The Advocate 11-12-2025

KELLY SUING LSU

Former coach claims school now wants to fire him for cause

Brian Kelly was fired on Oct 26, the day after a 49-25 home loss to Texas A&M.

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

ä Scott Rabalais: Kelly’s lawsuit against LSU bodes poorly for school, coaching search. PAGE 1C

“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 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.

ä See KELLY, page 7A

Tax break sought for two major live music acts at Tiger Stadium

BY PATRICK SLOAN-TURNER

Visit Baton Rouge is working to bring two major live music events to LSU’s Tiger Stadium in spring 2026 and is asking the East Baton Rouge Parish Metro Council to give the promoter a tax break.

Council members do not yet know who might be headlining the two acts that are penciled in for March 28 and May 23 next year, but they are being asked to give sales tax proceeds collected at the potential events back to an unnamed promoter

“While I don’t know the artists, the discussion is they’re on

a scale of a Garth Brooks-type concert,” said council member Rowdy Gaudet. Gaudet sits on the board of Visit Baton Rouge, which is recommending the council approve the rebate.

Visit Baton Rouge projects the

ä See TAX, page 7A

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 with the infected person have the

Vaccination remains crucial for community safety, officials say ä See MEASLES, page 6A

Lee Brice performs at the fifth annual Bayou Country Superfest in Tiger Stadium in 2014.

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 Is-

raeli 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-

Actress Sally Kirkland dies at 84

‘Anna’ 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.

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

Press

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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Order blocking full SNAP payments extended

House could vote to end shutdown Wednesday

BY GEOFF MULVIHILL, MARK SHERMAN and MARGERY A BECK Associated Press

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

The order keeps in place at least for a few more days a chaotic situation. People who depend on the Supplemental 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’s thinking, 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 government would restart the program that helps 42 million Americans buy groceries, but it’s not clear how quickly full payments would resume.

The justices chose what is effectively the path of least resistance, anticipating the federal government shut-

Missionary, daughter ID’d in deadly plane crash

BY KATE PAYNE

Associated Press/Report for America

A Christian missionary father and his daughter were killed when a small plane bound for a hurricane relief mission in Jamaica crashed in a South Florida neighborhood. Christian ministry organization Ignite the Fire identified the two victims of the Monday morning crash as the group’s founder, Alexander Wurm, 53, and his daughter Serena Wurm, 22. The pair were bringing humanitarian aid to Jamaica, according to the organization, when the Beechcraft King Air plane they were flying in crashed into a pond in a residential area of the Fort Lauderdale suburb of Coral Springs, narrowly missing homes. As of Tuesday morning, investigators had not reported any other victims.

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

“Together, their final journey embodied selflessness and courage, reminding us of the power of service and love,” the statement reads, adding, “Rest in peace, Alexander and Serena your light endures in all whose lives you changed.” In recent weeks, Alexander Wurm had helped deliver medical supplies, water filters and StarLink satellite internet equipment to Jamaica for the relief organization Crisis Response International, according to a statement the group posted

“What I can tell you about Alex is that he had a huge vision for the people of the Caribbean nations. And when this hurricane happened, he didn’t hesitate. He sprung into action and did what he could,” Crisis Response International founder Sean Malone said.

“He really made a difference in the lives of the people on the ground by getting the resources in that he did. He saved lives and he gave his life,” Malone added.

down will end soon while avoiding any substantive legal ruling about whether lower court orders to keep full payments flowing during the shutdown are correct.

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was the only one of the nine justices to say she would have revived the lower court orders immediately, but didn’t otherwise explain her vote. Jackson signed the initial order temporarily freezing the payments.

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

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

How quickly SNAP benefits could reach recipients if the government reopens would vary by state. But states and advocates say that it’s easier to make full payments quickly than partial ones.

Carolyn Vega, a policy analyst at the advocacy group Share Our Strength, also said there could be some technical challenges for states that have issued partial benefits to send out the remaining amount.

In Pennsylvania, full November benefits went out to some people on Friday But Jim Malliard, 41, of Franklin, said he had not received anything by Monday.

Malliard is a full-time caretaker for his wife, who is blind and has had several

strokes this year, and his teenage daughter, who suffered severe medical complications from surgery last year

That stress has only been compounded by the pause in the $350 monthly SNAP payment he previously received for himself, his wife and daughter He said he is down to $10 in his account and is relying on what’s left in the pantry mostly rice and ramen.

“It’s kind of been a lot of late nights, making sure I had everything down to the penny to make sure I was right,” Malliard said. “To say anxiety has been my issue for the past two weeks is putting it mildly.”

The political wrangling in Washington has shocked many Americans, and some have been moved to help.

“I figure that I’ve spent money on dumber stuff than trying to feed other people during a manufactured famine,” said Ashley Oxenford, a teacher who set out a “little food pantry” in her front yard this week for vulnerable neighbors in Carthage, New York.

The Trump administration chose to cut off SNAP funding after October due to the shutdown. That decision sparked lawsuits and a string of swift and contradictory judicial rulings that deal with government power and impact food access for about 1 in 8 Americans.

The administration went along with two rulings on Oct. 31 by judges who said the government must pro-

vide at least partial funding for SNAP It eventually said recipients would get up to 65% of their regular benefits. But it balked last week when one of the judges said it must fund the program fully for November, even if that means digging into funds the government said need to be maintained in case of emergencies elsewhere.

The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to pause that order in

a ruling late Sunday

An appeals court said Monday that full funding should resume, and that requirement was set to kick in Tuesday night before the top court extended the order blocking full SNAP payments.

The U.S. Senate on Monday passed legislation to reopen the federal government with a plan that would include replenishing SNAP funds.

Speaker Mike Johnson told members of the House to return to Washington to consider the deal a small group of Senate Democrats made with Republicans.

President Donald Trump has not said whether he would sign it if it reaches his desk, but told reporters at the White House on Sunday that it “looks like we’re getting close to the shutdown ending.”

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,includingStudentSuccess.

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 aStudentSuccess 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 studentoutcomesisatop 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’twaittosee howtheywillshape thefutureofenergyand technology for our industry andthe world,”saidEmmaLewis Executive Vice President, ShellChemicals

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

This latest contributionexemplifies the powerofcollaboration betweenhighereducation andindustry to driveinnovation, student achievement, andeconomicgrowth— all centraltoSouthernUniversity’sstrategic vision for thefuture.

Catholic bishopselect conservative culturewarrior

Vote abarometer fortheir priorities

BY TIFFANY STANLEY Associated Press

BALTIMORE U.S.Catholic

bishops elected Oklahoma City Archbishop Paul Coakley as their newpresident on Tuesday,choosing aconservative culture warrior to lead duringPresident Donald Trump’ssecondterm.

The vote serves as abarometer for the bishops’ priorities. In choosing Coakley, theyare doubling down on their conservativebent, even as they push formore humane immigration policies from the Trump administration.

Coakley was seen as a strong contenderfor thetop post,havingalready been elected in 2022 to serve as secretary,the No. 3conference official. In three rounds of voting, he beat out centrist candidate Bishop Daniel Flores of Brownsville, Texas, who was subsequently elected vice president

Coakley serves as adviser to the Napa Institute, an associationfor conservative Catholic powerbrokers. In 2018, he publicly supported an ardent criticof Pope Francis, Italian Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò,

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO OklahomaCityArchbishopPaul Coakleywas chosen by U.S. Catholic bishopsonTuesdayastheir newpresident to lead duringPresident DonaldTrump’ssecond term.

whowas laterexcommunicated for stances that were deemed divisive.

The U.S. Conferenceof Catholic Bishopshas often beenatodds with the Vatican and the inclusive, modernizing approach of the late Pope Francis. His U.S.-born successor,Pope Leo XIV,is continuing asimilarpastoral emphasisonmarginalized people, poverty and the environment.

ThechoiceofCoakley may fuel tensions with Pope Leo, saidSteven Millies, professor of public theology atthe

Catholic Theological Union in Chicago.

“In the long conflictbetween many U.S. bishops andFrancis that Leo inherits, thisisnot ade-escalating step,” he said. Half the10candidates on the ballotcame fromthe conservative wing of the conference. The difference is more in style than substance. MostU.S. Catholic bishops are reliably conservative on social issues, but some —like Coakley —place moreemphasis on opposingabortion andLG-

U.S. carrierarrives in Caribbean

BY ANTONIO MARÍA DELGADO

Miami Herald (TNS)

The world’slargest and most technologicallyadvanced aircraft carrier, the USSGerald R. Ford, has entered the U.S. Southern Command areaofresponsibility,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 transnationalcrime comes as tensions escalate between the U.S. and Venezuela, wherethe Nicolás Maduro regime is rushing to reinforce atroubledRussian- and Iranian-backed air defense network. The Ford Carrier Strike Group arrives as new antiaircraft platforms surface across Venezuela. Last week, Russian-made Buk-M2E me-

dium-range surface-to-air missile systemswere spottedinside Caracas’ La Carlota military airport,following an urgent appeal by Maduro forMoscow and Beijing to help prepare for what he describes as the threat of aU.S. invasion.

The Buk-M2E, knownby NATO as theSA-17 Grizzly, can engage multiple aircraft, helicopters and cruise missiles simultaneously with its 9M317E interceptor, which has arange of up to 28 miles.

The Ford strikegroup, consisting of guided-missile destroyersUSS Bainbridge, USSMahan andUSS Winston S. Churchill, wasordered into the region after Secretary of Defense Pete Hegsethdirectedadditional forces to support President Donald Trump’smandate to dismantle transnational criminal organizations and counter narco-terrorism

threateningthe U.S. homeland.

“The enhanced U.S. force presenceinthe SOUTHCOM AOR will bolster U.S. capacity to detect, monitor,and disrupt illicit actors andactivitiesthat compromise the safety andprosperityofthe United States homeland,” PentagonspokespersonSean Parnellsaidina Navynews release. “These forces will enhanceand augmentexistingcapabilities to disrupt narcotics trafficking and degrade and dismantle TCOs.”

With more than 4,000 sailors and dozens of tactical aircraft, the Fordgives U.S. commanders unmatched reach for sustainedoperations at sea. Its electromagneticcatapult andadvanced arresting gear allow simultaneous launchesand recoveries of aircraft,offering asignificant edge in both combat and surveillance missions

BTQ+ rights. Thecandidates were nominated by their fellowbishops, andCoakleysucceeds the outgoing leader,Military Services Archbishop Timothy Broglio,for athreeyearterm. The currentvice president, ArchbishopWilliam Lori of Baltimore, was too close to themandatory retirementage of 75 toassume the top spot.

Coakley edged outawellknown conservative on the ballot,Bishop Robert Barron of Minnesota’sWinonaRochester diocese, whose popularWord on Fire ministry hasmade hima Catholic media star In defeating Flores, Coakley won over another strong contender,who some Catholic insiders thought could help unifyU.S. bishops and work well with the Vatican. Flores hasbeen the U.S. bishops’ leader in the Vatican’ssynodprocess to modernize the church. As aLatino leading adiocese alongthe U.S.-Mexico border, he supports traditional Catholic doctrineonabortion andLGBTQ issues and is outspoken in his defense of migrants.

Flores will be eligible for the toppost in threeyears. His election as vice president indicates that theU.S. conference “may eventual-

ly,cautiously open itself to the church’s newhorizons,” saidDavidGibson,director of Fordham University’s Center on Religion and Culture.

The bishops are crafting astatement on immigration during the annual fall meeting. On many issues, they appear as divided and polarized as their country,but on immigration, even the most conservative Catholic leadersstand on the side of migrants.

Thequestion is how strongly the whole body plans to speak aboutthe Trump administration’s harsh immigration tactics.

Fear of immigration enforcement has suppressed Massattendance at some parishes. Local clerics are fighting to administer sacraments to detained immigrants. U.S. Catholic bishops shutteredtheir longstanding refugee resettlement program after the Trump administration halted federal funding for resettlement aid.

“On the political front, you know for decades the U.S. bishops have been advocating forcomprehensive immigration reform,” Bishop Kevin Rhoades, of Indiana’s Fort Wayne-South Bend diocese, said during anews conference.

Rhoades serveson Trump’sReligious Liberty Commission, and he leads the bishops’ committee on religious liberty.Hesaid bishops are very concerned about detained migrants receiving pastoral care and the sacraments.

“That’sanissue of the right to worship,” he said. “One doesn’tlose that right whenone is detained, whether oneisdocumented or undocumented.”

The bishops sent aletter to Pope Leofromtheir meeting, saying they “will continue to stand with migrants and defend everyone’sright to worship free from intimidation.”

The letter continued, “We support secure andorderly borders andlaw enforcement actions in response to dangerous criminal activity but we cannot remain silent in this challenging hour while the right to worship and the right to due process are undermined.”

PopeLeo recentlycalled for“deep reflection” in the United States about the treatment of migrants held in detention,saying that “many people who have lived for years and years andyears, nevercausing problems, have been deeply affected by what is going on right now.”

Miss.officers accusedindrug-traffickingscheme

20 people have pleadednot guilty to federalcharges

BY SOPHIE BATES Associated Press

JACKSON, Miss. Twenty

people, including 14 current or former Mississippilaw enforcementofficers, have pleaded not guilty to federal charges that allege awidespread drug-trafficking conspiracy

Theindictments accuse officers from multiple law enforcement agencies in Mississippi of taking bribes to provide safe transport to people they believed were drug traffickers. Six other people —three

MEASLES

Continued from page1A

in Mississippi and three in Tennessee —werealso arrested.

The officers arealleged to have understood they were helping to transport 55 pounds of cocaine through Mississippi counties and into Memphis.

Some of the officers also provided escort services to protect the transportation of drug proceeds.

TwoMississippi sheriffs, Washington County Sheriff Milton Gastonand HumphreysCounty Sheriff Bruce Williams, were amongthose arrested

highest risk, said Dr.Margot Anderson, apediatric infectious disease specialist at ManningFamily Children’sand Tulane University.

People who are fullyimmunized with twodosesofthe measles vaccine are relatively protected, but those who are unvaccinated, especiallychildren who are too young to be vaccinated or people who cannot receive avaccine due to health conditions, are vulnerable.

“That’savery long period of time in asmall airspace,”Andersonsaid. “Anyone who was vulnerableand on the plane wouldactually have avery high, high riskof getting measles in the next one to three weeks.”

Everyone on the flight should havebeen notified directlyby health officials from their state of residence.

Airplanes have excellent HEPA filtration and ventilation systems, said Dr.Shweta Bansal,anepidemiologist with the Department of Biology at Georgetown University who studies infectious disease transmission. But they arenot turned on while people are getting on and off the plane.

Airports also offer alot of close

Both Gaston andWilliams are accused of accepting thousands in bribesfrom someonethey believed to be amember of aMexican cartel.Inreturn, thesheriffs allegedly gave the cartel their “blessing” to operate in their counties.

Michael Carr,anattorney representing Williams, said his client maintains his innocence.

“Let’sjustget to the merits of it and get in front of a jury so the officers and my sheriff, Bruce Williams, can have his name cleared, can be publicly vindicated,and

can hopefully get back to work,”Carr said. Alawyer for Gaston did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment. All law enforcement officers charged in the case were offered a$10,000 bond with acondition that bars them from continuing or seekingemployment as law enforcement officers.The MississippiBoard on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Training has also suspended the officers’ law enforcement certificates, pending afull hearing before theboard. In addition to thetwo sheriffs, those charged include: Brandon Addison, Javery

Howard, Truron Grayson, Sean Williams, Dexture Franklin, Wendell Johnson, Marcus Nolan, Aasahn Roach, Jeremy Sallis, TorioChazWiseman,Pierre Lakes, Derrik Wallace, Marquivious Bankhead, Chaka Gaines, Martavis Moore, JamarioSanford,Marvin Flowersand Dequarian Smith.

The Associated Press spoke with several lawyers representing those charged who emphasized that their clients are innocent until proven guilty

encounters whilewaiting in lines, andbecause measles lingersinthe air, there couldbemanychances for transmission.

“You don’thave to even be in the same space at the sametimeasthe infected person to be infected by them,” Bansal said

The Louisiana Department of Health didnot specifywhere the patient’sinternationaltriporiginated. However,onthe same day, thePhiladelphiaDepartment of Public Health reported that a traveler with measles had passed through PhiladelphiaInternational Airport’sTerminals Aand Bbetween 9a.m. and4 p.m. Officials did notsay whether it was the same individual.

The Health Department said those whowere at the airportat the time of the potential exposure should contact their health care providertosee if they need avaccine.

Thedepartment,which barred employees from recommending specific vaccinations earlier this year as itendedmass vaccination efforts, did not respond to questions aboutwhether thevaccine is available at parish health units.

Measles is highly contagious.

In aclinic waiting room with one infectedpersonand 10 unvaccinated people,nine out of 10 would be expected to get thedisease, ac-

“That’saverylong period of time in asmall airspace. Anyone who wasvulnerableand on the plane would actually have averyhigh, high risk of getting measles in the next one to three weeks.”

DR. MARGOT ANDERSON,

cording to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

“Whenwesay it’sprobably the most contagious disease from an airborne standpoint,itreally is,” Anderson said.

The measles virus spreads through the airwhenaninfected person breathes, coughs or sneezes, and can linger in an enclosed space for hoursevenafter that person has left Unliketuberculosis, whichisprimarily transmitted when someone is coughing alot, measles can be transmitted just by sharing airspace, even if thepersonisnot showing symptoms. People are generally contagious four days before they getthe rash that accompanies measles, said Dr.Julio Figueroa, an infectiousdisease expert at LSU HealthNew Orleans.

