The Acadiana Advocate 11-23-2025

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Customers shop during the grand opening of Raintree Market Wednesday in Jeanerette. The grocerystore is owned and operatedbythe Chitimacha Tribe of Louisiana. Thestore replaces Mac’sSugar City Market, whichwas destroyedby fire in 2022.

IN TIME FORTHE HOLIDAYS

Chitimacha Tribeopens groceryinJeanerette, whichhad been withouta storefor 3years

BY JOANNA BROWN Staff writer

When Mac’sSugarCity Marketwas destroyed in afire in the summer of 2022, the city of Jeanerette lost its onlygrocery store.

Jeanerette, atown of 5,000 people situated along the Bayou Techeabout 10 miles south of NewIberia, has been afood desertfor the past three years. According tocityofficials and residents,they have had to make do with trips to Dollar General, driving to NewIberiaorcatchingabus to Raintree Market in Baldwin,courtesy of the Chitimacha TribeofLouisiana.

The Chitimacha,afederallyrecognized tribe indigenous to the AtchafalayaBasinand MississippiRiver delta region, is now based near Charenton, where they operate anumber of enterprises, includingthe Cypress Bayou Casino and Hotel and Raintree Market. It’safull-service grocery store that has been open in Baldwin since 2010.

On Friday,the tribe opened Raintree Market’ssecond location in Jeanerette, where Mac’susedtostand at 1001 E. Main St. It’s aconvenient spot for the small town,where manyresidents could previously walk to the

Shaundai Poncho, of the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas, performs ahoop danceduringthe grand opening of Raintree Market on Wednesday

store.Now,theyhaveaneasilyaccessible grocery again —just in time to prepare holiday meals

The opening ceremony featured tribal and civic leaders, with dancers from the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texasshowcasing Indigenous culture andproviding supporttothe ChitimachaTribeand Jeanerettecommunity.

“It was ano-brainer,” said

ChitimachaTribe Chair Melissa Darden.“We could notleaveour neighbors in abind. Mac’swas an anchor of the communitydue to its location and what it provided. We have a very successful modelwithour own Raintree Market, and we could fill a need for our neighbors and expand an

BY MEGHANFRIEDMANN Staff writer

As President Donald Trump’sadministration aggressively pursues its massdeportationcampaign, the number of immigrantschallenging the legalityoftheir detention at ICEfacilitiesinLouisiana —a state thathas become amajor detention hub in recent years —has surged. In the roughly 10 monthsbefore

Lafayette’s urbancore focusof growth debate

BY ADAM DAIGLE Acadiana business editor

Just how much of Lafayette is within the urban core? It depends on whoyou ask.

Ben Berthelot, president and CEO of the Lafayette Conventionand Visitors Commission, describes it as the area stretchingfrom the Holy Rosary site to the old horse farm that now houses Moncus Park. It’s a4.7-mile stretch that includessome of theoldest commercial and residential properties in the city

It’sthat core, he said, that’s so important to theeconomy of the city and the region. Lafayette does nothavemountains or beaches, but it does have a unique culture.

“Thank goodness we have culture,” he said. “Wehavethe best food, music and culture of anywhere in the world, but what Isay is we will never reach our fullest potential in tourism unless we have more densityin ourdowntown and urban core. It’s absolutelyacritical piece forus.”

The discussion Thursday,put on by One Acadiana andheld at theAcadiana Center forthe Arts,centeredaround howinvestment and focus on the core of Lafayette can help in attracting and keeping young talented people in the city and region.

Lafayette Parish is oneofthe fewregions in the state that has growninpopulation and reported the biggest increase in the state between July 1, 2023 and July 1, 2024.

According to 2023 data, the largest agesegment of thepopulation was ages 30-39, which made up 16%. That’shigher than both the state and U.S. rates.

Berthelot

“...We will never reach our fullest potential in tourism unless we have more density in our downtown and urban core. It’s absolutely acritical piece for us.”

BEN BERTHELOT, president and CEOof theLafayette Convention and Visitors Commission

At the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, 82% of its graduates remain in Lafayetteayearafter graduation,interimpresident Ramesh Kolluru said. That number drops to 72% after 10 years, he noted. There are several efforts in motion to address

ä See STORE, page 8A ä See GROWTH, page 8A

Trump took office in January,23 habeas petitions —a type of lawsuit that claimsa person is being illegally detained —were filed in federal courts in the state.

Between Trump’sJan.20inauguration and Nov. 1, that number soared, with at least95Louisiana ICE detainees challenging their detention here, areview of federal court records found.

Among the petitioners areaPakistani manwith an American wife and kids who took awrong turn aftervisitingNiagaraFalls and endedupatthe Canadian border, where he wasdetained; aUkrainian truckdriver who was detained when he madeadelivery at amili-

tary base in Texas; and aRussian who opposedthe warinUkraine and spent ayearand ahalfindetention while his asylum claim was processed.

Thelawsuitsillustrate howthe Trump administration’spush to detain and deport immigrants in record numbers is sweeping up manypeople who previously would not have been targeted. And critics argue it showshow those efforts are sometimes crossing legal lines. “Any insinuation that theTrump administration is detaining people illegally is anothersmear peddled by themedia,”TriciaMcLaughlin,

Cargo ship catches fire in Port of Los Angeles

A fire on a container ship docked at the Port of Los Angeles was nearly contained Saturday afternoon, though authorities were still assessing whether enough hazardous material burned to cause significant contamination.

The blaze, which broke out Friday night, prompted a shelter-in-place order for surrounding communities over concerns about hazardous materials in the One Henry Hudson’s cargo

The order was lifted in the morning, and the ship was moved out to sea. Fireboats sprayed water on the vessel to tame “a small section” that was still on fire, Los Angeles Fire Department spokesperson Adam Van Gerpen said.

The electrical fire apparently started below deck before spreading to several levels of the ship, leading to an explosion mid-deck, according to the fire department. The cause was under investigation.

Roughly 100 cargo containers burned, and many of them carried dangerous materials, Van Gerpen said. Officials said some included lithium-ion batteries and other hazardous waste, though it was not clear if they caught fire.

2 Texas men indicted in plot to ‘invade’ Haiti

DALLAS Two Texas men were indicted this week after federal authorities said they conspired to “invade” Haiti.

According to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Eastern District of Texas, Gavin Rivers Weisenburg, 21, of Allen and Tanner Christopher Thomas, 20, of Argyle are accused of plotting to murder men on an island of Haiti and use the women and children on the island as “sex slaves.” The two men were also indicted on a charge of production of child pornography

According to the indictment, the two men plotted between August 2024 and July 2025, recruiting several people in their plan to sail to the island of Gonave, which is a part of Haiti The two men planned to purchase a sailboat, firearms and ammunition and recruit homeless people from Washington, D.C., as a “mercenary force” to invade the island and stage a coup d’etat.

Authorities said the two men made operational plans, learned the Haitian Creole language and enrolled in schools to learn skills for the invasion plan. The news release and indictment also said Thomas enlisted in the Air Force to learn military skills for the invasion plan.

If convicted, the men face up to life in prison

WHO: Polio outbreak in Indonesia is over

JAKARTA, Indonesia The World Health Organization has declared Indonesia’s polio outbreak officially over, following nearly three years of intensive response efforts, officials said Friday Indonesia has remained largely polio-free as the highly contagious disease was declared eliminated in the country in 2014. But eight years later, an outbreak emerged in the country’s conservative Aceh province, prompted by a dangerous combination of consistently low routine immunization and unhealthy environmental conditions. In 2021, only 50.9% of infants born in Aceh received polio vaccination.

Officials say that polio immunization rates in Aceh are well behind the rest of the country, with efforts hampered by widespread disinformation that the vaccine is incompatible with religious beliefs, among other things. The government has also been prioritizing COVID-19 vaccinations since they became available.

Over the next two years, cases appeared in the provinces of Banten, West Java, Central Java, East Java, North Maluku, Central Papua, Highland Papua and South Papua, prompting the mass immunization and information drive. Nearly 60 million additional doses of polio vaccine were administered to children during the response.

The last confirmed polio case was in South Papua province on June 2024.

Ukraine’s allies push back on peace plan

Countries say U.S. proposal favors Moscow, needs revision

By The Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine Ukraine’s Western allies rallied around the war-torn country on Saturday as they pushed to revise a U.S. peace plan seen as favoring Moscow despite its all-out invasion of its neighbor President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has vowed Ukrainians “will always defend” their home.

A Ukrainian delegation, bolstered by representatives from France, Germany and the U.K., is preparing for direct talks with Washington in Switzerland on Sunday.

The 28-point blueprint drawn up by the U.S. to end the nearly four-year war sparked alarm in Kyiv and European capitals, with Zelenskyy saying his country could face a stark choice between standing up for its sovereign rights and preserving the American support it needs

Speaking to reporters outside the White House on Saturday, President Donald Trump said the U.S. proposal was not his “final offer.”

“I would like to get to peace. It should have happened a long time ago. The Ukraine war with Russia should have never happened,” Trump said. “One

ä Trump paints Zelenskyy into corner with peace plan. PAGE 5A

way or the other, we have to get it ended.”

The U.S 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. It contains many of Moscow’s longstanding demands, while offering limited security guarantees to Kyiv

On Saturday, leaders of the European Union, Canada and Japan issued a joint statement welcoming U.S peace efforts, but pushed back against key tenets of

the plan.

“We are ready to engage in order to ensure that a future peace is sustainable. We are clear on the principle that borders must not be changed by force. We are also concerned by the proposed limitations on Ukraine’s armed forces, which would leave Ukraine vulnerable to future attack,” the statement said. It added that any decisions regarding NATO and the EU would require the consent of member states.

The leaders of France, Germany and the U.K met during the day on the sidelines of a Group of 20 summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, to discuss ways to support Kyiv, according to a person with knowledge

of the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly

German Chancellor

Friedrich Merz told reporters at the summit that “wars cannot be ended by major powers over the heads of the countries affected,” and insisted Kyiv needed robust guarantees.

French President Emmanuel Macron said the U.S. peace plan for Ukraine “requires broader consultation” because “it stipulates many things involving Europeans,” like Russia’s frozen assets and Ukraine’s accession to the European Union. Europe’s security issues must also be taken into account, Macron said, adding: “We want a robust and

lasting peace.” Merz and Macron said that envoys from Germany, France, the U.K. and the EU will join Ukrainian negotiators as they meet a U.S. delegation in Geneva on Sunday to discuss Washington’s proposal. Zelenskyy confirmed the meeting on Saturday, after Trump set a deadline for Kyiv to respond to the plan by next Thursday Among those expected to represent Washington are Trump’s Army secretary, Dan Driscoll, and Marco Rubio, who serves as both national security adviser and secretary of state, according to a U.S official who was not authorized to publicly discuss the American participants before the meeting and spoke on condition of anonymity Driscoll presented the U.S. plan to Ukrainian officials last week European leaders have long warned against rushing a peace deal, seeing their own future at stake in Ukraine’s fight to beat back Russia, and insist on being consulted in peace efforts. Kyiv’s key allies in Europe reiterated their reservations about the Kremlin’s readiness to end the war “Time and again, Russia pretends to be serious about peace, but their actions never live up to their words,” U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer told reporters ahead of the G20 summit, days after a Russian strike on western Ukraine killed over two dozen civilians.

Israel launches strikes in Gaza, testing ceasefire

Hospitals say at least 24 killed

BY WAFAA SHURAFA Associated Press

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip

Israel’s military on Saturday launched airstrikes against Hamas militants in Gaza in the latest test of the ceasefire that began on Oct. 10, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said five senior Hamas members were killed. Health officials in Gaza reported at least 24 people killed and another 54 wounded, including children.

The strikes, which Israel said were in response to gunfire at its troops, came after international momentum on Gaza, with the U.N. Security Council on Monday approving the U.S blueprint to secure and govern the territory It authorizes an international stabilization force to provide security, approves a transitional authority to be overseen by President Donald Trump and envisions a possible future path to an independent Palestinian state.

Israel has previously carried out similar waves of strikes after reported attacks on its forces dur-

I couldn’t see a thing. I covered my ears and started shouting to the others in the tent to run,” said Khalil Abu Hatab in Deir al-Balah. “When I looked again, I realized the upper floor of my neighbor’s house was gone.”

He added: “It’s a fragile ceasefire. This is not a life we can live. There’s no safe place.”

Israel’s military in a statement said it launched attacks against Hamas after an “armed terrorist” crossed into an Israeli-held area and shot at troops in southern Gaza. It said no soldiers were hurt. The military said

the person had used a road on which humanitarian aid enters the territory, and called it an “extreme violation” of the ceasefire. In other statements, the military said soldiers killed 11 “terrorists” in the Rafah area and detained six others who tried to flee an underground structure It also said its forces killed two others who crossed into Israeli-held areas in northern Gaza and advanced toward soldiers.

Israeli forces remain in just over half of Gaza after withdrawing from some areas under the ceasefire.

ing the ceasefire At least 33 Palestinians were killed over a 12-hour period Wednesday and Thursday, mostly women and children, health officials said.

One of Saturday’s strikes targeted a vehicle, killing 11 and wounding over 20 Palestinians in Gaza City’s Rimal neighborhood, said Rami Mhanna, managing director of Shifa Hospital, where the casualties were taken. The majority of the wounded were children, director Mohamed Abu Selmiya said.

Associated Press video showed children and others inspecting the blackened vehicle, whose top

was blown off.

A strike targeting a house near Al-Awda Hospital in central Gaza killed at least three people and wounded 11 others, according to the hospital It said a strike on a house in Nuseirat camp in central Gaza killed at least seven people including a child and wounded 16 others.

Another strike, targeting a house in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, killed three people, including a woman, according to Al-Aqsa Hospital.

“Suddenly, I heard a powerful explosion I looked outside and saw smoke covering the entire area.

Number of children abducted in Nigeria school attack rises to more than 300

By The Associated Press

ABUJA, Nigeria A total of 303 schoolchildren and 12 teachers were abducted by gunmen during an attack on St. Mary’s School, a Catholic institution in north-central Nigeria’s Niger state, the Christian Association of Nigeria said Saturday, updating an earlier tally of 215 schoolchildren.

The tally was changed “after a verification exercise and a final census was carried out,” according to a statement issued by the Most. Rev Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, chairman of the Niger state chapter of CAN, who visited the

school on Friday

He said 88 other students “were also captured after they tried to escape” during the attack The students were both male and female and ranged in age from 10 to 18.

The school kidnapping in Niger state’s remote Papiri community happened four days after 25 schoolchildren were seized in similar circumstances in neighboring Kebbi state’s Maga town, which is 106 miles away

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the abductions and authorities have said tactical squads have been deployed alongside local hunters to rescue

the children.

Yohanna described as false a claim from the state government that the school had reopened for studies despite an earlier directive for schools in that part of Niger state to close temporarily due to security threats.

“We did not receive any circular It must be an afterthought and a way to shift blame,” he said, calling on families “to remain calm and prayerful.”

School kidnappings have come to define insecurity in Africa’s most populous nation, and armed gangs often see schools as “strategic” targets to draw more attention.

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Brazil’s former presidentBolsonaro arrested

BY MAURICIO SAVARESE and LUCAS DUMPHREYS Associated Press

BRASILIA, Brazil— Brazil’s federal police on Saturday arrested former President Jair Bolsonaro over suspicion he was plotting to escape and avoid starting a27-year prison sentence for leading acoup attempt. The decision laid bare some of the country’s divisions, with many uncorking Champagne outside the far-right leader’s prison to celebrate as hissupporters prepared areligious act in his favor In adramatic andunexpected twist in the final stage of along and divisive crimi-

naltrial, federal agents entered Bolsonaro’shouse early Saturday underthe order of aSupremeCourt Justice to takethe former president to theheadquarters of the country’sfederal police in the capital, Brasilia. Justice Alexandrede Moraes, who oversawthe case on Bolsonaro’sattempt to keep the presidencyafter his defeattoPresident Luiz InácioLula da Silva in 2022, ordered the preemptive arrest aftersayingthe far-right leader’sankle monitor was violated at 12:08 a.m.onSaturday. Hislawyers claimed in astatementthat didnot take place Areport bycustody agents released laterinthe day and reviewed by The Associated Press —said Bolsonaro admitted usingasoldering iron to try to open the device. In acourt video alsoseen by the AP,Bolsonaroisheard admitting such attempt. The

De Moraes said the arrest wasapreventive measure to avoid apotential escape duringa protest organized by his son later Saturday

“Are you going to fight for yourcountry or are yougoing to watch it all from your cellphone in your home’s sofa?,” Flávio Bolsonaro saidinavideo inviting people to go outside his fathers’ house at 7p.m.“Iinvite you to fight with us.”

De Moraes said the attempt to break the ankle monitor was aconfirmation Bolsonaro would try to escape during “the confusion that would be caused by a demonstration organized by his son.”

to avoid jail.

footage shows the ankle monitor’scap heavily damaged. Bolsonaro,70, who had been under housearrest, was ordered to wear the device after being deemed a flight risk. His aide Andriely Cirino confirmed thatthe arrest took place around 6a.m.

on Saturday

In the following hours, dozensofcarshonkedoutside the federal police’sheadquarters as some Bolsonaro supporters protested. Police have sincetried keepthe small, but fierce, opposing sidesseparated.

The judge saidthere was achanceofBolsonaro fleeing to the U.S. Embassy in Brasilia. The SupremeCourt justice also mentioned other defendants in the coup case and political allies of the formerpresident leaving Brazil

“He is located about13 kilometers (8 miles) away from where the United StatesofAmerica embassy lies, in adistance that can be covered in a15-minute drive,” said de Moraes, who has been sanctioned by the Trumpadministration. In August, Brazil’sfederal police found messages that linked Bolsonaro to apolitical asylum request to Argentina, where an ally of his, Javier Milei, is president. Trump was askedoutside the White House on Saturday about Bolsonaro’sarrest, but saidthat was the first he was hearing of it. “Is that what happened? That’s too bad,” he said. Pressed for further comment, he said: “I just think it’stoo bad.” Trumpalso said he’d spoken with Lula on Friday night and that the two might be meeting “in the very near future.”

assistant secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, said in a statement.

McLaughlin argues the spike in habeas petitions is a natural result of increased detention and deportations.

“President Trump and Secretary Noem are now enforcing the law and arresting illegal aliens who have no right to be in our country and reversed Biden’s catch and release policy,” McLaughlin continued, referring to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. “We are applying the law as written. If a judge finds an illegal alien has no right to be in this country, we are going to remove them. Period.”

Meanwhile, immigration attorneys said the Trump administration’s fierce deportation tactics, which include a push to send immigrants to third countries, and recent decisions from the Board of Immigration Appeals have set the stage for a surge in habeas petitions.

Louisiana has the second most ICE detainees behind Texas. ICE has nine holding facilities in the state, which advocates say house over 7,000 detainees. It also has a staging area by an airfield in Alexandria that has become a hub for deportation flights.

In records filed with the habeas petitions, Louisiana detainees expressed frustration with ICE for failing to provide answers about when they will be released or deported, making their detention feel indefinite. In some cases, they begged to be sent to another country because they did not want to remain in ICE custody

“I gonna go crazy and die in here,” an Afghan contractor who worked with the U.S. military and fled the country after the Taliban retook power wrote in a September letter filed in court. “please Release me or deport me to Latin American countries instead of Afghanistan.”

As of Nov 20, the man, who said he was detained in May 2024 and ordered removed in late January, remained in custody in Louisiana, according to ICE’s detainee locator A push for third country removals ICE has detained four Sudanese

men for months after they won court orders blocking their deportations because they were at risk of persecution, the men’s habeas petitions say Sudan is in the middle of a civil war, and images of genocide there have recently shocked the world.

The men were detained in August 2024, according to their petitions, which show judges blocked their removal orders within the first few months of the Trump administration. The government has not appealed those orders, according to the Executive Office of Immigration Review’s case database.

Their cases are an example of a pattern immigration advocates say is becoming more common under Trump: ICE is less frequently releasing people who are under final removal orders but cannot be deported to their home countries, often as the government tries to send them to third countries.

Though third country deportations occasionally occurred before Trump took office, his administration is pursuing them far more aggressively

“ICE is detaining all these people that have won their cases, won protection to not be deported to a certain country, and then they’re like, ‘Let’s try to send them to a third country,’” said Jeremy Jong, an immigration attorney based in New Orleans. “Before, those people were, for the most part, released.”

The Sudanese men, like many other habeas petitioners, are using a 2001 Supreme Court case called Zadvydas v Davis to challenge their confinement. Though it is not a hard and fast rule, that case set a precedent that ICE cannot hold an immigrant for more than six months after a final removal order without a significant likelihood that the immigrant will be deported in the foreseeable future.

In one court filing, the Trump administration argued that the possibility of third country removal allowed them to legally detain an immigrant for longer by increasing the likelihood of his deportation.

Immigrants and lawyers are fighting that notion, sometimes describing cases where people have already been rejected by multiple countries.

The Sudanese men filed petitions more than six months after they received their final, deferred removal orders ICE has attempted to send at least two of them to third countries, court filings show “Sir, why I’m still here? If you

ministration. He left Russia after he defied mobilization orders to join the war against Ukraine and encouraged soldiers to resist fighting in a war he considered illegal, an immigration judge later wrote. Garaev had to leave his wife and children behind because he felt that was safer for everyone, his sister said in a letter to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana.

Upon his arrival in the U.S., authorities immediately detained Garaev, who was left to wait for his asylum case to unfold. Two months later, a judge granted him asylum, but the government twice appealed the decision, once under the Biden administration and once under Trump.

Once the second appeal was dismissed, Garaev was finally released — after having spent roughly a year and a half at River Correctional Center, an ICE facility in Ferriday

want to deport me which country you try on it? And if release when?”

one of the men asked ICE in September through a communications form.

“Your case is in HQ for 3rd country guidance and assistance,” an ICE officer wrote back. “Please be patient your case/response is in progress.”

ICE has denied release requests for the men, deeming them “flight risks,” according to court records.

Like many detainees who filed petitions, the men are representing themselves.

Not all the challenges filed in Louisiana have held up in court, and many remain pending. In at least two cases, judges have dismissed habeas petitions as premature. Other cases have been dismissed for procedural reasons.

As of Friday, the four Sudanese men, whose habeas cases are pending, remained detained in Louisiana, according to ICE’s detainee locator

New immigration precedents

As DHS uses the threat of detention to pressure people into giving up on their immigration cases, a recent Board of Immigration Appeals decision has made it even harder for some detainees to be released on bond.

In the Matter of Yajure Hurtado, the board ruled that immigration judges could not hear bond requests from people who had en-

tered the country illegally but lived here for at least two years without being apprehended.

That decision upended how bond proceedings had been conducted for 40 years, denying bond hearings to a large group of people who were previously eligible, said Homero López, the managing attorney of Immigration Services and Legal Advocacy in New Orleans.

Now those immigrants are asking for bond through habeas petitions, he said, adding that some federal judges have disagreed with the Hurtado decision.

The Hurtado ruling is part of a flurry of BIA rulings that have generally made it more difficult for immigrants to win their cases or be released on bond, López said, describing the board as being in “lockstep” with Trump’s deportation agenda.

“The Executive Office for Immigration Review is restoring integrity to the immigration adjudication system, and Board of Immigration Appeals decisions reflect straightforward interpretations of clear statutory language,” a spokesperson for the Executive Office for Immigration Review which oversees the BIA, said in a statement.

A long wait for asylum

Azat Garaev, a physician and former police officer arrived at a U.S. border checkpoint in California in April 2024 to apply for asylum during President Joe Biden’s ad-

“What truly breaks you is the uncertainty — not knowing what’s ahead, or how long you’ll be trapped in it. That kind of waiting eats away at you,” he said through a family member who helped translate. “I found myself sinking deeper into depression, drifting between hopelessness and anger.” His sister requested his release numerous times, to no avail, she said. Garaev himself requested parole at least twice and was denied both times, once because ICE deemed him a “flight risk,” an ICE official said in a statement filed in the federal district court as part of Garaev’s habeas case. In a court filing, Garaev argued he was not a flight risk because he had strong community ties — his sister an American citizen and longtime Massachusetts resident, was supporting him, he wrote. Garaev’s detention was likely legal because the government is allowed to hold asylum-seekers while their cases are pending, according to López, the immigration attorney But under Trump, it is becoming more common for the DHS to appeal decisions that allow immigrants to stay in the United States, he said Garaev was released on Oct. 15 and is living in Massachusetts where his sister, an American citizen, is based. ICE did not return his passport or foreign driver’s license, his sister said, and the family has struggled to get assistance from the agency

TrumppaintsZelenskyy into corner with peaceplan

BY AAMER MADHANI and WILL WEISSERT Associated Press

WASHINGTON With his new 28-point plan to end Russia’s war in Ukraine, President Donald Trump is resurfacing his argument that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy doesn’t“have the cards” to continue on the battlefield andmust cometo asettlement that heavily tilts in Moscow’sfavor

Trump, who has demonstrated low regard for Zelenskyy dating back to his first term,saysheexpects the Ukrainian leader to respond to his administration’snew plan to end the war by next Thursday

The president said Friday of Zelenksyy,“He’sgoing to have to approve it,” though he was more reconciliatory aday later,saying,“Iwould like to get to peace.”

“We’re trying to get it ended. One way or the other,we have to get it ended,” Trump told reporters outside the White House on Saturday Buffeted by acorruption scandalinhis government, battlefield setbacks andanother difficult winter loomingasRussia continues to bombard Ukraine’senergy grid, Zelenskyy says Ukraine is now facing perhaps the most difficult choiceinits history Zelenskyy has not spoken with Trump since the plan became public last week, but has said he expects to talk to the Republican president in coming days. It’slikelytobe another in aseries of tough conversations the two leaders have had over the years.

The first time they spoke, in 2019, Trump tried to pressure thethen newlyminted Ukrainian leadertodig up dirt on JoeBidenaheadof the2020 election.That phone call sparked Trump’sfirst impeachment.

Trump made Biden’ssupport for Ukraineacentral issue in his successful 2024 campaign, sayingthe conflict hadcost U.S. taxpayers too much money and vowing he would quickly bring the war to an end.

Then early this yearina disastrous Oval Office meeting, Trumpand Vice President JD Vance tore into Zelenskyy forwhat they said was insufficient gratitude forthe morethan $180 billion the U.S. had appropriated for military aid and other assistance to Kyiv sincethe start of the war.That episode led to atemporary suspensionof U.S. assistance to Ukraine And now with the new proposal, Trump is pressing Zelenskyy to agree to concessions of land to Moscow, amassive reduction in the

state-owned nuclear energy company. Thescandalled to the resignations of top Cabinet ministersand implicated other Zelenskyy associates Konstantin Sonin, apolitical economist and Russia expert at the University of Chicago, said, “What Donald Trump is certainly extremely good at is spotting weak spots of people.”

One of the28elements of Trump’sproposal calls for elections to be held within 100 days of enactment of the agreement.

“I think it’s arationalistic assessment that there is moreleverage over Zelenskyy thanover Putin,” Sonin said. He added, “Zelenskyy’s

back is against the wall” and “his government couldcollapseifheagrees” to theU.S proposal. All the while, Ukraine is increasingly showing signs of strain on the battlefield after years of war against avastly largerand better-equipped Russian military.Ukraine is desperately trying to fend offrelentlessRussianaerial attacks that have brought rolling blackouts across the country on the brink of winter

size of Ukraine’sarmy,and agreement from Europeto assert that Ukrainewill never be admitted into theNATO military alliance.

“Now Ukraine may find itself facing averydifficult choice: eitherlossofdignity, or the risk of losing akey partner,”Zelenskyysaid in a video address Friday

At the center of Trump’s plan is thecallonUkraine to concede the entirety of its eastern Donbas region,even though avast swath of that land remains in Ukrainian control.Analysts at the independent Institute for the Study of Warhave estimated it would take several years for the Russian militaryto completely seize the territory,based on its current rate of advances Trump, nevertheless, insists that the loss of the region —which includes cities that are vitaldefense,industrialand logisticshubs for Ukrainian forces —isafait accompli.

“They will lose in ashort period oftime. Youknow so,” Trump said Friday when asked during aFox News Radio interview about his push on Ukrainetogive up the territory.“They’relosing land. They’re losing land.”

TheTrump proposalwas formally presented to Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Thursday by Dan Driscoll, the U.S. Army secretary.The plan itself was asurprise to Driscoll’sstaffers, who werenot aware as late as Wednesday that their bosswould be going to Ukraine as part of ateam to present the plan to the Ukrainians.

Armyofficialswalked away from that meeting with the impression that the Ukrainians were viewing the proposal as astartingpoint that wouldevolve as negotiationsprogressed, according to aU.S. official, whospoke on conditionof anonymity to discuss the sensitive talks.

It’s unclear how much patienceTrump hasfor further

negotiation. White House press secretary Karoline Leavittsaid Thursday that Trump’snew planreflects “the realities of the situation” and offersthe “bestwin-win scenario,where both parties gain more than they must give.”

Asked about Zelenskyy’s initial hesitant response to the proposal, Trump recalled the February Oval Office blowupwith Zelenskyy:“You remember,right in theOval Office, not solong ago, Isaid, ‘You don’thave the cards.’” Trump, though,was also asked Saturday if theproposal was hisfinal offer to end the Ukraine war and said it wasn’t— leaving open the possibility of more negotiation. Still, asked what would happen if Ukraine and Zelenskyy ultimately reject the proposal,the president turned almost dismissive: “Then he can continue to fight his littleheartout.”

Themountingpressure from Trump comes as Zelenskyy is dealing with fallout over $100 million in kickbacksfor contracts with the

Kyiv is also grappling with doubts about the way ahead. AEuropean plan to finance next year’sbudget for Ukraine through loans linked to frozen Russian funds is now in question. The Trump proposal in its current form also includes severalelementsthatwould cut deeply into Ukrainian pride, said David Silbey,a military historian at Cornell University

One provision calls on Russia and Ukraine to abolish “all discriminatory measures andguarantee therightsof Ukrainian and Russian media andeducation,” and“all Nazi ideology and activities must be rejected and prohibited.”Thatelement could be seen by the Ukrainianside as giving credence to Putin’s airing of distorted historical narrativestolegitimizethe 2022 invasion.

U.N. deal boosts money to nations hit by climate change

COP30 talks end with no explicit fossil fuel

plan

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

BELEM, Brazil United Nations climate talks in Brazil reached a subdued agreement Saturday that pledged more funding for countries to adapt to the wrath of extreme weather But the catch-all agreement doesn’t include explicit details to phase out fossil fuels or strengthen countries’ inadequate emissions cutting plans, which dozens of nations demanded.

lenges no country can solve alone.” But he added: “I cannot pretend that COP30 has delivered everything that is needed. The gap between where we are and what science demands remains dangerously wide.”

Many gave the deal lukewarm praise as the best that could be achieved in trying times, while others complained about the package or the process that led to its approval.

President Mary Robinson, a fierce climate advocate for the ex-leaders group The Elders. “But at a time when multilateralism is being tested, it is significant that countries continue to move forward together.”

said, is “how quickly these words turn into real projects that protect lives and livelihoods.”

U.K. Energy Minister Ed Miliband said the agreement was “an important step forward,” but that he would have preferred it to be “more ambitious.” He added: “These are difficult, strenuous, tiring, frustrating negotiations.”

The deal, which was approved after negotiators blew past a Friday deadline, was crafted after hours of late night and early morning meetings in COP30 President André Corrêa do Lago’s office

The Brazilian hosts of the conference said they’d eventually come up with a road map to get away from fossil fuels working with hard-line Colombia, but it won’t have the same force as something approved at the conference called COP30. Colombia responded angrily to the deal after it was approved, citing the absence of wording on fossil fuels.

Do Lago said the tough discussions started in Belem will continue under Brazil’s leadership until the next annual conference “even if they are not reflected in this text we just approved.”

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the deal shows “that nations can still come together to confront the defining chal-

Trump vows to end protections for Somalis in Minnesota

Pledge sparks fear and legal questions

BY JAKE OFFENHARTZ

Associated Press

President Donald Trump’s pledge to terminate temporary legal protections for Somalis living in Minnesota is triggering fear in the state’s deeply-rooted immigrant community, along with doubts about whether the White House has the legal authority to enact the directive as described. In a Truth Social post late Friday, Trump said he would “immediately” strip Somali residents in Minnesota of Temporary Protected Status, a legal safeguard against deportation for immigrants from certain countries.

The announcement drew immediate pushback from some state leaders and immigration experts, who characterized Trump’s declaration as a legally dubious effort to sow fear and suspicion toward Minnesota’s Somali community the largest in the nation.

“There’s no legal mechanism that allows the president to terminate protected status for a particular community or state that he has beef with,” said Heidi Altman, policy director at the National Immigrant Justice Center

“This is Trump doing what he always does: demagoguing immigrants without justification or evidence and using that demagoguery in an attempt to take away important lifesaving protections,” she added.

The Trump administration has until mid-January to revoke the legal protection for Somalis nationally But that move would affect only a tiny fraction of the tens of thousands of Somalis living in Minnesota. A report produced for Congress in August put the number of Somalis covered by TPS at just 705 nationwide.

“I am a citizen and so are (the) majority of Somalis in America,” Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar a Democrat from Somali, said in a social media

post Friday “Good luck celebrating a policy change that really doesn’t have much impact on the Somalis you love to hate.”

Still, advocates warned the move could inflame hate against a community at a time of rising Islamophobia.

“This is not just a bureaucratic change,” said Jaylani Hussein, president of the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. “It is a political attack on the Somali and Muslim community driven by Islamophobic and hateful rhetoric.”

In his social media post, Trump claimed, without offering evidence, that Somali gangs had targeted Minnesota residents and referred to the state as a “hub of fraudulent money laundering activity.”

Federal prosecutors have

in recent weeks brought charges against dozens of people in a social-services fraud scheme. Some of the defendants hail from Somalia. “Accountability is coming,” Minnesota Republican Rep. Tom Emmer wrote in response to that story

Minnesota Gov Tim Walz, a Democrat, has noted that Minnesota consistently ranks among the safest states in the country

“It’s not surprising that the President has chosen to broadly target an entire community,” Walz said Friday “This is what he does to change the subject.”

In response to Trump’s announcement, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison his office was “exploring all of our options,” adding that Trump “cannot terminate TPS for just one state or on a bigoted whim.”

“Given the circumstances of geopolitics today, we’re actually quite pleased with the bounds of the package that came out,” said Palau Ambassador Ilana Seid, who chaired the coalition of small island nations. “The alternative is that we don’t get a decision and that would have been a worse alternative.”

“This deal isn’t perfect and is far from what science requires,” said former Ireland

“This year there has been a lot of attention on one country stepping back,” U.N. climate chief Simon Stiell said, referring to the United States’ withdrawal from the landmark 2015 Paris agreement. “But amid the galeforce political headwinds, 194 countries stood firm in solidarity rock-solid in support of climate cooperation.”

Some countries said they got enough out of the deal.

“COP30 has not delivered everything Africa asked for, but it has moved the needle,” said Jiwoh Abdulai, Sierra Leone’s environment minister What really matters, he

The deal was approved minutes into a plenary meeting open Saturday to all nations that were present. After the main package was approved to applause by many delegates — angry nations took the floor to complain about other parts of the package and about being ignored as do Lago moved quickly toward approval. The objections were so strong that do Lago temporarily halted the session to try to calm things down.

EveryDecember,asthe sundisappears behindthe cypressand oaktrees of Lafayette,a familiar glow risesfromLARC’s AcadianVillage.Morethanone million twinklinglightsshimmer alongwooden walkways andwrapcentury-old homesin what hasbecomeahallmarkofAcadiana’s holidayseason. And, in 2025,NoelAcadien au Villagepromisestobethe most magical celebrationyet Held each nightfromDecember 1to December 23,NoelAcadien au Village is more than aChristmas lights display. It’s abeloved cultural tradition,afamily reunionunder thestars andthe largest annual fundraiser supporting LARC’s missiontoprovide dignity, independence andopportunity forpeoplewithintellectual anddevelopmental disabilities

Formorethan40years, localfamilies have walked throughthe glowingvillage that transforms 1800s-styleAcadian homes into awinterwonderland. Parentswho once rodeinstrollers throughthe lights nowreturnwiththeir ownchildrenand grandchildren, atestament to theevent’s lastingmagic,Louisiana heritage and holidayspirit.

