The Acadiana Advocate 11-22-2025

First Solar opens $1.1B plant in Iberia Parish

Facility expected to provide 800 jobs

BY STEPHEN MARCANTEL and ADAM DAIGLE Staff writers

When Georges Antoun came to Louisiana from Lebanon in the early 1980s, he needed money.

The country was entering an oil crisis, and cities along the Gulf Coast — especially places like Lafayette that depended on oil and gas jobs — felt the hit first.

As families moved to larger cities like Houston in search of work, Antoun began offering a service: For a fee, he’d drive their moving trucks back to Louisiana.

It’s no secret that Louisiana has long lost talent to its western neighbor and has sought ways to entice them back

Trump meets with Mamdani in Oval Office

Political adversaries have friendly talks

BY MICHELLE L. PRICE Associated Press

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump on Friday met the man who had proudly proclaimed himself “Donald Trump’s worst nightmare,” but he seemed to find the opposite. The Republican president and New York City’s Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani were warm and friendly, speaking repeatedly of their shared goals to help Trump’s hometown rather than their combustible differences. Trump, who had in the past called Mamdani a “100% Communist Luna-

The opening of First Solar’s $1.1 billion solar panel manufacturing facility near New Iberia has allowed Antoun, now the company’s chief commercial officer, to have conversations with families who have chosen to return to Louisiana to

work at the facility

The 2.4 million-square-foot mega complex is one of the largest investments in the Acadiana region and is expected to provide more than 800 jobs by the end of 2025.

When the site selection process began for First Solar to find its next manufacturing facility, leaders in Iberia Parish and Acadiana got to work.

There were at least 10 sites in the running to land the billion-dollar project that would bring hundreds of jobs. Two of them were out of the country When the Iberia Parish site made the cut for the final three, things got interesting.

“That’s when we really had to put on our championship jackets and really work hard,” said Mike Tarantino, president and CEO of the Iberia Industrial Development Foundation. “We’re so happy First

ä See PLANT, page 5A

tic” and a “total nut job,” spoke openly of how impressed he was with the man who had called his administration “authoritarian.”

“I think he is going to surprise some conservative people, actually,” Trump said of the democratic socialist as Mamdani stood next to him in

the Oval Office. The meeting offered political opportunities for both men. For Mamdani, a sit-down offered the state lawmaker — who until recently was relatively unknown — the chance

ä See MEETS, page 5A

La. leads nation in flu cases

BY EMILY WOODRUFF Staff writer

Louisiana is heading into flu season and the Thanksgiving holiday with the highest flu activity level in the country And while the number of severe cases of the illness at hospitals remains low, doctors are seeing signs that the respiratory virus season will get into full swing soon.

New federal data released Friday shows the percentage of medical visits for flu symptoms in Louisiana climbed to 3.9% in the week ending Nov 15, almost double the national rate and the highest level recorded in any state.

Each week, the CDC ranks states on a 14-point scale based on the number of people who visit the doctor for a fever, plus a cough or sore throat. Louisiana is at level 7. Almost every other state is under level 3, except for Colorado, which is at level 4. Almost 100 people were admitted to the hospital for the flu last week in Louisiana, compared to 39 at the beginning of November Dr Michael Bolton, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge, said Louisiana often sees flu activity rise before much of the country It’s not always clear why or if a worse flu season will follow as a result.

But he said the timing should serve as a reminder to get vaccinated, especially after last year’s difficult pediatric season. Nearly 300 children died nationally, close to half of them without underlying health conditions. Most of those children had not received a flu shot.

“The flu vaccine is a vitally important piece of your health care plan,” Bolton said. “I can’t underscore that enough.”

Lafayette schools celebrate bond sale

$50M will fund construction of new school

BY KRISTIN ASKELSON Staff writer

The Lafayette Parish school system, alongside members of the Lafayette Parish School Board, on Friday celebrated the successful closing of a nearly $50 million bond sale in New Orleans. Proceeds from the sale will fund the construction of a kindergarten through eighth grade school that will merge students from J.W Faulk Elementary, Dr Raphael Baranco Elementary and Paul Breaux Middle schools after its completion.

Baranco was built in 1926; Faulk and Paul Breaux were built in 1958. The board voted Sept. 18 to seek up to $50 million in bond funding from the State Bond Commission.

“We’re working hard to create more opportunities for students by improving our schools,” said Superintendent Francis Touchet Jr “Culture starts with having a safe, welcoming place to learn. Thanks to board member Amy Trahan’s efforts to keep this project moving, and with support from our School Board, we were able to use bond funding to build this new school. It’s a meaningful investment in students on Lafayette’s north side.”

Nigeria: Gunmen abduct schoolchildren, teachers

ABUJA,Nigeria Gunmen attacked a Catholic boarding school in a western region of Nigeria and abducted more than 200 schoolchildren Friday, the Christian Association of Nigeria said, in the latest in a spate of abductions in Africa’s most populous country

The attack and abductions took place at St. Mary’s School, a Catholic institution in the Agwara local government’s Papiri community Attackers seized 215 pupils and students as well as 12 teachers, said Daniel Atori, a spokesperson for the Niger state chapter of CAN.

“I just got back to the village tonight after I visited the school where I also met with parents,” said Atori in a statement, adding the association is working “to ensure our children’s safe return.”

The Niger State Police Command said the abductions took place in the early hours and that military and security forces have since been deployed to the community. It described St. Mary’s as a secondary school, which in Nigeria would serve children between the ages of 12 and 17.

Torrential rains return to Southern California

LOS ANGELES The third storm in just over a week drenched Southern California on Friday and prompted some local flooding but caused no major widespread damage before heading east into the mountains and south toward Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula.

The series of storms put Southern California on track for nearrecord November rainfall, the National Weather Service said The region has received copious amounts of rain since Nov 13, more than four times the normal amount that typically falls during the month in downtown Los Angeles, according to weather service reports.

Residents were warned before dawn Friday of flash flooding of streets, creeks and streams and possible mudslides in parts of Los Angeles and Orange counties. Some vehicles were stuck in floodwaters near Culver City before dawn, the weather service reported. In coastal Huntington Beach, rainwater rushed through streets like a stream, and one neighborhood flooded after a local pond overflowed, spilling water into the streets and trapping parked cars. By midday, the rain had passed through the coastal region and the sun was shining as the storm shifted east over the mountains, dropping about 3 inches of snow in the resort community of Big Bear with the potential for more into Saturday, said Sebastian Westerink, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in San Diego.

“It is certainly possible we’re going to see a few inches overnight,” Westerink said. No major damage was reported from the latest storm, Westerink said.

11 injured in grizzly bear attack on school group

A grizzly bear attack on a Canadian school group left 11 people injured in British Columbia on Thursday afternoon

Two of the victims were critically wounded, including a male teacher who “got the whole brunt of it,” one parent told the Canadian Press Veronica Schooner said her traumatized 10-year-old son felt the bear’s fur during the afternoon attack.

Two others were seriously hurt, while seven were treated at the scene and didn’t require hospitalization.

Of those still receiving medical treatment, one was the teacher and three were children, the B.C. Conservation Officer Service said in an update Friday morning.

The service said “multiple teachers physically intervened, using bear spray and a bear banger, to drive the bear away” when it emerged from the forest and attacked the group of fourth and fifth graders on a walking trail in Bella Coola, British Columbia.

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported that difficult weather conditions hindered rescue efforts.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By VLAD KRAVCHUK

Zelenskyy: Ukraine faces stark choice

Leader says country risks losing American support over U.S. peace plan

BY ILLIA NOVIKOV and BARRY HATTON Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told his country in an address Friday that it could face a pivotal choice between standing up for its sovereign rights and preserving the American support it needs, as leaders discuss a U.S. peace proposal seen as favoring Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin, meanwhile, cautiously welcomed the U.S. plan to end Moscow’s nearly four-year war in Ukraine, which contains many of the Kremlin’s longstanding demands while offering limited security guarantees to Ukraine. Putin said it “could form the basis of a final peace settlement,” while accusing Ukraine of opposing the plan and being unrealistic.

The plan foresees Ukraine handing over territory to Russia something Kyiv has repeatedly ruled out — while reducing the size of its army and blocking its coveted path to NATO membership.

Zelensky, in his address hours earlier, did not reject the plan outright, but insisted on fair treatment while pledging to “work calmly” with Washington and other partners in what he called “truly one of the most difficult moments in our history.” He said he spoke for almost an hour Friday with Vice President JD Vance and Army Secretary Dan Driscoll about the peace proposal.

“Currently, the pressure on Ukraine is one of the hardest,” Zelenskyy said in the recorded speech. “Ukraine may now face a very difficult choice, either losing its dignity or the risk of losing a key partner.”

Speaking at a meeting of Russia’s National Security Council, Putin called the plan “a new version” and “a modernized plan” of what was discussed with the U.S. ahead of the Alaska summit earlier this year, and said Moscow has received it. “I believe that it, too, could form the basis for a final peace settlement,” he said.

But he said that the “text has not been discussed with us in any substantive way,

and I can guess why,” adding that Washington has so far been unable to gain Ukraine’s consent “Ukraine is against it. Apparently, Ukraine and its European allies are still under illusions and dream of inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia on the battlefield,” he said.

President Donald Trump in a radio interview on Friday said that he wants an answer from Zelenskyy on his 28-point plan by Thursday but says an extension is possible to finalize terms.

“I’ve had a lot of deadlines, but if things are working well, you tend to extend the deadlines,” Trump said in an interview on the Brian Kilmeade Show on Fox News Radio. “But Thursday is it — we think an appropriate time.”

While Zelenskyy has offered to negotiate with the U.S. and Russia, he signaled Ukraine may not get everything it wants and has to confront the possibility of losing American support if it makes a stand. He urged Ukrainians to “stop fighting” each other, in a possible reference to a major corruption scandal that has brought fierce criticism of the government, and said peace talks next week “will be very difficult.”

Zelenskyy spoke earlier by phone with the leaders of Germany, France and the United Kingdom, who assured him of their continued support, as European officials scrambled to respond to the U.S. proposals that apparently caught them unawares.

Wary of antagonizing Trump, the European and Ukrainian responses were cautiously worded and pointedly commended American peace efforts.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer assured Zelenskyy of “their unchanged and full support on the way to a lasting and just peace” in Ukraine, Merz’s office said.

The four leaders welcomed U.S. efforts to end the war “In particular, they welcomed the commitment to the sovereignty of Ukraine and the readiness to grant Ukraine solid security guarantees,” the statement added.

The line of contact must be the departure point for an agreement, they said, and “the Ukrainian armed forces must remain in a position to defend the sovereignty of Ukraine effectively.”

Officer acquitted in death of pregnant Black mother accused of shoplifting

BY PATRICK AFTOORA-ORSAGOS and JULIE CARR SMYTH Associated Press

COLUMBUS Ohio The Ohio police officer who shot and killed Ta’Kiya Young, a pregnant Black mother who had been accused of shoplifting, was acquitted on all counts Friday, including murder.

Blendon Township police officer Connor Grubb had faced up to life in prison if convicted. Young’s grandmother collapsed into sobs at the decision, shouting “It’s not right! This is not right!” The judge then told Grubb he was free to go. Sean Walton, an attorney for the Young family, called it “an American tragedy,” the outcome of a dual system of justice in the U.S. He vowed to keep pursuing a lawsuit against the township and police chief, while Ta’Kiya’s grandmother Nadine Young raises her great-grandsons, now 8 and 5

“It’s also heartbreaking because what it does is it normalizes the behavior like that Connor Grubb exhibited that day, and that is not normal,” Walton said. “If you look at these recent police killings in Columbus, you have officers who have an irrational fear with no weapons involved or folks doing very minimal behavior that they escalate into a murder.”

Defense attorney Mark Collins said Grubb and his family are relieved, but that it’s wrong to suggest the officer was untouched by the death of Young and her unborn daughter.

“For the rest of his life, he has to deal with this,” he said “Trust me, you didn’t get to hear from him because the govern-

ment put his statement out, but he took a life on duty and realized another’s life after the fact and to walk around with that is a difficult situation.”

At the same time, Collins called it “unconscionable” that a law enforcement officer would be indicted for felony murder in such a case. He said legislators should fix Ohio’s grand jury system Grubb had pleaded not guilty to murder, involuntary manslaughter and felonious assault in the death of Young, 21, on Aug 24, 2023. Bodycam recordings showed Young refusing to exit her parked car outside a Kroger in suburban Columbus, and then turning her steering wheel to the right before the vehicle began slowly rolling forward toward Grubb, who fired one shot into her chest through the windshield. Franklin County Common Pleas Judge David Young, no relation to Ta’Kiya, dropped four of 10 counts relating to the death of Young’s baby, agreeing with defense attorneys that prosecutors failed to present proof that Grubb knew Young was seven months’ pregnant when he shot her Jurors were shown the bodycam video and heard testimony from a use-of-force expert, an accident reconstructionist, a police policy expert and Sgt. Erick Moynihan, the officer who with Grubb had ordered Young out of her car They never heard from Grubb, whose side of the story was contained in a written statement read into the record by a special agent for the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation. He attended the trial, but prosecutors were unable to question him directly

Justices meet to weigh birthright citizenship case

High court deciding whether to hear appeal

BY MARK SHERMAN Associated Press

WASHINGTON The Supreme Court met in private Friday with a key issue on its agenda — President Donald Trump‘s birthright citizenship order declaring that children born to parents who are in the United States illegally or temporarily are not American citizens.

The justices could say as soon as Monday whether they will hear Trump’s appeal of lower court rulings that have uniformly struck down the citizenship restrictions They have not taken effect anywhere in the United States.

If the court steps in now the case would be argued in the spring, with a definitive ruling expected by early summer

The birthright citizenship order, which Trump signed on the first day of his second term in the White House, is part of his administration’s broad immigration crackdown. Other actions include immigration enforcement surges in several cities and the first peacetime invocation of the 18th-century Alien Enemies Act.

The administration is facing multiple court challenges, and the high court has sent mixed signals in emergency orders it has issued. The justices effectively stopped the use of the Alien Enemies Act

to rapidly deport alleged Venezuelan gang members without court hearings, while they allowed the resumption of sweeping immigration stops in the Los Angeles area after a lower court blocked the practice of stopping people solely based on their race, language, job or location. The justices also are weighing the administration’s emergency appeal to be allowed to deploy National Guard troops in the Chicago area for immigration enforcement actions. A lower court has indefinitely prevented the deployment. Birthright citizenship is the first Trump immigration-related policy to reach the court for a final ruling. Trump’s order would upend more than 125 years of understanding that the Constitution’s 14th Amendment confers citizenship on everyone born on American soil, with narrow exceptions for the children of foreign diplomats and those born to a foreign occupying force. In a series of decisions, lower courts have struck down the executive order as unconstitutional, or likely so, even after a Supreme Court ruling in late June that limited judges’ use of nationwide injunctions. While the Supreme Court curbed the use of nationwide injunctions, it did not rule out other court orders that could have nationwide effects including in classaction lawsuits and those brought by states. The justices did not decide at that time whether the underlying citizenship order is constitutional.

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Khashoggi’swidow,Democrats want call released

Transcript of communicationbetween Trump, Saudicrown prince sought

BY STEPHENGROVES and LISA MASCARO Associated Press

WASHINGTON The widow of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi called Friday for the release of the transcript of a2019 phone call that President Donald Trump had with Mohammed bin Salman, joining Democratic lawmakers who are raising questions about whether Trump personally benefitted from his embrace of the Saudi crown prince. Hanan Elatr Khashoggi appeared on Capitol Hill on Friday morning on the heels of Trump’sdismissal of U.S.intelligence findings that Prince Mohammed most likely had culpability in the October 2018 slaying of her husband. Trump also lavished the Saudi ruler this week with some of Washington’shighest honors fora foreign dignitary,deepening the business and militaryrelationship between thetwo nations.

Saudi intelligence officials

andaforensic doctorkilled and dismembered Jamal Khashoggi at theSaudi Consulate in Istanbulin2018.

“There is no justification to kidnap him, torturehim, to kill himand to cuthim to pieces,” Hanan Elatr Khashoggi saidFridayduring an emotional news conference.“This is aterrorist act.”

The demand in Congress for the Trump administrationtorelease the call transcripts is being led Rep.Eugene Vindman, afreshman Democrat from Virginia whowas deputy legal adviser to the National Security Councilduring Trump’sfirst term

Vindman, who hasreviewed thetranscriptofthe phone call with Prince Mohammed, declined to go into specifics of the classified document Friday, but said it used “the terminologyof quidpro quo,the ensuing benefitsthat thepresident reaped.”

TheDemocratic lawmakers also pointed out that

Trump’sfamily has extensive business dealings in SaudiArabiathatattimes have benefitted from the prince’sdirect involvement.

Thesituation carries echoes of Trump’sfirst impeachmentoverhis July 2019 call withVolodymyr Zelenskyy,inwhich he asked thenew Ukraine president to do him a“favor” in investigating his presidential rival,Joe Biden. At the time, Trump ended up releasing atranscript of the call with Zelenskyy in whichhealso said he would withhold $400 million in militaryaid.

Vindman, then at the security council, alsoreviewed that call. He said thatout of allthe calls he reviewed in his job, the calls withZelenskyy andPrince Mohammed stood outasthe most concerning. He calledthe transcript of the call with theSaudi ruler “shocking.”

“The Kashoggi family and the American people deserve to know what was said on that call,” he added.

During Prince Mohammed’sstate visit this week, Hanan Elatr Khashoggi has tried to serve as areminder of herlate husband’s bru-

ASSOCIATEDPRESS

From left, Rep. Eugene Vindman, D-Va.;Hanan Elatr

binSalman after Khashoggi’s killing

BY ALI SWENSON Associated Press

NEW YORK HealthSecre-

tary Robert F. Kennedy Jr personally directed the U.S. Centers for DiseaseControl and Prevention to update its website to contradictits longtime guidance that vaccines don’tcause autism, he told The New York Times in an interview published Friday His comments provide clarity into who directed the CDC’swebsite change, after many current and former staffers at the agency were surprised to see new published guidance on Wednes-

daythat defiesscientificconsensus. Kennedy,alongtime vaccine critic, has upended the public health agencieshe oversees andpushed for andenacted changes that have unsettledmuch of themedical community,whichsees his policies as harmful forAmericans.