“He is absolutely innocent of any wrongdoing whatsoever,and everybody knows it,” attorneyThomas Levidiotis said of his client, Dequarian Smith. Smithservedasa lawenforcement officer withthe HumphreysCountySheriff’s Officeand Isola Police Department at the timeof the alleged crime. The indictments are ablow to already shaky public trust in lawenforcement, Robert Eikhoff, special agent in charge of the FBI’sJackson Field Office, said when the chargeswereannounced last month.

Most peoplewho get measles recoverfully.But thevirus cancause severe illness in somecases, leading to pneumonia, brain inflammation or even death, particularly among young children and those with weakened immune systems.

TheMMR vaccine prevents about 93%ofcases after onedose and 97% aftertwo doses, according to the CDC.

“Ninety-seven percent —we can’tsay that forany othervaccine,” Bansal said. “Really,vaccination is thebest bet.”

Children typically get the first measles vaccine at 12 to 15 months old and the second at 4to6years old.

Anderson said parents of unvaccinated childrenwho may have been exposed should contact their pediatrician to discuss early vaccination. They should be able to get thesecond shot early Infants too young to have gotten their first shot may also be able to getitasapreventive measureif it’swithin 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 theseverity of the disease

During the same news conference,U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner called the alleged scheme a“monumental betrayal of public trust.”

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 amida national resurgence of the virus. Once declared eliminated in the UnitedStates, measles has reemerged as vaccination rates have slipped since the COVID-19 pandemic.

As of Nov.4,1,681 cases had been reportedacrossthe country —the highest number in more than three decades,with large outbreaksin Texasstartinginundervaccinated communities.

Louisiana’s measles vaccination rate among kindergartners fell from96.2% in 2021 to about92% in 2025, according to the CDC. Louisiana is already facing vaccine-preventable disease pressures. This year,apertussis, or whooping cough, outbreak has reachedlevelsnot seen in at least 35 years. TwoLouisiana babies died. Infectious disease experts said this is an example of why prevention through vaccination is important.

“Wehad the pertussis outbreak, which killedsomeinfants. This has the same kind of potential,” said Figueroa.

Email Emily Woodruff at ewoodruff@theadvocate.com.

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 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 million, both of which included the elimination of mitigation and offset

Continued from page 1A

March concert could gener-

ate $25 million from 100,000 tickets priced at $200 each, plus parking and concessions, while the May show could bring in nearly $23 million from 65,000 attendees with ticket prices at $300

“Visit Baton Rouge has the ability to crunch numbers based on hotel rooms, restaurants and things like that,” Gaudet said. “From my vantage point, there’s a substantial economic boost to our region with this.” Gaudet said it was his understanding that any tax re-

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 Woodward did not have “the authority to terminate Coach

bate would “first go through the promotion company, and then, ultimately the artist is the one who sees the financial gain for their talents.”

Before a vote can be held, eight council members must approve adding it to the agenda as an emergency item. Then, seven votes are needed to approve the tax rebate. Gaudet said the rebate is needed for the performer or event to come, and Baton Rouge has made up for rebates with major returns in previous events at the more than 102,000-seat stadium. The last major performer to play the venue was Garth Brooks in 2022. The show reportedly sold out in the first two hours that tickets were on sale.

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.

Council members said they have not been informed who might be playing, as contractual requirements related to tour announcements keep that information under lock and key Taylor Swift headlined Bayou Country Superfest in 2015 at Tiger Stadium, but the event saw attendance and profitably drop in 2016. In 2013, the city-parish granted the promoter of Superfest a sales tax rebate on tickets. LSU also got a cut of that rebate beginning in 2014, which amounted to $610,465 for the university that year

Email Patrick SloanTurner at patrick.sloanturner@theadvocate.com.

nated 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 con-

tract, 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.

Schumerfaces criticism as shutdown nearsend

BY MARYCLAREJALONICK Associated Press

WASHINGTON SenateDemocratic leader Chuck Schumer led his caucus, and the country,into arecord-breaking government shutdown and votedagainst reopening when asmall group of his members defected. But there are still calls for him to step aside from Democrats whothinkheshouldhave fought harder

It’sa now-familiar position forthe Democraticleader whowas pilloried by the liberal base in March when he voted with Republicans to keep the government open. This time, he’s getting 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 confidenceinSchumer. “Obviously that broke apart at the end. Our jobisto deliver for the American people. We need to do that more effectively.

No senator has explicitly called forhis resignation as leader,and hisjob appears safe despitethe criticism from outside.

But it’sbeen atoughyear for Schumer as theunexpected, overwhelming anger from base voters at his March vote has turned more of aspotlight on his leadership, and as he andhis party have struggled to counter President Donald Trump. And he couldface new challenges ahead asriled 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 who brokethe stalemate

andvoted with Republicans to reopen, sending the bill to the House. He says he believes Democrats succeeded in elevating the issue of the health care subsidies that expire at theend of theyear as Republicans refused to negotiate on theissue.

“Wehave to remember thatthe leader is one of many,” Welchsaid. “He’s first among equals, but there’sindependentagency for senators.”

Schumer hasnot yet publicly responded to the criticism, instead tryingtokeep the focusonRepublicans.

“Americans will remember Republican intransigenceevery time they make asky-high payment on healthinsurance,” he said on theSenate floor just before thefinal Senatevote on Monday.

Democratsinsideand outside the Senate werefurious on Sunday when the moderate senators broke ranks.

SenateMajority leader John Thune,R-S.D., promiseda mid-December voteonextensionofthe subsidies, but thereisnoguaranteed outcome.

Johnsoncould seeunruly Houseaslawmakers return

Representatives havepent-up demands

BY LISA MASCARO AP congressional correspondent

Afterrefusing to convene the U.S. House during the government shutdown, Speaker Mike Johnsonis recallinglawmakers back into session—and facing an avalanche of pent-up legislative demands from those who have largely been sidelined from governing.

Hundreds of representativesare preparing to return Wednesday to Washingtonafter anearly eightweek absence, carrying a torrentofideas,proposals andfrustrations over work that has stalledwhenthe Republican speaker shuttered theHousedoorsnearly two monthsago.

Firstwill be avote to reopen the government. But that’sjustthe start. With efforts to release the Jeffrey Epstein filesand the swearing in of Arizona’s Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva, theunfinished business will pose afresh test to Johnson’sgrip on power and put arenewed focus on his leadership.

“It’s extraordinary,”said Matthew Green, aprofessoratthe politics department at The Catholic UniversityofAmerica.

“What Speaker Johnson and Republicans are doing, you have to go back decades to find an example wherethe House —either chamber —decided notto meet.”

When the House gavelsback into session,it will closethisremarkable chapter of Johnson’stenure when he showed himself to be aleaderwho is quietly but brazenly,willing to upend institutional norms in pursuit of his broader strat-

egy,even at the risk of diminishing the House itself.

Ratherthanuse the immense powers of the speaker’soffice to forcefully steer the debate in Congress, as acoequal branch of the government on par with the executive and the courts, Johnsonsimply closed up shop—allowing the House to become unusually deferential,particularly to President Donald Trump.

Over these past weeks, the chamber has sidestepped its basic responsibilities, from passing routine legislationtoconducting oversight. The silencing of the speaker’s gavel hasbeen both unusual and surprising in asystem of government where the founders envisioned the branches would vigorously protect their institutional prerogatives.

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

“WhenCongress decides to turn offthe lights, it shifts the authority to the executive branch. That is how it works,” he said, blaming Democrats, with their fight over health care funds, for the closures.

The speaker has defended his decision to shutter the House during what’snow the longest government shutdown in U.S. history He arguedthatthe chamber, underthe GOP majority,had already done its job passing astopgapfunding bill in September.Itwould be up to the Senate to act, he said.

Whenthe Senate failed over andovertoadvance the House bill, morethan a dozen times,herefused to enter talks with the other leadersona compromise. Johnson also encouraged Trumptocancel an initial sit-down with the DemocraticleadersSen.Chuck Schumer and Rep. Hakeem Jeffriestoavoid abroader negotiation while the government was still closed. Instead, the speaker, whose job is outlined in the Constitution, second in line of succession to the presidency,heldalmost dailynewsconferences on his side of theCapitol, aweekly conference call with GOP lawmakers, and private talks withTrump. He joined the president for Sunday’sNFL Washington Commandersgame as the Senate was slogging through aweekend session.

Topdiplomats from G7 countriesmeetinCanada

BY ROBGILLIES AND MATTHEW LEE Associated Press

NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE, Ontario

Topdiplomats 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’sceasefire plan in Gaza and efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand saidinan interview with The Associated Press that “the relationship has to continue across arange of issues” despite trade pressures as sheprepared to host U.S. Secretary of State MarcoRubioand their counterparts from Britain, France, Germany, Italyand Japan on Tuesday and Wednesday. “We’re tackling arangeof critical issues with onemain focus: putting thesafety and security of Americans FIRST,” Rubio saidinasocialmedia post.

“The peace plan must be upheld,”Anand said.

The diplomats will meet with Ukraine’s foreign minister earlyWednesday. Britain says it will send $17 million to help patch up Ukraine’senergy infrastructure as winter approaches andRussianattacks intensify.The money will go toward repairs to power,heating and water supplies and humanitarian support for Ukrainians.

by strainedrelationswithits North American neighbor, predominantly over Trump’s impositionoftariffs on Canadian imports. But the entire blocofalliesisconfronting major turbulenceover the Republican president’s demands on trade and various proposals to halt worldwide conflicts.

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 stabilityinthe Middle East.

U.K. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper,who made theannouncement before the meeting, said Russian President Vladimir Putin “is trying to plunge Ukraine into darkness andthe cold as winter approaches,”but theBritish support will help keep thelights andheating on.

Canadarecentlymadea similar announcement.

Canada’sG7hosting duties this year have been marked

One main point of contention hasbeen defensespending. All G7 members except forJapan are members of NATO,and Trumphas demanded that the alliance partners spend 5% of their annual gross domestic product on defense.

While anumber of countries have agreed, others have not. Among the G7 NATO members, Canada and Italy are furthestfrom 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 aPalestinian state even without a resolutiontothe conflict With the Russia-Ukraine war, most G7 members have taken atougher line on Russia than Trumphas. The two-day meeting in Niagara-on-the-Lakeon Lake Ontarionear theU.S border comes after Trump ended trade talks withCanada because the Ontario provincial government ran an anti-tariffadvertisement in the U.S. that upset him. That followedaspring of acrimony,since abated, over Trump’sinsistence 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 readytoresume trade talks when the Americans are ready

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Suicide bomber targets Islamabad court

12 killed and 27 wounded, official says

BY MUNIR AHMED and ISHTIAQ MAHSUD Associated Press

ISLAMABAD — A suicide bomber

struck outside the gates of a district court in Islamabad on Tuesday, detonating his explosives next to a police car and killing 12 people, Pakistan’s interior minister said, the latest in an uptick in violence across the country.

Witnesses described scenes of mayhem. The blast, which also wounded 27 people, was heard for miles away and came at a time of day when the area outside the court is typically crowded with hundreds of visitors.

A breakaway faction of the Pakistani Taliban, the Jamaat-ul-Ahrar group, claimed responsibility for the attack, in messages to reporters from the group’s leader, Omar Mukkaram Khurasani. However, an influential commander within the group, Sarbakaf Mohmand, also sent messages disavowing any

a district court in Islamabad Pakistan, on Tuesday.

claim to the attack

The group quit the Pakistani Taliban, or TTP, after the head of Jamaat-ul-Ahrar was killed in a blast in Afghanistan in 2022.

Though some members recently rejoined the TTP, others keep their

distance, indicating continuing differences among the insurgents.

The TPP is separate to, but allied with, the Afghan Taliban.

Jamaat-ul-Ahrar has staged smaller attacks in the past but its ability to hit the Pakistani capital

is likely to further compound the struggles of the Pakistani government as it faces a resurgent Pakistani Taliban, border tensions and a fragile ceasefire with neighboring Afghanistan.

The attacker tried to “enter the court premises but, failing to do so, targeted a police vehicle,” Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi told journalists. Earlier reports by Pakistani state-run media and two security officials said a car bomb caused the explosion.

Without giving evidence, Naqvi alleged that the attack was “carried out by Indian-backed elements and Afghan Taliban proxies” linked to the Pakistani Taliban. Still, he said authorities are “looking into all aspects” of the explosion.

In New Delhi, Randhir Jaswal, the spokesperson at the Ministry of External Affairs, rejected Pakistani allegation as baseless. “The international community is well aware of the reality and will not be misled by Pakistan’s desperate diversionary ploys,” he said in a statement.

The attack drew widespread

condemnation, including from the United States, China, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey and the United Nations. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for a full investigation and reiterated that “all perpetrators of terrorism must be held accountable,” U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said.

Police quickly cordoned off the area around the court as a cloud of smoke rose into the sky The casualties were mostly passersby or those who had arrived for court appointments, according to Islamabad police.

More than a dozen badly wounded people screamed for help as ambulances rushed to the scene.

“People started running in all directions,” Mohammad Afzal, who was at the court at the time, told The Associated Press.

Naqvi said the discovery nearby of a severed head, which the police said belonged to the attacker confirmed the blast was a suicide attack. The attacker also later was spotted in CCTV footage from the site, he said. He said the bomber was not included in the death toll of 12.

Syrian official says country joins the anti-IS coalition

BY ABBY SEWELL Associated Press

BEIRUT — A Syrian official

said Tuesday that his country joined the global coalition against the Islamic State group during President Ahmad al-Sharaa’s historic visit to Washington, but that Syria is not part of the U.S.-led military mission fighting the extremist group.

Al-Sharaa met with U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday and announced his country’s “desire, intentions and readiness” to join the 89 other countries making up the coalition, which have committed to combat IS, but there is no signed agreement, Syrian Minister of Information Hamza alMustafa said in a telephone interview “The political coalition is different from Operation Inherent Resolve, which is a military operations room,”

he said, referring to the U.Sled military mission against ISIS in Iraq and Syria, which has for years partnered with Iraqi security forces and with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in northeast Syria.

The U.S. had no diplomatic relations with Syria under former President Bashar Assad, but ties have warmed since Assad’s fall last year in a rebel offensive led by al-Sharaa, the former commander of an Islamist insurgent group.

“There is coordination between the United States of America and the Syrian government at present, in some cases” on anti-IS operations, Mustafa said. “But Syria is not part of the Operation Inherent Resolve that is carry-

ing out the operations of this coalition.”

The U.S. has not publicly announced Syria’s entry into the coalition.

A senior U.S. administration official who spoke on condition of anonymity because there hadn’t yet been a formal announcement said after al-Sharaa’s meeting with Trump on Monday that Syria formally confirmed that it would join the global coalition.

While the Islamic State group lost hold of all of the territory it once held in Syria and Iraq years ago, cells of the extremist group have continued to carry out attacks in both countries and abroad.

U.S. Central Command reports there have been 311

Al-Sharaa’s visit was the

to the White House by a Syrian head of state since the Middle Eastern country gained independence from France in 1946. Apart from entry into the coalition, al-Sharaa used the visit to push for a permanent repeal of sanctions that punished Syria for widespread allegations of human rights abuses by Assad’s government and security forces. While the Caesar Act sanctions are currently waived by Trump — a waiver that was renewed Monday for another six months — a permanent repeal would require Congress to act.

ride bicycles as theypatrol on the sidewalk TuesdayinChicago.

Record-low temps shocksoutheast U.S.

Snow blankets GreatLakes area

BY HANNAH FINGERHUT Associated Press

The

first major coldspell of the season plungedparts of the southeastern U.S. into record-low temperatures Tuesday,deliveringa shock for 18 million people under afreeze warning across Alabama, Florida and Georgia. Meanwhile, several inches of snow blanketed areasalong the eastern Great Lakes as the blast of cold airmoved through.

The direct shot of Arctic airaffecting theeastern two-thirds of the country migrated east —and far southeast —from the Northern Plains,which was hit with gusty chills and snow over theweekend For much of the Southeast on Tuesday,that meant an abrupt transition into wintry temperatures after reaching well into the 70s and 80s in recent days.

Some daily recordswere “absolutely shattered,” said meteorologist Scott Kleebauer,including alow of 28 degreesFahrenheit at the airport in Jacksonville, Florida, on Tuesday

morning. That broke the previous record low of 35 degreesset in1977.

The southeastern U.S. will face afew more colder-than-normal days before warming up laterinthe week

Iguanas begin to “freeze” and fall from trees when temperatures dip to 40 degrees or below,according to Kleebauer,aforecaster with the National Weather Service’sWeather PredictionCenter.Those temperatures were widespread upstate in Florida onTuesday.

“Iguanas, because of their reptilian nature, they go intothiskindofsurvival mode,and their system basically shuts down,” he said. “They’re not used to those typesoftemperatures. They only see those only ahandful of times a year,ifthat.”

Posts of the stunned reptiles trickled in on social media asFloridians also faced unfamiliar weather

“A lotoftimesyou kind of sneak into fall and then youeventually getwinter,” Kleebauer said. “This was more —itwas warm there for alongtime and then all of asudden it’sashock to the system with howcold the shot was.”

