seven-day period Kelly would then have seven days to respond. The lawsuit, which detailed that process, said it never occurred.

According to Kelly’s contract, the school can fire him for cause due to various behavioral issues, including NCAA rule violations, crimes or “serious misconduct” that “constitutes moral turpitude.”

“Coach Kelly never engaged in any such conduct, and LSU never relied on any incident of cause before Coach Kelly’s termination,” the lawsuit said.

The call Monday preceded a 5 p.m. deadline that had been set by Kelly’s representatives for LSU to provide written confirmation that it would “fulfill its contractual obligations” for a firing without cause and pay the full buyout, according to a Nov 5 letter sent to now-LSU athletic director Verge Ausberry and LSU board member John Carmouche.

Kelly’s representative said in the letter he would be “open to any additional offers” to settle if he received the confirmation, but their deadline passed without an agreement.

Basquiatinspiresupcomingsoloshow

Actorrecalls iconic artist

BY JOANNA BROWN Staff writer

In 2017, Jean-Michel Basquiat’s “Untitled” work sold at auction for $110.5 million. It was the most expensive painting everauctioned from an American artist —until Basquiat’srecord was beat in 2022 by Andy Warhol’s“Shot Sage Blue Marilyn,” which sold for $195 million.

Lafayette clothing sale to draw crowds

Warehouse to open forwomen’s apparelevent

BY JOANNA BROWN Staff writer

Adeline Clothing is opening its warehouse this weekend for a chance to shop women’sclothing for all ages and styles.

TheLafayette-basedonline business specializes in arange of on-trend items, from activewear and two-piece sets to dresses, blouses and accessories. Adeline Clothing’sannual warehouse sale will start Saturday andcontinue through Sunday,with retail popups from La Femme Lafayette, Cocodrie Collective and Acadian Estates jewelry

The sale is expected todraw more than 2,000 people onSaturday,looking to shop Adeline’s clearance inventory andsamples from topbrands, according to owner Lori Hurd.She started Adeline Clothingin2015, using social media to sell contemporary women’s styles.

“The sale has grown organically throughthe years,” said Hurd. “The markdowns are really good, and we started doing pop-ups and food trucks. It’sgrown intoan event people really want tocome to.”

The boutique’skey demographic is women ages 24 to 48, but since so many shoppers bring their daughters and younger relatives, Hurd now incorporates brandsfor

Basquiat’sart,and thefervor it inspires, puts the New York-born neo-expressionist painter in the realm of stars like Warhol, Picasso and Mark Rothko. TheBasquiat crown, arecurring symbol he used to signify greatness andpower for himself and thesubject, hasbeen referenced over and over in pop culture, notably by rapper Kanye West.OnOct.21, thestreet in lower Manhattan where the artist lived

and worked was renamed “JeanMichel BasquiatWay,” in honor of his lasting legacy On Friday,Lafayette will have the opportunitytoget to know Basquiat through the eyes of his friend,noted actorRoger Guenveur Smith. Smithiscoming to Louisiana to perform hisacclaimed solo show,“In HonorofJean-Michel Basquiat,” at theTheater at Baranco. Smith is best known for hiswork withSpike Leeinfilms like “MalcolmX”and “Dothe Right Thing,”

Louisiana State Police are asking for the public’shelp in the investigation of ahit-and-run crash that killed aSt. Martinvilleman last month. Harvey Gauthier, 49, of St.Martinville, was killed Oct. 17. Gauthier was ridinga 2007 Honda off-road motorcycle on La. 347 near Lou Gauthier Road, south of St. Martinville, when he suddenly braked, lost control and fell off onto the highway troopers said, adding that the reason for the abrupt brakingisunder investigation. According to troopers, as

RACE TO THEFINISH

Fundraiserlaunched afterdeadlycrash

BY JA’KORI MADISON Staff writer

In thewake of adeadly crash that took thelifeofKaplan mother Alexis Jackson,the Vermilion Parish town shecalled home is coming together to help thefour children now facing life without her.

On Friday,deputies responded to the crash, just eastofPirates Lane, shortly after 2p.m. Two people,JulienLawrence Jr., 65, and Jackson,41, both of Kaplan, died on the scene,according to state police.

Jacksonleaves behind four children: Nyla, Layla, Aaronand Williona Jackson

“These children were the center of Alexis’sworld,”the family wrote on aGoFundMe page, which also said the financialburden followingsuch an unexpected loss has beenoverwhelming. Donations will help cover essentials including housing, food,clothing, school supplies, and counseling servicesasthe children adjust to life without their mother,according to the page.

Jackson’sdaughter,Nyla, shared aheartfelt message on Facebook:“Shemadesuretoal-

the1989 film where Smith improvised thecharacter of “Smiley” based on Basquiat. His solo performances areintimate looks at towering figures like Huey P. Newton, Frederick Douglass and Basquiat, andlast year,Smith performed“Otto Frank” in Lafayette —his exploration of grief and survival through the voice of Anne Frank’sfather

Before Basquiat’sdeath in 1988 at the age of 27 (placing him on a significant list of cultural icons who died at that age, following struggleswithsubstance abuse), he was already reckoned to be one of the most prolific and captivating artists of his time. But to Smith, he was also afascinating friend and an inspiring collaborator

“The loss of Jean-Michelatsuch atender age wasa tremendous loss, not only for me, but for the

KEMP

ABOVE: Runnersheadthrough thestartinglineofthe 2025 Cajun Cup 10K road race that wound throughout downtown Lafayette on Saturday BOTTOM RIGHT: Runner Jeny Barcenasisthe first overall female to thefinish line with atime of 36:26. BOTTOM LEFT: Race medals wait to be handedout at thefinish line.

ways bringupwhat shewanted andwhatshe expectedfromus when this time would come &ima make sure all her wishes come true. Iloveyou mommy.I got us, don’tworry.Rest.”

Deputies determined Lawrence wasdriving a2003 Ford Crown Victoria east on La. 14, with Jackson in the back seat, while a2023 Cadillac Escalade was traveling west.

Oneofthe two vehicles crossed thecenter line and struck the other head-on as they approached asmallbridge. Which vehicle crossed thecenter line and why remainsunder investigation,according to LouisianaState Police.

Some community members took to Facebook to share condolences, including KaplanMayor Mike Kloesel.

“This is alossand atragedy to Kaplan,” he wrote. “I pray God wraps his comforting arms around the family as He welcomes Lawrence Julian and Alexis Jackson intoHis Kingdom.”

Jackson’ssister,Sonnie Jackson, also sharedhergrief in aFacebook post:“My nieces andnephew need you, Idotoo. Ilove you, Alexis. You’re my sister.Wegrew up together and Ididn’tthink you would go so soon.”

As of Tuesday afternoon, the GoFundMe has reached morethan $5,000 of its $10,000 goal.

OPINION

OUR VIEWS

Tagliabue wasa godsendfor theSaints

Very rarely has someonewho neverlived in Louisiana done so much for thestateand the city of New Orleans as did former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue, whodied Nov. 9at age 84.

By playing aleading role in keepingthe Saints in NewOrleans after HurricaneKatrina,and by using his influence in myriad ways to support the team and city thereafter,Tagliabue earned thegratitude and respect not just of Saints fans everywhere, but of all who care aboutthe manifold, positive effects the team brings to the region.

By many accounts, Tagliabue strongly persuaded owner TomBenson to keep theSaints in New Orleans rather than move to SanAntonio, where the team had temporarily relocated.The extent of his behind-the-scenes arm-twisting can be debated, but, as oursports columnist Jeff Duncan writes, the Saints “wouldn’t have returned as successfullyastheydid withouthis shrewd leadership.”

Tagliabue convened meetingswithagroup of the state’swealthiest citizenstorally support forthe team. He helped resources reach the team and ran interference for theSaints on Capitol Hill. He publicly supportedthe return efforts, and he highlighted them with aMonday NightFootballextravaganza forthe Superdome’sreopening. The Saints’victory,led by the famous blocked punt by special teamsace Steve Gleason, remains probably the singlemostcelebratedMNF game ever.

Tagliabue also helped bring three SuperBowls to New Orleans, and later, as an independent arbitrator regarding the Saints’ “Bountygate” scandal, removedpenalties against Saints players that he said were excessive.

Tagliabue served the NFL just as well. His 17 years at the helm weremarked byconsistent labor peace that previously had beenhardfor majorsports leagues to achieve. He pioneered all sorts of contractual arrangements that led to much greater prosperityleague-wide. He wisely implemented someofthe moststringent protocols against steroids and illegaldrugs in any organized sports league. And he worked hard andsuccessfullyto expand thechances for members of minority races to become head coachesand move up inteam front-office management.

Indeed, whenTagliabuetook the commissioner’sjob in 1989, the leaguefeatured only one Black head coach. By 2006, when heretired,the leaguecould boast sevenBlack headcoaches at the same time.

Arebounding legend for theGeorgetown Hoya basketball team in college, Tagliabue understoodthe actual athletic side of the sports business, and he guarded the integrity of the game.

Still, for us in Louisiana, his greatest service was as achampion of the Saintswhenthe team’s future was in severe doubt.For servingboththe leagueand the Saints andLouisiana, Tagliabue will always be appreciated by the WhoDat Nation

LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR ARE WELCOME. HERE AREOUR

GUIDELINES: Letters are published identifying name, occupation and/or title and the writer’scity of residence

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

Challenges of La.’sinsurance market notinsurmountable

Having passed the20th anniversary of hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastatingour state and in the last month of what has been aquiet hurricane season, Iwant to share our state’s recent hurricane experience. Prior to 2005, the record for an insured loss event in our state was set in 2000, with ahailstorm causing just over $500 million in insured losses in New Orleans. That broke Louisiana’srecord for an insured loss catastrophe of just under $500 million in insured losses in 1992, caused by Hurricane Andrew Katrina set arecord with $23.3 billion in insured losses, followed three weeks later by Rita, causing an additional $3.3 billion in insured losses. Hurricane Gustav in 2008 brought $2.2 billion in insured losses. Hurricane Laura in 2020 caused $9 billion in insured losses, and 13 months later,Hurricane Ida caused $14 billion in insured losses. Note that hurricanes Katrina and Rita were Category 3storms with 115 mph winds, while Laura and Ida were just under Category 5with winds

over 140 mph at landfall. Ishare this data because Ibelieve it clearly shows the trend of increasingly powerful and more frequent hurricanes since Katrina, but not to suggest that we can’tlive and prosper in south Louisiana. We saw homes on Grand Isle after Ida with minimal damage despite140 mph winds. The answer to our annual hurricane challenge is to build stronger and higher and hopefully to get help on anational level from Washington, as was done after the attacks of 9/11. A proposal to create afederal backstop like the Terrorism Risk Insurance Actdid is apractical approach being considered in Washington for catastrophe-exposed states. That kind of help, together with the ongoing efforts of Commissioner TimTemple to promoteour market, will makeLouisiana attractive tonew businesses and residents.

JIM DONELON formercommissioner,Louisiana Department of Insurance

Iamsotired of hearing attorneys’ commercials promising huge settlements to injured victims. One of these commercials actually says, “Wewill get you thelife-changing money that you deserve.” Insurance settlements are not supposed to be like hittingthe lottery Settlements are merely to make the victim whole again, returning to them

Iwas the director of the preschool at my church for several years. As such, Iwas responsible for ensuring the school was compliant with stateregulations. And so we had enough teachers for our children, ran background checks and provided training in CPR, healthand safetyand child development. Regular on-siteinspections made sure we had ahazard-free environmentand met fire safetystandards.I cannot imagine religious schools suing

what they lost.

This abundance of huge settlements in lawsuits is driving up the cost of our insurance premiums. Lawmakers in Baton Rouge need to get this under control if we in New Orleans and the stateasa whole areever to get affordable insurance premiums.

ANNA ARSHAD NewOrleans

to be left alone on such important matters. AndIcannot imagine feeling safe sending my child to one that did. Yes, keeping up with theregulations took time, but for avery worthy purpose —the well-being of ourchildren. Iremember aparent stopping by when Iwas doing some paperwork, and Icommented that it could be a hassle. She looked at me and said, “It makes me feel better.”

CHRISTINA ALBERS

NewOrleans

Ihaven’t decidedifour governor is channeling Edwin Edwards, with his flashy powderblue suits, light tanshoes andCajun accent, or Huey Long, givenhis interference with anddemagoguery of the LSU athletic program. Eitherway,weare witnessing atragedy unfolding in real time. Sinceour governor is now neck deep in wrecking our one iconic, nationalbrand of which we could all be proud, we stand helpless, wondering whatotherfoolish, needless interference is forthcoming from this grandstanding Trump-wannabe politician.