If youprefertotakeinthe sceneswitha lightercrowd,organizersrecommendvisiting earlyinthe season or on weeknights.Gates open at 5:30 p.m. each evening. Visitors areencouragedtodress comfortablyfor walkingand to bringcashoracardfor concessionsand souvenirs.

WhileNoelAcadien au Villageisa cherishedholiday event, itstruepurpose is deeply meaningful.Every ticket,souvenir andsponsorship directly supports LARC andthe individualsitserves. Withoutthe annual event, LARC couldnot providethe

same levelofcareand services that many localfamiliesrelyon.

Foundedin1957and nowserving people across Lafayetteand BatonRouge,LARC provides vocational trainingand employment opportunities; dayprogramswith life-skillseducation,art,music andsocial activities;residential homesand supervised independentliving; andcommunity support services that help individualslive, work andthrivewithdignity

OneofLARC’smostnotable vocational programs is MardiGrasBeads &More, whereindividuals sort,clean andrepackagedonated MardiGrasbeads forresale, earningwages whilecontributingtothe localeconomy In 2024,morethan44,000guestsvisited Noel Acadien au Village, making it one of Louisiana’slargest holidayattractions.The eventisentirelypowered by volunteers, many of whom return year afteryearto decorate,directtraffic,serve food and supportLARC’smission Noel AcadienauVillage is family-friendly andwheelchair-accessible.LARC’sAcadian Villageislocatedat200 GreenleafDrive in Lafayette. Visitwww.lafayettelarc.org for ticket information andmoredetails

already successful business model.”

The tribe purchased the property shortly after the fire, led by Raintree Market general manager Countice Leblanc. She said the original plan had been to renovate and reopen the store, but fire damage necessitated a complete rebuild. In the meantime, the

GROWTH

Continued from page 1A

the urban core.

Mayor-

President Monique Boulet

launched last month a proposal to redevelop Johnston Street and Louisiana Avenue.

A big part of it is new drainage improvements, but it will also include traffic, utility and connectivity upgrades.

tribe operated a shuttle to bring Jeanerette residents to Raintree Market in Baldwin. “I could not be more proud of the state-of-the-art grocery store and deli we have built here,” said LeBlanc, who will oversee both locations. John McDaniel, previously with Mac’s Sugar City Market, will stay on as store manager of Raintree Market in Jeanerette. Jeanerette Mayor Carol Bourgeois said that the loss of Mac’s was a struggle for

beautiful, connected space? We can do some really transformational investment while fixing drainage and modernizing the electrical grid.”

“We’re going to open up Johnston Street right there,” she said.

“How do we close it back to make it the most

the community, but, “God has been good.”

“It’s a triple blessing. Now, folks have a place to fill up their baskets. We’re really excited about the affiliation with Raintree.”

The store was bustling during Friday’s grand opening with a full deli, produce and meat section and aisles stacked with standard goods and seasonal treats. Shopper Regina Verret was one of the first to fill her cart in the new market. The Jean-

Downtown officials, meanwhile, have created the Downtown-Urban Core Redevelopment Fund with the Community Foundation of Acadiana. Downtown Development Authority CEO Kevin Blanchard said officials with the city and the Downtown Economic Development District are

engaged in how the fund can target specific areas for projects.

“We’re going to focus on very specific sites,” Blanchard said.

“But we’re also going to focus on two big picture things that I think we can all understand about our downtown. We’re going to look at parking. We’re going to look at our parks network. On a good day we get 150,000 people downtown. Let’s do 200,000.”

The Lafayette Economic Development Authority is moving into the role of the redevelopment authority

Monica Wiliams of the AlabamaCoushatta Tribe of Texas walks down a grocery aisle during the grand opening of Raintree Market on Wednesday. The grocery store, which is owned and operated by the Chitimacha Tribe of Louisiana, replaces Mac’s Sugar City Market, which was destroyed by fire in 2022.

STAFF PHOTOS By LESLIE WESTBROOK

erette native said she’s lived in the city for 67 years, and she’s glad to no longer have to drive to Baldwin or go to dollar stores to get her shopping done.

“This is where I’ve always done all my shopping and where I’ll go from now on,” she said.

The new market is open seven days a week.

Email Joanna Brown at joanna.brown@ theadvocate.com

in the city, LEDA president and CEO Mandi Mitchell said Her agency has hired an architect with a master’s degree in urban planning from the University of Pennsylvania who will begin the job in January she said.

Mitchell, now in her fifth year heading up the taxpayer-funded agency, will update its strategic plan to expand its mission. It will serve as a coordinator for developers on how to navigate the governmental process, a development authority to engage directly in projects and a land bank to assess

Glory Metcalf stocks bell peppers in the produce

available properties.

“There is a lot to be done, and we with open arms, embrace this role,” she said “We want to do this work where redevelopment projects are enhancing the quality of life for people regardless of what Zip code they are in. We want to see growth without displacement.”

Yet enhancing the city’s urban core cannot happen without private investment, said Alex Lazard, executive director of the Lafayette Public Trust Financing Authority Lazard, who also chaired the Evangeline Thruway

Redevelopment

Team that ushered the $371 million Evangeline Corridor Forward plan that also hinges on private investment, hopes five years from now there is significant progress.

“I think this cannot work without private development and private redevelopment,” he said. “The public investment is intended to set up private investment. I would love for us to see more deals announced from our private partners in the places we put public investment.”

Email Adam Daigle at adaigle@theadvocate. com.

Trump under pressure to deliver with Epstein files

Republicans hyped release for years

BY JOEY CAPPELLETTI and STEPHEN GROVES Associated Press

WASHINGTON What began as a campaign-trail promise to release the Jeffrey Epstein files has become one of the most fraught tests of President Donald Trump’s second term — opening a rift in his political coalition and raising the stakes for an administration now under intense pressure to produce documents that may fall far short of public expectations

The issue came to a head last week. After months of efforts by the Trump administration to quash it, both chambers of Congress passed a measure forcing the release of the Epstein files with nearunanimous support. Trump, who changed course days before the vote to bless the effort, signed the legislation Wednesday starting a 30-day window for the Justice Department to deliver the records.

Expectations are skyhigh, fueled by years of conspiracy theories promoted by many now in Trump’s orbit. Yet with some claims — such as a rumored “client list” of prominent men linked to Epstein — already deemed nonexistent by federal officials, the anti-establishment coalition Trump built in part by elevating those theories is showing cracks that may widen with the anticipated release.

“Watching this actually turn into a fight has ripped MAGA apart,” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., said this week, flanked by Epstein survivors ahead of the House vote.

“The only thing that will speak to the powerful, courageous women behind me is when action is actually taken to release these files,” said Greene, who announced late Friday that she will resign from Congress in January “And the American people won’t tolerate any other bulls***.” Epstein’s abuse and 2019 death in a New York jail cell have generated conspiracy theories for years, especially on the political right. On the campaign trail, Trump expressed openness to releasing the investigative documents, nodding to anti-establishment demands to open up the government’s files on other high-profile cases such as the assassinations of John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr But once Trump was back in office, divulging records from the federal investigations, as well as satisfying the appetites of conspiracy theorists, became less appealing. Attorney General Pam Bondi raised expectations of a full release, only to reverse course over the summer Her attempt to close the book on the Epstein saga outraged many on the right.

It was the first sign of a rift in Trump’s coalition, and Democrats took notice. In Congress, they began looking for ways to force Republicans to take votes on releasing the Epstein files. Eventually, they found traction with two tracks: initiating an investigation in the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and putting full

A World Without Exploitation

support behind a rarely successful petition that maneuvers around the House speaker’s control of which bills see the floor The Democratic effort, joined by a few key Republicans, including Greene, culminated last week in passage of the bill with overwhelming support from both chambers of Congress. It was a sign that the Epstein files had risen from the realm of obscure conspiracy theorists to a political force that neither political party could deny Still, it’s not clear whether the complete files will be released — or that the public interest in them will ever be satisfied.

At a Tuesday news conference ahead of the House vote, the bill’s sponsors — Reps. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., and Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., joined Greene and several Epstein survivors in warning the administration not to hold anything back.

“The real test will be whether the Department of Justice releases the files, or whether it all remains tied up in investigations,” Greene said, adding that

whether a list of names is released “will be the real test.”

While Bondi in February said on Fox News that an Epstein “client list” was “sitting on my desk right now to review,” her department has since reversed course, saying such a list doesn’t exist. In a letter this July, the Justice Department said its review uncovered no incriminating “client list.”

It’s one example of how the Trump administration helped build hype for the release of files and a reminder of the political danger in being unable to deliver the material his coalition has long believed is hidden.

Before Congress got involved, tens of thousands of pages of records were released over the years through civil lawsuits, Epstein and Maxwell’s public criminal case dockets, public disclosures and Freedom of Information Act requests.

Lawmakers believe there are reams more of documents, but they have received little indication that the Department of Justice is ready to put out that infor-

mation despite a subpoena from the House Oversight

Committee that was issued in August.

Khanna said he still has concerns about how fully the administration will comply but he believes passage of the bill, and the possibility of contempt of Congress, gives lawmakers leverage. He declined to speculate about who might appear in the files but said he expects whistleblowers to emerge if anything is withheld.

“The president has realized, as Marjorie Taylor Greene said, that this is splitting his MAGA base,” Khanna said.

“It would be foolish for him to have a drip, drip, drip fight. I mean, if he wants to fight over Epstein the remainder of his presidency, I suppose we can. But that’s not really smart.”

Khanna, a Silicon Valley progressive with aspirations for higher office,

hopes the Epstein fight will evolve into a broader movement, describing it as a modern version of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “forgotten class against the economic royalists.”

“This is a forgotten America against the Epstein class,” Khanna said in an interview

“There’s a real anger at an elite that people think are out of touch and taking away control over the lives,” he added.

As Democrats look for ways to reconnect with working-class voters, Khanna thinks the party should pursue causes like the Epstein files. He has already begun discussions with Massie, Greene and others about teaming up again.

“This crack,” Khanna said of the Epstein vote, is the “answer to taking on Trump.”

amcelfresh@theadvocate.com

By Amanda McElfresh|

This articleisbrought to youbythe LouisianaFarmBureauFederation.

Louisianaagricultureisfacingadifficultchapter andevolvingchallenges, butthere is reasonfor hope,thanksinparttothe work of theLouisiana Farm Bureau Federation.

Throughout 2025,growers across thestate –particularly feed grainand rice farmers–have facedsofteningdemand,highoverheadcostsand impactsfromnew invasive pests. In addition, burdensome regulationsand uncertaintyon thefederal levelhaveleftmanyunsureabout what comesnext.

“You have financial stress in theagriculture sector that we haven’tseeninalongtime,”said RichardFontenot, presidentofthe Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation andanEvangeline Parish farmer.“It’s heartbreakingwhenyou work allyearand then can’t payyourbills.Quite afew commoditiesare in dire straitsand aren’t sure if they willbeabletoget aproductionloan fornextyear.”

In such hard times, theLFBFhas become a havenfor many farmers, servingasasounding board, aresourceand away forthemtoconnect with government officialsonthe stateand federal levels

“We’re notonlythe voiceofLouisiana agriculture –weare Louisianaagriculture,”Fontenot said.“We’rehereingoodtimes andbad.We thinkit’scriticalfor farmersand growersto sharetheir storiesand seewhatoptions may be availablefor them.Those conversationsalso help them know that they’renot on an island by themselves.There areother farmers, as well as ourown expertsand staff,who listen to your concerns.It’srefreshingtoknowthat somebody hearsyou.”

Taking that feedback into account, Fontenot said LFBF leadershavehad some successes in thepastyear, includingastate legislative sessioninwhich they were able to speak with newlawmakers aboutthe plight of theindustry andits vitalroleinLouisiana’s economy

They have also metwithU.S.Secretary of AgricultureBrookeRollins andU.S.Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, alongwith othernationalleaders. On thefederal level, Fontenotsaidthe OneBig BeautifulBill Actincludedkey supportelementsfor some commodityprogramsthatwere“alifesaver”

formanyindustries, whilealsoavoidingwhat wouldhavebeenthe largesttax hike in history for thoseinagriculture.There arealsoongoing discussionsabout bridge payments from theU.S Department of Agriculturetohelpfarmers get throughthe toughest times. “Twoofourmaincrops–crawfishandrice–are pretty uniquetoLouisiana andveryimpactful to theoverall economy. Ithink that because of theconversations we’vehad with members of theTrump administration,theyunderstand nowwhatweare doingand aretryingtotake action to supportus,”Fontenotsaid. “Itreally feelslikeweare making adifference andmoving theneedleinthe directionofsupport.”

WhileFontenotisoptimisticabout potential policies andfinancialassistancefor farmers, he said he is most grateful andencouragedbythe continuedparticipation from LFBF members–both longtime farmingveteransand some from thenextgenerationofLouisiana agriculture.

“Without ourFarmBureauvolunteer leadership andactivemembers, we wouldn’t have gotten anyofthisdone. Everytimewe’ve been beaten down or countedout,we’ve risento theoccasion,”hesaid. “I seenew facesinour commoditymeetingsand YoungFarmers and Ranchers programs.Inparishmeetings, Isee passionate membersadvocatingfor theirfarms andranches.Ihearfromfolks allacrossthe stateevery daythatdon’t just want to survive, but grow.I thinkthatisour future.”

Foundedin1922, theLouisiana Farm Bureau Federationismadeupofvolunteer leaders at thelocal,parishand statewide levels.For more informationortofind an LFBF committee or leader,visit www.lafarmbureau.org

EDUCATION

TurningPoint LSUleaderreflectsongroup’s growth

BY MARIE FAZIO Staff writer

When Ethan Vogin was deciding where to go to college, the New Jersey native knew he wanteda school in ared state.

He chose LSU, where he joined Turning Point USA, aconservative advocacy group for students. Now,more than five years later and in his second year at LSU’s law school, Vogin finds himself at the center of arising political movement.

After the recent assassination of right-wing activistand Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, interest in Kirk’sorganization has skyrocketed. In Louisiana, students are looking to form Turning Point chapters at some high schools and colleges, including Loyola University in New Orleans, where the studentgovernmentrecently made national news for denying the chapter formal recognition.

Last month, Gov.Jeff Landry spoke at arally hosted by LSU’s Turning Point chapter and called on the university to erect astatue of Kirk on campus. LSU officials have asked Turning Pointmembers to help organize alecture series honoring Kirk and promoting political discourse.

As vice president and spokespersonfor Turning Point’sLSU chapter,Voginhas witnessed the recent surge of interest in the group. He argues that it is part of alarger cultural shift to theright, which he says is here to stay

The Times-Picayune recently spoke withVogin, whosayshe plans to remain in Louisianaafter law school, about Turning Point’s newfound popularity,the support it’sreceived from Republican politicians in Louisiana, andthe current political moment.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity

How has the chapter evolved recently?

We previouslyhad stagnated growth. We hada status quo of roster numbers and meeting attendees.

But since theday of Charlie’s death,and probablyfor the monthsafter,my LSUinbox was flooded with emails. “So and so has requested to join Turning PointatLSU.” There were 20 of them aday for weeks. We have 2,000 new Instagram followers andour profile had amillion views

We hadexponential growth after Charlie’spassing.

Whydoyou think that is?

Richard Nixon said this back in the1970s, butalot of conservatives are thesilent majority.They go to school, they go to work, they pay taxes andthey go homeand raise their families and enshrine conservativevalues in their families.

When you see such amainstream figure who was not apolitician but who wasa commentator, an organizer,beassassinated like that, it awakenssomething in people.

With that increased support, where do you go fromhere?

It’sahard answer

Ithink we have to keep promoting America’svalues and doing what conservatives do best: show the beauty of America, our system of governance, our documents, ourhistory,our traditions and promote that

Youstood besideLandry last yearwhen he called formorefreedom of expression on college campuses, saying conservative voices had been silenced. How would you describefree speech on college campuses today?

Academia is referred to as a liberal stronghold. Youhave a lot of vocalcritics of conserva-

tiveideologies and conservative politics and conservative figures in academia to the point where there is areasonable perception that there is achilling effect on conservative viewpoints, students and faculty

The governor’sexecutive order didn’tjust target students. Alot of people thought it was just to help Turning PointUSA or Republican students.

Butit(also) was to help that associate history professor who knows DEI and critical race theory are antithetical to America’s founding (principles) and itsvalues and who can stand up in the classroom and not worry about having their tenure revoked or being thrown out of the faculty senate.

What relationship does Turning Point have with Louisiana politicians?

We’ve had such great institutional and structural support from Gov.Landry and his whole team and really the government of Louisiana as awhole.

The Legislature has been overwhelmingly supportive of us. Any time we have aproblem or we have aquestion, thephones are picked up and it’s always,“How can we help?” It’sa responsibility that thechapter leaders and I takevery seriously,tomaintain those relationships and not abuse them.

We have institutional support at LSU from the BoardofSupervisors to interim president MattLee to incoming president (Wade) Rousse. We haven’tmet with Rousse, but we’re excited to schedule ameeting with him and talk with him about our goals and our mission.

After Kirk’sdeath, the LSU BoardofSupervisors announced

the“Let Freedom Ring” lecture series in his honor.Interim President Lee told Turning Point chapter leaders that he wanted us to help plan the lecture series to honor Charlieand further civic engagement and political discourse andI think that’sreally important. How do youfeel about “Free SpeechAlley,”a designated area on LSU’scampus where students can promote causes and political views?

As much as Idisagree with limiting where students can organize on campus, Ithink Free Speech Alley is such astoried tradition, such ahistoric place on campus, that when students want to debate, when students are seeking that engagement, you know where to go. Ithink there has been an uptick

WE’RE ASKING EXPERTS ACROSS THESTATEHOW TO TACKLE THEBIGGEST CHALLENGES FACINGLOUISIANA SCHOOLS. HAVE AN IDEA? EMAIL

in engagement and discourse in Free Speech Alley and it’ssomething Iamvery happy to see. I like seeing students engaged in civics and politics, and Ithink Free Speech Alley has been a benefactor of the governor’sexecutive order

Howdoyou feel about this larger moment forconservative young people?

This is anew era of American conservatism.

Youlook at GenZ18-25 (year olds), they’re going to church at a higher rate, they’re starting families at ahigher rate. You’re seeing these things that are traditional American values that are also typically associated with conservatism happening at ahigher rate, so it’snatural that GenZisbecoming moreconservative.

Pope discussesWordlestrategywithyoung Catholics

LeoXIV addresses

National Catholic youthConference viavideo

BY NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press

ROME Pope Leo XIV

opened avirtual meeting withAmerican Catholic young people Friday by revealing aclosely held pontifical secret: He uses a different Wordle start word each day

Leo divulged his strategy for the popular New York Times online game before fielding questions via videoconference about artificial intelligence,socialmedia and the future of the Catholic Church.

TheChicago-born pope washooked up from the Vatican to speak remotely to the National Catholic Youth Conference, an annual

Catholic rally held this year in Indianapolis, via afeed from U.S. Catholic broadcaster EWTN.

AfterLeo’selection in May, his brotherJohn Prevost revealed that Leo

plays Wordle everyday and that thebrotherscompare scores, as many friends and family do.

Leo was asked about his strategy at thestart of Friday’sQ&A, which was oth-

erwise somewhat scripted.

Playing along, Leo revealed “I use adifferent word for Wordle every day,sothere’s

no set starting word.”

The simple, free online puzzle lets players guess a five-letter word in sixtries with no hints and has millions of daily players around the world.

Afterthe big reveal,Leo spent the hourlong encounter fielding prepared questions from ahandful of the conference participants, whoasked himspecifically about technology’shold on young people. Leo, whohimself was aTwitter userbefore his election, said social media was agreat way to stayconnected andtoeven deepen one’sfaith.

But he warned that it can neverreplace realhuman relationships.Heurged young people to followthe example of St. Carlo Acutis, ateenageCatholic influencer canonizedearlier this year whoset limits on his screen time to make sure

video games didn’tmonopolize his free time.

“I encourage you to followthe exampleofCarlo Acutis,” Leo said. “Be intentional withyourscreen time.Makesuretechnology serves your lifeand notthe other way around.”

Leo also applied that lesson to artificial intelligence, atopic he has said is apriority concern forhim.Hetold the young people it was a powerful tool but that they must learn to use it responsibly,and not let it interfere with their maturing into adults capable of making choices.

“Using AI responsibly meansusing it in ways that help yougrow,”hesaid. “AI can process informationquickly,but it cannot replace humanintelligence. Anddon’t askittodoyour homework foryou,” he said to laughs.

BY JONEL ALECCIA AP health writer

As health officials investigate more than 30 cases of infantbotulismlinkedto ByHeart baby formula since August, parents who say theirchildren were sickened with the same illness months before the current outbreak are demanding answers,too California public health officials confirmed lateFriday thatsix babies in that state who consumed ByHeart formula were treated for botulism between November 2024 and June 2025,up to nine months before the outbreak that has sickened at least 31 babies in 15 states

At the time, there was “not enough evidence to immediately suspect acommon source,” the California Department of Public Health said in astatement. Even now,“we cannot connect any pre-August 1cases to the current outbreak,” officials said.

Parents of at least five babies said that their infants were treated for the rare and potentially deadly disease after drinking ByHeart formula in late 2024 and early 2025, according to reports shared with The Associated Press by Bill Marler,aSeattle food safety lawyerrepresenting the families.

Amy Mazziotti, 43, of Burbank, California,said her then-5-month-old son, Hank, fell ill and was treated for botulism in March, weeks after he began drinking bottles filled with ByHeart formula Katie Connolly,37, of Lafayette, California, said her daughter,M.C.,then 8 months old, was hospitalized in April and treated for botulism after being fed ByHeart formulainhopes of helping the baby sleep. For months, neither mother had any idea wherethe infections could have originated. Such illnesses in babies typically are caused by spores spread in the environment or by contaminatedhoney

Then ByHeart recalled all of its products nationwideon Nov. 11 in connection with growing cases of infant botulism. As soon as she heard it was ByHeart, Mazziottisaidshe thought: “This cannot be a coincidence.” ByHeartofficials this week confirmed that laboratory

tests ofpreviously unopened formula found that some samples werecontaminated with thetype of bacteria that leads to infant botulism.

Marler said at least three other cases that predate the outbreak involved babies who drank ByHeart and were treated for botulism, according to their families. One consumed ByHeart formula in December2024. The other two were sickened later in thespring, he said

An official with theU.S Centersfor DiseaseControl and Prevention saidfederal investigators were aware of reportsof earlier illnesses but that efforts arefocused now on understanding the unusual surgeofdozens of infections documentedsince Aug. 1. “That doesn’tmean that they’re not necessarily part of this,”said Dr.Jennifer Cope,a CDCscientistleading the probe. “It’sjust that right now,we’re focusing on this large increase.”

Because so much time has passed and because parents of babies who got sickearliermay not have recorded lot numbers of product or kept empty cans of formula, “it will make it harder to definitively link them” to the

outbreak, Cope said.

Connolly said it feelslike herdaughter hasbeenforgotten.

Cope and other health officials said the strong signal connecting ByHeart to infant botulism cases only became apparent in recent weeks

Before this outbreak, no powdered infant formula in theU.S. had tested positive for thetype of bacteria that leads to botulism, California healthofficials said. The number of cases also were within an expected range. Atestofa can of open formula fed to a sick baby in thespring did not detect the bacterium

Then,beginning in August and through October,more cases were identified on the East Coastinvolving atype of toxin rarely detected in theregion, officials said. More cases were seen in very young infantsand more cases involvedByHeart formula,which accountsfor less than1%ofinfant formula sold in the U.S.

Earlier thismonth, after asample from acan of ByHeart formula fedtoasick infant tested positive for the germ thatleads to illness, officials notified the CDC,the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and thepublic.

By Amanda McElfresh,amcelfresh@theadvocate.com

This articleisbrought to youbyLSU Eunice

Open House,where prospectivestudentsand their families toured labs,met facultyand learnedabout theaccredited, workforce-readyprogramsoffered on theEunicecampusand at OchsnerLafayette General Orthopedic Hospital in Lafayette. LSUEoffersfivenationallyaccreditedhealthsciences specialties: respiratorytherapy,surgicaltechnology, radiologic technology,diagnosticmedical sonography andnursing.Eachprogram haslicensure/credentialing exam pass ratesofmorethan90percent.Thatmeans LSUE health sciences graduatesare immediatelyready to fillin-demand jobsthroughoutthe area KristieBroussard-Leger,LSUEDeanofHealth Sciences,Business& Technology andPublicProtection andSafety, said interest is higher than ever in thehealth sciences,especially medicalimaging specialtiessuch as diagnostic medicalsonographyand radiological technology programs.Eachprogram includes hands-on traininginstate-of-the-artskillslabs, clinicalrotations at partner sitesacrossthe region andpreparation for licensingexams

DuringtheOpenHouse,visitorsexplorededucational spaces,spoke with facultyand watchedequipment demonstrations.For example, therespiratory therapy labfeaturesmannequinsthatsimulatedifferentclinical scenariosutilizing thesameventilators andequipment that students willencounter in hospitals.

“We’rerunningventilatorsandbreathingtreatments –anythingtodowithairways andoxygenation,” said DavidAsbury, director of theLSUErespiratory therapy program.“Thestartingsalaryisabout$82,000annually Rightnow,signonbonusesarefantastic,usually$20,000 to $25,000.That’sbecause everybodyneeds us.”

Thedemandisalsohighfor surgical technologists, whichhaveastartingaveragesalaryof$55,000to$60,000, plus sign on bonusesthatcan reachupto$20,000,said ProgramDirectorRenee Guillory.LSUE’ssurgical technology programisbased in LafayetteatOchsner LafayetteGeneral Orthopedic Hospital,and asecond location recently openedatLSU Alexandria to meet growingstudent andworkforce needs.

“Asurgicaltechnologistworkswiththesurgicalteam to preparethe operatingroomwithsterile supplies and instrumentation.Theyalso passequipmenttoasurgeon during aprocedure,” Guillory explained. “Weare an additional setofhands in theroom.”

Thediagnosticmedical sonography programtrains studentsinimagingtechniquesthatdonotuseradiation, suchasultrasounds.“Weusuallyarethefirstlineofdefense

whenapatientarrives,”saidBridgetThibodeaux,director ofLSUE’sdiagnosticmedicalsonographyprogram.“We getcalledout alot.Weknowwehavetobeportableand flexible.”Thibodeauxadded that thestartingsalaryis about$75,000,withgeneroussignonbonuses Angela Sonnier,directorofLSUE’sradiological technology program, said thecareerhas an average starting salary of about$62,000,but individualscan earn much more with experience andcross-training As diagnostic toolshaveadvanced, theneedfor specialistsinthefieldhasgrown.AtLSUE,theradiologic technologist programteaches students howtosafely performX-rays. Upon completion,graduates often advanceintovarious imagingmodalities, such as CT MRIand more “There aresomanydifferentoptions once youearn your certification,” Sonniernoted Thesameistruefor nursing, whichcontinues to be oneofthe biggestneeds in healthcare.Dr. Karen Walton,nursing programdirector, said LSUE continues to adapttoplace qualified nurses wheretheyare most needed.The LSUE registered nursingprogram canbe completedinfoursemesters,while Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) cancompletethe programinjustthree semesters.LSUE’snightandweekendnursingclassesat OchsnerLafayette GeneralOrthopedicHospitalmake it easier forinterestedstudentstopursuethe career Dr.WaltonsaidLSUEstudents this summer hada 96 percentpassrateontheNCLEX,meaningthosegraduates areimmediately on theirway to anursing career that canhave an averagestartingsalaryofatleast $77,500. Forthose whowanttoworkinhealthcarebut not directly with patients,a career in medicalcodingand billingcan be ideal. TheLSUEprogram is fullyonline, except for a40-hour on-sitepracticum, said program director Dr.KinaSweet.Regular communicationwith programfaculty andstaff ensuresstudent successinall facets of theprogram

“Mystudentsare like my babies.I always tell them that we’regoing to getthrough this together becauseit’s difficult when you’re doingonlinelearning,”Dr. Sweet said.“Youhaveaccesstous.

Dr.Sweetsaidthestartingsalaryrangesfrom$39,000 to$43,000dependingonlocation,andcanincreasewith experience.LSUE’sprogram givesstudentsaheadstart with traininginthe latest coding requirements and differentaspects of thefield.

“Mostprogramsonlyfocus on onetypeofcoding. We focusonbothoutpatientand inpatient,”she said Formanyattendees,the Open Housewas their first visittoLSUE. Thecampusismodestand easy to navigate,and each programhas smallclass sizes. That canbeattractivefor students whofeelintimidated at a largeruniversityorwhoarelookingforamoreaffordable option.The LSUE Health Sciences programs generally cost between$10,000 and$30,000,depending on the specialty, andmostcan be completedintwo yearsor less afterthe successful completion of pre-requisites “It’saveryinvitingcampus, andIthinkthatdraws people in,” Broussard-Legersaid. Visitwww.lsu.edu/academics/health-sciences.phpfor moreinformationonhealthsciencesprogramsatLSUE.

LOUISIANAPOLITICS

McFarlandwants Congress to negotiatehealthcare

WASHINGTON –When state Rep. Jack McFarland, R-Winnfield, isn’t mulling complex finances as chair of the Louisiana House Appropriations Committee, he runs alogging contractor firm in Winn Parish. As asmall businessman withabout 20 employees, McFarland frets aboutthe lack of action on healthcare. Time is of the essence, and McFarland wants thewarring partiesinWashington to figureout asolution.

Mark Ballard

Republicanswanttooverhaul theAffordable Care Act to lower health care costs and increase consumer choice. Democrats are not opposed to fixes but argue thatwill take too much time, so first, the enhancedACA marketplace subsidies need to be continued before expiring

About 24.3 million working Americans and small businesses —292,994 in Louisiana —will see their monthly costs double, on average, starting Jan. 1ifthe subsidies are not extended.Disagreement on extending the tax credits was at thecenterofthe government shutdown

An ardent conservative in aparish that gave 88%ofits votestoU.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton,McFarland agrees that substantial changes are necessary For instance, his employees can’t access the ACA marketplace.

Despite the promise in 2010 that theAffordable Care Act, alsoknown as Obamacare, to lower health insurance premiums, it did not.

The policy McFarland provided employees went from about $37,000 annually in 2011 to about $132,000 in 2024.

McFarland said his company had to stop coveringpremiums forhis employeesand now just pays alittle to help. When some of his workers wanted to lower theircosts by shifting to the ACA marketplace, they could not because his companyoffered health insurance, he said.

“As an employer,Iwould have to stopoffering health insurance to all my employees for them to be eligible for subsidies,” McFarland said, adding that now many of his employees have no insurance.

After Mamdani win, Landrypitches Louisiana

An advertisement withthe headline “In Louisiana, we value capitalism, not socialism”took up afull page in Monday’seditionof The Wall Street Journal

The promotion is directed at New Yorkers who will soon have anew mayor in Zohran Mamdani, astate lawmaker who is ademocratic socialist.

Capitol Buzz STAFF REPORTS

“As you rethink New York City, rethink Louisiana,” says the ad,which was paid for by Louisiana Economic Development, the state agency that promotes economic growth.

“Wereward success —not punish it. We compete —not complain. We cut taxes to win new business. We grow jobs —not government,”itboasts.

It also invites peopletovisit the website LouisianaNow.Biz to “apply for one of 70,000+ job opportunities or learn more about relocating your business.”

Gov.Jeff Landry took to Fox News on Monday to promotethe campaign.

“While those folks might want to embracesocialism in New

Likemost things that deal with health care and insurance, theAffordable Care Act is complex, with alot of moving parts. Obamacare protected people with preexisting conditions and made insurance available for those who couldn’tafford it.But thepromise that premiumswould decline because more people hadinsurance didn’t materialize. Premium costs have risen from an average $177 per month in 2010 for individual policies, like the ones the ACAmarketplace sells, to $467 per month in 2024, ac-

York,weknowwhat that looks like. It’sgoingtobeamess,” he said.“Forthose people that embrace capitalism and don’t wanttocomplain,but do want to compete, we wantyou to come to Louisiana.”

The move comes shortly after Shreveport booster and business owner Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson urged peopletomove to northwest Louisianainthe wake of Mamdani’s mayoralvictory “All Roads lead to SHREVEPORT,” Jackson wrote on social media

Jeffriestoattend Fields’ birthday fundraiser

U.S. Rep.Cleo Fieldsisthrowing himself abirthday bash in Baton RougeSaturday night that will raise money for his2026 reelection campaign.

The featured guestisU.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, theDemocratic House leader from Brooklyn. Tickets will cost anywhere from $50 to $3,500 per person at Celtic Studios, according to theinvitation Fields isturning 63

cording to KFF,aWashington-based health

analysis organization. Monthly costs for group insurance, like those offered by employers and cover roughly 170 million people, wentupfrom an average $273 per monthto$512 per monthduring the same period.

SenateRepublicans are looking at various alternatives that align with President Donald Trump’sdemand last weekthat the ACA subsidiesgo“directly to the people” rather than insurance companies.

In theHouse, Majority Leader Steve

The event comes at atime when his political future is uncertain. Gov.Jeff Landry and the Republican-controlled Legislature created awinnable congressional district for Fieldslast year at the expense of then-Rep. Garret Graves, aRepublican from Baton Rouge. Landry said lawmakers had to act to prevent federal judges from drawing anew congressional map that they couldn’tstomach

Fieldswon his race in adistrict that stretches from Baton Rouge to Shreveport.His victory gave Democratsa second Blackmajority seat in the six-member congressional delegation. Rep Troy Carter of New Orleansholds theother Democratic seat.

Butnow Landry is supporting acase before the U.S. Supreme Court that could force lawmakers to redraw theboundaries once again next year by eliminating either one or both of theBlackmajority seats. Onepossible outcome is amap that could pit Fieldsagainst Carter Jeffries appeared with Carter at an event in July where the two, along with three other congres-

Scalise, R-Jefferson, told reporters TuesdaythatHouse committee leaders also are lookingatvariousideas.

“We’re nothere to bail out insurance companies,” he said. “We’re here to give families lower premiumsand better options.”

But in both chambers, Democrats and Republicans are not talking officially to each other

The Senate will need 60 votes to pass any GOPmeasure, which meansseven Democrats have to sign on to any package that all the Republicans support —oreight Republicans have to agree with all the Democrats backing one of their ideas.

Right now,neither scenario looks likely when it comes to the key issue of whether to extend the enhanced ACA marketplace tax credits, which will get avote in midDecember

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.,said Thursday on the Senate floor that Republican ideas are “half-baked.”

“They are deeply flawed and woefully insufficient forour nation’shealth care problems,” Schumer said. “When people’s monthly payments spike next year,they’ll know it wasRepublicans that madeithappen.”

On Thursday,Johnson refined his oftrepeated accusation that Democrats only care about “illegal aliens” to point out what California, Illinois and Oregon spent more on health care for“noncitizens” than for police and roads. Immigrants who slippedinto the country without authorizationare notlegally allowedtotakeadvantage of Obamacare. Legalimmigrants who have jobs and childrenregardless of their status are allowedtobuy insurance through ACA marketplaces. The Congressional Budget Officeestimatesthatabout 1.4 millionimmigrants have

“Everybody’sjust wenttotheir corner and they’re just not coming out,” McFarland said. “It’sabroken system that needs to be fixed, not patched, forthe people and forsmallbusinesses. They need to sit downand figure this out.”

Email Mark Ballard at mballard@ theadvocate.com.

sional members, blasted the massive tax bill that President Donald Trumpand the Republican-majority Congress approved.