Bank of Commerce, OLPS Finance Committee,and was amember of numerous charitable organizations. After27years on the family farm, he moved on to manage anotherfarm at theLSU Sugar Research Station until 2002. He was especially proud to be part of theLSU staff at theresearchstation when the varietyLCP85-384 was selectedand released in 1993 to theLouisiana sugarcane industry which significantly increased farm sugar yields and started theera of sugarcane combine harvesting in the state. During this time and after retiring fromLSU,hebegan cane syrup-making with his good friend Big-D. He was always looking for that special sugarcane varietytoproduce thebesttasting syrup. Also, he enjoyed spending timeatthe camp in Grand Islewith Mary Janice, family and friends. Evenafter retirement, he remained actively involvedinpolitics, his local community and the sugarcane industry. He will be remembered as alifelong learner startingeach daywithhis newspaper and acup of coffee. The family wouldliketoacknowledge thestaff of Daigle'sSupermarket Deli (he lovedhis dailytrips to thestore in White Castle to gethis platelunch). We wouldliketothank the staffs of Landmark South and theCarpenter House of St.Joseph'sHospice for taking such good care of dadinhis final days.Visitation willbeheldonFriday, November 14, at Wilbert FuneralHomein Plaquemine from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. AMass of Christian Burial will take place at 10:00 a.m. at Our Lady of PromptSuccor Church in White Castle Please sharememories at www.wilbertservices.com

WilliamDavid Wilson, a nativeofVivian, LA and a residentofBaton Rouge, LA,passed away on Sunday, November 9, 2025, at theage of 90. He was a proud graduateofVivian High School where he was 1st chair cornetinthe high schoolband. After high school, he attended LSU. David went on to servein theU.S.Armyinthe Army Signal Corp, where he receivedmedalsfor good conduct and marksmanship.Hewent on to work as an officemanager at Pearce Foundry and retired after 38 years. He was a gun collector, lifetime member of the NRAand was an avid reader of crime novels. David served as an usher at his church and trusted Jesus forhis

salvation.Hefound joy helpingand encouraging hiswife,children and friends accomplish their goals. He wasprecededin death by hisparents, EllsworthWilsonand Katie Ueckert;and hisbrother Glen Wilson. He is survivedbyhis loving wife of 68 years, SandraLee Wilson; children, Richard Wilson, Robert Wilson, and Nancy WilsonBlanco and herhusbandCarlos; and hisbrother,Raymond Wilson. Visitation will be held at ResthavenFuneral Home, 11817 Jefferson Hwy. Baton Rouge,LA 70816, on Friday, November 14, 2025, from 1:00 p.m. untilFuneral Servicesat2:00 p.m. celebrated by ReverendBob Ainsworth. Interment will follow at ResthavenGardensof Memory. The familywould like to give special thanks to TheCarpenterHouse for giving dad comfort, dignity, andrespectinhis final hours. In lieu of flowers, donationscan be made to theWounded Warrior Project, acause Davidwas passionate about. Family andfriends may sign the online guestbook or leave apersonal note to thefam-

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Man sentenced in fatal high-speed chase

Judge hands down 10 years for weapons, negligent homicide counts

apartment complex along Ardenwood Drive, according to police.

BY MATT BRUCE Staff writer

A man who caused a fatal wreck while leading police on a high-speed chase has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.

The judge handed down five years for negligent homicide and tacked on another five years for the weapons count, according to court records.

The conviction stems from a Sept. 19, 2022, crash near North Ardenwood Drive Larry Harris, a pas-

Derian Jerome Bailey, 27, pleaded no contest in July to charges of negligent homicide and illegal carrying of weapons with controlled dangerous substances District Judge Brad Myers imposed the prison stints during a Nov 4 sentencing hearing, according to 19th Judicial District Court records.

Fertilizer waste pile expansion sparks debate

Environmental impact concerns rise in St. James Parish

BY DAVID J MITCHELL Staff writer

A plan to expand an already mountainous pile of industrial waste from a fertilizer plant near Convent has been given the green light by the planning commission in St. James Parish after a contentious debate over the balance between polluting industries and economic development.

State regulators had already blessed Mosaic Fertilizer’s 330acre expansion of its waste pile in January despite community opposition, but parish approval was also required. The waste sits on industrial land, but the commission was required to weigh in due to its size

The pile seven years ago raised fears of a partial collapse on its northern wall, resulting in closer monitoring and other measures.

Mosaic’s waste, phosphogypsum, contains trace heavy metal contamination and slight radioactivity that limits its reuse potential The longstanding pile, already about 200 feet high, must be stored in large stacks away from the public under federal regulations to mitigate any impact of its low-level radioactivity

The commission’s consideration of the expansion led to a debate late last month over how the parish has pursued heavy industry.

Commissioner Danny St. Pierre, in response to local environmental activists with Rise St. James and Inclusive Louisiana, said that industry gives “us a lifestyle in this parish.”

He suggested the parish could end up like other communities that have lost key industries, referencing a documentary he’d seen recently about Appalachia and the effect the loss of coal mines had on drug use and poverty

“So what I’m saying is, when you attack industry, it’s not a perfect deal, all right? We take the good with the bad. When we attack industry, we could conceivably make this parish a ghost town, and rather than have cancer, we’ll have cancer with nothing,” he said St. Pierre called such industry in St. James a “necessary evil” and added that the parish’s education, health care and government services all rely on it The companies are attracted to the parish because of its proximity to the Mississippi River, railroads and highways, he noted. The activists were opposed to the expansion over concerns about particulate air pollution from the phosphogypsum, radiation from radon-222 and the potential risk of spilling contaminated and acidic waters from the pile into nearby swamps and the Blind River, given the pile’s history and the actual

senger in Bailey’s front seat, died after being ejected through the windshield after Bailey slammed into two other vehicles while fleeing from a Baton Rouge police officer Bailey was indicted on charges of manslaughter, aggravated flight from an officer, hit and run causing death or serious injury, aggravated criminal damage to property, firstdegree vehicular negligence and convicted felon in illegal possession of a firearm. He was set to be tried on July 7, but he accepted a plea deal that saw prosecutors reduce the manslaughter and firearms counts and dismiss the four remaining crash-related charges.

The officer’s suspicions grew when he saw Bailey sitting behind the wheel, wearing a mask and a black hoodie in humid summer weather

After Harris got in the passenger’s seat, the officer followed Bailey’s car out of the complex and flickered his lights and sirens.

The police chase began shortly after a Baton Rouge detective spotted a Nissan with tinted windows stopped illegally in an exit passageway of the Renaissance Gateway

Bailey sped away, running red lights and driving into oncoming lanes of traffic, according to a police

GOLDEN DEEDS WINNER

Fourth Waffle House set for Livingston

Chain has 19 locations in BR area

BY CLAIRE GRUNEWALD Staff writer

A fourth Waffle House restaurant is in the works for Livingston Parish near Bass Pro Shops and Interstate 12 The popular food chain known for its 24-hour service is proposing a new restaurant in Denham Springs. The Livingston Parish Planning Commission last week unanimously approved a preliminary site plan for the location. The commission will later have to approve a final site plan. The proposed location is at the northeast corner of Vincent Road and Commercial Drive,

said Tyler Schuster a Waffle House real estate director. The location would be by Carter’s Supermarket and Walmart off La 16

This would mark the third Waffle House in Denham Springs, and fourth overall in the parish The other location is in Walker. Waffle House currently has 19 locations in the Baton Rouge metro area The chain also recently purchased a lot of land in Prairieville near the intersection of Airline Highway and La. 42. It will be the first Waffle House in Prairieville The restaurant chain has more than 1,900 locations in the country

Email Claire Grunewald at claire.grunewald@theadvocate. com.

CRIME BLOTTER staff reports

A Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office deputy was arrested and fired after allegedly using a law enforcement database to stalk a victim. Deputy Dustin August was arrested and terminated on Sunday for improper telephone communications related to domestic violence, the Sheriff’s Office said.

“Detectives learned that August — while off duty — had used a secure law enforcement investigative database to obtain information to stalk the victim in this case,” Sheriff Jason Ard said in a statement Monday Ard said the Sheriff’s Office added additional counts to the arrest to include stalking and malfeasance in office. August worked at the Sheriff’s

Office for nine years and was assigned to the communications division.

Man allegedly possessed child sex abuse material

A Walker man was arrested on 18 counts of possessing child sexual abuse materials and is being held in jail on $2.7 million bail, deputies say Thomas Stevens, 28, was arrested last week for allegedly being in possession of multiple items of child sexual abuse materials, which also depicted children under the age of 13, including toddlers, according to a Tuesday statement from the Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office.

The arrest originated from a cyber tip received from the National Center for Missing and Sheriff: Deputy allegedly used database to stalk

Commentary wins topawards

BY JONAH MEADOWS Staff writer

Opinion journalists of The Times-Picayune and TheAdvocate received awards from anational journalism trade association for their editorial writing andcommentary on rural Louisiana, vaccines and women’shealth care America’s Newspapers, a group made up of about1,500 newspapers and associate members, honored the three journalists with awards in the 2025 Carmage Walls Commentary Prize competition.

Among papers with over 35,000 circulation, columnist Faimon Roberts received a first-place award and editorial director Stephanie Grace received third-place honors in the columns category In the editorial category, Arnessa Garrett, deputy editor for opinion, received a second-place Carmage Walls prize, whichisnamed after the longtime leader of Southern Newspapers known for his promotion of courageous editorial journalism. Roberts’ award-winning columns included coverage of failing drinking water systems, amysterious grave market and asmall town sex scandal. In each column, Roberts looked beyond Louisiana’slarger cities and the State Capitol

“By telling these stories, it is my goal to help our read-

ers learn and appreciate the breadth and depth of issuesfacing Louisianans,” he wrote in his submission

Judges praised his compelling writing and significant impact on the community, with one describing it as “the bar”againstwhich others weremeasured and another remarking that Roberts’ writing washead and shoulders above other submissions.

“It feels lovely,” said Roberts, who received a$2,250 cash prize along with aglass plaque. “I didn’tknow Benjamin Carmage Walls, but upon reading about him,his commitment to local journalism is inspiring,soI am honored to have wonanaward bearing his name.”

Grace, whosethird-place honorsinclude a$500 cash prize, submitted threecolumns about reproductive health care in Louisiana in theyears afterRoe v. Wade wasoverturned. Her coverage aimed to chronicle the intended and unintended consequences of Louisiana’s strictanti-abortion laws.

Judges describedGrace’s writing as“gutsy,”“important” and accessible to an audience across the political spectrum.

Garrett, who receiveda $1,000 cash prize in addition to the honorary plaque, came away with the second-place prizefor atrio of editorials arguing for the importance

of vaccines and criticizing state leaders for their contribution to public confusion.

Judges noted that coming out in favor of vaccines is not an especially brave stand to take, but, givengrowing skepticism among the public,ithas become important to speak eloquently in their favor

“It was truly inspiring to seethe levelofcompetition from around thecountry for this award,” Garrett said.

“At atime wheneditorial pages areincreasingly under pressure from partisans of all stripes, it’srewarding to realizethat it still matters when newspapers aren’t afraid to take astand on local issues.”

The first-place prize for editorial writing in alargecirculation paper went to Victor Joecks, acolumnist for The Las Vegas ReviewJournal in Nevada, for coverage of along-running dispute between the City Council and adeveloper

Winners of top prizes in the under 35,000 circulation category included Dave Coffee, of The Berkshire Eagle in Massachusetts, and Blake Fontenay,ofTreasure Coast Newspapers in Florida.

Thisyear’sawards were presentedNov.6 at the association’sannual leadership conference in Colorado Springs.

Womanarrestedingrandson’sdeath

BY WILLIE SWETT Staff writer

ASlidell grandmother was under the influence Tuesday when she hit and killed her 5-year-oldgrandson with an SUV as he was waiting forthe school bus, police said.

Slidell police arrested Kristen Anders,55, on a charge of vehicularhomicide. The grandsonwas identified as Carson Lawson, ac-

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failure of other similar piles in Mississippi and Florida

Part of the state’senvironmental justice movement, the groups, Rise St. James and Inclusive Louisiana, frequently oppose and often sue over new industrial proposals, arguing that majority-Black areas are already overburdened with air pollution.

Proponents of allowing the expansion say it will allow Mosaic, one of the parish’s top taxpayers and employers, to continue operating into the 2040s.Production of the waste is inextricably linked in Mosaic’sindustrial process to the production of fertilizer Asked for comment on St. Pierre’s sentiments, Barbara Washington,a Romeville resident who lives near Mosaic’swastepile,saidresi-

cordingtoJames Hartman, aspokesperson for the St. Tammany Parish Coroner’s Office. Anders was allegedlyunder theinfluence of alcohol andother drugswhenshe got behind thewheel of a2016GMC Yukontogo to work.That’swhen she struck Carson in the driveway of their home in the 300 block of Spartan Loop, Slidell police said at anews conference Tuesday Policesaid they do not

dents “shouldnever haveto choose between health and economic stability.”

“Our community deserves cleanair,safewater andfair access to jobs andinvestment just like any other part of the parish. The ideathat pollutionisa ‘necessary evil’ ignores the harm communitieslike ours have lived with for decades,” said Washington,who co-founded and helps lead Inclusive Louisiana.

“It’s also troublingthat parish leaders continuetospeak as if industry is the only path to survival. When one industry becomes thesingle ‘cash cow,’ it doesn’tmake us stronger; it makes us more vulnerable.”

She said parish leaders should try to diversify the economy andattract cleaner,more sustainable investments that don’t“poison our people.”

The environmentalgroups saidthey planned to appeal the commission’sdecision on

believe Anders saw Carson when she drove forward out of the driveway, strikinghim.Hewas killed instantly,policesaid. Anders stoppedafter sherealized she hadrun something over,police said. When police arrived at thescene just after 7a.m., Anders showed signs of impairment.Police said that a breathalyzer confirmed she was under theinfluence. A blood sample was taken from Anders for analysis.

Oct. 27 to theParishCouncil. Acidic lake

The parish approval comes nearlyseven years afterMosaic officialsdiscovered the waste pile’s northern wall along La. 3214 was moving, raising earlyfears thata large lake of acidic, contaminated water sitting on topof the pile could break open and spill.

Mosaic later concludeda lake breach wasn’tlikely to occur,but removed water from the section most affected to reduce weight.

Afew years later,Mosaic determined themovement occurred due to so much weight from the pile and acidiclake sitting on weak geology about 85 feet below thepile.State and federal regulators concurred with the conclusion and, in 2024, said the emergency situation had receded as the pile’smovement had slowed significantly,though not completely Theagencies requiredad-

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report. He waswestbound on Winbourne Avenue when he tried to speed through the intersectionatAcadian Thruway and collided with aFordvehicle and aRam truck, police said. Threepeopleinthe twoother vehicles had to be rushed to OurLady of the Lake Regional Medical Center for treatment.

Police said Harris was ejected and lying on the ground near the front passenger door.Bailey climbed out of thedriver’sside, over the passenger’sseat and took off running on foot afterthe crash. Ajuvenile in the backseat was trapped and had to

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Exploited Children pertaining to pornography involving juveniles, the Sheriff’s Office said.

The Sheriff’sOffice, with assistance from thestate Attorney General’sOffice and the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation, theninvestigated the cyber tip.

Stevens is held in theLivingstonParish Detention Center

State Police: Teen girl reported missing Louisiana State Police are askingfor the public’shelp in finding a13-year-old Prairieville girl who was last seen Saturday,the agency said.

Kaidyn Chevalier was last seen as sheleft her residence on Perkins Road State Police received a request from the Ascension Parish Sheriff’sOffice to issueanadvisoryTuesday afternoon.

Chevalier is 5-foot-4 and weighs approximately 113 pounds.She was last seen wearing awhite “Hello Kitty”T-shirt, blue denim shorts, apink hair bonnet

ditional monitoring and carefulwastestacking methods in the expansion.

The pile and its grounds also contain about 300 acres of acidic process water lakes. Muchofthe water is reused in Mosaic’s process,but the companyalsomaintains pond levels by injecting some process water underground. The water can’tbedischarged into localwaterways without treatment.

St. Pierre’scomments came after Brian Landry,alobbyist for the Louisiana Chemical Association, sought to push back againstanecdotal accounts of high cancercases in the parish and near the pile.

He said his group’sanalysis of federal and state cancer incidence rates shows they are 5.5% lower, on aparishlevel basis, in the industrial corridor than in the state as awhole.

”Not our data, nationaldata, and that’swhatthe facts are saying,” Landry said.

Advocateshavepointed

be taken to ahospitalfor evaluation, according to the police report. Detectives with the Street Crimes Unit nabbed Baileyabout two blocks south of thecrash.

Police said a.40-caliber Glock was thrown from Bailey’s Nissan as aresult of the wreck, alongwith aMicro Dracosemiautomatic pistol with an extended magazine. Police found the weapon wrapped in ablanketnear the crash site.Two gramsof marijuana were alsointhe vehicle, accordingtoreports.

In aJune 17 pretrial motion, state prosecutors said Bailey made statements on jail calls thatheran from the traffic stop because he knew he had two guns in the car andfeared being arrested for them. Prosecutors said he “put the car in sport mode”

and no shoes, State Police said.

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Chevalier is asked to call the Sheriff’sOffice at (225) 6214346 or dial 911.

Woman killed in crashonI-12

Amotorcyclepassenger waskilledMondayafternoon after an SUV struck the rear of the bike on Interstate 12 in Tangipahoa Parish, State Police report. June Volkman, 76, of Zapata, Texas, was riding on a 2015 Harley Davidson eastbound about 3p.m. when a 2019 VolkswagenAtlas hit the rear of the bike, throwingVolkman and thedriver from the motorcycle, according to aState Police newsrelease.

Volkman was severely injured and transported to ahospital, where she died.

Thedriversuffered moderate injuriesand wasalso transported to ahospital. Both werewearing helmets, troopers said.

The driver of the Volkswagen wasuninjured and cited forfollowing too closely State Policeare investigating why the SUV crashed into the motorcycle and said they will share their find-

outthat air pollution’s impact can be more localized than at the parish level andcan involve illnesses other than cancer.Federal EnvironmentalProtectionAgencydata also show highly localized sections of the Mississippi River corridor have elevated risk for cancer from air pollution, though notaround the gypsum pile.