Landry is the quintessential “onepunchfighter;” he instigates the fight, thensteps back and lets others sort outthe chaos he started. Everyone hasa right to an opinion, as does the governor.But there arewaystoachieve change that can be accomplished professionally,privately andrespectfully.You don’t broadcastonsocial media and hold anewsconference.

Landry hassenta message to the country andevery NCAA athletic programthatLSU cannotcompete on the nationalscene. Ihope this incident is an aberration, as this fixationonmeddling in LSU affairs forecasts forever doom He hassulliedthe name of LSU andthe state of Louisiana. It’sa clownshow. We must endure three more years of this behaviorunless the Board of Supervisors can muster some resolve andcourage and throw down amarker.

DAVID STUART Covington

Reopeningthe governmentcan leadtoLa. health care shutdowns

would have reopened the government unless Republicans agreed to extend the benefits.

Louisiana is in for arudeawakening as theU.S. Congress finally votes to reopen thefederal government. Basic government functions may be funded again. Federal dollars that make up more than 50% of our state’sbudget may flow once again.But what’s happening is quitelikely going to make the lives of many more miserable as Louisianans pray “Thank you, Lord” forthis temporaryrespitewhile also praying “Please, Lord,” as theenhanced Affordable Care Act premium taxcredits in place since the COVID pandemic will expire at year’send if Congress doesn’textend them.

Let’sbeclear: Reducing health care benefits not only hurts the individuals who rely on them. It can cause large hospitals to reduce specialty services and can cause small, rural hospitals to close.

No matter what political partyaffiliation you have andnomatter whether youlove or loathe President DonaldTrump, you’ve got to admit that there’senough blame for the longest government shutdown in history to be widely shared.

The GOP wanted to keep government open without dealing with a looming huge spike in costs to those whorely on the ACA credits, an issue thataffects millions.

Democrats didn’twant tokeep the government open without acting on those credits. What resulted was a stalemate.

Strategically,the Democratsrefused to agree to acontinuingresolution that

Pressure mounted as the weeks went by.Itwas weeks ago that Ifirst heard my pastor call for our congressional representatives and senators to give up their salaries if they were going to continue to insist that federal workers give up their income to makeapoint. Perhaps the messagereached the Lord and got bounced back to politicians

Thereare about 40,000 federal employees in Louisiana. I’m uncertain how many have been hurt by the shutdown, but I’m sure it’s more than afew

Themajority-Republican U.S. House of Representatives approved anational budget extension in September, butthe U.S. Senatecouldn’tget acomparable approval without the support of some Democrats.

Eight Democratic senators folded this week, agreeing to endthe government shutdown in exchange for a promise by Republican senators that there will be aDecember up-or-down vote on the health care tax credits, which expire Dec. 31.

Theend of the shutdown alsomeans thatfunding for federal offices will resume, and that all-importantSNAP benefitswill once more be available. It also means that federal employee layoffs will end and that those who haven’tbeen receiving paychecks will getback pay

Butthese things are also true: The shutdown’sresolution will only keep thegovernment open through January.Without an extension of health care tax credits, lots of people with mid-level health insurance might see

monthly increases of more than $600. Andthe overturning of the president’s federal employee layoffs would last only through Jan. 30, so more layoffs could be coming.

Thereare more than 24 million people who relyonthe ACAfor health care, including 280,000 to 300,000 on theACA marketplace in Louisiana, yet Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton,has so far refused to agree that the House of Representatives would consider extending healthcare benefits.

We hear Democrats, Republicans, independentsand otherssay all the time that electionshaveconsequences. Yep, they do.

Unfortunately,government shutdowns areasign of how dysfunctional our federal government has come to be. We’ve had too manytoo often. Now,asthis government shutdown comes to an end, it won’tbethe end of all governmentshutdowns.And it won’tbethe end of our nation’shealth care debate.

Ourgovernment is putting too many families in Louisiana and across the nation at risk of having healthcare, food benefits and health insurance costs denied or significantly diminished. This “deal” is more like aBand-Aid on an open, bleeding wound. Ourstate is too poor to afford ongoing federal government shutdowns.And too many of our people spend way too much time worrying about whether thebenefits they relyupon everyday are going to become casualties of the latest political games

Email Will Sutton at wsutton@ theadvocate.com.

Georgia, notN.Y., told thebig story

Last week brought encouraging results for Democrats eyeinga sweep in next year’smidterms. But themost notable portent wasn’tthe governor’s races won by Abigail Spanberger in Virginia or Mikie Sherrill in New Jersey.Nor was it Zohran Mamdani’selection as mayor of New York City The most significant win for Democratswas in two little-watched racesfor Georgia’sutility board. Littlewatched outside of Georgia, that is These races are important forseveral reasons. No Democrat has been elected to the five-member Georgia Public Service Commission since 2007. Georgia has become abellwether in the conservative South, and it has14 House seats. What the above outcomes indicate is that much of the electoratehas had it with Donald Trump: Tariff chaos. The fake wars waged on our cities’ streets. Bankrupt farms. Blatantcorruption. The destruction of democratic institutions. It’sobviouslygettingharder for Trump to bully election officials in Georgia or elsewhere to “find” more votes than acandidate won Sherrill’sopponent, Jack Ciattarelli, might have done alot betterifhedidn’t have Trump hanging aroundhis neck He was known as amoderate, thesort of Republican who can getelected in New Jersey

But he blew it playing cultural warrior,MAGA style.

As an aside, the media should stop making abig deal about Spanberger becoming “Virginia’sFirst Female Governor.”

America has 12 women servingas governors. Several oversee conservative states: Kay Ivey in Alabama, Kim Reynolds in Iowa, Laura Kelly in Kansas and Sarah Huckabee Sanders in Arkansas. Spanberger came with an impressive background as arepresentative who hadworkedfor the CIA. Sherrill, by the way,ispreceded in the New Jersey governor’smansion by Christine Todd Whitman (1994-2001). The outcome in the races for Georgia’sutility board alsoreflected frustration with climbing electricity bills. Spiking electric costsare plaguing Americans all over the country, and they willget worse as largedata

centers rush in to scoop up available energysupplies. Nationally,electricity prices have jumped 10%since January.Trumpis making matters worse by ditching the Biden-era subsidies for clean energy Theso-called Big BeautifulBill chops $500 billion from those projects So hotare Republicans to kill off these newenergy sources that they’re strandingcapital already invested in them. In August, the Bureau of Ocean EnergyManagement issued astop-work order on amajor wind project off New England that’salready 80% built. The bureaucited “concerns related to the protection of national securityinterests” withoutsaying what they were. It took afederal court to lift that order Starting with Obama, America had pursued anall-of-the-above energy policy.Thatmeant using traditional fossil fuels, the clean renewables and emergingsources, suchasnuclear power,hydrogen and biofuels.(Texas is very goodatthis.) Now the policy is to stop the green-energy part,including infrastructure that even some oil companies supported

The political battle that got themost attention was the race for New York mayor The reasons were the colorful personalities, Mamdani’scontroversial past and aRepublican spoiler who wouldn’tleave the race. Addtothat the New York-based media’sobsession with New York. Mamdani has taken some of theedge off his moreradical ideas by making nice with the“power brokers” he campaigned against. The hope is that he focuses on governing pragmatically —for which he will need some adult supervision. Unlike fellow Democratic Socialists Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez,New York mayor is an executive position overseeing avery complex organization. Andno, Mamdani can’tsingle-handedly raise taxes on the rich.

Butagain, let’s not dwell on New York. For themost significant omen of Democrats’ prospects in the midterms, look to Georgia.

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

In 1916, Emily Post published her book about driving across America. Yes, that Emily Post, the society maven who invented the modern etiquette column. Before she started telling us all how to behave, she wrote “By Motor to the GoldenGate,” whichisstill worth reading more than ahundred years later.Not just because Post is adelightful writer with a keen ear for the telling vignette, but because her book sheds light on an issue that’soneveryone’s minds these days: infrastructure, and why we can’tseem to build it any more.

Post wasborn at the beginning of America’s“special century,” the period between 1870 and 1970, whenwetraded muscle power for motor power,moved from farms to cities andbuilt most of our public infrastructure. In 1916, much of that infrastructure was still in the future. The rail network was largely built out, citieshad made enormous strides in water treatment and electrification was well underway.But outside cities, telephone networks were still primitive and paved roads scarce. Unfortunately,the rural areas were where most people still lived. 1920, when America crossed the 50% urbanization mark, lay four years and one world war away So motoring across the country meant navigating dirt roads that threw up dust whenitwas dry and dissolved into mud puddles whenitrained, forcing the traveler to hole up in ahotel for days or weeks until the road could be driedout and repaired. In the sparsely populated West, Post had to do some patching herself, using barrel staves to plug ruts that ran deeper thanthe 10inch clearance of her car’sundercarriage. Post downplayed these frustrations with wellbred WASP understatement. But youcan imagine how grueling it must have been to pick up those barrel staves and lay them down in arut over and over,ortosit in an open car that was barely inching through the desert. Youcan also imagine how good it must have felt to getback onto apaved road. Hold onto that thought, because it’srelevant to something else that comes through in herwriting —the incredible optimism and wild ambition that runs through Post’sAmerica. The Midwest, particularly,seemstobeinthe middle of a youthful growth spurt, with cities springing up out of the prairie full of vim and vigorand plans for the future.

That sense of optimism, or rather,our longing for it, is at the heart of the Republicannostalgia politics Itweaked in arecent column. And the Democratic nostalgia politics Icould have tweaked, because it’salso apowerful force Where Republicans yearn for the bygone days of tariffs and factory jobs and nuclearfamilies, many Democrats long to reenact the welfare state expansions and titanic infrastructure projects of the 20th century —down to branding climate policy as a“Green New Deal.” But really both those groups are asking why we can’t recapture the spirit of an age when Americafelt young and hopeful and capable of doing extraordinary things.

It’sagreat question. But after following Emily Post across America, Ithink the answeristhat we already did them.

There’sanold joke about an engineer who finds acolleague banging his head against a brick wall.

“Why are you doing that?” he asks.

“Because it feels so good whenIstop.”

It feels really good whenyou can stop running across afrozen yard in your nightshirt andjust pad down the hall to an indoor toilet; when you exchange sooty kerosene lamps for cleanelectric lights; when you trade jolting overdirt and cobblestones for gliding over smooth macadam But those are one-timetransitions, andonce they’re over,you’ll never feel that same sweet relief again.

Youcan try to relive that excitement by installing asecond bathroom, developing amore advanced power grid or constructing abigger highway.But the more infrastructure youbuild, the more the marginal utility of new infrastructure declines.

That helps explain not just why we’re less excited about the future than Americans ahundred years ago, but also why we’re so much worse at getting things done: The political trade-offs are now harder,because we’re chasing incremental improvements, not life-altering change

That’snot an argument against building infrastructure. We need to build more! But we also need to understand why that will be apolitical challenge. Of course it’sfrustrating not to be able to recapture the can-do spirit of Post’s America —orfor that matter,modern China but then, there are muchmore frustrating problems to have. Like driving across acountry that lacks paved roads.

MeganMcArdle in on X, @asymmetricinfo.

entire world of art lovers,”

he said. “I continuously feel the need to pay tribute to him, investigatehis work andlife, and present his work to new generations.

“I felt that it was time to disciplinemyselftosit down and write these stories out, script these stories, andthen have them properly scored by my longtime colleague, Marc Anthony Thompson.”

Smith and Basquiat met in Los Angeles in 1983 during anight out. Basquiat was based out of astudioin Venice Beach at the time, and he told Smith he “liked his energy”after watching him rap.

Smith said their first outing was to see the new Scorsese film “King of Comedy,” with Robert De Niro.

“At that point Ididn’trealize that he was an ascendant art star who had been anointed in theart world. I

just thought he was acool club kid, and Ilikedhis energy too.

”EventuallyI realized thathewas indeed an art star, andhewas getting a lot of recognition,rightfully so,for this tremendous work that he was creating at afeverish pitch.Ialways say that he worked bankers hours, but he turned the clock upside down.”

The friends spent time together in Basquiat’sstudio, where Smith improvised soliloquies inspired by Shakespeare and Douglass, while the artist copied the words on his canvases. Five years later,their creative relationship was at the forefront again as Smith drew inspirationfrom hisfriend for the character ofSmiley in Spike Lee’sseminal film.