“The whole thing about ‘vaccineshave been tested andthere’sbeen this determination made,’ is just alie,” Kennedysaid in the interview,whichwas conducted Thursday. TheCDC’s “vaccine safety” page nowclaimsthat

the statement “vaccines do notcause autism” is not based on evidence because it doesn’trule out the possibilitythat infant vaccines are linked to thedisorder.The page also hasbeen updated to suggest that health officials have ignored studies showing apotential link. Public health researchersand advocates strongly refute theupdated website, saying it misleads thepublic by exploiting the fact that the scientific method can’t satisfy ademand to prove anegative.Theynote

talkilling. Originally from Egypt, Khashoggi received political asylum in the U.S. in 2023 andcurrentlylives in Virginia.She cast thedemand for thetranscript as acontinuation of his work standing up for human rights andcriticizing Saudi rulers.

“I need to know what is the truth in this conversation,” she said.

that scientistshavethoroughly explored potential links between vaccines and autism in rigorousresearch spanning decades, all pointing to the same conclusion that vaccines don’tcause autism.

“No environmentalfactor has been better studied as apotential cause of autism than vaccines,” the Autism ScienceFoundation said in astatementThursday.“This includes vaccine ingredients as well as the body’sresponse to vaccines. All this research hasdeterminedthatthere is no link between autism and vaccines.”

Kennedy,alongtime leader in the anti-vaccine move-

When asked if the White House would release the transcript, White House communications director Steven Cheung in astatement called Vindman “a bitter backbencher who nobody takes seriously.Heis aserial liar and was partof the hoax relating to the perfect Ukraine call, in which theUkrainianpresident said so himself.”

ment, acknowledgedtoThe New York Times theexistence of studies showing no link to autism fromthe mercury-based preservative thimerosal or from the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine.

But he toldthe newspaper there are still gaps in vaccine safety science and aneed for more research. The move creates another disagreement between the health secretary andSen.Bill Cassidy,R-Baton Rouge, a physician who chairs the Senate health committee. During his confirmation process, Kennedypledged to Cassidy he wouldleavethe statement that vaccines do not cause

Vindman’stwin brother, then-Army officer,Lt. Col. Alex Vindman, also worked at the National Security Council at the time, and had aprominent role in Trump’s 2019 impeachment.

autism on the CDC website. The statement remains on the websitebut withadisclaimer that it wasleft there because of theiragreement.

KennedytoldThe New York Times he talked to Cassidy about the updated website and that Cassidy disagreed with the decision.

“What parents need to hear right now is vaccines for measles, polio, hepatitis B and other childhood diseases are safe and effective and will not cause autism,” Cassidy posted on XonThursday.“Any statement to the contrary is wrong, irresponsible,and activelymakes Americans sicker.”

Dispute over fossil fuel phaseout upsets climatetalks

BY SETH BORENSTEIN, MELINA WALLING and ANTON L. DELGADO Associated Press

BELEM, Brazil Severalnations held firm Friday in blocking proposals in the final stages of this year’s U.N. climate talks because they failed to explicitly cite the burning of fuels such as oil, gas and coal as causes of global warming, and the talks appeared certain to sprawl past amidnight deadline.

Juan Carlos Monterrey Gomez, atop negotiator for Panama, said the decades-long United Nations process risks “becoming aclown show” for the omission. His nation was among 36 to object to aproposal from the conference president, André Corrêado Lago of host Brazil, because it doesn’tprovide an explicit guide map for the world to transition awayfrom fossil fuels, nor to strengthen climate-fighting plans submitted earlier this year Before nations moved into high-level negotiations behind closed doors, Monterrey Gomez warned that talks were on “the verge of collapse.” Afew hours later, he said nothingmuchhad changed.

Do Lago started the day telling diplomats he thought they “are very close” to doing what they set out to do when they started meeting a

week ago. When the all-country talks fizzled, do Lago pivoted to bringing in smaller pairings ofnegotiating teams for meeting in his office

“I would expect there needs to be another text,” veteran observer andformer chief German climate negotiator Jennifer Morgan saidlateFriday afternoon. “I think there’squite alot of work to bedone ”

The Brazilianproposals —alsocalled texts— came on the heels of afireon Thursdaythatbriefly spread through pavilions of the conference known as COP30 on theedge of theAmazon. No one was seriously hurt but thefire meant that aday of work waslargelylost.

“The problem is we’re 24 hours behind schedule,” said David Waskow,international climate director for the World Resources Institute.

The European Union said flatly that it wouldn’taccept the text. EU Climate CommissionerWopke Hoekstra reminded negotiatorsthat countries had gathered at the edge of the Amazon to bring downemissions and transition awayfrom fossil fuels.

“Look at the text. Look at it. Noneofitis in there.Noscience. No global stock-take. No transitioning away.But instead,weakness,” Hoekstra saidina closed-door meeting of negotiators, according to atranscript pro-

Indian fighter jetcrashes during DubaiAir Show

BY JON GAMBRELL and SHEIKH SAALIQ

Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates— An Indian fighter jet crashed Fridayatthe start of ademonstration flight in front of acrowd of spectators at the Dubai Air Show,killing its sole pilot.

The Indian HAL Tejas smashed into the ground at the vast Al Maktoum International Airport at Dubai World Central, sending avast fireball into the air and thick black smoke into the sky. Police vehicles, ambulances and ahelicopterrushed to

the site of the crash, spraying firefighting foam to extinguish the blaze

Onlookers, including families whogathered ina grand stand for the end of the air show Friday,gasped in horrorand disbeliefatthe crash in this city-state in theUnited ArabEmirates. The airplane appeared to have lostcontrol and dove directly toward the ground.

TheIndian Air Force confirmed the crash and said “the pilot sustained fatal injuries in the accident.”

“IAFdeeplyregretsthe loss of life and stands firmly with the bereaved family in

Netanyahuconvenes officialsonsettler violence in West Bank

BY JULIA FRANKEL Associated Press

JERUSALEM Israel’sprime

minister met with top security officials to discuss arising tide of Israeli settler violence in the West Bank,anIsraeli officialsaidFriday,asfresh allegations surfaced of Israeli settlers hurling rocks at passing Palestinian vehicles in the West Bank villageof Huwara.

Huwara Mayor Jihad Ouda said the stone throwing was quickly followedbya huge fire at anearby scrapyard. Flames lit up the evening sky and sent massive columns of smoke into the air,images and video on social media showed.The military said it had reportsthat Israelisset the fire and that police were

investigating. The U.N. humanitarian officedocumented 29 attacks by settlers in theWest Bank from Nov.11-17,U.N.spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters Friday. The attacks caused 11 injuries and damage to 10homes, two mosques and nearly two dozenvehicles,aswellas damage to crops, livestock, and roughly1,000 trees and saplings, he said. Israeli forces have killed more than 200 Palestinians in the West Bank so far this year, including 50 children, Dujarric said. In thelatestdeaths,the PalestinianHealth Ministrysaid twoPalestinian youths aged 18 and 16 were killed by Israeli gunfire overnight. The circumstancesof the shoot-

at the COP30U.N Climate SummitinBelem,

vided by theEU. “Under no circumstances arewegoing to acceptthis.And nothing that is even remotelyclose, andI say it with pain in my heart, nothing that is remotely close to what is now on the table.”

“After10years, this process is still failing,”Maina Vakafua Talia,ministerof environment for the small Pacific island nation of Tuvalu, said in aspeech earlier in the day.“The Pacific came to COP30 demanding asurvival road map away fromfossil fuels. Yetthe current draft texts that came out (do) not

even name themainthreat for our very survivaland existence.”

Akey textamong host Brazil’s proposals deals with four difficult issues. They include financial aid for vulnerable countries hit hardest by climate change and gettingcountries to toughen up their national plans to reduce Earth-warming emissions.

Then there’s the dispute over creating adetailed road map for the world to phase out the fossil fuels that are largely drivingEarth’sincreasing extreme weather

Emergency services work the scene

HAL Tejas crashed during ademonstration

Show,atAlMaktoum International

Central, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

this timeofgrief,” it said in a statement. It said “a courtof inquiry is being constituted, to ascertain the cause of the accident.”

Emirati crash investigators also will investigate the crash.

The city-state’ssecond airport hoststhe biennial Dubai Air Show. This year’sedition

sawmajor aircraft orders by both the long-haul carrier Emirates and itslower-cost sisterairline FlyDubai.

“Firefighting and emergency teams responded rapidly to the incident and are currently managing the situation on-site,”the Dubai Media Office, which responds to crises in the sheikhdom,said on X.

ings were notimmediately clear.Israeli police did not immediately respond when asked to comment. At the meeting, Prime Minister BenjaminNetanyahu andofficials from the military,the country’sShin Bet domestic security service and the police discussed the recent spike in violence and proposals on curbing it,according to an Israeli official whospoke on condition of an-

onymity because they were not permitted to talk about aclosed-door gathering. The official said proposals floated at the meeting included getting violent settlerstoattend educational programs.

The Prime Minister’sOffice did notimmediately respondtorequest for comment about whatwas discussed. TheIsraeli official said there would be afollowup meeting.

Any such plan would expand on asingle sentence —to “transition away” fromfossilfuels —agreedupontwo years ago at the climate talks in Dubai. But no timetable or process wasspelled out and powerful oil-producing nations like Saudi Arabia and Russia oppose it. More than 80 nations have calledfor strongerdirection and Brazil President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva also pushed for it earlier this month.

Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore urgednations to stand firm in opposition andhailedLula’s involvement.

“Saudi Arabia andDonald Trumpand Russia under Vladimir Putin have bulliedcountries to support an absurd proposal,” Gore said in an interview with The Associated Press. He said the latest document “even deletes the proposaltophase outthe ridiculous and selfdestructivesubsidiesfor fossil fuels. This is an OPEC text,” he said, forthe organization that represents oilproducing countries. On phasing outfossil fuels, the proposal “acknowledges that the global transition towards lowgreenhouse gas emissions and climateresilient development is irreversible and the trend of the future.” Thetext “also acknowledges that the Paris Agreement is working and resolves to go further andfaster,” referringtothe 2015 climate talks that established the goal to limit global warming to 2.7 degrees, compared to the mid-1800s. Akey issue is that the 119 national emissions-curbing plans submitted this year don’tcome close to limiting warming to 2.7 degrees. Though the text didn’taddress afossilfuel transition road map, it couldeventually end in avaguely worded section about aplan for the next couple years in aseparate road map.

FAAgives bonusto776 controllers, technicians

BY JOSH FUNK AP transportationwriter

Only 776 air traffic controllers and technicians who had perfect attendance during the government shutdown will receive$10,000 bonuses while nearly 20,000 other workers will be left out, the Federal Aviation Administration announced Thursday Anumberofcontrollers started calling out of work as the shutdown dragged on longer than amonth and they dealt with the financial pressure of workingwithout apaycheck. Someofthem gotsidejobs, but others simply couldn’tafford the child care or gas they needed to work. Their absences forced delays at airports across the country and led the government to order airlinestocut some of theirflights at 40 busyairports.

President Donald Trump suggested the bonuses for those whohavestayed on thejob in asocial media post,but he also suggested that controllers who missed work should have their paydocked. FAAofficials haven’tpublicly announced plans to penalize controllers.

Thousands of FAAtechnicians also hadtowork during the shutdown to maintain the equipment that air traffic controllers rely on. At least 6,600 technicians were expected to work throughout the shutdown but more than 3,000 others were subjecttoberecalled to work.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the bonuses acknowledged the dedi-

Only thosewith perfectshutdown attendance eligible port

cation of these few workers whonever missed ashift during the 43-day shutdown. In apostonXhedescribeditas“Santa’s coming to town alittle early.”

“These patriotic men and womennever missedabeat and kept the flying public safe throughout the shutdown,” Duffy said in his formal announcement.

The National AirTraffic Controllers Association union said only 311 of its more than10,000 members will receive the bonuses. The union said these workers with perfect attendance deserve recognition butso do the others.

“Weare concerned that thousands of air traffic controllerswho consistently reportedfor dutyduring the shutdown, ensuring the safe transport of passengers andcargo acrossthe nation, while working without pay and uncertain of when they would receive compensation, were excluded from this recognition. More than 311ofthese dedicated professionals were instrumental in keeping America moving,” the union said in a statement.

The Professional Aviation Safety Specialists unionsaidthe thousands of technicians it represents worked hard to keepthe agingcomputerand radar systemscontrollers use operating during the shutdown, andtheyshouldall be recognized— not just the 423 getting bonuses.

“Ittookmanyhands to ensure that not one delay during the historic 43-day shutdown wasattributed to equipment or system failures,” the union said in a statement.

Democratic Rep. Rick Larsen questionedwhy all the controllers andothers whoworked to keep flights moving during the shutdown won’tget bonuses.

Solar chose us. We’re so excited to see this plant come to fruition.”

On Friday, First Solar’s leadership team along with local elected officials and other leaders celebrated the company’s inauguration at its New Iberia plant, opening its 2.4-million-square-foot building

— now the largest facility under one roof in Louisiana that represents its $1.1 billion investment in south Louisiana.

It marked the end of a two-year process since it was announced in August 2023 Now the company will employ 826 and offer an average compensation package of $90,000.

The opening is a huge win for the region and the state, said Millard Mulé, policy director for Gov Jeff Landry “It’s a huge win for our state’s workers, and it’s a huge win for Louisiana’s economy First Solar’s investment is bringing hundreds of great, high-quality American manufacturing jobs in the community.”

It’s another step in First Solar’s rapid growth across the United States. When it announced plans to locate in Iberia Parish, the news was that it would be its fifth facility in the country and have a payroll of at least $40 million

The plant opened in July months ahead of schedule. Last week it announced plans to open a similar plant in South Carolina, its ninth overall.

The company will produce its Series 7 modules using American materials, including glass from Illinois and Ohio along with steel produced in Mississippi and fabricated into backrails in Louisiana.

Economic dividends

The Louisiana investment is already paying dividends, with Acadiana manufacturers like Noble Plastics announcing in September that it would undergo an $8.5 million expansion to supply the New Iberia location.

Ohio-based Ice Industries recently celebrated the grand opening of its $6 million manufacturing facility in Jefferson Davis Parish,

FLU

Continued from page 1A

which will produce steel backrails for First Solar’s photovoltaic panels.

“You feel the impact immediately, “Antoun said. “I’m very proud, given that I’m a Louisiana boy “

The idea to bring the facility to south Louisiana wasn’t without its hurdles, he added. The state, known for its damaging hurricanes and flooding, at first made the board uneasy but it had one thing going for it — a highly skilled, easily transferable workforce.

The University of Louisiana at Lafayette and South Louisiana Community College were also eager to help win over the company, providing a curriculum and simulated training for new hires, and tapping the university for a large portion of its workforce.

“Pushback is normal,” he said “Louisiana is a tough place to build. South Louisiana, we get a few hurricanes here and there. Flooding, tax-wise, insurance-wise. This took a bit of doing and bringing it here. But the company was committed to drive it in here.”

“(UL) produces a tremendous amount of engineers and technical degrees, and a lot of folks don’t want to leave the area. They want to stay here.”

Level playing field

It’s a made-in-America approach to manufacturing that allowed First Solar to outpace manufacturing capabilities of companies in China, said CEO Mark Widmar

“A level playing field — that’s all we need,” he said. “American workers can out-innovate and outcompete if given the opportunity We’re incredibly proud to inaugurate this facility as a symbol of American energy dominance and re-industrialization.”

The plant will also use artificial intelligence by using computer vision and deep learning to quickly detect defects in its products during production, officials said Its technicians and operators can use AI tools to make operating adjustments and guide their decision making.

First Solar which has opened facilities in other similar-sized markets, expected to employ 5,500 people by the end of next year and have invested $4.5 billion in American manufacturing.

“We’ve been able to be successful to go into communities, in some cases, that other companies have left,” Widmar said. “Our factory that we put in Alabama, there was

a paper mill there. Those guys went to China. We went back into that community, revived it and now it’s thriving. That’s what we want to do.”

Local impact

First Solar is also poised to deliver a financial boon to Iberia Parish, said Reuven Proenca, director of global brand, corporate and marketing communications at First Solar The company is expected to contribute the equivalent of $150 million to the parish’s GDP in the first year of operation.

The company was able to land in Iberia Parish thanks to a state incentives package that included LED workforce solutions program and performance-based grants for site development and infrastructure improvements totaling $30 million.

Iberia Parish and the Iberia Economic Development Authority also committed to fund site improvements.

“The quality of life for the people in Iberia Parish will change because of this,” Iberia Parish President M. Larry Richard said. “I can’t thank First Solar enough for choosing Iberia Parish. Since (they) chose our parish, we have

a lot of other companies choosing Iberia Parish It has totally put us on the map.”

The New Iberia location can produce up to 3.5 GW worth of solar panels annually

“You’re going to see us throttle down, throttle up. We’re trying to react to the market,” Antoun said “We’ve been on a tremendous growth over the past 10 years. Now we’re at a point where we need to understand what our friends in Washington will do and what certainties they will put.”

The company will also provide high-paying jobs averaging $80,000 to $90,000, totaling $75 million in annual labor income, according to data collected by the Kathleen Babineaux Blanco Public Policy Center at UL.

Antoun also believes the company will likely continue its rapid growth as the largest solar panel manufacturer in the Western Hemisphere. Just seven years ago, the company could produce around 2.5 gigawatts of solar panels a year, compared to the 17.7 GW it expects to create once the South Carolina facility is operational.

President Donald Trump has made his distaste for renewable energy well known over the years, going as far as sunsetting Bidenera solar tax credits earlier than they were set to expire. The decision killed dozens of early-stage utility-scale solar projects planned for Louisiana.