Statistical limits from low populations and state health privacy rulesalso obscure whether many parts of St. James have elevated rates for actualcancer cases, including cancersthat have radiation as arisk factor,according to LSU cancer case data.

Apublished 2022 analysis by aformer TulaneEnvironmental LawClinic researcher,however,foundthat higher estimatedcancerriskfrom toxic airpollutionwas linked “to highercancer incidence amongLouisiana’s mostimpoverishedneighborhoods.”

Theanalysisrelied on similar data as Landry did.

andclaimed he “would either go to jail or die.” At the time of the 2022 fatal crash, Derian Bailey was outonbail justdaysafter being arrested on counts of attemptedmurderand illegal possession of astolen firearm. Thosecounts stemmedfrom aJuly 2018 incident in the 5700 block of Bradley Street. Also, when Bailey was 14, he shot his cousinduring a 2012 home invasion. Derrick Marioneaux, the 34-year-old homeowner,was killed when Baileyand two of his relatives broke into the man’shouse alongWyandotte Street.Bailey was tried as an adult and pleadedguilty to manslaughter. He received a10-year prison sentence in 2019. Email Matt Bruceatmatt. bruce@theadvocate.com.

ings with Tangipahoa Parish District Attorney Scott Perriloux.

Toxicology samples were obtained from the drivers of both vehiclesaspartofthe investigation, police said.

Email Claire Grunewald at claire.grunewald@ theadvocate.com.

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

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.”

Immaculate HeartofMaryCatholic Church,11140 Highway 77 in Maringouin, at 11 a.m.

Robert,Faryl

St.AnthonyCatholic Church,37311 LA-22inDarrow, at 11 a.m.

Obituaries

Bajoie Sr., Joseph Earl

Glynn, La.JosephEarl BajoieSr. passedawaySat‐urday,November8,2025, at the ageof88hewas are‐tired brickmason forover 50years.Visitationwillbe held-at Immaculate CatholicChurch in Lakeland on Wednesday,November12, 2025, 9:00a.m. until Mass of Christian Burial at 10:00 a.m.celebratedbyRev Amrit Raj. Entombment will followinChanalCemetery. ActivePallbearers Christo‐pherMartin, Joseph Earl BajoieIll,Michael Bajoie Sr, Michael Bajoie Jr,Nicholas Desormesand JacobBa‐joie. Honorary Pallbearer JosephEarlBajoieJr, Chan‐cellorPorcheJrand Ryeder Porche. Joseph is pro‐ceededindeath by hiswife CecileDecuir-Bajoie and parents Emmett Bajoie and Mildred Patin-Bajoie Josephwas aproud father ofJosephEarlBajoieJr. (Letetia) TammyBajoieand Michael Bajoie Sr.(Avis). Grand children Christopher Martin, Joseph Earl Bajoie III, PorschaDeculus, Michael Bajoie Jr., Nicholas Desormes, JacobBajoie and Asia Bajoie.Great grandchildren MacieMar‐tin,River Bajoie,Reign Ba‐joieand Ryeder Porche Josephenjoyed workingin his garden fishing, hunt‐ing,and raisingcattle. He was ahumbleman with a lovingheart to hiswife, children'sgrandchildren, and greatgrandchildren he willbedeeply missed by many

Blue III, Kenneth McIver 'Trey'

Kenneth McIver"Trey

Blue III

March1,1971 -November 9, 2025

Kenneth McIver "Trey" Blue III passed away peacefully on November9 2025 after acourageous battle with glioblastoma.

He was 54 years old. Born on March 1, 1971, in Houston, Texas, Trey lived alife filled with purpose, laughter, faith,and deep devotion to his family and friends.

Trey was married to the love of his life, Ainsley Harrington Blue, with whom he shared amarriage rooted in love, partnership, and joy. Together, they raised three beautiful children, McIver Waites Blue, Lee

Hill Blue, andLila Catharine Blue who were his pride,his heart,and his greatest source of happiness.

Aproud graduate of the University of Mississippi, Trey was aloyal member of Sigma Chi fraternity, a memberofthe OleMiss golfteam, and adevoted OleMissRebel fanthrough and through. He went on to earn his medical degree from LouisianaState University Medical School in New Orleans and completed his urology residencyat the UniversityofFlorida in Gainesville

Treywentontobuild a thriving careerat Louisiana Urology,where he had the rare privilegeof practicing alongside his father, Dr. KennethMcIver Blue, Jr.A gifted and compassionate physician, Trey was known not only forhis medical expertise but also forhis warmth, humor, and genuine carefor his patients and colleagues.

Treywillberemembered forhis easy smile, quick wit, and giftfor connection. He had away of making everyonefeel comfortable whether he was telling astory, offering a word of encouragement, or laughing about hiswellknown hatredfor pickles and cucumbers. An avid hunter and fisherman, Trey found peace and joyinthe outdoors.His love forfamily randeep, his friendships weresteadfast, and his loyalty to allthingsOle Miss never wavered. Trey is survivedbyhis beloved wifeand children; his parents, Dixie Williams Blueand Kenneth McIver Blue, Jr.; hissisters, Amy Blue Rome (Gregg Lawrence Rome) and Leslie Blue Clement(Frank Jamieson"Jay" Clement); and his cherishednieces and nephew, Hayes Jamieson Clement, Anna Claire Clement Eubank, Emma Clement Bell,Burgin Elizabeth Rome,and Hatley Mason Rome. He also leaves behind ahost of dear friends and extended family who willforever rememberhis warmth,humor, and grace. Acelebration of Trey's life willbeheld at First United Methodist Church, 930 North Boulevard, on November 14th, 2025,at1 PM. Reception to follow at Baton Rouge CountryClub Friends and family attending are encouraged to wear red and blue in honor of Trey'slove forthe Ole Miss Rebels. In lieuofflowers, the family requests that donations be made in his memorytoTunnelsto Towers(https://t2t.org/), honoringTrey'spassion forour servicemembers and first responders

Longtime BatonRouge resident,Donald Hugh Daigle(Don), 84, peacefully passed away, surrounded by his family,onMonday, November 10th, 2025 at the family home in Baton Rouge.

Don was born in Church Point,Louisiana,and grew up on acattle, cotton, and vegetable farm working with hisparents and three brothers. Aftergraduating fromChurch Point High School, Donald attended Louisiana StateUniversity receiving his Bachelorof Science in Chemical Engineering in 1963. Immediatelyupongraduation, Don begana 43-yearcareer with ExxonMobilebeginning at theBaton Rouge Refinery.Multiple positions within theorganization based in Houston,BatonRouge,New Jersey, and Virginiafollowedincluding areturn to Baton Rouge in 1983 to become theBaton RougeRefinery Manager. Daiglewould eventuallygoontoassume theVice-President Refining for Exxon's worldwide refining operations forExxonMobil. He retired from ExxonMobile in September 2006.

Upon retirement,heand his wife of 60 years, Geraldine B. Daigle(Gerry), returnedtoBaton Rouge where they became deeply involvedinthe civic life of Baton Rouge. In 2008, Don became amember of the BoardofDirectors of the Baton Rouge Area Foundation. In 2009, he joinedthe BoardofDirectors forOur Ladyofthe Lake Medical Center in Baton Rouge, becoming Chairman of the Boardin2013 to 2017. Don was also Past Chairman of theAdvisory Council to the Deanofthe LSUCollege of Engineering Daigle'sprofessional activities were extensive. Among many such activities, he served on the BoardofDirectors of Texas EasternPipeline Company, Executive Committeeof theNational Petrochemical and RefinersAssociation, past Chairman of theGeneral CommitteeonRefining of theAmerican Petroleum Institute, and past Chairman of theNational PetroleumCouncil Study on Refining commissioned by theU.S.Secretary of Energyin2001 and 2004.

Don Daigle's foremost life commitments were to hisfamily and faith.Don and Gerry builta beautiful 60-yearmarriageafter meeting in Church Point earlyinlife. Theirthree children, Sandy, Paul,and Chuck, were thefocus of their life together.Later, their seven grandchildren enjoyed this same commitment and attention.

Adevout Catholic, Don

and Gerry were parishioners at St.Joseph Cathedral in BatonRouge and regular attendantsat Mass.

Donaldwas known to be anon-judging human being,not proud,not prejudiced,and unaware of his own goodness. He valued educationasa corefoundation, and he and Gerry afforded opportunitiesto many families contributing to generational change.

Funeral serviceswillbe held Friday November 14, at St. JosephCathedral,beginning at 1:00pmwith visitation, followedbya Funeral Mass at 2:00pm.

Todd Anthony Daniels, a resident of Montgomery AL and former resident of Clinton, passed away on Nov. 6, 2025 at his home. He was 55 years oldand was aretired Logistics Sr. Manager withMobis with 20 years of service.Visitation willbeonWednesday, Nov. 12, 2025 at St.AndrewsEpiscopalChurch in Clinton from5pm until 8pm. Visitation continues Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025 from 9am until Mass of ChristianBurial at 11am conducted by Fr. Van Windsor.Burial willbein Masonic Cemetery, Clinton. He is survived by his beloved wife of 36 years, Juliana DeLee Daniels, and his prideand joy, their daughter, Emily Corrinne Daniels. His sister, Traci Scarbrough and husband, Allen. Father-in-law,Dewey DeLee, brothers-in-law and sister-in-law, Scott and Marti DeLee and Spencer DeLee.4 nephews, Dylan DeLee, HunterDeLee,Kade DeLee and NicScarbrough. He is preceded in death by his mother, Patricia Ann Sonnier, stepfather, Joseph "Pat" Sonnierand motherin-law,JaneDeLee.PallbearerswillbeScott

DeLee,Spencer DeLee, Dylan DeLee,HunterDeLee, KadeDeLee,NicolasScarbrough,Matthew Peterson, andJackMeadows.Honorarypallbearers willbe BillDavis andAllen Scarbrough.Todd wasa 1988 graduate of Clinton High School. He wasa Freemason;Scottish Rite. He was an avid, outdoorsman and lovedtotravel. Todd enjoyed cooking andwas a "foodie".Hewas an amazingDad andSaint's fan Share sympathies, condolences, andmemories at www.CharletFuneralHome comA visitation will be held from5:00 PM to 8:00 PM on 2025-11-12 at St.AndrewsEpiscopal Church, 11015 Church Street.

Avisitation will be held from9:00 AM to 11:00 AM on 2025-11-13 at St.AndrewsEpiscopal Church 11015 Church Street.

Afuneral service will be held at 11:00 AM on 2025-11 -13 at St.Andrews Episcopal Church,11015 Church Street

Suzanne "Suzie"Watson

Dendy, 77, abeloved wife, mother,grandmother, daughter, sister,aunt, and great-aunt,passed away peacefully on Sunday, November 9, 2025, surroundedbyher immediate family. Born in Natchez, Mississippi, andproudly thebabyofnine, Suzie learned early howtomake hervoice heard and howto make everyonelaugh.She hada gift for turningany get-together into aparty, andher warmth filledeveryroom. For more than fortyyearsshe lovingly caredfor hersister,Patsy andshe never missed a chance to bringthe family togetherfor theholidays, always with plenty of good food andanextra helping of joy. Suziewas asecondgeneration member of the Orderofthe Eastern Star, Eunice Chapter No. 14, in Zachary, LA. She is survivedbyher husbandof56

years, Billy JoeDendy, and threechildren:Robynne Broussard (Craig), Christy Wallace(Johnathon),and Bruce Dendy(Rhonda). Suziealso leaves behind eightgrandchildren— Pacee andTalanWallace; Taylor,Austin (Laura), Isabella, andSavannah Broussard; Chris Accardo (Lolly); and Haley Bourgoyne(Jarred) —and five great-grandchildren.She waspreceded in death by herparents, Captain William O. Watson and Lucille TaylorWatson; and siblings William O. "Billy" Watson Jr Betty Henderson, Jimmy Watson, Sammy Watson, Robert Watson, Mike Watson, and Patsy Watson. Funeral serviceswill be held on Friday, November 14, 2025, at ResthavenFuneral Home, 11817 JeffersonHwy, Baton Rouge.Visitationwill begin at 9:30 a.m., followed by servicesat10:30 a.m. Burial will follow in Resthaven'sGarden of King Solomon.The family wishes to express their deepestgratitude to Viva Senior Living at Oakwood Village,The Hospice of Baton Rouge,and to all the kind and compassionate caregivers whohelped Suziealong the way. In lieu of flowers, the familyasks that memorial donations be made to TheHospice of Baton Rouge -Butterfly Wing,3600 Florida Blvd,Baton Rouge,LA70806, in lovingmemory of Suzie

Connie Margaret Simon Fauver, 76, aresident of Baton Rouge,Louisiana, gainedher angel wings andpassed away, Thursday, November 6, 2025, in Zachary, Louisiana. She workedinchildcareservicesand as asecretary at anon-profit veteran's organization.Connieisre-

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membered for her love of LSU. She was amember of the Department of Louisiana, VFW Auxiliary, Military of the Order of Cooties Auxiliary and St John the Baptist Catholic Church. She is survived by her brother, Rene Simon Jr (Sandra); stepsisters, Lorry Simmons Trotter (Bill), Melanie Simmons Cormier; brother-in-law,Dalton Curtis Fauver (Jenny); sistersin-law, Peggy Schexnayder, Nancy Smith (Steve), Sandra and Lorraine Fauver; and numerous nieces and nephews. She is preceded in death by her husband, John "Rick" Fauver; father, Rene Simon Sr.; mother, Virginia Simon Simmons (William); mother-in-law, Virgie Stokes Price; step-father-in-law, Charlie Price; father-inlaw, Vance Fauver Sr; stepsister, Marcia Simmons Balcom; brothers-in-law, Vance Jr. and Leon Fauver, Mike Schexnayder, and Terry Cormier; nephews, JJ Trotter, Luke Fauver, Mitch Richard, Ryan Simon and Jeff Simon. Special recognition is extended to the families of the Wilkewitzs, Valegas, Leblancs and Landrys for their continued support and love for "Aunt" Connie. Visitation will be 9:00 AM, Thursday, November 13, 2025, at Greenoaks Funeral Home, 9595 Florida Blvd., Baton Rouge, Louisiana,with VFW AuxiliaryMemorial Serviceat10:15 AM. Funeral Service under the direction of Corey Tuillier, will be 11:00 AM, November 13, 2025, with Burialfollowing at Greenoaks Memorial Park. Pallbearers willbe Justin Wilkewitz, Jared LeBlanc, Tim Lee, Dale Kimery, Carson LeBlanc, Jude Wilkewitz. Honorary Pallbearers are Stephen Schexnayder, David Valega, Luke Wilkewitz, and Cameron LeBlanc.

Anthony "Archie" Gauthier, aged 74, passed away on Sunday, November 9, 2025, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He was born on May 27, 1951, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to Mary Beatrice Guerin Gauthier and John Howard Gauthier. Archie worked as acarpenterfor most of his life He lovedtocook, play golf and tennis, watch T.V., and spend time with his friends and family. Archie was preceded in death by his parents, MaryBeatrice Guerin Gauthier and John Howard Gauthier; and brother, John H. Gauthier He is survived by his loving wife of 49 years, Jo Ann Gauthier; daughters, Glenna Gauthier and Eva H. Mizell; son, George L. Haas III; sister, Norma Ann Sterling; grandchildren, Marissa Mizell, KierstenMizell, Phoebe Mizell, Grace Mizell, Eden Mizell, Elijah Haas, John Haas, Isabella Haas, AlexandriaGauthier, Addison Washington, Brooklyn Washington, and Charlie Washington. He is also survived by many godchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews. Friends and family are invited to avisitation on Thursday, November 13, 2025, at Resthaven Funeral Home, located at 11817 Jefferson Hwy, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, from 10:00-11:00

AM, with funeral services beginning at 11:00 AM. Burial willfollow in Resthaven Gardens of Memory.The family would like to give aspecial thanks tothe ER andICU staffatOchsner Hospital andthe staff at Fresenius Medical Care,for the care and supportduringthis difficult time

Germany,Tracy Lashaun

TracyLashaun Germany,a resident of Denham Springs,LA, transitioned on Saturday, November 1, 2025,atthe ageof59, in Baton Rouge, LA. Sheissurvived by her lovinghusband, Michael Germany; her children, Brian, Michael and Mayci; her father,Willie Boatner (Julia);and her siblings, Denise (James), Kelly(Joe), Kevin(Terri), and Kerry (Kirstie),Russelland Rod (Jill).She also leavesto cherishher memoryher beloved grandchildren, Ahmad, Andreas, and Madeline. Tracy was precededin death by hermother, Jessie Smith; her brother, Kenneth; and heruncle, Harold Sr., and Kentrell Royal. Familyand friends are invited to attend the Funeral ServiceonFriday November 14, 2025, at Star Hill BaptistChurch, 1400N Foster Dr., Baton Rouge, LA, beginning at 11:30a.m. Interment: Louisiana National Cemetery,Zachary, LA. ServicesEntrusted to Hall Davisand SonFuneral Service. www.halldavisandson.com

Hartzog,Hugh Miller

Hugh MillerHartzog Jr., 78, went to be with Jesus at his home in Baton Rouge,LAsurroundedby his wifeand children on November 8, 2025.Miller was born April 5, 1947, in Meridian, MS to Hugh Miller Hartzog Sr. and Lois JaneMills. Miller received his Bachelor of Business Administrationfollowed by his Master of Urbanand RegionalPlanning, at the University of Mississippi, whereheplayed football forfiveyears.Hebegan his career in City Planning in the Department of Public Works forthe City of Baton Rouge in 1973 untilhis retirementin2003.After retiring from the city, he workedfor theState of Louisiana in the Office of Risk Management. Miller joined TheChapel on the Campus in 1976 wherehe becameanactive member, volunteering through

Prison Fellowship,serving as adeacon, leading home Bible studies, and where he met his wife of 43 years. He is survivedbyhis wife, ElizabethWindhamHartzogand his five children, Katie HartzogSimmons (Michael), Karen Hartzog O'Brien (Peter),Carole Hartzog Bourey (Guillaume), Nathan Hartzog (Rachael),and Andrew Hartzogplus nine grandchildren. Visitation willbe held Thursday, November 13, 2025 at The Chapel on theCampus, 3355 DalrympleDr. 70802, at 12:30pm followedbya2:00pmservice.