Smith said, “thegreat tragic irony of this story is thatwhile Iwas in character in Brooklyn, my friend wasexpiring in Manhattan, just over the river.” As Basquiat continuesto inspirenew generations, Smith continuestoremind

newaudiences aboutwho his friend really was, underneath theacclaimand freneticoutput. ”I think he had asense thathehad alimited time on this planet,and accordingly he would work really, really hard, andhedid,” the performer said. Tickets for “InHonor of Jean-Michel Basquiat” are $25 and available at pasaonline.organd through the Heymann CenterBox Office. The performance will take place at 7:30 p.m.Fridayatthe Theater at Baranco, at the Dr.Raphael A. Baranco Elementary School at 801 Mudd Ave., Lafayette. It is the first performance in thePopups at Baranco series offered by Performing Arts Serving Acadiana.

On Thursday,Smith will also lead an acting workshop at Cité desArts in downtown Lafayette. The workshop is free and open to the public, and according to PASA, actors shouldpreparetoactively participate.

CLOTHING

Continued from page1B

teens. This year,attendees can also do bra fittings with La Femme Lafayette, shop accessories and hair clips from Cocodrie Collective and artist ColetteBernard, and experiment with permanent jewelry by Acadian Estates &Custom. The sale is cash only, with no items marked above $30, according to Hurd.

BLOTTER

Continued from page1B

Gauthier was in the roadway,an18-wheelerrolled over him and kept going.

Troopers have identified alight-colored pickup as a vehicle of interestthat was in the area at the time of the crash, and are working to identify the 18-wheeler involved.

State Police are asking anyone with information relatedtothe crashoreither vehicle to contact TroopI at (337) 262-5880. Information can also be reported anonymously through the Louisiana State Police online reporting system by visiting File aReport or calling the State Police Fusion Center Hotline at(800) 434-8007. Lafayette woman ID’dinshooting

ALafayette woman was identified as the victim of ashooting at the Himbola

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Obituaries

Funeral serviceswillbe held on Thursday, November 13, 2025 at 1:00 PM in Asbury United Methodist Church in Lafayette, forDr. Stephen B. Knouse, age78, who passed away on Saturday, November 8, 2025 at his Lafayette residence.

Interment will be held in LafayetteMemorialPark Cemetery.

Reverend Susan M. Ferguson willofficiate at theservices Survivorsincludehis belovedwife of 51 years, Teri LeeCerwinske Knouse; twodaughters, Jessica LeeAkins and her husband Autry and Andrea KnouseTettleton; granddaughter, Addie Akins; one sister, KathiWashamand her husband Dale; two brothers, EricKnouse and Charles Knouseand his wife Anita McCarthy; one sister-in-law, Jeri Ann Cerwinske;one niece, Julia Romero; one nephew, Chad Boley and his wife Shueree;and numerous greatnephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, Bernard C. Knouseand Julia Ann BridgeKnouse; and one brother, James Knouse.

Stevededicated his life to education, service, and thepursuit of excellence. His remarkable journey began early,achieving the rank of EagleScout in 1962, adistinctionthat foreshadowed his lifelong commitment to leadership and integrity.

Steveearnedbothhis Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and German and hisMaster's degree in Experimental Psychology from Southern Methodist University (SMU). He later completedhis academic training with aPh.D. in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from The OhioState University, where his passion forteaching and researchflourished

Throughouthis distinguishedacademic career, Steve taughtatSouthern Methodist University, The Ohio State University, Penn State at Erie, Phillips University, and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Histeaching and scholarship focused on human resources management, businessethics, and qualitymanagement, subjectshebroughttolife through hisresearch,mentorship,and thoughtful leadership Aprolific scholar,Steve publishedthreeinfluential books: Hispanics in the Workplace, Rewardand Recognition in Quality Management,and Human Resources Perspective on TQM.His researchwas cited over 200 timesand was even referenced in aU.S SupremeCourt ruling,reflectingthe nationalimpactofhis work. Hisresearchalso took himbeyondthe classroom-he spent several summers as aDistinguishedScholar at theAir ForceEqual Opportunity Institute at Andrews AirForce Base, wherehestudied diversity andinclusion initiatives At theUniversity of Louisiana at Lafayette, Steve served as theHead of theDepartmentof Management for 11 years, ActingDeanofthe Moody CollegeofBusiness for one year,and held theAlvin andPatricia Endowed Professorship for 20 years. Hisleadership extended across campus, wherehe chaired the UL Senate Committee on Committees, the Faculty Discussion Group, andthe Management Department Tenure andPromotion Committee.Healso served several years as President of theULPhi Beta Kappa Society, and wasa memberofboth the University Academic Vice President SelectionCommittee and theAACSB Acceptance Committee

Steve's dedication to academic excellencewas matchedbyhis pride in tradition. He served as Grand Marshal of the Moody CollegeofBusiness and later as GrandMarshal of theULLafayette Commencement,leading ceremoniesthatcelebrated thesuccess of countless students he inspired along theway. Before hisacademic career,Steve honorably served his country in the United States AirForce achieving the rankof Captain andalso received

“A couple of years ago, we realized we just didn’t have the clearance inventory to serve the crowd that showed up. So most of theinventoryweshownow isn’tjustfromour warehouse. Over thepast few yearswe’ve been buildingrelationships with the brands, and telling them, don’t sell your samples in Los Angeles. Save them forusfor our yearly sale.”

Theline will form early on Saturday,but Hurd said that they holdback inven-

Manor apartments Monday on Martin Luther King Drive.

Thevictim has beenidentified as OveyannaFrancis, 23, of Lafayette. Theshooting occurred in the 800 block of Martin Luther King Driveon Monday.At1:53 p.m., police received multiple calls reporting shotsfired at the

tory to roll out all day long on Saturdayand Sunday,so there’salways something new to seeonthe floor

The Adeline Clothing warehouse is located at 3308 W. Pinhook Road, Lafayette. The sale will run from9 a.m. to 4p.m. Saturday and Sunday,and the first 50 people in line will receive abag of items from local businesses worth $100.

Email Joanna Brown at joanna.brown@ theadvocate.com.

location.Uponthe arrival of patrol officers, Francis was located on theground suffering from apparent gunshotwounds. Officers immediately initiatedlifesaving measures until she was taken to alocal hospital where she later died.

At this time the investigation is ongoing and no arrestshave been made.

theUSAF Commendation Medal. Hisservice was preceded by hisinvolvementinROTC duringhis collegeyears-a testament to hislifelongdevotion to leadership andpublic service Beyond his professional accomplishments, Steve shared adeep love of travel with his wife,Teri. Together, they explored many parts of the world andwereproud members of theUnited States Lighthouse Association, combining theirpassion for history, adventure,and thebeauty of coastal landscapes. Steve will be rememberednot only for his scholarly achievements andleadership butalso for hiswarmth, curiosity, and unwaveringcommitment to those he taught, mentored, andserved. His legacycontinues to shine throughthe students,colleagues, andcommunity members whose lives he touched.

Pallbearers will be Charles Knouse,Autry Akins, Brooke Hamilton,Al Toma, and Ed Rylee Thefamilyrequeststhat visitation be observedon Thursday, November 13, 2025 from 11:00 AM until time of servicesatAsbury United Methodist Church in Lafayette. In lieu of flowers donationscan be made in Dr Stephen B. Knouse's name to TheMichael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research Grand Central Station P.O. Box 4777 NewYork, NY 10163 US 800-708-7644 or Parkinson'sFoundation 200 SE 1st Street Suite 800 Miami, Florida 33131. The familywould like to extendspecial thanks to Senior Helpers, especially Crystaland Arrecia, nurses andstaff withHeart of Hospice,Dr. Lugo, and Dr Manuel for thelove and care given to Steve andhis family. View theobituaryand guestbook online at www.mourning.com Martin& Castille Funeral HomeDOWNTOWN, 330 St LandryStreet, Lafayette, Louisiana 70506, 337-2342311

COURTING TROUBLE

LSU coach Brian Kelly looksonfrom the sideline during agame againstSouthAlabamaonSept. 28, 2024, at TigerStadium. Kelly,who

relievedofhis duties on Oct. 26, fileda lawsuitMondayagainst theuniversity and is seekingthe full $54 millionbuyout he

Don’tever let anyone tell you itisn’t about the money Former LSU football coach Brian Kelly filed alawsuit against theschool Monday. The suit says that representatives from LSU told his lawyers in acall earlier Monday that Kelly wasnot “formally terminated” last month and that it nowseeks to fire him for cause, according to acopy obtainedbyThe Advocate. Kelly’s people shot back thatthey wantthe full$54 million he’sowed. There’svirtually no limit to thelengths people will fight over avastly smaller amount of money than this, which is on paper the second-biggest buyout incollege football history.There’slittle question that both LSU and Kelly haveresorted to the nuclear option, andnow thereis

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

Scott Rabalais

virtually no way for this to end amicably Where this goes from here and what effect it has on the LSU search toreplace Kelly is thehuge question for you, me and every LSU fan out there, including the rich LSU boosters who guaranteed Kelly’s buyout in thefirst place. At thevery least, it’syet another destabilizing chapter in aprocess that has appeared to be wildly unstable from theoutset

In my time covering LSU, this is my seventhfootball coaching search, going back to LSUreplacing Mike Archer with Curley Hallman after the 1991 season. All of them, every single one, wastamer than this.This is “Crazy Days at LSU” —the episode in the 1980s involving basketball coach Dale Brown and athletic director Bob Brodhead bugging his own office on steroids.

Let’sreview LSUfires Kelly (apparently) on Oct. 26, theday after losing to Texas A&M. Later that week, athletic director Scott Woodward is forced out after Gov.Jeff Landry publicly said Woodward will not be allowed to hire thenext coach. LSU hires

Coach Kim Mulkey doesn’twant to saythat the LSUwomen’sbasketball team is playing freshman forward ZaKiyahJohnson outofposition

Mulkey said she thinks saying that wouldequate to unfairly pigeonholing aplayer who can do justabout anything. Johnson canscore,rebound and defendin the post, as she’sshownfor theTigers in each of the firstthree games. She can also, according to Mulkey,dribble, pass and shoot like aguard.

“I’m very versatile, Iwould say,” Johnson said Oct. 23. If Johnson can score in double figures again Wednesday when theNo. 5Tigers (3-0)hostCharlotte (7 p.m., SEC Network+),thenthe 6-foot forward will begin her collegiate career withfour consecutive games of at least 10 points. Johnson, aformer five-star recruit fromKentucky, notched 11 points in the season openeragainst Houston Christian. Then she chipped in 16 and17 points in the two subsequent wins over SoutheasternLouisiana and Georgia Southern. In those three contests,Johnson averaged 14.7 points, 6.3 rebounds,2.0 steals andablock pergame while also shooting 70% from the field. Only nineDivision Ifreshmen are sportingthose scoring and rebounding averagesthis year,and none of thoseplayershavetallied as many steals and blocksasJohnson has(11), and just two are converting their shots at a higherpercentage.

andeitherscore

Star guards Flau’jae Johnson and MikaylahWilliams are also the only LSU contributorswho are playing more minutes eachnight than Johnson so far “She’sdeceptively powerful in there,” Mulkey said. “She’shard to block out. She’s gonna alwaysget those boards, and she can leap. She quick leaps.” Johnsonhas playedwellenough forMulkeytocompare her to former Baylor All-American NinaDavis —a forward Mulkey used to compareAneesah Morrow to.All threeplayers are undersized forwards whoknowhow to rebound. LikeMorrow, Johnson can grab ashotoff the glass, start herown fast

BY LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer

If the performance on crucial downs and distances by Saints rookie quarterback Tyler Shough againstthe Carolina Panthers felt extraordinaryinthe moment, the numberssay that feeling was correct. Start with the basics Making his second career start, Shough completed seven of his 10 throws on third downs against the Panthers. Those passes went for 201 yards and twotouchdowns,goodfor a152.1 passerrating. Putanother way, Shough’s201 yards passing on third down were morethan 14 other NFL teams had in their entire game lastweek. But thenumbers are especially eye-popping when youdrill in a little deeper

Next Gen Stats is one of several services thatcalculates Expected PointsAdded (EPA), which attempts to quantifyhow manypointsagiven play will addorsubtract from ateam’s expectedoutput. NewOrleans allowed Shough to throw theball four times in third-and-long situations, defined as needing 7ormoreyards to convert athirddown. Shough put up a+4.06 EPAper passin suchsituations —the highestby any team on third and long in an NFLgamesince the Miami Dol-

UL coach Michael Desormeaux is not pleased with the outcome.

It’s hard to believe, but the UL coaching staffhas another calamity to figure out. As if going through three quarterbacks and fighting through nine injured offensive linemen didn’t test the Cajuns’ problem-solving skills enough already,now the Sun Belt Conference has suspended three key members of the UL secondary heading into aNov 20 road gameagainst Arkansas State.

“I don’tthink we should have to be dealing with this, but we are,” he said.