Letlow touts anti-flood funds forBaton Rouge Congress approved and President DonaldTrumpsigned into law a$2million appropriation to help reduce flood risk along the Amite River

“This funding will enable grading to restore the natural slope and width-to-depth ratios, installation of in-stream and bank stabilization structures, and revegetation of bare floodplainareas along the Upper Amite River to reduce flow velocities, bank erosion, and downstream sediment transport,” U.S. Rep.Julia Letlow,R-Baton Rouge, wrote leadership on the House Committee on Appropriationsonbehalf of the Amite River Basin Drainage and Water Conservative District, based in Baton Rouge.

The project hopes to restore meanders in the river,allow for moreflood water storage, reduce theaccumulation of sediment that

clogs lower parts of the river and causes flooding in Livingston and Ascension parishes, according to the Amite River Basin Commission.

The workwill take place in the Amite River,starting near where Louisiana Highway 10 crosses the river just east of Clinton and extending downstream just west of La. 16 to the community of Weiss, about six miles north of Watson in Livingston Parish.

Amember of the House Appropriations committee, Letlow shepherded the project in the Agriculture and Rural DevelopmentAppropriations forthe current 2026 Fiscal Year.The bill was part of the package that ended the 43-day federal government shutdownlast week.

“The funds she secured will help us restore the Amite River’s flood storage capacity and help protect lives, homes and communities,” Amite River Basin Commission President John Clark said in apress release.

“One of the biggest issues facing the Capital Region is protecting our communities from the dangerous flooding that Louisianans know all too well,” Letlow said in astatement. “This significant funding is akey step toward supporting flood mitigation efforts along the Amite River.”

THE GULF COAST

Zillow goes wild over house in town inspired by Hawaii

BY POET WOLFE Staff writer

Abeige house with aPolynesian design and ashingle roof that nearly droops to the groundison the market in Diamondhead, aMississippi Gulf Coast communitywhere Hawaiian influence runs deep— from the road names to the homes themselves.

Surrounded by palm andbanana trees,the three-bedroom,2.5-bath home, built in 1975, sits on Makiki Drive, according to listing agent Megan Bryant. Inside are amber tile floors,high ceilingswith exposed beams and an open-plan living area with abrick fireplace.

The compact kitchen offers a warmer palette than the rest of the house, with an arched-brick column, crimsoncabinets anda marble countertop. Awhite staircase leads to acarpeted bedroom with sage-green walls, and at the very top of the home is what Bryantdescribes as a“crow’snest” —a lofted hideaway accessible by ladder

The 1,760-square-foot home was listed on Zillow for $315,000,with annualproperty taxes of around $1,712.

Earlier this month,itdrew a puzzled comment section on Zillow Gone Wild, an Instagram account that shares unusual listings to more than 2million followers. But in Diamondhead, the newest city onthe Mississippi Gulf Coast, this house is hardly an anomaly

Muchofthe land that became Diamondhead was purchased by Walter Gex Sr.in1937 from theGulf State Paper Company andthe Easy Open Bay Company,according to city records. Still, it didn’ttake shape as aresidential community until 1969, post-Hurricane Camille and after the completion of Interstate 10 and the John C. Stennis Space Center

At the highest elevation point on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, it was named after avolcanic cone that overlooks Hawaii. In its early days,

Diamondhead was marketed as a resort and retirement enclave, with golf courses, acountry club, ayacht club and condominiums.

Compared with the futurism of the1960s —anera of optimism toward technologicalprogress, when Americans imagined flying saucers and mooncolonies —the 1970s fueled alonging for escapism. The Hawaiian aesthetic, and the dream of an endless vacation, exploded across the United States.

ButDiamondhead’s identitysoon evolved from aresortdestination to aresidential community,cityrecords show.Aninflux of employees from Stennis Space Center —along with blue-collar workers who commuted to New Orleans, particularly to theMichoudAssembly Facility —began tosettle there.

That’sbecause thenew transportationlink and growingjob market made Diamondhead an appealing place to live.Within the first year, 100condominiums were occupied,

city recordssaid. By 1973, it had already sold 3,700 lots and completed 30 homes.

That year,housing and land sales dippeddue to the stock market crash and the oil embargo, yet Malcolm Purcell McLean, akey investor in Diamondhead, pledged to invest $25million intothe community.His project endured —the population surpassed 1,000 residentsby1980, city recordssaid.

Through the 1990s, Diamondhead’seconomy resurged, bolstered by the opening of two dockside casinosinHancock County, which drew workerstonearby,affordable communities.

Though the community has weathered disasters like Katrina since, Diamondhead hascontinued to growmodestly— areflection of both the resurgence and quiet resilience of the Gulf Coast region. Email PoetWolfe at poet.wolfe@ theadvocate.com.

BY JUSTIN MITCHELL Staff writer

Anew doughnut shop recently opened in Ocean Springs and is going viral after itsresponse to ascathing review left in a popular local Facebook group.

Parlor Doughnuts opened late last month in the old Krispy Kreme building on Bienville Boulevard, abusy thoroughfarethatconnects thecity to U.S.90. Thechainoffers layered, croissant-like doughnuts, pastriesand house-made espresso drinks. In the Ocean Springs Talk of the Town Facebook group, residents hadspent months tracking the renovation process, sharing excitement for anew breakfastoptionintown with adrive-thru.

But earlier this week, acustomer posted anegative review of his recentorder in the group, which led to thousands of reactions and comments and an apologetic sign from thebusiness that won over the internet. Ronny Grahamsaidhewent to Parlor twice to try and get a raspberry-filled doughnut and was given the wrong order He wascritical of the worker takinghis order andsaidthe doughnut wastoo similar to a beignet and was overpriced.

“Theywill not have an op-

portunitytorip us offagain!” Graham posted in thepublic forum

His post garnered hundreds of comments,manycritical of the way he handled hisnegative experience by posting about it publicly rather than reaching out to the business to rectify the situation. Otherssupported Graham, saying everyone is allowed their own opinion.

Butinthe days after Graham’spost begangoing viral, the business took astand of its own, posting “SORRYRONNY”onits drive-thru sign.

Parlormanager Nathan Smithtold theSun Herald Graham called the store multiple times to detail his “very bad experience.” Then the team decided to put up the sign.

“Wedecided to just post it on the boardsothatmaybe if he drove by,hecouldsee ourapology,” Smith said.

Graham’scomments, it turns out, has been great for business. The shop has been very busy, with dozens of people posting their raspberry-filled doughnuts for the community to see in the Talk of the Town Facebook group.

“I think overall, the response has been very positive; alot of people thought it was good fun,” Smith said.

Luxury home sales push up average price

But lower priced homes see dip, analyst says

BY ADAM DAIGLE Acadiana business editor

The average sale price of a home in Lafayette Parish continues to rise due in part to the increased sales in luxury homes.

The number of homes sold that were priced at $700,000 or higher through October has nearly quadrupled since 2018, while the number of homes priced $250,000 or lower has dropped 35%, according to data from longtime analyst Bill Bacque

UL’s QB shines on ESPN

Lunch Winfield shakes police officer’s hand after touchdown

BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer

UL coaches, players and fans have discovered throughout the season the treasure that is redshirt sophomore quarterback Lunch Winfield. During the Cajuns’ dramatic Thursday night 34-30 road win over Arkansas State on ESPN, the country got a glimpse into what makes the former Lutcher High quarterback so special On the first play of the second quarter and the Cajuns facing third-and-goal from the 4 while trailing 10-7,

natural engaging personality took over — even in the middle of a critical football game. “I was on an angle to him. I saw

ä See ESPN, page 2B

Scott to install 5 trash receptacles

City awarded grant from state

BY CLAIRE TAYLOR Staff writer

The city of Scott has been selected as one of 47 recipients of the 2025-26 Keep Louisiana Beautiful Trash Receptacle Grant Program. The grant is made possible with funding from the state of Louisiana and the Office of the Lieutenant Governor The city will use the grant funding to install five trash receptacles at the following locations: Two along the Apollo Road Sidewalk Trail and one each in the 800 Block of Old Spanish Trail at L. Provost Road, downtown at the intersection of St. Mary Street and Cayret Street, and on E Street across from the pharmacy, according to a news release from the city Through the 2025-26 Trash Receptacle Grant Program, Keep Louisiana Beautiful awarded 230 grants for receptacles to

ä See SCOTT, page 2B

Some 113 homes have sold at that $700,000 price point or higher, including 32 million-dollar homes, so far this year, data shows In 2018, there were only 29 sold above $700,000 with only seven selling for $1 million or higher.

“(Those buyers) are not waiting for rates to drop or prices to fall,” Bacque wrote. “They have cash,

The average sale price of homes sold in October reached $305,984, which was 6% higher than a year ago Yet the total homes sold for the month actually declined from a year ago. Prices of luxury homes across the country are outpacing the rest of the market, Redfin reported.

stock gains and the confidence to act when they see a home that they want. Some high-end buyers are also using real estate as a safe place to park their money amid economic uncertainty That demand, even at a smaller scale, is enough to keep pushing the upper-end market prices faster than the broader market.”

That has pushed up the average sale price for 2025 to $298,250, which is up 3% from a year ago.

The median sale price is now $255,000, up 2.6% from 2024.

Home sales at $250,000 or below through October, meanwhile, have dropped from 2,059 in 2018 to 1,326 in 2025.

“What has occurred in our market is to a greater or lesser degree happening in housing markets throughout this country,” Bacque wrote. “The surge in home values over the past five to seven years has positively impacted the upper-end markets while diminishing affordability in the lower-priced entry market.”

Reliving history

Threeyear-old Iniko Hebert places beads on his talking stick, which was used by some tribes to show the person speaking

ABOVE: Stephanie D’Aigle demonstrates how a throwing arrow was used by the Avogel Tribe of Louisiana during Native American Culture Day at Vermilionville on Saturday in Lafayette. There was dancing and drumming, music demonstrations, cultural and craft displays, storytelling, tomahawk throwing and crafts for the family

LEFT: Frank Chaission demonstrates playing an indigenous flute for James Faust, 8, left, and Joseph Faust, 10.

Museum weighs move to ‘hallowed ground’

land’sRock &Roll Hall of Fame, would tell the story of thestate’smusic across every genre: jazz, blues, gospel, Cajun, zydeco, swamp pop, funk and hiphop.

BY ANTHONY McAULEY Staff writer

Backers of the Louisiana Music and HeritageExperience —long billed as a cultural anchor of the new River District next to the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center —have begun talks to secure alternative locationsasuncertainty deepens over the River District’sfuture.

That uncertainty stems fromthe collapselast month of arescue deal for the $1 billion River District development.The newplan to keep the project on track had been negotiated after the developer consortium, River District Neighborhood Investors,orRDNI, missed key payment deadlines in August. Under the failed agreement, RDNI would have relinquished leasesonseveral land parcels —including the one reserved for the $165 million music museum. With those negotiations now in limbo, museum organizers have reopened conversations on other sites while simultaneously working with the Convention Center on apotential direct lease. Butitisunclear how long it will take to untangle any legal issues involving RDNI and determine whether the museum can remain in the River District at all.

“We’re in discussions with the Convention Center about leasing the land directly,but there are still legal constraints we haveto work through,” said Chris Beary,the socialentrepreneur leading the music museum effort. “Wesimply don’tknow how long that will take.”

The project, described by backers as Louisiana’slongawaited answertoCleve-

Amid the uncertainty, Beary and his team have revived an earlier option: a clusterofpropertiesinthe 400 block of South Rampart Street in thehistoric jazz district knownas“Black Storyville.” Those buildings —the Karnofsky Tailor Shop, the Iroquois Theater andthe Eagle Saloon —are central landmarksinthe early history of jazz and were among the sitesthe museum considered several years ago.

“Wehad looked at it acouple years ago, and we’vebeenbacklookingat that site for thelast three months;we’ve gotten pretty faralong,” Bearysaid.The propertiesare controlled by GBX Group, the Cleveland-based, preservationfocused developer whose partners include former Saints quarterback Drew Brees.

Six years ago, GBX unveiledanambitious redevelopment plan for the Rampart Street block, which included aMargaritaville Hotel, condominiums, restaurants and nightclubs while preservingthe historicstructures But Hurricane Ida severely damaged thearea, toppling the Karnofsky building. It has sincebeen reconstructed usingthe original bricks to maintain its historic character

AGBX spokesperson confirmedthere is amuseum concept being considered, though he declined todetail what such aplan might look like.

“Wehave engaged the local jazz community in discussionsaboutproposals to reactivate andreopen these iconic venues,” said GBX spokesperson Seth Unger via email. “Weare excited aboutthe prospect of a

jazz-themed museum in the neighborhood whereLouis Armstrong, Buddy Bolden and other jazz legends used to playand are optimistic these discussions could result in aplan to bring this ‘Back o’ Town’ neighborhood back to life.”

‘Hallowedground’

Beary saidthe Rampart Street option brings enormous cultural weight —and complications

The three buildings together form what he describedasarareconcentrationofsites essential to the birth of American music.

The Eagle Saloon is where Buddy Bolden, widely regarded as the father of jazz, performed his first shows.

The Karnofsky Tailor Shop is where ayoung Louis Armstrong was befriended and supported by the immigrant Karnofsky family, who helped him get his first cornet

Just around thecorner Armstrong famouslyfired agun on New Year’sEve, an incident that led to his stint at the Colored Waifs Homefor Boys —the place where music instructor Peter Davisnurturedhis talent and, yearslater,also helped shape the career of bandleaderDave Bartholomew “There’sa lot of power in that neighborhood and in those stories,” Beary said. He noted that Armstrong played his first show at the Iroquois Theater,situated betweenthe other two buildings, which also hosted early jazz and vaudeville performers.

Beary saidany Rampart Street conceptwould be builtaroundthe historic structures rather than replacing or overshadowing them.

“The idea would be to build the experience around thosebuildingsand not interfere with the facades or the structure,” he said. “You could walk in between the buildings and see what they

were like at thetime and learn those stories.”

Thatimmersive approach, he added, is powerful —but also far more complexand costly thanconstructing a new building on the Convention Centersite. “There’sa ‘hallowed ground’ aspect to the Rampart Street site, whichthe ConventionCenterdoesn’thave,” he said. “But it’salso amuch more complicated project.”

Delays —but momentum

Despite the uncertainty over thelocation,Beary said the museum’srecentprogress remains solid. Over the past threeyears,state and city lawmakers have begun directing public dollars toward the project, which has aconceptualdesign by EskewDumezRipple for a 120,000-square-foot building in the River District.

This summer,the Legislature approved $28.5million in construction funding for themuseum —akey step that keepsthe project on track to raise $80 million in revenue bonds and$56.5 millioninprivate donations. Another $1.5 million in state funds and $1 millionfrom the city have supportedearly design andplanning.

But muchofthe work is now paused while the museum determines whereit will actually be built

“We’ve got the approvals for ourbondissuance on hold. We’ve got schematic design work for thearchitects, exhibit curation, all thatstuffonhold until we knowwhere we’re going to be,” Beary said. He estimated thedelay would push the timeline back by aboutfour months.

Still,hesaidprivate fundraising momentum —including $18 million already pledged— remains strong. “We’reworking on all three options at the same time, with the idea that we want to keep ourmomentum going and have alocation selected by the first of next year.”

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organizations in 37 parishes.

As part of the requirementsofthis grant,Scott will perform apost-installation litter scan and compare thedata collected to preliminary scan results. Datawill be shared with thepublic once available.

“Litter is hurting our quality of life in Scott,” Mayor Jan-Scott Richard said. “With these new receptacles installed, we will be able to reduce litter andkeepour

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he was just standing there, so Iwas like, ‘Should Igo shake this guy’shand?’ ” Winfield explained.

For many who scorea touchdown, thepriorityis understandably to celebrate with their teammates.

ForWinfield, this particular touchdown seemed to offer adifferent opportunity

“I was just like,‘I’m going to shake this guy’shand,’ so Iwentuptohim,lookedhim in his face and shook his hand,” Winfield added.

“It was just athing to do, I don’tknow.”

The picture that was taken on the encounter is quickly becoming the iconic moment in the middle of a chaotic gamethat the Cajuns survived with agoallinestand on thefinal play of the game

Thevictory kept UL’s bowl hopes alive at 5-6, needing only ahome victory over UL-Monroe at 2p.m. Saturday to earn bowl eligibility

“I would say this was probably themost special point of the season,” Winfield said of the team’s celebration following the dramatic finish. “We’re the only game on TV in college football. There’s nothing more special than that. Everybody is watching

community clean and beautiful.”

Recentdata collected by Keep LouisianaBeautiful shows a78% reduction in litter in areas where trash receptaclesare properly installed and maintained, Susan Russell, KLBexecutive director,said.

“One of ourorganization’s key initiatives is to help build infrastructure that supports clean, beautiful communities. Funding trash receptacles is oneway we do that,” she said.

Email Claire Taylor at ctaylor@theadvocate.com.

you —ESPN is here. We all knew what the stage was We just hadtoberelentless andgoafter it. We achieved that.”

Email KevinFoote at kfoote@theadvocate.com.

FRIDAY, NOV. 21, 2025 PICK 3: 2-0-3 PICK 4: 8-1-6-9 PICK

Obituaries

Bliss Maye Higgins died peacefully at home in Baton Rouge on November 12, 2025. Born in New Orleans February 25, 1958, to Virginia Faye Petty Higgins and George Joseph Higgins Sr, she was one of 8children. Bliss is survived by Wright Wade Adams III, her beloved husband of 31 years; her children: Chris Adams, Sage Accardo and husband Darren Accardo, Danica Adams, Rye Cooper, Graham Cooper, and Rachel Adams and husband Jaik Faulk; grandchildren: Azalea Accardo, Lyra Accardo, Delilah Cooper, Frederick Cooper, Vella Accardo, SolanAccardo, Luna Cooper, and Anna Adams; siblings: Colleen Higgins Elam and husband Joseph Barton Elam, George Jay Higgins and wife Felicia Horne Higgins, Bonnie Higgins, Clay Higginsand wife Becca Wynn Higgins, and

Tammie Higgins Newman and husband Troy Newman; and many morewho loved her.She was preceded in death by her parents and her sisters, Cindy HigginsBroom andLaurie Higgins. In 1994she married WrightWadeAdams III, at the Unitarian Church of BatonRouge,wherethey made friends and memories. Wade was adevoted partner,who lovingly caredfor her throughout their marriage and was her primary care giver during her ordealwith ALS.Arms wide, doors open, and loved ones secure and safe, they livedina home filledwith love and light and many familyevents. Oneofher manyjoysinlife was to gather loved ones to participatewithher in races near and far.Bliss ran halfmarathons in 32 States (with atime of about 2hr 15min). Bliss was proud of her family, her

work, her running and her life accomplishments. During her childhood theHiggins family relocated from NewOrleans to theCovingtonarea, where Bliss graduated Co-Valedictorian from St. Scholastica Academy in 1976. She moved to Baton Rougeand attended LSU, graduating with aBSinGeology.After years at home, mothering her young children, she builta careerinenvironmental regulationand consulting. Bliss was atrailblazer:in1990 she started as an entry-level Environmental Scientistat Louisiana DEQ, and in 1991 Gov. BuddyRoemer issued aGovernor's awardto Blissfor herworkincreating Louisiana'sair toxic program, thefirst such statewideprogram in the nation. She was twice appointed as Assistant Secretary of the Office of Environmental Services at DEQ: First in 2000 by Gov. Mike

Fosterand again in 2022 by Gov. John Bel Edwards. From2002 to 2022, Bliss built astrongand respected environmental consulting careerwithRambollInternational (previously EnvironInt). She retired from Ramboll in Julyof2025. Bliss was diagnosed with ALSinOctober 2023 and was sweptaway from us in two shortyears. Bliss was adaughter, a sister, amother, awife,a stepmother, agrandmoth-

er,anaunt, a friend,a trustedconsultant, aleader,a role model, andso much more. Sheloved immensely andunconditionally. Shejoyfullycelebrated achievements bigand small.She workedhard, ran races, read books, assembled puzzles,and drew trees. Bliss lived anddied with dignity.She loved music,playingfamilyDJwith music from herphoneand tappingher feetalong with it,even in herlast days. fl i j d

Heroverflowing joy and gratitude through herfinal days were agift to those wholoved her. ACelebrationofLife will be held at TheUnitarian Church of Baton Rouge on Friday, January9th at 10am at 8470 Goodwood Blvd

OUR VIEWS

RememberingJim Bernhard, who showed dedication to both business andcommunity

We were saddened to learn of the recent death of business titan JimBernhard, atrue Louisiana success story,whose contributions spanned continents and decades.

Bernhard rosetoprominence as founder of The Shaw Group, the engineering and design behemoth with aglobal portfolio, but his influence transcended the business world. Indeed, few Louisianans who haven’theld the titleof governorhavehad an equivalent impact on our state.

Born in Baton Rouge in 1954, he was raised in Lafayettebefore graduating LSU in 1976 with adegree in construction management

He joined pipe fabrication company Sunland Services, becoming its executive vice presidentand general manager.In1987, he saw an opportunity and decided tostrike out on his own. With two friends, he purchased the assets of acompany headedfor bankruptcy for $50,000 and founded The Shaw Group. Thus began aquarter-century run that saw the company grow to aFortune 500 stalwart, providing services to major industries worldwide. It went public in the early 2000s and eventually sold to CB&I in 2013.

When it sold, Shaw Group had nearly $6 billioninrevenues and 4,000 employees in Louisiana and another 23,000 worldwide. At the time, it was the only Fortune 500 company with headquarters in Baton Rouge.

After the sale, he started aprivate equity firm, Bernhard Capital Partners, withahandfulofothers and quickly built that into the largest private equity firm between Atlanta and Houston, with 21 companies currently under management.

Bernhard was known for telling folks that Louisiana was agood place tostart abusiness, to grow abusiness and to stay in business.

And he used his success to promotehis visionfor Louisiana. He was engaged in politics, especially Louisiana’s DemocraticParty, buthe alwayspitched himself as more of aproblemsolverthan apartisan.

He chaired Kathleen Blanco’sgubernatorial campaign in 2003 and was chair of the party when Katrina hit, though he resigned after the storm. Shaw became an important contractor in the rebuilding effort.

He even considered a run for governor in 2015 and 2019, but declined todosoindeference to John Bel Edwards, who won bothelections.

He also gave back to his local community

The Shaw Center for the Arts in Baton Rouge helped inject new life intothe downtown area. The Shaw Group donated$4milliontohelp get the project going. He also donated toSt. George Catholic Church and School, The Dunham School, No Kid Hungry in several states and other charities.

As luminaries from the business and political worlds gather for his funeral Monday,wehope they see the lessons of Bernhard’slife. Certainly anyone as successful as he was could have moved his businesses and his family anywhere. ButBernhard was committed tomaking Louisiana better.Weneed more like him. Godspeed.

LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR ARE WELCOME. HERE

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

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

TO SEND US A LETTER, SCANHERE

What watergradesmakecrystal clear

First,the good news: Louisiana’s drinking water earned ahigher grade in 2025 from the Louisiana chapter of theAmerican Society of Civil Engineers than it did in 2017.

Andnow for the bad news: That grade went from aD-to aD,joining the roads category in earning thelowest score awarded on the survey What’s more, Louisiana was largely able to improve its water grade through theuse of federal funds doled out in various programs, especially theInfrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, theAmerican Rescue Plan Act and the Inflation Reduction Act.

Those laws, which some decried as federal handouts, gave thestate a needed boost to begin fixing someof themany aging and crumbling water systems, especially thoseinrural areas. Buteven withthose shots in thearm, problemsloom on the horizon.

According to thereport, Louisiana officials estimate that the state’snearly 1,000 public water systems will need some$9billion in upgrades over the

next 20 years. Withoutanother federal infusion, that’smoney the state doesn’t have. Andthe challenges to drinking water supplies are getting more severe. In thepast fewyears, low levels in the Mississippi River allowed salt water to creep up the channel and threaten drinking water systems in Plaquemines, St.Bernard, Orleans and Jefferson parishes Lesswell known but perhaps moreworrisome, the state’saquifers are also vulnerable to saltwater intrusion, especially as industrial pumping increases, according to the report. That meansthat rather than afew parishes at the river’smouth, some30% of parishes could face saltwater intrusion problemsinthe future.

Buteven for systems that can get clean water,their infrastructure is so old and decrepit that it requires more effort, expense and equipment to makeitdrinkable. More than half the state’swater infrastructure was built before 1960, the report notes. In other words, if those systems werepeople,

they’d be ready to retire.

Despite all this, the report notes someareas forhope.

The state’swork with agencies like the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority and nonprofits like the Water Institute has raised awareness and sought solutions. And the water system-focused state initiatives have helped address someofthe issues. But still moreisneeded. The state needs to build on federal-state partnerships to keep upgrading systems, ensure that policy is based on research and fight back attempts to divert funding from what is currently allocated forwater system upgrades. It seemsweird in astate where water is never very farawaytotalk about it like it’savanishing resource. But that’swhere we are headed.

We haven’tquite got to the point of the sailors in Coleridge’sfamous poem “The Rimeofthe Ancient Mariner,” surrounded by water but none of it fit to drink, but we’re closer than we think.

Email Faimon A. Roberts III at froberts@theadvocate.com.

Sharinggratitude makesadifference

As Thanksgiving approaches, thoughts naturally turn to gratitude. Expressing gratitude can be as simple as saying “thank you” to someone. ButI’m always inspired by our readers who go further than that. They write a letter to the newspaper so the wider world can know about thekindness of some individual or group. Sometimes it’sa relatively small thing they are thankful for —ahelping hand, awarm greeting —but it’s clear in their writing that the gesture meanta great deal to theauthor.Ialways hope that when the letters are published, it might prompt others to realize the impact everyday interactions can have on others. We are so usedtogiving feedback online these days, in theform of likes or Yelp reviews, that it’salmost become routine to ratethe service we receive. Butgratitude, true gratitude, comes without prompting. It is more than feedback; it’sa feeling that comes

from theheart. It’smore about conveying genuine appreciation than bestowing aseal of approval. That’swhy gratitude often brings us such joy.And some studies show gratitude is even good foryour health.

give you an update on the letters we received forthe last twoweeks of October

Idon’tknow if people still write “thank you” letters anymore, but there’snothing like receiving aheartfelt note of gratitude. Ionce wastold that you should keep someofthe best thank you notes you receive to read on your worst days. Idon’talways remember to do it,but Idohave a small collection of notes from friends and acquaintances over the years that always bring asmile when Iremember to look for them. So consider this my thank-you note to you, readers, if you wanttostart such acollection. Itruly do appreciate those who take the time to write and who read us every day.I wish you a very happy Thanksgiving. Turning to our letters inbox, Ican

From Oct. 16-23, we received 68 letters, and the mostpopular topic was the No Kings protests in cities around the country.Wereceived seven letters on the subject. Then we received six letters on the government shutdown, five letters on the Voting Rights Act after aLouisianacase was arguedbefore theSupreme Court andfourletters on thedemolition of the White House’s East Wing.

From Oct. 23-30, we received 71 letters. Topping your list of concerns wasthe government shutdown, which wasthe subject of seven letters. LSU football and coach Brian Kelly wasthe next mostpopular topic, prompting four letters. Lastly,wehad four letters on the ongoing immigration crackdown.

Want to seeyouropinion published in The Advocate |Times-Picayune? Submitaletter to theeditor

COMMENTARY

Cheney’s funeralappealedtocivic virtues

In the immediacy of returning from the memorial service for former Vice President Richard Cheney,which ended just two hours ago as Iwrite, what stands out is the sharp difference between the man accurately described in the ceremonies and the public caricatureofhim.

Quin Hillyer

The real Cheney,as was recounted Thursday and as almost everyone who actually dealt with him experienced, was unassuming, thoughtful andkind.

(Forhis first quarter-century in public life, that also was the public image of him, until thenational media needed abogeyman in the first two months of the G.W.Bush presidency and wronglybut effectively turned him into Darth Vader.)

The memorial service at the Washington National Cathedral, stunningly beautiful in tone, tune and substance, featured not a whiff of partisanship or politics andonly athimbleful of policy.It was about the grandfather who attended all his grandson’s foot-

ball games and regularly drove hisgranddaughter for hundreds of miles for rodeo competitionsinWyoming. It was aboutthe father who spent untold hours withhis daughters while transmittingalove of history and country.It was about the avid fly-fisher who cherished the outdoors. And,when his actual careerwas discussed at all, it was notabout hispolicy battles or convictions; it was about what a good and caringboss he was. Retired NBC News correspondent Pete Williams, hispress secretary whenCheney was secretaryof defense, told two great stories. One was when amagazine was aboutto“out” Williams’ homosexuality,which back then usually was apolitical career killer, so Williams called Cheney and offered to resign. Cheney not only told himinnouncertain terms that his job was safe but checked in on Williams regularly in the next fewweeks tomakesure he was doing OK as he faced some nasty public blowback.

Andonce when the elder President Bush was ready toadopt a new nuclear weapons strategy, Williams and apolicy expert asked Cheney what to do when theNew York Times got wind of it and wanted them to discuss it on “background.” Cheney said it was fine with him as long as they checked it with the White House first;but somehow Williams got his signals crossed on the timing, so thestorycame out afull day before Bush had planned amajor public announcement on the subject. All heck broke loose.

Cheney called Williams and the policy guy intohis office and said he had bad news and good news. Bad news first:The president was absolutely furious at the premature disclosure. “The good news,” Cheney said in somber tones,“is I’ll only need to fire one of you.”

Butthen, before their panic could fully sink in, Cheney gave ahalf smile, winked at them, and said: “Just kidding, fellas. Itold thepresident it was all my fault. He’ll get over it.”

Cheney’sbedrock decency was an “old school” sort of politics. It

is atrait sorely lacking in today’s political world.

In thefallof2016, at the UniversityofMobile, Iwas teaching aclass on the history of presidential elections. Ishowed video excerpts from what then were recent national “debates,” full of invective and discord —and then Ishowed several minutes from thevice-presidential debate between Cheney and Democrat Joe Lieberman in 2000.

As they watched, the students’ faces turned puzzled, then outright surprised. Here were two people quite significantlydiffering with each other on numerous policies, but they were respectful of each other,even friendly.They weresober and seriousbut also relaxed, and their words and tone were entirely constructive.

By thetimethe video clip ended, my students were nodding with approval. They weremanifestly impressed. Dare Isay it, they were inspired.For perhaps one of very fewtimes in their short lives, they now saw that politics could be ennobling.

And they loved it.

Speaking of inspiration: Cheney’sdaughter Liz, the former House Republican Whip, said that although her father (obviously) wasaRepublican, he wasfirst motivated to go into public service when he was in the stadium bleachers in Wyoming foraspeech by Democratic thenPresident John F. Kennedy,who gave someversion of his famous “ask what you can do foryour country” message. Somehow,some way,this nation must rediscover that sense of higher purpose, pursued assiduously and with adegree of toughness, but without appeal to baser instincts.

As perhaps 1,500 mourners exited the National Cathedral, an acquaintance said to me he felt a sense of “catharsis” in the atmosphere. Maybe, just maybe, somesimilar catharsis can “go national” and at least somewhat ennoble our politics again.

Email Quin Hillyer at quin. hillyer@theadvocate.com

Agreat nation is reducedtofancifulhoping

Before the South boomed as America’sexemplary region of economic growth, some Southern states with low indices of social progress (concerning poverty, health, education, etc.) used to think: Thank God for Mississippi. It generally ranked lower Until recently,Italyand Greece, Mediterranean polities with grand cultural inheritances but deplorable recent habits, were derided as developed nations exemplifying incorrigible fiscalincontinence. Today, they might think: Thank Zeusfor the United States. The International Monetary Fund forecasts the U.S. governmentdebt will be above 7% of GDP every year until 2029, with the debt reaching 143.4% of GDP by the decade’send. The Congressional Budget Office projectsthe debt increasing for decades. As a percentage of their GDPs, Italy’s and Greece’sdebts are expected to decline, and to be exceeded by the U.S. debt’spercentagein2030. Recently,the undiscourageable Peter G. Peterson Foundation,

George Will

which shouldersthe Sisyphean task of warningAmericans about their ruinous fiscal habits, published fiveessays by six fiscal and economics writers on “Lessons from History for America Today.” The essays probably will make no difference in this sleepwalking nation’sbehavior,but they are, in their way,asrivetingasWalter Lord’s1955 “A Night to Remember,” aboutthe “unsinkable” Titanic sinking. The essays say: Federal debt has increased for 24 consecutiveyears. In constant 2025 dollars, it has more than tripled. Debt problems were successfully addressed in the 20th century,following World WarII andinthe 1990s. Debt fell in the period1946 to1974 from more than 100% of GDP to lessthan 25%, and from 48% of GDP in 1994 to 31% in early 2001. Buttwo post-World WarII decades’ average growth (4.2% and4.5% inthe 1950s and 1960s respectively) was the 20th century’s fastest in peacetime. This was powered bywar-developed

technologies (e.g., electronics, aircraft, early computers), and air conditioning that opened the South. Interest rates were low; often negative as inflation averaged 7%, 1947-1951. There was an average primary budget surplus (budget balance net of debt service payments) of 0.9% of GDP, 1947-1973. The primary balance was negative in just three years (1953, Korea; 1959, arecession; 1968, Vietnam and Great Society spending) In 1960, however,Social Securitywas less than 13% of federal spending (today,23%). Medicare and Medicaid did not exist. And federal revenue as ashare of GDP was slightly higher than today.Inthe 1990s, there was the post-Cold War“peace dividend.” Digital technologies of the “new economy” accelerated productivity.Furthermore, in 1993 Congress trimmed Medicare spending and modestly increased tax revenue. None of these panaceas are now available. Andfew expect growth spurtscomparable to the 19461973 or 1995-2000 eras of low political polarization. With annual deficits approach-

ing $2 trillion even with the economy humming, and with defense spending downtoaround 3% of GDP (above 13% during the Korean War; above 9percent during peak Vietnam), what can cause sustained economicgrowth of at least 5percent to cope with the debt’s growth?Artificial intelligence? Arisky reliance. Revenue from thepresident’sperhaps unconstitutional tariffs? Anet drag on the economy Anation that used to borrow for emergencies now is mired in a perpetualemergency because it is borrowing —$2.6 trillion annually projected by 2034 —tofund current consumption of governmentgoods and services. The president’spoliticizing of economic information —can the Bureau of Labor Statistics still be trusted? —generates uncertainty and complicates attracting foreign purchasers of U.S. debt. Uncertainty is cubed because amid today’sloosening constraints on executive behavior,Congress is losing control of spending. If theFederal Reserve must raise rates to counter decreased global demandfor this debt, growth will

slow,and today’sslow-motion crisis will accelerate. We are spending our rainy day fund during (relatively) sunny weather.Agreat nation is reduced to fanciful hoping —that, forexample, AI eliminates economic rain.

President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s1961 farewell address is remembered forhis forebodings about “the acquisition of unwarranted influence …bythe military-industrial complex.” Ike ended, however,warning against: “…the impulse to live only for today,plundering, forour own ease and convenience, the precious resources of tomorrow.We cannot mortgage the material assets of our grandchildren without risking the loss also of their political and spiritual heritage.”

When he spoke, the national debt was52% of GDP.Today’s $38 trillion is 125%, projected to reach 143% by 2030. This assumes, rashly,that government behavior does not makethings even worse sooner

Email George Will at georgewill@ washpost.com

Donation to Xavier is huge,but HBCUsneedmore

Will Sutton

A$38 million donation to Xavier University of Louisiana,the largest in the institution’shistory, was announced only days ago. The gift came from MacKenzie Scott, the philanthropist whofounded Amazon with former husband Jeff Bezos. Within the last couple of weeks, acouple of Atlanta HBCUs —Spelman Collegeand ClarkAtlanta University —also got $38 million each. Earlier this month, Philander Smith University in Arkansas got $19 million from Scott’sfoundation, Yield Giving, and Prairie View A&M UniversityinTexas and North Carolina A&T State University each received$63 million. Morgan State University in Baltimore got $63 million last month. The day the Xavier contribution was announced, campus faculty,staff and students and Xavier alumni went crazy with excitement. Of course, therewere plenty of unsolicited social media commentsabout how themoney should be spent.With recent news in Octoberabout university layoffs, some thought those decisions might be changed Icaught Xavier University President ReynoldVerret just

before hewenttobed in Rome afteralongday of travel to Italy

He and adelegation of Xavier alumni, friendsand supporters were on apilgrimage in honor of the25th anniversary of thecanonization of St. Katharine Drexel, whofounded theuniversity.He told me that the Scottmoney has been designated forinvestments so theuniversity can use theyield to supportstudents.