But Trump’s marquee One Big Beautiful Bill has produced “tail winds” for the 100% Americanmade company, Proenca said, adding that First Solar is one of the only solar companies listed on the White House’s investment list, which shows domestic corporate investment.

“Can we survive without incentives? The answer is yes,” Antoun said.

In an energy-hungry America, Antoun said, solar remains the cheapest and most quickly deployable form of energy

“Everybody is looking for power as a country, as the U.S.,” he said “We have no spare power Is it solar? Is it natural gas? Is it coal? Is it nuke? Look, it’s all of the above.”

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Continued from page 1A

to go head-to-head with the most powerful person in the world.

For Trump, it was a highprofile chance to talk about affordability at a time when he’s under increasing political pressure to show he’s addressing voter concerns about the cost of living.

Until now, the men have been political foils who galvanized their supporters by taking on each other, and it’s unclear how those backers will react to their genial gettogether and complimentary words.

“We’re going to be helping him, to make everybody’s dream come true, having a strong and very safe New York,” the president said.

“What I really appreciate about the president is that the meeting that we had focused not on places of disagreement, which there are many, and also focused on the shared purpose that we have in serving New Yorkers,” Mamdani said.

Mamdani and Trump said they discussed housing affordability and the cost of groceries and utilities, as Mamdani successfully used frustration over inflation to get elected, just as the presi-

BOND

Continued from page 1A

The need for a new building comes as those aging facilities need more and more capital funding to complete repairs. Current Paul Breaux Middle School

Principal Tia Trahan said she’s thankful for the work that has been done on the

This updated H3N2 strain has driven rapid increases in cases in the United Kingdom, Japan and Canada. New CDC data shows it

There’s also another reason the flu may be spreading faster. One strain of the flu, known as H3N2, picked up new mutations over the summer Those changes allow the strain to “evade immunity a little better,” said Bolton. For example, someone who had the flu last year may not have protection against this strain, though it’s unclear if it will spread in Louisiana.

now makes up more than half of flu samples tested in the United States. The current U.S. flu vaccine still teaches the body to recognize H3N2 and is expected to provide at least partial protection against the strain and reduce the risk of severe illness.

With Thanksgiving approach-

ing, Dr Julio Figueroa, infectious disease expert at LSU Health New Orleans, said increases in flu numbers are expected.

“It’s not going crazy yet, but now is the time to get your flu vaccine,” Figueroa said.

According to state data, children ages 2 to 4 and 5 to 11 make up the largest percentage of visits to emergency departments for flu, making up more than 10% of visits for each group. Dr Margot Anderson, a pediatric hospitalist and infectious disease specialist at Manning Family Children’s, said her team is already treating hospitalized children with both flu and RSV, another seasonal respiratory virus.

dent did in the 2024 election.

“Some of his ideas are really the same ideas that I have,” the president said of Mamdani about inflationary issues.

The president brushed aside Mamdani’s criticisms of him over his administration’s deportation raids and claims that Trump was behaving like a despot. Instead, Trump said the responsibility of holding an executive position in the government causes a person to change, saying that had been the case for him

He seemed at times even protective of Mamdani, jumping in on his behalf at several points. For example, when reporters asked Mamdani to clarify his past statements indicating that he thought the president was acting like a fascist, Trump said, “I’ve been called much worse than a despot.”

When a reporter asked if Mamdani stood by his comments that Trump is a fascist, Trump interjected before the mayor-elect could fully answer the question.

That’s OK. You can just say yes. OK?” Trump said. “It’s easier It’s easier than explaining it. I don’t mind.”

Trump stepped in again when a reporter asked Mamdani why he flew to Washington instead of taking transportation that used

campus recently, but those are just “Band-Aids” for the bigger facility issues.

“Our students deserve more than what these aging walls can offer,” she said. “They deserve an environment that is safe, modern and inspiring, a place where they can feel proud of and where they can thrive.”

Barras Architects and RHH Architects will work jointly to design the new

less fossil fuels.

“I’ll stick up for you,” Trump said.

Mamdani, who takes office in January, said he sought the meeting with Trump to talk about ways to make New York City more affordable.

Trump has said he may want to help him out — although he has also falsely labeled Mamdani as a “communist” and threatened to yank federal funds from the city.

But Trump on Friday didn’t sling that at the mayor He acknowledged that he had said he had been prepared to cut off funding or make it harder for New York City to access federal resources if the two had failed to “get along.”

But the president pulled back from those threats, saying: “We don’t want that to happen. I don’t think that’s going to happen.”

Trump loomed large over the mayoral race this year and on the eve of the election, he endorsed independent candidate and former Democratic Gov Andrew Cuomo, predicting the city has “ZERO chance of success, or even survival” if Mamdani won. He also questioned the citizenship of Mamdani, who was born in Uganda and became a naturalized American citizen after graduating from college, and said he’d have

facility The Lafayette Parish School Board will select a construction manager at risk at its meeting on Dec 11. The estimated completion date for the school is early 2028. In June, LPSS closed on over $65 million to fund three major renovations and wing additions at Judice Middle, Acadiana High and L.J. Alleman Middle.

him arrested if he followed through on threats not to cooperate with immigration agents in the city

Mamdani beat back a challenge from Cuomo, painting him as a “puppet” for the president, and promised to be “a mayor who can stand up to Donald Trump and actually deliver.” He declared during one primary debate, “I am Donald Trump’s worst nightmare, as a progressive Muslim immigrant who actually fights for the things that I believe in.”

The president, who has long used political opponents to fire up his backers, predicted Mamdani “will prove to be one of the best things to ever happen to our great Republican Party.”

As Mamdani upended the

Democratic establishment by defeating Cuomo and his far-left progressive policies provoked infighting, Trump repeatedly has cast Mamdani as the face of Democratic Party

The president has had some dramatic public Oval Office faceoffs this year, including an infamously heated exchange with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in March. In May, Trump dimmed the lights while meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and played a fourminute video making widely rejected claims that South Africa is violently persecuting the country’s White Afrikaner minority farmers.

A senior Trump administration official who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe internal discussions said Trump had not put a lot of thought into planning the meeting with the incoming mayor — but said Trump’s threats to block federal dollars from flowing to New York remained on the table. Mamdani said Thursday that he was not concerned about the president potentially trying to use the meeting to publicly embarrass him and said he saw it as a chance to make his case, even while acknowledging “many disagreements with the president.” Instead, both men avoided a public confrontation in a remarkably calm and cordial series of comments in front of news reporters.

Shown

Reward offered for missing cypress board

Ex-House

BY TYLER BRIDGES Staff writer

Wanted: the return of a giant cypress board that is more than 1,000 years old.

Last seen: in the legislative office in early 2024 of then-House Speaker Clay Schexnayder, R-Gonzales. Reward for its return: $5,000, of-

fered by the seven grandsons of the late Walter Stebbins, who donated the board to the state in 1955. Anyone with information about the missing board should call Crimestoppers at (225) 344-7867.

ting the board returned to the State Capitol, where it was prominently displayed for decades.

Schexnayder

Julius Mullins, a retired doctor in Baton Rouge and one of the seven grandsons, said the family issued the reward to spur interest in get-

Stebbins’ grandchildren offered the reward days after Schexnayder was indicted by a grand jury in Baton Rouge at the behest of Attorney General Liz Murrill and charged with knowingly and intentionally committing theft of a “rare

Louisiana state artifact,” leading to a charge of felony theft greater than $25,000. The indictment also says Schexnayder has been charged with malfeasance in office for “intentionally refusing to perform a duty required of him as a public officer or employee.”

Schexnayder has said then-Speaker Chuck Kleckley, R-Lake Charles, asked him in 2013 to put the board in his legislative office because it came from a tree in Ascension Parish. Kleckley has questioned that account.

Schexnayder hung the board — which measures about 6 feet by 20 feet and has words of its origin engraved into it on a wall directly

Speaker Schexnayder faces felony charges ä See REWARD, page 2B

BIRDS IN HAND

Miguez,

BY STEPHEN MARCANTEL Staff writer

The Lafayette Consolidated Government and the Lafayette Police Department will host a meeting to receive public input and provide information on the city’s upcoming Mardi Gras season. Krewes, business owners, and paradegoers are encouraged to attend the meeting, which will be held at the Downtown Convention Center on Monday at 6 p.m., according to an LCG announcement. The meeting is in response to an October announcement by MayorPresident Monique Boulet that LCG seeks input on Mardi Gras parades

Local tech companies including LFT Fiber, S1 Technology, CGI, Techneaux and Rader Solutions partnered to donate 100 frozen turkeys to organizations that will hand them out to families for Thanksgiving. Organizations receiving the turkeys include Christian Life Center, St. Barnabas Church, Pontiac Point and Brandon Mason Foundation

Festival International sees rising cost in booking acts

GoFundMe started to cover talent fees

BY JOANNA BROWN Staff writer

For the next two weeks, Festival International de Louisiane is raising funds to help offset the rising costs of booking international artists for this Louisiana festival. The festival’s board of volunteers has started a GoFundMe page to support the costs of paying for international talent, which includes steep fees associated with visa applications and establishing withholding agreements between internationally-based bands and the Internal Revenue Service. According to the fundraising page, these costs have reached

an all-time high and now consume 30% of Festival International’s budget for paying international artists. Their budget for performers is $300,000. In April, the festival will celebrate 40 years in downtown Lafayette. Particularly since the pandemic, Festival International has had to fall back more and more on booking U.S.- and Canada-based artists as administrative costs associated with international touring continue to rise.

Festival International de Louisiane, founded in Lafayette in 1987, focuses on bringing cultures around the world — especially Francophone cultures — to Acadiana for a week of music and artistic exchange. The 2026 festival will be held in downtown Lafayette from April 22-26.

Oil Center’s Festival of Lights returns to Lafayette

Organizers bring back lights, Santa’s sleigh and family fun

BY JA’KORI MADISON Staff writer

The Oil Center Association’s 26th Festival of Lights is returning Dec. 5 after a seven-year hiatus. The free, family-friendly Christmas event in the Oil Center was canceled in 2019 after a 25-year run. At the time, organizers cited a sluggish economy and difficulty securing sponsors for the event, which is intended to raise money for the nonprofit Oil Center Association Organizers

happy with, and this is what I’m not happy with.’ The members might say, ‘We want the festival back.’”

This year’s celebration, which will showcase over 250 lights and

Checchiotestifies in church bankruptcy case

Next archbishop vows to guardagainst clergy sexabuse

BY STEPHANIE RIEGEL Staff writer

Coadjutor Archbishop James Checchio, who willlead the Archdiocese of New Orleans out of its five-year bankruptcy and intothe next chapter of its 232-year history,testified Friday in thechurch’s bankruptcy hearing, vowing to uphold new measures to guard against clergy sex abuse “with all my heart and energy Ihave.”

The measures, part of the proposed settlementplan at issuein the three-week trial,would establish new policies for reporting and handling allegations of clergy sex abuse and createa public database detailing past incidents of abuse During hisbrieftimeonthe witness stand,Checchio also apologized to an abuse survivor,Pat Moody,onbehalf of the archdiocese. Moody,who heads thecommittee that represents more than 650 survivors of clergy sex abuse in the case, had testified moments earlier about her experienceand theimportanceofthe newpolicies that will go into effect if the settlement is confirmed.

“Thank you for what you have

been doingfor years,”Checchio said. “I am sorry you have had to go through this.Itisgoingtohelp make things better for the future. Ipray for youand for our church, too.”

Checchio’s testimony cameone dayafter his predecessor,Archbishop GregoryAymond, took the stand in the trial, technically known as aconfirmation hearing, which couldresolvethe long-running bankruptcycase by the endofthe year

Attorneys for the archdiocese and for clergy abuse survivors are asking U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Meredith Grabillto confirma joint settlement plan that woulddistribute funds from a$230million trust to more than 600 abuse survivors over several years.

The plan would also establishthe “non-monetary” provisions regardingabuse reporting and transparency

In marked contrast to Aymond, 76,who appearedsolemn and uncomfortable during more than an hour of intense cross-examination Thursday,the 59-year-old Checchio looked at ease answering questions from the church’slawyer,Pat Vance.

Checchio brieflyoutlinedpolicies he helped implement in his former position as bishop of the Dioceseof Metuchen, NewJersey,where all clergyabuse allegations —even

those made by adults —are immediately referred to law enforcement and transparent record keeping is strictly enforced. He alsosaid hisbusy schedule since arriving in New Orleans one week ago hadprecluded him from reading the274-page settlement, and elicited chuckles in the courtroom with areference to his stint as chaplain of thePhiladelphia Eagles. ‘Not thewelcome I’dwant’ Checchio was named by Pope Leo XIV as Aymond’ssuccessor in September and was officially welcomed at aMass on Tuesday at St. LouisCathedral. He has said the transitional role of coadjutor will allowhim to share duties with Aymond, who will focus on wrapping up thebankruptcy while Checchio tends to ministerial andadministrative duties. While the worst of the long-running case may be over,Checchio will continue to deal with the falloutwell into his tenure. He inherits ahistoric archdiocese with an agingand shrinking population,more thantwo dozen of its104 parishes operating at aloss and asurplus of old buildings thatare difficult to sell.

He will also need to restore faith in thechurchamong NewOrleans’ halfamillion Roman Catholics, following years of scandal and pain resulting from the clergy abuse crisis andbankruptcy

N.O. bluesman Guitar Lightnin’Lee dies at 83

He fronteda band that included punk musicians

BY KEITHSPERA Staff writer

Leroy Williams, better known to New Orleans nightlife denizens as bluesman Guitar Lightnin’Lee,died

Nov.6.Hewas 83.

ANew Orleans native who grew up in the Lower 9th Ward, he hung out outside the Dew Drop Inn and other nightclubs before he was old enough to enter. He learned guitar as a teenager,taking inspiration from Chicago blues guitarist Jimmy Reed. In his late teens, he made apilgrimage to Chicago andmet Reed. He also lived for atime in Los Angeles and served astint in the Army He returned to New Orleans around 1970.A city employeewho operated heavy equipment by day,he took on adifferent persona after dark as aguitarist and singer with an outsized personality.Herubbed elbows and/or shared stages with the likes of Fats Domino, Earl King, Ernie K-Doe and Little FreddieKing.Soul singer “Brother Tyrone”Pollard christened him “Guitar Lightnin’ Lee.” Williams sported Westernstyle shirts and ared guitar he called Josephine at neighborhood bars and music venuesacrossthe metro area.

PARADES

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shifted parade routes down Jefferson Street.

Boudreauxand theCity Council successfully introduced an ordinance at Tuesday night’scouncil meeting that aims to create anineperson Mardi Gras Activities Committee. The ordinance would give the council the authority to approve changes to parade routes At that meeting, Boulet said she wasn’topposed to the idea of an advisory committee, adding that she wishes to see more of the public involved in theprocess.

“It’sacitywide event,soif we’re gonna openupthe discussion, Iwant to see it open to the city,” Boulet said on Tuesday.“Whichever route we land on is fine. I’m not tied to one or the other.” The Downtown Convention Center is at 124S.Buchanan St.

He was more likelytobe found at Guitar Joe’sHouse of Blues in Central Cityor Mickey Bee’sinthe Lower 9thWard than better-known venues. He pluggedinto thecity’s underground music community after meeting veteran punk drummer Paul Artigues, who is also an accomplished chef, around 1997. They started performing as aduo. Eventually,Artigues recruitedtwo othermembers of his punk band Die Rotzz to flesh out the crossgenerational Thunder Band thatbacked Lee.

TheMusicMaker Relief Foundation, anational nonprofit that provides financial and career support to traditionalmusicians,started working with Lee in 2009. He subsequentlyreleased an album titled “N.O.L.A. Rhythum and Booze.”

In a2012 profile of Lee, music journalist Alison Fensterstock described the combination of “slamming drums,semi-distorted guitar,and Lightnin’sdeep, growling voice” as “real blues, realpunk, realNew Orleans.”

Indicative of the band’s dual personalities, Lightnin’ Lee’srecorded output included contributions from such disparate personalities as New Orleans music legends Fats Domino and Al Carnival Time” Johnson as well as unconventional musicmad scientist Mr.Quintron. On his 2013 album “Just AnOl’ G,” Leeand company covered everything from Cookie &the Cupcakes’ “Mathilda”

to psychedelic punk band the Cramps’ “Human Fly.”

In thesummerof2013, he and Little Freddie King shared the cover of BigCity Rhythm &Blues Magazine Lee performed at theNew Orleans Jazz &Heritage Festival and other festivals across the country

Butfans still sought him outinthe small, local barrooms where he madehis bones. On aparticularly memorable Monday night in July 2013, Robert Plant sat in with Lee andsouthwest Louisiana guitaristC.C. Adcock at BJ’sLoungeinthe Bywater neighborhood.

In early 2017, he tooka break fromperforming as he battled lung cancer.He eventually returnedtothe stage.

Survivors include adaughter,Phoeneshia L. Jacques (Rene), andfoursons, Desmann D. Williams, Leroy Williams Jr Norman Williams and Christopher L. Spears, as wellasa sister, Elaine Thompson. Acelebration of life is scheduled for Nov.22at 10 a.m. at New Orleans Bible FellowshipBaptist Church, 4430 Bundy Road.

THURSDAY, NOV. 20, 2025

PICK 3: 6-7-8 PICK 4: 7-3-0-9 PICK 5: 9-3-8-0-1

FESTIVAL

Grabillseemed to acknowledge that dynamic Friday.

“Welcome to New Orleans,” she told Checchio.“This hasbeen going on for along time and based on your testimony,I am pleased thatyou’re here.

Checchio replied, saying, “It’snot part of thewelcoming Iwould envisionorwant,but Iamhappy to be here.”

Enforcingthe plan

Before Checchio’stestimony,Grabill returned to an issue she raised Thursday with Aymond on the stand— how the court will be able to enforce the “non-monetary” provisions in the planonce the bankruptcycaseisover.

“Ifthis plan is confirmed, the court is becoming apartner with this organization to enforce the promises it makes,” Grabill said to Andrew Caine,anattorneyfor the abuse survivors. “Howdoesthat happen?”