While it’sdifficult forUL coaches, players and fans to rationalize whyULhad seven players suspended compared with only six forTexas State, the effect it will have on the UL defense is the important issue now

Starting safety Tyree Skipper is out forthe season after swinging his helmet. Cornerback Courtline Flowers has been one of the defense’smost consistent performers this season, but he’sout for the Arkansas State game, as well as safety KodyJackson.

The other four suspended players —linebacker Kailep Edwards, safety Collin Jacob, wide receiver Evan Stroman and defensive lineman De’Antonio Lesueur —are either special-teamsplayers, injured or reserves not on the depth chart.

The truth of the matter is the UL defensive coaches were going to have their hands full figuring out how to stop giving up big plays even before the suspensions.

Texas State put up 168 yards and three touchdowns in the

phins put up a+4.93 EPA/passin Week 3ofthe 2023 season. That game might ring abell: The Dolphins hung 70 pointson Sean Payton’sBroncos that day NewOrleansisobviously a long wayoff froma 10-touchdown game—its 17 points Sunday marked its fifth consecutive output below 20 points, and it is one of four teams that has failed to eclipse 30 points in agame this season (the Saints’high is 26).

6 p.m. Milwaukee at Indiana FS1

7 p.m. UNC-Greensboro at

6:30

8

8

6

6

6

Loreauville LB finds way to help offense

Landry becomes ‘solid’ tight end

BY NEAL MCCLELLAND

Contributing writer

Loreauville football coach Terry Martin knew junior linebacker Eli Landry was going to be a key factor on defense this year for the Tigers.

“He had extensive playing time last year as a sophomore and played really well at that position,” Martin said. “So we were counting on him to be a big part of the defense this year.”

But through a strange turn of events, Landry turned into a big part of the offense as well.

“We knew that we were going to run more this year,” Martin said.

“And we knew that we were going to use some two-tight-end sets and we had one tight end that was real-

ly good. So we wanted to use Eli as the second tight end in those sets.

“Well, we ended up losing our first tight end to a season-ending injury in the fall scrimmage, so we moved Eli to the first tight end spot.” And because of that, Landry who stands about 6-foot and weighs about 185 pounds, turned into a key part of the offense.

“He’s really developed into a solid tight end,” Martin said. “He really has good hands and can catch the ball.”

Martin brought up Landry’s touchdown catch against Catholic-New Iberia when the junior caught a pass on his fingertips and managed to keep his feet in the end zone for a touchdown that

LARGE SCHOOLS

1.Teurlings (10-0): We’ll see how the Rebels do in the playoffs, but there’s not a lot more Teurlings could have done in the regular season to be more impressive in coach Mikey Courville’s first season as head coach.

2.Acadiana (7-3): One thing the Rams have done over the past two weeks is show their mental toughness. It’s pretty obvious how good Southside’s rushing attack is this season, and somehow Acadiana survived it. Coming off a loss to Southside, Carencro responded like champions at Acadiana, and the Rams overcame that as well.

3 Southside (8-2): For most of the season, the Sharks have looked like a better team than a No. 8 seed in an eight-bracket system More than likely, No. 25 Prairieville will be the unlucky team to face that reality

4. St.Thomas More (7-3): The Cougars got a virtual bye last week against winless North Vermilion, so it’s probably a good thing St.Thomas More didn’t get a first-round playoff bye to open the postseason.They’re

gave the Tigers the lead for good.

And it wasn’t just that play It was Landry’s touchdown catch in the fourth quarter last week against West St. Mary late in the fourth quarter that started the Tigers’ rally from a 14-0 deficit to a 15-14 victory Landry is a defender at heart. After all, he is in the top two in tackles on the team this year and has an interception, but he is enjoying his time on offense.

“It took me some time to get used to it,” Landry said. “But it’s been fun playing offense.

“I still like to hit people more than getting hit though.”

Landry remembers the start of the season when the Tigers had early struggles, but now they enter the playoffs as the seventh seed and will host Ville Platte on Friday in the Division III nonselect playoffs.

“I think that early on we were

ACADIANA AREA POLLS

matched up with another parish school in Lafayette High.

5. Carencro (6-4): No losses are good, but after losing to Southside 70-35 in Week 9, no area team received more respect from outsiders than the Golden Bears did when their defense stepped up against Acadiana. Incredibly, now Carencro gets a mulligan with the power rankings creating a rematch with the Wreckin’ Rams.

SMALL SCHOOLS

1. Lafayette Christian (9-1): For those players who were battling injuries, getting two weeks off is a dream scenario. In terms of execution, LCA’s coaching staff will have to come up with some creative ways to make sure the Knights don’t get rusty with all of this rest.

2. Notre Dame (8-2): Playing without starting quarterback Drew LeJeune, the Pios still defeated Welsh by two touchdowns.That may not be good enough for deep run in the postseason, however.Time will tell on that, but to this point, it’s hard to argue with the progress Notre Dame has made this season.

still learning some things and hadn’t come together,” Landry said. “I think that around the Kaplan game we started coming together and really started trusting each other and doing what we needed to do.”

The record seems to bear out what Landry said.

Loreauville started out 1-3 then went on a run and finished the season 7-3 and won the District 7-2A title, which he is extremely proud of.

“That was the first one that we won outright in several years,” he said. “The other titles have all been shared, so to win it outright is significant.”

Landry also feels the Tigers are just hitting their stride as the playoffs begin.

“I admit that it’s hard not to look ahead,” he said. “But if we just stay focused on each week, I think that we can keep winning.”

3. Erath (10-0): Certainly, the Bobcats are motivated for a deep playoff run, but nothing that happened in November can erase the historic feats Erath has already achieved. It was the first 10-0 season in school history and also the first back-to-back district titles since 1963 and only the third time it’s happened in school history.

4.Westminster (10-0): District 5-1A had five pretty good teams involved in the league race. Four of those five traded blows against each other — all losing at least one game.With Westminster’s 37-22 win over St. Edmund last Thursday, though, the Crusaders avoided any such obstacles to complete the 10-0 season in impressive fashion.

5. Catholic-NI (8-2): After surprising many around the state in winning the state championship last season, the Panthers have shown a few cracks this season but finished strong with a few blowout wins. Rushing standout Owen Morris has certainly heated up for the postseason after a slow start to the season because of an injury.

Kevin Foote

Indiana tries to turn page on emotional win

BY MICHAEL MAROT Associated Press

Omar Cooper’s game-winning

so

Curt Cignetti acknowledged he nearly teared up during his postgame interviews.

Now, though, after finally winning on the road against the most prominent college football program in Cignetti’s home state, No. 2 Indiana faces a potentially more daunting challenge this week — turning the page so it can focus on struggling Wisconsin.

“I did get a little choked up there at the end just because I was so proud of our guys Our backs were against the wall there, and boy, it wasn’t looking very good,” Cignetti said Monday “You think about my journey, 10, 15 years ago, did I ever think I’d lead a team into that stadium? No. Lead a team into that stadium victorious? No But it mainly centered around how our guys responded and the challenge they overcame to get it done.”

The play has been replayed dozens of times since Cooper’s touchdown in the final minute at Beaver Stadium gave Indiana a 27-24 victory “To be able to catch the ball, look

down and then get your feet in position, great job by (director of athletic performance) Derek Owings developing (Cooper’s) corps to allow him to do that in the air and Coop working like he has the whole offseason, and in the fall,” Cignetti said Previous Hoosiers coaches often thought their players were challenged by the effort to handle success.

But Cignetti helped change that perception last year when Indiana did the unthinkable by emerging as a national powerhouse.

The Hoosiers kept winning af-

ter capturing their Big Ten Conference opener for their first win at the Rose Bowl. They navigated a rare victory over Michigan to improve to 10-0. And with the program’s first College Football Playoff berth at stake, they made a statement by handing Purdue its worst loss in school history, 66-0. They also stumbled twice — losing at eventual national champion Ohio State to knock them out of the conference title chase and a season-ending playoff loss at eventual national runner-up Notre Dame.

But it was those two losses that

Two-way player Hunter to miss rest of season

Jacksonville Jaguars two-way star Travis Hunter had seasonending surgery Tuesday to repair the lateral collateral ligament in his right knee and is expected to return to the football field within six months.

The team said there was no additional damage to Hunter’s knee, which he injured during a non-contact drill in practice last month. Hunter had a career performance in London before his injury The 2024 Heisman Trophy winner caught eight passes for 101 yards and a touchdown against the Los Angeles Rams, and the Jaguars (5-4) were planning to use him as their No. 1 receiver partly because former LSU star Brian Thomas leads the league with nine dropped passes.

Hunter played a combined 486 snaps this season with 324 of those coming on offense.

Brown pleading not guilty to attempted murder

Former NFL star Antonio Brown was returning Tuesday to Miami to face an attempted murder charge stemming from a May shooting, with his lawyer filing a not guilty plea on his behalf.

The former All-Pro wide receiver had waived extradition to Florida from New Jersey, where he was brought after his arrest in Dubai. Brown’s lawyer Mark Eiglarsh said in an email that he has already filed a written not guilty plea. Brown is accused of grabbing a handgun from a security staff member after a celebrity boxing match on May 16 and firing two shots at a man he had gotten into a fistfight with. The victim, ZulQarnain Kwame Nantambu, said one of the bullets grazed his neck.

Packers place starting center Jenkins on IR

Green Bay center Elgton Jenkins has been placed on injured reserve after getting knocked out of the Packers’ 10-7 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night.

The Packers announced Tuesday they had placed the two-time Pro Bowl selection on injured reserve and had signed linebacker Kristian Welch from their practice squad to their active roster

The injured reserve designation means that Jenkins must miss at least the Packers’ next four games

The 29-year-old Jenkins left the Eagles game with what team officials described as an ankle injury Jenkins earned Pro Bowl honors in 2020 and 2022.

The Packers (5-3-1) will try to snap a two-game losing streak on Sunday when they visit the New York Giants (2-8).

Alcaraz win away from clinching No. 1 for year

TURIN, Italy Carlos Alcaraz is one win away from securing the yearending No. 1 ranking.

Alcaraz rallied past Taylor Fritz 6-7 (2), 7-5, 6-3 on Tuesday at the ATP Finals and now needs to either win his final group match against Lorenzo Musetti or his next match in the semifinals to finish a year No. 1 for the second time.

provided extra motivation to surpass last season’s feats.

“I think we’re on a little bit of a mission here, and that’s really been the focus,” Cignetti said. “I think that’s how the kids are thinking, too.” It has showed. When then-No. 8 Illinois visited Memorial Stadium in September, the Hoosiers responded with a 6310 rout. When it looked like they might go down at Iowa, quarterback Fernando Mendoza found Elijah Sarratt for a tiebreaking touchdown in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter And when most people wrote off their chances at then-No. 3 Oregon in September, especially after Mendoza threw a pick-6 to tie the game, Indiana answered by scoring the final 10 points to snap what had been the nation’s longest active winning home and regular-season winning streaks.

Saturday trumped all three.

“This, by far, is the best moment of my career, and to be able to share it with such amazing brothers, like at Cal, an amazing brotherhood there — I still have a lot of friends there — but to share it with what we’ve all been through, the Iowa game, the Oregon game to the Penn State game,” quarterback Fernando Mendoza said after Saturday’s win. “Those are all games you have circled, especially being on the road.”

Alcaraz, who improved to 2-0 at the season-ending event for the top eight players, sealed a spot in the semifinals later on when Musetti held off Alex de Minaur 7-5, 3-6, 7-5.

If Alcaraz doesn’t win another match and Jannik Sinner goes undefeated to defend his title, Sinner will finish No. 1.

Vogt, Murphy repeat as MLB Managers of the Year

Cleveland’s Steven Vogt won his second straight AL Manager of the Year award and Milwaukee’s Pat Murphy repeated for the NL honor

Vogt received 17 of 30 first-place votes in balloting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, beating out Toronto’s John Schneider and Seattle’s Dan Wilson. Voting was conducted before the postseason, and results were announced Tuesday night. Murphy got 27 first-place votes. Cincinnati’s Terry Francona was second, followed by Philadelphia’s Rob Thomson. The last AL manager to win the award in consecutive seasons was Tampa Bay’s Kevin Cash in 2020 and 2021. The previous NL manager was Bobby Cox for Atlanta in 2004 and 2005.

Dialing long distance

Sutton showing LSU men he has shooting range

BY TOYLOY BROWN III

Staff writer

LSU (2-0) knew Marquel Sutton was going to do the dirty work.

The Omaha transfer is a self-described “go-get-it kind of player,” which was proven by his 15 rebounds, including four offensive, in the Tigers’ 93-58 victory over UNO on Monday at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center

What wasn’t certain was whether Sutton, the 2024 Summit Player of the Year, drastically could improve his 3-point shot after making only 27.7% last year

In his second outing as a Tiger, Sutton had his best 3-point shooting game of his career scoring 15 points while making 4 of 8 from beyond the arc. His previous career-high for made 3-pointers was three. Through two games, Sutton is 6 of 14 from 3-point range, leading the team in both makes and attempts.