“The value of what we’re doing is significant, and this will help students who may not be able to payall thecosts,” he told me. “To get such an expression of confidence fromsomeone likeScott is big.”

Verret andother HBCUleaders hope that there will be other “creativegivers” whosee the value of Xavier andother HBCUs, the importance of getting students into these institutions, keeping them in school andseeing that they graduate. These were notfinancial commitments or promises.These were deposits. Each of these schools was awinner getting so much money in alumpsum.The biggestdonation went to Howard Universitywith an $80 million contribution, including $17 million for its medical college.

Verret is good at keeping secrets. He knew about the multimillion-dollar contribution earlier

this month.Even withthe excitementand fun during homecoming weekend, Verret kept his word when he promised on Nov.6not to say anything. It’snot Thanksgiving yet, but certainly these and other HBCUs are morethan thankful and blessed to end the year with more money in their accounts than they had anticipated. Lots of HBCUs are underfunded, but none morethan land-grant HBCUs that were supposed to get equal financial support from states and the federal government. Even theU.S. Department of Education had to admit that landgrant HBCUs in 16 states have been underfunded by about $12 billion.

This is the second round of big HBCU contributions by Scott.

In 2020, about $560 million was provided to 23 HBCUs. This year, she’sgiven HBCUsabout $700 million

Every penny,dollar,$20 or $100 helps HBCUs that have been woefully underfunded throughout their histories.

Millions donated to the likes of Harvard University,Columbia University or GeorgetownUniversitymean alot. It means alot moretoHBCUs. Oneestimate puts the combined total of HBCU endowments and investments between $3 billion and $4 billion. Yes, that’salot of money.But spread across more than 100 institutions, it’ssmall potatoes compared to the$800 billion combined total forpredominantly White institutions. Harvard alonehas endowment assets of more than $50 billion. HBCUs are 3% of allU.S. higher education institutions and, collectively,they have less than one percent of the total forhigher education institutions.

Let that sink in, and consider theimpact. According to the United Negro College Fund, which regularly collects andanalyzes HBCU and higher education data, HBCUs account for10% of all Black college students and graduate 20%

of all Black students whoreceive diplomas.

Add this to the HBCU recipe for success: Of all African American college students whograduate with science, technology, engineering and math(STEM) degrees, about 25% of them are HBCU graduates. Of all Black attorneys, 50% graduate from HBCUs. Of all Black judges, 80% graduate from HBCUs.

Clearly,Scott sees value in HBCUsorshe wouldn’thave given millions to HBCUsinthe first place. She certainly wouldn’thave given millions moretoHBCUs this year if she didn’tsee the value. And she definitely wouldn’t have given Xavier and other HBCUsanother round of millions if she didn’tthink that her first investment waspaying off. Scott has been an institutionsaver in someinstances. She’s been an amazing encourager and motivator to others.

Let there be no doubt that Xavier and the nation’sother HBCUs continue to provide tremendous value while having asignificantly disproportionate impact on the future of our country

Look at Scott’smillions. Look at the results. Consider what difference billions might make.

Email Will Sutton at wsutton@ theadvocate.com.

LATE NIGHTAT TIGERSTADIUM LSU-WKUended afterthis editionwenttopress.For complete coverage,visit theadvocate.com

SPORTS

N.O. should preparePaul’sflof

He is the greatest player toeverput on aNew Orleans uniform (HornetsorPelicans) since NBA basketball returned to the Crescent City in 2002

Some day in the not-so-distant future,the franchise needs to acknowledge just how much Chris Paul meant by hanging his No. 3inthe empty rafters of the Smoothie KingCenter

ä Late night at the Blender: Hawksat Pelicansended after thisedition went to press. Forcomplete coverage, visit theadvocate.com

this will be his final NBAseason.

It’sbeen 20 years since the then-Hornets draftedPaul out of Wake Forest.Heimmediately became theface of the franchise, winning Rookie of the Year thatyear,the first step on atwo-decade journey that will land him in the Hall of Fame. Paul, now in his second stintwith the Los AngelesClippers, announced Saturday that

Tigers crankup defensive intensity

BY TOYLOYBROWN III Staff writer

Satisfaction isn’tsomething LSU basketball attains easily this season.

In theteam’s98-81 victoryagainstFlorida International on Nov.13, Mike Nwoko said he’d give the teama “D-” grade for its performance.

In the Tigers’ 107-81 win over Alcorn State on Tuesday,lead guard Dedan Thomassaid they “just didn’tcome out readytoplay” after trailing for more than14 minutes in the first half.

ä LSU vs: Drake 8:30 P.M. FRIDAy,CBS SPORTS

Those recent outings inspired LSU’sstrong performance when it beat Omaha 99-73 on Friday at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center

While the season-highnumber of 3-pointers, 15, initially poppedoff the box score, the players and coach MattMcMahon were more complimentary of theirdefense, which allowed 39% shooting from thefield. The players credited thedefensiveintensity to spirited practicesWednesdayand Thursday “The last few practices,coach was really on us,” said Thomas, whohad 15 pointsand 11 assistsonFriday. “Itwas physical,competitive, because, you know,the last two games we haven’tlookedlike ourselves. So just coming in tonight, we just hada lot of energy and just got back towhat we were doing.”

LSU’sactivity led to ninesteals (a seasonhigh), five blocks anda numberoftough shots from Omaha.

This was alevel of aggressiveness that McMahon said was missinginrecent games.

“I didn’tlove our defensive demeanorfor the last 50 minutes of basketball, thefinal 10 minutes versus first FIUand the40we played against Alcorn,” McMahon said.“So that was really the emphasis, building more of our team defense.Ithink we’ve donea

His announcement gives the folks whocall the shots for the Pelicansample timetodo something special for Paul in March. That’s when Paul will makes his final visit as aplayer to the building that was called the New OrleansArena when he played here.

It seems fitting that the NBA schedulemakers put theClippers in New Orleans forback-to-back games on March 18 and 19. Aplayer like Pauldeserves two days in thecity that he called home for the first six seasons of his NBAcareer

Both the city and theorganization should make sure the New Orleans stop on what

will now be Paul’sfarewell tour is the most memorable one. Give him akey to the city.Make one of the two days Chris PaulDay.Make a tribute video that tops any of the others he may get.Heck, maybe even asecond line parade to celebrate the end of acareer that includes 12 All-Star appearances, 11 times on an All-NBA team and nine times on an All-Defensiveteam.

And for thefans who still boo him whenever he comes back to town because of the way he exited back in 2011, letitrest. No need to stay mad at your ex forever Besides, he’salways reminded people what this city means to him.

“Thank you New Orleans for six of theBEST years of my life,” he

Shough’s first Saints home startcomes againstdespised rival, with Brees watching

‘GOBEAT ATLANTA’

BY LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer

yler Shough doesn’tliveinabubble. He knows footballmeans something different with the Atlanta Falcons coming to town this weekend. And because Shough livesinNew Orleans, thatfeeling and meaning areimpossible to ignore anyway

This story may be apocryphal, but to anybody who has been here for any amount of time, it sounds true. After hisbreakout282-yard, two-touchdown performance against the Carolina Panthers on Nov.9,Shough said thepeoplehesaw in and around town greeted him like this: “Great job.But, you know,gobeat Atlanta next week. Don’treally care about anything else.”

BROADCAST HIGHLIGHTS

Two UAB football players stabbed by teammate BIRMINGHAM,Ala. — A University of Alabama at Birmingham football player stabbed two teammates Saturday morning, hours before the team’s game against the University of South Florida, the university said in a statement. Both wounded players were in stable condition, and the teammate suspected of stabbing them was in custody the statement said. The university did not release the names of the players involved. The stabbing occurred on campus at the football operations building.

No. 8 Oklahoma earns crucial win

BY CLIFF BRUNT AP sportswriter

NORMAN, Oklah. Oklahoma has taken a critical step in its quest to reach the College Football Playoff. John Mateer threw two touchdown passes, and the eighthranked Sooners defeated No. 23 Missouri 17-6 on Saturday The Sooners, coming off road wins over Tennessee and Alabama, claimed their third straight victory over a ranked opponent and their fifth over a team that was ranked when they played The Sooners (9-2, 5-2 SEC, No. 8 CFP) likely will make the playoff field with a win at home against LSU next Saturday Oklahoma gained just 276 total yards. It wasn’t flashy, but the Sooners got what they needed, “Winning is is the goal, and all that matters,” Mateer said. “Some people say we should win pretty That’s (Missouri) a good defense, and that’s a good team. So I’m proud of the guys and I’m proud of the offense.”

Mateer went 14 for 30 passing for 173 yards and ran for 60 yards and Isaiah Sategna caught three passes for 109 yards and a touchdown for the Sooners Oklahoma held the Tigers (7-4, 3-4, No. 22 CFP) to 301 yards and

shut them out in the second half.

Taylor Wein led the way with 1 1/2 sacks, two tackles for loss, a quarterback hurry and a forced fumble.

Missouri’s Ahmad Hardy, who led FBS with 134.6 yards rushing per game and ran for 300 yards and three touchdowns against Mississippi State last week, fin-

ished with 57 yards on 17 carries.

Missouri quarterback Beau Pribula, who dislocated his left ankle last month against Vanderbilt and missed three games, returned on Saturday He went 20 for 36 passing for 231 yards with two interceptions. “I thought he distributed the ball well,” Missouri coach Eli

Drinkwitz said. “I thought he made good decisions for the most part. You know, ultimately the two takeaways or two turnovers hurt at the end, but I was proud of the courage he showed to play.” Kevin Coleman Jr caught seven passes for 115 yards for the Tigers.

Oregon derails USC’s CFP hopes with a win

By The Associated Press

EUGENE,Ore.— Dante Moore threw for 257 yards and two touchdowns as No. 6 Oregon likely dashed No. 16 Southern California’s hopes of making the College Football Playoff with a 42-27 victory Saturday Kenyon Sadiq had six catches for 72 yards and two scores, and Noah Whittington ran for 104 yards and another touchdown for the Ducks (10-1 7-1 Big Ten, No. 7 CFP), who improved their chances of not only making the playoff but also hosting a game. Jayden Maiava threw for 306 yards and three touchdowns, including a pair to Makai Lemon, who also threw a touchdown pass for USC (8-3, 6-2, No. 15 CFP) USC hasn’t won in Eugene since 2011 and the Trojans have lost four straight to the Ducks overall. Once again, the Trojans fell short on the road against a ranked opponent, with previous losses this season to Illinois and Notre Dame. No 1 OHIO ST. 42, RUTGERS 9: In Columbus, Ohio, Julian Sayin threw two touchdown passes despite missing his top two playmakers, Bo Jackson rushed for 110 yards and a pair of scores and the topranked Buckeyes pulled away in the second half for a victory over the Scarlet Knights.

The Buckeyes (11-0, 8-0 Big Ten) started off slow with wide receivers Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate sidelined because of injuries No. 3 TEXAS A&M 48, SAMFORD 0: In College Station, Texas, Marcel Reed threw three touchdown passes in the first quarter before sitting down early in the second as the Aggies built a huge early lead and rolled to a win over FCS school Samford.

Texas A&M is 11-0 for the first time since going 12-0 under coach

R.C. Slocum in 1992 and looks to cap a perfect regular season when the Aggies visit rival No. 17 Texas on Friday No. 4 GEORGIA 35, CHARLOTTE 3: In Athens, Georgia, freshman Bo Walker ran for his first three career touchdowns, Nate Frazier added two scoring runs and the Bulldogs rolled to a win over the underdog 49ers in its bid to protect its College Football Playoff

standing Georgia (10-1) was looking to play well enough to retain its No. 4 CFP ranking and position for a first-round bye in the playoff. The Bulldogs overwhelmed Charlotte (1-10) for their seventh consecutive win. The 49ers suffered their eighth straight loss. No. 13 MIAMI 34, VIRGINIA TECH 17: In Blacksburg, Virginia, Carson Beck threw for 320 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Hurricanes to a victory over the Hokies.

Malachi Toney had career highs in receptions (12) and yards (146) and had a touchdown, lifting the Hurricanes (9-2, 5-2 ACC, No. 13 CFP) to their third straight win and keeping alive their hopes of making it to the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game. No 10 ALABAMA 56, EASTERN ILLINOIS 0: In Tuscaloosa, Alabama, six different players scored touchdowns, including two apiece from Kevin Riley and AK Dear, and Alabama cruised to a win against lower-division Eastern Illinois.

Alabama (9-2) held out a few key players receiver Germie Bernard, center Parker Brailsford and tight end Josh Cuevas with the Iron Bowl on tap next week. Cuevas was injured in practice, and his availability moving forward is up in the air, said coach

Kalen DeBoer

TCU 17, No. 25 HOUSTON 14: In Houston, Josh Hoover threw for 293 yards and two touchdowns and TCU took advantage of Houston’s

missed field goal in the final minute to beat the Cougars.

After stopping TCU (7-4, 4-4 Big 12) on the 5 with just under two minutes remaining, Houston (8-3, 5-3) drove to the TCU 20 and had a chance to tie it, but Ethan Sanchez’s 38-yard attempt with 46 seconds remaining went wide left. No. 18 MICHIGAN 45, MARYLAND 20: In College Park, Maryland, Bryson Kuzdzal ran for 100 yards and three touchdowns to help Michigan to a victory over Maryland, a week before the Wolverines host top-ranked Ohio State.

Michigan (9-2, 7-1 Big Ten, No. 18 CFP) was without injured running backs Justice Haynes and Jordan Marshall, but the Wolverines were still superior on the ground, and Michigan finished with its highest scoring output in conference play this season.

No 24TULANE 37,TEMPLE 13: In Philadelphia, Jake Retzlaff passed for two touchdowns and rushed for another score, and Tulane beat Temple to move closer to a spot in the American Conference championship game. Tulane (9-2, 6-1) can secure a spot in the Dec. 5 title game with a win over 1-10 Charlotte at home next weekend.

No. 12 VANDERBILT 45, KENTUCKY 17: In Nashville, Tennessee, Diego Pavia threw for a career-high 484 yards and five touchdowns and Vanderbilt beat Kentucky as the Commodores kept their hopes for a College Football Playoff berth

alive going into the regular-season finale.

Pavia, who struck yet another Heisman Trophy poise celebrating with teammates, set the program record, topping the 464 yards Whit Taylor had at Tennessee in 1981. Pavia also ran for 48 more yards and a fifth score. No.17TEXAS 52,ARKANSAS 37: In Austin, Texas, Arch Manning passed for four touchdowns, ran for one and caught another as Texas beat Arkansas to keep the Longhorns clinging to hopes of making the College Football Playoff.

Manning became the first Texas quarterback with passing, running and receiving touchdowns in a game. He passed for a career-high 389 yards, and his do-everything day showed how far he’s come from the beginning of the season, when Texas struggled to a 3-2 start.

No.21 JAMES MADISON 24,WASHINGTON STATE 20: In Harrisonburg, Virginia, Wayne Knight’s 58-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter put James Madison ahead to stay and the Dukes beat Washington State. Knight carried 15 times for 126 yards and Alonza Barnett was 9 for 18 passing for 144 yards and a touchdown for James Madison (10-1).

No. 9 NOTRE DAME 70, SYRACUSE 7: In South Bend, Indiana, Jeremiyah Love bolstered his Heisman Trophy candidacy with 171 yards rushing and three touchdowns on just eight carries, and Notre Dame blew out injury-decimated Syracuse. Love’s touchdown runs covered 45, 14 and 68 yards.

No. 13 UTAH 51, KANSAS STATE 47: In Salt Lake City, Devon Dampier threw for two touchdowns and ran for two more, including a go-ahead 1-yard score with 56 seconds left, and Utah rallied from a 12-point deficit midway through the fourth quarter for a wild victory over Kansas State The game turned on an unusual play. After KSU took a 47-35 lead on Joe Jackson’s third rushing touchdown of the game, the Wildcats went for 2, but Utah’s Tao Johnson intercepted a tipped ball and returned it to the Kansas State end zone for 2 points to make it 47-37.

The team elected to play the afternoon game at Protective Stadium in Birmingham, where 29 players were being honored on senior day South Florida won 48-18.

“UAB’s top priority remains the safety and well-being of all of our students,” the statement said.

Spain defeats Germany, reaches Davis Cup final

BOLOGNA, Italy Spain reached the Davis Cup final thanks to doubles pair Marcel Granollers and Pedro Martínez, who defeated Germany’s Tim Pütz and Kevin Krawietz 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 on Saturday for a 2-1 win in the semifinals.

Alexander Zverev had kept the Germans’ hopes alive with a 7-6 (2), 7-6 (5) win over Jaume Munar after Pablo Carreño Busta got Spain off to a winning start against Jan-Lennard Struff.

Carreño Busta saved five consecutive set points in the tiebreaker before beating the German veteran 6-4, 7-6 (6).

But Granollers and Martínez shocked Pütz and Krawietz by dealing them just their second Davis Cup loss.

Spain now will face two-time reigning champion Italy, which defeated Belgium on Friday, in the finals on Sunday

Thitikul is running away in LPGA Tour Championship

NAPLES, Fla. — Jeeno Thitikul made nine birdies for the second straight day, this time giving her an 8-under 64 that allowed the Thai star to pull away Saturday and build a six-shot lead going into the final round of the CME Group Tour Championship.

Thitikul, the No. 1 player in women’s golf, is one round away from sweeping all the awards on the LPGA Tour along with the $4 million check for winning.

She has all but clinched LPGA player of the year and the Vare Trophy for the lowest-scoring average, and she could set an LPGA record depending on her closing round. Nelly Korda shot a 65 and still lost ground. She was six shots behind, along with Pajaree Anannarukarn.

Valimaki takes two-shot lead in PGA Tour finale

ST SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. — Sami Valimaki of Finland ran off four straight birdies to close out the front nine on his way to a 5-under 65 that gave him a two-shot lead Saturday in the RSM Classic going into the final round of the final event of the PGA Tour season. Valimaki was at 19-under 193 and two ahead of Michael Thorbjornsen and Patrick Rodgers, each with a 68.

The group three shots behind featured Zac Blair (64), who will have to win to have any chance of finishing in the top 100 in the FedEx Cup. Also at 16-under 196 were Andrew Novak (70) and Johnny Keefer (67), the Korn Ferry Tour player of the year

Ex-Wake Forest star,NBA player Rogers dies at 54 Former Wake Forest star and 12year NBA player Rodney Rogers has died He was 54. The school announced Saturday that Rogers had died on Friday Rogers — the No. 9 overall NBA draft pick in 1993 had been paralyzed from the shoulders down since a dirt bike accident in November 2008. Rogers died of natural causes linked to his spinal cord injury, according to a statement from the National Basketball Players Association on behalf of Rogers’ family Rogers was the ACC rookie of the year in 1991 and player of the year in 1993. He went on to score nearly 9,500 points in the NBA while being named league sixth man of the year in 2000.

UL men continue to scuffle on offense

BY KEVIN FOOTE

Staff writer

The offensive woes continued for the UL men’s basketball season in Friday’s 80-43 road loss to undefeated Santa Clara. In many ways, the Ragin’ Cajuns took a few steps backward offensively, shooting just 35% from the field for the game. The Cajuns made only 1 of 9

from 3-point range, compared to Santa Clara outscoring UL beyond the arc by 21 points on 8-of-34 shooting from deep.

Ironically, the one area UL did beat Santa Clara in was the Cajuns’ biggest weakness all season: freethrow shooting. UL made 20 of 25 tries at the line, while the home team missed 7 of 19 trips to the line. The Cajuns dropped to 1-5 on the season, while Santa Clara improved to 6-0. UL will wrap up its three-game California road trip at 8 p.m. Monday at Cal-Davis (4-2). For the second time in the last three games, Dorian Finister led the Cajuns in scoring with 16 points on 6-of-13 shooting. He was UL’s only double-figure scorer Jeremiah Evans scored nine points on 2-of-3 shooting from the field and 5-of-6 shooting at the

line in only 12 minutes. No other Cajuns player scored more than six points. Dariyus Woods was 0 of 4 from the field, but he made 6 of 8 tries at the line to score six points to go along with five rebounds. Milan Mejia added five points on 2-of-2 shooting from the field. UL leading scorer Jaxon Olvera was 0 of 7 from the field in the loss. Santa Clara was led by Christian

SCOREBOARD

Ensminger

Yarusso

Darlan 0-2, Gavalyugov 0-2, Knapper 0-3). Team Rebounds: 5. Team Turnovers: None. Blocked Shots: 7 (Graves 3, Oboye 2, Chukwudebelu, Darlan). Turnovers: 8 (Graves 2, Oboye 2, Darlan, Gavalyugov, Knapper, Mahi). Steals: 7 (Knapper 3, Gavalyugov, Graves, Mahi, Oboye). Technical Fouls: None UL152843 Santa Clara3842—80 A_1,331 (4,500). Late Friday LSU 99, OMAHA

Hammond with 19 points behind 3-of6 shooting from 3-point land. Bukky Oboye added 13 points and five boards, followed by Allen Graves with 11 points and five rebounds. The Cajuns were slowed by 18 turnovers, compared to only eight for Santa Clara. Perhaps the most telling statistic was UL had only four assists in the game, while Santa Clara dished out 20 assists.

(Fears 4, Murphy III 3, Williamson 3, Jones 2, Bey Peavy, Queen) Technical Fouls: None. FGFTRe

Totals240:00 40-8422-2811-473019118 Percentages: FG .476, FT .786. 3-Point Goals: 16-43, .372 (Washington 5-8, Christie 5-9, Hardy 3-5, Marshall 1-3, Thompson 1-7, Williams 1-7, Flagg 0-4).

Team Rebounds: 6. Team Turnovers: None.

Blocked Shots: 9 (Washington 3, Williams 2, Christie, Gafford, Lively II, Thompson) Turnovers: 20 (Williams 6, Washington 4 Gafford 3, Flagg 2, Marshall 2, Christie, Hardy, Lively II).

Steals: 9 (Flagg 2, Gafford 2, Christie, Lively II, Martin, Washington, Williams) Technical Fouls: Marshall, 3:12 fourth. New Orleans 34292230115 Dallas25243633—118

A_18,506 (19,200). T_2:24.

Collins 0-1, Olvera 0-1, Finister 0-2, Lavergne

Olvera 2, Collins, Jones, Lavergne, Lewis Ratliff). Steals: 5 (Collins, Lavergne, Lewis, Mejia, Woodson). Technical Fouls: None. FGFTRe

Reed 0-1). Team Rebounds: 2. Team Turnovers: None. Blocked Shots: 5 (Nwoko 2, D.Thomas, Mackinnon, Miller). Turnovers: 11 (Mackinnon 3, Nwoko 3, Tamba 2, Reece, Reed, Sutton). Steals: 9 (Tamba 3, D.Thomas 2, Reece 2, Mackinnon, Nwoko) Technical Fouls: None Omaha3736—73 LSU504999 College football Friday’s games NC State 21, Florida St. 11 FAR WEST UNLV 38, Hawaii 10 Saturday’s games EAST Albany (NY) 31, Monmouth (NJ) 24 Brown 35, Dartmouth 28 CCSU 35, Mercyhurst 28 Colgate 38, Bucknell 19 Columbia 29, Cornell 12 Duquesne 20, Robert Morris 17 Howard 44,

INJURY REPORT

SAINTS

OUT: WR Brandin Cooks (personal)

QUESTIONABLE: TTaliese Fuaga(ankle),RBAlvin Kamara (ankle),TBarry Wesley(hip) FALCONS

OUT: SBilly Bowman Jr.(achilles), LB MalikVerdon (shoulder),WR DrakeLondon(knee), DE Zach Harrison(knee)

QUESTIONABLE: DE Leonard Floyd (hamstring),G MatthewBergeron (ankle), GChris Lindstrom(foot)

Saints’ regular-season gametoParis in the next two years.

“I’m really,really excited about Paris. When Ifound out that we had thepossibility of gettingFrance(in theGlobal Markets program), and we would have achance to play over there, Iraised my hand in the NFL meetingand said, ‘I want France,’ “Benson said. “I wanted France because Louisiana and France have alwayshad this close connection.”

The Saints’ plans in France go beyond thepotential regular-season game there.

Benson is in constant contact with Charles Kushner,the U.S. ambassador to France andMonaco. Likewise, she has met multiple times with Prince Albert II of Monaco, who was her guest at Super Bowl LIX in February.During their visit

team contingent in Europe, with teams seeded across the continent, say in NFL strongholds such as England, Ireland and Germany.Each team would conduct camp at its respective sites, then play their preseason games at various European locations in around-robin format.

“It’s apossibility,” Benson said. “These thingsare all possibilities and potential right now.But nothing is promised or concrete.”

If you’re in that number that frowns upon theNFL’s international outreach or someone who prefers the Saints play their homes games at, you know,home, then Iempathize. The NFL’s global interests are only going to grow in the years ahead. Andthe Saints, like every NFL team, are going to be abig part of it.

Europe is the first step in the league’s global expansion plan. And while France might lack the zealous interest level in the NFLof, say,Great Britain or Germany, it offers untapped marketing potential.

“It’sreally exploding,” Paris Musketeers coach Jack Del Rio told WDSU-TV recently.“It’s very popular.The people of Europe are embracing the sport of American football.”

NewOrleans will always be hometo the Saints, but France is going to be their homeawayfrom home.

For ateam whose logo is the fleur de lis, it just makes sense. Email JeffDuncan at jduncan@ theadvocate.com.

SAINTS

Continued from page1C

“You’re going to line up on Sundayagainst the Falcons, and (the past isn’t) going to matter,” offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier said. “What’sgoing to matter is what youdonow.”

Shough represents the latest and maybe greatest hope for afranchisequarterbackin New Orleans since the great Drew Brees announced his retirement in March 2021. Saints fans have watched Jameis Winston, Derek Carr,SpencerRattler andothers have moments, yet nevermeet the moment.

Now he’sabout to make his first career start in front of those fans, fresh off the heels of one of the best performancesbyarookie quarterback in franchise history.And he’s doing it against the rival that people in town take pride in beating as if they were on the team, too. And when he steps onto the field, the franchiseicon whose shoes have been too big for anyone to fillwill be watching from the broadcast booth.

It’salot, but it doesn’tseem to bother the rookie quarterback.

“It feels alittle bit different, for sure,” Shough said. “And Ithink that’sagood thing. I think everyone has rivals And, you know,you don’t change your process,but you (can)change the emotion of the city.Ithinkyou want to go out there and play harder.”

Shough has started two games,playedinfour and has put together one unquestionably strong performance. The No. 40 overall pick has much more to prove before the words “franchise quarterback” can be attachedtohis name, and that willremain trueeven if he has another impressiveperformance against Atlanta onSunday

eager to see the return of excellent quarterback play,from themedia memberswho question him and dissect hisplay,from his teammateswho rely on him to keep them in games, and from afront office and coaching staff that must decide whether he is someone the Saints can build around. That can makesomeonetry to be someone they are not. Andthat is actively what Shough is trying to avoid. He understands the duality of the spot he’sin: He hastoearn his place as arookie, but he also needs to have avoice as thequarterback. He picks his spotstovocalize where things need to be cleaner,but he does it in away that won’tbetray whom he is.

“There’sanelement thatI really believe in, (which) is just being yourself,”Shough said.

“You have to authentically be that, and understand what roleyou’re in. I’m not afraid to say something —within the group, the offense, allthatstuff —but I got to continue to build on that. Ihaven’treally earned theright to (say) something profound.

You’re going to line up on Sundayagainst the Falcons, and (the past isn’t) goingtomatter What’sgoingto matteriswhat you do now.”

DOUG NUSSMEIER, Saints offensivecoordinator

Butthere are encouraging signs. Startwith that most recent game against the Panthers. It was an outing that can’tbequantified effectively by the numbers, as goodastheywere. It was the nuance that inspiredoptimism —the way Shough navigated danger within thepocket, two hands on the ball, eyesdownfield looking for explosive plays. And yes, it was the way he connected on those explosives.A52-yarder on thefirst drive of the game. A63-yarder tohis star wideout for atouchdown. A30-yarder later in the game for another touchdown —all of them cominginthird-and-long situations where the Saints had wilted for muchofthe year That was what head coach Kellen Moore, a former quarterback himself, loved to see. The playhekept coming back to was that 52-yarder,which converted athird and12onthe opening drive. Shough evaded two potential sacks on the play,keeping it alivelongenoughtofind awide-open Juwan Johnson for the biggain. “We’reinachallenging situation,and forhim to pull through alot of trafficand stepupand make that play…Ithoughtthatwas ahuge play in that game,” Moore said. “Just kind of spin the momentum in that game to createa big play that obviously sparked us.”

That is what’savailablefor everyonetosee. The stuff that happens behindcloseddoors is also encouraging.The Saints have watched a rookie step into the most visible and important position in sports and not blink. Shough has pressure on him. From afan base

“. .I’m in thisrole of quarterback,I’ve played some football, too, but Ihaven’t in the NFL. My job is to be consistent, have alot of juice, have alot of energy.And when there’ssomething that needs to be said, I’ll say it.”

And, finally,Shough is seeking ways to learn.

He sought outBrees for some advicebefore he took over thestarting job, andhe took an interesting tack for where he wanted to start the conversation. It wasn’tabout all the great things Brees did in NewOrleans,atleast not directly.Shough wanted to know aboutBrees’ time in San Diego, before he becameasuperstar withthe Saints.

“I talked to him about his mindset through his journey,” Shough said.“ Iwanted to hear how he developed intowho he was here And we talkedabout his daily routine andprocess. He hada lot of great things andinsight And it was really cool justtobeable to pick his brain.”

Saints quarterbacks coach ScottTolzien has been in Shough’sshoes before, spending several seasons as abackup NFL quarterback before transitioning into coaching. He was impressed by howShough handled being theNo. 2, legitimately treatingevery week as if he was in the starting role.

When it came time forShough to take over for Rattler,Tolzien did not expect the moment to be too big for him because of theway he prepared

“Now you get to reap the benefits of it, because you have aplan, you have aroutine,” Tolzien said.

Thefinal seven games of the season should helpdetermine what New Orleanshas in Shough. Thereisachance the Carolina gamewas aoneoff, but there is also achanceitwas aspringboard for the rookie.

Andifitisajump-off point,what better way to followitupthantowin his first home start against the team his neighbors are telling him to beat, with Brees in the house?

Nobody on the team could understand that better thantight end FosterMoreau, aNew Orleans native who grew up watching those great offenses led by Brees.

“It’sawesome,” Moreau said. “It’sawesome, but not to be enjoyed before. We can have all the funinthe world after.”

Email Luke Johnson at ljohnson@theadvocate.com.

OFFENSIVELEADERS

Saints Falcons

DEFENSIVELEADERS

TEAM STATS

STAFF PREDICTIONS

JEFF DUNCAN

SAINTS 19,FALCONS 16: TheSaints arecatchingthe Falconsatagoodtime, in themidst of a five-gamelosingstreak andafter losing starting quarterback MichaelPenix forthe rest of theseason to akneeinjury. Theserivalry games arealwaystough,but this onefeels like amatchup of twoteams headingin opposite directions

LUKE JOHNSON

SAINTS 23,FALCONS 20: I’mhesitant to puttoo much stockintoone strong performancebyTyler Shough and theSaintsdefense,but thankfully theFalcons have givenmea larger sample size.Atlanta beingthe losers of five straight andbeing withouttheir starting quarterbackand toppass catchermakeiteasier to pick New Orleans.

MATTHEWPARAS

SAINTS 27,FALCONS 17: Scoring more than 20 points hasbeena challenge forthe Saints,but they arecatchingthe Falconsatthe righttime. NewOrleans cancontrol Sunday’s game with asolid running attack andchunk plays. The Falconshavea respectable runningback duo, butKirkCousins is past hisprime andiswithout toptargetDrake London

RODWALKER

SAINTS 23,FALCONS 20: Before the season began, Ipickedthe Falconsto winthe division.Whata disappointment they have been.The Saints have been adisappointment, too, butthe expectations were much lower. I’m giving aslightnod to theSaintsfor two reasons. They areathomecomingoff a

andthe

Alex Munoz, Teurlings Catholic

The senior quarterback shined again with 320 yards and two touchdowns on 16-of-19 passing and rushed for 157 yards and three touchdowns on 19 carries to lift the Rebels to a 55-22 win over Bonnabel.

Braylon Walker, Lafayette Christian

PREP REWIND

The Knights quarterback was on point in this playoff victory, throwing for 329 yards and six touchdowns on 17-of-20 passing in addition to rushing for 57 yards on seven carries.

FIVE STARS OF THE NIGHT

Braylon Calais, Cecilia

The star continues to do it all for the Bulldogs.When quarterback Collin Dore suffered an ankle sprain in the second quarter, Calais took over as needed. He threw for 165 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 193 yards and two more scores for a 54-42 road win over Lakeshore.

GAME OF THE WEEK

Ansinneo Charles, Lafayette Renaissance

The linebacker who missed much of the season with an injury was a dominant force in the school’s first playoff win. He contributed three sacks, five tackles behind the line, a forced fumble and blocked a punt in the 18-6 win over Amite.

Wyatt Dubois, St. Edmund

The Blue Jays workhorse two-way standout did it again in the 4436 comeback win over Covenant Christian. Dubois rushed for 231 yards and five touchdowns on 15 carries, as well as adding three twopoint conversions. Defensively, he led the team with 8.5 tackles.

Teurlings knocks out Bonnabel

Bruins strike first but Rebels roar to life in regional win

BY MIKE COPPAGE

Contributing writer

Teurlings Catholic scored four straight touchdowns to break a tie and stay perfect in a Division I select regional home playoff game on Friday

The second-seeded Rebels (11-0) spotted an energetic No. 18 Bonnabel team an early lead, then the Bruins evened it at 14-14 before the Rebels scored twice in less than a minute and went on to win 55-22.

“Coach Andre Anthony is doing a great job at Bonnabel,” Rebels coach Michael Courville said. “They kind of punched us in the mouth, and we had a special-teams mistake. At this stage, when you make a mistake, you have to expect they’re going to make you pay.”

After the Bruins (8-4), who had a seven-game winning streak snapped, tied it with a two-point conversion, Spencer Meche gave the Rebels a 21-14 lead with a 9-yard run.

The Bruins then were stopped on fourth down, and Teurlings Catholic quarterback Alex Munoz threw a 73-yard TD pass to Andrew Viator on the next play with less than a minute left in the half. On the first drive of the third quarter Munoz threw a 44-yard TD pass to Viator Courville praised the play of Quinn Simon, who had three catches for 50 yards.

“Quinn Simon probably has 20 catches total on the season, but 10 are unbelievable plays,” Courville said. “He made a huge play on the sideline that gave us a lot of momentum.” Munoz ran for 157 yards on 19 carries with three touchdowns covering 1, 30 and 12 yards. He was 16-of-19 passing for 320 yards.

“He’s just so efficient,” Courville said of Munoz, who leads the team in rushing on the year “He’s such a tough player He’s a true football player who can play quarterback at a high level. He loves contact He wants to do whatever it takes to win, and that was on display tonight.”

Cason Evans rushed for a touchdown for the Rebels, who will host

John Curtis in the quarterfinals for the second straight year Defensively, Seth Miller and Grant Deculus had interceptions Trey Snyder and Miller each recorded sacks. Courville also praised middle linebackers Jaxon Broussard and Carter Macha.

“Jaxon is a quiet 10-tackles-agame guy,” said Courville, who will be coaching against the No. 7-seeded Patriots (8-2), a 49-7 winner over No. 10 St. Thomas More.