Caine pointed to apassageinthe planrequiring thearchdioceseto hire outside experts, includinga child protection consultant, youth protection advisers andayouth protection “executive.” The plan also includes more transparent abuse reporting protocols, awhistleblower policy and the appointment of at leasttwo abuse survivors to an Internal Review Boardthatwill review abuseallegations.

Continuedfrom page1B

thelighting of Santa and his sleigh on Ochsner’sskywalk, will take place from 5:30 to 9p.m. inside Ochsner’sBurdin Riehl Parking Garage, transforming it into amultilevel Christmas experience. In the past, the festival was spread outalong Oil Center streets.

On thefifth floor of the parking garage,there will be afamilyfun zone with Christmas movies showing on thebig screen,snow, cookie decorating, ornament decorating, face painting, hot cocoa, pictures with Santa andmore. On the sixth floor of theBurdin Riehl Parking Tower,aticketed 21plus event will include food, drinks,and livemusic from with live musicfromDustin Dale Gaspard,Coteau Grove &OnCall Band

On Coolidge Street, festivalgoers can enjoy afamily-friendly experience with trolley rides for a Christmas light experience that will gotodowntown’s Christmas event and train ridesdown the median Ticketscan be purchased at theoilcenter.com.

Grabill said she wants to continue discussing the provisions with attorneys forboth sidesinthe remaining days of the trial.

Grabill also heardonFridayfrom Moody,who explained her role as chairofthe court-appointed committeethat has represented the abuse survivors during the bankruptcycaseand settlement talks. She recounted herexperience of being sexually abusedbya priest, since deceased, between theages of 8and 10, andsaidshe did notremember the abuse until yearslater, in 2018, when Aymondreleased a list of credibly accusedclergy In theyears since, she said she has struggled to bring change to the church and has served on the committeetotry to help others who have sufferedwith clergy abuse

“All Ikeptthinkingissomebody hastodosomething to make changes to protect children. Iwantedthe church to be asafeplace to go,” Moodysaid.

Moody also disclosed that she has agreed to serve on the Internal Review Board if the settlement is confirmed.

“I am just so determinedtomake sure anyone involved in making decisions has an understanding of what asurvivorhas been through,” shesaid. “I have nevercomefrom aplace of hate, and Ithink the personthatservesasa survivoronthis IRB needstobesomeonelike me.”

REWARD

Continued from page1B

behind his desk. Mullins spotteditone night when he saw Schexnayder interviewed on TV Schexnayder has said he left the board at his legislative officewhenhis term ended and doesn’tknow what happened to it. The leasing manager forthe office has saidhis team never removed it.

Schexnayder turned himself in on Nov.17and was released after being booked at East Baton Rouge Parish Prison. He will be formally arraigned on Jan. 8.

Theformer lawmaker, wholeftoffice 18 months

ago because of term limits, has hired noted New Orleanscriminal defense attorney Billy Gibbens. Gibbens immediatelyfiled arequest through the discoveryprocesstohaveaccesstoevidence collected by the Attorney General’s Office, including any grand jury or witness testimony that would aidSchexnayder’sdefense. Defense attorneys have said Murrill’sofficewill need stronger evidence to convict Schexnayder beyond demonstrating that he last knewofthe board’s whereabouts. Mullins wasaskedif Schexnayderwould qualify for the reward if he found the board. “I don’tknow,”Mullins replied.

France to investigate Musk’s Grok chatbot

PARIS France’s government is taking action against billionaire Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence chatbot Grok after it generated French-language posts that questioned the use of gas chambers at Auschwitz, officials said. Grok, built by Musk’s company xAI and integrated into his social media platform X, wrote in a widely shared post in French that gas chambers at the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp were designed for “disinfection with Zyklon B against typhus” rather than for mass murder — language long associated with Holocaust denial.

The Auschwitz Memorial highlighted the exchange on X, saying that the response distorted historical facts and violated the platform’s rules.

In later posts on its X account, the chatbot acknowledged that its earlier reply to an X user was wrong, said it had been deleted and pointed to historical evidence that Auschwitz’s gas chambers using Zyklon B were used to murder more than 1 million people. The follow-ups were not accompanied by any clarification from X.

In tests run by The Associated Press on Friday, its responses to questions about Auschwitz appeared to give historically accurate information.

Fed governor signals inflation concern

Add one more to the number of Federal Reserve officials signaling fresh discomfort over inflation.

Fed Governor Michael Barr on Thursday said the U.S. central bank needs to proceed with caution in considering additional interest-rate cuts.

“I am concerned that we’re seeing inflation still at around 3% and our target is 2%, and we’re committed to getting to that 2% target,” Barr said. “So we need to be careful and cautious now about monetary policy, because we want to make sure that we’re achieving both sides of our mandate.

Barr stopped short of declaring his opposition to another rate cut, but his unease over stalled inflation will further complicate the job of Chair Jerome Powell as he tries to forge a consensus among a fractured group of policymakers in time for their Dec. 9-10 gathering in Washington.

Investors now see about a 40% probability of a rate cut at the December meeting, according to pricing in futures contracts

Barr supported the Fed’s cuts in September and October but had so far given no signal on December His vote could prove pivotal as several of his colleagues have already declared that they favor or oppose a third straight rate reduction, making the outcome uncertain.

The Fed is, after a long government shutdown, finally receiving new official data, but so far it hasn’t done much to resolve the division among policymakers OpenAI, Foxconn to partner in design

TAIPEI, Taiwan OpenAI and Taiwan electronics giant Foxconn have agreed to a partnership to design and manufacture key equipment for artificial intelligence data centers in the U.S. as part of ambitious plans to fortify American AI infrastructure.

Foxconn, which makes AI servers for Nvidia and assembles Apple products including the iPhone, will be codesigning and developing AI data center racks with OpenAI under the agreement, the companies said in separate statements on Thursday and Friday

The products Foxconn will manufacture in its U.S. facilities include cabling, networking and power systems for AI data centers, the companies said. OpenAI will have “early access” to evaluate and potentially to purchase them Foxconn has factories in the U.S., including in Wisconsin, Ohio and Texas. The initial agreement does not include financial obligations or purchase commitments, the statements said.

More swings hit Wall Street

and other stars of Wall Street shot too high? And is the Federal Reserve done with its cuts to interest rates, which would boost the economy and prices for investments?

BY STAN CHOE Associated Press

NEW YORK — More swings hit Wall Street on Friday, except the U.S. stock market finished higher this time.

After bobbing up and down through the morning, the S&P 500 took off and rallied nearly 2% before finishing with a gain of 1%.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 493 points, or 1.1%, and the Nasdaq composite rose 0.9%.

It was a fitting finish for a week that left the S&P 500 just 4.2% below its record but also forced investors to stomach the sharpest hour-to-hour swings since a selloff in April. The jarring moves are testing investors following a monthslong and remarkably smooth surge for stocks, and they come down to two basic questions, neither of which has been answered yet. Have prices for Nvidia, bitcoin

On the second question, financial markets found some assurance from a speech by the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Markets perked up immediately after John Williams told a conference in Chile that he sees “room for a further adjustment” to interest rates.

That could signal he’ll vote for another cut to rates in December

What the Fed does is critical for Wall Street because stock prices ran to records through last month in part because of expectations for a series of reductions.

Other Fed officials, though, have argued against a December cut given how high inflation remains.

The uncertainty created by such sharp disagreement has triggered dramatic moves back and forth for markets

The swings hit a crescendo on Thursday, when U.S. stocks initially surged after Nvidia

seemed to tamp down worries about a potential bubble in artificial-intelligence technology But the market quickly dropped to a sharp loss in its biggest one-day reversal since April, when President Donald Trump shocked markets with his “Liberation Day” tariffs.

Despite the strong profit report from Nvidia, whose chips are powering the move into AI, worries are still hanging around about the longer term. Will all those AI chips that Amazon, Meta Platforms and other companies are gobbling up actually yield profits and productivity as big as proponents are envisioning? If not, some investors fear, all the investment won’t be worth it.

AI-linked stocks continued to swing on Friday helping to drag the rest of the market behind them. Nvidia went from an initial gain to a drop of 4.3% and then swung back and forth before finishing with a loss of 1%, for example. Amazon went from an early loss to a gain of 1.6%.

Bitcoin, meanwhile, briefly

plunged below $81,000 before pulling back toward $85,000. That’s down from nearly $125,000 last month and brought it back to where it was in April, when markets were shaking because of Trump’s tariffs.

The vast majority of stocks on Wall Street rose despite such swings, with nearly 90% of stocks in the S&P 500 climbing. Their movements often get drowned out by Nvidia and other Big Tech stocks, whose movements have much more effect on the S&P 500 because of their immense sizes.

“When the largest companies drive most of the losses, the market can look weaker than it really is,” said Brian Jacobsen, chief economist at Annex Wealth Management.

Several retailers led the way Gap jumped 8.2% after reporting a stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. CEO Richard Dickson said it saw strong sales trends at each of its Old Navy, Gap and Banana Republic brands.

Safety improvements

BY JEFF McMURRAY and AUDREY McAVOY Associated Press

The U.S. government announced major design changes it wants to implement to make the female version of the vehicle crash test dummy more lifelike, potentially replacing a model used for decades that is based almost entirely around the body of a man despite higher injury risks for women. Department of Transportation officials will consider using the new dummy in the government’s vehicle crash test five-star ratings once a final rule is adopted, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Thursday night in a news release.

Women are 73% more likely to be injured in a head-on crash, and they are 17% more likely to be killed in a car crash, than men.

The standard crash test dummy used in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration five-star vehicle testing was developed in 1978 and was modeled after a 5-foot-9, 171-pound man. The female dummy is smaller and has a rubber jacket to represent breasts. It’s routinely tested in the passenger or back seat but seldom in the driver’s seat, even though the majority of licensed drivers are women But the change is not guaranteed to happen.

Some American automakers have been skeptical and a group representing auto insurers has already said it thinks the current crash test dummies are fine.

The new female dummy endorsed by the department more accurately reflects differences between men and women, including the shape of the neck, collarbone, pelvis, and legs.

It’s outfitted with more than 150 sensors, the department said.

Maria Weston Kuhn, a law student at New York University started lobbying members of Congress to pass a law requiring the new female dummy after surviving a 2019 crash in Ireland in which her seat belt slid off her hips and ruptured her intestines. She welcomed Duffy’s support but said she won’t celebrate

By The Associated Press

SAO PAULO Brazil’s Vice President Geraldo Alckmin on Friday hailed U.S. President Donald Trump’s order to remove the additional import tariffs on some agribusiness products as “significant progress,” but said the country will keep pushing for more exemptions.

“We want to exclude more products and move forward in the negotiation,” he told journalists in Brasilia. Alckmin, who also serves as Trade minister, led the negotiations with the U.S. along with Brazilian diplomats and business

until NHTSA incorporates the new model into its testing a step that has been delayed numerous times.

“I fear that with this announcement everybody will throw up their hands and say we’ve won,” Kuhn said Friday “But we are far from crossing the finish line.”

Some American automakers have been skeptical, arguing the new model may exaggerate injury risks and undercut the value of some safety features such as seat belts and air bags.

Despite Duffy’s announcement, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a research arm funded by auto insurers, continues to advocate for the current line of dummies used to represent women and has seen dramatic improvements in safety as a result, spokesperson Joe Young said.

“Certainly we are going to continue to monitor the new tools and perhaps do some additional research,” Young said. “But for now, our researchers are content and confident that the dummies we’re using are doing a good job.”

Lawmakers and transportation secretaries from the past two presidential administra-

leaders. Cecafé, Brazil’s coffee exporters council, celebrated Trump’s latest order and called the tariff hike “a complete loss of competitiveness.”

“The tariff reversal comes after months of intense work representing the interests of Brazilian coffee It is a historic victory for the entire coffee agribusiness production chain,” the council said in a statement. Brazil has long been a key supplier of beef and coffee to the United States. On Thursday, Trump lifted tariffs on Brazilian goods as part of an effort to lower consumer costs for Americans. The

tions have expressed support for new crash test rules and safety requirements, but developments have been slow

U.S. Sens. Deb Fischer, a Republican from Nebraska, and Tammy Duckworth, a Democrat from Illinois, both released statements welcoming the female crash test dummy announcement.

“Any progress here is good because there’s simply no good reason why women are more likely to be injured or die in car crashes,” Duckworth said.

Fischer introduced legislation, the She Drives Act, that would require the most advanced testing devices available, including a female crash test dummy Duckworth is a cosponsor

“It’s far past time to make these testing standards permanent, which will help save thousands of lives and make America’s roads safer for all drivers,” Fischer said.

The department said the new specifications will be available for manufacturers to build models and for the automotive industry to begin testing them in vehicles.

decision affected coffee, fruit and beef, among other products. The U.S. leader had imposed additional import taxes on Brazilian goods, citing trade practices he deemed unfair and the prosecution of former President Jair Bolsonaro, who was later sentenced to 27 years in prison for attempting to stage a coup after losing the 2022 election. The U.S. ran a $6.8 billion trade surplus with Brazil last year according to the Census Bureau. Before the tariffs, U.S. government data showed Brazil, the world’s top coffee producer, supplied about 30% of the American market, followed by Colombia at

roughly 20% and Vietnam at about 10%.

“The removal of the 40% tariff imposed by the U.S. government on several Brazilian agricultural products is a victory for dialogue, diplomacy and common sense,” Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said Thursday on X. He also shared a video reacting to Trump’s order, saying he was pleased with the decision. Trump and Lula have been negotiating over trade, which could further reduce tariffs. Lula also praised “the frank dialogue” with Trump, and said that Brazil would continue talks.

ANOTHERVIEW

Enduring shadow of Nov. 22

Sixty-two years ago, on Nov.22, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. The event changedAmerica —not onlythe courseofhistory,but thenation’scharacter and outlook.

Americans still wonder whatreally happenedthatday Speculation abounds —someplausible, somefar-fetched but hard evidenceiselusive.

Ron Faucheux

Although the caseisofficially closed, it stays open in many minds. Did 24-year-old Lee Harvey Oswald pull the trigger?Was he the lone gunman? Wasthere aconspiracy? Jim Garrison, the former NewOrleans district attorney, was theonly one to bring his theory to court and failedtoprove it. Nevertheless,a 2023 Galluppoll found that 65% of Americans believe someone other than Oswald was involved. Fewerthan3 in 10 think he acted alone.

Mystery shrouds presidential assassinations and attempts. Many believethatthe near-miss on Donald Trump’s life in Butler,Pennsylvania, hasyet to be fully explained. Four sitting presidents have been assassinated: Abraham Lincoln, James Garfield, William McKinley andKennedy The first three happened within 36 years: Lincoln was watching aplay,Garfield was walking through aWashington train station and McKinley was greeting visitors at a New York exposition.

None have held history’s attention longer than JFK’sassassination. Abraham Lincoln’scomes close, andthe parallels areuncanny Lincoln was elected in 1860; Kennedy in 1960.Lincoln was elected to Congress in 1846;Kennedy in 1946.Both men were assassinated while seated beside their wives. Eachwas shot in thehead and died on aFriday.Bothhad vice presidents from the South namedJohnson.Oswald shot Kennedy from astorage building and was captured in atheater;Booth shot Lincoln in atheaterand wascaught in astorage building.Both assassins went by threenames —JohnWilkes Booth and LeeHarvey Oswald —and both were killed before they could stand trial. Premonitions add eerie footnotes. Aweekbefore his death, Lincoln dreamed he sawhis own casketinthe East Room of the White House.Jacqueline Kennedy recalled herhusband saying, “If someone wants to shootmefrom a window with arifle, nobody can stop it.”

How about this for trivia:Lincoln’seldest son, Robert Todd Lincoln, was presentat—orconnectedto— all three presidentialassassinationsduring his lifetime:his father’s, Garfield’s, and McKinley’s. Thereafter,heavoided the company of presidents.Beforehis father’s assassination, Robert narrowly escaped death himself when he slipped between atrain platform and tracks;the man whopulled him to safety wasEdwin Booth, brotherofJohnWilkes Booth.

Although the Secret Service was created the year Lincoln died,its original mission was to combatcounterfeiting, not protect presidents. It didn’tassume that role until after McKinley’sdeath.

Four sitting presidents (Andrew Jackson, Harry Truman, Gerald Ford, and Ronald Reagan), one president-elect (Franklin Roosevelt), andtwo formerpresidents seeking comebacks (TheodoreRoosevelt and Trump) have survivedassassination attempts.Trump,Reagan,and Theodore Rooseveltwere actually shot. Ford faced twoattempts within 17 days.

Jackson, unharmed when an English-bornhousepainter fired at him, beat back his assailant with acane. Violence was nothingnew for the Hero ofNew Orleans —hecarried abullet in his chest for decadesfromapre-presidential duel over ahorse-racing incident.

In 1912, Teddy Roosevelt’slifewas likelysaved by an eyeglass case and athick, folded speech in his pocketthat slowed the bullet’sforce.Afterbeing shot,the pugnacious RoughRider saw blood, paused, explained what had happened to the audience and thenspoke for anotherhour Kennedy narrowly escapeda plot in Palm Beach before taking office. Aman namedRichard Pavlickplannedto bomb his car but was foiledbylaw enforcement.There have been numerous threats on otherpresidents thatnever materialized.

It’s possible that two assassinatedpresidents might have lived were it notfor primitive medicalcare. McKinley’s wound would not havebeen deadly had surgerybeen more advanced and antiseptic techniques more consistent.Garfield’s doctor probed for bullets with unwashedfingers and unsterilizedinstruments, causingfatal infection.

The newNetflixseriesonGarfield, “Death by Lightning,” is worthwatching —not justfor the assassination story,but for the loss of apotentially greatpresident who died at 49, less than sevenmonthsafter takingoffice. Assassinations naturally stir historical curiosity,but the intrigue shouldn’tdistractus from the fundamentaltruth: They’rebrutalcrimes with immenseconsequences —each one carving away an important piece ofthe American spirit

Ron Faucheux is anonpartisan political analyst, pollster and writer based in Louisiana.