The 6-foot-9, 225-pound forward’s adept shooting and unrivaled glass cleaning were the perfect combination for a +45 plus-minus, which means that during his 32 minutes on the court, LSU outscored UNO by 45 points.

“I don’t know that I’ve seen a plus-45,” LSU coach Matt McMahon said. “It’s been a while. That’s really impressive.”

Sutton’s performance was a product of an offseason of development He was informed well before the

JOHNSON

Continued from page 1C

similar “A clone of her,” Mulkey said. “And one day (Johnson) texted me, and she said, ‘Coach, do you think I could call (Davis)? She’s an assistant at Middle Tennessee.’ I said, ‘How about if I have her call you?’ And then she did.” If LSU keeps giving John-

UL safety Kody Jackson returns an interception after a deflection by safety Courtline Flowers, left, on Saturday against Texas State at Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium. Jackson and Flowers were among seven Cajuns players suspended after a postgame fight with the Bobcats

STAFF PHOTO By

BRAD KEMP

FOOTE

LSU forward Marquel Sutton shoots a 3-pointer against UNO on Monday night at the PMAC. Sutton scored 15 points, making 4 of 8 3-pointers in a 93-58 victory.

ä Florida International at LSU. 7P.M.WEDNESDAy SECN+

season that improving his 3-point shot was going to be critical for him to be a starting small forward in McMahon’s system. When the fifth-year senior was asked whether he tweaked his compact shooting form, he said he hadn’t. “I just did a lot of reps all summer, all offseason, even now during the season,” he said. “Just keep repping it out and you know it’s coming along. I just give credit

son the same kind of minutes, then it will need her to keep up the work she’s already done on the glass. This season is the first since 2021-22 that the Tigers are playing without both Morrow and Angel Reese — two of the best rebounders in the history of women’s college basketball. Reese and Morrow are responsible for more than a third of all the rebounds the Tigers grabbed across the previous three seasons.

to my coaches and my teammates for having confidence in me to knock down shots.”

That confidence allowed him to have a career-high eight 3-point attempts. He shot at least five 3-pointers only eight times ever before playing at LSU.

The willingness to take as many deep shots as possible is needed for the team’s success.

“It’s important for us, because we are playing the two bigs in the frontcourt,” McMahon said. “So spacing is critical for the way our offense is designed.”

Sutton is a winning player

So far, LSU hasn’t had much trouble replacing their production.

The Tigers are corralling 53 boards per game this season — one of the 10 highest averages in the country In the nonconference matchups it played across the previous two seasons, LSU grabbed 49 rebounds each night.

Now it’s at least on pace to become an even better rebounding team, in large part because Johnson has made a

whether he makes defenses extend farther from the point or if he’s throwing his body in the paint for rebounds.

After starting his career at the junior-college level at Connors State in Oklahoma, he is now an invaluable piece of a Southeastern Conference team with NCAA Tournament aspirations.

“Whatever I need to do for the team to win, that’s what I’m going to do,” Sutton said. “If I need to rebound, defend or knock down shots, I just go out there with my high motor and do what I do.”

strong transition to the college game.

“(Against) the bigger posts,” Johnson said, “I can use my speed, and then when it comes to the smaller posts and the fours, I’ll face up because I know they can’t guard me. But I can also back them down as well.

“So that’s really it. Just my versatility and my rebounding. I wanna go get everything that’s coming off the boards.”

Continued from page 1C

fourth quarter on only 13 plays to turn a 42-20 Cajuns’ lead into a 42-39 nail-biter.

“There’s the same run scheme that’s showing up week after week that we have not gotten corrected and gotten fixed,” Desormeaux said. “I know we’re working on it and we’ve got different guys in and out of there, and we’re still not getting it fixed. It’s not a secret. It’s what’s happening and people are doing it they’re going to do it over and over again.

“We’ve worked it, we’ve drilled it. We’ve got to execute it and get the guys on the ground.”

The suspensions mean the Cajuns now must devise solutions with inexperienced players.

UL won’t face an offense as good as Texas State

SAINTS

Continued from page 1C

But the way Shough played on those crucial downs Sunday provides some optimism that this Saints offense may find another gear in the second half of the season. Consider this: In the first nine games, the Saints faced a third and 7 or longer 60 times, and they converted just nine of them a 15% conversion rate. For context, only the Tennessee Titans are converting at a worse rate (14.5%), and half the league is converting at least 25% of such plays through 10 weeks.

Spencer Rattler, who started the first eight games, had a 61.0 passer rating and averaged 4.7 yards per attempt when needing 7 or more yards to convert. New Orleans didn’t convert its first third and 10 without the aid of a penalty until Week 8 against the Buccaneers. On Sunday, Shough converted third downs of 12, 12 and 8 yards. Those gains went for 52, 62 and 30 yards, with two of them going for scores. The only third and long the Saints didn’t convert through the air was maybe Shough’s most impressive throw of the day, a 15-yard laser between converging defenders to Devaughn Vele on third and 17.

Two of those conversions went to tight end Juwan Johnson — a 52-yarder on third and 12 and a 30-yard touchdown on third and 8. Both of those plays were made because of Shough’s ability to navigate traffic in the pocket and extend the play

According to Next Gen Stats, Shough’s average time to throw on his four third-and-long drop backs was 4.27 seconds. The only quarterback who kept plays alive longer on such plays is Bills reigning MVP Josh Allen (4.91 seconds).

It’s only one week, but it was an encouraging week for a team seeking a long-term answer at the most important position in sports.

Stuffed Panther

A quick note about the Saints’ effort against a Panthers rushing attack

RABALAIS

Continued from page 1C

McNeese State’s Wade Rousse as its new president, who almost immediately clouds the status of athletic director Verge Ausberry — charged with leading LSU’s coaching search — with a couple of misstatements about his status.

By Thursday, Rousse clarified that Ausberry was formally the LSU AD going forward, appearing to allow LSU’s coaching search to steam ahead on comparatively calm waters as well.

that had been mauling teams recently: The thing that stood out the most about the Saints’ effort, in which they limited Rico Dowdle to 2.9 yards per carry, was the physicality of the defensive front. While there is plenty of truth to what safety Justin Reid said after the game about New Orleans playing its most fundamentally sound game of the year defensively, New Orleans also manhandled a Panthers offensive line that had grown accustomed to enforcing its will. New Orleans managed to squeeze the life out of the Carolina rushing attack despite playing in a light or neutral box on 91.3% of its defensive snaps. A regular combination of defensive linemen Davon Godchaux, Jonah Williams and Jonathan Bullard consistently negated any push by the Carolina offensive line, allowing the linebackers to clean things up. Here was how Dowdle’s final 12 attempts finished out after a 14-yard carry in the first: Three went for 4 yards, two went for 3 yards, one went for 2 yards, five gained 1 yard and the final carry lost a yard.

That will win some games.

Numbers to know

202 The Saints found ways to utilize Shough’s impressive arm strength. Of his 282 yards passing — a Saints’ rookie record, by the way — 202 came on throws outside the numbers.

-0.51 Carolina averaged

-0.51 EPA per play against the Saints defense. Put another way, every two plays the Panthers ran against the Saints contributed a full point less than the expected scoring output. The -0.51 mark is tied for the fifth-best performance by any defense in a single game this season, according to Next Gen Stats.

1 As promising as Shough’s first win was, the Saints may have a tough time sustaining that effort unless they get more people involved. After trading Rashid Shaheed last week, only one of Shough’s completions went to a wide receiver other than Chris Olave.

Email Luke Johnson at ljohnson@theadvocate.com.

out to said prospective candidate, convincingly, why it decided to try to fire Kelly for cause. That said, it brings up the potentially minor but at this point interesting fact that Kelly did email LSU the day he was fired saying he was open to a settlement offer right from the start. He then rejected LSU’s two early lump-sum settlement offers of $25 million and $30 million. Why would Kelly express a willingness to explore a settlement if not concerned that something like this eventually might happen?

again, but truthfully, giving up big plays has been going on throughout the season.

“It’s football,” Desormeaux said “You have to get off blocks. You have to make tackles. You’ve got to get guys on the ground. You’ve got to fix the schemes that keep showing up and it’s not that we’re not working them.” Despite the suspension of Flowers, there’s still depth at cornerback. Redshirt junior Lorenzell Dubose could start and has played in five games, and redshirt freshman Avery Demery has played in 10 games with six tackles. The problem looks to be at safety, where so many of the issues have arisen throughout the season. Senior Jalen Clark has 34 tackles, an interception, two breakups and a hurry this season. He’s played much better than last season, but he has been slowed while playing through an

injury

“He’s cleared to play,” Desormeaux said. “He just hasn’t been as effective (since the injury).”

Redshirt freshman Lake Bates of North DeSoto has nine tackles in six games, mostly on special teams, but he got some valuable experience at safety in the last two games.

Desormeaux wasn’t in a position at Monday’s media availability to know what contingency plans are most likely at safety

Other options at safety include senior Key’Savalyn Barnes, redshirt junior Kerry Wilson, redshirt senior Micaiah Bivines and redshirt freshman Ja’Corian Norris of Tioga. Barnes has played a lot of football at UL, but most of it has been on special teams. Wilson recovered the onside kick against Texas State, Bivines was on the depth chart at star earlier this season and has five

tackles in two games, and Norris has contributed as a return specialist.

Is it possible some newcomers can do a better job of preventing big plays than the veterans who have been inconsistent in that area all season long?

Theoretically yes, but that’s a lot of ask in such a do-or-die game for the Cajuns (4-6, 3-3).

More than likely, it will require some serious ball control and/or a lot of points scored from the offense to produce a victory

“You know what you’re supposed to do, so get down there and make a tackle,” Desormeaux added. “Either we’re not down there far enough or we’re not making the tackle.

“It’s time to get it fixed because we’re running out of time and it’s going to show up again this week.”

Email

Kevin Foote at kfoote@theadvocate.com.

And now this. Just when you think this whole saga is reaching a Louisiana level of normality (which isn’t very normal) and LSU can try to repair the damage done to its coaching search, something else happens. But back to the lawsuit. According to Kelly’s lawyers, LSU representatives told them that Woodward did not have the authority to fire him. If any of you read those words and hear them coming out of Landry’s mouth, you’re not alone. That sounds absurd, and Kelly’s lawyers will have plenty of evidence of past LSU athletic directors — including Woodward in the case of Ed Orgeron four years ago — firing coaches without any claims against the AD’s authority On the face of it, it will appear that LSU is not in the business of honoring its contracts. It will appear to be a giant red flag to any prospective candidate. The only way that is mitigated is if LSU can spell

Since this all started, I have given the opinion that while LSU has had mistakes and embarrassments during this process, it still had time to get its house in order and hire a top-shelf candidate. With every new chapter, every new revelation, that window narrows. Perhaps a little, perhaps significantly Kelly has valid reasons for wanting all of his buyout as spelled out in the contract. LSU may have valid reasons for wanting to fire him for cause. Kelly’s reputation, and possible desire to coach again, are at stake. But he is one man. The future of the LSU football program and the athletic department it largely funds is at stake with what already shaped up as the most important coaching hire in school history One thing to remember about coaching searches: Don’t dismiss or discount any possibility, however outlandish it may seem. That goes double for “Kelly v. LSU.” Because it’s always about the money

Westminstervolleyballaimstoget overhump

BY ERIC NARCISSE Staff writer

Each of the past three seasons, the Westminster Christian volleyballprogram successfullyhas reached the final day of theseason by advancing to the Division V state finals. Unfortunately for the Crusaders, each of those seasons ended with them finishing as the staterunnerup to perennialpowerhouse Country Day If the Crusaders aregoing to get over the top and win the program’sfirst state championship, they more than likely will have to slay the dragon that is the Cajuns. Country Day,who is the No. 1seed in Division V, haswon nine consecutive state championships and 15 of the past 16.

“There’salot of pressure on us, because now it is expected for us to be in the finals,” said Westminster Christian coach Keith Leon, whose Crusaders will face No. 7 Northside Christian at 10:40 a.m. Thursday in the quarterfinals on

Court3atthe Cajundome. “The girls knowthat the pressure is there, but Ibelieve we have played in enough big games this year that the pressure won’tget to them.”