Jeffery-Green,Tammy Lynn

Tammy Lynn Green passed away at her mother's home on 11/5/2025 at theage of 60. She was the daughter of Bernice H. Scott and Earnest Jeffery, Jr.She residedinAddis, La and was anativeof Plaquemine, La. She was married to thelateLloyd Green, Sr.She is survived by her children Quintysha, Lloyd,and AsiaGreen. VisitationwillbeFriday November 14, 2025, between 4:30pmto6:30pmat Pugh's Mortuary, 58233 Plaquemine Street,Plaquemine,La. Religious service at 1:00pm at Mt.ZionInner City, 24400 Eleanor Drive, Plaquemine, La. Pastor Ricardo Handy, Sr

Donaldsonville,LAElaine Lovett, beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, neighbor,and friend to so many, passed away peacefully on Monday, November3,2025, at theage of 79.Born in Holden, Louisiana, on August 25, 1946, Elaine liveda life defined by her unwavering love and devotion to her family.She cherished her grandchildrenand especiallyher great-grandchildren,who brought endless joy to her days.A graduate of Woodlawn High School in BatonRouge, Class of 1964, Elaine pursueda career in sales and found greatfulfillment in her work. Most notably,she spent many years with Ashley Furniture in Gonzales, where she formed lasting friendshipswithher coworkers and customers alike. Elaine was preceded in death by her parents, Robert E. Lovett Jr.and Mary LouAllen Lovett,and her daughter, KristieKay Helmke. She is survivedby her daughter, Lisa Helmke Cooper(AchillePoirrier); grandson, Jonathan Chase Venableand his wife, DeAnna Henson Venable; granddaughter,Megan Kay Venable and her fiancé, John Feller; great-granddaughter, Darrelyn Kay Venable; and great-grandsons, Carter Michael Venable and ChetRyan Shrum. She is also survivedbyher

fiancé, Jimmy Alford Sr., and hisfamily;her first husband,JamesNorman Helmke.The family would like to extend their heartfeltgratitude to Dr. William Varnadoand his entire staff, as well as to Clarity Hospice, for theirexceptional care, compassion and support.Visitation will be held at AscensionFuneral Home,426 WestNew RiverSt., Gonzales, Louisiana, on Friday, November 14, 2025, from 9:00 a.m. until funeralservices at 11:00 a.m.Elaine will be deeply missed by allwho knew and loved her, buther warmth,kindness, and love willliveon forever in theheartsof those she touched.

Monroe, Richard Enteredinto eternal rest on November 6, 2025. Survivedbyhis wife, Natalie James Monroe, sons, Deon Washington (Houston, TX), Whitney Wilson(Nia) (Chino Hills, CA)Daughter, Constance Cole (San Antonio,TX); Grandchildren, SeanTate(Nashville,TN), JosephCole, Jr and Dayla Cole (San Antonio, TX), PiperWilson, Bailey Wilson, and Olivia Wilson (Chino Hills, CA). Preceded in death by his parents, Richard and Eula Mae Monroe; daughter, Kendra Barrow; cousins Curtis Rowe and Joyce Rowe. Memorial Service on Friday, November14, 2025 2:00 pm, Hall's CelebrationCenter,9348 Scenic Highway, Baton Rouge, LA.Services entrusted to Hall Davis and Son.www.halldavisandson. com

Schexnayder,HaroldPaul

Harold Paul SchexnayderSr. passed away on Saturday, November 8, 2025. He was born on April 7, 1933, in Donaldsonville and was along-time resident of White Castle.Heis

survived by hischildren, Karla Ledet(Glenn), Paul Schexnayder (Christie), Kristine Ourso(Artie), Harry Schexnayder (Laura) andKay Hidalgo (Craig). He had16grandchildren, GlennLedet Jr.(Adrienne) Kristi Breaux (Chris), Eric Ledet(Aimee), Mallory Heath (Tyler), Aaron Schexnayder,Noah Schexnayder(Lauren),Sarah Giroir (Corey), Janie Constant(Kenny), Annie Landry(Doug), Isabelle Schexnayder,Sam Schexnayder, Cecilia Cardwell (Macklyn), Beatrice Schexnayder, Thomas Hidalgo, GraceHidalgo, andBenjaminHidalgo. He also had 16 great grandchildren, Evan andAdeline Ledet; Kate, Andrewand Madilyn Breaux; Jude andLucy Ledet; Lucasand Vera Heath;Emma and William Giroir;Lukeand HazelConstant; Lucilleand Christopher Landry; Marceline Cardwell andone great granddaughter on theway Also survivedbyhis brother LawrenceSchexnayder (Jill), sister-in-law Sandra Schexnayder,brother-inlaw Harold Fabre, sister-inlaw Syl Daigre,numerous nieces andnephews, and extendedfamilyand friends. Preceded in death

by hisbeloved wife of 56 years, Mary Janice"Sweetie"Daigre Schexnayder, parents, Edward andLucille LabicheSchexnayder Sr hiswife's parents Roland andGraceDaigre, brothers Charles Schexnayderand wife Claire,E.J. Schexnayder,JeanSchexnayder, sister Catherine Schexnayder,brothers-inlaw Roland Daigre Jr.and wife Dunnie, and Tommy Daigre.Harold wasa dedicated publicservant to his country, state, parish and communityfor the majority of hislife. He was a1951 graduate of WhiteCastle High School andwentonto graduate from LSUin1956 with adegree in Agricultural Engineering.He served in theUnited States AirForce,and duringthat time he marriedhis "sweetie," MaryJanice. He washonorablydischarged as aCaptain when he was calledhometotake hisfather's place on thefamily sugarcanefarm. During his farming years, he served on theWhiteCastleTown Councilfor 32 years, as well as on theboards of FarmBureau, American Sugarcane League, White CastleFertilizer Co-op, k f

TUESDAY11/25@3PM THURSDAY11/27 WEDNESDAY11/26@3

Featherweight Scooter

Pamela B.,Verified

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.

SPORTS

COURTING TROUBLE

Kelly looksonfrom the sideline during agame

relieved of his dutiesonOct. 26, filedalawsuit

Don’tever let anyone tell you it isn’t about the money

Former LSU football coach Brian Kelly filed alawsuit againstthe school Monday

The suit says that representatives from LSU told his lawyers in acall earlier Mondaythat Kelly was not “formally terminated” last monthand that it now seeks to fire him for cause, according toacopy obtained by The Advocate. Kelly’speople shot back that they want the full $54 million he’sowed.

There’svirtually no limit tothe lengths people will fight over avastlysmaller amount of money than this, which is on paper the second-biggest buyout in college football history.There’slittle question that both LSU and Kelly have resortedtothe nuclear option, and now thereis virtually no way for this to endamicably

‘Versatile’

Johnsonhitting glassfor LSU

Freshman doingitall forTigers

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

Where this goesfromhereand what effect it has on the LSUsearch to replace Kelly is the huge questionfor you, me and every LSUfan out there,including the rich LSUboosters whoguaranteedKelly’s buyout in the first place. At the very least, it’syet another destabilizing chapterina process thathas appeared to be wildly unstable from the outset.

In my time covering LSU, this is my seventh football coaching search,going back

to LSUreplacing Mike Archer with Curley Hallmanafter the 1991 season.All of them, every single one, was tamer thanthis. This is “Crazy DaysatLSU”— the episodein the 1980s involving basketball coach Dale Brownand athletic director Bob Brodhead bugging his ownoffice—onsteroids.

Let’sreview.

LSUfires Kelly (apparently) on Oct.26, the day after losing to TexasA&M. Later that week, athletic director ScottWoodward is forcedout afterGov.Jeff Landry publicly said Woodward will not be allowed to hire the next coach. LSUhires McNeese State’sWade Rousse as its newpresident, whoalmost immediately clouds the status of athletic director Verge Ausberry —chargedwith leading LSU’scoaching

ä See RABALAIS, page 3C

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. Thosepasses went for 201 yards and two touchdowns, good fora 152.1 passerrating. Put another way, Shough’s201 yards passing on third downweremorethan 14 other NFLteams had in their entire gamelastweek.

But the numbers are especially eye-popping when you drill in a little deeper NextGen Stats is one of several services that calculates Expected PointsAdded (EPA), which attempts to quantifyhow many points agiven play will add or subtract from ateam’sexpected output.

New Orleansallowed Shough to throw the ball four times in thirdand-longsituations, definedas needing 7ormore yards to convertathirddown. Shough put up a+4.06 EPAper passinsuch situations —the highest by any team on third and long in an NFL game since the Miami Dolphins put up a+4.93 EPA/passinWeek 3ofthe 2023 season.

That game might ring abell: The Dolphins hung 70 points on Sean Payton’sBroncos that day New Orleansisobviously along wayoff from a10-touchdown game —its 17 pointsSunday marked its fifth consecutive output below 20 points,and it is one of four teams that has failed to

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.

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

6.3rebounds and 2.0steals per game.

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 break, andeitherscore herselforset up ashotfor an open teammate. As afreshman,Davis averaged 15.0 points and8.9 rebounds per game. Johnson has played only three games, but hernumbers —and hergame —look

ä See JOHNSON, page 5C

Sutton showsrange in winagainst UNO

BY TOYLOYBROWN III Staff writer

LSU(2-0) knew Marquel Sutton was goingtodothe dirty work. The Omaha transfer is aselfdescribed “go-get-it kind of player,” which wasproven by his 15 rebounds, including four offensive, in theTigers’93-58 victory over UNO on Monday at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center

Whatwasn’t certainwas whether Sutton, the 2024 SummitPlayer of theYear, drastically could improve his 3-point shot after making only 27.7% last year

In his second outing as aTiger,Sutton had his best3-point shooting game of his career scoring15points while making 4of8frombeyond the arc. His previous career-high for made 3-pointers wasthree. Through twogames, Sutton is 6of14from 3-point range, leading the team in both makes and attempts.

The 6-foot-9, 225-pound forward’s adept shooting and unrivaled glasscleaning were the perfect combination fora +45 plus-minus,which means that during his 32 minutes on the court, LSU outscored UNO by 45 points. “I don’tknow that I’ve seen a plus-45,” LSU coach Matt McMahonsaid. “It’s been awhile.That’s really impressive.”

Sutton’sperformance was a product of an offseason of development. He wasinformed well before the season that improv-

ä Florida International at LSU 7P.M.THURSDAy,SECN+ STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON LSUforward Marquel Sutton shoots a3-pointer against UNO on Mondaynightatthe PMAC Sutton scored 15 points while making 4of83-pointers in a 93-58 victory

ing his 3-point shot was going to be critical forhim to be astarting small forward in McMahon’s system When the fifth-year senior was askedwhetherhetweaked his compact shooting form, he said he hadn’t. “I just did alot of reps all sum-

8

8

6

6

CFP debate begins after No. 1 Ohio St.

BY EDDIE PELLS Associated Press

Not surprisingly Ohio State stayed at the top of the rankings, and there was a healthy debate about whether last weekend’s action warranted keeping Indiana at No. 2, one spot ahead of Texas A&M.

But while those top three remained the same in the Week 2 rankings released Tuesday, it was a game back in August that led the College Football Playoff selection committee to its biggest shakeup.

The committee vaulted Miami to No. 15, one spot ahead of Georgia Tech, to hand the ‘Canes the Atlantic Coast Conference’s only spot in this week’s projected bracket

That decision came not so much on the strength of last weekend’s action, when Miami easily handled Syracuse and Georgia Tech was idle, but rather thanks to Miami’s season-opening win against Notre Dame.

“Certainly, the win versus Notre Dame was a key factor for placing Miami ahead of Georgia Tech,” committee chair Mack Rhoades said. “In general, with the ACC, I think their lack of nonconference signature wins other than Miami over Notre Dame” hurts the conference.

Following the trio of undefeateds Ohio State, Indiana and Texas A&M — were Alabama and Georgia, who rounded out the same top five as in last week’s season-opening rankings.

Texas Tech jumped two spots to No. 6 on the strength of its win over BYU, moving one notch ahead of Mississippi, which dropped to 7 despite a romp over Citadel in a nonconference game. At No 8 was Oregon, followed by Notre Dame and Texas. No. 11 Oklahoma and No. 12 BYU would be the first two teams out in this week’s bracket due to the automatic spots handed to the ACC (Miami) and the highestranked league leader out of the Group of 5 conferences, which is now an honor that belongs to South Florida, ranked at No. 24.

“They’ve always been part of (the conversation),” Rhoades said of the Bulls. “South Florida is the most consistent of the Group of 5, to date.”

The final bracket comes out Dec. 7, with the 12-team playoff beginning Dec. 19 and closing a month later with the title game.

those two games, but also discussion about body of work,” Rhoades said. “There was conversation about Missouri. Missouri is a really good team but not the team they’ve been,” due to injuries at quarterback.

to stay ahead of if they finish with one loss and the Utes finish with two. Only two — and perhaps only one — will make it.

Two-way player Hunter to miss rest of season

Tough calls

Rhoades said the decision to keep Indiana at No. 2 over Texas A&M provoked the committee’s second-longest conversation.

The Hoosiers needed last-second heroics to win at Penn State, while the Aggies got a romp on the road at Missouri.

“Certainly, discussion about

The longest conversation involved moving Texas Tech a spot past Ole Miss. “Texas Tech’s win this last weekend — really convincing,” Rhoades said.

Conference watch

ACC: Of the five teams in the conference ranked 15-22, maybe No. 22 Pitt is the team to watch. The Panthers have a 7-2 record with games against Notre Dame, Georgia Tech and Miami the next three weeks. Winning any two of those might give them a chance at somehow getting into the bracket.

Big Ten: Outside of the top three, there are no sure things No. 18 Michigan would work its way into the conversation with a win over Ohio State at the end of the month, and No. 17 USC has a season-making game at Oregon on Nov 22.

Big 12: There’s Texas Tech. And then there’s BYU (8-1) And No. 13 Utah (7-2), the team the Cougars beat last month and seem destined

SEC: No wonder the conference wants to do away with automatic qualifiers. A&M, Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi feel like locks. Texas, Oklahoma and No. 14 Vanderbilt all control their own destiny (Especially OU, which is at Alabama this week.)

Group of Five: With early wins over Boise State and Florida, South Florida looked like a good bet to earn that fifth conference-champion slot earlier in the season, and reclaimed the position after Memphis lost to Tulane last week.

Projected first-round matchups

No. 12 South Florida at No. 5 Georgia: How many teams have won at the Swamp and between the hedges in the same year or ever?

No.11 Miami at No.6TexasTech: ‘Canes won last meeting 45-10 in 1990 and closed that season with a 46-3 drubbing of Texas in the Cotton Bowl. No. 10 Texas at No. 7 Ole Miss: They haven’t played since UT joined the SEC last year

No 9 Notre Dame at No. 8 Oregon: Unfinished business from their 13-13 tie in 1982, Gerry Faust’s second season with the Irish.

Indiana tries to turn page on emotional win

BY MICHAEL MAROT Associated Press

Omar Cooper’s game-winning toe-tap touchdown at Penn State will forever be etched as one of the most iconic images in Indiana football history

It was so acrobatic, so unexpected that even usually unflappable coach 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.”

REEGER

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 provided extra motivation to surpass last season’s feats.

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.

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.

Hamstring injury sidelines Phoenix guard Green

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.

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

Jalen Green has a right hamstring strain and will miss at least four to six weeks before being reevaluated, the team said Tuesday Green has had hamstring issues for the past 1 1/2 months and left Saturday’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers after aggravating the injury He has played in just two games this season. The 23-year-old initially got hurt during training camp. Green was a big part of the return in the trade that sent 15-time All-Star Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets during the offseason. Green played in all 82 regular-season games the past two seasons. He was impressive in his Suns debut on Nov 6 against the Clippers, scoring 29 points in a 115-102 win. Two days later he played just seven minutes before getting hurt again. On TV MEN’S

The Hoosiers kept winning after 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

Previous Hoosiers coaches often thought their players were challenged by the effort to handle success.

“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.

PHOENIX Phoenix Suns guard

BY TOYLOY BROWN III Staff writer

Southern (1-9, 0-6 SWAC) hasn’t gone winless at home since at least 1949.

The potential to be on the wrong side of program history is something interim coach Fred McNair is aware of, but there is something even more significant that drives him and his team.

He told his players Monday that the 2 p.m Saturday game against Texas Southern (4-5, 3-3) at A.W Mumford Stadium has to result in a victory to honor the seniors who will grace their home field for the last last time.

“Seventeen seniors that’s going to be graduating and leaving this Jaguar Nation here,” McNair said Tuesday “Trying to encourage (them) to bring those guys a victory for those seniors. It’s very important for those guys to go out with a win on senior day.”

Redshirt junior wide receiver Darren Morris agreed with his coach While he’s already motivat-

SAINTS

Continued from page 1C

eclipse 30 points in a game this season (the Saints’ high is 26). 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

RABALAIS

Continued from page 1C

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. 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

“Seventeen seniors that’s going to be graduating and leaving this Jaguar Nation here. Trying to encourage (them) to bring those guys a victory for those seniors.”