Trumptryingtomake countrybetterfor all

The first thing Iwould like to talk about is President Donald Trump wanting to be theking, as theDemocratssay.Trumpcertainly doesn’t need all the aggravation he has to put up withtrying to straighten out this country. He has enough funds to actually live like aking on his own.

In theOct. 19 edition, Iread where aformer U.S. Marine felt like Trumpwas pushing the country to civil conflict, and Hayley Wingard and Jessica Yother couldn’tbelieve the military invasion of Los Angeles, Chicago and Portland. Well, do they like the crime and lawlessness in these cities, and do they feel safe there? Why do people elect mayorsin these cities that let this take place andaccept illegal immigrants there? That’snot the America I grew up in. I’man87-year-old patriot and aformer Marine and Air Force veteran.

This country’sgovernment is a bloated bureaucracy that needs trimmingdown, along with term limits on legislators. We need to respect our immigration laws, and we should allow foreigners to work in our country under approved circumstances, green cards or whatever they’re called. But these workers wouldn’tget any of our country’sbenefits like insurance or healthcare. Iknow our agricultural farmers need them Andweshouldn’tlet our enemies like China buy land in our country Youcan’town property in China. Treat them like they treat us. We should buy them out and get rid of them.

Believeme, Trump’snot looking for anything other than straightening out this country and stopping world conflicts.

TOMLINGONI JR. Marrero

Football coaching salaries have gotten outofhand

Ihave afew thoughts regarding Brian Kelly’sfiring by LSU. Kelly’sbuyout is 90% of the remainingvalue of his bloated contract, which translates into $54 million,paid out monthly through 2031. To put that in terms somewhat easier to understand, that is $750,000 per month,or$175,000 per week, $25,000 per day! Let’s let that sink in for amoment while we imagine what some might call abetter use of these funds. How manyLouisianans earn these kinds of numbers in ayear,working multiple jobsand struggling to afford reliable day care?

While Ilove college and professional sports, these compensation packages and theirgolden parachutes are absolutely ridiculous. As an employee of apublic institution, alarge part of Kelly’ssalary is publicly funded, and now we get to keep payinghim forsix more years? Beforewehire another football coach, let’sthink about some performance criteria, especially in the first four to five seasons of a 10-year contract, to avoid having to pay someone whonolonger works for us.

AVAFARRAR NewOrleans

Majorcoastal moneyneeds to go to protection

Your editorial view on the coastal protection and restoration issues lacks the coverage of the “protection”aspectofthat subject There is only one way to provide theprotection that is critically needed for thecommunities being directly harmed by hurricane storm surge. Elevated structures are being constructed across the

globe to deal with sea-level rise and theeffects of weather events producing flood damage. Those supporting long-term projects based on questionable results are simply in error and ignorant of thetruth.

Why is this happening?

KENNETH RAGAS NewOrleans

Sen. Cassidy losesvoters dueto hypocrisy

Reading the newspaper,I was very surprised to see that U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy nominated President Donald Trumpfor the Nobel Peace Prize forhis actions regarding COVID. This is the epitome of hypocrisy and resultant Republican complicity and groveling.

Remember that Cassidy voted to impeach Trump. Now he is bending over backward, first by allowing Robert Kennedy Jr.to be appointed secretary,and the Nobel Peace Prize nomination. I voted forCassidy the last timebecause Irespected his principles. I take that all back.

AUBWARD Baton Rouge

Unintended side effect of misinformation helps thosewho seek vaccines

Heading into flu season, I’m up to date on my vaccinations. While getting the shots, Irealized aside benefit from the superb leadership of Gov.Jeff Landry, Louisiana Surgeon General Ralph Abraham and U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy: There is virtually no waitto get your vaccines. These gentlemen —alawyer, aveterinarian and aphysician —have successfully squelched demand forvaccinations in Louisiana.

Back in the day,when flu, pneumonia, COVID, shingles, RSV and measles used to be problematic, there werewait lines. Now you can just score that miracle drug, ivermectin, without aprescription if you get any symptoms. If these politicos can reduce the lines at grocery stores and the airport, perhaps by spreading someadditional misinformation, they could achieve even more.

DAVE WHIDDON NewOrleans

MGAMEDAY

FO E BUI LT

BYKOKI RILEY Staff writer

essay Hailemariam had seen Michael VanBuren do it before. Scrambling, creating, improvising. These were the hallmarks of VanBuren’splay during hisseniorseasonatSt. Frances Academy in Maryland, where he could makethe most outofaless-than-ideal situation. Twoyears later, Hailemariam —Van Buren’scoach at St. Frances —watched him make thesametype of play again. The difference wasthis time he was at LSU and looking to snap the Tigers’ three-game losing streak in his first gameastheirstartingquarterback. VanBuren scrambled to hisright,flushed out of the pocket by an Arkansas defense that eliminatedthe initialreads in hisprogression. It forced himtolook to the back of the endzoneashedrifted toward the sideline. That’swherehespotted fifth-year senior tight end Bauer Sharp. Perfect throw.Touchdown.

LSU GAMEDAY

Western Kentucky at LSU

6:45 p.m. Saturday, Tiger Stadium

TV: SEC Network | Line: LSU 22½ Radio: WDGL-FM, 98.1; WWL-AM, 870; WWL-FM, 105.3; KLWB-FM, 103.7

TEAM SCHEDULES

LSU

Date Opponent Time/TV

8.30 at Clemson W, 17-10

9.6 Louisiana Tech W, 23-7

9.13 Florida W, 20-17

9.20 Southeastern W, 56-10

9.27 at Ole Miss L, 19-24 10.11 South Carolina W, 20-10

10.18 at Vanderbilt L, 24-31

10.25 Texas A&M L, 25-49

11.8 at Alabama L, 9-20 11.15 Arkansas W, 23-22

DEPTH CHARTS

COACHES

9.20 Nevada W, 31-16 9.27 at Missouri State W, 27-22 10.3 at Delaware W, 27-24

10.14 FIU L, 6-25

10.21 at Louisiana Tech W, 28-27, OT

LSU

Continued from page 1C

Once again, Van Buren had created something out of almost nothing, and the result was a onepoint lead for LSU after the extra point with 7:53 left to play LSU held on to win 23-22, giving the Tigers their first win in more than a month.

“I was proud of him,” LSU interim coach Frank Wilson said. “I thought he played admirably and got the game to a point where he was able to affect change and dictate for our football team.” Van Buren and LSU will look to replicate that success Saturday when the Tigers host Western Kentucky in their final home game of the season (6:45 p.m., SEC Network) Van Buren will start in place of injured fifth-year senior quarterback Garrett Nussmeier who was ruled out Thursday after missing last Saturday’s game with a reaggravated abdominal injury

His opportunity came suddenly, but Van Buren was prepared for the moment.

“When the opportunity presents itself, people don’t understand it’s not really luck,” Hailemariam said. “It’s just they’re prepared for the chance. He was prepared, and he took advantage of the opportunity that was presented in front of him.”

This isn’t the first time Van Buren has been thrust into this kind of situation.

He had replaced injured starters twice before arriving at LSU, during his sophomore year at St. Frances and his freshman year at Mississippi State. His opportunity at St. Frances eventually earned him a shot at playing in the Southeastern Conference. An injury to Mississippi State starter Blake Shapen opened the door for Van Buren to start eight games.

Both instances equipped him for this moment, when he replaced Nussmeier during LSU’s 20-9 loss to Alabama in the second half and started in Nussmeier’s stead last weekend.

“It’s an amazing, pleasant surprise for him,” Hailemariam said. “He deserves it. I’m not surprised, but what I mean by that is, I know that it’s difficult to start in an environment like in the SEC when it wasn’t planned, if that makes sense.”

Playing quarterback has been Van Buren’s goal since he was 8 years old, the time when Monique Walker remembers her son watching endless YouTube clips of NFL quarterbacks. The next year, he started working with his current personal quarterback coach, Russell Thomas. She always knew Van Buren was especially talented. So did Thomas.

“(Thomas) saw Michael and saw Michael’s potential at such a young age,” Walker said “Michael already had the tools going into Russ. So Russ basically just critiqued everything for him and made him better.”

Among the quarterbacks Thomas works with is Chicago Bears starter and Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams Through their mutual connection, Williams has worked out with Van Buren and offered advice to the fellow Maryland native.

“We texted a couple of times. I’ve asked him for advice sometimes,” Van Buren said. “So, I mean, he’s like a big brother.”

When the opportunity presents itself, people don’t understand it’s not really luck. It’s just they’re prepared for the chance. He was prepared, and he took advantage of the opportunity that was presented in front of him.”

MESSAy HAILEMARIAM, Van Buren’s former high school football coach

STAFF PREDICTIONS

WILSON ALEXANDER

LSU 33, WESTERN KENTUCKY 10

LSU should be able to score a little bit on Western Kentucky, which ranks 109th nationally with 175 yards rushing allowed per game. Sure, LSU hasn’t been able to take advantage of many mismatches this season, but there’s a talent gap between these teams and LSU ran the ball well against Arkansas Look for that to continue and the defense to have another good day.

REED DARCEY

LSU 27, WESTERN KENTUCKY 17

It got lost in the intrigue surrounding the coaching search, but the LSU defense played pretty well last week against an Arkansas offense that should have been able to exploit some of its vulnerabilities. Western Kentucky has a good offense, too. But the Tigers have too much size and talent for this one to turn into an upset, regardless of how poorly this season has gone for them.

Van Buren’s work with Thomas helped him thrive at St. Frances, but things started going sideways during his senior season. His starting running back and three offensive linemen tore their ACLs. Suddenly, Van Buren had to play in an offense that was ill-equipped to score points against a brutal schedule.

“He had a 14-year-old center He had a sophomore transfer that had never played football in his life and somebody else,” Hailemariam said, “and he was running for his life.

“We played a gauntlet of a schedule. Seven of our games were against top-15 teams in the country No other high school takes on that kind of a challenge.”

Facing that constant pressure in the pocket, Hailemariam believes, has helped Van Buren prepare for the next level. That experience has come in handy at LSU, where

SCOTT RABALAIS

LSU 30, WESTERN KENTUCKY 15

This game buries the needle on the anticlimactic meter given the opponent and circumstances That said, you play to win every time, and LSU has a chance to secure a winning season no matter what happens against Oklahoma and in a bowl The offense gets three touchdowns and three field goals, and a defense good enough to hold the Arkansas offense to 15 points does the same to the Hilltoppers

KOKI RILEY

LSU 24, WESTERN KENTUCKY 13

Unless Lane Kiffin shows up in Tiger Stadium standing next to Verge Ausberry it’s hard to imagine much drama around this matchup. The

the offensive line has struggled throughout the season.

Starting left tackle Tyree Adams has been out since injuring his ankleduring LSU’sloss to Vanderbilt.His replacement, freshman Carius Curne, was benched last weekend in favor of redshirt freshman Ory Williams, who started the game at right tackle.

Filling Williams’ spot at right tackle was redshirt freshman Weston Davis,the starter at that spot for most of theseason until hewas supplanted by Williams for the Alabama game.

“It was almost like ablessing in disguise,” Hailemariamsaid regarding the challenges VanBuren faced as asenior,“and whathe went through and how he persevered through it.”

VanBuren didn’texpect to fight for the starting job when he transferred toLSU fromMississippi State.

The Tigers already had areturningstarter in place with Nussmeier, and VanBuren was more focused on looking for aplacewhere he could develop whilestaying within theSEC. Wilson said this year was supposed to be an “apprenticeship”for VanBuren.

“Weknew coming in that he wasgoingtobe thebackup,”Walker said. “Just likegoing into MississippiState, we knew he wasgoing to be thebackup.”

When he became the starter at Mississippi State, Thomas believes VanBurenwas wedged into an offense that had toberetooledaround

his existing skill set. He didn’thave time to learn the nuances of playing the position.

The hope of transferring to LSU, in part, was to develop those parts of his game, identifyingprotections andmaking checkswithin an offense.

“He could have done that with (coach Jeff Lebby) at Mississippi State as well,”Thomas said. “He was just ayoung guy,and Jeff didn’t want to kind of put too much on him.”

But thecoaches who recruited him,mentored him and told him that he could fight for the starting jobatLSU in 2026 arenolonger around. Coach Brian Kelly was fired the Sundayafter LSU’sloss to TexasA&M,a daybefore offensive coordinator and quarterbacks

coach Joe Sloan also was let go.

Have those changes alteredhis outlook on hisfuture at LSU? On Tuesday, VanBuren made it clear that he wantstoremain at LSU. But Thomas and Walker haven’tbeen as definitive about what next season has in store for VanBuren.

“He hasn’tindicated any desire to kind of do anything other than, let’s seewhat the coach is goingtobehere,” Thomas, who is also Van Buren’srepresentative, said. “The platform is the same. The competition is the same. He’s not even thinking about those kinds of things.”

Butwherever the future holds,Van Buren will be ready.He’salways been prepared for the moment.

“He’sready,” Walker said. “Hewas readyfor what was coming at him.”

LSUformallyfiresKelly in response to lawsuit

BY WILSON ALEXANDER Staff writer

The LSU board of supervisors Friday authorized new school presidentWadeRousse to send former coach Brian Kelly writtennotice that he has beenfired, the first step in its response toalawsuit Kelly filed against the board. The topic was discussed during aprivate executive session that lasted around27minutes. Upon returning from the closed-door meeting, LSU board member JohnCarmouche asked the board to give Roussepermission “in consultation with general counsel to review and, if appropriate, send BrianKelly written notice of termination under hisemployment agreement.” The motion was passed without an objection. Carmouche is the chairman of theathletics committee and has been akey figure in the buyout negotiations with Kelly’srepresentatives. Carmouche, Rousse andboard chairman

Scott Ballard declined further comment.

Kelly filed alawsuit Nov.10inthe 19thJudicial District for EastBaton Rouge Parishas thetwo sidesreached an impasseinbuyout negotiations. His attorneys alleged LSU took the position that he had not been “formally terminated” and that the school sought tofire himfor cause to avoid paying his nearly $54 million buyout.The lawsuit asked for adeclaratory judgment that Kelly has been fired without cause and is owed his full buyout.

Thelawsuit also claimed LSU said then-athleticdirector Scott Woodward didnot havethe authoritytofire Kellyatthe time. Woodward andthe school parted ways four days later after Gov.Jeff Landry criticized Woodward in a public news conference and said he would not hire the next head coach.

“Under Article VII, Section 1(L)(3) of the Board of Supervisors Bylaws, any personnel action relating to varsity athletics coaches with asalary over $250,000 requires board approval,” LSU said in astatementFriday

COLLEGE FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

games TOP25 No. 1OhioSt. (10-0) vs.Rutgers(5-5), 11 a.m. No. 3Tex. A&M (10-0) vs.Samford(1-10), 11 a.m. No. 4Geo. (9-1) vs.Charlotte (1-9), 11:45 a.m. No. 6Oregon (9-1) vs.No. 16 USC(8-2), 2:30 p.m No. 8Oklah. (8-2) vs.No. 23 Missou.(7-3), 11 a.m. No. 9ND(8-2) vs.Syracuse (3-7), 2:30 p.m. No. 10Alabama (8-2) vs.E.Illin.(3-8), 1p.m. No. 11BYU (9-1) at Cincinnati (7-3),7 p.m. No.12Vand. (8-2) vs.Kentucky (5-5), 2:30 p.m No. 13Utah (8-2) vs.Kansas St. (5-5), 3p.m. No. 14Miami (8-2) at Virg.Tech (3-7), 11 a.m. No. 15Geo. Tech (9-1) vs.Pitt. (7-3),6 p.m. No. 17Texas (7-3) vs.Arkan. (2-8), 2:30 p.m. No. 18Mich.(8-2) at Maryland. (4-6), 3p.m. No. 20Tenn. (7-3)

Tulsa(3-7) at Army(5-4), 11 a.m. Lehigh (11-0) at Lafayette (8-3), 11:30 a.m. Columbia(1-8)atCornell (4-5), noon Hampton (2-9) at Rhode Island(9-2), noon Princeton (3-6)atPenn (5-4), noon SC State (8-3)atDelaware St. (8-3), noon Bucknell (5-6)atColgate (4-7), noon Maine (6-5) at NewHampshire(7-4), noon St. Francis (Pa.) (0-10) at Stonehill (3-8), noon Campbell(2-9) at Towson (5-6), noon SacredHeart (8-3)atVillanova (8-2), noon Duquesne (6-5)atRobertMorris (3-8), 1p.m. Howard (4-7)vs. NorfolkSt. (1-10),2:30 p.m. Tulane (8-2)atTemple (5-5), 2:45 p.m. Holy Cross(2-9) vs.Georgetown (6-5), 3p.m. Michigan (8-2)atMaryland (4-6), 3p.m. Nebraska (7-3)atPenn St. (4-6), 6p.m. SOUTH Miami (8-2)atVirginia Tech (3-7), 11 a.m. Delaware (5-5)atWakeForest (7-3), 11 a.m. W. Carolina (6-5)atVMI (1-10),11a.m. Charlotte (1-9) at Georgia (9-1), 11:45 a.m. Richmond (6-5) at William &Mary(7-4),

1p.m. Marshall (5-5) at App. St.(4-6),1:30 p.m. Sam

St.(2-8) at

2p.m. South

(7-3)atUAB (3-7), 2p.m. Uconn (8-3)atFAU (4-6), 2p.m. Jacksonville St. (7-3)atFIU (5-5),2:30 p.m. Bethune-Cookman(5-6) vs.Florida A&M (55) at Orlando, Fla 2:30 p.m. Alcorn St. (5-6) at Jackson St.(8-2),2:30 p.m. Kentucky (5-5)atVanderbilt (8-2), 2:30 p.m.

So. Miss. (7-3) at So.Alabama (3-7),2:30 p.m.

Duke(5-5) at North Carolina(4-6),2:30 p.m.

Oklahoma St. (1-9)atUCF (4-6),3 p.m.

Georgia St. (1-9)atTroy(6-4),3 p.m.

Coast. Car. (6-4) at So.Carolina(3-7),3:15 p.m.