“That’s the name brand of Louisiana football,” Courville said of the Patriots. “That’s who took us out last year We’ll get ready to play

We can’t be afraid of the name, but that is the powerhouse name for decades. We’ll have to work our butts off to get ready.”

The Rebels are missing some key pieces. Center Josh Burrows and star offensive lineman Drake Perry are out for the season with injuries. Andrew Fruge, who has

been stellar at defensive end, suffered a lower-body injury during Friday’s game. Running back Eli DeBoisblanc was out with the flu.

In the early going, Bonnabel’s defense was able to exploit the inexperienced Rebels offensive line, but the group made the necessary adjustments.

“Our offensive line did a great job,” said Munoz who broke a lot of tackles and punished one Bruins defender with a stiff-arm “The new guys are getting settled in. Once we get them settled in, we’re doing a great job Alex Landry at center is doing a phenomenal job stepping up.

“I’m excited to get a redo on the game from last year (loss to John Curtis). I don’t think we played our best game. This is a different team on both sides of the ball, both us and Curtis. It’s a whole new game. I think on any given Friday, we can win.”

BY ERIC NARCISSE Staff writer

Lafayette Renaissance junior Ansinneo Charles entered the offseason with high expectations for this year, envisioning being a consistent difference-maker for the Tigers defense. Unfortunately for Charles, the early part of his campaign was interrupted by an injury suffered in the summer that kept him off the field until midway through district play Now healthy, Charles is ready to fulfill that vision and be the disruptive force he and his coaching staff believe he is

On Friday, in the Tigers’ 18-6 victory over the Amite Warriors in the regional round of the Division III select playoffs, Charles turned in arguably the best performance of his career

“Ansinneo was unbelievable,” Tigers coach Hunter Landry said. “We were excited to get him back, because he is so dominant. He has a high motor and he never quits. He gives us fits in practice.” Charles gave the Warriors fits as well, as the linebacker wreaked havoc early and often. Charles finished with three sacks, five tackles for loss, a forced fumble and a blocked punt. “I feel like I had an outstanding game,” Charles said “But this wasn’t for me. It was for my team. My team needed me, and I gave all that I had for them. I couldn’t let my seniors down.” The win marks the first playoff victory in school history for the Tigers, who will travel to face

district foe and No 2-seed Notre Dame in the quarterfinals.

“It’s a wonderful feeling,” Charles said. “It means a lot to us because we have been working hard all summer We have put in a lot of work to get here. We’re making history.” Landry who credited the players’ willingness to buy in for the

Tigers’ success, was nearly at a loss for words after the game.

“Unbelievable,” Landry said “Just unbelievable. I can’t even put into words how great this is. It is extremely hard to get to this point. This is a great win for our program.”

The Tigers’ defense was outstanding, allowing 159 yards of offense (87 rushing, 71 passing) and only six points that was aided by the Warriors getting great field position at LRCA’s 20-yard line following a fumble recovered by Amite.

“Our defensive line did an extremely good job,” Landry said. “But the defense as a whole was great To hold them to only six points was great.”

Offensively, the Tigers (9-2) moved the ball well. However, they hurt themselves in the first half with a turnover on downs at the Warriors 8-yard line and three turnovers two fumbles and an interception — that kept them scoreless at the half.

But in the second half, the Tigers eliminated mistakes as they scored on three of four possessions — a touchdown pass from Kennan Brown to Ja’Courey Duhon (7-65) and two touchdown runs by senior running back Jay-

don Polk — to take an 18-6 lead. The lone Tigers second-half drive they didn’t score on was their final one in which they moved the ball down to the Warriors’ 12-yard line before being able to take a knee to end the game.

Brown completed 15 of 25 passes for 128 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Polk, who finished with a game-high 119 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries, credited the offensive line for his success.

“It all starts with my offensive linemen,” said Polk, who rushed for 78 yards and two scores on 16 carries in the second half. “Without those guys up front, I wouldn’t be able to do anything. I definitely have to give a round of applause to my offensive line.”

Landry agreed the Tigers’ offensive line did a good job but also praised Polk for his hard running in between the tackles.

“Our success follows the offensive line, and those guys accepted the challenge,” Landry said. “Jaydon had a great game. He’s not the biggest, the fastest or the strongest, but he is the ultimate team player.”

Email Eric Narcisse at enarcisse@theadvocate.com.

PREP REWIND

Unsung heroes vault Loreauville to victory

Gritty efforts by Jones, Nora lift Tigers over Church Point

BY NEAL MCCLELLAND

Contributing writer

Of all the players who played a big part in Loreauville’s 42-39 win over Church Point in their Division III nonselect playoff game, Chris Jones and Nigel Nora best displayed the grit Loreauville showed in the win.

“When we found out late in the week that starting tight end Eli Landry was going to be out, we turned to Nigel, who never played tight end for us at all this year, and he put in the work we needed him to do,” Loreauville coach Terry Martin said. “Turned out that he had a solid game and had several key plays for us.

“Chris never came off the field during the game. There were well over 100 plays in the game, and he played all of them.”

Those types of effort allowed the Tigers to jump out to a 42-24 fourth-quarter lead and survive a furious Church Point rally in which the Bears pulled within three points with 15 seconds left in the game.

“Against a team that had way better numbers and athletes than we had, our kids really came up big when we needed them to, and Nigel and Chris were great examples of what we needed to do on the field,” Martin said.

Loreauville senior quarterback Blake Delcambre had a hand in four touchdowns, two rushing and two passing, and the defense came up with several key stops on fourth down. Against the 10th-seeded Bears, it was all about putting out their best effort and doing what was needed to advance.

“It was all about executing,”

Nora said. “We had a solid game plan and they had a solid game

Quarterback Blake Delcambre did a little of everything once again for Loreauville in the state regional win

plan, but in the end, we executed.”

Nora said he was more than willing to move to tight end if the team needed him to play there.

“It’s not my first position or my favorite position, but that was where they needed me to play tonight, and I put forth my best effort,” the senior said. “My team needed me to step up, and I did what I had to do. It turned out that I liked doing it, and in the end, it helped my team win.”

Jones, a 6-foot-2, 270-pound lineman, admitted that never coming off the field was a challenge

“I just had to grind through,” he said. “It was hard being out there all game, but it was what I had to do for us to get the win.

“We had the big lead, and they just kept coming at us. We had to dig deep, deeper that we had, and luckily it was enough for us in the end.”

The playoff game came down to the final minutes of the fourth quarter as the Tigers held an 18-point lead with about nine minutes left.

Church Point then scored and

added the 2-point conversion to cut the lead to 42-32 with about six minutes left.

The Bears stopped Loreauville on its next drive and got a long touchdown pass to cut the Tigers’ lead to 42-39 with about two minutes left. Then they got the ball again on an onside kick and got down to the LHS 15-yard line in the final seconds.

On fourth down Church Point lined up for the potential gametying field goal to force overtime, but the Bears were flagged for delay of game, and instead of attempting the kick, they went for it on fourth down. The Tigers deflected the attempted pass away and took over on downs to run the clock out.

“That’s been an issue for us all year, we can’t close out games,” Martin said. “Just for whatever reason, we have trouble finishing big leads off.

“Luckily tonight, it didn’t hurt us, but we’ve got to get better and not make those mistakes.”

The Tigers advance to the quarterfinals where they will go on the road to No. 2 seed Sterlington.

Southside survives Terrebonne

BY MATTHEW LOUVIERE

Contributing writer

Southside coach Jess Curtis

didn’t hide his frustration after Friday’s wild second-round playoff game.

His Sharks won 56-42, surviving a flurry of momentum swings and overcoming special-teams miscues and a dangerous Terrebonne passing attack. Curtis said it may have been the sloppiest game his team played all season.

But it was also a win. And in November, that’s the only thing that matters Behind a bruising ground game led by quarterback Parker Dies and running backs Kollen Francois and Justin Williams, Southside held off a relentless Terrebonne comeback bid to secure a spot in a matchup with top-seeded Ruston.

“We played so sloppy at times,” Curtis said. “I was so frustrated. That’s a good, tough, physical team, and they made us play football tonight. Kudos to them, they made plays, and there were times they put pressure on us and we really crumbled there for a little while. I’m proud of us for finding our composure and finding a way to survive and advance.”

Southside wasted no time setting the pace, ripping off a 53yard rushing touchdown from Francois after just 52 seconds.

Terrebonne stretched the field with a deep play of its own as quarterback Owen Olivier found Alvin Celestine open downfield for an easy touchdown.

Southside junior running back Coby Broussard answered quickly with a 51-yard scoring rush, returning the lead to Southside with seven minutes left to play

Dies’ quick pitch to Francois extended Southside’s lead to 14 points, but the second quarter turned chaotic for the Sharks.

Southside attempted an option pass that was fumbled and Terrebonne recovered inside the Sharks’ red zone with 7:16 left.

Terrebonne punched in a rushing touchdown moments later

Dies responded with the first of several long touchdown runs,

scoring from 33 yards out with 4:45 remaining to make it 28-14.

Terrebonne’s special teams delivered a lightning-quick answer, returning the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown to tighten the game to 28-21 with 4:30 left in the half.

Southside closed the half with a crucial momentum swing thanks to Francois, who powered in a touchdown with 18.5 seconds remaining. The two-point conversion from Dies was good, giving the Sharks a 36-21 lead.

Terrebonne came out of halftime with urgency, punching in a rushing touchdown on the first drive of the third quarter to make it 36-28 at the 11:26 mark. Disaster struck for Southside on the ensuing kickoff when Terrebonne recovered a loose ball at the Southside 29. A quick rush by Olivier finished the short drive, and the PAT cut the Sharks’ lead to 36-35 with 10:49 remaining. The struggles continued for Southside. After forcing a punt from Terrebonne with 3:31 left in the quarter, the Sharks’ return man mishandled the ball, allowing Terrebonne to extend the lead to 42-36 with a quick scoop-andscore.

Undeterred, Dies provided the spark Southside needed, breaking loose for a quarterback keeper touchdown with 10:49 remaining. The PAT put the Sharks back

ahead 43-42.

Terrebonne moved into plus territory but stalled. Facing third-and-15 with 9:17 left, the Tigers tried to shorten the game with possession but Southside defensive back Emmanual Collins read the play perfectly, grabbing a critical interception with 7:59 remaining to give the Sharks the ball at their own 29.

From there, Southside leaned on Williams, a junior power rusher, who churned out tough yards.

Dies capped the drive with another rushing TD at the 4:58 mark, stretching the lead to 50-42.

Terrebonne was flagged following a failed third-down attempt, setting up a fourth-and-25 from its own 37. The Tigers’ desperation heave fell incomplete, and Southside took over at the Terrebonne 45 with just over four minutes left.

After draining the clock, Dies scored his fourth rushing touchdown with 1:50 remaining, pushing the lead to 56-42. Despite advancing, Curtis made clear that a performance like Friday’s won’t be enough against No. 1 Ruston next week. “We’re much better than we played tonight,” Curtis said. “That might have been our sloppiest game of the year And honestly, it’s kind of good, because I’m really going to be hard on them next week.”

run (kick failed)

SUMMARIES

NWEST — Frederick Nimer 12 run (conversion good)

IOWA — Bushnell46 pass from Broussard (kick failed) Kinder 40, Kaplan 27 TeamKaplanKinder First Downs 11 22 Yards Rushing 126 211 Yards Passing 114 265 Passes (C-A-HI) 9-19-2 16-31-0

Punts-avg 1-44 2-28

Fumbles-lost 1-0 0-0

Penalties-yards 6-35 11-80

SCORING SUMMARY Kaplan0713727

Penalties-yards 10-65 2-15

SCORING SUMMARY AHS6000—6 LRCA00126—18 AHS — Jamyron Dillon 15 pass from Drew Palmer (Kick failed) LRCA — Ja’Courey Duhon 10 pass from Kennan Brown (Kick failed) LRCA — Jaydon Polk 1 run (Run failed) LRCA — Polk 4 run (Pass failed) Loreauville 42, Church Point 39 TeamCPLoreauville First Downs 21 17

Punts-avg 0-0 1-45

Fumbles-lost 2-2 2-2

Penalties-yards 7-55 7-51

SCORING SUMMARY Church Point1410015—39 Loreauville2178642

CP — Chad Brooks 36 run (Seth Alleman kick)

LOR — Quintin Taylor 46 pass from Blake

Delcambre (kick failed)

LOR — Delcambre 15 run (Delcambre run)

LOR — Jamisen Kowalewski 1 run (Chambers kick)

CP — Brooks 23 run (Alleman kick)

CP — Blathon Citizen 2 run (Alleman kick)

LOR — Kadyn James 16 pass from Delcambre (Chambers kick)

CP — Alleman FG LOR — Kowalewski 42 run (Delcambre run)

LOR — Blaise Romero 9 pass from Delcambre (run failed) CP — Jarrison Reese 52 pass from Luke Baudoin (conversion good)

CP — Kylon Monroe 17 pass from Baudoin (Alleman kick) Notre Dame 28, De La Salle 19 TeamDe La SalleNotre Dame First Downs 18 12

FOOTBALL PLAYOFF REPORT

Regionals

Nonselect Division I Barbe 42, West Monroe 35 Neville 31, Mandeville 14 Ouachita Parish 21, Destrehan 19 Parkway 37, Hahnville 31, OT Ruston 51, Westgate 13 Zachary 44, Denham Springs 21 Division II Belle Chasse 7, Opelousas 6 Cecilia 54,

Continued from page1C

good job of taking teams out of what they’re trying to do,and then it becomes,can you guard the dribble one-on-one? That has beengiving us some problems. Ithought we were much better tonight.

Omaha coach Chris Crutchfield felt LSU’sdefensive growth

“LSU turned it up defensively, forcing us into four turnovers in ourfirst five possessions,” Crutchfield said about the second half.“We talk about the first four minutesall the time, and in the second half, how important those minutes are. They came out and punchedusreally hard and took that 20-point lead.”

As the level of the LSU defense rose, so did its shooting prowess, going 15 of 33 from 3-pointrange.

“It’sprobably acrazy thought, but Ijust thought our energy on the defensive side of the ball was alot better,and Ithought thatjust led to some better execution offensively,” McMahon said.

The overall effort wasrewarded with not only awin but also “L-SU” chants when the final buzzer sounded.

said the day after he was traded to the Clippers14years ago. “To the organization, my teammates, coaches, and the fans youwill always be my familyand have a special place in my heart!!!”

And he said it againback in March when he was in town last season playing for the San Antonio Spurs.

“After 20 years, the lovefor this city has never changed!” Paul wrote in an Instagram post.“The journey started here, and I’ll always have gratitude for the city of NewOrleans.”

It seemed like Paul was calling it quits then, but he came back for one more season, signing with the Clippers for his final chapter.He’s also had stops in Houston,Oklahoma City,Phoenixand Golden State. New Orleans,though, is where it all started.

James Borrego, currently serving as the Pelicans interim head coach, was an assistant coach for

NewOrleans Hornets guard Chris Paul wavesafter breaking the NBA record forconsecutivegames with astealduring agame against the San Antonio SpursonDec. 17, 2008. Paul announced Saturday this is his final NBAseason.

the then-Hornets during Paul’s final two seasons in New Orleans. So he understands what thePoint God meant to theBig Easy

“Just to watch him and what he meant to the cityasawhole,” Borrego said. “As the city was going through some massive change and moving cities and through Katrina, for him to be one of those pillars to help this citygoes beyond anything on the basketball court. He reflects resiliency and toughness.”

Borrego recalls the days Paul would come out of the game and sit beside him on the bench. Paul would talk Borrego’sear off.

“Nobody loves the gameof basketball that I’ve been around morethan Chris Paul,” Borrego said. “He will be around the game forever.Weneed him in thegame. He’sa wonderful person, father, individual. But what he meant to thecity cannot be matched.I thinkofDrew Brees, another pillar of the city,something like that. Chris is aspecial individual. Iam always thankful for that relationship withhim.”

Andthe cityofNew Orleans should be thankful for that relationship, too.

Andfor two nights in March, thecity of New Orleans should makesure to let CP3 know

BY STEVE PELOQUIN

Contributing writer

Some highschoolfootballprograms arelucky to have onekicker they can rely on.

Ascension Episcopal has two. Senior HayesTrotter,subbing for theinjured Andrew McCormick, nailed a30-yard field goal as time expired Friday night, lifting sixth-seeded Ascension Episcopal to a17-14 win over No. 11 Kentwood in aDivision IV select regional playoffgame in Youngsville.

“When we were in the huddle, right before he went to kick it, therewas no fear in hiseyes,” coach Jay Domengeaux said of Trotter.“I’m just really proud of him, and happy aboutthe execution by everyoneonthe kick.”

Trailing 14-7 in the fourth quarter,the homestanding Blue Gatorstied it at 14-14 when quarterback Branon Mitchell scored on a 22-yard run with 8:55 remaining.

Thegamestayed that wayuntil the final drive when Mitchell converted afourth-downplay to put the Blue Gators in field-goal range withseven seconds remaining.

“Our guys did agreat job on that lastdrive,” Domengeaux said. “I thought our clock management was outstanding in terms of getting yards whenwe needed to, getting out of bounds and making somebig plays. We handled that really well.”

With seven seconds remaining, Domengeaux elected to run one moreplayand calla timeout beforesending out Trotter to make thegame-winner andput theBlue Gators in the quarterfinals.

“Special teams play is somethingthat we’ve taken alot of pride in here foralong time,” Domengeaux said. “Wework real hard on it as astaff, andwe’llalways continue to do so.”

TheBlue Gatorswill travelto faceNo. 3Hamilton Christian of Lake Charles (10-0) in thequarterfinalsonFriday Aftera scorelessfirstquarter,

“When we were in the huddle, right before he went to kickit, there wasnofear in his eyes. I’m justreally proud of him, and happy about theexecution by everyone on the kick.”

JAyDOMENGEAUX, Ascension Episcopal

Kentwood (7-5) broke the ice at the 10:51 mark of the second quarterwhenAhmade Bickham scored on a5-yard run on afourth-and-goal play for a6-0 lead.

AES (10-1) answered on Owen LeBlanc’s40-yard run for 7-6 lead at the8:29mark of thesecond quarter

Ascension Episcopal had 170 totalyards of totaloffense in the first half, 117 rushing and 53 passing. Kentwood had 148 total yards in the first half (92 rushing, 55 passing).

Bickham’ssecond rushing touchdown —an18-yard run— gave the visitors a14-7 lead heading into the fourth quarter Mitchell passed for 125 yards and rushed for 67.Kentwood’s Obie Hookfin rushed for gamehigh 119 yards. The win avenged a42-16 loss to the Kangaroos in the second round of the 2024 playoffs “Wedon’treally make abig deal aboutit, but the kids know,especially when you have someone coming in like that,” Domengeaux said. “Theyhavebeen winning a lot of footballgames for along, long time, so I’m really proud of the guys forpulling out abig win over agreat program tonight.”

LIVING

BelovedCajun fiddler has final recording released in collection

In 2021, beloved Cajun fiddler Courtney Granger had a weary look that matched the old soul in his voice. Granger, 39, was in the final round of alifelong fight with diabetes, which forced musical retirement and faint hope of akidney transplant APO Records founder Chad Kassem never forgot the jaw-dropping moment of seeing Granger play as ateen. The fiddler remained on Kassem’sto-do list of recordings.

Fuselier

But Yvette Landry,afriend of both, knew that opportunity was fading. With Kassem’s blessings, she brought Granger to Dockside Studio in Maurice with another old soulina young body,Creole musician Cedric Watson. Still, Landry wondered ifit was too late.

“When Courtney got there, you can tell he wasn’tfeeling good,” said Landry.“Itoldhim, ‘If you’re not feeling good,we can reschedule.’

“He said he wanted to do it right now.Wecould tell in his voice, and overall, he was feeling really bad. So we recordedit.”

PROVIDED PHOTO

Cajun fiddler CourtneyGranger

Granger died seven weeks later.That last recording has become “Courtney Granger &Cedric Watson: Cajun & Creole Music of Louisiana,” a two-vinyl, 16-song collection on APO Records of Salina, Kansas. Landry served as producer and played triangle, guitar and accordion throughout these acoustic performances In the liner notes, historian Barry Ancelet writes thatthe recordings, “...aren’thiding under abunch of production. …The two performers often sound like one.”

Landry describes the experience in mystical terms

“I think Courtney and Cedric both lived before in other lifetimes,” said Landry,aresident of Breaux Bridge. “They came back as these old souls that have experienced so much

“They have so much feeling and passionatsuch young ages. Cedric has probably lived 100 livesbefore. Those two guys are just amazing to me.” Soulful experiences are also highlights for Landry,a

ä See GRANGER, page 4D

Dolores ‘Bitsy’Hadskey holds her four season tickets to the LSU/ Arkansas game. Hadskey has held LSU football season tickets for 70 years and only missed six gamesuntil this season when her health prevented her from attending.

DRAWING THELINES

WasanAcadiana intersection thesiteoftwo

CivilWar battles?

BY ROBIN MILLER Staff writer

The Louisianastate historic

marker near thePinhook Bridge says two battles took place there in 1863: “Bayou Vermilion,”it says. “Battle of Pinhook Bridge April 17, 1863. Battle of Bayou Vermilion Oct. 9, 1863. We honor the memoryof those soldiers who valiantly fought on these banks.”

The listed dates place theevents in the Civil War, but therest is pretty vague. Itslack of detail sparked Phyllis Hall’scuriosity.

“Were there really two Civil War battles fought near thePinhook Bridge?”the St.Martin Parish communityofCatahoula resident asked.

Now,that’s not saying theinformation on this Lafayette historic marker is wrong, but inaccuracies

have been discovered on some historic markers in thepast.

“I wasn’tfamiliar with these battles,soIwas curious to know if they are true,” Hall said.

The short answer is yes, though it’shard to imagine Union and Confederate troops slugging it out at in the middle of Lafayette. Then again, there was no Lafayette back then.

The city’sname was Vermilionville. At the time, Confederate Gen Richard Taylor —son of former President Zachary Taylor —instructed his troops to burn the bridge in an attempt to stop Union Gen. Nathaniel Banks’ troops’ northward advance. Today,the

ä See CURIOUS, page 4D

‘ALL IEVERHEARD WASLSU’

Longtime Tigerfan

BYJAN RISHER Staff writer

Seventy seasons is more than ahabit —it’salifetimewoven in purple and gold. LSU hasbeen playing football since 1893 —that’s132 years of football. BatonRouge’sBitsy Hadskey, 88, has

AT THE TABLE

Tastypecan cookie helpscreateholiday memories

BY DEBRA TAGHEHCHIAN Contributing writer

For many,the fall season conjuresupvisions of leaves falling and changingcolor fromgreen to yellow,orange or brown. They may even desire to travel to the Northeast to witness nature’s beauty with the changingofthe leaves. But for me, it’sthe sounds. The crow’scaw always catchesmyattention as Ilook to theskies to catch aglimpse of aflock About 25 pecan trees were spread across our farm property.The sound of the cawingcrows signaled the beginning of pecan picking season Its arrival meant bundling up and spending time out in the cold and wind under the trees collecting them.

We would gather pecans for our own consumption, but also to sell.Manya Christmasgiftwas funded with the proceeds from selling pecans. We would evenhave folksstopand asktopick pecans “on halves.” Whatever amountthey collected,half wasfor us, and theykeptthe remaininghalf.

“Hey,Byron,don’tpick pecans under that tree. That is Aunt Rita’s tree,” my motherwould call out. “Aunt Rita will come on Sundayafternoon to pick pecans.”

Every year,Aunt Rita would make aplatterof candies, pecan logs included,for Christmas.We were sure to help her because we knew of the treats to come. We would be on our hands and knees picking pecans off the ground,but Aunt Rita had apecan picker to makeher collecting easier.The long stick with awire cagebasket at theend of thepole allowed the nuts to be pushed into the wire cage.Once thesmall basketwas full, the basket was inverted,and the nuts were collected in alarger bucket.

The holiday season can bea busytime.Asmodern society moves at afaster and fasterpace, old traditions of cooking special holiday treats seem to have fallen from fashion.You cancreate special moments by passing some of thatprecious time making treats with yourfamily

This recipe is perfect forsuchanoccasion.It has few ingredients, does not need special equipment for mixing and bakingand eventhe smallest member of the familycan help to bakeup thesepecan cookies. Butdon’tlet the simplicity of this recipe fool you —itispackedwith delicious,toasted pecan flavor Make abatch and share withfamily and friends. Happy holidays to you.

By The Associated Press

Today is Sunday,Nov.23, the327thday of 2025. There are 38 days left in theyear

Todayinhistory:

On Nov.23, 1984, Boston Collegequarterback

Doug Flutie completed oneofthe mostfamous passes in college football history,connecting with Gerald Phelan for a48-yard touchdownwith no time left onthe clock as Boston Collegedefeated theMiami Hurricanes 47-45.

Alsoonthis date:

In 1863, thousands of Union soldiers under Gen. Ulysses S. Grant marched outofChattanooga, Tennessee, and battled Confederate forces through Nov.25, forcingtheir retreatinto Georgia in asignificant blow to the South in the AmericanCivil War.

In 1939, early in World WarII, theBritish armed merchant cruiser HMSRawalpindiwas on patrol whenitwas shelled and sunkinanengagement with two German warships southeast of Iceland, leaving more than 200 dead aboard the Rawalpindi and only afew dozensurvivors.

In 1963, President LyndonB.JohnsonproclaimedNov.25aday of national mourning following the assassination of President JohnF Kennedy

In 1971, the People’sRepublic of China was seated in theUnited Nations Security Council. In 1980, an estimated 2,500 to 3,000 people were killed by aseries of earthquakes thatdevastated southern Italy

In 1996, ahijacked Ethiopian AirlinesBoeing 767ran out of fuel and crashed into theIndian Ocean near the Comoro Islands, killing125 of the 175 people on board, including allthreehijackers.

In 2005, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was elected president of Liberia, becomingAfrica’sfirst democratically elected female headofstate.She guided her nationthrough recovery after its exit from adecadelong civil war

In 2006, former KGB spy AlexanderLitvinenko died in London from radiation poisoning after making adeathbedstatement blamingRussian President Vladimir Putin.

In 2008, the U.S. governmentunveiledabold plan to rescue Citigroup, injectinga fresh $20 billion into the troubled firm as well as guaranteeing hundreds of billions of dollars in risky assets.

In 2011, Yemen’sauthoritarian President Ali Abdullah Saleh agreed to step down amid a fierce uprising to ousthim after33years in power

(After formally ceding power in February2012, he waskilled in 2017 by Houthi rebels whowere once his allies.)

In 2024, Israeli airstrikes in central Beirut killed at least 20 people and wounded dozens more,the latest strikesinrenewed fighting betweenIsraeland Lebanon-based Hezbollah militants. (A U.S.-brokered ceasefire would be reached on Nov. 27, withsporadic violations of that truce for months afterward.)

Today’sbirthdays: Actor Franco Nero (“Django”) is 84. Singer Bruce Hornsbyis71. TV journalist Robin Roberts (“Good MorningAmerica”)is65. Composer Nicolas Bacri is 64. Poet and author Jennifer Michael Hecht is 60. Olympic gold medal sprinter Asafa Powell is 43. Icehockey playerNicklas Bäckström is 38.Singer-actorMiley Cyrus is 33.

Pecan Cookies

Pecan Cookies

Makes 20-24 large cookies. Ialways serve these on apedestal cake stand, as these tasty cookies can’tberesisted and deserve such apresentation.

cookies are golden brown.

2eggs 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1dry yellow cakemix 1pound pecan halves

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.

2. In alarge mixing bowl, place eggs and whisk. Addoil andwhisk again until eggs and oil are well combined. 3. Adddry yellow cake mix and stir until all combined.

4. Addpecan halves and mix to coat thepecans with thecake mix mixture. The cake mix will help to bind the pecans together to form the cookie.

5. Using a 1/4-cup dry measuring cup, measure out each cookie and place on an ungreased baking sheet. These cookies are large. Do not overcrowd thebaking sheet.

6. Bake forapproximately 10-12 minutes or until the

7. Remove baking sheet from oven and place on a cooking rack.

8. Allow the cookies to sit for2-3 minutes to cool, then remove from baking sheet using athin spatula and place cookies on acooling rack.

Random people arebody-shamingmydog

Dear Miss Manners: My pet dachshund is slightly overweight. The vet said he should lose 3pounds. When we are out walking, people will occasionally make hurtful remarks about him,like “Hereally likes his food, doesn’the?” or “His belly is really dragging.” His belly is not dragging on the sidewalk. It makes me sad to see asweet little dog being insulted like this. Most people say how cute he is or ask his name.

been in thesame room has resulted in somesortofunpleasantness —public enough to detract from the event itself —and usually ends with one of them storming off.

What can Isay to the people who remark on his physique in such a hurtfulway?

GentleReader: “I’mglad he can’tunderstand you.” Andthen add, in ahorrormovie-child’swhisper,“As far as we know.”

Dear Miss Manners: Carrie and Ashley are both good friends of ours. We enjoy their company and accept their social invitations when offered.

Afew years ago, they had akerfuffle that put astrain on their relationship. My wife and Ididn’twant to play games or favorites, so we would invite them bothtoevents.

So far,every event where they’ve

In private conversations, when we try to mitigate future occurrences,they both express regret for suchincidents and resolve to do better,which we believe is genuine in thatmoment. But inevitably,something will happen again.

Otherfriends at these events areawareofthe issue and kind of shrug their shoulders when it happens, but we all areabit sad about it.

Now my wife’sbirthday is coming, and she wants to invite our friends to afancy restaurant —including Carrie and Ashley,knowing there will be tension, and perhaps worse. No one would deliberately want toput their friends in unpleasant situations, but excluding one or the other also seems hurtful. Any recommendations forbetter handling this? Right now,we’re planning to continue to invite them both to things hoping for thebest, but expecting some drama.

Gentle Reader: How badly do you want your wife’sbirthday to be drama-free? Enough to attempt to play peacemaker? If so, you and/or your wife might invite the twotolunch together before the party and try to broker atreaty.But if that fails —and as all of your guests seem to be expecting ashow anyway at least the entertainment at your wife’s party will be free.

Dear Miss Manners: Both of my sons have recently becomeengaged. When sharing this good news, morethan half the people ask me, “Doyou like her?” How should Irespond to this, other than just saying, “Yes, of course”? I’ve thought about saying, “You know,I’ve just been dying forsomeone to ask me that. Let me share this with you …”

Gentle Reader: “What aquestion!” is a useful, all-purpose response that may be said with varying degrees of shock, outrage and amusement, depending on your relationship with the asker Send questions to Miss Manners at dearmissmanners@gmail.com; or through postal mailtoMiss Manners, Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City,MO64106.

Tips on recyclingplastic untilits end

are endless. —JoAnne, via email Alistofhints

Dear Heloise: Iread your column daily for advice. Ihave been compiling alist of helpful hints that Ihope someofyour readers might find useful:

Dear Heloise: Twoofyour letters in arecent column addressed recycling plastic. Pleaseconsider reusing it as well. Small cup-sized plastic containers (such as yogurt containers) can be tuborpool toys for little ones. (Everything is fun when used in thetub, even aketchup container.) They can also be used in the bathroom for rinsing water when brushing teeth and they can be used as dispensers for trail mix and other snacks. For larger containers such as thosethat contain peanut butter and cottage cheese, as well as other taller and narrow containers, freeze water in these and use them in your cooler.There’snomess in the cooler or any food damaged by water, and you can use themelted water for drinking on acar trip or when camping. Use thelargest containers (think bulksized) to freeze water for blocks of ice. Theice comes out easily and lasts for a long time in awater dispenser.And, of course, use any of these containers for sending things home withothers. You don’thave to care if it comes back.

As another reader mentioned, deli trays and such work well in place of plates or bowls. While Idetest all the plastic in theworld, using it until itsend makes sense. Once you start,the ideas

n Regarding grocery carts, Inever place anything in the child seat on grocery carts. Iamsure that they are occasionally cleaned, but all Ican think of is diaper leakage. As Itell the checkout clerk at places who reloads your items directly back intothe cart, this is where children sit, and Iwas agermaphobe way before COVID.

n Regarding unused paint: If you are disposing of extra paint in the trash, please either let it air-dry or mixitwith an inexpensive cat litter to speed up the drying process

n Regarding keeping greens fresh forlonger:Ikeep broccoli, lettuce and undressed coleslaw (toname afew vegetables thatthis would work for) fresh for at least two weeks, if not longer.I clean and cut the itemsifnecessary, place theminadamp— not soggy paper-towel-lined airtight container,and thenlay another damp paper towel over the top.

n For saving water: When brushing my teeth,Ionly wet the toothbrush fora second. Then Iturn off the water,brush my teeth,then turn on thewater again

to rinse. Imagine how much water we as aplanet could save if everyone practiced this. When I’matabig-box store, nursery,oranywhere that uses ahose, and Isee it running when no one is using it, Ifind the water source and turn it off. —Tracie T.,inRichmond,Virginia

Hamburgersecret

Dear Heloise: Ihave arecipe forthe best hamburgers forpeople wholike to makethem at home. Take 2parts of lean hamburger meat and 1part of ground sausage, mixthem well, and shape into patties. Barbecue on the grill, fryor broil. We were on vacation near Austin, Texas. At acafe, we stopped and ate ahamburger,and it was so good. The owner told me what they used. —Opal A., in GardenGrove, California

Anotherbedsheethint

Dear Heloise: Iwanted to share how Isave on changing the sheets on my queen-sized bed. Instead of going to the trouble that Karen, in Florida, does, Ijust sleep on one side of the bed one week and the other side the following week. This way, Ionly have to change the sheets once every two weeks. Istarted doing this decades ago when Iwas leftwith aking-sized bed following adivorce. —Andi, in Ohio Send ahinttoheloise@heloise.com.

TRAVEL

VisitLa.’s

BY ELIZABETH DEAL Staff writer

Have you ever carried a 50-pound bag of dirt? It’sso heavy,I’m not sure Icould

It’sestimated that the people who built the tallest moundatthe Poverty Point UNESCO World Heritage Center in northeast Louisiana carried 15.5 million 50-pound basket-loads of soil,or 390,000 tons, to build it.

The people of Poverty Point were hunter-gatherers,and atthe time it was built, its earthworks werethe largestinthe Western Hemisphere.

The Poverty Point visitor center has asmall museum, bayou overlook, picnic tables and earthworks including aplaza, fields, Indianbuilt ridges and mounds, large wooden post circles (now marked in white), ahiking trailand aroad to each location. The people who inhabited the arealeft around 1100 B.C. The name comes from a historic plantation at this location that was established by 1850.

When visiting Poverty Point, there’sa$6entry fee. The museum featuresashortvideoonthe history,and the building is full of Indian artifacts discovered at this location, including arrowheads, atlatl weights, decorated objects, figurines, scarce bone awl tools and plummets used as fishing weights. Behind the visitors center is the Bayou Macon overlook. The signage says that the Mississippi River was probably closer during the time period (1700 B.C. to 1100 B.C.) and may have formed a shallow backwaterlake here.

The earthwork complex includes aseries of C-shaped concentric ridges, which varied in height up to 6feet and are thought to have been used for living areas. Excavation found cooking pits, hearths and numerous artifacts, including cooking balls, knives, blades and other tools.

To see the five mounds, visitors can take ahiking trail (2.6 miles total), drive your own vehicle on apavedroad or take the open-airtram with apark ranger guide. The tram runs Wednesday through Sunday for $4 perperson and takes approximately 45 minutes. On those days, you can also try throwing an atlatl.

TRAVEL TROUBLESHOOTER

By ChristopherElliott

Aviewfromthe top

Parts of the ridges and mounds at Poverty Pointhave disappeared duetofarming and erosion,but what remains is worth seeing.

The tallest mound, Mound A, standsat72feet and can be viewed fromthe ground. Or visitors can takethe wooden walkway with about 35 stairs on a slight elevation to go to theapex, with aview of the surrounding forest and farmland. From above,

themound is shaped like abird in flight,though researchers debate the“bird effigy” idea.