The Crusaders (33-9) and the No. 7Warriors are two of six Acadiana area teams —No. 8NotreDame (17-15), No. 11 Catholic High of New Iberia, No. 6ESA and No. 10 Lafayette Christian —across divi-

sions IV and Vset to compete in thestate volleyball tournament. In Division IV,the Pios will face No. 1Dunhamat10:40 a.m. on Court 1, Catholic High of New Iberia will meet No. 3Northlake Christian at 12:20 p.m. on Court 3, andLafayetteChristianwill play No. 2Newman at 10:40 a.m. on Court 2. “The top five or six teamsinour

SCOREBOARD

BuffaloatUtah, 8p.m. New Jersey at Chicago, 8:30 p.m. College basketball State men’s schedule Monday Southern 115, Ecclesia College 51 UL-Monroe 88, Rust College 55 McNeese 132, College of BiblicalStudies 50 LSU 93, UNO 58 Georgia Tech 61, Southeastern 52 Tuesday Northwestern State at North Alabama, n Tulane at UL, n Wednesday Nicholls at Valparaiso,7p.m. LATE MONDAY LSU 93, New Orleans58 NEW ORLEANS (2-1) Boudouma 3-8 2-29,Osby3-9 0-07,Abass 4-9 0-08,Benson2-9 4-410, Buckley3-13 5-8 12, Cope 2-60-0 5, Pagonis0-2 0-00,Patterson0-2 0-00,Coquia0-4 0-00,M.Thomas 2-3 1-25,Chretien0-0 0-00,Kemp 1-2 0-12 Totals 20-67 12-17 58. LSU (2-0) Nwoko9-13 4-522, Sutton 4-11 3-4 15, Tamba

4-5 2-410, Mackinnon 0-52-2 2, D.Thomas 2-7

division can be interchangeable,” Pios coach Emma Boggetto said. “I feel like we have agood shot. Anybody can be beat. We just have to have the mentality of going in and taking it.”

Although thePioshaven’t faced Dunham this season, Boggetto said they have seen them play

“Weknowthattheyare big, hit well andblock well,” Boggetto said. “The only concern is that they are abigger team than us, and they’ll put up abig block. But we’ll work around it. We’ll have to defend hard, pass well and continue to serve aggressively.”

With so muchonthe line, Leon said avoiding aletdownand continuing to take it onematch at a time is going to be essential for the Crusaders.

“Wecan’tget laxed,” Leon said. “Wehave to comeout and play every match as if it is going to be our last one. If you get laxed, then someone will beat you.”

Email Eric Narcisse at enarcisse@theadvocate.com.

7:15 p.m.

LATE MONDAY Philadelphia 10, Green Bay7 Philadelphia0 03 7— 10 Green Bay0 00 7— 7

ThirdQuarter Phi—FGElliott 39, 8:58. Fourth Quarter Phi—D.Smith 36 pass from Hurts (Elliott kick), 10:44. GB—Jacobs 6run (McManus kick), 5:55 A—78,254. Phi GB First downs1318 Total Net Yards294 261 Rushes-yards34-111 27-104 Passing 183 157 Punt Returns 2-31 2-22 Kickoff Returns 2-51 3-77

Interceptions Ret. 0-0 0-0

Comp-Att-Int 15-26-0 20-36-0

Sacked-YardsLost 0-0 3-19 Punts 5-47.6 5-47.8

Fumbles-Lost 1-1 3-2

Penalties-Yards 7-61 4-20

Time of Possession 32:05 27:55

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING—Philadelphia, Barkley 22-60,Hurts 5-27, Shipley 4-17, Bigsby3-7. Green Bay, Jacobs 21-74, Love 5-28, Wilson1-2. PASSING—Philadelphia, Hurts 15-26-0-183. Green Bay, Love 20-36-0-176. RECEIVING—Philadelphia,D.Smith 4-69 Goedert 4-43, Barkley 3-41, Shipley 2-17, A.Brown2-13. Green Bay, Jacobs 5-33, Wicks 4-38, Musgrave 3-23, Watson 2-45, Melton 2-28, S.Williams 2-2, Doubs 1-5, Wilson 1-2 MISSED FIELD GOALS—Green Bay, McManus 64. Pro basketball

p.m. Golden State at San Antonio, 7p.m. Portland at New Orleans, 7p.m. Washington at Houston, 7p.m. PhoenixatDallas,7:30 p.m. L.A. Lakers at Oklahoma City,8:30 p.m. Atlanta at Sacramento, 9p.m. DenveratL.A. Clippers, 9:30 p.m. LATE MONDAY Phoenix121, New Orleans 98 NEW ORLEANS (98) Bey 6-14 1-2 15, Murphy III 6-14 7-9 21, Looney 1-4 0-0 2, Fears 4-13 4-4 15, Jones3-7 0-0 7, Matkovic4-5 2-2 11, Peavy2-5 0-0 4, Queen 5-10 2-2 12, Alvarado 2-6 3-4 8, Hawkins 0-3 1-3 1, McGowens 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 34-83 20-26 98. PHOENIX(121) Brooks 4-13 9-10 18, O’Neale 5-9 0-0 14, Williams 0-1 2-2 2, Allen 12-178-10 42, Booker 8-13 3-3 19, Dunn 1-3 0-2 2, Fleming 2-3 0-0 5, Hayes-Davis1-3 0-0 2, Ighodaro1-2 0-1 2, Livers 1-2 0-03,Maluach 0-1 0-0 0, Richards 0-0 2-32,Gillespie2-5 0-0 6, Goodwin 2-6 0-0 4. Totals 39-78 24-31121. New Orleans 22 19 31 26 —98 Phoenix29353225— 121 3-Point Goals—New Orleans 10-32(Fears 3-6, Bey 2-6, Murphy III 2-7, Matkovic1-2, Alvarado 1-3, Jones 1-3,Queen 0-1, Hawkins 0-2, Peavy0-2), Phoenix19-43(Allen10-15, O’Neale 4-8, Gillespie2-4, Fleming 1-2,Livers 1-2, Brooks 1-6, Dunn 0-1, Goodwin 0-1, Hayes-Davis0-1, Maluach 0-1,Booker 0-2). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—New Orleans 40 (MurphyIII 10), Phoenix42(Williams 6). Assists—New Orleans 18 (Alvarado, Jones, MurphyIII 4), Phoenix29(Gillespie 5). Total Fouls—New Orleans 23, Phoenix18. A—17,071 (18,422). Pro hockey

NHL Monday N.Y. Islanders 3, New Jersey 2, OT N.Y. Rangers6,Nashville 3 Edmonton 5, Columbus 4, OT Florida 3, Vegas 2 Tuesday Dallas at Ottawa,n LosAngeles at Montreal,n Toronto at Boston, n Washington at Carolina, n Calgary at St. Louis, n San JoseatMinnesota, n Anaheim at Colorado, n Columbus at Seattle, n Winnipeg at Vancouver,n Wednesday N.Y. RangersatTampaBay,6 p.m. Edmonton at Philadelphia, 6:30 p.m.

4-4 9, Miller 2-42-4 6, Reece 0-52-2 2, Reed 6-10 2-3 15, King2-4 0-0 6, Carter 1-40-0 3, Bobbett 0-0 0-00,Mosley 1-1 0-03,Zipper 0-2 0-00.Totals 31-71 21-28 93. Halftime—LSU 44-32. 3-PointGoals—New Orleans 6-25(Benson 2-7, Buckley 1-2, Osby 1-3, Boudouma 1-4, Cope 1-4, M.Thomas 0-1, Coquia 0-4), LSU10-27 (Sutton 4-8, King 2-3, Mosley 1-1, Reed 1-1, D.Thomas1-3 Carter 1-4, Miller0-1,Nwoko 0-1, Zipper 0-1, Mackinnon 0-2, Reece 0-2) Rebounds New Orleans 34 (Buckley8), LSU51(Sutton 15) Assists—New Orleans 7(Boudouma, Abass, Buckley,Cope, Pagonis, Coquia, M.Thomas 1), LSU 21 (D.Thomas 8) Total Fouls—New Orleans 21, LSU 18. A—6,505 (13,215) State women’s schedule Monday Texas100, UL 38 Tuesday Louisiana Christian at Louisiana Tech,n Grambling at UL-Monroe,n Wednesday North Florida at Tulane,11a.m. Nicholls at Florida State,11a.m. UNO at New Mexico,noon Southern at Ole Miss, 6p.m. Charlotte at LSU, 7p.m. National women’s scores Tuesday EAST Boston University61, Northeastern 57 Stonehill65, Niagara50 SOUTH Radford59, Loyola (MD)50 SOUTHWEST Oklahoma State 105, Prairie View55 UTEP 81, WesternNew Mexico 56 College football Stats PerformFCS Top25

1. North Dakota State (55) 10-01,399 1

2. Montana 10-01,327 2

3. Montana State (1)8-2 1,300 3 4. Lehigh 10-01,196 4

Tennessee Tech 10-01,157 5

Tarleton State 9-11,130 6

Harvard 8-0956 9

Mercer 8-1916 12 9. UC Davis6-3 890 11 10. Villanova

Trans actor says film she wrote is an act of protest

BY RODNEY HO

name for herself in 2017 portraying a gay high school magazine editor in the Netflix hit “13 Reasons Why.” But for three years, she focused her energies primarily on writing, directing and producing her first movie, “I Wish You All the Best,” a drama about a nonbinary high school junior, which hits theaters in limited release this week. She adapted the 2019 bestselling book of the same name by Mason Deaver “I was sent the book to potentially act in a movie, but I was too old,” said Dorfman, who is 33. “I’m trans and from the South. I had never seen a book about a nonbinary teen written with so much care and compassion. I ultimately felt uniquely qualified to tell this story.”

The movie follows Ben DeBacker (Corey Fogelmanis of “Girl Meets World” fame), who gets booted from their parents’ home after revealing they are nonbinary They move in with their sister, Hannah (Alexandra Daddario), who is also estranged from their conservative parents

The film is a sweet, gentle, empathetic portrayal of a teen trying to figure out life in a world fraught with misunderstanding and discrimination.

“It was less about the messaging for me in the film but offering a human perspective of a singular trans experience,” Dorfman said “How different generations and different walks of life engage with a nonbinary

ä See FILM, page 6C

Seasonal selections

These Lafayette restaurants have private rooms, party vibes for booking your holiday event

TBY JOANNA BROWN Staff writer

he holidays are the perfect time to gather loved ones and enjoy the company of people who add sparkle to your life — and there’s no better backdrop to a party than Lafayette’s vibrant restaurant scene.

If you’re organizing a crowd this season work parties, friend groups and extended family are all about to start scheduling events — it’s time to start thinking about booking party rooms. Several of Lafayette’s top restaurants, running the gamut from high-end Italian to wings, beer and sports, are available to host this year Private event rooms are often the perfect middle ground between the expense and effort of hosting at home, and the fight to snag tables (or worse, several tables) during one of the busiest times of the year

Whether your group prefers classic Cajun dishes, or crowd-pleasing Mexican food, this list offers something for everyone with enough space to make it a real party The spots on this list offer spaces that can hold groups of up to 50 — or hundreds, in the case of the Yard Goat’s beer garden and event spac-

es. If you’re looking for something more intimate, Palmyre in River Ranch can host 12 in their jewelbox Champagne Room. If your favorite restaurant isn’t on this list, give them a call to see if they can accommodate your group. No matter what kind of party you’re hosting, it’s best to book your space sooner rather than later

Pete’s On Johnston

n 3903 Johnston St., Lafayette

The Johnston Street sports bar

reopened last year after a fire initiated a full renovation of the restaurant space and private event room, which features a 55-inch television and a 4-screen video wall.

The suggested capacity for Pete’s private event space, “The Suite,” is 20 to 25 people. The room can be booked with a $500 minimum-spend payment, which goes towards all food and nonalcoholic beverage purchases.

sort of honey drizzle on top, which really complemented the savory flavors. My second favorite was the elote — the creaminess of the cotija cheese and mayo brought out the corn’s fresh, uplifting flavors. I’ve never had elote before. I will be ordering it more. The brisket was tender, and the mac and cheese was good. I also really enjoyed the bonus pickled onions I definitely recommend this place if you want something hearty with ample portions. Maddie Scott, features reporter Appetizers, pastrami sandwich

n Rocca Pizzeria, 3897 Government St. Baton Rouge

To go to Rocca and not order the garlic knots would

STAFF PHOTO By LAUREN CHERAMIE

The pastrami sandwich from Rocca Pizzeria in Baton Rouge features house-cured and smoked brisket, Dijon, fontal cheese and coleslaw on rye bread.

be a crime. It’s a good thing that my table of friends obliged with my taking over on ordering the appetizers. For the table, I ordered the garlic knots of goodness and the Rocca meatballs. The garlic knots are coated in chimichurri, fresh herbs and grana and served

events will be $900/$1,800.

Guests can inquire about booking using Superior Grill Lafayette’s online form.