Furman (6-5)atClemson (5-5), 3:30 p.m. Pittsburgh (7-3) at GeorgiaTech(9-1) 6p.m. Tennessee (7-3) at Florida (3-7), 6:30 p.m. MIDWEST Rutgers(5-5) at Ohio St. (10-0),11a.m. Kansas (5-5)atIowaSt. (6-4), 11 a.m. Minnesota (6-4) at NW (5-5), 11 a.m.

S. Illinois (6-5)

(3-8),

THENATION

THINGS TO WATCHINWEEK13

GA.TECHEYESACC TITLE-GAME SHOT

OKLAHOMA FACESFBS’TOP RUSHER

No. 8Oklahoma and its fourth-ranked rushing defense will seek to maintain College Football Playoff placement against FBS-leading rusher Ahmad Hardyand No.23 Missouri on Saturday.Hardy has rushed for 1,346yards in 10 games for Missouri.The Sooners allow just82.2yards per game on the ground.Two of the SEC’sbest receivers willbeonopposite sidelines —Missouri’sKevin Coleman and OU’sIsaiah Sategna. Coleman has 56 catches for600 yards and one touchdown. Sategna has53catches for 718 yards and five TDs

USC-OREGON AMARQUEE MATCHUP

SouthernCalifornia will needtoovercome its road woes in big gamesagainst Oregon if it hopes tostayontrack to secure aspot in the CFP.USC has largely fallen shortinbig gamesonthe road since joiningthe BigTen. The Trojans are 2-2 away from home thisseason.For Oregon, the stakes are also high. Lose to USC and the Ducks are out of the playoff, and the slimchances of asecondstraight Big Tentitle —shouldIndiana or OhioState dip in the final twogamesofthe season —also vanish

TheyellowJacketscan clinchaspotinthe ACC championship game with awin over Pitta week before their rivalrygame against No.4Georgia. Pitt is among four one-loss teams in the ACCstandings.The yellowJacketshavethe nation’s No. 1offense,but theirdefense gave up acombined11scoring drivesof75-plusyards in a loss to NC State and awin overBostonCollege Pittsburgh clings to ACCtitle-game hopes, seekingits third trip to the ACCtitle game under coach PatNarduzzi, while GeorgiaTechis aiming for its first appearance since2014. 2

—AssociatedPress

LSUshouldplaywaiting game

Some patience is needed forKiffindecision…for now

Everyone was waiting forwhite smoke Friday regarding Lane Kiffin, his status going forward at Ole Miss and his potential move to LSU.

1. TEXASA&M

Record: 10-0 overall, 7-0 SEC

Previous rank:1

Last week:DefeatedSouth Carolina 31-30

Thisweek:vs. Samford, 11 a.m. Saturday (SECNetwork+)

2. GEORGIA

Record:9-1 overall, 7-1 SEC

Previous rank:3

Last week:DefeatedTexas35-10

Thisweek:vs. Charlotte,11:45 a.m. (SEC Network)

3. OLEMISS

Record:10-1 overall, 6-1 SEC

Previous rank:4

Last week:DefeatedFlorida 34-24

Thisweek: Idle

4. OKLAHOMA

Record:8-2 overall, 4-2 SEC

Previous rank:5

Last week:DefeatedAlabama 23-21

Thisweek:vs. Missouri, 11 a.m. Saturday (ABC)

5. ALABAMA

Record:8-2 overall, 6-1 SEC

Previous rank:2

Last week:Lost to Oklahoma23-21

Thisweek:vs. Eastern Illinois, 1p.m. Saturday(SECNetwork+)

6. VANDERBILT

Record:8-2 overall, 4-2 SEC

Previous rank:7

Last week:Idle

Thisweek:vs. Kentucky,2:30 p.m. Saturday (ESPN)

7. TEXAS

Record:7-3 overall, 4-2 SEC

Previous rank:6

Last week:Lost to Georgia 35-10

Thisweek:vs.Arkansas, 2:30 p.m. Saturday (ABC)

8. TENNESSEE

Record:7-3 overall, 3-3 SEC

Previous rank:8

Last week:DefeatedNew Mexico State 42-9

Thisweek:atFlorida, 6:30 p.m. Saturday (ABC)

9. MISSOURI

Record:7-3 overall, 3-3 SEC

Previous rank:9

Last week:DefeatedMississippi State49-27

Thisweek:atOklahoma, 11 a.m. Saturday (ABC)

10.KENTUCKY

Scott Rabalais

What we got was gray smoke. Thekind of smoke that obscures your vision and leaves you to try to figure out what’s there. On Friday,asexpected, Kiffin met with Ole Miss athletic director KeithCarter and, accordingtothe school, Ole Miss chancellor Glenn Boyce. After emerging from that meeting,Ole Miss released astatement Friday afternoonfrom Carter —notably not from KiffinorBoyce —saying Kiffin will coach theRebels in next Friday’sregular-season finale at Mississippi State.

The statement concluded with this sentence from Carter: “An announcementon Coach Kiffin’sfuture is expected the Saturdayfollowing thegame.”

Allow me to make afew inferences and draw afew conclusions:

•Ibelieve Kiffin is leavingOle Missafter the Egg Bowl againstMississippi State He’shad acontract extension offer from the school for some time now and hasn’t signed it. Friday’sannouncementwould have been the perfect opportunitytosay Kiffinisstaying, but thatwas no part of Carter’sstatement. In other words, two words: He’sgone.

•Ole Miss wants Kiffin tocoach the Egg Bowl to give the Rebels the best chance to make theCollege Football Playofffor the first time. If the Rebels beat thearchrival Bulldogs, they’re 11-1 and definitely in the CFP.IfOle Miss loses,especially if paired

with theprospectofKiffin no longer being its coach, the CFP selection committee couldhold that against theRebels, knockingthem outofthe 12-team CFP.The Rebels are currently No. 6inthe CFP. We just saw Alabama tumble six spotstoNo. 10 after losing23-21 to current No. 8Oklahoma. Imagine how many spots thecommittee might dropOle Miss if it loses?

•Will Ole Miss players stand for this, willing to play one more game for acoach who they have to believe is bailing on them? That may be afaulty assumption on Ole Miss’ part. We shall see.

•There is no doubt Kiffin is LSU’stop choice to be its next coach and that school officials believethe interest is mutual. Accordingtosome excellent reporting Friday by ourWilson Alexander,LSU is willing to wait abit longer for acommitment from Kiffin butmay start pushing for that word as early as Sunday

•Isitreally worth it for LSU to continue to wait for Kiffin through all of this drama? There are issues. He has been pilloried in thenational media for considering leaving Ole Miss on thecusp of itsfirst CFPberth. If he leaves for LSU, both Kiffin and LSU mayget hammered over this move. It’s ahuge caution light for LSUthat Kiffin is even contemplating this movetobegin with, though Tulane coach Jon Sumrall is in somewhat similar circumstances and no oneisblasting him. Kiffin’stenure at LSU could beNick Saban’stime at LSUall over again,when there were rumors every year that he would leave for theNFL until he finally didafter the2004 season.

•All that said, considering where LSU hascome from with the debacle and controversy involving Brian Kelly’sfiring,

athletic director Scott Woodward’sfiring, Gov.Jeff Landry’sinvolvement andthe missteps by new LSUpresidentWade Rousse over whether Verge Ausberry would be thepermanent AD, yes, LSU should stay the course. Kiffin is the biggest fish out there, not only aproven winner but awinner in the Southeastern Conference. By waiting, LSU runs therisk that Kiffin may still stay at Ole Miss, may choose Florida(that appears unlikely now)orwho knows, may covet theAlabama job if,as has been reported, Kalen DeBoer goes to PennState, where he may be its top target. Despite all that, Kiffin gives LSU the best chance to win and is worth the risks.

•But patience withKiffin should not be limitless. If I’m Ausberry and LSU, I’m giving Kiffin afirm deadline to decide whether he’scoming to Baton Rouge. Like midnight next Saturday after theEgg Bowl. After that, LSU has to moveonto its next candidate, who our reporting says is Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz. Drink, or another candidate, wouldn’twin as many heartsand minds among LSU’sfan base as Kiffin would. ButIthink he would winlots of games. LSU also would havetomove on because thestartofthe early national signing period is Wednesday,Dec. 3, followed closely by theopening of collegefootball’s transfer portal window on Jan. 2. Is it an ideal situation for LSUtobein? Hardly.But coaching searches are frequently messy.And perilous. With great risk can comegreat reward.That’sthe game, the waiting game, LSU is playing with Kiffin.

Email Scott Rabalais at srabalais@ theadvocate.com

Record:5-5 overall, 2-5 SEC

Previous rank:10

Last week:DefeatedTennesseeTech 42-10

Thisweek:atVanderbilt, 2:30 p.m. Saturday (ESPN)

11.LSU

Record:6-4 overall, 3-4 SEC

Previous rank:11

Last week:DefeatedArkansas 23-22

Thisweek:vs.Western Kentucky,6:45 p.m. Saturday(SECNetwork)

12.AUBURN

Record:4-6 overall, 1-6 SEC

Previous rank:12

Last week:Idle

Thisweek:vs. Mercer,1 p.m. Saturday(SEC Network+)

13.MISSISSIPPI STATE

Record:5-6 overall, 1-6 SEC

Previous rank:13

Last week:Lost to Missouri 49-27

Thisweek:Idle

14.SOUTH CAROLINA

Record:3-7 overall, 1-7 SEC

Previous rank:14

Last week:Lost to Texas A&M 31-30

Thisweek:vs. Coastal Carolina, 3:15 p.m. Saturday(SECNetwork)

15.ARKANSAS

Record:2-8 overall, 0-6 SEC

Previous rank:15

Last week:Lost to LSU23-23

Thisweek:atTexas, 2:30 p.m.

16.FLORIDA

JONESBORO,Ark. In Monday’s news conference,ULcoach Michael Desormeaux revealed how worriedhewas aboutArkansas State’stwo-minute offense

He’d seen junior quarterback Jaylen Raynorcarve up defense after defense in the Red Wolves’ hurry-upoffense

That’sexactly where Desormeaux’s Cajuns found themselves as Raynor took over the ball at theASU 10-yard line down 34-30with2:26 left to play

“My biggest fear going intoitwas atwo-minute drive withhim withthe ball to win the game tobequite honest

with you,” Desormeaux said. “I’ve seen himdoitontape all year.”

Raynor drove theRed Wolves 89 yards on 15 plays in 2:26 —only to be tackled by defensive tackle Fitzgerald West at the 1onthe game’sfinal play

“I was real confident,” West said going into thefinal play withthree seconds on the clock. “I knew their O-line wasn’tgoing to block us.

“I love goal-line stops. That’s big —that’s big time. That’smyfavorite thingtodo.”

BY WILSON ALEXANDER Staff writer

UL’s defense madeasimilar stop late in awin at South Alabama.

“Itjust builds your confidence in getting astop,” West said. “Itwas big for the whole team, not just the defense.” It would have been easier on the nerves of the UL coaches, players and fans to avoid such asuspenseful scenario with Arkansas State getting two plays off from the UL 2inthe final six seconds with the gameonthe line.

But this is the 2025 UL football squad

BY LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer

When it came time to grind out the closing minutes of their second win of the season, the Saints turned to the player they’vetraditionally leaned on in those typesofspots.

New Orleans took possession with7:35remaining in the fourth quarter Nov.9 at Carolina,holding a 17-7 lead. That has been unfamiliar territory forthis team, but first-year coach Kellen Moorefound himself doingwhat some of his predecessors have done in that situation —putting the ball in TaysomHill’s hands and letting him do his thing.

“Everything kind of came togethertothe point where we could just rely on one of our best play-

makerstogoout thereand makegreat decisions and putusinposition to win,”tight endFosterMoreau said. That final drive spanned 14 plays, 11 before three kneel-downs to chew up thefinal twominutes of game clock. Hill was on thefield for nine of those first 11 snaps, often withthe ball in his hands. And it was Hill whodeliveredtwo of themostcrucial plays on the drive, twice gaining 5yards to convert third and4 with aread-option keeper to keep the wick on

LSU continuestotarget OleMiss coach Lane Kiffininits search for anew head coach, multiple sources told The Advocate on Friday, and it is waiting on an answer from him that may not come for another week. Kiffin hada meeting Friday with Ole Miss athleticdirector Keith Carter and university chancellor GlennBoyce as OleMiss sought clarity about his decision. Afterward, Carter said an announcement on Kiffin’s future is expected to come the day afterNo. 6Ole Miss plays rival Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl next Friday

“Despite the outsidenoise, coach Kiffin is focused on preparing our team for the Egg Bowl,”Carter said in astatement posted on X, “and together,wewanttoensure that our players and coaches can concentrate fully on next Friday’sgame.”

LSU’sother primary targetinthe search at the moment is Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz, sources said. Whenasked Wednesday whether his representation has been contacted by LSU,Drinkwitz declined to comment. Drinkwitz, 42, has a

57-28 record in seven seasons at Appalachian State and Missouri. LSU decision-makers have wanted to remain patient during the search process, but sources said LSU will begin pushing for a commitment starting Sunday as it heads into the final weekofthe regular season. Kiffinand Drinkwitzemergedas primarytargets as LSUnarrowed itssearch over thepastmonth after the firing of Brian Kelly

On Monday,a private planearranged by LSU officials brought several of Kiffin’s family members, including his ex-wife Layla Kiffin, to Baton Rouge foratour of the city.His family visited Gainesville, Florida, the day before. Kiffin’srepresentativesmet with Florida athletic officials Thursday night, according to 247Sports. OleMisshas an open date this weekend before it plays Mississippi State. At 10-1, the Rebels are headed toward theirfirst College Football Playoff appearance. They would almostcertainlymakethe 12-team field with one more win, and they could host afirst-round game Dec. 19 or 20 if they are ranked outside the top four LSU would be open to Kiffin coaching in the playoff, sources said, but it is unclear whether Ole Miss would let him if he intends to leave foranother jobafter the season.

Productive Fulwiley supplying pizzazz

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

A 3-pointer from the half-court logo. A leaping, pirouette layup. Even the shots that MiLaysia Fulwiley misses have a certain flair to them

They did when Fulwiley starred for South Carolina, and they do now at the start of her first season with the LSU women’s basketball team. The difference now is that the transfer guard is making those shots more often than she’s missing them through the first six games of her junior year — a stretch in which she’s played the best basketball of her career Fulwiley is the No. 5 Tigers’ (6-0) leading scorer Her field-goal percentage and her 3-point percentage are both career-highs — just like her early season averages in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks

As of Thursday, no Division I player had tallied more steals this year than Fulwiley (29).

“MiLaysia has the quickest hands I think I’ve ever seen,” coach Kim Mulkey said.

Those steals have given LSU extra possessions that it has used to build what is now one of the best offensive starts in the history of women’s college basketball. The Tigers scored 112 points on Thursday in a win over Alcorn State, which means they’ve hit the century mark in six straight games enough to tie the NCAA record that one of Mulkey’s Louisiana Tech teams set in 1982. LSU leads the nation in scoring.

Flau’jae Johnson and Mikaylah Williams have been their productive, efficient selves. The bench players are contributing more than 50

LSU guard MiLaysia Fulwiley goes up for a layup against

State on Thursday at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center

points per contest, thanks in large part to Fulwiley. Last season, she scored 11.7 ppg while shooting 43% from the field and 26% from 3-point range. This season, Fulwiley is averaging 18.8 ppg and 4.8 steals per game while shooting 60% from the field and 40% from beyond the arc in the same amount of playing time she saw with the Gamecocks.

Mulkey wants her stars to play a loose, free brand of basketball. Fulwiley is certainly capable of doing so, and when she does she can cre-

ate the kind of dazzling plays that only a few players would even try to pull off.

But Mulkey is focused more on the things that she thinks leads to winning. Rebounding. Sound offball defense Smart shot selection. LSU has yet to play a game that was decided by fewer than 30 points, so the results haven’t swung on any mistakes Fulwiley may have made so far LSU’s schedule won’t stiffen until January, which gives Fulwiley time to learn exactly how Mulkey wants

her to play and when it’s OK for her to take long 3s.

“She may make most of those from out there,” Mulkey said “That’s pretty much her range, but was it at the right time to do it? How much was on the shot clock? Would you do that if the score was 50 to 50 going in the fourth quarter? You just keep teaching.”

Fulwiley scored at least 18 points in 12 of the games she played across the two seasons she spent at South Carolina — six such games each season. This year, Fulwiley’s sixth 18-point performance could come as soon as Friday when LSU faces Marist in the U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam Tournament.

Fulwiley also has stolen the ball nearly half as many times as she did all of last season. Those steals usually lead to the entertaining fast-break opportunities that Mulkey enjoys watching her star trio of Johnson, Williams and Fulwiley provide.

“If you have the talent to entertain and do things, but you’re productive, do it,” Mulkey said. “Don’t do it and cost us a game. You don’t take away skills and the way certain kids play, but you make them understand time and score and all that kind of stuff, and don’t create bad habits.”

Ordinarily, hoisting shots from the logo would be considered a “bad habit.”

But both Fulwiley and her LSU teammates are playing well enough this season to justify a little extra pizzazz.

Mulkey explains Gilbert’s Thursday absence

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

Senior guard Kailyn Gilbert was not with the LSU women’s basketball team on Thursday in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center for its 112-49 win over Alcorn State.

Coach Kim Mulkey said Gilbert was dealing with “family issues.”

“(Gilbert), I try not to get emotional,” Mulkey said, “has been dealing with family issues for a long time. A 22-year-old should not have to be dealing with what she’s dealing with, and she needs to help somebody in her family.”

Gilbert, one of the No. 5 Tigers’ four returning players, transferred from Arizona to LSU in 2024. Last season, she hit two game-winning shots — one to beat Washington in a Thanksgiving tournament in The Bahamas and another to take down Tennessee on the road in January She also notched a season-high 25 points in a December win over Stanford. In the 2025 offseason, Gilbert decided to return to the Tigers

even though Mulkey and her staff signed three freshman guards and landed former South Carolina star MiLaysia Fulwiley out of the transfer portal. Gilbert, as a junior, averaged 9.1 points and 19 minutes per game. Through the first five games of her senior year, Gilbert is scoring 5.6 ppg on 32% shooting in the 14 minutes she has played, on average, off the bench.