FRED

MCNAIR, Southern interim coach

“Lot of sleepless nights,”

at times, and then some things you kind of see it just goes out the window.”

The Jaguars might have to rectify those errors with their top players at less than 100%.

BY ROB MAADDI AP pro football writer

The New York Giants seem to have a franchise quarterback and playmakers to build around him. They just need a coach to lead them.

Brian Daboll became the second head coach fired this season, meaning the Giants (2-8) will join the Tennessee Titans in getting a head start in the search. Offensive coordinator Mike Kafka gets an eight-game audition as interim coach and a strong finish would increase his chances.

There will be a surplus of candidates for an attractive job. The new coach will inherit rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart, wide receiver Malik Nabers and running back Cam Skattebo. Dart has shown his potential. Nabers and Skattebo can be stars, though both will be returning from major injuries.

Here are six possible successors to Daboll:

Lane Kiffin

ed enough every game, he said he wants to make sure the seniors leave the right way Earning a first home win will require players to remain positive despite the eight-game losing streak Southern is on. Morris, who is seventh in the Southwestern Athletic Conference with 501 yards receiving, said the players lean on each other every day and ignore the “outside noise.”

McNair who has led Southern for three games since the firing of Terrence Graves, didn’t sugarcoat the challenge of rallying his players after each defeat.

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 Bucs. 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

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 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? Since this all started, I

he said. “A lot of times when you go home, you’re trying to figure out the words to say to these young men to try to get them (riled up) and keep them going at practice, which really don’t take much. We got some guys on the team that they’re really excited about still playing and trying to get the other guys up as well. I think yesterday, the guys were still upbeat.”

McNair said to pick up the team’s first win since Aug. 30, it still comes down to execution.

“We just got to execute better than we’ve been on both sides of the ball, special team-wise, and we got to be mistake free in those categories,” McNair said. “Some things you see good

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 longterm answer at the most important position in sports.

Stuffed Panther

A quick note about the

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.

Safety Herman Brister who has the team’s secondmost tackles with 35, got hurt during the first half of the Jaguars’ 35-17 loss to Alcorn State last week. McNair said that he has been dealing with a shoulder issue for most of the season.

Star running back Trey Holly who leads the SWAC in rushing yards with 808, has been “banged up a little bit,” McNair said. The LSU transfer finished with 10 rushes, his second-fewest this season, against Alcorn for 19 yards and a touchdown.

Holly had two attempts in the third quarter

When asked whether Southern would experiment and allow quarterback Dillon Compton to make his college debut, McNair said the freshman has been out of practice because of an illness.

Saints’ effort against a Panthers rushing attack 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

He’s an obvious choice considering he coached Dart at Ole Miss. Kiffin was 5-15 as head coach of the Raiders in 2007-08. He is 114-53 in college with Tennessee, Southern California, Florida Atlantic and Ole Miss. Kiffin has said he has no interest in leaving his job.

Bill Belichick

A long shot. He has history with the Giants, winning two Super Bowl rings as an assistant coach. Belichick will be 74 when next season starts, but his age isn’t the issue. His record without Tom Brady is the problem. They won six Super Bowls together in New England. But Belichick is only 84-103 without Brady, though he led the Cleveland Browns to a playoff win in his first stint as an NFL head coach. Belichick is 4-5 at North Carolina and would need a buyout to leave. He’d likely want full control and

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

the Giants are planning to keep general manager Joe Schoen.

Mike McCarthy

He led Green Bay to a Super Bowl title with Aaron Rodgers in 2010 and has a record of 174-112-2 in 18 seasons with the Packers and Cowboys McCarthy led Dallas to three straight 12-win seasons before losing his job after going 7-10 last season. He’s familiar with the NFC East, has worked well with young quarterbacks and is a winner

Doug Pederson

Another Super Bowl champion, this one guided Philadelphia to the franchise’s first title with a backup quarterback beating Brady and Belichick. Pederson led the Eagles and Jaguars to five winning seasons, four playoff appearances and is 5-3 in the playoffs. He helped develop Carson Wentz into an MVP candidate in his second season in 2017.

Vance Joseph

The former Archbishop Shaw star is another former head coach who is having more success as a defensive coordinator in Denver Joseph was 11-21 with the Broncos in 201718. He returned to Denver to join Sean Payton’s staff in 2023 and his defense has been top 10 in yards the past two years and third in scoring both seasons. Klint Kubiak

He’s a rising young offensive coordinator Kubiak is having success with Sam Darnold and the Seattle Seahawks. Seattle’s offense is ninth in total yards Kubiak’s zone-blocking scheme can elevate New York’s run game and he’s shown he can develop QBs. Kubiak is the son of former NFL QB and head coach Gary Kubiak, who led Denver to a Super Bowl title.

outside the numbers. -0.51 The Carolina Panthers 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.

Mavericks fire GM

nine months after trading star Doncic

BY SCHUYLER DIXON Associated Press

DALLAS The Dallas Mavericks

fired general manager Nico Harrison on Tuesday an admission nine months later that the widely criticized trade of Luka Doncic backfired on the franchise.

The move came a day after Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont attended a 116-114 loss to the Bucks in which fans again chanted “fire Nico,” a familiar refrain since the blockbuster deal in February that brought Anthony Davis from the Los Angeles Lakers and angered the Dallas fan base.

The Mavericks appointed Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi as co-interim general managers to oversee basketball operations.

Dumont’s hope for goodwill with the fans never came even after Dallas landed No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg with just a 1.8% chance to win the draft lottery

There have been plenty of empty seats in the upper deck of American Airlines Center this season, something not seen consistently since 2018, when the Mavericks traded up to get Doncic with the third overall pick.

Doncic was a 25-year-old generational point guard in his prime when Harrison unloaded him for the oftinjured Davis, who has missed 30 of 44 regular-season games since his arrival in February

Harrison was in his fourth season and had engineered three trades that helped the Mavs go on a run to the Western Conference

finals in 2022 and the NBA Finals two years later

The Doncic trade and a slow start to the first full season without the young superstar led to a stunning downfall for Harrison, who declined to comment to The Associated Press. Dallas is 3-8, and Davis has missed six of the 11 games with a calf injury

“No one associated with the Mavericks organization is happy with the start of what we all believed would be a promising season,”

Dumont wrote in a letter to fans.

“You have high expectations for the Mavericks, and I share them with you. When the results don’t meet expectations, it’s my responsibility to act.”

While Dumont didn’t directly mention the Doncic trade in the letter, he acknowledged the vitriolic reaction of fans, who protested after the shocking deal. The Las Vegas-based Dumont and Adelson families, who bought the Mavericks from Mark Cuban in late 2023, were targets of the criticism as well.

“I understand the profound impact these difficult last several months have had,” Dumont wrote.

“Please know that I’m fully committed to the success of the Mavericks.”

Dumont approved Harrison’s decision to trade Doncic, which kept the Mavericks from having to commit to a $346 million, fiveyear supermax extension for the Slovenian star Harrison tried to defend the deal by repeating a “defense wins championships” line. But with Davis sidelined by a calf injury and star guard Kyrie Irving still out after tearing the ACL in his left knee last March, defense hasn’t mattered much because Dallas has one of the worst offenses in the NBA.

With Davis and Irving playing together for just part of one game last season, the Mavericks missed the playoffs a year after Doncic led them to the NBA Finals.

The slow, injury-plagued start to this season for the Mavericks coincided with Doncic joining Wilt Chamberlain as the only NBA players to open a season with three consecutive games of at least 40 points.

Vogt, Murphy again voted MLB Managers of the Year

BY JAY COHEN Associated Press

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 firstplace 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.

The Cy Young Award winner for each league will be announced on Wednesday, and the MVPs are revealed on Thursday Vogt led Cleveland to a second straight AL Central title in his second year in charge. The 41-yearold played in the big leagues for 10 years, then retired after the 2022 season. He had a one-year stint as Seattle’s bullpen coach and was hired by the Guardians in November 2023. Cleveland trailed Detroit by 151/2 games in early July and by 11 games in early September before storming back to clinch the division title on the final day of the season. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it was the largest in-season comeback in Major League Baseball history

The Guardians also became the fourth big league team to reach the playoffs despite having a losing streak of at least 10 games

Sloppy play, penalties, drops reign

2025 NFL season full of surprises, chaos

BY ARNIE STAPLETON Associated Press

DENVER Election Day has come and gone. So has the trade deadline. The autumn leaves are mostly on the ground. The days are shorter, the nights longer And yet here we are watching sloppy football across the NFL. Week 10 looked a lot like Week 1, or even the preseason tilts chock full of NFL wannabes who may have made the play but not the cut. The slate started with a Thursday night snoozer in which both the reeling Las Vegas Raiders (27) and the surging Denver Broncos (8-2) had more penalties (11) than first downs (10). The Broncos prevailed 10-7 — the same score as the Eagles’ win over the Packers on Monday to wrap up the wacky week — despite going three-andout eight times thanks to a bevy of bad throws, dropped passes and, yes, yellow flags. On Sunday the Chicago Bears, who are accustomed to playing in wet, windy weather, dropped six of Caleb Williams’ passes in their 24-20 comeback against the New York Giants that cost Brian Daboll his job. And in their 27-19 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, the Minnesota Vikings were whistled for a whopping eight false starts at home, where these things generally don’t

happen.

Except that it’s the NFL in 2025: cockeyed, confusing and chaotic.

The Patriots are atop the AFC East this late in the year for the first time since Tom Brady was throwing darts and dunks to Gronk instead of arrows and flowers from the broadcast booth and Bill Belichick was steamrolling NFL opponents instead of getting crushed in college.

The Colts are chasing their first AFC South title since Andrew Luck was quarterback in 2014, and the Broncos are alone atop the AFC West for the first time since 2015 when they won their last Super Bowl title.

The Seahawks are tied with the Rams at 7-2 atop the NFC West. They haven’t won their division since 2020 before Russell Wilson was traded and benched in Denver chased out of Pittsburgh and demoted in New York.

The Broncos have been flagged 101 times this season, second only to Jacksonville’s 102. Both teams have 83 penalties against them that were accepted. Seventeen by Denver were declined and one was offsetting

“Certainly, it’s a point of emphasis,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said.

Yet, the Broncos are tied with New England and Indianapolis at 8-2 for the best record in the league in this topsy-turvy season in which we’re into November and the Kansas City Chiefs, winners of nine straight AFC West crowns, five of the past six AFC champion-

ships and three Super Bowls, are on the outside of the playoff picture looking in.

The Vikings’ eight false-start penalties against Baltimore were the most by a home team since the Buffalo Bills had nine against Cleveland on Oct. 11, 2009, according to Sportradar

“Whatever was unearthed today needs to be corrected immediately,” Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said afterward.

Right tackle Brian O’Neill was flagged three times. Quarterback

J.J. McCarthy and star receiver Justin Jefferson also were penalized. The quarterback and his offensive line struggled with snap counts, cadence and presnap adjustments, especially in the fourth quarter, when the Vikings had three false starts in the final 10 minutes

Running back Aaron Jones said some Ravens defenders seized on the confusion by barking “Hut!” when McCarthy changed the play call or protection. Still, the friendly crowd at U.S. Bank Stadium should not have made it that problematic, he said.

“That’s what they get paid to do,” Jones said. “We’ve just got to lock in, especially when we’re playing at home.”

The Vikings, 14-3 in the regular season a year ago, fell to 4-5.

“It’s going to be tough to win games like that,” Jefferson said. “Go back to work and do the things that allow us to move forward, not backward.”

At 5 yards a pop.

during the regular season joining the 2017 Dodgers, 1982 Braves and 1951 New York Giants. Vogt’s club dropped 10 in a row from June 26 to July 6. Cleveland went on its big September run after closer Emmanuel Clase and starting pitcher Luis Ortiz were placed on nondisciplinary paid leave as part of a MLB investigation into sports betting. Murphy directed Milwaukee to a major league-best 97-65 record this year, setting a franchise record for wins. The Brewers were in second in the NL Central in early July before overtaking the Chicago Cubs with a remarkable 29-4 stretch that included a 14game win streak, another franchise record. Milwaukee eliminated Chicago in a memorable NL Division Series before it was swept by the Dodgers in the NLCS. The five-

game victory over the rival Cubs was the Brewers’ first postseason series win since sweeping Colorado in a 2018 NLDS.

The folksy Murphy, who turns 67 on Nov 28, was Milwaukee’s bench coach for eight seasons before he was promoted after Craig Counsell left for the Cubs in November 2023. The Brewers also won the NL Central in Murphy’s first season in charge, finishing with a 93-69 record.

“This is a tremendous and welldeserved honor for the second year in a row,” Brewers president of baseball operations Matt Arnold said in a release.

Murphy had a long coaching career at the college level, including stints at Notre Dame and Arizona State, before serving as a special assistant with the San Diego Padres for the 2010 season. He went 42-54 as the interim manager of the Padres in 2015.

Tomlin: No concerns about QB Rodgers

BY WILL GRAVES Associated Press

PITTSBURGH Mike Tomlin isn’t giving Aaron Rodgers a pass by saying his veteran quarterback simply had an “off night” in Pittsburgh’s lopsided loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. Then again, the NFL’s longesttenured head coach also isn’t worried about the NFL’s oldest active player bouncing back from one of the worst performances of his 21year career Rodgers completed just 16 of 31 passes for 161 yards with a touchdown in garbage time and two interceptions — one of which smacked off the hands of wide receiver Calvin Austin while also being sacked for a safety in a 2510 setback.

“Sunday night was what it was,” Tomlin said Tuesday “But I have no long-term reservations about his ability to play the position and play the position at a high level for us.” Tomlin credited the Chargers for getting the better of his offense, but he doesn’t think his unit is getting too predictable, even with the AFC North-leading Steelers (5-4) finishing with under 300 total yards for the third straight week. Instead, he pointed to an inability to extend drives on third downs. Pittsburgh has converted

just 36% of its third downs on the season, including 21% (7 of 33) over the past three weeks. Tomlin put the onus on his staff to find ways to make opponents pay for double-teaming wide receiver DK Metcalf, who has just 10 catches for 96 yards over that period.

“We haven’t done a good enough job of putting others other than DK in position to win and win big, and they haven’t won big enough,” Tomlin said. “We’ve got to do a better job there.”

The Steelers declined to make a significant trade to upgrade the receiving corps behind Metcalf, opting instead to hold on to their significant draft capital. The club did sign two-time Super Bowl winner Marquez ValdezScantling to the practice squad last week. Tomlin didn’t rule out the possibility of Valdez-Scantling working his way onto the active roster on Sunday when Cincinnati (3-6) visits Acrisure Stadium. Either way Tomlin would like to see the offense create more big plays. The Steelers only have a handful of pass receptions that have gone for more than 40 yards this season, and all but one of them came on plays where most of the yardage came after the catch.

“If you’re not doing a good enough job on possession downs, you need to have some big-play splash,” Tomlin said.

BASKETBALL

Notgetting easier

If you thought the New Orleans Pelicans’ first10 games were abumpy ride you may want to buckle up for these next five.

Especially if the Pelicans’ most recent outing, a121-98 thrashing by the Phoenix Suns on Monday night, is an indication of things to come. The Pelicans, freshoff another lackluster performance, return to the Smoothie King Center on Wednesday night to begin arugged five-game home stand. It begins against the improved Portland Trail Blazers, who now have former Pelicans’ fan favorite Jrue Holiday on their roster.After that, the real gauntlet begins. The Pels host the Lakers on Friday,then have back-toback games Sunday and Mondayagainst the Golden State Warriors and OklahomaCity Thunderbefore closing out the stretch Nov.19against the Denver Nuggets.

It’saWho’sWho of NBA greats over the next eight days.

Luka Doncic. Steph Curry

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Nikola Jokic. Fortunately for the Pels, Lebron James won’tbeavailable when the Lakerscome to town. But even without James, that’s still atotal of six MVPs in Curry (2), GilgeousAlexander (1) and Jokic (3), and another player (Doncic) who will surely collect an MVP or two soon. This schedule would be tough

SUTTON

Continued from page1C

ä TrailBlazers at Pelicans 7P.M.WEDNESDAy,WAFB

for any team. But for ateam that has been asbad and inconsistent as the Pelicansduringthe first 10 games, the schedule almost seems unfair. If theNBA postseason started today,all five of the teams on thePelicans’ upcoming slate would be playing. That includes the Blazers (5-5), whowould be theNo. 9seed and in the play-in tournament.

ThePelicans, meanwhile, are off to a2-8 start. They’velost three of those gamesbyatleast 30 points andanother by23. As of Tuesday,the Pelicans ranked 27th in the league in points allowed,yielding 121.3 points pointgame.

“Wehave to bebetter starting on the defensive end,” Pelicanscoach Willie Green said. “That’s where it all starts.

“Our aggression on the defensiveend. Ourcommunication on thedefensive end.”

Phoenixguard Grayson Allen exploded for acareerhigh 42 points Mondayand

mer,all offseason, even now duringthe season,” he said. “Just keep repping it out and you know it’scoming along. Ijust give credit to my coaches and my teammates for having confidence in me to knock down shots.”

That confidence allowed him to have a career-higheight 3-pointattempts. He shot at least five 3-pointers only eighttimes ever beforeplaying at LSU. The willingness to take as many deep shots as possible is needed for theteam’s success.