It was looking at this mound, from afar,surrounded by flat land, with acar driving in front of it, when Iwas struck by the magnitude of the size, theeffort to build it and how unimaginably long ago it was: 1350 BC.

Mound Bisconical in shape and measures about 21 feet in height, while Mound Cis6 feet high and is thought to be originally loafshaped. Mound Dissmall, built

by alater community of the Coles Creek culture, and Mound Eis flat-topped andstands at about 13 feet high. My husband and Ilove both historyand the outdoors, so this was agreat outing forus. We drove theroute to each mound, which was nice because we could keep to our own schedule. We took our time, and our whole visit —including watching the video, touring the museum,asking several questions, anddriving and stopping at each mound —took less than two hours. Poverty Point is handicap accessible if visitors ride in their own vehicles, andeach mound is easy to see from the road. The walkway from the street close to each mound is amowed grass path. Interestingly,nobones have been recovered,soresearchers do not think the Poverty Point mounds were burial sites of Indigenous people. Mound Dhas the 1851 headstones of two women,almost illegible: Sarah Wilson Guier and Amanda Malvina Dawson VanRensselaer.Abrochure says that early Euro-American settlersoften used Indian mounds for their cemeteries. The Guiers owned Poverty Point plantation,

Locked outand then charged$385for

My partner and Ibooked an Airbnb near Joshua Tree National Park for my birthday.

but there was no grand plantation homethere. VanRensselaer lived on property across Bayou Macon. The whyofthe Poverty Point mounds still remains amystery, but we came away debating our own theories on what the mounds were used for. The area is still under archaeological discovery, and asixth mound, Mound E, is expected to open in the future, according to museum office staff.

Wheretoeat

Poverty Point Reservoir State Park is about 10 miles south in Delhi, which has afew locally owned restaurants. We opted forhome-cooking style food at Tammy Fay’sRestaurant, atiny brick building one block south of Interstate 20 off La. 17, open for lunch and dinner

The special of the day was grilled or fried pork chops, mashed potatoes and gravy,yams, field peas, cornbread, dessert and adrink. We asked what they were knownfor,and our sweet and funny server said burgers, so that’s what we ordered with cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickles and onions.

The burgers were8ounces, which was morethan Icould finish in one sitting, and the buns were outstanding. They were square, with the option of sourdough or jalapeno, which was flavorful but not spicy.The onion rings were homemade and huge and deliciously lightly battered. Itried another customer favorite —fried mushrooms—and loved them too.

Tammy Fay’sCafe is located at 113 Rundell Loop, Delhi. Lodgingand otheractivities

The state park also has waterfront cabins that are great for fishing, lodges in the woodedarea and acampground. Just up the road at the marina in the state park, there’sabeach that incudes a separate entrance. The Black Bear Conference Center,atthe Black Bear Golf Club in Delhi, is open to the public and has arestaurant. Poverty Point is located at 6859 La. 577 in Epps, and is open from 9a.m. to 5p.m. every day except Thanksgiving, Christmas and NewYear’sDay

Email Elizabeth Deal at elizabeth.deal@theadvocate. com.

malfunctionand texts where the locksmith cited weather,but Airbnb sided with the host. Howcan we fightthis unfair charge?

Christopher Elliott

On the second day, heavy rain causedthe keypad lock to malfunction —wecouldn’t enter anyinformation after the first digit. We immediately contacted the host, who assumed we caused the keypad to malfunction with incorrect passcode attempts and senta locksmith hours later The locksmith suggested the rain had damaged the lock, andthe hostgaveusamanual key.

Twoweeks later,Airbnb demanded $385 for lock repairs, claiming we causedthe damage.We provided video proof of the

We just want to clear our nameand avoid payingfor something we didn’tbreak. Paula Lee, San Francisco

Airbnb should have dismissed this claimimmediately. Its terms of service says hosts aren’tliable for issues beyond their control, so why not guests as well? When the locksmith attributed the problem to rain, Airbnb had all theevidenceitneeded to side with you.

Your case raises an interesting question, which Iseem to answer with some regularity: Who is

Airbnb’scustomer,really? Are they on your side or on the host’s side? In your case, it appears Airbnb almostreflexively sided with the host. In fairness, I’ve had cases wherethe opposite happened. Butgenerally,Airbnb favors the hostinmyexperience —and that’ssomething guests don’treally understand. They think they’re thecustomers, but they aren’t

Youdid everythingright by documenting the issue with videos,texts and timely communication. Youwere patient and allowed the process to work maybe alittletoo patient. Iwould have escalated your casetoa

higher levela little earlier in the process. Airbnb oftenresolves disputes fasterwhenyou involve itsexecutive team. Airbnb’s managers read andrespond to theiremails, making it oneofour highest-rated companies for customer service.

I’m troubled by your case.

Based on the papertrail you furnished, it looks like you did absolutely nothing wrong. You handled the resolution process by thebook andwerepolite and patient.Itappearsyourhost (who, Ishould add, wasalso polite) wantedsomeonetobuy a new lock afterhis stopped working. That’s nothow the system is

supposedtowork. If you’d pried the lock open with acrowbar, thatwould be adifferent story, but it lookslike youjust pressed onebutton. Ireached outtoAirbnb on your behalf. Aspokesperson acknowledgedthe casebut declined to explain why the charge was initially upheld. Fortunately,after ourinquiry,Airbnb struckthe $385 charge fromyour bill.

Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy,anonprofit organization that helps consumers solve their problems. Email him at chris@elliott.org or get help by contacting him on his site.

An unexpected airport friendship, lessons included

BY BRUCE MAGEE

Contributing writer

Human Condition

The shoeshine stand was strategically placed by the men’s room outside of the security checkpoint near the Southwest Airlines Concourse B. Catching flights, I would usually move swiftly to get through security at the old New Orleans International Airport. There were a few times when my shoes needed attention, and I would stop for a quick, convenient shine. While my shoes were being tended to, I would read the newspaper, check email, and maybe chat about what was happening with the Saints. There was small talk, nothing overly engaging. One day, I had a little extra time. As I walked past the stand, I noticed a U.S. congressman sitting in the chair grabbing a shine. I began to see, and take notice of, the interaction of passersby with those at the stand. The exchanges,

Continued from page 1D

Ole Miss hatred perseveres

Hadskey’s devotion to LSU football began her senior year at Baton Rouge’s Istrouma High School She graduated in 1955 — a year ahead of classmates Billy Cannon and Smiley Anders — and that fall, as a new LSU freshman, she bought her first season ticket package. She was in Tiger Stadium on Oct. 31, 1959, when Cannon returned the punt 89 yards against Ole Miss, securing the SEC championship, solidifying his Heisman Trophy season, and helping LSU to a 7-3 victory

She still considers watching her high school friend clinch the win as her favorite moment in Tiger Stadium — and she’s been chasing that feeling ever since.

For the record, Hadskey still hates Ole Miss.

“Used to it didn’t matter who we were playing, the chant was always ‘Go to hell, Ole Miss,’” she said with a smile. Old rivalries age, but sometimes they don’t soften.

Her second-favorite moment came 60 years later: the 2019 national championship season

‘A walking encyclopedia of LSU’ Hadskey was 16 when her baby sister, Debbie Henson-Hamilton, was born. The love for LSU has been a part of their relationship all of Henson-Hamilton’s life.

“I didn’t know you could go anywhere else — all I ever heard was LSU,” Henson-Hamilton said of her alma mater

CURIOUS

Continued from page 1D

waterway is called the Vermilion River In 1863, Banks and his troops marched through Bayou Teche in the spring to push back Confederate forces in southwest Louisiana to seize Alexandria, thereby clearing a route to Port Hudson near Zachary Port Hudson would be the last Confederate stronghold on the Mississippi River after the fall of Vicksburg later in the summer, on July 4, 1863.

Banks’ eventual arrival in Alexandria would morph into the Red River Campaign of 1864, but that’s another story

This one focuses on Banks’ troops’ advancement to Bayou Teche by way of New Orleans and Taylor’s constantly throwing wrenches into the route to make things more difficult for the Union general.

“Banks was coming up from Morgan City,” said Michael Martin, professor of history at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. “He would eventually meet up with Admiral David Porter and Union Navy in Alexandria. Once Port Hudson fell on July 9, 1863, Banks could divert his attention to Alexandria.”

Martin explains that Banks was going through what is now Lafayette. On the Confederate side, Alfred Mouton was taking the lead at Gen. Richard Taylor’s instructions Mouton’s job was to slowing Banks down.

“I don’t think Taylor and Mouton had any illusions that they were gonna beat Banks, but they were trying to cause as much trouble as possible,” Martin said.

On that April day, the two

that I had walked past so many times before. After that, I felt that I couldn’t walk by without either getting a shine or stopping for a brief visit. Over time, I learned a few things from Darral and about him, and we developed a friendship that I value. I learned a lot more about the shoeshine business too. The stand had been his father’s business. Darral handled the stand on the Southwest Airlines side, and his brother tended the stand at the other concourse. I also learned that the shoeshine business in an airport is heavily dependent on business travelers. To support them, Darral arrived early and worked until 3 p.m.

most travel was abruptly interrupted by the pandemic. Business travel came to a halt for me and most others. I wondered how Darral was doing. As travel restrictions began to ease and I flew out of New Orleans the first couple of times, the stand was empty — no Darral. It was after one of my returns that I first jotted a quick note on the back of one of my business cards “Hello, thinking about you, hoping you are well.” — and left it for Darral. I made a practice of leaving cards with messages, hoping they would get to him.

the chatter was directed not to the congressman, but with the aproned attendant, Darral Kendrick. There was little doubt there was much respect for the man

Henson-Hamilton now lives three doors down from her big sister

The pair still spends a lot of time together

“Bitsy is a walking encyclopedia of LSU sports information,” said Henson-Hamilton. “She knows who the quarterback was. She knows who the coach was.”

Hadskey pipes in with a memory of her time at LSU when Paul Dietzel was coaching For the record, Dietzel coached LSU from 1955 to 1961.

After seven decades, she’s seen more ups and downs than most and she’s made friends with the people around her section in Tiger Stadium — but not being there this season has been the hardest. That said, LSU football’s off-the-field drama in recent days has frustrated Hadskey

“It makes me sad,” she said. “The first year Brian Kelly started and he ended with a 10-4 record, fans were crying for him to get fired. The next year he was 10-3 — and he faced the same thing.”

She thinks the criticism has been unfair

She’s seen enough seasons to know storms pass — and good coaches deserve a fair shake.

“I never understood why they were so against (Kelly). Some teams never win 10 games in a single season,” she said. “You just got to support the team and don’t be so ready to write ’em off.”

You can’t win ’em all

Seventy years of watching the Tigers has given her perspective: nobody wins them all. But for Hadskey, supporting the team regardless is part of being a real fan. Her favorite coaches over the decades

The old terminal shut down on Nov 5, 2019, and the new Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport opened immediately thereafter Things would be better for business with the stands on the gate side of TSA. This had to bode well for Darral’s business. Then, in early 2020,

One day I got a call from Darral, letting me know that he was getting my messages. Not long after that, I was in the airport and so was Darral, a friend that I was never sure I’d see again. We hugged each other, and caught up. Weeks later at the airport, Darral told me that he had kept all the notes I had left for him. He said if I had gone to the trouble of leaving notes, he should hang on to them. He said they meant some-

include Les Miles (2005-16) and Charles McClendon (1962-79).

After football, her Tiger loyalty extends to other sports. She still makes it to all LSU women’s basketball home games.

“Because my parking pass is closer,” Hadskey said. “I just

LEFT: Gen. Richard Taylor, son of Zachary Taylor, the 12th president of the United States, commanded the Confederate troops at the 1863 battles at Bayou Vermilion. RIGHT: Major General Nathaniel Banks, Union occupation commander commanded the Union troops advancing up Bayou Teche to Bayou Vermilion.

armies struggled for about four hours, with few casualties.

Some accounts of that battle include that the next day as Union troops built a pontoon bridge, about half of the soldiers decided to take a dip in the water

They stripped off clothes and jumped into Vermilion — just as the Confederate cavalry doubled back and opened fire on the bathers. Madness ensued, as naked and half-dressed Union soldiers scrambled amidst shots firing.

Circumstances surrounding the second battle seemed to perplex several state university historians.

Jerry Sanson, retired LSU at Alexandria professor of history suggested a book called “Yankee Autumn in Acadiana” to find the answer

“If any source has the answer, that would be it,” he said. He was right. The 1979 book

by David C. Edmonds examines how Union troops again advanced from New Orleans to Acadiana in October 1863, this time to gain a foothold in Texas.

Once again, Confederate troops burned the pontoon bridge in October

“Great clouds of billowing smoke, rising high above the treeline of Vermilion Bayou, indicated that once more Pinhook Bridge was ablaze,” Edmonds writes. “The Pinhook, so called because it opened and closed like a pin to permit river traffic, had also been burned in the spring.”

Tensions began rising as Union troops began anticipating a brutal battle.

“But the Federals, who believed the enemy strength to be on the order of from two to three thousand, had come prepared,” Edmonds writes. “The road to Texas lay

thing to him. I have learned a lot from Darral. If you go through life with blinders on, and never take the time to speak to people, you miss the opportunity to get to know them. I know that I have been guilty of that, and I am trying to be better at this. I learned that some of the people that we interact with, even if only for a short time, do genuinely care about us, and do care if our shoes look good. I have learned that a quickly jotted note letting someone know that they matter to you can lift a person’s spirit. Years on from the first note, I still leave notes and I know that he still keeps them. Thank you, Darral.

— Magee lives in Baton Rouge.

Human Condition submissions of 600 words or fewer may be emailed to features@ theadvocate.com. Stories will be kept on file and publication is not guaranteed. There is no payment for Human Condition.

really likes head coach Matt McMahon.

A devotion like no other Hadskey’s ties to LSU go beyond athletics. When she arrived on campus as a freshman, she wanted to major in computer science but it didn’t exist yet. Electrical engineering was the closest option, so she chose that and graduated in three and a half years. When companies came to campus to recruit, Hadskey said she showed up, only to be told, “We don’t hire women engineers.” She remembers those interviews vividly — not with bitterness, but with the quiet pride of someone who kept showing up anyway She couldn’t get an engineering job, so she spent two years teaching high school math before landing a job at the phone company

“Well, they told me that I would be doing the work of an electrical engineer, but they would have to pay and hire me under the title of clerk/typist,” she said. “I did that for eight months and then they changed my title and my pay.” Today, company records still cover her dining room table. She continues to handle the accounting for the business her husband started.

can’t walk that far for the football games anymore.”

She says it with a shrug, but it’s clear the walk — not the will — is what has kept her from being there in person these days. She gave up her men’s basketball tickets last year, even though she

beyond the Vermilion, and they were not going to be stopped here.

In short order, General Williams Franklin, the brilliant West Point engineer, began ordering his men into position for assault.”

The battle began at 11 a.m.

“For a moment, with all the horses, men, polished guns and caissons flying in all directions, it seemed as though all were hopelessly confused,” Edmonds writes. “But as quickly as it started, the eighthundred pound cannons, resting on their spoked carriages, were unlimbered in line, the cannoneers at their posts ram-rods at the ready — and the piece limbers caissons and horses stood at the prescribed distance to the rear.”

In the end, the battle proved to be more noise than destruction as the Confederates evacuated, leaving the Union soldiers in chaos.

“The battle of Vermilion Bayou, such as it was, ended in a bloodless victory for the Union,” Edmonds writes. “In spite of all the shooting, the massive artillery bombardment and the impressive display of strength, only five Yankees were wounded.”

In the end, the Union troops wouldn’t make it from Acadiana to Texas due to limited supplies and inner logistical problems. Meanwhile, Banks’ troops began pushing through Alexandria to Shreveport gathering cotton in the Red River Campaign. Banks once again would come face-to-face with Taylor’s forces, which would beat his troops back at the Battle of Mansfield. Louisiana culture editor Jan Risher contributed to this report. Do you have a question about something in Louisiana that’s got you curious? Email your question to curiouslouisiana@ theadvocate.com. Include your name, phone number and the city where you live.

Seventy years later, Hadskey’s love for LSU hasn’t dimmed even if she has finally, grudgingly, handed over her seats. She’s still watching and rooting for her Tigers, just now from her living room instead of Section 212, Row 25, Seat 35. Even so, her devotion hasn’t aged a day

Email Jan Risher at jan.risher@ theadvocate.com.

Continued from page 1D

Grammy-nominated musician and singer, teacher, sign language interpreter, tour guide and author She and musician Jourdan Thibodeaux operate SOKO Music Group Tours, which educates visitors with shows about local music, food, language and culture at Cypress Cove Landing near Henderson.

Landry is celebrating the release of her fourth book, “The Wild Girl of Catahoula,” on Pelican Press. The children’s book recalls the folktale of a feral, gypsy girl living in the swamps of St. Martin Parish.

While her account is fictional, Landry found 1930s newspaper articles that reported sightings. The book contains a reader’s guide and glossary to spark discussions with young readers. Landry believes the story has wide appeal.

“The book is for ages 9 to 99. It’s like Bigfoot. Is it real or is it not real? Is she real or is she not real?” she said. “It’s not really scary It’s more suspenseful than scary.”

Landry has already finished another book. She will reveal more projects in 2026.

“None of this is work,” Landry said. “It’s just something else to do that makes me happy.”

Herman Fuselier is executive director of the St. Landry Parish Tourist Commission. A longtime journalist covering Louisiana music and culture, he lives in Opelousas. His “Zydeco Stomp” show airs at noon Saturdays on KRVS 88.7 FM.

Former Angola lawyer tellshis storyoflegal work

BY JOYHOLDEN Staff writer

”Jailhouse Lawyer,” by Calvin Duncanand

Sophie Cull, Penguin Press, 385 pages

Calvin Duncan and Sophie Cull’s“Jailhouse Lawyer” is adirect account of Louisiana incarceration and injustice, yet its overarching story is of Black men who bonded together within prison walls to fight for one another —not with fists, but with petitions and filings.

Duncan shares his storyin “Jailhouse Lawyer” as oneof manyinmate counsels or jailhouse lawyers who persevered under harsh conditionstolearn the law,use the law and win in the courts. Attorney Sophie Cull partners with him in co-authoring the book.

From 1982 until 2011, Duncan was imprisoned for acrime he did not commit. For 23 of those years, he served as inmatecounsel, or jailhouse lawyer,atthe Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola.

This nonfiction memoir starts withDuncan’srough life as an orphan, shuttled between family members’ homes with his younger sister.The instability and lack of consistent care led to Duncan stealing for himself and his little sister After some conflicts with the law,Duncan got out of New Orleans and found afuture in Oregon at aJob Corps site. The independence was short-lived, however,when Duncan was wrongly implicated in amurder in New Orleans. Time in the Orleans ParishPrisonslammed the doors of opportunity shut. Because of poor legal representation and dishonest law enforcement, Duncan wasconvicted and sentenced to life in prison at Angola. Appalled by the injustice, Duncan started collecting cases to

study from newspapers. Then he petitioned the court for acopy of the CodeofCriminal Procedure legalrule book in 1984 to continue his legal knowledge journey

Duncan fell in love with the law when he witnessed firsthand the power of awin.

He filed an emergency suit on behalf of elderly inmates who could noteat because they didn’t have teeth. To end the suit,the sheriff agreed to give themen dentures. Watching themen eat and being able tochew was what sealed Duncan’spassion for what could be achieved.

He was so set on learning the lawthat he requested to be moved to Angola from Orleans Parish Prison so that he would have access to the law library there. In 1986, Duncan arrived. He would spend the next 25 years there.

When Duncan learned of the inmate counsel program —alegal program that trained inmate counsels so they could represent fellow inmates —hededicated himself to being one. While working tirelesslyonhis own freedom, he taught alaw class and represented many others, including those in the hospital andmental healthunits, where

he fought for fair treatmentand

better conditions

About practicing law within the state prison, he writes:

”Lawyers on the outside could never graspwhat it was like to representthe people you lived with —towitnessyour clients in front of thetelevision at night or lying under asheet in thedark, theirglassy stares absorbing a recentcourt denial. Their victories andlosses became yours, theirfates intertwined with your own. Each man dangled above thesame floodwaters, one defeat away from drowning.”

Duncan was oneofthe first clients of Innocence and Justice Louisiana, whichwas known as The Innocence Project New Orleans at the time

Through their assistance and his own perseverance, Duncan won his freedom in 2011. He graduated from law school and is currently pursuing justice through practicing law.

On Nov.15, Duncan was elected as the New Orleans clerk of criminal court.

Through his legalwork, Duncan met Cull, an Australia native who was defending individuals

on Louisiana’s death row.They established afriendship and partneredtowrite his story ”Jailhouse Lawyer” is adetailedand vulnerable look into howaninnocentman usedhis intelligence andcompassion to represent fellow incarcerated individuals while fighting forhis ownfreedom. It is aheartbreaking, infuriating true story that readslike aJohnGrishamnovel andends with hard-fought liberation.

Email Joy Holdenatjoy holden@theadvocate.com.

Some bookstohelpbrightenthe holidayreading season

Since his death in 2022, I’ve really missed the calm and thoughtful voice of David McCullough, whose presidential biographies and popular histories reminded Americans what we could be at our best.

That’swhy Iwas so glad to greet the arrival this year of “HistoryMatters,” asmall posthumous collection ofMcCullough’s essays and speeches. One especially charming essay recalls McCullough’s family traditionofleaving abook for each of his children at the foot of their beds as their first present each Christmas

It’sanidea McCullough borrowed from his parents, who graced his childhood with thischerished Yuletide custom.

“Christmas and books have been tied up in my mind for so long,” McCullough writes,“I’m not altogether sure whether it’sbecause of my feelings for Christmas that Ilove books, or if it’sthe other way around.”

That idea has shaped my own tradition, an annual column in whichImention afew books that might help brighten your holidays. This isn’tso grand as a best-of-the-year list. These are just afew books that I

enjoyed this year thatyou might like, too, either as a gift for others or yourself.

One of the things Iadmired about McCullough’s writing was hisrestraint. He hadimportant things to say,but evenwhenhis message was urgent, he didn’t raise hisvoice on thepage. I’m also drawn to that quality in “Marce Catlett,” anew novel by Wendell Berry,the Kentucky man of letters who’sstill work-

ing at 92. Revisiting fictional Port Williams, the rural community at the heart of many of his other novels, Berry reveals howthe title character,astriving

farmer at the startofthe 20th century,learns alesson about the sharp elbows of the marketplace and the redeeming power of community

Its reflection on the bonds of friends and neighbors is an eloquent answer to this season’sheadlines.

Equally redeeming is “A Beautiful Year,” in which spiritual thinker Diana Butler Bass offers “52 meditations on faith, wisdom, and perseverance.”

These are bite-sized explorations of wonder’sabiding presence in the everyday —something to savor in those steel-gray January weeks after the holidays have passed.

Ihad modest expectations when “The Land of Sweet Forever,” acollection of the late Harper Lee’soccasional writings, crossed my desk.

Many of us were disappointed in 2015 when “Go

Set aWatchman,” anovel discovered in her papers and hailed as anew treasure, failed to approach the beauty of Lee’ssignature work, “ToKill aMockingbird.”

This new collection of her assorted stories and essays isn’talandmark event, but there are quite afew gems, including a1961 essay in which Lee recounts a momentous Christmas gift that enabled her to write “Mockingbird.”

“Mockingbird,” of course, was her gift to the world. That’swhat good books are —gifts that we can treasure long after Christmas is over Email Danny Heitman at danny@dannyheitman.com

thatforgeourbeliefthatreportingthetruth–forourreaders, forourcity–isaresponsibilitywemustfulfillnomatterthecost.

“We’re tired of watching talent, money and decisions flowing out of state. When we invest in our startups, we’re saying we want to ownour future.”

JOSH FLEIG,Louisiana chief innovation officer

PENDERS$BIG

software and artificial intelligence

managedata and improve safety.Francishas been steadily

across theGulf South.

Innovation Catalyst has catapulted

Louisianaventure capital firms, once an afterthought, aremajor fundersoflocal startups now

BY RICH COLLINS Staff writer

Tech entrepreneur Kellen Francis grew up in St. Charles Parish near oil refineries and petrochemical plants, far from the multibillion-dollar world of venture capital in Silicon Valley,Austin,Texas, or other technology hubs.

So, in 2017, whenhelaunchedCodegig, asoftware and artificial intelligence company that helps industrialfacilitiesand others streamlineoperations, manage data and improvesafety, he didn’tgolookingfor abig check to get off the ground. Instead,

the Southeastern LouisianaUniversity IT managementgrad took things step by step, expanding steadilyto10employees as he took on more customers and grew his sales. That all changedlast year when he received a$400,000 investmentfrom Innovation Catalyst, aBaton Rouge-based nonprofit venture capital fund, that helped himexpand his business to more area plants and refineries.Now,he’spreparing to close alarger fundraisinground ledby the 9-month-old Louisiana GrowthFund, a venture capital initiative from the state’s economic development agency Francis said he’ll use theinjection of cash

to hire moreemployees and expand across the Gulf Coast.

“This is validation we’re on the right path,” he said. “When you close around of this size, it sends out signals to the world that there’sbelief, backing and real promising tech in this company.” For Francis and dozens of other Louisiana entrepreneurs like him, cash to powertheir startups is increasingly available from a newbatch of in-state investorsthat didn’t exist afew years ago. Using federal matching dollars that originated withthe 2021 ä See FUNDERS, page 2E

BY TIMOTHY BOONE Staff writer

BUILDINGPERMITS

Issued Nov. 5-11

Commercial alterations

PARK: 1500 S. Orange St., description Heymann Park improvements to include elevated performance stage, tiered seating, restrooms, 175-vehicle parking lot; applicant, Pecot &Company Architects; contractor, Castle Row Construction; $2.75 million

PARK: 2913 JohnstonSt., description, Moncus Park parking expansion and maintenance yard relocation; applicant, Duplantis Design Group; contractor, Manuel Commercial; $1 million.

OTHER: 160 S. Beadle Road, description, addporch coverfromexisting building at Healing House; applicant and contractor, TMR Construction; $60,000.

OTHER: 617 E. VermilionSt.,description, install appliances, sinks, toilets and other items; applicant,Harley& Nudy; contractor,Residential &Commercial Inspectors; $26,500.

Newcommercial SCHOOL: 600RoselawnBlvd.,description, new buildingconstruction and other renovations at LJ Alleman Middle School; applicant, Prouet Architecture&Engineering; contractor, JB Mouton; $27 million INDUSTRIAL: 139-BAmy Road, Broussard, commercial production building; applicant,3735-90 LLC; contractor, Park Group Construction; $3 million.

Newresidential

203 SAINT SETONLANE, YOUNGSVILLE: self-contract, $70,000.

328 KILCHRIST ROAD,CARENCRO: Manuel Builders, $362,000. 231 TOWNSEND DRIVE: DSLD $166,625.

115 FAUL ROAD: DeLeon Construction, $208,000.

203 BRATTLECOURT: DSLD,$274,250. 239 N. PINE ST.: Elliseo Cortes, $153,000.

106 WILLOW CREEKDRIVE: DSLD $166,625.

104 WILLOW CREEKDRIVE: DSLD $175,625.

102 WILLOW CREEKDRIVE: DSLD, $166,625.

102 LUNETTE LANE: DSLD,$175,625.

104 LUNETTE LANE: DSLD,$166,625.

105 LEANINGOAK DRIVE: Prestige CustomHomes, $590,500.

114 WILLOW CREEKDRIVE: DSLD, $175,625.

101 THICKET WAY: DSLD,$175,625.

103 THICKET WAY: DSLD,$166,625.

105 THICKET WAY: DSLD,$193,000.

108 THICKET WAY: DSLD,$166,625.

106 THICKET WAY: DSLD,$175,625.

109 THICKET WAY: DSLD,$166,625.

113 THICKET WAY: DSLD,$166,625.

100 THICKET WAY: DSLD,$215,250.

110 THICKET WAY: DSLD,$193,000.

101 DORSLAND WAY: DSLD,$215,250.

107 DORSLANDWAY: DSLD,$193,000.

111 DORSLANDWAY: DSLD,$175,625.

115 DORSLANDWAY: DSLD,$193,000.

503 TOWNSEND DRIVE: DSLD, $193,000.

505 TOWNSEND DRIVE: DSLD $166,625.

501 TOWNSEND DRIVE: DSLD $175,625.

112 TEAROSE DRIVE,BROUSSARD: Acadian Dream Home, $250,000.

107 CLIFFSIDE DRIVE, YOUNGSVILLE: Bailey Home Builders, $240,000.

109 CLIFFSIDE DRIVE, YOUNGSVILLE: Bailey Home Builders, $220,000.

201 CLIFFSIDE DRIVE, YOUNGSVILLE: Bailey Home Builders, $200,000.

203 CLIFFSIDE DRIVE, YOUNGSVILLE: Bailey Home Builders, $220,000.

205 CLIFFSIDE DRIVE, YOUNGSVILLE: Bailey Home Builders, $230,000.

117 GREENHOUSE ROAD,YOUNGSVILLE: McLain Cos., $225,000.

113 GREENHOUSE ROAD,YOUNGSVILLE: McLain Cos., $225,000.

115 GREENHOUSE ROAD,YOUNGSVILLE: McLain Cos., $225,000.

BUSINESS BRIEFS

Zeus to close Pinhook Road location

Zeus MediterraneanKitchen will close itsPinhook Road locationthis week.

Zeus will close its locationat1103 W. Pinhook Road after two decades at the location, ownerYaserBalbeisi announced on Facebook. The last day of business will be Thursday

The building is owned by the group that owns the adjacent former Travelodge motel,which is slated for reconstruction

“While we’re excited to see what the landowners do to thisblockof nostalgic Lafayette, we’re sad that it’stime to say goodbye,” Balbeisi wrote. “Wedohope that Zeus can bring back our dine-in experience andeclectic Arabianentertainment in the future.”

Zeus has full dining locations in Crowley and Lake Charles along with severalZeusExpress locations in Acadiana.

Office HoursSandwich Shop to reopen

Amid-city Lafayette lunch spot that announcedlast monthitwould close after 20 years said itwill reopen as atakeout-only business.

Office Hours Sandwich Shop, 2303 W. Pinhook Road, announced on Facebook that it will offer an abbreviated menu and offertakeout or DoorDash only

HOLIDAY

Continued from page1E

Fleurty Girl owner Lauren Haydel estimates holidaysales at her New Orleans-basedchain of nine regional stores, whichsell festive apparel, accessories and gifts, will be about 10% lower than last season.

“And we will be working just as hard if not harder because the customer is alot more cost conscious and paying attention to where they’re spending,” she said.

Overall, business in 2025 got off to aslow start,Haydelsaid, andtariffs made the situation worse —as did the Saints’ dismal season.

“When the Saints don’tdowell, we don’tsell as much,” she said.

“They didn’tdowell lastyear either,but we had Taylor Swift last fall. We need Taylor to come back.” Recent bump

Across the state, retailers have mixed projections, some moreoptimistic than others. Big-boxretailers and malls say they’re hopeful.

At the Mall of Louisiana in Baton Rouge, Gene Satern,senior general manager,isexpecting “good, solid” sales,driven, in part by Dick’s House of Sport, which opened an expanded location in the mall, as well as apparel retailers Mango and Zara.

Satern said he thinks shopping in-person is gaining in popularity again amid growing fatigue from onlineshopping.Shoppers can touch the items, get it the same

FUNDERS

Continuedfrom page1E

American Rescue Plan Act, these venture capital funds are investing in early-stage companies in NewOrleans, Baton Rouge and other parts of thestate.

Nine locally run funds are now actively investing in Louisiana startups and participating in the StateSmall Business Credit Initiative program. They include newcomers Boot64 Ventures, Tulane Ventures, Ochsner Ventures, 1834 Ventures, The Idea Village MomentumFund, Propeller Ventures and Corridor Ventures. The NewOrleans Startup Fund and Innovation Catalyst, both founded more thanadecade ago, also areprogram participants, while a handful of other venture capitaltype fundsoperate in thestate but do not participate.

The program got off to aslow start in its first year,hamstrung by red tape at thestate and federal level. Butnow,firmsare adding investments at aquickening pace and moving the needle for new companies in need of capital.

In 2024, about $2 million in credit program funds were used in VC deals that brought about $18 million in total investment in new companies, according to Louisiana Economic Development. So far this year,both numbers more than doubled.

TheVCfundingisa smallpart of the record$330 million in total investment in Louisiana companies in 2024,but thefirmssay they aretargeting the newest, and oftenriskiest, businesses, giving them an opportunity to growand expand much more quickly than if they were going it alone.

11 withtwo more that may close by year’send. This year’sbatch includesseveral software companies, including DataHaul, which helps truckers prioritize the most profitable jobs, and Chckvet, whichcreates software to make life easier forveterinarianoffices

Riskybusinesses

“Wetend to focus on unsexy industries, things that aren’tsuper flashy or in your facebut will have major impactson daily life,” said Megan Balch, Idea Village managing director

Ownedand operated by Aaron and Rene Miller, the eaterygot a positive responsefrom customers after an email was sent outthat announcedits closure.

“Theoutpouringofsupport you showed us really was overwhelming,” the postsaid. “So we started thinking of away that would allow us to serve you and manage the currentthings we’ve got in our personal life.

“If youhadn’tblown us away with your kind wordsand incredible support for ourlast week,this wouldnot be happening.”

LeadershipInstitute namesnew director

Lindsey Faulk hasbeennamed executive director of the Leadership Institute of Acadiana.

Faulk, agraduate of Leadership Lafayette Class 37, will lead the program while maintaining her duties as director of events for One Acadiana. Shesucceeds Katrena King, who left the position in June Faulk has experience in events, marketing and community engagement.

Established in 1987, Leadership Lafayette prepares professionals forleadershipinthe communityby exposing participants to local leaders, new opportunities and leadership skills.

Participantsin next year’sclass willbeannouncedinDecember

“We’re tired of watchingtalent, money anddecisions flowing out of state,” said Josh Fleig, the state’schief innovation officer

“When we investinour startups, we’re saying we want to own our future.”

Busy year

Of thenew funds, none has made as many investments as quickly as Boot64, a21/2-year-old Metairie-based firm that expects to close its35th deal by the end of this year.Led by former convenience store owner John Robertsand attorney MickalAdler, Boot64 has doubled itsdeal flow two years in arow

“Activity has increased, and that’sattracting more founders to come out of woodwork with their ideas,” said Roberts.

So far,his fund has taken stakes in Hampr,a laundry pickup and delivery service; Hello Gravel, an online vendorofaggregate products; and awide varietyofother ventures, including manyinthe software space.

TheIdeaVillage’sMomentum Fund, launched in 2023, invested in two companiesthe next year.In 2025, the number has climbed to

Shoppers walk throughthe outdoor shopping area of

Louisiana in Baton Rouge. Across the state, retailers have mixed projections, somemore optimistic than others for2025 holiday shopping.Big-box retailers and malls saythey’re hopeful.

day and ensurethe item is quality before theypurchase it, he said, rather than waiting fordelivery, notknowing if theitem will fit or whatits quality will be.

At Perkins Rowe in Baton Rouge, marketing managerChelsea Jones said the mixed-use development has seen abump in traffic. The number of shoppersinOctober was 10%higher thanthe same month a yearearlier Jones saidshe’santicipating heavy traffic,especially with Santa Claus making his first appearance this year at Perkins Rowe on Black Friday “Communityisa big part of what we do,”she said.

In Lafayette, saleswill likely increaseover ayear ago, said Mandi Mitchell, president and CEO of the Lafayette Economic Development Authority.Total retailsales in Lafayette Parish in November and December 2023 topped $1.5 billion, and last year thattotal inched up to $1.53 billion, according to LEDA data not adjusted for inflation. Sales for the year through September areup8%fromayear ago, outpacing the 3% generalinflation rate

“It’sinteresting (because) we do hearconsumersgriping about inflation and costs are up,” Mitchell said. “But forsomereason, althoughconsumers arecautious,

Most of the funders areusing investment tools that allow the exact percentage of equitytobe determined later Patrick Hernandez,of1834 Ventures, which this year hasinvested in four companies with connections to Tulane University,said afund’sstakewill vary widely based on companyvalue andthe stage of an investment, but his SSBCI peers in general are taking small minority ownershippositionsinthe companies they are backing.