Mulkey said after the Tigers’ season opener Nov 4 that she was challenging Gilbert to assume more ballhandling duties behind starting point guard Jada Richard.

“I think she likes it,” Mulkey said, “and it’s different because her game, she holds on to the ball a lot. She dribbles a lot. She can’t do that as a point guard. You gotta share it, you gotta get rid of it, you gotta demand what defense we’re in.”

“She’s so mature,” Mulkey said Thursday “We just ask everybody to pray for her because she always does the right thing.”

NCAA says ex-Temple hoops player bet against his team

INDIANAPOLIS Former Temple guard Hysier Miller placed dozens of bets on Owls games, including some against his team, the NCAA announced Friday

The NCAA deemed Miller permanently ineligible after finding he placed 42 parlay bets totaling $473 on Temple games during the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons

Three of those bets were against his team, the NCAA said Miller started every game for the Owls during those seasons

The NCAA found he used sportsbook accounts belonging to other people to bet.

The NCAA’s enforcement staff interviewed Miller on Oct. 10, 2024, and he admitted to placing

parlay bets on Temple games but did not remember placing any bets against his team, the NCAA said.

His lawyer, Jason P. Bologna, said the NCAA did a “long and thorough investigation” and found no evidence that Miller shaved points. “Hysier gave them full access to his cell phone and bank account, and he answered every question they asked him.

He admitted to placing parlay bets, but he denied shaving points in any game, and the NCAA’s findings confirm that they accept Hysier was honest and cooperative with their investigation,” Bologna said in a statement.

Additionally, former Temple special assistant coach Camren Wynter and former graduate as-

sistant Jaylen Bond were found to have violated NCAA rules by betting on professional and collegiate sports. The NCAA did not find any bets involving Temple by either Wynter or Bond. Both coaches received one-year, showcause orders and a suspension of 10% of regular-season contests during their first year of employment. The NCAA did not find the three cases to be connected.

It’s the latest gambling infraction uncovered by the NCAA, which revoked the eligibility of six men’s college basketball players earlier this month as a result of three separate sports-betting cases that involved a power-conference school in Arizona State and allegations of players throw-

ing games to lose by more points than the spread. That followed nearly three dozen people being arrested last month, including an NBA player and coach, for what federal law enforcement officials described as their involvement in various illicit gambling activities Just this week, UFC President and CEO Dana White said he was in touch with the FBI regarding a match that involved unusual betting patterns. For its part, the NCAA said last month it was investigating at least 30 current or former players for gambling allegations. The NCAA also banned three college basketball players in September for betting on their own games at Fresno State and San Jose State.

Baylor is keeping football coach Aranda another season

WACO, Texas Baylor addressed questions about football coach Dave Aranda’s future on Friday with the school’s president saying that the Bears are keeping their sixth-year coach.

Baylor (5-5) has lost three of its last four games, and has to win one of its remaining two games to get bowl eligible. The 49-year-old Aranda hadn’t been a head coach before being hired by Baylor in January 2020. Aranda had been the defensive coordinator at LSU, which was coming off an undefeated national championship season.

After going 12-2 in 2021, the Bears slipped to 6-7 in 2022 after losing their last four games, then went 3-9 in 2023. A loss to LSU in the Texas Bowl gave them an 8-5 record last season.

Novak takes one-shot lead into weekend at PGA event

ST SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. — Andrew Novak took advantage of more benign weather Friday and the absence of the pressure facing so many others in the PGA Tour’s season finale. He had a 7-under 65 on the Plantation Course at Sea Island to take a one-shot lead into the weekend.

Novak has gone three months without competition dating to the Tour Championship, the culmination of a breakthrough year Novak shot a 61 on Seaside in the opening round and followed that with a 65 to reach 16-under 126.

Even so, his place on the PGA Tour is set for next year And having reached the Tour Championship, he’s also in all the majors and $20 million signature events.

Defending champion Italy sent into Davis Cup final

BOLOGNA, Italy Two-time defending champion Italy reached the Davis Cup final after Flavio Cobolli beat Zizou Bergs of Belgium 6-3, 6-7 (5), 7-6 (15) after saving seven match points in a dramatic semifinal on Friday The 17-15 final set tiebreak was the sixth longest in Davis Cup history

Cobolli gave Italy a 2-0 lead without needing the doubles contest.

Italy is riding a 13-time winning streak and meets the winner of Saturday’s semifinal between Germany and Spain, which is without injured No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz.

The Davis Cup Final 8 is the sixth edition of the revamped event that has the champion decided at a neutral site.

McCann, Diamondbacks agree to one-year contract

PHOENIX The Arizona Diamondbacks are bringing back catcher James McCann on a $2.75 million, one-year deal, according to a person familiar with the agreement. The sides agreed Thursday to the contract, which also includes the potential to earn up to $500,000 in bonuses.

The 35-year-old McCann signed with the D-backs in June and provided solid production, batting .260 with five homers and 17 RBIs. He was also good with the team’s young pitchers, including Ryne Nelson and Brandon Pfaadt.

A 2019 All-Star with the Chicago White Sox, McCann will be playing his 13th season in the big leagues. He has a .242 career batting average and 97 homers.

Thitikul takes 3-shot lead in LPGA season finale

NAPLES Fla. Jeeno Thitikul putted for birdie on every hole Friday in a performance worthy of the No. 1 player in women’s golf, giving her a 9-under 63 for a threeshot lead in the CME Group Tour Championship as the Thai star closes in on another $4 million payoff and LPGA player of the year Thitikul, the defending champion, was at 14-under 130. Thitikul is leading the pointsbased award for LPGA player of the year The only player who can catch her is Women’s British Open champion Miyuu Yamashita of Japan, who shot a 69 and was nine shots behind going into the weekend. Thitikul and Yamashita are the only players with multiple victories this year

UL 34, ARKANSAS ST. 30

THREE AND OUT: KEVIN FOOTE’S TOP TAKEAWAyS FROM UL’S CRITICAL ROAD WIN

Notebook 1

DEFENSE HUNG IN THERE

The wackiness of the first quarter meant the new-look defense with true freshman Steven Ranel and redshirt freshman Lake Bates making their first starts at safety didn’t play many snaps But before stopping Arkansas State twice from the UL 2 in the final six seconds of the game, the defense did a good job of not giving up the easy touchdown on long plays. It forced the Red Wolves to drive the field, and the result was two turnovers on downs in the red zone and two short field goals.Those efforts were largely responsible for the game-winning margin.

2

OFFENSE DID,TOO

As if the Cajuns’ offensive line didn’t have enough issues this season, UL lost two for the game and one other lineman had to be helped off the field. Center Cooper Fordham left the game in the first quarter and didn’t return. Reserve tackle Mackey Maillho left and didn’t return. Walk-on Andrew Martinez stepped in at center and kept the ball rolling Both the running and passing game had issues at times, but the shorthanded overcame the nightmarish first quarter to keep a winning season possible.

3

LAWSON IS A STUD yes, it’s a team game and many Cajuns played well, but senior defensive end Jordan Lawson just epitomizes everything UL’s coaching staff believes in. He’s never gotten negative during the tough times and he came up huge in Thursday’s win. His minus-3 stop forced a field goal late in the first quarter and his pressure on fourth-and-2 forced a turnover on downs at the UL 25 late in the third quarter Lawson finished with five tackles with that key QB hurry and stop behind the line.

Cajuns’ new-look defense comes in clutch

BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer

JONESBORO, Ark. — In many ways, UL went into Thursday’s 34-30 road victory over Arkansas State blind.

Seven UL players were sidelined after being suspended for the postgame fight against Texas State, including safeties Tyree Skipper and Kody Jackson and cornerback Courtline Flowers

As a result, true freshman Steven Ranel and redshirt freshman Lake Bates made their first career starts on Thursday

The long scoring plays didn’t happen, and the defense only allowed 16 points with the Red Wolves scoring on a fumble return and a kickoff return.

Bates was among UL’s leading tacklers with seven stops, and Ranel contributed four tackles and a fumble recovery

“They’ve been communicating, and that’s what made me feel safe with them,” defensive lineman Fitzgerald West said of the new secondary “As long as you overcommunicate and we’re all on the same page, it’s hard to mess up. So their communication — even the first drive — I’m back there hearing new voices, communicate, and I’m like, ‘OK, they got this, man.’”

Other players who helped make the new-look starting lineup work included linebacker Terrence Williams and cornerback Brent Gordon Williams led the team with 12 tackles, while Gordon had seven tackles and three pass breakups.

“Our defensive staff was excellent,” UL coach Michael Desormeaux said. “I thought (coordinator) Jim (Salgado) did a fantastic job. He got us in some real good stuff. Our players were unbelievable when we needed them most.” Kicking game craziness

The special teams played a huge role in Thursday’s contest for both teams. It began with Nathan Torney shanking his second punt for 23 yards to give the Red Wolves the ball at the 28 Arkansas State turned that break into a 21-yard field goal and an early 3-0 lead. On the ensuing kickoff, a holding flag on UL forced the Cajuns to

open the next drive at their own 10.

Three plays later, quarterback

Lunch Winfield was sacked and the fumble was returned 27 yards by defensive tackle Cody Sigler for a 10-0 ASU lead halfway through the first quarter

It got worse for the Cajuns when Chauncy Cobb returned a kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown to give the Red Wolves a 20-17 lead with 6:45 left until intermission.

Then UL returned the favor when Ja’Corian Norris responded with a 65-yard kickoff return to set up Winfield’s 1-yard TD run for a 2420 Cajuns lead with 3:38 left until halftime.

“We had some really big plays on special teams,” Desormeaux said. “Obviously, the kick return

was not very good, which we knew the kick returner was really good. We didn’t do a great job of forcing the edge right there on the one he brought back, but we blocked it really well and Ja’Corian was lights out, man. I mean, he hits it, he’s kind of been a little bit of a spark back there.”

The kicking game also came up huge with kicker Tony Sterner making a 41-yard field goal in the first quarter and a 50-yard field goal for a 34-27 lead with 13:35 left in the fourth quarter

“They were huge kicks,” Desormeaux said. “Obviously, we want seven every time you get close to there, but that last one (50-yarder) that he kicked, you know, we kind of played the drive,

really to set up for the field goal.

We kind of got behind the sticks there on first down, and we think it was second and 13.

“So it was, ‘OK, let’s just get it back to about his kick line. We felt good for about the 33, where he was hitting it today And I mean, it was a huge kick.”

Martinez delivers

For the second time this season, redshirt sophomore walk-on offensive lineman Andrew Martinez came through off the bench.

Starting center Cooper Fordham left the game after a touchdown run late in the first quarter and didn’t return. It wasn’t perfect after that, but Martinez made sure the offense remained functional the

rest of the way

“When your center goes down, that game could go a whole lot different,” Desormeaux said. “You remember that Southern Miss game three years ago. We lost Landon (Burton) and we couldn’t snap the ball for a quarter That can completely change the trajectory of the game.”

Winfield certainly appreciated the job Martinez did.

“He did an amazing job,” Winfield said. “At practice, we do the same thing. Cooper takes snaps and then Andrew comes in It worked our perfectly Andrew came in and did his job.”

Email Kevin Foote at kfoote@ theadvocate.com.

and nothing comes easy for this team.

Yet somehow, this team’s hopes to finishing the season in a bowl or even better with a winning record is still alive.

Despite getting three more offensive linemen banged up in the game, the Cajuns moved their winning streak to three for a 5-6 record heading into next Saturday’s 2 p.m. game against ULMonroe at Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium.

Despite having to play the game with true freshman Steven Ranel and redshirt freshman Lake Bates starting for the first time at safety and without cornerback Courtline Flowers, the Cajuns somehow overcame a nightmarish start to the game to claim another road victory

The game in Jonesboro was essentially a picture of what UL endured throughout this season a nightmare start, a ton of offensive line issues and yet somehow finding a way to keep things going.

“When you go through a season like we’ve been through, there are so many ups and downs that you’ve had to survive, and there’s so many things that you’ve had to go through,” Desormeaux said “I

mean, being down 10 early, and we were down by 17 in the fourth quarter in one game. The reality of it is with that much time left, we knew all we had to do was settle down and just play.” When safety Tyree Skipper got injured late last season, Kody Jackson stepped in and performed. On Thursday Bates and Ranel both shined as well.

“I don’t think they had any plays where the ball is snapping and guys are still trying to figure out what’s going on,” senior defensive end Jordan Lawson said. “Them

just communicating and being prepared and not being scared of the moment. They could have folded, but they did a good job.”

The Red Wolves drove 89 yards late in the game to give them 394 total yards, but the defense didn’t give up a big play like it had so many times earlier this season. It made the Red Wolves have to convert in the red zone and they failed just enough times for the Cajuns to celebrate. Lawson sounded like a proud older brother after the game and he should have.

“There was never a point in the locker room where guys just said, ‘Forget it, we lost this game, so we might as well just hang it up.’

JORDAN LAWSON, Cajuns

“I’m real proud of this team,” Lawson said. “It’s been a lot this season a lot of games we lost and a lot of players injured, suspensions , and guys having to step up and players not used to playing. It just makes you proud.

“There was never a point in the locker room where guys just said, ‘Forget it, we lost this game, so we might as well just hang it up.’ No leader did more this season to keep the Cajuns fighting hard than Lawson. Desormeaux had to fight back tears when asked about Lawson’s impact on the game and the season.

“He’s done it all year, but tonight, I thought he was really good,” Desormeaux said. “I told him, ‘Man, I’m so proud of you.’ You have seniors that have been here for a long time, and they’ve been through so much.

“We had we had such high expectations at the beginning of this year, and when

TerryRobinson

FAITH MATTERS

Baptistgroup celebrates students, 150thannual session

Powerful preaching, inspiring music and —more importantly —agreat cause make the Fourth District Missionary Baptist Association’sScholarship Gala one of the highlights of my year

The fourth annualgala last week drew acapacity crowd of faith leaders, church members, elected officialsand community supporters to the ballroom of theRenaissanceHotelinBaton Rouge.They wereunited by ashared goal: investing in the lives of young people.

“This gala is not just about scholarships. It’sabout sowing seeds,” said Jaci Skidmore, a2019 scholarship recipient, during her brief welcome address.

The scholarship opened the door for Skidmore, 23, to earn degrees from Southeastern Louisiana University and LSU-Shreveport

Each year,the gala’sgoal is to raise $30,000for collegebound students, with award amounts basedonneed and merit. This year’stop scholarship award winners were Kyson Evans, of Greater Pilgrim Rest Baptist in Plaquemine, and Tycen Smith, of New Pilgrim Baptist Church in Zachary

“That’sthe only thing we do to raise money,and we raise money for the students,” said the Rev.René Brown, president-moderator of the Fourth District and pastor of Mount Zion First Baptist Church.

The gala marked the commencement of amilestone week for the Fourth District, which celebrated its 150th annual session at Mount Zion First Baptist Church. The theme was “Reschooling the Prophet” from Exodus 18:18.

“It went well,” Brown said of the two-night session that opened withreports from various ministries and concluded with his president’smessage. “Wewant to see the reports and all that. That’sall good, but what Iwant is money for those kids. What’simportant for me is the gala. That’swhat makes the week productive to me.” Even so, Brown could not help but reflect on the Fourth District’slongevity and his profound gratitude for the founders’ foresight.

The predominantly Black faith-based organization now includes churches acrosssix parishes: East and West Baton Rouge, Iberville, East and West Feliciana and Pointe Coupee.

“Our ancestors and fore parents saw the need to put the association together and for them to realize we need to be together,that part sticks in my mind,” Brown said. “For usto still be here,anAfrican-American organization, for 150 years, it just does my heartgood.”

As he embarks upon the final year of his eight-year term as president of the association, Brown said there’smuch work to be done.

“I’m trying to make sure that whenmytime is up, there are some foundational thingsthey can take and continue to move forward,” he said.

Among his priorities is securing deeper ties between the Fourth District and the Leland College property in Baker as

and artcollector

ON A MISSION

Afterunearthinga viralpainting, collector Jeremy K. Simien became an artworld star

BY DOUG MacCASH Staff writer

Jeremy K. Simien is awell-known connoisseur of antique Louisianapaintings, furniture and fine craft.Inparticular,the 40-year-old Baton Rouge art collector seeks outitems that call attention to slaveryand racerelations in colonialand pre-Civil Warsociety.Itcan be asplintery area of specialization, since noteveryone cares to be remindedofpast societal ills Years back,Simiensaid, he asked amuseum director why there was so little historical evidence of people of color in the institution’s collection. The director,whom Simien declinedtoname, said that such artifacts just didn’texist or couldn’tbefound anyway With that, Simienembarked on asometimes quixotic quest. In time, he discovered that evidence of antebellum slavery and the historical contributions of non-Europeanscertainly exists, though often it’sbeen swept

In an 1837 painting,a Black teenager stands beside atrioofWhite children. A recent historicaldiscovery found that the young NewOrleanian was an enslaved householdservant named Bélizaire.

underthe rug. Simienbelievesit’simperativetofind such artworks and objectsand suss out their meanings. And it’sespecially important that aperson of color,like himself, do so Bringing back Bélizaire

In 2021, Simien becamean overnight star of the national

ä See MISSION, page 10C

BR EpicureanSociety honors late restaurateur

BY JOYHOLDEN Staff writer

The Baton Rouge Epicurean Societyannounced its2026 Grace “Mama” Marino Lifetime Achievement Award honoreeat noonNov.19 at Gino’sItalian Restaurant. This year,the award posthumouslyhonors RuffinRodrigue. The Baton Rouge Epicurean Societygives the Grace “Mama” Marino Award to ahighly regarded figure in city whoexemplifiesoutstanding leadership, hospitalityand philanthropy, andisknown for their long-standing commitment to thecity, thelocal community and the city’s culinary excellence. Rodrigue, thelate owner of Ruffino’sRestaurantinBaton Rouge and Lafayette, wasknown forhis passion forhospitality, larger-than-life personality,and deep love forBaton Rouge and LSU. Aformer LSU football player turned restaurateur,Rodrigue opened the restaurant in 1998 as DiNardo’sand renamed it Ruffino’safter Nick Saban took over as LSU football headcoach.