“It’simportant for us,becauseweare playing the two bigs in the frontcourt,” Mc-

JOHNSON

Continued from page1C

similar “A clone of her,” Mulkey said. “And one day (Johnson) texted me, and she said, ‘Coach, do you think Icould call (Davis)? She’sanassistant at Middle Tennessee.’ I said, ‘How about if Ihaveher call you?’ And then she did.” If LSU keeps giving Johnson 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 firstsince 2021-22 that the Tigers are playing without both Morrow and Angel Reese —two

knocked down 10 of the mostwide-open 3-pointers he will ever take in an NBA game. Doncic and Curry have to be chomping at thebit to step foot in the Smoothie King Center if that’show the Pelicans are going to defend. Things haven’tbeen much better on the offensive end. The Pelicans, averaging 108 ppg, are 28thinthe league in scoring. Not being able to score and not being able to stop the other team from scoring are why the Pelicans have theworst record in the Western Conference and the fourth-worst record in the league.

In most of thelosses, there is arun by theopponent that the Pelicans can’t stop. In the season-opening loss to Memphis, the Pels were outscored 41-22 in the thirdquarter.InMonday’s loss in Phoenix,the Suns outscored the Pelicans 3519 in the second quarter

“They just punched us in the mouth right away,” Green said. “Just below our standard. We’ve got to stop waiting as ateam to get punched and then start trying to fight.We’ve got to start the gamethat way We’rebelow our standard of where we want to be.”

Unless thePelicansquickly figure things out, these next five games will push them even further below thestandard.

Email Rod Walker at rwalker@theadvocate.com

Mahon said. “Sospacing is critical for the wayour offense is designed.”

Sutton is awinning player,whetherhe makes defensesextend fartherfromthe point or if he’s throwing his body in thepaint for rebounds.

After starting his career at the junior-college level at Connors State in Oklahoma, he is now an invaluable piece of aSoutheastern Conference team withNCAATournament aspirations.

“Whatever Ineed to do for theteam to win, that’swhat I’mgoing to do,” Sutton said. “If Ineed to rebound, defend or knock downshots, Ijust go out there with my high motorand do what Ido.”

EmailToyloy Brown at toyloy.brown@ theadvocate.com

of the best rebounders in the history of women’scollege basketball. Reeseand Morrow are responsible for more than a thirdofall therebounds the Tigers grabbedacrossthe previous three seasons. So far, LSU hasn’thad much trouble replacingtheir production. The Tigers are corralling 53 boardsper game this season —one ofthe 10 highest averages inthe country.In thenonconference matchups it played across the previous twoseasons, LSU grabbed 49 rebounds each night Now it’satleast on pace to becomeanevenbetter rebounding team, in largepart because Johnson has made a

strongtransition 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’llface up because Iknow they can’tguard me. But I can also back them downas well.

“So that’s really it.Just my versatilityand my rebounding. Iwanna go geteverything that’scoming off the boards.”

Email Reed Darcey at reed.darcey@theadvocate. com. For more LSU sports updates, sign up forour newsletter at theadvocate. com/lsunewsletter

Richardson,banned by NBAin1986, dies

BY CLIFFBRUNT AP sportswriter

Michael Ray Richardson, aversatile guard whowas banned from the NBAfor violating itsdrug policy in the1980s, died Tuesday.He was 70.

Richardson’sattorney and close friend, John Zelbst,confirmed his death to The Associated Press. Richardson, who had prostate cancer,diedathis Lawton,Oklahoma, home.

Richardsonwas athreetime All-Big SkyConference playeratMontana before being selected No.4 in the 1978 NBA Draft, two slots ahead of Larry Bird. He played for theNew York Knicks, Golden State Warriors andNew Jersey Nets. In eight years, he was afour-time All-Star who led the league in stealsthree times

He was bannedin1986 after violating thedrug policyfor cocaine use. He played in theContinental Basketball Association and then finished his career in Europe. He later won five championships as acoach in the Continental Basketball Association andNBL Canada.

“It was alife of redemption andwinning,” Zelbst said. “Redemptionand winning. It’s incredible.”

In 1979-80, Richardson averaged 15.3pointsper game for the Knicks and ledthe league in assists (10.1 pergame) andsteals (3.2).

“He was just an incredible player,and no one had seen anybody like him at that time,” Zelbst said. “He

was Magic (Johnson) before Magic.” In 1984, he led the Nets to astunning playoff upset of the reigning champion Philadelphia 76ersand stars Moses Malone and Julius Erving.

In his best NBA season, 1984-85 withNew Jersey, Richardson wasnamed the NBA’scomeback playerof theyear after averaging 20.1 points and8.2 assists and aleague-best 3.0 steals per contest. He played one moreNBA season before his ban.

“He got kickedout of the league, got sober and never went back to it,” Zelbst said.

Richardson coached the Oklahoma/Lawton-Fort Sill Cavalry to three championships —inthe CBA in 2008 and2009 andinthe Premier BasketballLeague in 2010.

He also ledthe London Lightning to two NBL Canada championships. He returned to Lawton and spent muchofthe time in his later years guiding young Black men in the area. Zelbst, whoowned the Cavalry and Lightning, said Richardson wasone of the best people he knew

“Anybody that ever met him would just be fascinated by him,”Zelbst said.“He was such abright light, and I’mgoing to dearlymiss him

“He turnedout to be my best pal, and it’sjust heartbreaking.”

6run (McManus kick), 5:55 A—78,254. Phi GB First downs1318

Fumbles-Lost

Penalties-Yards 7-61

Bay, Love 20-36-0-176. RECEIVING—Philadelphia, D.Smith 4-69 Goedert 4-43,Barkley 3-41, Shipley

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 0-014, Williams 0-1 2-2 2, Allen 12-17 8-10 42, Booker 8-13 3-3 19, Dunn 1-30-2 2, Fleming2-3 0-0 5, Hayes-Davis 1-30-0 2, Ighodaro1-2 0-12 Livers 1-2 0-03,Maluach 0-1 0-00,Richards 0-0 2-32,Gillespie 2-50-0 6, Goodwin 2-6 0-0 4. Totals 39-78 24-31 121. New Orleans 22 19 31 26 —98 Phoenix29353225— 121 3-Point Goals—New Orleans 10-32 (Fears 3-6, Bey 2-6, MurphyIII 2-7, Matkovic 1-2, Alvarado 1-3, Jones1-3,Queen 0-1, Hawkins 0-2, Peavy0-2), Phoenix19-43 (Allen10-15, O’Neale 4-8, Gillespie 2-4, Fleming1-2,Livers 1-2, Brooks 1-6, Dunn 0-1, Goodwin 0-1, Hayes-Davis0-1,Maluach0-1,Booker 0-2) Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—NewOrleans 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

Tuesday Dallas 3, Ottawa 2, OT LosAngeles 5, Montreal1 Washington 4, Carolina1 Boston 5, Toronto 3 St. Louis 3, Calgary 2 San Jose2,Minnesota 1, OT Anaheim at Colorado, n Columbus at Seattle, n Winnipeg at Vancouver,n Wednesday N.Y. RangersatTampaBay,6p.m. Edmonton at Philadelphia, 6:30 p.m. 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, RustCollege55 McNeese 132, College of BiblicalStudies 50 LSU 93, UNO 58 Georgia Tech 61, Southeastern 52 Tuesday North Alabama 87, NorthwesternSt. 83, OT Tulane 66, UL 62 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 4-4 10, Buckley 3-13 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 3-415, Tamba 4-5 2-410, Mackinnon 0-5 2-22,D.Thomas 2-7 4-4 9, Miller 2-42-4 6, Reece 0-52-2 2, Reed 6-10 2-3 15, King2-4 0-06,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, Boudouma1-4,Cope 1-4, M.Thomas 0-1, Coquia 0-4), LSU 10-27 (Sutton 4-8, King 2-3, Mosley 1-1, Reed 1-1, D.Thomas 1-3, Carter 1-4, Miller 0-1, Nwoko0-1,Zipper0-1 Mackinnon 0-2, Reece 0-2) Rebounds New Orleans 34 (Buckley 8),LSU 51 (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, LSU18. A—6,505 (13,215) National men’s scores EAST Central Connecticut 60, Boston College 59 Colgate 90,Drexel83 Duke114, Army59 Maryland 84,

You knowhim well.Scotthas been covering LSU since 1992. He is theauthor of three highly acclaimed booksonLSU and was chosen as an LSU Expert forESPN’s SEC 150 Documentary

Each Monday,Scottwill put his thoughts on the last week’sgame andthe next week’s game into avideo essayplacingthe game in its context and drawinghistorical parallels.

LIVING

Bon vi·vant /noun/ asociable personwho has cultivatedand refined tastes, especially with respect to food and drink

Newfood on theblock

Trythe November po-boy of the month at Jed’sLocal,672 Jefferson Highway,Baton Rouge. TheThanksgiving po-boy is made with turkey breast,crawfish and cornbread dressing, orange cranberry sauce and housemade gravy on Gendusa French bread. For every order of the holiday po-boy,Jed’s will donate money to Maddie’s Footprints GBR, which provides financialand emotional support to familiesthat have experienced miscarriage, stillbirth or infant loss Po-boy

PROVIDED PHOTO By JED’S LOCAL The Thanksgiving po-boyisthe November special at JED’sLocal.

Help in thecommunity Red Stick Reads,3829 Government St., Baton Rouge, is partnering with the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank to host a community food drive through Nov.30. Bring shelf-stable and canned-good donations to the bookstore and get 10% off your purchase. The most wanted items are peanut butter, canned proteins, canned vegetables, canned fruits, canned soup, pasta, rice, oatmeal, protein bars and granola.

Prep forThanksgiving BRQ,10423 Jefferson Highway,Baton Rouge, has a

TBY MADDIE SCOTT Staff writer

he craft of butchering is alost art,and this Baton Rouge butcher has not only preserved the craft but has trained bothemployeesand the public on how to process meat.

Iverstine Butcher,awhole-animalbutcher shop and restaurant at 7731 Perkins Road, gotits start in 2009 as afarm. Now closed,Iverstine Family Farms was located in Kentwood. Today, thebusiness does things theold-fashioned way, said owner Galen Iverstine,byfindingcreative ways to use thewhole animal and feature bothdesirable and undesirable cuts of meat.

“Wehave this abundance of bones because we’realways workingwithwhole animals,” Iverstine said. “So, we’re able to makealot of bone stocks, which really builds flavor depthinall of our dishes.”

instead, he hirespeoplewithculinaryexperience and then trains theminthe craft

Staff report

Louisiana Inspired is all about shining alight on people andorganizationswho areworking towardsolutions in Louisiana neighborhoods, communities, towns,cities and throughout the state —it’swork that takes extraeffort by specialpeople, demonstratingthe good stuffof the human spirit. Nominate someone you know who is making apositive difference in the lives of othersat nola.com/site/forms/the_inspirit_award by Nov.17.

We encourage nominationsof people of all ages—those who systematically go aboutdoing theirbest to make the world a better place.

Thenomination processfocuses on people who are working towardsolutions in their workplaces, schools, neighborhoods,communities and state. Be sure to includestoriesof impact anddetails of personal stories that inspire change. Award recipients will be announcedinDecember in LouisianaInspired.

The business also renders fats off theanimals to create tallow and lard, which theycan useinfryers, andsnack sticks/jerkies are a good solution to using extra trims of meat. It’sa no shortcutsmentality, he said.

Meat camp

Iverstine doesn’texpect many applicants to have butcher skills.

Throughout the year,Iverstine Butcher hosts workshops and classes on topics like carcass anatomy,nutritional needs, butchering and howtobuy meat. The workshops areled by Iverstine and hisbutchers, and they often have guestslike nutritionist experts speak as well.

“Wecall it meat campwhere people come in andget hands-on with

cutting,”hesaid. “There’s been this disconnect between people and where their food comes from, and, really,that’spart of our broader mission.”

There’snomystery to what the business is doing. They just do it well, he said.

Thebutcher’s beginnings Baton Rouge born and raised, Iverstine graduated from Central

High School.

“I come from afamily of reallygreatcooks,” Iverstine said. “Before Igot into the food industry,Iwas always the guy at the tailgates taking on the cooking.”

In his early 20s, he spent time in placeslike Houston and New Hampshire, which influenced hisperception of food anddevelopedhis palate, he said. He also lived in Hawaii for ayear, just off the coast of Maui, and workedona 60-foot,navigator tourism boatwhere he caught wild fish, cooked it up and servedittocustomers.

He started the farm in 2009 and sold goods at the Red Stick Farmers Market. After hisfarm closed in 2022, the butchershop and restaurant begansourcing ingredients from farmers in Louisianaand Mississippi, and during Thanksgiving season, they source turkeys from a farm in Ohio.

“I’m forevergratefultothe farmers market for being that kind of incubator tohelp us get abusiness started,because otherwise, that’sadauntingtask,” he said.

It was the launching point to start Iverstine Butcher in 2016, opening the original location just down the street from where it is now

“The goal of our business is always highlighting what’sgoing on on thebutcher shop side,” Iverstine said. “That is the original vision of our businessand still the driving force of it.”

Themenu

Therestaurantisanextension of the butcher shop, so the menu doesn’tshy from meatheavy,heavenly dishes.It features aselection of burgers and sandwiches comprised of meats made in-house, andsides include pork rinds andfries.

There’s the “Daisy Duke”with fried, housemade bologna on sourdough bread with cheddar cheese, lettuce, pickled onions, mayonnaise and mustard.The

smokehouse Reubenismade with housemadepastrami,sauerkraut, Swiss cheese andRussian dressingondark rye bread

“It’snot like it’sonthe menu because we need aReuben on the menu,” Iverstine said. “It’s becausewemake really good pastrami on thebutcher shop side,and we want to highlight that.”

Iverstinesaid he thinks his butcher shophas thebest burgers in town:The double butcher burger is made with two smash patties, pickles, tomatoes, onions, lettuce, mustard and mayonnaise on abrioche bun. On Wednesdays, customers can get a$5single patty cheeseburger

IverstineButcher also offers platelunchspecials every day,featuringprotein from the butchershop like filet tips, whichare the trims from the filetsteaks.The breakfast menu has selections like boudin or sausage burritos as well as classics likeFrench toast, bacon, eggs and agritsbowlwithrib meat.

The shop is offering aseparate menu for Thanksgiving, including cooked and uncooked turkey,lamb cuts, bone-in bourbonham andvarious cuts of beef. There arefour Thanksgiving desserts and nine sides, including boudin rice dressing, spinach madeline (Iverstine’s favorite Thanksgiving dish), mashed potatoes andsweet potato casserole.

Workingwithquality farms

Iverstine works with several farmersinthe South,mostly small farmsinLouisiana and Mississippi. Like Iverstine, they highlyvalueproduct quality

The business’ chickens and eggs come from Pearl River Pastures,aMississippi farm usingregenerative farming practices like rotational grazing, a process that prioritizesanimal movement and ultimatelyimprovessoil health. All of the animals are pasture-raised and don’tcontaingenetically modifiedorganisms, commonly known asnon-GMO.

“I thinka lot of us think we eat very well, but we’re not looking at where those food sources are

coming from,” said PearlRiver Pastures co-owner Summers White.

White was introduced to regenerativefarminginanorganic farming class at the UniversityofAlabama,and herhistory with healthissuesled her to workata regenerative farm in Virginia. There, White grew a greater passion for thepractice after her health improved.

Regenerative farmstake extra steps, like moving the animals,toensure the healthofthe animalsand environment, somethingWhite showspeople on farmtours. Pearl River Pastures sells products at ahigher price than traditional farms because of these extrasteps, she said.

Circle MFarms &Southern Maids Dairy,a local farm in Franklinton, provides goat milk dairy productstoIverstine Butcher,including goat cheese, goat milk andcheesecake. Most of theproducts aretypically used in specials.

“I live avery purpose-driven life,” said owner Nathan Miller “Westarted our dairy for our children and to make sure that our children hadgood quality milk andcheeses.”

Millerbeganthe business in 2018, and in September,itbecame Louisiana’sonly grade Agoat dairy producer, atestamenttothe product quality

“Providing good,nutritional optionstopeople on adailybasisispretty rewarding,” Miller said.

Thereality

Iverstine Butcher was featuredonGuy Fieri‘s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives,” where Fierivisited the shop and talked about the uniqueness of what Iverstine is doing.

“We’ve only been in therestaurant businessfor threeyears now,” Iverstine said. “And to be approached for something like that was kind of ahigh honor to see people are paying attention to what we’re doing and understand it’ssomething unique to Baton Rouge andreally in the region.”

People ask him often if he plans to open more locations. The answer is simple.

“The reality is —this is not replicable,” Iverstine said. “It is what it is because of thehistory of it and the connections we’ve made over the years, the

lessons we’ve learned over the years through farming, through farmers markets, through growing abusiness.”

The butcher shop is one of a kind, andhehopes localscan support morebusinesses in the city to keep community businesses alive and strong.

“Prioritize local things,” Iverstine said. “Because those are real families, real people in our communitiesthat are just going to make BatonRouge more interesting and amore interesting place to live long-term.”

Iverstine Butcher

n 7731 Perkins Road, Baton Rouge n Butcher side open 9a.m. to 6p.m. Mondays through Fridays, 9a.m. to 4p.m. Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 3p.m. Sundays. n Restaurantbreakfast open 7a.m. to 10 a.m. Mondays through Fridays, 9a.m.to 12 p.m. Saturdays, closed Sundays. n Restaurantlunch open 11 a.m.to6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and 11 a.m.to 4p.m. Saturdays, closed Sundays.

Knowingthe date of purchase

Dear Heloise: Ialso have trouble seeing the dates on items, so when Ibring home my groceries, Igrab apermanent marker and write the date on the top of acan, the end of the egg carton, or whatever.Itmakes it so much easier.Love to read all of the hints.