Battling burnoutinschools

Many of these Louisiana investors are looking for people like ClaireSmith, aformer middle school math teacher who saw plenty of frustrations during her time in the classroom and not enough waystoshare signs of hope.

In 2022, she joined forces with her college friendKrissy Taft to launch Hilight, arecognition systemthathelps teachers andstaff celebrate impactful moments.

School districts pay annual subscriptions foraccess to software thatletsmembers of the school community acknowledge an excellent lesson plan or an act of kindness, like ateacher volunteering time to style kids’ hair for picture day

Theplatform, which hasrevenue but is not profitable yet, is active in 15 states. This year,Smith raised $1 million fromTulane, Boot64 and Idea Village, among others.

consumers are still spending. Fueling some of the optimism is arecentuptick in activity after a slow year.AtLeJouet, aMetairie toy store that opened its doorson Airline Highway in 1968, owner Buddy Wood said sales have graduallypickedupinrecent weeks— moresothan usual for this time of year —and that the activity is helpingmakeupfor thefirst sixmonths of 2025.

“It looks promising, but who am Itoknow?” said Wood.“Ican go fromoptimistictopessimistic in a matterofhours.”

Pokemonand classicbrandslike Barbie and Hot Wheels are selling well so far this fall. He hopes it continues.

Tasc ownerToddAndrewsisn’t sure whattoexpect from thecoming holiday season. His family owns the NewOrleans-based brandof sustainable athleisurewear and, like Fleurty Girl, hasbeen hit hard by tariffs and sluggish sales.

Butthe company has seen growth in some categories, especially online salesofwomen’stopsand men’spolos. He’s hoping, overall, that holiday shoppers can help boost sales for theyear by 10% to 12%.

“All things considered, we’re planning forgrowth this holiday, butitwill be incremental,”said Andrews, who added that he was forced to raise prices on some Tasc items earlier this month.

‘Clutching pursestrings’

Others are more cautious. Michael Ingle, whoowns Blue Sky Clothing in Lafayette, says consum-

The SSBCI-backed funds are still arelatively small contributor to theoverall investmentinLouisiana companies, but they target the newest and riskiest ventures that would otherwise have ahard time finding funds.

Tulane business professor Rob Lalka said the goal is to support as many entrepreneurs as possible while knowing only afew will succeed.

“Venture capital only needsa few deals to work to make everything pay off,” he said.

“We’re in thestage of making big bets andproviding mentorship andconnections. Even with all that, most will probably fail. That’sthe way startups work.” Mark Graffagnini, managing partner at Cara Stone, aNew Orleans-based law firm that specializes in angel andventure capital deals, said data shows that Louisiana software companieshistorically have attracted the most investment, followedbyenergy agriculturaltechnology,and food and beverage startups. Looking ahead, he predicts an increase in health and biotech deals, particularly in fields like diagnostics and wound care.

Among the current crop of Louisiana software startups,Graffagnini said many are using AI to developa sales funnel,designstrategies and write marketing copy

“AI frees up founder to meet with customers, talk with investors, and make salespitches to more potential clients,” he said. Jimmy Roussel, whose 15-yearoldNew OrleansStartupFund will close at least 10 dealsthisyear said the state has done agood job of prioritizing AI, but it’sfar from alone in that regard.

“It’sa bit of alandgrab,and we’ve got to move quickly,” he said. “We’re in afoot race to bring these solutions to market.”

“Wehave aproduct and customerswho love it,and we want to capturemarket share as quickly as possible,” she said. “Wecan do that with more resources up front to maximize our sales efforts.”

Email RichCollins at rich. collins@theadvocate.com.

ers aren’tspending as muchashe anticipated whenhetook over the year-old business from itsoriginal owner in October.The store is affiliated with the Canadian Co. Blue Sky Clothing, whichsells apparel made from natural fibers, including bamboo, cotton, linen, wool and cashmere, but it is astand-alone operation without aweb presence.

“There’sdefinitely areticence. The overall feel is people are clutching their purse strings alittle tight,” Ingle said, though he also has noticed sales pickupinthe past weekorso.

Haydel said Fleurty Girl has tried to absorb price increases from tariffs as much as possible but that somehave been passed on to customers, which hasdampened sales and will likely continue to throughout the holiday season.

Mitchell said consumers are definitely price conscious, focused on “value forwhatthey’re buying, discounts like crazy and convenience.” She said sheand her staffwill promote shopping local again this year as away to encourage shoppers to support homegrown retailers.

Wood at Le Jouet said his store will promote customer service as a way to drive up local traffic.

“Peoplecome in andlike the shopping experience, so we try to help themany way we can,” he said. “Wewrap gifts, we hold open the door and help people out to their cars. Anything we can to keep them coming back.” Staff writers Adam Daigle, Stephanie Riegel and Ianne Salvosa contributed to this report.

TALKING BUSINESS

ASK THE EXPERTS

Tourism leader: To stay competitive, N.O. must ‘evolve’

BY RICH COLLINS Staff writer

Stephanie Turner, the senior vice president of convention sales and strategies

at New Orleans & Co., the city’s tourism marketing agency, spends her days selling New Orleans

as a meeting and convention destination for associations and corporations around the globe.

Someti mes, her team members are planning a small doctors’ gathering a few months in advance. Other times, they are clearing calendars for a 20,000-person event 15 years from now

Q&A WITH STEPHANIE TURNER

It’s a job that’s getting more challenging.

In October, Turner attended the annual IMEX gathering in Las Vegas, an annual meetup for the global meetings and events industries, where buyers and sellers network and plan upcoming events.

Turner said the big takeaway from the event is: The meetings industry is more competitive than ever, raising the stakes for those selling Louisiana as they face competition from familiar names like New York; Orlando, Florida; and, of course, Las Vegas, as well as newly built-out meeting destinations that have invested heavily in rooms, attractions and meeting spaces.

This conversation has been edited for length and clarity

How competitive is your industry these days?

A lot of people will recall when associations would rotate between three to six

cities. But, over time, buying patterns have changed as people want to go someplace they haven’t been, and cities are investing in the industry Convention travelers spend differently than leisure travelers. They engage speakers, audiovisual companies and small businesses. And they typically stay a little bit longer and spend a little more. So cities want that. We’re one of the nation’s top 25 markets even though we’re a small city, but 13 of our competitors are going through different phases of renovations or additions

Las Vegas and Orlando always come to mind. But Louisville, Cincinnati, and Columbus, Ohio, are investing a lot and hosting a lot of industry shows

Even our neighbor Houston had not been a huge competitor in the meeting space, and in the past couple of years, it has absolutely come on. Dallas and Austin, Texas, have completely knocked down their convention centers, building new and bigger ones to host bigger meetings This is something that has been happening for years and accelerated during and after the pandemic. How is technology affecting the industry?

It’s allowing people to source tons of places

This is an extreme example, but we got one request for proposals where they sourced 43 cities, and it was a small meeting. Back in the old days, you’d source what you knew because you had to use human capital to do it.

Now, technology puts a lot of different places at your fingertips. You can ask questions, send an RFP to 20 cities and see what comes back

It sounds like a meetings arms race.

So what’s your focus?

The bigger the meeting, the larger in advance that you need to plan it. And that’s where our organization, and organizations like it around the country, really matter How do you accumulate 5,000 hotel rooms on one night? You have to search and get availability The competition process is very similar to other industries, but we’re just selling something in many cases far into the future.

Relationships are the foundational part of this business, because you have to shepherd something from the point of courting it, identifying it, competing for it, winning it, and then you help them as they plan for that meeting to take place.

These relationships last for quite some time, sometimes decades.

How far in advance are you planning?

We have things on the books as far as 2040.

Think about something that is going to require the entire convention center that’s a million square feet, plus it requires 10,000 or more hotel rooms on one night You don’t have that kind of availability just sitting out there.

To secure those large meetings, you have to work into the future.

Between Mardi Gras, festivals and other big events, how do you make sure you have the rooms you need for a customer?

We’re managing a book of business for the next decade, so it is a highly technical business. We have multiple

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Stephanie Turner the senior vice president of convention sales and strategies at New Orleans & Co., said the meetings industry is more competitive than ever, raising the stakes for those selling Louisiana as they face competition from familiar names like New york; Orlando, Florida; and

people selling multiple things at the same time We use software that is made specifically for destinations.

Hotels can feed into and respond to it, but it’s absolutely attention to detail, and at the end of the day, people make that happen.

The industry is looking at AI tools to help make it easier

What are the different types of events you are hosting?

The two biggest buckets are associations — like the American Society of Landscape Architects, which just visited — and all types of corporations.

What are the differences between the two?

Associations are in the business of providing education Corporations could be launching a product or new initiative. Or they could be hosting a sales kickoff or rewarding people. Associations tend to book longer-term. Corporations book more short-term. We need them both. People belong to associations. They pay dues And they go to a meeting for con-

tinuing education. It’s in those settings that people meet and exchange ideas and present papers or see new products or new technology that helps them move forward.

For the associations, the events are revenue generators as opposed to a corporation that has a meeting that’s typically an expense. For an association, good attendance is important. When we see these organizations committing to us into the future, that really signals their belief in New Orleans as a place that can execute at a very high level, from a technical point of view

We don’t have all the corporate offices that they have in Dallas or Houston or Atlanta, so we don’t have the same amount of individual business travel.

Do you consider something like the Super Bowl or Final Four almost like a weeklong conference with a game at the end?

It’s all about putting the hotel package together

Our organization led the charge on that with our partners at the Greater New Or-

It’s one of the tenets of our “built to host” motto. It is absolutely foundational to how we position ourselves in terms of walkability and proximity

The preservation in the Superdome is something I’m most proud of. It’s

need to be renovated. That’s just part of this business, and so we’re excited about what we’re seeing happen in New Orleans. We’re excited about the growth and the addition happening We’re thrilled to have the Four Seasons and Virgin Hotels.

Email Rich Collins at rich. collins@theadvocate.com.

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LSUreleases liststouting grad-led businesses

BY TIMOTHY BOONE Staff writer

KCPC Holding Co., aGeorgia-based specialty contractor,topped theLSU 100, an annual ranking of the fastestgrowing businesses around the world that areowned or led by LSU graduates. Jeremy Corbett, who earned abachelor’sinconstruction management from LSU, is the co-owner and CEO of KCPC. The company providesservices suchas painting, floor coating, concrete staining andsealing to clients rangingfrom museums to athletic facilities.

The university also released its Roaring 20, aranking by revenue of thetop 20 businesses that applied for the Top 100. Turner Industries, aBaton Rouge industrial construction corporation, topped the list for the fourth year in a row Turner CEO Stephen Toups earned a bachelor’sinfinance and amaster’s in business administration from the university Turner was one of 16 businesses to make both the Roaring 20 and the LSU 100. The others wereAudubon Engineering, B&G Food Enterprises, Block Cos., Danos, HNTB Corp., ISC Constructors, JP Oil Co., Lemoine, NewEdgeAdvisors, Performance Contractors, Provident Resources Group, PSC Group, Royal Automotive Group,Sealevel Construction and The Newtron Group Nominationsare submitted by individuals, colleagues, clients,former classmatesorthe businesses themselves. Businesses submit financial details confidentially to be considered for theLSU 100 list and the Roaring 20.

Email Timothy Boone at tboone@ theadvocate.com

Fool’sTake:

Investingin

artificial intelligence

LSU100 for2025

1. KCPC Holding Co., Alpharetta, Georgia

2. American Safety,Belle Chasse

3. Marex Services Group, BatonRouge

4. Environmental Science Servicesdba ES2, Denham Springs

5. Southland Partners, Atlanta

6. Legacy Construction Group, Jefferson

7. RedBison Services, Kenner

8. JH Operating Co., Baton Rouge

9. International Pumps and Parts, dbaIndustriflo, BatonRouge

10. SSE Steel Fabrication, St. Bernard

11. Lloyd JBourgeois Injury &AccidentLawyer, Luling

12. Leblanc &Fresina Builders, Baton Rouge

13. Bronco Industrial Services, BatonRouge

14. DAAMedia +Marketing, Baton Rouge

15. Gros Flores Positerry Architecture &Interior Design, Thibodaux

16. Haltzman LawFirm, Fort Collins, Colorado

17. Pacifica Engineering Services, Delray Beach, Florida

18. Paystar, Baton Rouge

19. Mandatory Fuel Management, Baton Rouge

20. Bear Process Safety, BatonRouge

21. Currency Bank, Baton Rouge

22. HargroveRoofing,

Shreveport

23. Triform Therapy, Baton Rouge

24. Brousseau &Lee, Falls Church, Virginia

25. Lemoine,Lafayette

26. ImmenseNetworks, Baton Rouge

27. Bear General Contractors,Pensacola, Florida

28. Trichell LawFirm, Baton Rouge

29. Performance Contractors,BatonRouge

30. Argent Financial Group Ruston

31. SBSB Eastham,Houston

32. Sealevel Construction, Thibodaux

33. Gregory SwitzerArchitecture, Montclair,New Jersey

34. AudubonEngineering Co., Metairie

35. NewEdge Advisors, New Orleans

36. Next LevelSolutions, Baton Rouge

37. Crescent Payroll Solutions, Metairie

38. JoubertLaw Firm, BatonRouge

39. SEJ Services, Mount Pleasant, SouthCarolina

40. RoyalAutomotive Group,BatonRouge

41. Paperless Environments, Baton Rouge

42. Wesley Construction Co., Baton Rouge

43. Highflyer Human Resources, Baton Rouge

44. Mansfield,Melancon, Cranmer &Dick, New Orleans

45. SecureShredding and Recycling,BatonRouge

46. Sigma Engineersand Constructors, Baton Rouge

47. BC Restaurant Holdings, Bossier City

48. IT Inspired, Baton Rouge

49. Connectly Recruiting, Baton Rouge

50. Alexander Contractor Services, Jonesboro

51. August Events, Baton Rouge

52. Fairway Consulting and Engineering, Covington

53. The Newtron Group, Baton Rouge

54. HNTB Corp., Kansas City,Missouri

55. Fitness Evolved, Baton Rouge

56. DDG, Thibodaux

57. ArkelConstructors, Baton Rouge

58. Moran Consultants, Baton Rouge

59. McClure, Bomar& Harris,Shreveport

60. RedRiver Bank, Alexandria

61. Daigrepont &Brian, Baton Rouge

62. Sustainable Design Solutions,BatonRouge

63. Gatorworks,Baton Rouge

64. School Food and Wellness Group,BatonRouge

65. Success Labs, Baton Rouge

66. VGraham, Baton Rouge

67. J.P. Oil Co Lafayette

68. SITECH Louisiana, BatonRouge

69. Four Corners Wealth Management,Peachtree Corners, Georgia

70. Mind RubyTechnologies, Indore,India

71. B&G Food Enterprises, Morgan City

72. RedSix Media,Baton Rouge

73. PSC Group,

Stuart &Co. General Contractors, Baton Rouge

LawOfficesofHoward

Social media giant Meta Platforms (Nasdaq: META) hasbeen using artificial intelligence technology to carve out greater efficienciesand increase its competitive advantage. It’s spending so much on AI, though, that some investors balked at its thirdquarter earnings report,sending the stock down.

But its results were not bad at all. Revenue rose 26% year over yearto$51.2 billion. Meta’sbase of daily active users on Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger and Threads rose 8% to 3.54 billion.

However,operating expenses climbed 32% to $30.7 billion.Meta hasspent heavily onemployees with AI skills and on buildingout AI data centers. But the company is already reaping the benefits of its previous investments. CEO Mark Zuckerberg noted, “our AI recommendationsystems are delivering higher qualityand more

relevant content, which led to 5% more time spent on Facebook in Q3 and10% on Threads.”

Meta’srecentstock price decline represents abuying opportunity for long-term believers. The stock seems attractively valued, with arecentforward-looking price-to-earnings ratioof22.5. (The Motley Fool ownsshares of andrecommends Meta Platforms.)

My SmartestInvestment: Appreciating son-in-law

One of my smartest investing movescame

about thanks to my son-in-law. He told me about theAxonEnterprise company, which wasproviding bodycams to his big-city police department, and he suggested that I shouldbuy the stock.I bought 100 shares at $21 apiece. Sadly,months later, he was killedbyadrunk driver,and Ididn’tlook at that Schwab account again for years.When I finally did, Idiscovered that the stock had risen to $800 per share! Ikicked myself for not having trusted him more Imisshim, but he did provide me with one last partinggift. —T.H., via email We’re saddened to hear of your son-in-law’suntimely death, but you’re right to appreciate the gift he gave you. Your investment of

around $2,100 grew into one worth $80,000! (With the stock recently trading near $557 per share, your stake would be worth around $55,700 today.) Axon has profited greatly as many law enforcement units have purchased its body camera technology,software, Tasers, drones and more. The company is rolling out body cameras for corporate use, too —which could drive even more growth.

Do you have asmart or regrettable investment move to share with us?Email it to tmfshare@fool.com.

AROUND THE REGION

Oil industry insider joins LSU Energy Institute

“I have the experience to be able to connect the dots between needs of the industry, to interpret what they need, but then, at the same time, align that with things that actually bring value to the agency.”

TyLER GRAy, LSU Energy Institute inaugural director of energy innovation

Tyler Gray left job leading state agency

BY JONAH MEADOWS Staff writer

Tyler Gray, a veteran lobbyist for the state’s oil and gas industry, has been tapped to help lead the newly created LSU Energy Institute which brings together several energy-focused departments and research initiatives under a single umbrella Gray, whose title at LSU is inaugural director of energy innovation, says the creation of his position and the broader reorganization within the state’s flagship will foster better communication and coordination among those working in one of the state’s most important industries.

“I have the experience to be able to connect the dots between needs of the industry, to interpret what they need, but then, at the same time, align that with things that actually bring value to the agency,” Gray said Gray brings nearly a decade of industry experience to the job. An attorney by training, he spent nearly eight years at the Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association, an industry advocacy group, including more than two years as president. He then became the director of governmental affairs at Placid Refining Co., as the operator of a 50-year-old refinery in Port Allen relocated its headquarters from Dallas to Baton Rouge

He segued into the government sector in early 2024, when Gov Jeff Landry tapped him to lead the reorganization of the Department of Conservation and Energy, formerly the Department of Natural Resources

Gray resigned his state job in September to take the $300,000-a-year position at the recently reorganized LSU Energy Institute It integrates the Center for Energy Studies, Louisiana Geological Survey and the LSU Institute for Energy Innovation, which was funded three years ago through a $25 million contribution from Shell.

“Every position that I’ve ever had led me to the place that I am here today,” Gray said.

LSU officials say the new structure will improve coordination. But some

renewable energy advocates question whether merging independent research centers with an institute funded by the oil and gas industry — led in part by a former industry lobbyist will undermine the university’s credibility.

“I think what’s going to happen is this is a center that’s going to be used to provide the authority of and the branding of LSU research to serve the interests of industry, without necessarily being truly scientifically rigorous or independent research,” said Jackson Voss, government affairs and policy coordinator of The Alliance for Affordable Energy Gray said that won’t happen and that his experience allows him to speak the language of the fossil fuel industry, while also ensuring he won’t be “bamboozled” by it

“Sometimes the funding will be questioned, but that’s why the only thing you can do is the results, to produce information that is trustworthy,” he said. “And that’s just gonna take time, and that’s something that luckily I have now.”

‘Positioning the research’ Gray said the goal of the new institute

is to build a trusted source, so that the general public can know that complicated questions are being analyzed in an accurate and unbiased manner

“You can’t be a trusted source if you don’t tell the truth,” he said. His new role will involve connecting funding to research into the answers to the most pressing policy questions of the day It will also involve bringing in more money from the industry, which could come from donations, like Shell’s, as well as from fines or settlements with environmental regulators, he said.

“It’s positioning the research that’s creating value for the state,” he said.

“Because, whether it’s a penalty or a donation, you’re answering questions that the communities have or you’re addressing issues that have come up.”

Landry said Gray had been central to his administration’s efforts to modernize Louisiana’s management of energy and natural resources.

“His move to the Energy Institute will continue building a cohesive, trusted pipeline from research to execution so projects are safe, technically sound, and delivered with confidence,” Landry

Tyler Gray resigned his state job leading the reorganization of the Department of Conservation and Energy in September to take the $300,000-a-year position at the recently reorganized LSU Energy Institute. It integrates the Center for Energy Studies, Louisiana Geological Survey and the LSU Institute for Energy Innovation, which was funded three years ago through a $25 million contribution from Shell.

said in a statement announcing Gray’s hiring.

Despite cuts in federal funding for renewables, Gray said the governor continues to support an “all-of-the-above” energy policy, with a role for wind, solar, and fossil fuels with carbon capture and storage.

Last month, Landry issued an executive order imposing an indefinite moratorium on new applications to dig carbon capture wells, directing companies to increase public engagement and allowing regulators to dig into a backlog of existing applications.

The new technology, aimed at collecting industrial carbon dioxide emissions and sending them into long-term storage, is now “synonymous” with oil and gas, even though some people are uncomfortable with it, Gray said.

“I know that the governor is still comfortable with all these things; it’s just finding a place in which the public is comfortable,” Gray said “To do that, you need a trusted source. To build that trusted source, you need something that people don’t get confused on what the Energy Institute is.”

Gallagherhelps protectbusinesses of all sizesand acrossall sectors —not only through the insurancecoverweprovidebut also by offering arange of risk managementand consultancy servicesthatwecan tailor to your business.

Connect with your local broker today.

LOUISIANA

Long-termuse ofmelatoninsupplements has been connected to increased risk of heartfailure, according to apreliminarystudyreleased in November from the American HeartAssociation.

STUDYING MELATONIN

Researcherssay supplement’s connection to heartfailure doesn’tprove cause-and-effect relationship

BY MARGARETDELANEY Staffwriter

In their November Scientific Sessions in New Orleans, the American Heart Association releaseda preliminary study showingthat long-term use of melatonin supplements could be connected to heart failure —a connection that has caused muchworry for millions of Americans who use the sleep aid.

Melatonin, anatural compoundfound in the body that helpstoregulatethe sleep-wake cycle, gained popularity

after it wasfeatured in Newsweek in the 1990s as agame-changing aid for jet lag.

In 2023,the syntheticrecreation of melatonin was taken by approximately 5million American adults and 4million children at leastmonthly —that’s 2.1% of adults and 6% of children nationwide.

Researchers of thestudy fromthe American HeartAssociation looked at theelectronic medical records of 130,828adultsdiagnosed with insomnia over afive-year period.

The AmericanHeart Association’s

analysis of thedata found that longterm melatonin users, using the supplementconsistently for at least ayear or more,had “a 90% higher chance of incident heart failure thannon-melatonin users” but rulesout adirect relationship between melatonin to heart failure.

“While the association we found raises safety concernsabout the widely used supplement, ourstudy cannot prove a direct cause-and-effectrelationship,” said Dr.EkenedilichukwuNnadi, lead author of the study and chief resident in internal medicine at SUNY Downstate/Kings County Primary Care in

Brooklyn, NewYork. “This means more researchisneeded to test melatonin’s safety forthe heart.”

Researchers looked at both United Kingdom and American health records, comparing each of the65,000 long-term melatonin users with one on-melatonin user by matchingpatients using 15 pairs of co-morbidities.

Dr.Thomas Champney,a professor and faculty member of the University of Miami, studied melatonin for 25 years before moving on to work on the

ä See MELATONIN, page 3X

Experts: NewHuntington’sdisease treatmentshows promise

At leastone Louisiana patient involved in trial

BY MARGARET DELANEY Staffwriter

Researchers have found anew treatment for Huntington’s disease, an inherited genetic brain disease that affects over 41,000 Americans, in breakthrough clini-

cal trial that involved at least one Louisiana patient Huntington’sdisease is aneurodegenerative disease long considered untreatable that gradually deteriorates aperson’sphysical andmental abilities, often leading to death within 10 to 30 years of diagnosis.

Although researchers cannot name participants of the clinical trial, Karen Paterson,who hosts aHuntington’sdiseasesupport group in Baton Rouge, said the

lasting implications could change manylives here in Louisiana.

“Itiswonderfulnewsafter many research disappointments,” Patersonsaid. “Weare grateful for a breakthrough and areasontohope at last.Wehave lost toomany of our Huntington warriors to this horrible diseasewhich is saidto be like thecombination of Parkinson’sand Alzheimer’s.”

The brain disease is diagnosed through genetic testing, apractice thatstarted 30 years ago. As an in-

herited disease, aparent with Huntington’sdisease has a50% chance of transferring the disease to their child. Most people whoare diagnosedwith Huntington’sdisease are between the ages of 30 and 50.

The trial, which started in 2021, was conducted by the University College London in multiple sites across Europe andNorth America.

Resultswere released Sept. 24.

The study involvedinjecting 29 people in the early-stages of Huntington’swith AMT-130 in 8-

to 10-hourbrain surgeries. The treatment, AMT-130, worksby producing aprotein in the brain that targets and suppresses the gene responsible forproducing the toxic huntingtin protein. By targeting the messenger RNA that carriesinstructions from DNA to produce this protein, AMT-130 prevents its formation without altering the DNA itself akey safety advantage over other

ä See TREATMENT, page 2X

HEALTH MAKER

La. doctor, national leader talks vascular health

BY MARGARET DELANEY Staff writer

Dr W. Charles Sternbergh

III grew up in Chattanooga Tennessee, before moving to Providence, Rhode Island, to study at Brown University for undergrad and medical school, followed Emory University for a fellowship in vascular surgery In 1996, he made the move to New Orleans.

At Ochsner, Sternbergh serves as the system chair of vascular services and vice-chair of the department of surgery He is also a professor of surgery with the Xavier Ochsner College of Medicine.

He has served on the national Board of Directors for the Society of Vascular Surgery and is a past president of both the Vascular and Endovascular Surgery Society and the Southern Association for Vascular Surgery Outside of his work, Sternbergh spends time with his wife, Tasha, and occasionally can be found on a sailboat.

”Being by the water is a balm for my soul,” he said. In 2024, he received the John Ochsner Award of Excellence in recognition of his contributions to the care of vascular patients. What is one accomplishment in your career that you are most proud of?

My proudest professional accomplishment has been growing the Ochsner Vascular and Endovascular Surgery Division into a nationally recognized, cohesive group known for excellent patient care, important research, and superior culture

My “North Star” has been to nurture a culture that embraces kindness, respect and intellectual curiosity

After Hurricane Katrina, the vascular surgery group had been reduced to just two people a graduating fellow and me. We now stand eight strong, with additional growth planned in the near future. What are some of the current issues, difficulties or strategies in vascular health today? How do you want to change that in the future? Building and preserving trust in medical science is crucial. The practice of

medicine relies on accurate data and evidence-based approaches to deliver the best possible care for patients. Efforts to enhance transparent communication and provide clear reliable information play a key role in safeguarding public health.

In patients with vascular disease, the single most impactful decision for their health is to stop smoking. Doing so will literally add

years to their life and reduce their chance of stroke, heart attack and leg amputation. I warn patients with advanced blockages in their legs that they are “smoking their leg off.”

Sadly, nicotine is exceptionally addictive. Even with aggressive interventions to help a patient stop smoking, 75% will not be able to stop.

What has been the most impactful moment of your career? Are

there any patients or cases that come to mind?

While I have published more than 150 scientific articles and book chapters on vascular disease, I am most proud to be a primary coauthor of an upcoming publication in the New England Journal of Medicine, set to appear in late November 2025. This landmark study will transform how patients worldwide are treated for stroke risk caused by severe blockages in the carotid arteries.

As Ochsner’s principal investigator for this decadelong trial, our multidisciplinary team, including our cardiologists, ranked among the top 10 recruiting institutions out of more than 140. It is incredibly rewarding to play a role in bringing high-quality, impactful clinical research fruition.

Clinically, one of the most impactful and dramatic interventions a vascular surgeon performs is the emergency repair of a leaking aortic aneurysm, a condition with a 100% mortality rate without swift and successful intervention. At the beginning of my career the only option for these patients was an extensive open abdominal operation with massive blood loss and a long recovery Today, over 90% of these cases are performed minimally invasively through a half-inch incision at the top of the legs. It has been an honor and privilege to play a small part in the development of these lifesaving devices.

Tell me about the technological shifts in your career How did you go about learning each new technique, device or theory? Perhaps nowhere in medicine has there been a greater paradigm shift

than in the revolution of minimally invasive, endovascular treatments for vascular disease. When I finished my formal vascular surgery training in 1996, I had not performed a single minimally invasive endovascular technique. I learned many of these catheter-based techniques from my Ochsner colleagues in interventional radiology and cardiology

Dr Sam Money and I became early adopters of this groundbreaking technology, allowing us to be national leaders in the development, testing and teaching of minimally invasive treatment of aortic aneurysms in the early 2000s. Like many areas of medicine, AI is having a positive impact. For instance, advanced AI-augmented imaging will allow us to perform complex endovascular procedures using only a small fraction of the radiation currently required. Reduction of radiation exposure makes these procedures safer for patients, surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses and techs. What part of your job would people find surprising? The majority of patients who come to me for their vascular issues ultimately don’t need surgery or even a minimally invasive procedure. Many patients are best treated with medications and lifestyle changes like better exercise and smoking cessation. An integral role of vascular surgeons also includes functioning as vascular primary care doctor for their patients, guiding long-term prevention and management.

Email Margaret DeLaney at margaret.delaney@ theadvocate.com.

Experts caution that water bottles need to be cleaned

BY ADITHI RAMAKRISHNAN

AP science writer

NEW YORK You keep your trusty reusable bottle filled with only clear, delicious water. Do you still need to wash it?

Experts say reusable bottles get grubby no matter what liquid they’re filled with, and it’s important to clean them regularly

Water bottles pick up germs from our mouths when we take a sip, and from our hands when we touch the straw or lid. They’re covered in tiny, tough-toreach nooks and crannies, which can become breeding grounds for mold, bacteria and other microbes if left unscrubbed.

“It seems like something mundane, but it is extremely important,” said nurse practitioner Michele Knepper, who works at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Unclean water bottles can cause stomach aches and itchy throats and even exacerbate allergies and asthma. Experts disagree on

when and how you should wash them, but they’re all in agreement on one thing: Give your water bottle a tender loving clean, because something is better than nothing at all.

“Is it that big of a deal? No. But it’s also not difficult to just wash your water bottle,” said Dr. Mike Ren, a family medicine physician at Baylor College of Medicine.

Tips

Experts say the gunk doesn’t care what your water bottle is made of Reusable metal, plastic and glass bottles all grow germy, but plastic bottles are more likely to get scratches or dings on the inside where microbial life can cozy up The best cleaning routine is a simple one: Use a sponge or bottle brush to scrub inside and out with warm, soapy water, rinse it out and let it dry so it’s ready for the next refill. A narrow or pipe cleaner-shaped tool can be useful to get into straws and tight crevices. For a deeper wash, scien-

sity of Alabama at Birmingham

tists recommend popping the bottle in the dishwasher if it’s safe to do so, or dissolving a denture or retainer-cleaning tablet in the bottle overnight. Scrubbing with a warm water solution of vinegar or baking soda works too.

Many experts recommend doing a simple, soapy water

Dumping old water

Some say to dump the dregs out every refill, while others recommend emptying every few hours. Ren says it’s likely OK to leave some inside overnight, but to empty old water at least every few days.

“Guidelines are guidelines,” Ren said. “Everyone’s going to do it a little bit differently.”

Continued from page 1X

genetic therapies. Of the 29 patients, 17 received a high dose of AMT-130 and 12 received a low dose of AMT130.

Results three years after trial brain surgeries from global gene therapy developer uniQure indicated that those who received a higher dose showed a 75% slower disease progression compared to those who did not receive the treatment.

Although the trial was small, the implications for future use are huge for patients with Huntington’s disease, according to Dr Victor Sung, a researcher and director of the Huntington’s disease clinic at the Univer-

“We don’t have anything th at will sl ow t he progression of the disease, which is why there is so much excitement about the results of this trial and treatment,” Sung said

Sung treats six of the 17 high-dose patients at UAB and monitored those patients’ progress since the one-time treatment administered in 2022.

“What is also impressive is that progression does not just slow in total, in composite scores It’s not just the total measure that shows separation,” Sung

said. “When (researchers) broke down all the individual measures like the motor separately, the cognitive separately, the behavioral separately — they all were showing improvement after three years in patients who received a high dose of treatment.”

The path to approval

The therapy is not yet approved by the Food and Drug Administration, but uniQure is seeking accelerated approval for the treatment. Accelerated approval would allow patients to receive surgery and gene therapy covered by insurance, but acknowledge that they receive treatment voluntarily in a study and let their data be collected.

The accelerated approval results would then be used

clean every day and a deeper clean once a week. If daily cleaning feels a little extra, Ren said to try to get to it at least every other week or so while maintaining other good habits like rinsing the mouthpiece over the sink during each refill. But if you fill your reusable bottle with other beverages like protein shakes or exercise drinks, it really is important to clean every day Sugary drinks leave a residue that bacteria love to snack on.

to determine a full FDA approval status.

“Yes, this data is exciting, but it’s a small number of patients. And it’s not approved yet,” Sung said. “We’ll see what the FDA says.” UniQure is set to submit their findings and request for an accelerated approval

Is it OK to leave water in a reusable bottle overnight? Experts disagree.

to the FDA at the beginning of 2026. Sung does not expect a decision from the FDA for another year, in 2027.

If there’s visible mold on the bottle or the liquid inside has a weird smell, don’t drink it. Avoid refilling disposable plastic water bottles since chemicals can leach into the water, and they’re even more full of cracks and crevices that can harbor germs. Water bottle cleaning routines may not all look the same — but it’s important to keep up the habit, said Ivy Sun, a hospitality expert at Georgia Southern University who has studied water bottle contamination. She washes her and her kids’ bottles with soapy water every day

“This is just a very small step that we do, but it can largely help with our health,” Sun said.

“I think there’s applicability outside of Huntington’s disease, too,” Sung said. “We don’t have gene therapies approved in Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s or any of our other big brain diseases, either There’s still a lot of learnings that we can have. There are things coming. That’s exciting.”

Email Margaret DeLaney at margaret.delaney@ theadvocate.com.

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU

The Louisiana Health section is focused on providing in-depth, personal accounts of health in the state.This section looks at medical innovations, health discoveries, state and national health statistics and reexamining tried and true methods on ways to live well.

Health editions will also profile people who are advancing health for the state of Louisiana.

Do you have a health story? We want to hear from you.

Email margaret.delaney@ theadvocate.com to submit health questions, stories and more.

Eat Fit Live Fit

BROUGH TT OY OU BY

Staying grounded when the holidays get messy

Wetalkalotabout“healthy holidays”—howtolighten upthedressing,fitinawalk beforethebigget-togetherorswapsugar forsomethinglessspiky.Andyes,those thingsmatter.Butasmuchaswellnessis aboutfoodandmovement,it’salsoabout ourmentalandemotionalbandwidth— andformanyofus,thatgetstestedmore thananyseasonalindulgence.

Togetabetterunderstandingofwhat’s happeningbeneaththesurfaceofholiday stress—especiallythesubtleemotional strain—Ispokewithneuropsychologist JohnSawyer,Ph.D.,medicaldirectorof ProfessionalStaffExperienceatOchsner Healthandco-directoroftheCenter forBrainHealthwithintheOchsner NeuroscienceInstitute.Healsoholdsa master’sdegreeinmarriageandfamily therapy,whichgiveshimadeeperview intohowfamiliesblendtraditionsand navigateunspokendynamics.

Dr.Sawyersaidmanyholiday frustrationstendtofallintoafew commonthemes.Hesharedthree stressorsthattendtohappenoverand overagain,andadviceonhowtostepout oftheholidayfrustrationloop.