Central Pizza

Pete’s offers menu packages that include quesadillas, a nacho bar, or wings. Their full menu is also available with standard pricing. They request that customers call or email the restaurant to inquire about availability and book the suite

Zea Rotisserie & Bar

n 235 Doucet Road, Lafayette

Known for juicy rotisserie chicken, loaded hummus platters, Thai ribs and other dishes that take inspiration from world cuisines, Zea can host a holiday dinner or cocktail-style event that holds everyone. The Lafayette restaurant’s private dining room can seat 55, or up to 85 people standing. The room is available for lunches or dinners during the week, lunch only on Fridays and Saturdays, and dinner events only on Sundays. The room can be had for a minimum spend of $450 for lunch, or $800 for dinner, with the full menu available for table or buffet service. Request information via Zea’s online form to learn more, or inquire about off-menu or catering orders for your group.

Superior Grill

n 2320 Kaliste Saloom Road Lafayette Known for margaritas, chips-and-queso and sizzling fajitas, Superior Grill offers a party atmosphere for all the senses. Their event space is gorgeously decorated, and can be booked as a half-room or whole-room for groups of up to 25, or up to 50 Book now to take advantage of a few more days of pre-Thanksgiving pricing

The minimum spend for half of the room is currently $800, or $1,600 for the full space. Holiday pricing will go into effect after Thanksgiving until Jan. 1, at $1,200 minimum spend for half, and a $2,400 spend for the whole space After New Year’s, the cost for reserving private

with whipped provolone, while the meatballs are made with beef and pork, local polenta, sugo rosa and grana and served with the biggest basil leaves I’ve ever seen. The dishes complemented each other perfectly, as we could dip the meatballs in the provolone and the garlic knots in the cheese and red sauce. For an entree, I got the pastrami sandwich with house-cured and smoked brisket, Dijon, fontal cheese and coleslaw on rye bread. The brisket melted in my mouth, and the smokiness of the meat contrasted well with the zesty coleslaw

The rye bread was as soft as a pillow while still being crispy in the center, and the whole thing was just delectable. Plus, if you’re not too hungry, the sandwich is big enough to have leftovers.

Truly, I could sing so many praises about this meal.

ByTheAssociated Press

Today is Wednesday, Nov. 12, the 316th day of 2025. There are 49 days left in the year

Today in history:

On Nov 12, 1954, Ellis Island officially closed as an immigration station and detention center More than 12 million immigrants arrived in the United States via Ellis Island between 1892 and 1954.

Also on this date:

In 1927, Josef Stalin became the undisputed ruler of the Soviet Union as Leon Trotsky was expelled from the Communist Party

In 1936, the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge opened as President Franklin D. Roosevelt pressed a telegraph key

in Washington, D.C., and gave the green light to traffic.

In 1970, the Bhola cyclone struck East Pakistan, now Bangladesh. The deadliest tropical cyclone on record claimed the lives of an estimated 300,000500,000 people.

In 2021, a judge in Los Angeles ended the conservatorship that had controlled the life and money of pop star Britney Spears for nearly 14 years.

In 2024, a federal judge sentenced Jack Teixeira, a Massachusetts Air National Guard member to 15 years in prison for leaking classified military documents about the war in Ukraine; Teixeira had pleaded guilty to willful retention and transmission of national defense information under the Espionage Act, nearly a year after his arrest in the most consequential national security breach in years. Today’s birthdays: Actor-playwright Wallace Shawn is 82.

n 423 Jefferson St., Lafayette Who doesn’t love pizza?

This is the perfect option for groups looking to throw an elevated pizza party for the holidays, with a side of fun cocktails in the heart of downtown.

Central Pizza’s Jefferson Street location (they recently opened in Broussard too) features a private dining room that places you in the center of downtown’s holiday festivities For events booked Monday through Thursday, they ask for a $250 deposit that goes toward the $500 minimum spend for the room. On Fridays and Saturdays the deposit is $500, and the minimum spend is $1,000. The room seats up to 24 people, and guests can call the restaurant directly to book

Cugino

n 117 S. College Road, Lafayette

Lafayette’s newest spot for Italian dining opened this fall courtesy of restaurateurs Hunter Moody and Gene Todaro one of the founders of Marcello’s in Lafayette. Cugino continues the tradition of high-end authentic Italian dishes in a newlydesigned atmosphere perfect for intimate evenings and elevated gatherings. They can seat up to 32 people in the “Goodfellas” room, which requires a minimum spend of $2,500 to book. All food and beverage orders are applied toward the spend, and if the group does not hit the minimum, guests can choose bottles of wine to bring home from the restaurant’s selection. Call the restaurant to inquire about availability and to reserve the space for your gathering.

Poor Boy’s Riverside Inn n 240 Tubing Road, Broussard

This Cajun restaurant, potentially the oldest in Lafayette Parish, features a freestanding “cooking cottage”

— Lauren Cheramie, features

coordinator

where groups can host 30 guests for a sit-down meal, or up to 50 for a cocktail party that can expand into the restaurant’s scenic outdoor space.

The cottage, which features a private bar and a 92-inch screen, is available for a $275 rental fee, which is waived if the group hits $500 or more in orders. Open for over 90 years, Poor Boy’s is celebrated for their classic Cajun dishes, including lump crab cakes, crawfish étouffée and their famous sweet potato beignets. Call the restaurant directly to inquire about booking the space this season.

Yard Goat

n 116 Bertrand Drive, Lafayette

One of the most flexible spots on this list, this beer garden in central Lafayette can accommodate groups of around 15 people in their private patio spaces, or up to 200 guests in the large patio. They can also flex with indoor space that holds up to 50, and is perfect for events that include a program or speakers. A $250 deposit is required for all of the Yard Goat’s venue, and they must be booked for a minimum of two hours. With hundreds of beers on tap and a menu that features burgers, wings and flatbread pizzas, the Yard Goat is a great choice for large, casual parties. Fill out their online form to inquire about booking.

Palmyre

n 201 Settlers Trace Blvd., Suite 3011, Lafayette

Known for high-end cocktails and small bites (caviar, anyone?) Palmyre is the perfect spot for a drinksfocused event for an intimate crowd. Their Champagne Room holds 12, with no deposit required to book — although there is a minimum spend of $750, before tax and gratuity. Fill out Palmyre’s online event planning form to inquire about availability

Email Joanna Brown at joanna.brown@ theadvocate.com.

FILM

Continued from page 5C

kid in their neighborhood.”

A nostalgic experience

“I Wish You All the Best” was shot in Los Angeles and North Carolina, where the story is fictionally set. “I grew up going up to Holden Beach in Wilmington as a kid on family reunions,” she said. “It felt really nostalgic to go back.”

Dorfman debuted the movie in the spring of 2024 at South by Southwest, where she was relieved to experience a warm positive reaction from the audience.

Debuting the film in theaters nine months into President Donald Trump’s second administration feels right, she said.

“I think it has an opportunity to be more impactful now than it would have a year ago,” Dorfman said.

“And it’s an experience that hasn’t been talked about enough in media, both in fiction and nonfiction. I hope it gives people some hope or different ways to approach

something that may feel uncomfortable or scary or something they don’t understand.”

One of her key mentors over the years has been Lena Dunham of “Girls” fame. She even provided Dorfman a cabin in Connecticut to write the screenplay

When an actor dropped out at the last second, she offered the role of Ben’s quirkily supportive art teacher to Dunham, who was fortunately available.

“She’s not an actor you can miscast,” Dorfman said “She’s so adaptable. Very few actors can balance heart and comedy, levity and depth within a single line.”

‘A hard time focusing’ Though Dorfman is known most for acting, she fashions herself as a multidisciplinarian.

“I’ve always had a hard time focusing creatively,” she said. “I loved ballet but also loved fashion and drawing. I loved swimming and diving, all the normal kid stuff. I was into musical theater and directed productions in high school. I wrote a lot.”

When she was a teen and still identified as a boy, she said she was bullied so badly in public school her parents placed her in The Paideia School, a private school known for nurturing its students’ creative side. (Her father Larry helps run Roots, a real estate investment trust that allows renters to invest in the properties they rent.)

“At Paideia, I felt like I could do various things and succeed,” she said. “They offered me a lot of freedom of expression. I could explore stuff. They were really tuned in to us individually They made a lot of arrangements while I was dancing with the Atlanta Ballet for all my childhood and spending half my days in rehearsal I spent 12-15 years of my life doing that.” Dorfman said the movie gave her a chance to “reimagine my high school experience if I had the tools Ben had. In some ways, my parents were incredible parents because I got to stay under their roof. But there were other cultural components that were very challenging.”

RedCross

Louisiana serves4.65millionresidentsacrossall64parishesandextendshopeto communitiesacrossthenationandaroundtheworld.Whenyousupportyour localRedCross,youmakeadirectimpactinyourcommunity Poweredbygenerosity. TheRedCrossisnotagovernmentagency.Wearea501(c)(3) nonprofitthatreliesonthepowerofvolunteersandthegenerosity ofdonorstocarryoutourhumanitarianmission. RedCrosssupportersprovideabeaconofhope.Fromhelping duringdisasters,toprovidinglifesavingtrainingandsupporting militarycommunities,theRedCrossistherewhenhelpcan’twait.

scoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Critique yourself before criticizing others. Making progress will help you maintain a positive state of mind. Observe what your cohorts are doing, and it will help you decide what's next for you.

sAGITTARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Speak up, and you'll find out where you stand and what's possible. Refuse to jeopardize what you have for something intangible. Set guidelines and get what you want in writing.

cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Add a splash of ingenuity to whatever you do, and you'll gain interest and a platform to share your plans. A change is within reach, so start mapping out the possibilities.

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Learn from experience that too much of anything will lead to trouble. Slow down, take inventory and see what's left. Your strength, knowledge and skills will lead to bigger and better opportunities.

PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Set a budget and a timeline, and get moving. Trust in your abilities and discipline to help you see matters through to the end. When opportunity knocks, be quick to respond and to show your worth.

ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Put your energy where it counts. How hard you work will depend on your ability to be direct and live up to your promises. Choose bold words, stick to the truth and adopt a smile and a friendly demeanor.

TAuRus (April 20-May 20) Stick to simple terms and map out a route that ticks off

everything on your to-do list. Set goals that are reasonable and unlikely to be jeopardized by outside influences.

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Changes you make due to emotional influences will slow you down. Look for alternative ways to reach your destination without raising eyebrows or igniting a negative response from onlookers.

cAncER (June 21-July 22) Participate in social events, engage in work-related activities and network to expand your interests. Diversify, and use your imagination to apply what you can offer in new and exciting ways.

LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Use words, not actions, and you'll make progress. Reach out to the source instead of complaining to the go-betweens. Change only what's necessary, and distance yourself from people heading in a different direction.

VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) Put a plan in place before making a move or trying to change the impossible. Detail and precision will play a role in what you achieve and how others perceive you. LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Be careful whom you share your ideas with. Someone is likely to take advantage of you if you aren't careful. Opportunity is within reach if you advocate on your own behalf.

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

Sudoku

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

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

By PHILLIP ALDER

That well-known wit, A.N. Other, said, “The young man who stands on his own two feet has probably failed his driving test.”

A bridge player of whatever age who failed to make a contract perhaps used only one line when two were available. In this example, South is in four hearts. West leads the spade queen The defenderskeeppluggingawayatthatsuit.After declarer ruffs the third round and draws trumps in three rounds, how should he continue?

North, even though his diamonds are stronger than his clubs, was right to bid one club. Open one diamond with three cards in the suit only with exactly 4-4-3-2 distribution. Southwilllosetwospadesandoneclub, and might also concede a diamond. He has only nine top tricks: five hearts, two diamonds and two clubs. So, at first glance, it looks as though declarer needs the diamond finesse to win. And many players would drive down that road, failing with this layout

A better chauffeur first plays three rounds of clubs, giving the opponents the lead. If West takes the club trick, he is endplayed, forced either to lead a diamond into South’s tenace or to concede a ruff-and-sluff. So let’s assume East overtakes West’s jack with his queen and shifts to a diamond. Declarer plays low. Here, West must put up his queen, sothecontractishome.ButifWestcould produce the 10 South still has the finesse of his jack available. He is home when East has either diamond honor. © 2025 by NEA, Inc., dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication

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 letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed. 3. Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.

ToDAy’s WoRD — BRusQuELy: BRUSK-lee: Abruptly.

Average mark 24 words

Time limit 40 minutes

Can you find 35 or more words in BRUSQUELY?

yEsTERDAy’s WoRD — ERuPTED

erupt etude reed repute rude rupee peer pert peter prude pure

puree teed tree true deep deer deet depute deter drupe duet

dupe duper

thatforgeourbeliefthatreportingthetruth–forourreaders, forourcity–isaresponsibilitywemustfulfillnomatterthecost.