By The Associated Press

TODAYINHISTORY

received the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Hints from Heloise

how,but it suddenly occurred to me that if Iwould run the water before pushingthe stopper down, thewater would provideaseal. This has completely fixedthe problem that was so annoying! —Diane L.,inIllinois Uselessluxuries

—Karen B.,inNew York Karen, grocery stores usually have arapid turnover of products, so writing thedate of purchase is a good idea. —Heloise Leakydrain

Dear Heloise: Istruggled with this for months. My kitchen sink drain stopper was allowing the water to leak out before Icould get my dishes done.Icould not find areplacement stopper to fit the drain anywhere. Idon’tremember exactly

Dear Heloise: I learned avery expensive lesson after my husband and Ibuilt our retirement home.Wewanted asmaller homethatwas well-built with many of the luxuries that we’d always dreamed of. Onewas aJacuzzi bathtub.Iused it twice, andmy husband won’tuse it at all. They are expensive, break down from timetotime, andjack upthe water bill because you need afulltub of water if you wanttoget thewhirlpool action.

Isuppose if you have certain physical problems, aJacuzzi might help, but it was atotal waste of money for us. The builder talked us intoitalong with underfloor heating and amedia room.Ihate the media room.It’ssmall andwindowless, and we rarely use it. As they say,“you live and learn.” —Don and Frances B.,in

Phoenix Don and Frances, sometimes it sounds good to have certain things, but in reality, they might be more work, just another room to clean, or something you use less than you thought you would. Whenever possible, ask people who have theluxuries that you think you’d like to have if the item is worth theexpense.

—Heloise

Send ahinttoheloise@ heloise.com.

TodayisWednesday, Nov. 12, the316th day of 2025. There are 49 days left in the year

Todayinhistory:

On Nov.12, 1954, Ellis Island officially closed as an immigration station and detention center.More than 12 million immigrants arrived in theUnited 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 theCommunist Party

In 1936, theSan Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge opened as President Franklin D. Roosevelt pressed atelegraph key in Washington, D.C., and gave thegreen light to traffic.

In 1936, American playwright Eugene O’Neill

In 1948, Japanese general and former Prime Minister Hideki Tojo and several other World War II Japanese leaders were sentenced to death by a war-crimes tribunal; he wasexecuted in December 1948.

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, ajudge in Los Angeles ended the conservatorship that had controlled the lifeand money of pop star Britney Spears fornearly 14 years.

In 2024, afederal judge sentenced Jack Teixeira, aMassachusetts 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 ayear after his arrest in the mostconsequential national security breach in years. Today’sbirthdays: Actor-playwright Wallace Shawnis 82.

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’sfresh, uplifting flavors. I’ve never had elote before. Iwill be ordering it more. The brisket was tender, and the mac and cheesewas good. Ialso 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

By LAUREN CHERAMIE

The pastrami sandwich from Rocca Pizzeria in Baton Rougefeatures house cured and smoked brisket,Dijon, fontal cheeseand coleslaw on ryebread.

To go to Rocca and not order the garlic knots would be acrime.It’sagood thing that my table of friends obliged with my taking over on orderingthe appetizers. Forthe table, Iordered thegarlic knots of goodness and theRocca meatballs

BONVIVANT

Continued from page1D

catering menu for the holiday,including smoked whole turkey,classic herbroasted turkey,smoked ham with honeyapple cider brown sugar glaze, green bean casserole,pecan pie, cornbread dressing and more. The deadline for orders is Nov.25. Visit www.brqrestaurant.com/ thanksgiving-day-catering to place an order Thanksgiving pies are

The garlic knots are coated in chimichurri, fresh herbs andgrana andserved

ready for the taking at Elsie’s Plateand Pie,3145 Government St Baton Rouge. The restaurant is offeringthe following flavors for pick up on Nov. 25-26: pumpkin streusel, chocolatepecan, caramel cheesecake, apple pearginger,lemon icebox, eye of thetiger,coconut, almond joy,apple,chocolate cream, turtle and s’mores Visit elsiespies.myshopify comtoplace an order ThanksgivingatTallulah: 11 a.m. to 2p.m.Nov.27at Tallulah Food and Wine, 7000 Bluebonnet Blvd., Baton Rouge

with whipped provolone, while the meatballs are madewith beef and pork, local polenta, sugo rosa and grana and served with thebiggest basil leaves I’ve ever seen. The dishes complemented each other perfectly,aswecould dip themeatballs in the provolone and the garlic knotsin thecheese and red sauce. For an entree, Igot the pastramisandwich with house-cured and smoked brisket,Dijon, fontal cheese and coleslaw on rye bread. The brisket melted in my mouth,and thesmokiness of the meat contrasted well with the zesty coleslaw The rye bread was as soft as apillow 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,Icould sing so manypraises about this meal.

—Lauren Cheramie, features coordinator

If you don’tfeel like cooking, let Tallulah take the reins. The menuwill feature asalad bar,butternut squash soup, duck and andouille gumbo, herb-crusted prime rib, honey-glazed ham,Tasso and cornbread dressing withcrawfish, bourbon pecan pie, banana bread pudding and more. Tickets are $60 per adult and $22 per child.

If you have an upcoming food event or akitchen question, emaillauren. cheramie@theadvocate. com. Cheers!

TheAmerican RedCross in 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

nea CroSSwordS

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

wuzzles

Each Wuzzle is a word riddle which creates a disguised word, phrase, name, place, saying, etc. For example: NOON GOOD = GOOD AFTERNOON

Previous answers:

word game

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

LUNG CANCER

EarlyDetection, LifesavingResults

Dr.Thomas Marsden, MD ThoracicSurgeon

Dr.Nicholas LeBlanc, MD Thoracic Surgeon

Dr.Emily Cassidy,MD ThoracicSurgeon

Innovative

techniques and collaborations improve lung noduledetection andtreatment at FMOL Health |Our Lady of theLake

By Amanda McElfresh |amcelfresh@theadvocate.com

|Our Lady of the Lake

Thankstoamultidisciplinaryapproachand state-of-the-artprocedures, physicians at FMOL Health |Our Lady of theLakeare addressing lung noduleswithmoredetailand precisionthaneverbefore.

Lung nodules areabnormalgrowths that areclassified as infectious,inflammatory or malignant, said Dr Thomas Marsden,athoracic surgeonatOur Lady of theLake. Nodulesmay be foundthrough imagingifa person has symptoms of lung problems. However, Dr.Emily Cassidy, athoracic surgeonatOur Lady of theLake, said many nodules areincidental findings,inwhich they appear whileapatienthas undergone scans fordifferentsymptoms.

No matter howalungnoduleisdiscovered, abroad team of experts at OurLadyofthe Lake meet to analyze thesituation when one appears. That conference includesoncologists, pulmonologists, primarycarephysicians, surgeons,dietitians,coordinatorsand support staff

“All of us areweighingin, giving suggestions on whethersomethingisconcerningorappears benign,” said Dr.NicholasLeBlanc,a thoracic surgeonatOur Lady of theLake. “Thesafetynet is createdbyputting additional eyes on it.”

In some cases, experts determineitisbestto monitorthe nodule andscheduleperiodic followup visits with thepatients,takingintoaccount thenodule’scharacteristics, size andthe person’s risk factors.Nodules that aremoreconcerning mayrequireabiopsy. If it is determined to be lung cancer,doctors then work together to determine thecancer’s stageand an individualizedtreatment plan

Theminimallyinvasiveand roboticprocedures used at OurLadyofthe Lake mean that more people than ever qualifyfor lung cancer operations. Dr.LeBlanc said that in thepast, these

surgeries required alarge incision, several days in thehospital andalengthy recovery.Today’s operationsare performedwithafew smallincisions –some lessthana centimeterlong– with lessinflammation.Manypatients areableto return home theday after surgery

“I thinkweare providingpatientswithafasterrecovery. That’s really impactfulfor thesepatients whoare goingthrough such alife-changing event,” Dr.Cassidy added. “It’sexpandedthe number of patients whoqualifyfor surgery.We’re comfortably operatingonpatients into their80s andthose who have otherriskfactors Thoseare no longerhardexclusionsfor surgery.”

Avideo of thefull discussionwithDr. Cassidy, Dr.LeBlanc andDr. Marsden is availablenow at www.theadvocate.com.Visit https://www.fmolhs.org/ locations/greater-baton-rouge/our-lady-of-the-lake-physician-groupthoracic-surgerytolearnmoreaboutlungcareoptionsatOurLadyoftheLake

VIEWTHE WEBCAST

Hope on the Horizon: Stage 4lung cancer survivor sharesher treatment journey

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

WhenKelly Kellymarried thelove of herlifeinSeptember 2024,she reveledinanew chapterand the factthatshe wouldnow have thesame firstand last names. Yet, as she andher husbandsettled into their newlifetogether, she hadnoideathe trials that wouldawait them at thestart of the newyear.

Formonths, Kellystruggled to express herselfemotionallyand verbally, even as the excitement of herweddingday approached.By February 2025, it wasapparentsomethingwas wrong. Hercolleagues at ENT &Plastic Surgery SpecialistsofLouisiana,where Kellyisamedical receptionist, noticedthings seemed amiss. Then, when she remained subduedafter herhusband surprisedher with anew car, he andKelly’s daughter took hertoaCovington hospital foran evaluation Theresultwas ashockingdoublediagnosis DoctorstoldKelly she hadstage 4lungcancer, as well as ametastaticbrain tumor.

“Itwas surprisingbecause,while Iwas experiencingsymptomsfromthe braintumor, Iwasn’thavingany noticeable lung problems,” Kellysaid. “Mybrain surgeonsaidthatifIhad waited anylonger, thebrain tumorwould have killed me –but it is also what savedmylife.

Aneurosurgeon removedthe golf ball-sized tumorfromKelly’s brainafew days later. Soon after,she beganarigorousregimen of chemotherapy,immunotherapy andradiation. When it came time to focusonKelly’s lung cancer,the care wasled by Dr.NicholasLeBlanc, athoracic surgeon at FMOL Health |Our Lady of theLakeinBaton Rouge.

Equipped with thelatestinrobotic surgical technology, Dr.LeBlanc successfullyremoved thecancerousmassbyremovingone lobe from Kelly’sleft lung andasmall portionofthe second lobe in thesamelung.

“I’m so blessedbythe care Ireceived. The doctorstookthe time to familiarize themselves with my case andplanout their approach,” Kelly said.“Everyone stayed on thesamepageand therewas no miscommunication. Ithinkthat

played abig part in thesuccess of my treatment.”

In addition to thesurgeries, Kellyalso underwent immunotherapytreatments, whichuse thebody’sown immunesystemto targetand fightcancer cells. Shewill continue immunotherapy until next June,but Kelly’s currenttestresults showthatshe is cancer-free.

“I hadtoset goalsfor myself andfollow throughonthe treatmentplan. Once Ihit all my goals, therewas anotherbit of sadnessIwent through. Therewerenomoregoals,exceptto wait forittonot come back,” she said.“That was themostemotionallychallenging part of it all.”

Throughitall,Kelly wasgratefulfor her family andfriends.Her daughter caredfor both herand Kelly’shouseboundmother. Her husbandtookcareofdaily responsibilities, and herson,his wife andmother-in-lawconstantly kept hercompany

“I hadmyworkfamily, my doctors, my family –everyonewas workingtogether,”she said.“I wasterribleataccepting helpbeforethis. My mother-in-law hadtoconvincemethatpeople want to helpand youhavetolet them. I’mso glad Ilistenedtoher.It’simportant forour immune systems to have that stress takenoff of us.”

In addition to learninghow to accepthelp from others,Kelly’s cancer journeyhas changed herinother ways.Prayerhas become acentral focus, andshe continues to meet regularlywith acounselor andnutritionisttoensureher mind andbodyare able to heal.Whenshe meets fellow cancer survivors, she lets them know that whilethe journeywill be challenging,there is reason forhope.

“I remember readingpeople’sstories about their positive outcomes,and Ifound that to be uplifting. Ithinkit’sgoodtohearabout situations that go well,” she said.“Even when thediagnosisisstage 4, that doesn’t necessarily mean it is adeath sentence.”

Formoreinformation on OurLadyofthe Lake Cancer Institute, visit ololrmc.com/cancer.

Lung cancerscreenings and medicaladvancements are game changers forLouisiana

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

WhenIstarted my practice here in BatonRouge,itquicklybecame apparent that we were diagnosing themajorityofour lung cancer patients at the laterstages,”saidDr. Emily Cassidy, athoracic surgeon at FMOL Health |Our Lady of the Lake

Lung cancer is themostlethalformof cancer in theUnitedStates. Patients do not typicallyexhibit symptoms,meaningthisdeadly diseaseoften remainsimperceptible until it has metastasized. Earlyscreeningand detection provide thebestchances forsuccessfullytreating thedisease.Findingitearlier,diagnosingit faster andmovingpatients throughtreatment sooner arechangingthe game forgood. The U.S. Preventative Services Task Forceguidelines statethatindividuals betweenthe ages of 50-80 whohaveahistory of at least20pack-years of smoking(onepack-yearequalssmoking onepackper dayfor ayear) andare currently smokingorquitwithin thelast15years are eligible forfreeannualscreenings.

Thecriteriaare broadenoughthatweall either aresomeone or know someonewho shouldbegetting screened.Ittakes about five minutes, anditcan save your life,”saidDr. Cassidy. “Hereatthe Lake,wesee about450 lung cancer patients peryear, andmanydon’t realize they shouldbegin screenings at age50.

Talk to your primarycarephysician if you, or someoneyou know,meetthe criteria andwould like to be evaluatedfor lung cancer.While not addressedinthe guidelines, otherriskfactors, such as family history, secondhand smoke, exposure to radongas andasbestos, or radiation tothe chestfrompreviousmedical treatments, canalsobereasons to consider screening. This simplestepcould save alife.

Within thepast five years, OurLadyofthe Lake has also implementedanincidentallung nodule programusingstate-of-the-art software to identify nodulescapturedonCTscans Lung nodule coordinators review the flagged screenings andany that raiseconcern aresent forfurther review

“Someone couldgotothe emergencyroom forabdominal pain andhaveaCTscantaken of their abdomen,”saidDr. Nicholas LeBlanc, a thoracic surgeonatOur Lady of theLake. “That scan will often showa portionofthe lung,and if alungnoduleisdetected, oursoftware will automatically flag it forreview. We are finding more early-stagelungcancers this way. ”

From theseincidental findings andthe scheduledscreenings, OurLadyofthe Lake has gonefromscreeningapproximately 200 patients to screeningnearly3,000 patients ayearfor lung cancer.Awareness andafocused efforthave made amarkedimpactonthe community

“I’m happytosay that of all thelungcancers that arebeingdiagnosed in oursystem, the majority arenow earlystage as opposedtolate stage,”saidDr. Cassidy, “So, it’s working!”

Each week,the multi-disciplinaryteam of physiciansatOur Lady of theLakemeets to review anddiscuss thescreenings and incidental findings alongwiththeir othercases Pulmonologists, thoracic surgeons,medical oncologists, interventional radiologists, radio oncologists —theyall have aseatatthe table. Theseround tablediscussions have become a cornerstoneofthe program.

“Weall understand that collaborationis an essentialpartofthe processtoprovide the patientwiththe best outcomes,” Dr.Cassidy said.“Gettingthisgroup of specialiststogether at thestart of theconversationprovides the patientwithagreat treatmentplanbecause everyone has chimed in andstreamlined the care.Everyoneisonthe same page,and we can getpatients to treatmentfaster.”

Anotherelement that has been revolutionizingthe lung cancer care provided by OurLadyofthe Lake is theintroduction of roboticbronchoscopybiopsy Thenovel technologyissimplifying andexpeditinglung cancer diagnostic andstaging.Prior to this technology, taking abiopsy of aconcerning nodule carried significant risksoflungcollapse.

“Itusedtobethatwecouldn’tbiopsy nodules locateddeeperinthe chest, closetothe heart,” said Dr.LeBlanc.“Nowwithjustone procedure

we candiagnoseand stage, becauseweare also able to reachchallenging areaswiththe robot bronchoscopy andadditional sample lymph nodes to stagethe patienttolookfor cancer spread.”

Thedevelopment of newsystemic therapies, such as immunotherapy —atreatment that uses thebody’sown immune system to target and fightthe cancer —has also played amajor role in downstagingthe diseaseinaffectedpatients. AccordingtoDr. LeBlanc, even patients who arediagnosed in late stages aresuccessfully downstagingtheir cancer to thepoint where surgerycan be an effective treatmentoption. Andwithrobotic surgeryitallowsfaster recovery,sopatients arenot delayedreceiving post-operative systematic therapy if needed

Earlydetection andmedical innovation aretransforminglungcancer outcomes in Louisiana. As programs like thoseatOur Lady of theLakecontinuetomakestrides in diagnosingpatients earlier,awareness remains essential.

“Get themessage out. Spread thewordto thoseloved ones youknowmight be eligible— we need people to sign up forscreenings,” said Dr.LeBlanc.“It takesavillage!”

Learnmoreabout comprehensivecancer diagnosisand availabletreatment options by visiting ololrmc.com/cancer

YEARS OF EXPERIENCE 100

At FMOL Health |Our Lady of theLake Cancer Institute, we want to make sureyou never miss amoment of what really counts. Our attention to your care is based on a decades-long foundation of experience and compassionate, comprehensive treatment for Louisiana families, includingall theresourcesyou need to fight cancer.That’s why we’rethe region’sleading cancer treatment destination. That’s whyitall counts here. Learnmoreatololrmc.com/cancer.

Thomas Marsden, MD, ThoracicSurgery; Emily Cassidy,MD, ThoracicSurgery; Nicholas LeBlanc, MD, Thoracic Surgery; Abdulla Majid-Moosa, DO, Pulmonology;