Rodrigue built Ruffino’s intoone of Louisiana’smost beloved dining destinations —aplace where great food, laughter andconnection come together He wasa tirelessadvocatefor the hospitality industry,serving on Louisiana’sLegislative Advisory Task Force on Economic Recovery during COVID-19 and helping

ä

Unitarian Church to host estate sale

The Unitarian Church of Baton Rouge, 8470 Goodwood Blvd., will host its second annual Jewelry Estate

Sale from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Saturday The sale is open to the public and features hundreds of pieces in all styles, sizes and price points. Selections include vintage, costume, handcrafted pieces and more.

Church hosts talk on same-sex marriage

Metropolitan Community Church of Baton Rouge, 7747 Tom Drive, will host a free community discussion on protecting marriage rights for same-sex couples at 2 p.m. Saturday

The featured speaker will be Baton Rouge estate plan-

By The Associated Press

Today is Saturday, Nov 22, the 326th day of 2025. There are 39 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Nov 22, 1963, John F Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, was shot to death during a motorcade in Dallas; Texas Gov John B. Connally, riding in the same car as Kennedy, was seriously wounded. Suspected gunman Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested. Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in as president.

AWARD

Continued from page 9C

restaurants navigate unprecedented challenges. His generosity reached far beyond his business, supporting organizations such as the American Cancer Society, Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center, Dreams Come True, No Kid Hungry and the Cypress Springs Mercedarian Prayer Center Foundation. Rodrigue’s vision was never just about food, but about creating moments that mattered.

Guided by his personal motto, “Celebrate Life,” he brought joy and connection to everyone around him. From the warmth of his dining rooms to his unwavering support of others, Rodrigue left a lasting mark on Louisiana’s hospitality industry and his community Rodrigue died unexpectedly on Nov 25, 2020, from a heart attack. He was 53.

The luncheon at Gino’s was well-attended by 32 people — local restaurateurs, press, wine distributors and members of the Epicurean Society In a private room, the guests honored Rodrigue with toasts, a delicious lunch and conversa-

MATTERS

Continued from page 9C

a location to support community and disaster relief efforts.

Brown also wants to continue to strengthen the association’s STEM program, which drew more than 200 students to an event this year at Mount Zion.

The scholarship gala carried the theme “Still We Rise,” inspired by Psalm 20:8: “They were brought to their knees and fall, but we rise and stand firm.” The presentation of scholarships was centered around two stirring performances by special guest psalmist Tiffany Mosley, a national gospel recording artist. The keynote speaker was the Rev Lawrence E. Aker III, pastor of Cornerstone Baptist Church in Brooklyn, New York, who delivered a message that encouraged listeners of all ages to continue rising above their fears and

ning attorney Paula Ouder who will provide insights on how same-sex couples, whether married, partnered or dating, can protect their legal rights amid ongoing national debate. The event is also open to single LGBTQ individuals and allies concerned about the future of same-sex marriage in the U.S. For more information, visit www.MCCBR.org

St. Luke’s Episcopal holiday meal

St. Luke’s Episcopal Church will once again conduct its annual holiday meal outreach, a long-standing ministry rooted in service and compassion

The outreach extends hospitality to neighbors who may need assistance during the holiday season

This year, St. Luke’s will

TODAY IN HISTORY

Also on this date: In 1986, 20-year-old Mike Tyson became the youngest heavyweight boxing champion in history, stopping WBC titleholder Trevor Berbick in the second round of their championship bout in Las Vegas. In 2022, a Walmart manager pulled out a handgun before a routine employee meeting and began firing wildly in the break room of a company store in Chesapeake, Virginia, killing six people and wounding six others before fatally shooting himself.

tion. Kelly Firesheets, president of the Baton Rouge Epicurean Society, opened the luncheon by acknowledging Rodrigue’s profound impact on many in the hospitality industry

“I know Ruff is in heaven, smiling and probably singing as we announce him as the honoree of the 19th honoree of the Grace ‘Mama’ Marino Lifetime Achievement Award,” Firesheets said. Brad Watts, co-owner of Cecilia’s Bistro, spoke in honor of Rodrigue and mentioned his tireless involvement during the pandemic. Watts suggested Rodrigue for the Grace “Mama” Marino award winner for 2026. Alison Rodrigue, Ruffin’s widow thanked everyone in attendance for the special recognition of her late husband.

“This is such an honor For me and my children, it’s really special,” she said In a touching moment, Gino Marino, the owner of Gino’s and longtime friend of Rodrigue, stood up and told a story about a gift from Rodrigue that was meaningful to him. Rodrigue gave Marino a framed picture of himself tackling a player during his LSU football days. Rodrigue had signed the picture and addressed it,

other circumstances.

Aker’s guiding scripture came from Paul’s letter to his young protégé Timothy from 2 Timothy 1:7: “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

“Fear is a spirit,” he said. “For every child of God, for every believer, God has not given us that spirit.”

Aker focused on the different kinds of fear and how it causes us to make irrational decisions. He reflected on figures such as Rosa Parks, Thurgood Marshall, Martin Luther King and others, whom we can draw inspiration.

“We’re standing here tonight on the shoulders of our ancestors,” he said. “That’s why we can’t have a spirit of fear We are pushing yet another generation to say that still we rise We can rise above our fears. We can rise above our concerns, because God has not given us a spirit of fear.”

His focus then shifted to

provide meals for approximately 400 people through its continued partnership with St. Vincent de Paul. Meals will be delivered to various housing facilities, with parishioners providing full pans of food.

There are no limitations on the types of food for the holiday meal Organizers encourage home-cooked dishes such as baked turkey, dressing, sweet potatoes and green beans.

Monetary donations are also accepted.

Sign-up sheets are available at the back of the church, and monetary gifts may be placed in the envelope on the table.

Food donations may be dropped off from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Thursday, Thanksgiving Day Drivers can pull through the front driveway, where volunteers will meet them at their cars.

Today’s birthdays: Actorfilmmaker Terry Gilliam is 85. Hockey Hall of Famer Jacques Laperrière is 84. Astronaut Guion Bluford is 83. Tennis Hall of Famer Billie Jean King is 82. Rock musician-actor Steven Van Zandt is 75. Rock musician Tina Weymouth (Talking Heads) is 75. Actor Richard Kind is 69. Actor Jamie Lee Curtis is 67. Actor Mads Mikkelsen is 60. Actor Mark Ruffalo is 57. Tennis Hall of Famer Boris Becker is 58. Actor Scarlett Johansson is 41. Actor Alden Ehrenreich is 36.

“To Gino, my mentor.” Marino says he keeps the picture at home now because it means so much to him.

This year’s honoree joins a distinguished list of previous recipients, including:

n 2007: Grace “Mama”

Marino

n 2008: T.J. Moran*

n 2009: Frank Bologna*

n 2010: Charles Brandt*

n 2011: John Folse

n 2012: Tullio Saffiotti*

n 2013: Vince Ferachi*

n 2014: J.H. “Jay” Campbell Jr

n 2015: Bobby Yarborough

n 2016: Holly Clegg*

n 2017: Tommy Simmons

n 2018: Benjamin “Ben” Kleinpeter*

n 2019: Charlie Valluzzo

n 2020: COVID-19 Intermission on Events

n 2021: The Pizzolato Family

n 2022: Gino Marino

n 2023: Saurage Family

n 2024: Luci & Wayne Stabiler

n 2025: Bob Kirchoff

*deceased

Rodrigue is the first posthumous honoree of the award, and the Baton Rouge Epicurean Society will honor him throughout 2026 with special events.

Email Joy Holden at joy holden@theadvocate.com.

what God has given: power, love and a sound mind.

“Whenever you see that word power in the Bible, it’s a reminder of God’s strength,” Aker said.

That includes power as the body of Christ.

“We need power in our pulpit. We need power in our churches. We need power so that the church can be the church,” he said.

Power must not be abusive and combined with love, Aker said.

“Paul’s reminding us that even in the midst of these difficult times, we still have to love,” Aker said. “When you learn how to use power and love, we can still rise.”

Lastly Aker emphasized the importance of maintaining a sound mind.

“Remember the devil doesn’t carry a pitchfork, but he does carry a pitch,” he said. “His pitch is to make you think you’ve been dominated. His pitch is to make you think there’s no hope.”

Contact Terry Robinson at terryrobinson622@gmail. com.

MISSION

Continued from page 9C

antique art scene, when he tracked down and purchased a mysterious 1837 group portrait, possibly painted by master Jacques Amans, that was long rumored to include a blottedout portrait of an enslaved teen.

The young man, named Bélizaire, was the household servant of a wealthy, White, French Quarter family His job may have been to watch over the master’s three children, who are also featured on the canvas. He was included in the family portrait almost as if he were an equal. But, decades after the group portrait was painted, in the feverish segregationism of the Jim Crow era, somebody carefully painted over poor Bélizaire like he’d never been there.

By the time Simien bought the group portrait, Bélizaire had been uncovered by an art conservator, but his identity was still unknown. Simien had the painting thoroughly restored and hired a researcher to assist in sleuthing the enslaved teen’s backstory Thereafter, the painting became a sensation, a tangible symbol of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Bélizaire and his three wards ended up in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and Simien ended up in the pages of the New York Times, the Smithsonian Magazine, and all over the antique art trade magazines.

After being blotted out for so long, he wanted Bélizaire to take a bow in the brightest spotlight possible. Time pieces

Simien was an only child, born into a family of successful lawyers He attended a private Christian high school — an experience he found so distasteful he won’t share the name. He planned to go to college, but never got around to it. Instead, he sang, played keyboards and handled the electronic tracks for a bygone band called Desolo, which, he’s proud to point out, performed nothing but originals.

As a musician, he said, he found himself hanging out in pawn shops a lot, searching for hocked equipment While there, he explained, his eyes fell on other treasures as well. These days, Simien has come to believe that Swiss watches like Rolexes are a bit gauche. They’re ponderous, ostentatious and just too popular on the resale market. But back then, he found them irresistible.

Simien traded in used Rolexes and other collectible timepieces. He says he wasn’t drawn to pristine, never-been-used watches. He liked them to have a little scratch here and there, maybe worn during a tour in Vietnam or something like that. The watches were the tellers of time and also the bearers of history Are you insane?

In 2013, Simien had just gotten married, and he and his wife were filling their

new gated-community home So, he sold one of his vintage Rolexes to impulsively buy an exquisite 1815, Louisiana-made, inlaid armoire at auction. It cost $10,000. When he called his dad to tell him what he’d done, his father asked him, “Are you insane?”

Well, at least it wasn’t as crazy as the time he spent $400 for an original Betamax tape of the 1978 slasher classic “Halloween,” which turned out to be a fake. That was during his antique video technology phase.

The purchase of the rare Louisiana-made armoire proved that yet another obsession had kicked in. But this time it was a real passion. And it was personal. There aren’t a lot of people of color in the world of antique art collecting, and he planned to make a mark.

Top hats, beads, watches

Central to Simien’s collecting are art and artifacts related to free people of color, the unique community of non-enslaved Blacks and mixed-race residents that shared New Orleans with fellow citizens of European descent before the Civil War. Most Americans probably don’t know that such a class of people even existed.

Simien said he’s drawn to the area of specialization in part because he descends from free people of color, as well as enslaved Africans, Native Americans, European colonists and others.

With a certain theatrical flair Simien is known to wear the top hat of an antebellum gentleman on his head and a few strands of glass trade beads — symbolic of early international commerce between Europeans, Africans and Native Americans. Plus, on occasion, he straps a glittering, gold, non-Rolex watch on his wrist. It’s a sociologically complex fashion combination that says plenty about his worldview

The message of the Bélizaire painting, Simien said at the time, was to “highlight New Orleans’ culture, the good, the bad, the Black, White and gray, the whole fusion.”

Finding self

The same philosophy applies to the collection of artworks that crowd the walls of his office, where a portrait of the slave-owning statesman Henry Clay — painted by an artist with a studio in the Pontalba apartments — shares space with a tiny portrait of an African American Union Army soldier Elsewhere, there’s a portrait of a female plantation

owner, a portrait of a man who sold nautical instruments on Canal Street, and an etching of the Bernard de Marigny, the French gambler for whom the neighborhood is named. There’s also a couple of lithographs by the mysterious New Orleans illustrator and photographer Jules Lion, who was long thought to be a free man of color but may have actually been of European/Jewish descent Simien’s office decor is the whole fusion, for sure. Simien believes that for him, collecting historical art is, in part, an exercise in “finding self.” In one case, the search led to a longlost relative. Studying his genealogy, Simien became aware of an ancestor who was an officer in the mid18th-century colonial Spanish army in Louisiana. He further discovered that in 1841, his great-great-greatgreat-great-grandfather had sat for a portrait. Simien tracked the artwork to distant out-of-state cousins, who eventually agreed to allow him to purchase it. After some confusion, Simien discovered the painting actually depicted his great-great-great-greatgreat-grandfather’s son. Simien’s research revealed that the man in the picture wasn’t entirely of European descent as previously thought. He was of mixed race.

Stepping on toes

“Foremost, Simien is a historian who is also a collector,” said Bradley Sumrall, senior curator at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art. “Once he’s attached to an object, he wants the whole history.”

As a person with a multiracial background, “he didn’t see his story fully represented in the history books, in the art history books and in museums,” Sumrall said. “He was underrepresented and sometimes erased.”

Simien has a certain reputation for bluntness. He is quick with an unvarnished opinion and has occasionally rankled curators and auctioneers. He may not have burned bridges, but he’s not adverse to scorching them. He says it comes with the territory “It’s a full room. You can’t move without stepping on toes,” he said. “You have some prickly people in the art world, and I hate to be at odds with people. But if you’re not at odds with people, you’re not getting it done.”

Email Doug MacCash at dmaccash@theadvocate. com.

sCoRPIo(oct. 24-nov. 22) Learnfrom experience, listeningand engaging in trips or reunions.A positive transformation is within reach; all you must do is let your instincts kick in and lead the way.

sAGIttARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Play to win, and you'll gain the advantage necessary to outmaneuver anyone trying to competewithyou. Step back, take a closer look and read the room

CAPRICoRn (Dec. 22-Jan.19) Participation will be eye-opening. Playanactiverole in getting what you want. Take control, lead the way and make astatement with words and actions.

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Useyourconnections, intelligenceand money wisely. Refuse to let outside influences lead youastray. Don't deviatefrom your original plans to pleasesomeone else.

PIsCEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Slow down; take amomenttoevaluate and to contemplate your next move. You'rebest offtakinga wait-and-see approach if you want to avoid loss

ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Check every detail thoroughly. Falseinformationis apparent,and if you act in haste or don't do your due diligence, you will pay the price. Trust in yourself andyour ability to get things done.

tAuRus (April 20-May 20) Find your voice, speak up and determine how to best spend your time. You areoverdue for apersonal change. Consider what

will bring optimalresults thatboost your confidence.

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Your leadership ability will helpyou move forward quickly. Keep your emotions in check when dealing with legal, financial or medical issues. Avoid unnecessary spending.

CAnCER(June 21-July 22) You're in a good spot. Don't ponderoverapast you cannot change when the future looks bright,and the time to act is now. It's up to you to choosewhat you want and make it happen.

LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Put pressure on peopleincharge, and offer solutions that are undeniablyworthwhile.It's your turn to shine. Deploy your efforts with precisionand. Care.

VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) Step aside, rethink your plans and initiate change that you can manage without outside assistance. Sometimes alittle goes a longway. It's yourselfyou must please, not others.

LIBRA(sept. 23-oct. 23) Pay attention to what's unfolding. Don't hesitate to entertainguests or to network with people whocan helpyou connect with others whoshare yourconcerns, interests or pathinlife

Thehoroscope, an entertainmentfeature, is not based on scientific fact. ©2025 by NEA, Inc., dist. By AndrewsMcMeel Syndication

CelebrityCipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present.Each letter in the cipher stands for another.

toDAy's CLuE: GEQuALsW

Sudoku

InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1to9inthe empty squaressothat each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the samenumber only once. The difficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

By PHILLIP ALDER Bridge

Don Marquis, anovelist,poet, newspaper columnist and playwright who died in 1937, said, “A pessimist is aperson who has hadtolisten to too many optimists.”

Abridge expertisa person who listens to his opponents, whether they are optimists or pessimists, and uses that information to his benefit.

In this deal, look at the auction and the East cards. South is in four hearts. West leadsafourth-highest spade two. How should East plan thedefense?

South’s sequence of clubs -heartshearts showed (at least) five hearts and six clubs. If South had had equal length inhistwosuits,hewouldhaveresponded oneheart,nottwoclubs.Afterthat,itwas nigh impossiblefor South to passout threeno-trump,whichwouldhavemade And it was understandable that North went forthe major-suit game instead of correcting to five clubs, which would also have come homehere.

West’s spade-twolead is from afourcard suit. This means that South has two spades to gowith his five heartsand six clubs;hemust be void in diamonds Similarly, Eastknows that West is void in clubs.

South’s best chance is to win with the spade ace and to call for the heart jack,

wuzzles

feigning taking afinesse in the suit. But East should not fallfor it. He should win with hisace and return the club nine, his highest being asuit-preference signal asking fora spade return West ruffs and leadsa spade. East takes the trick andgives his partnera secondruff for downone. ©2025 by NEA, Inc., dist.ByAndrews

McMeel Syndication

Each Wuzzle is aword riddle which creates adisguised word,phrase, name, place, saying, etc. Forexample: NOON GOOD =GOOD AFTERNOON

Previous answers:

word game

InstRuCtIons: 1. Words mustbeoffour or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition

toDAy’s WoRD WonDERs: WUN-ders: Miracles or marvels.

Averagemark 39 words Time

yEstERDAy’s WoRD —IntEGRIty