LUNG CANCER

EarlyDetection, LifesavingResults

Cardiothoracic surgeonhighlights

FMOL Health IOur Lady of Lourdes’ collaborative approach to lung nodules

By Amanda McElfresh |amcelfresh@theadvocate.com

Lungnodules, often referred to as “spots on thelung,”can be asource of concernfor both patients and physicians Theseirregularities in lung tissue, whichcan appear as solidor hazy areasonimaging scans, mayresult from infection, inflammation or cancer Identifyingtheir causeasearly as possible is critical in determining apatient’s treatmentplanand prognosis.

At FMOL Health |Our Lady of Lourdes, thenew lung nodule program brings together specialistsfrommultiple areastoevaluatenodules andestablish thenext steps, particularly if thereisreasontobelieve that thenoduleisa signoflungcancer

“Welookatthe findings anddecide howtotriagepatients,”saidDr. Safi Haq, acardiothoracic surgeonatOur Lady of Lourdes. “Fromthe very beginning,you’realready gettingalot of differentperspectivesand alot of differentopinions. We’reall involved from theveryearly onsetofthe decision-making.”

Dr.Haq said abiopsycan be oneofthe best ways to determinethe nature of alungnodule. In some biopsies,aradiologistextractstissuesamples with aneedle. Forother patients,apulmonologistusesabronchoscope, whileother casesmay requireasurgeon to remove thenoduleand a portionofthe lung forexamination undera microscope.

If anoduleiscancerous, Dr.Haq said surgical removalcan be anextstep.

“Theobjective is to remove thepartofthe lung with cancer andclean outthe lymphnodes on that side of thechest,” he explained. “Whenwe getthe finalresults from thesurgery andpathologists have looked at the specimen, then we decide if thepatientneedsadditionaltreatment like chemotherapy.”

Dr.Haq said theuse of advanced surgical techniques at OurLadyof Lourdes–including smaller incisions –means that patients spendlesstime in thehospital andcan getbacktothe normal livesmuchfaster. With the addition of thelungnoduleprogram,the hope is that OurLadyofLourdes candiagnosecancersquicker, when thereisabetterchanceofa positive outcome.

“We’re fortunatetoliveinanage wherewe’re nowabletogoafter smaller andsmaller lesions,” he said.“When we canidentify lung cancer at an early stage, we cansignificantly increase that patient’schances forsurvival.”

Twicea Survivor:

Howearly lung cancer detection saved RayMcDowell

By Stevie Cavalier Licciardi

Ray McDowell,76, is no strangertoneardeathexperiences. Born in Galveston, Texas, McDowell spenthis youthinEast Texasand latermoved to Louisianaafter getting married

Having worked hisway up throughthe oilindustryfor decades, McDowell waswell acquaintedwiththe demandingoffshore environment. However, nothingcould prepare McDowell forwhathefacedonJanuary 18 1982,asheboarded ahelicopter to lead a routinedirectional drillingoperation.McDowell andhis teammatesnever reachedtheir offshore destination Thehelicopter crashedintothe frigid waters of Caillou Lake,leaving McDowell thelonesurvivor.

That endedmyoffshore career,” said McDowell.“After multiple surgeries,Iwentback to work doingwhatIcould do physically.Iwent to work forBaker Hughes as aprocurement and logistics officer.”

Fast forwardtothe presentday,and McDowell is asurvivoronceagain. In November 2024, McDowell wasdiagnosed with lung cancer.Heunderwent surgery to remove thecancer in January2025 andisnow cancer free Thegood Lord waswatchingout forme again, just like He did in thehelicopter crash.”

TheImportanceofEarly Detection

It wasMcDowell’sprimary care physician who firstrecommended he getalungscreening.

McDowell fitthe eligibilitycriteriaoutlined by theU.S.PreventiveServices Task Forceto receive afreescreening: individualsbetween 50-80 yearsold whohavea 20-year pack-history (determined by multiplyingthe number of packssmokedper daybythe number of years smoked)and whocurrently smokeorhavequit within thelast15years

Though he successfullyquitsmoking eight yearsago,McDowellunderstoodthe valueof screeningand went in forthe test Theresults from hisCTscanshowedanoduleonthe top rightlobe.

“Toget abetterlook, they then did aPET scan,whichlit up like aChristmas tree when the tracer went through,”recounted McDowell

After thePET scan andbiopsy confirmed that thenodulewas lung cancer,McDowellmet with Dr.Safi Haq, acardiothoracic surgeonatOur Lady of Lourdes, to discusstreatment options Becausethe cancer wasdetectedearly, McDowell hadmore flexibility in choosinghis treatmentplan. Dr.Haq andMcDowelldecided to schedule thesurgery forthe newyear. The prognosiswas that thesurgery wouldlikelybe curative Thankfully, therewas no rush.Iwas diagnosedinNovember, andIwantedto wait until after theholidays,”saidMcDowell. “Everyonewas in theright place andright time to getittaken care of.”

When McDowell underwenthis lobectomy, thesurroundinglymph nodeswerealso

Ray McDowell,76, survived ahelicoptercrash in January1982. Then, after decades of smoking,McDowellwas diagnosedinNovember2024 with lung cancer. Nowcancerfree, he urgesotherstolistentotheir bodyand don’tput off needed screenings.Itcould save your life like it didhis

removedtoensurethatthe cancer hadnot spread.After thesurgery,itwas determined that McDowell hadnoneed forsystemic therapies or radiation; he wascancer-free

ANew Lease on Life

“Whensomeone tellsyou that youhave cancer,the firstthingthatcomes to your mind is that you’re dying–but that wasnot thecase, said McDowell

When he was firstdiagnosed,McDowell worried abouthis wife’s well-beinginaddition to hisown.She has experienced memory loss since abrain aneurysmin2013, andheisher primarycaregiver.Inrecentyears,their family has also enduredseverallosses, includingthe passingoftheir daughter during thepandemic andtheir grandson this September. Throughit all,McDowellsaidputting onefootinfront of theother has helpedhim to keep going.

Acadianaentersa new eraoflung cancer care as major medical advancesemerge

Thehardestpartwas notlosingfaith.Itwas hard,but Ihad to keep believingthatitwas goingtoworkout,” said McDowell

Now, McDowell looksforward to spending more qualitytimewithhis lovedonesand his dog, Rosco. He andhis wife recentlybought asmaller home on aquiet cul-de-sac and have been enjoying their newneighborhood McDowell also cherishesTuesdaynight bowling with long-termfriends

“Ifyou have anydoubt whatsoever,get screened,instead of puttingitoff until there is nothingleft that canbedonefor you, ” said McDowell.“If your body is tellingyou something, go seeabout it.”

Discover more at LourdesRMC.com/ LungNodule

Dr.Frank Courmier,right,aboard-certified pulmonologyand critical care specialist,isshown recently at FMOL Health I OurLadyofLourdes Regional MedicalCenteroperating thenew IntuitiveIon Bronchoscopy,a robot-assistedbiopsyplatform. Paired with newartificial intelligence-based software,the Ionisrevolutionizing theway Acadiana providers diagnose andtreat lung cancer.

By Stevie Cavalier Licciardi |stevie.licciardi@theadvocate.com

Althoughlungcancer is thenumberone causeofcancer-related deaths in the nation,muchabout thedisease remains shroudedincomplexity.Yet, thephysicians at FMOL Health |Our Lady of Lourdes in Lafayetteare workingtounravelits mysteries withnew methodsfor earlydetection and streamlined care

“Thelungs don’thavemanypainreceptors theway otherparts of thebodydo, so when a mass forms, youmay notrecognize somethingis wronguntil it metastasizes –and by then it’s too late,”saidDr. FrankCourmier,apulmonologist andcriticalcarephysician at OurLadyof Lourdes. “Wewanttocatch lung cancer earlier, becauseifyou catch it earlyenough, youcan cure it.”

TheU.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends annual lung cancer screenings forpeopleages50to80who have ahistory of smokingatleast onepackofcigarettes aday for at leastone year,those whostillactivelysmoke or thosewho have quit smokingwithin thepast 15 years. In general, thesescreenings take place via alow-doseCTscan. Individualsare also encouragedtodiscuss screeningoptions with their doctor if they have afamilyhistory of lung cancer,pastexposuretoradongas or asbestos or significant exposuretosecondhandsmoke Over thepastyear, with theintroductionof newAI-powered software,Our Lady of Lourdes physicianshavebeenabletoreviewevery CT scan,X-rayand otherimaging takenwithin its systemfor possible lung nodules. Alungnodule is asmall massofabnormaltissuethatforms in thelungs andcan be an earlyindicator of cancer When anoduleisidentified,the scan

is flaggedand reviewed by aspecialized coordinator.Ifthe nodule raises concern, thepatientisreferredtoacomprehensive, multidisciplinaryteamcomprisingspecialists in the fields of pulmonology, cardiothoracic surgery,oncology, radiologyand pathology. This team reviewsthe case collectively to determine if furtheractionisneeded,and if so,tocreatean optimal care plan forthe patient.

“Withour program, apatientreceivesthe expertise of three, sometimesfourspecialties,all in onecoordinated review,” said Dr.Courmier

“Our goal is to move from lung nodule detection to potentialcurewithin onemonth That’s abig improvementfromthe months-longtimelinewe used to see. We arecurrently averaging about six weeks, butweare targetingunder four,and I thinkwewill getthere soon with thetechnology we have.”

Therecentmedical advancementofrobotic

navigational bronchoscopy is transforming the wayOur Lady of Lourdesdiagnoses lung cancer This technology consists of twocomponents: software that identifies theareaofconcernand maps apathtothe lesion, andaset of robotic toolsattachedtoacamera that navigatestothe site.

“Wegointhrough themouth with an 8-millimeter tube and fitall of our2-millimeter instrumentsthrough it,” said Dr.Safi Haq, acardiothoracicsurgeon with OurLadyof Lourdes. “Before, we couldonlyaccesslesions locatedonthe outerthirdofthe lung This system allowsustobiopsy nodules deep within thelungs, as well.”

In thepast, lung biopsies carried ahighrisk of lung collapse andoften required hospital stays. Approximatelyone outofevery five patients experienced complications. Becauseof this risk andthe difficultyofaccessing innerlung regions, many patients chosetomonitor thenodule’sgrowthoverseveralmonthsbefore proceedingtowardtreatment

The IntuitiveIon Bronchoscopy,robotic navigational biopsy platform availableatFMOLHealth‘ OurLadyofLourdes,allows providers to nowbiopsy nodulesinthe smallest regionsofthe lungs, where most lung cancersdevelop

With roboticbronchoscopy, theriskof complication during biopsy has fallen to fewer than twopercentofcases, making it much safer andmoreaccessible. Themulti-stepprocessof identifying, diagnosing, andstaging anodule has become very efficient, as well.Surgeons cannow obtain an immediateresultduringthe biopsy.Ifthe massiscancerous,the team can test nearby lymphnodes to determine whether thecancer has spread –all within thesame procedure.

Once lung cancer is diagnosedand staged patients arepresented with treatmentoptions Forearly stages, surgeryorradiationare often curative.Major breakthroughs in systemic therapy,suchasimmunotherapy –atreatment option that uses thebody’sown immune system to targetthe cancer cells–are also helping to downstageofcancers. Forpatients diagnosedat laterstages, thesetreatmentscan shrink tumors enough to make surgerymoreeffective

Theseadvancementsgivepatientsand healthcare providershopefor abetter tomorrow;however,awareness aboutearly detection andriskreduction,especiallysmoking cessation,remains keyinthe battle againstlung cancer.Smokers seekinghelptoquitcan discuss availablecessation resources with their primary care physician

“Early detection cantruly mean thedifference betweenlivingcancer-freeafter treatmentor beingimpactedbycancer forthe rest of your life,” said Dr.Courmier.“Advocate foryourself andbesurediscuss screeningoptions with your primarycarephysician.”

Hear more from Dr.Haq on lung cancer diagnosisand treatmentadvancements in Acadianabyvisiting www.youtube.com/ watch?v=6BBsERqZ9tQ

At FMOL Health |Our Lady of Lourdes JD Moncus Cancer Center, we believe expertise makes allthe difference. Withmorethan 10 nationally certified oncologynurses on our team, your care is led by professionals who meet thehigheststandards in cancer treatment. It’s part of our decades-long commitment to delivering compassionate, comprehensive carefor Acadiana families. That’s why we’rethe region’strusted cancer treatment destination. That’s why it allcounts here. LearnmoreatLourdesRMC.com/cancer. 10+

Kayla St. Upery,RN, Certified Oncology Nurse