WhenItFeelsMoreLike ObligationThanChoice Amajorsourceofstresscomeswhen wefallintothemindsetofwehavetodo itthisway.Dr.Sawyerexplains,“People gettangledinthisideaof‘wehaveto travelhere,hostthesepeople,include everytraditionwe’veeverhad.’”

Insteadofjumpingintologistics,he encouragesustoaskourselves:‘What doIrememberfromholidaysthatI actuallyvalued?WhatcouldIletgoof?’ Itsoundssimple,henotes,butitcan shifteverything.

Anotherstressorisfeelinglikeyou’re carryingmorethanyourshare.Ifyou’re alwaystravelingoradjustingyour

BY

schedule,resentmentbuilds.Dr.Sawyer callsthis,“relationalreciprocity—amI gettingasmuchasI’mgiving?”Hesaid sometimesthenextstepissimplysaying, ‘Hey,thisyear,Idon’twanttotravel.Can wetalkaboutdoingsomethingdifferent?’

Ifsomeoneelseistheonealwaysdoing theheavylifting,Dr.Sawyerencourages thoughtfulacknowledgment.“Buytheir dinner.Pickthemupfromtheairport. Makesuretheyfeelappreciatedforthe effortthey’remaking,”hesaid.

WhenConversations

FeelOne-sided

Anotherquietstressorcomesfrom gatheringswherenooneseems interestedinwhatreallymatterstoyou. Dr.Sawyershared,“Thereareholidays I’vewalkedawaythinking,‘Nooneasked mehowIam.’”Buthenotesit’susually notpersonal.“Oftenthey’renotasking anyone,”hesaid.“They’rejustfocusedon what’sintheirownhead.”

Ifthereissomethingyoudowantto share,hesaidagentlepromptcanopen thedoorwithoutfeelingforced.Examples include:‘Workhasbeeninterestinglately, and‘CanItellyouaboutsomethingcool that’sbeenhappening?’

Then,therearelifestyleclashes.For some,watchingfootballforhoursor snackinglateintothenightisfun.For others,it’sexhausting.“Everyoneistrying torecreatetheirnormal,”Dr.Sawyersays. “Butwhenwe’retogether,we’renothere

toreplicateourindividualroutines. We areheretobetogether.”Thatdoesn’t meanlosingyourself;itmayjustmean steppingoutforawalkorbringing somethingthathelpsyoufeelsteady. Inmoreseriouscases—suchasearly recoveryfromaddiction—Dr.Sawyersays it’sOKtooptoutentirely.“Itmaynotbe forever,”hesays,“butitmaynotbethe rightenvironmentrightnow. WhenPerfectionTakesOver Fewthingsdrainholidayjoyfasterthan tryingtogetitalljustright.“Whenwe wantsomethingtobeperfect,”Dr.Sawyer explains,“whatwe’rereallytalkingabout

MollyKimball,RD,CSSD,isaregistereddietitian withOchsnerHealthandfounderofOchsner’sEatFit nonprofitinitiative.Formorewellnesscontent,tuneinto Molly’spodcast,FUELEDWellness+Nutrition,andfollow @MollykimballRDand@EatFitOchsneronsocialmedia. Emailnutrition@ochsner.orgtoconnectwithMollyor scheduleaconsultwithherteam.

THENUMBERS

OVER 300K LOUISIANAADULTS HAVE VISION IMPAIRMENT

Approximately 7million people in the United States have vision impairment, includingabout 1million people with blindness.

As of 2012, 4.2 million Americans aged 40 orolder have uncorrectable vision impairment.This number is predictedto more than double by 2050, according to the Centers for DiseaseControl and Prevention.

The U.S. has arapidly aging population, which means more people living with diabetes and other chronic conditions, which can lead to vision loss.

In Louisiana, an average 7.4% of adults are living with avision disability

These parisheshad the lowest percent of adults living with avision disability in 2023, in ascending order: n Ascension Parish with 4.9%, n St.TammanyParish with 5.1%, n Livingston and St. Charles

MELATONIN

Continued from page1X

ethics of body donation in 2005 Champney said melatonin users may be getting the wrong message.

“I don’tdoubt the data. The rationale for the decisions,however —what it really means —wedon’t know yet,” Champneysaid. “You would have thought with thethousands of people taking (melatonin), if there was adirect effect, we would see it.”

The results and publication of this data have caused astir in the sleep health community

Dr.Prachi Singh, an associate professor and director of the Sleep andCardiometabolic HealthLab at Pennington BiomedicalResearch Center in Baton Rouge, has been expecting apushlike thisinthe supplement community for years.

“I’m very happy to seethisdata come out,” Singh said. “This is an areathat has always made me un-

isaveryspecificsensoryexperience—the exactlookofthetable,themusicplaying, theenergy.Butdoesthatactuallymake youhappy?”

Instead,hesuggestsaskingyourself: ‘WhatdoIwanttodaytofeellike?Calm? Light-hearted?Connected?’Thenlet decisionsflowfromthat,whichmaymean focusinglessontablescapesandmoreon askingyouraunthowherhealthhasbeen orcatchingupwithyourcousin. Beforeheadingintoagathering,Dr. Sawyerencouragesustobegrounded ratherthanblindlyoptimistic.“Remind yourselfwhatitusuallyfeelslike.Then decidehowyouwanttoshowup—who you’llsitby,whenyoumighttakebreaks, whohelpsyoufeelgrounded,”hesaid

Andyes—hisfinalrulestands: “Everyoneshouldhelpwiththedishes Notjustthemomsandaunts.”

Foradeeperdiveandmorepractical tips,listentomyFUELEDWellness+ NutritionpodcastepisodewithDr. Sawyer’sfullinterview—availablenow whereveryougetyourpodcasts.

parishes with 5.3%, n West Feliciana Parishwith 5.7%, n Cameron Parishwith 5.8%, n Bossier,Calcasieu and Lafayette parishes with 5.9%, n Beauregard and Jefferson Davisparishes with 6%, n East Baton Rouge,Terrebonne and Vernon parishes with 6.2%

These parishes had thehighestpercentof adults living with avisiondisabilityin2023, in descendingorder: n East CarrollParishwith 13.3% n Tensas Parishwith 11.5%, n Madison Parishwith 11.3%, n Claiborne Parishwith 10.9% n Bienville Parishwith 9.9%, n Evangeline and Morehouse parishes with 9.7%, n Concordia Parishwith 9.1%, n Avoyelles Parishwith 9%

comfortable. Peoplekeep using melatonin eachnight and are oftenvery liberal when giving it to children.”

Because melatoninisproduced naturally in the body,supplemented forms are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. In the U.S.,over-the-countersup-

plementsdonot require government approval to ensure quality and consistency,soeach brand of supplement can vary in strength, purityand more. “What(brands) put on supplement labels, for anysupplement, is very unregulated,”Singh said. “You may think you aretaking a

certain milligram amount, but it couldbemuch, muchhigher sometimesoff by morethan 400 times.”

Champney and Singh both agree that allsupplements should be treated with caution, whetherthey arewidelyusedornot.Whatworks for one individual may not work for another

“I don’tthink this studyisa game-changer,” Champney said.

“But it is agood wake-up call for non-FDA-regulated supplements. We all need to be careful about utilizing supplements like that.”

The most important thing going forward, according to Singh, is research.

“Asscientists, it is our jobto make sure we address the growinguse of melatonin,” Singhsaid.

“Weneed to do moreresearch. We need to address it.”

In 2000, 0.4% of adult Americans were taking melatonin at least monthly.In2017 to 2018, that number jumped to 2.1%.

Additionally,many Americans are “self-diagnosed insomniacs,”

which means they are likely not addressing critical concernswith their doctor.Experts estimate between 50 million to 70 million adults in the U.S. meet the medical criteria for sleep deprivation at any point in time, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Acontinuous lack of sleep increases the risk forconditions like Type 2diabetes, high blood pressure, vasculardisease, heart attack, stroke, depression, anxiety and more.

Singh advises both American adultsand childrentoconnect with physicians and doctorsbefore making thedecision to takemelatonin supplements.

“Taking melatonin, even the gummiesfor children, is something we needtorethink, revisit,” Singh said. “Maybe it’sOKtotake (melatonin) once in awhile, but maybe it shouldn’tbecome ahabit.”

Email Margaret DeLaney at margaret.delaney@theadvocate. com.

Giving Thanks

Duringthisseasonofgratitude,wepausetoreflectonthemeaningful connectionsthatfillourliveswithjoyandpurpose.

Toourteammembers,thankyouforyourunwaveringcommitmenttocare. Wearegratefulforthepassion,purposeandheartyoubringtocaringforour patientsandcommunities.

Toourfriendsandneighbors,thankyoufortrustingOchsnerLafayette Generalasyourpartnerinhealth.Wearehonoredtowalkbesideyouevery stepoftheway.

Tothecommunitychampionsandpartnerswhocontinuetoinvestinour region,thankyou.

Together,weareinspiringhealthierlivesandstrongercommunities.

ochsner.org/community

LOUISIANA

‘A real force’

Starting Blockbuilds communityfor N.O.

youth throughsports

BY ELYSE CARMOSINO Staff writer

On the last Monday in October,more than 50 New Orleans-areahigh schoolers sat in rapt attention during an evening classatTulane Law School. Eric Blevins, the university’ssportslaw programmanager,played aclip of Steve Gleason’sinfamous 2006 blocked punt against the Falconsduringthe Saints’ first game at the SuperdomesinceHurricane Katrina ravaged the city just ayear earlier

When the clip ended, Blevinsaddressed his newest cohort.

“People coming together in the face of the greatest adversity —that’swhat sports is about,” he said. “It can be arealforce for society and community.”

Creating astrongcommunity is one of theprimarygoals of the StartingBlock, amultifaith nonprofit foundedin2021by several prominent local families that preparesNew Orleans high schoolersfrom diverse backgrounds for careers in the sports industry

The program, which operates alongside organizations like the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Museum ofthe

SouthernJewish Experience, imbues professional training withculturally-relevant lessons that acknowledge the city’srich history,particularly that of its Hispanic, Jewish andAfrican American communities.

Thethird andlargest cohort

The Starting Block’spurposeistwofold, according to co-founderArnie Fielkow: give local high schoolstudents interested in acareerinsports management aleg up, and bring youth from different cultures together to learn from oneanother and connect over theirsharedloveofathletics

“Wehelp them with the substance of these topics,and we try to help them navigate the educational process,” Fielkow said. “It really is gratifying to watch these kids bond witheach other.”

Thisisthe third and largest cohort to embark on the 18-month course, which Fielkow believes is theonly one of its kind in the nation.

During the first class Monday,students, many accompanied by parents, spent thefirst hourofthe lesson breakinginto groups to learnabout one another where do you go to school?What sports do you play? Why areyou here?

TJ Green,astudent athlete and sophomore at St.Martin’s EpiscopalSchoolin Metairie,said that, likemostofthe program’sparticipants, he wasdrawn to thecourse simply because of his love of sports. While he already recognized some facesinthe room, Green saidhewas

quickly becoming acquainted withhis new classmates from other schools.

“It’sdefinitely anew experience,” he said. “It’sgood to get outofthe school environment and get to knowpeople from different areas of the city.”

Anew idea

Fielkowwas inspired to create the Starting Block whensearching for ways to honor his good friend, celebrated author activist and Creole chef Leah Chase, after her deathin2019.

Fondly recalling the countless hours he spent chatting with Chaseinthe kitchen of DookyChase’s,the restaurant she coowned alongside her husband that also served as acornerstone of New Orleans’ Civil RightsMovement, Fielkow said that he hopedtodosomethingthatwould carry on Chase’slegacy by passing on herloveof herhome city andits diversecommunities to younger generations.

And as an attorneyand formerexecutive with theNew Orleans Saints andthe National Basketball Retired Players Association, Fielkow also wanted to find away to pass on his own expertise

“I wanted to create aprogram that would incorporate Leah’sinterestswithmine,” he said, “and the one commonelement of that was bringing people together from different walks of life.”

Fielkowapproached Chase’schildren, Edgarand Stella,aswell as philanthropists Morrisand Melinda Mintz, to broach the ideaofstarting aprogramthatwould do just that. Soon,everyone wasonboard. With thehelpofthe Tulane Centerfor Sport, the Starting Block held its first-ever class in thefallof2021. Since then, Fielkow said,the program has graduated two cohorts and has quickly grown in popularity.

Aleg-upinthe industry

To apply,studentsare asked to submit a one-page essay explaining why they want to takethe course. Once accepted, theyattenda90-minute class every other month for ayear and ahalf, where different instructors cover various topics pertaining to sports law and career development woven into lessons on local history andculture.

Studentswill eventually take afieldtrip to Birmingham, Alabama,tovisit sites important to the American Civil Rights Movement, including theoldest baseball field in theUnited States, Rickwood Field. During segregation,Black teams could only play on the field during the day, while Whiteteams played at night, Fielkow explained.

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From Slidell to thepalace

Roger Clark started his message to me in the way that so manypeople do: “I sure do miss Smiley ..” Clark is not alone in missing the legend Smiley Anders and his 50 years of writing forthe newspaper Ithink of Smiley often and still have his pile of pencils on my desk. They remind me of his humor,kindness and mischievous nature.

Since he couldn’ttell Smiley Clark decided to share the latest story about his granddaughter Frances with me —and I’mglad he did.

“Frances is my 7-year-old granddaughter,and she is blessed with an abundance of optimism and innocence,” Clark wrote. “She wrote aletter to Kate Middleton after seeing aphoto of her and her children, asking the Princess what her favorite hobbies were and what games she played with her kids.”

Early last week, to Clark’ssurprise, Frances called from her homeinSlidell to tell him that the Princess had responded. The child was overjoyed as she read the letter to her grandparents. She continued to explain that she had already started sewing a purse forKate.

“Later,she zoomed us to show us the purse. It had awhale drawnonthe side, and Iasked her why,”Clark wrote. “She said in all seriousness, ‘Well, you know,she is the Princess of Whales.’” Here was agirl after my heart. So, Icalled her mom.

“Frances is the mostunique little bird I’ve ever met,” Katie Clark Case said at the top of our call. “She just loves to write letters to people.”

Case said that Frances’ technique to delay bedtimeoften revolves around important questions.

“Around the timethat Queen Elizabeth died, she had alot of these questions,” Case said. “She would say,‘Ineed to know,like did Queen Elizabeth like pizza?’ Frances figured out that she can write letters to the people she’s interested in —and often they write her back.

When young Frances discovered her mother’scalligraphy pen and wax seal, she wanted to send Princess Katealetter

“She thought Princess Kate would get abig kick out of the waxseal,” Case said. “She asked her about her hobbies and about her children —and told her a little bit about our lifeinSlidell.” Itold Case that Frances shared an interest with my older daughter.Around that sameage, Greer becamefascinated with William and Kate—enough that, on a spur-of-the-moment trip, she and Iflew to London forthe royal wedding.

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ASK THE EXPERTS

College job fueled passion for animal welfare

BY JOY HOLDEN Staff writer

LSU alumna Jen Hollas started

working at Companion Animal Alliance Baton Rouge over four years

ago as a student part-time worker

Originally from Houston, but a longtime resident of California, Hollas stayed in Baton Rouge after graduation to continue working for Companion Animal Alliance.

She started as a pet adoption counselor, moved to rescue manager and now she is the communications and events senior manager What started as a part-time job became her occupation and her passion.

This interview was edited for length and clarity

How has your role and involvement changed since you started with Companion Animal Alliance?

After being one of our adoption counselors, I was our rescue manager for a little bit. We do flight transports with the Bissell Pet Foundation twice a month, and I was in charge of that. We work with all of our local rescues here, like Friends of the Animals Baton Rouge and Dante’s Hope. It was a bit of a transition going from the operational side of the shelter to an administrative role. It’s definitely a different perspective, but I do miss interacting with the animals.

What is the operational structure like at the shelter?

We’re the open intake shelter for East Baton Rouge Parish. We took over animal sheltering from Animal Control in 2010, so this is our 15th anniversary Animal Control is currently still in charge of picking up the animals and handling the law enforcement side of animal cruelty We shelter about 9,000 animals per year

What should more people know about Companion Animal Alliance? People don’t expect that we’re still involved with animal control operations, so they don’t realize

FORCE

Continued from page 1y

While most colleges have sports management programs, he noted that the Starting Block is unique because it’s geared toward high schoolers, adding that another important aspect of the course is that it gives participants an opportunity to network with industry professionals whom they otherwise may not have a chance to connect with.

“I was blessed with a 25-year career in professional and college sports, so this is my way of giving back to young people,” Fielkow said.

This program “will give New Orleans-area youth a leg up in the industry, because they’ll already have learned a lot of the basics.” An investment in the future

Back in the classroom, Stella Chase, daughter of Leah Chase, observed the evening’s activities. Despite the late hour, she was pleased to see students enthusiastically getting to know one another

how many animals we take in, or the types of conditions that we see animals in every single day

We also are not a no-kill shelter

With the amount of animals that we have coming in every single day, it’s just not possible for us.

We’re actually trying to get away from the no-kill versus kill shelter language, because we find that it villainizes the shelter and the animal shelter workers, who are doing everything day in and day out to avoid those decisions.

We focus on letting people know everything that we’re doing to get animals out the door

We have an extensive foster program, local rescues and rescues across the country to get these animals out and into homes. We also have reduced fee adoption events. Every single Tuesday we have a $10 Tuesday special for all of our animals that are completely ready to go. It has turned into our busiest day of the week.

What are some other programs that the shelter offers to the community?

We have so many different foster opportunities and volunteer opportunities for all ages. We host a summer camp every single summer for ages 7 to 11.

And then, of course, we also try to provide as many resources as we can to our community Sometimes people aren’t able to afford pet food for their animals, so we have a pet food pantry that we host. We also do vaccine clinics and spay/neuter outreach in the community

When the shelter receives an animal that is in bad shape, how does the staff handle that process?

We have an in-house vet clinic, so if it’s an emergency case during operating hours, we can take care of it here However, if it’s anything after hours that Animal Control has picked up, they’ll take it straight to the LSU Vet Hospital and triage it and then send it over to us. We do biweekly rotations with

Q&A

WITH JEN HOLLAS

CAA COMMUNICATIONS AND EVENTS SENIOR MANAGER

the LSU vet students, so they get a chance to learn animal sheltering and shelter medicine.

What do you love about working for Companion Animal Alliance? It’s hard to pick one thing for sure. Everyone that you talk to here is going to say the animals.

PHOTO

Starting Block founder Arnie D. Fielkow addresses the first class of the 2025 session.

To watch the program grow into what it is today has been a rewarding experience, she said.

“Not only do we learn about sports, which uniquely bring everybody together to cheer for

our home team,” Chase said, “but it also gives us a way to learn a little bit more about each other.”

Email Elyse Carmosino at ecarmosino@theadvocate.com.

People actually get to see more of what we do a little bit more behind the scenes now

It’s a really powerful tool, especially when we’re over capacity and we really need emergency fosters. We’ll make that call out on social media, and our community absolutely steps up for us.

I have a LSU intern who does our social media currently, so it’s fun for her to be able to get pictures and video of the animals to capture their personalities for our website. It gives people a glimpse into who that animal is.

How can someone in the community help Companion Animal Alliance?

We have our volunteer program. Volunteers have to sign up on our website by making an account, attending orientation, taking a tour of the building and meeting the volunteer manager for guidelines and expectations.

Once that orientation is complete, they’re good to go. Volunteers can socialize with dogs, take dogs on walks and hang out with cats. We have the less glamorous jobs, like laundry and dishes.

We

That’s why we’re all here.

We all have a passion to help the animals, to be around them, and it’s such a rewarding job to be able to see them come into the shelter and then go out to their new home.

How has social media changed the game for animal welfare?

RISHER

Continued from page 1y

To get a front-row spot, we camped out the night before along the procession route. It was a long, cold, oddly magical night, made memorable mostly because of a ridiculous detail: behind us stood a row of portable toilets with springs strong enough to snap a bear trap. Every time someone opened a door, it slammed shut with a bang that shook the ground and jolted us awake.

Months after we returned home, I watched an interview with Prince William. He mentioned being exhausted on his wedding day, and when the interviewer guessed it was nerves, William explained it was actually “those portable toilets outside St. James Palace — their doors kept slamming all night.”

When I told Case the story, she said, “What a funny thing to have in common with the future king of England!”

Email Joy Holden at joy.holden@ theadvocate.com.

Maybe stories like Frances’ remind us the world isn’t as big or distant as we think.

A little girl in Slidell can write to a princess and get a letter back and somehow the future king of England and I can lose sleep to the same ridiculous row of portable potties. Life is absurd, yes — but full of small moments that pull us closer than we expect. Clark is right. Smiley would have gotten a kick out of this one.

Program faces funding gap despite reduction in youth crime

BY ALAINA BOOKMAN

writer

Contributing

Editor’s note: This story, created by Alaina Bookman for AL.com is part of the Solutions Story Tracker from the Solutions Journalism Network, a nonprofit organization dedicated to rigorous reporting about responses to social problems. Louisiana Inspired features solutions journalism stories that provide tangible evidence that positive change is happening in other places and in our own communities solutions that can be adopted around the world.

RESTORE, a Birmingham juvenile re-entry program, is saving and transforming young people’s lives every day Carrie Buntain, executive director of RESTORE, said the program needs additional funding to expand and continue changing those young lives.

After a year of record breaking homicides, local leaders are working to make Birmingham residents safer and happier The juvenile reentry program has proven to be an example of a successful violence prevention tactic that helps put young people on better paths. The question is: Will city officials help to expand RESTORE as Birmingham grapples with an ongoing homicide crisis?

“Those are lives that could have gone completely differently…It gives me goosebumps. It’s taken a while to see that impact, because we’re starting with some kids who don’t even know how to correctly sign their name who are justice impacted, and don’t have a state ID to now really focusing on getting them involved in the workforce and making them a productive community member and showing them their potential for incredible self-sufficiency,” Buntain said.

In 2023, RESTORE launched with the goal of helping young people and their families impacted by the juvenile justice system. By offering tailored support, advocates say they can intervene in cycles of crime and help more young people make positive life choices

In two years, the program has blossomed, expanding to support even more young people and their families.

“We really try to focus heavily on what the whole family’s needs

are and make sure those are met.

A strengthened family unit serves to strengthen our kids too,” Buntain said.

In this year’s first quarter, RESTORE has already served 98 active clients and 344 young people have attended workshops. Buntain says the program is on track to serve more than 400 young people this year

Buntain said 19 participants have graduated with their high school diploma, GED or a certification.

One client came into the RESTORE program as a teen mom struggling with her foster care placement She left the program with her high school diploma and is now working to become a certified nursing assistant

Since RESTORE’s inception, the number of Jefferson County youth ages 13-22 years old who were charged with murder decreased by 80%, and homicide victims in the same age group dropped by 61%

While it is difficult to determine how much impact RESTORE has had on those numbers, anecdotal evidence suggests there is a connection.

“I thank the mayor and the city council for their support, because without their support, we would have zero funding. But we started this program in 2023 with the expectation of serving 120 clients.

We ended up serving 249 but the original funding of $225,000 has not changed,” Buntain told AL.com.

“We have such a proven and ef-

fective program, our struggle really just comes down to the fact that our funding doesn’t match the need that’s obvious. And so this year, we look forward to more support from the city and more support from the community.”

The RESTORE Impact

Young men file into the RESTORE workshop, sitting around a large wooden table.

Some are silly and loud, while others sit quietly, head down, hands in their pockets Some are middle school age, most are teens. Some of the young men who attend the workshops are no longer involved in family court or juvenile detention. Some have lost loved ones to gun violence and wear their loved ones’ faces on their chains. They come from different sides of town.

One thing that unites them, is that they come to RESTORE because they want to.

Twice a week, RESTORE participants diligently attend the workshops to talk “man business” with the program coordinators.

During a January workshop, RESTORE Program Manager Antski Williams and Program Coordinator Carmone Owens took turns talking to the young men about the importance of making good decisions. Williams leads the workshops for the young men. Before the session starts, he invites them to stand up and recite a pledge: “I stand on man business I stand on self-discipline I stand on self-respect. I stand on

self-accountability. I stand on selfcontrol. I stand on self-observation. I stand on man business.”

In the beginning, many of the participants quietly mumble the pledge As the workshop progresses, the young men flip through the RESTORE curriculum workbook, reading along with their mentors about goal setting, accountability, healthy relationships, conflict resolution and how to express their emotions.

Williams and Owens speak with conviction, using their own experiences to set the young men on better paths. They make a point to know all of their participants’ names and remind them that the workshops are a safe space to express themselves.

By the time the workshop is over and the young men recite the pledge to leave, they all say the words loudly and with pride, their entire demeanor having changed in the span of one hour The young men leave with their shoulders squared and smiles on their faces.

Some of the RESTORE participants said Williams and Owens are like uncles and even father figures. When the workshop ends, Owens can be found standing at the door sending some of the young men off with a hug and an ‘I love you.’

When asked what they think would happen if the RESTORE program no longer existed, one participant responded, “My honest opinion, if this program didn’t exist anymore, there would be a lot of bad stuff happening, people relapsing for real. They’d go back to doing the same stuff they’d been doing. If they don’t have nobody putting good news in their ear, they’d probably be out here killing, catching murders.”

One of the participants said the program coordinators treat him fairly, treatment he said he is not accustomed to receiving from other authority figures.

Another participant said the program has helped him become a man.

Multiple participants said that before the program, they were walking down a bad path, but RESTORE set them on the right one.

“We’re saving lives,” Williams told AL.com in November “That helps us work on prevention because for two hours, twice a week, every week, they are able to put down their street beef until they

change the politics in the street. That means that they’re not out there dying or killing. We touch their lives every day We’re restoring lives, restoring communities. That’s a life saved.”

Expanding youth programs

Mayor Randall Woodfin formed an independent Crime Commission in October 2024, made up of residents and leaders from business, community, criminal justice, healthcare and non-profit sectors to identify strategies to address the city’s high homicide rate.

In December, the Birmingham city council approved $2 million to support the Mayor’s Office of Community Safety Initiatives strategy

The Commission’s report, published in January, is one of the most recent steps in the effort to combat crime in Birmingham.

The report called for a multi-faceted crime-fighting strategy including recommendations to “expand mentorship, after-school programs, and recreational opportunities to divert youth from criminal behavior and foster positive development (and) increase funding and expansion of the RESTORE juvenile reentry program.”

In February, the city of Birmingham released a statement with an update on the progress of implementing the report’s recommendations.

The updated report indicated that additional funding for expanding RESTORE was completed and supported by a Department of Justice grant.

The problem is that the federal grant is reimbursement-style for $443,407.20. RESTORE does not currently have the funding to get reimbursed because the city funding, $225,000, does not match the federal allocations.

RESTORE would still need additional financial support from the city

“We did get the RESTORE federal expansion grant, which has allowed us to add more coordinators But the amount of funding that we have hasn’t grown enough to meet the capacity that we have,” Buntain said. The report also states that additional funding for RESTORE and youth violence prevention programs like it, is in the “in progress stage.”

Celebrating

ThePower of Partnership

Southern U transforma expand in theCo in

Universityand A&MCollegehas receiveda ative$5million investment from Shellto itiativesinthe CollegeofBusiness and ollegeofSciences and Engineering. This nvestment directlysupports theSouthern UniversitySystem’sStrategic Pillars, includingStudent Success and Academic Excellence

“Withthis investmentinengineering education and studentsuccess,weare further strengthening Shell’spartnership with SouthernUniversityand empowering thenextgeneration of innovators and leaders. We can’t wait to see howtheywill shape thefutureofenergy and technologyfor our industryand theworld.”

EMMALEWIS Executive Vice President,Shell Chemicals

FAITH & VALUES

Women riding the streets of Tehran on motorbikes

Sight the latest sign of Iran’s societal change

BY MEHDI FATTAHI Contributing writer

When Merat Behnam first gathered enough courage to ride her yellow scooter through the gridlocked streets of Iran’s capital to the coffee shop she runs, traffic wasn’t her main worry She instead girded herself for disapproving looks, verbal abuse and even being stopped by the police for being a women riding a motorbike in Tehran, something long frowned upon by hard-liners and conservative clerics in Iran.

But Behnam, 38, found herself broadly accepted on the road — and part of a wider reconsideration by women about societal expectations in Iran.

It’s not all encompassing, particularly as hard-line politicians call for laws on the hijab or headscarf to be enforced as Iran cracks down on intellectuals in the wake of the 12-day IranIsrael war in June — but it does represent a change.

“It was a big deal for me,” Behnam told The Associated Press after riding up to her café on a recent day “I didn’t really know how to go about it. In the beginning I was quite stressed, but gradually the way people treated me and their reactions encouraged me a lot.”

‘Exposed to the wind’

Two things in the past prevented women from driving motorbikes or scooters. First of all, police

regulations in Iran’s Farsi language specifically refer to only mardan” or “men” being able to obtain motorcycle licenses. It’s a very gender-specific wording in Farsi which broadly is a gender-neutral language grammatically

“This issue is not a violation but a crime, and my colleagues will deal with these individuals, since none of these women currently have a driver’s license and we cannot act against the law,” Gen. Abulfazl Mousavipoor, Tehran’s traffic police chief, said in a report carried by the semiofficial ISNA news agency

in September

Then there’s the cultural aspect. While women can now hold jobs, political office and a car license, since its 1979 Islamic Revolution the country has imposed a strictly conservative, Shiite Islam understanding of conduct by women. That includes Iran’s mandatory hijab law, which sparked mass demonstrations in 2022 after the death of Mahsa Amini, who had allegedly been detained over not wearing a headscarf to the liking of authorities.

In the beliefs of some conservative clerics and hard-liners, a woman rid-

ing a scooter or a motorbike is “tabarruj,” or an excessive flaunting of her beauty prohibited by Islam.

“Keeping proper covering for women while riding a motorcycle is very important,” hard-line lawmaker

Mohammad Seraj told the semiofficial ILNA news agency in September “A woman sitting on a motorcycle cannot maintain the modest attire expected of her since both of her hands are occupied with steering the vehicle and she is exposed to the wind.”

Avoiding Congestion

For many, the motorbike

ban runs directly into the reality of Tehran’s streets, crowded with an estimated over 4 million cars and another 4 million motorcycles on the road daily

For decades, women in the all-encompassing black chador could be seen riding side-saddle on motorbikes driven by men.

But after women began forgoing the hijab, more women began taking the risk and riding their motorbikes through Tehran as well, avoiding the congestion charges levied on cars that run over 20 million rial ($20) a month. While still a small percent-

age of the overall traffic, their presence on the road has become more common.

“There is not any political manifesto or social agenda here,” Behnam said. “It’s just that since my workplace is downtown and I had to commute every day from (the western neighborhood of) Sattarkhan, the traffic there and the parking issue, plus the traffic zone restrictions — were driving me crazy.”

But for others, it is a political issue. There’s been speculation the administration of reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian, who campaigned on openness to the West before the war, may try to change the regulations to allow women to be licensed. Reformists — those who seek to change Iran’s theocracy from within — also have called for the change.

“It’s time to move past the invisible walls of cultural judgment and bureaucratic rules,” the Shargh newspaper said in September “For women, riding a motorcycle is not just a way to commute but a symbol of choice, independence and equal presence in society.” Benham, says riding her motorbike also gave her the first positive interaction she’s had with the police.

“For the first time, a police officer — well, actually, a traffic officer made me feel encouraged and safer I could feel that there was some kind of support,” she said. “Even the times they gave me warnings, they were technical ones — like where to park, not to do certain things or to always wear a helmet.”

Nonprofit serves young adults in foster transition

Tiny home community to be built in Northwest Louisiana

BY ELIZABETH DEAL Staff writer

The mantra of Faith and Fostering, “Every young person should feel safe and supported when entering adulthood,” serves as a guiding light in the nonprofit’s work to help homeless young adults in Caddo, Bossier and DeSoto Parishes by way of housing, counseling, life skills, transportation and career readiness.

The group provides Christ-centered acceptance and maintains a nonjudgmental environment serving the homeless aged 18–24, those unaccompanied or aging out of foster care or in extended foster care. They must be self-referred and dedicated to working toward independent living.

“We don’t do court-ordered referrals or people required to work the program. They have to want it. Because that’s the only way that works,” said executive director Christi Robinson “When they come in, we really try to form some structure.”

The housing program is a three-step process. The entry home is shared with other residents and a volunteer house parent. Each resident has their own room.

“We really want them to feel safe, like they have their own space,” she said. Strong foundation

The volunteer house parent establishes chores and a routine, and the residents are taught skills like menu creation, grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning.

“We get them a job. We help them with education. We help them with budgeting through coaching and case management. So we really start to form a strong

PICKETT

STAFF PHOTO By JILL

Jayden Williams, a Faith and Fostering client, recently participated in a class as part of a Faith and Fostering program in Shreveport

foundation in that phase one,” she said.

Residents are required to be in school or have a job while they’re in the program. Robinson noted that the decision to offer transportation assistance was important to her

“When we were creating this structure, I really, really felt led that the Lord said ‘Serve them like you would want your kids to be served if you and your husband weren’t here.’ And part of that was transportation,” she said.

Faith and Fostering volunteers drive the young adults to and from work or school and life skills seminars, held weekly

The organization teaches them how to save money and the process of buying a car, along with insurance and maintenance.

“Sometimes people donate vehicles, and we’ll have them buy that for $500, and then we will pay half of any repairs that’s needed,” she said.

‘I’m so proud’

In the second step of housing, residents move to a shared house but with no house parent, so there’s less supervision and more responsibility They still have access to transportation, life skills seminars and career help.

The third housing step including the young adult moving into their own space. Faith and Fostering offers step-down rental assistance, providing support while they learn to live independently

“We teach them how to apartment shop and budget, and we help with all the furnishings through a partnership Renesting,” Robinson said.

Longtime volunteer Julie Colvin gave a life skills seminar to the young adults in early November on gratitude and positivity Parts of it included reading a Bible passage and having them list 15 things they are grateful for

Colvin taught the group how to write thank-you notes and ended with a prayer circle One of the young men was looking forward to turning 20.

Program participant Jayden Williams was excited about getting her first car that week — a donated one. She said she paid half of the repairs, while Faith and Fostering helped with the license, registration and car insurance.

“I’m so proud. I got my license, and I’m a donor, too,” said Williams, who works at a veterinarian’s office where “getting to see the puppies isn’t a bad perk of the job.”

PROVIDED PHOTO

A vision board shows the Faith and Fostering tiny-home community to be built in Shreveport.

Fostering independence

Robinson noted that residents are allowed to stay in the housing program for three years to ensure that participants aren’t dependent on the organization.

“We want them advancing to the next phases on time,” she said.

Ashila Jacobs completed the Faith and Fostering program and now lives independently with her boyfriend and baby, with a second baby on the way She said the non-profit taught her things like “cooking and cleanliness and timeliness, important things that you can take with you, even after the program.” They helped her write a resume and apply to school, and she now attends Remington College where she’s studying to become a medical assistant.

“I think the main thing with Faith and Fostering is that they don’t give up on you,” Jacobs said “They really do not give up on you.

I’ve made a lot of mistakes, even within the program,

but I also was able to come back from them, and still always had that support. They were never judgmental — we were able to open up about some of the darkest things that we’ve experienced. You know, we’re coming out of crazy situations, but at the end of the day, they always, always picked us back up.”

An expansion in the works Faith and Fostering is expanding, thanks to the generous donation of a home on five acres of land in south Shreveport. They are planning a tiny-home community on the property with 12 homes for young women and young women with children.

The first phase of the tiny house community is complete, which was clearing the trees and renovating the house on the property for the site administrator to live in.

Skipping ahead to phase three — building the tiny homes — looks promising.

“We already have people interested in sponsoring

the tiny homes, whether through donations or contractors,” Robinson said. “I think it’s going to go pretty quick We just got to get to phase three.” Faith and Fostering is currently in phase two, which involves doing the dirty work. The next steps are dirt elevation work, building roads and installing utilities.

“This is the hardest phase to fund,” she said. “Phase one was easy, but it’s like, who wants to do sewage and electric and all that stuff?” Faith and Fostering’s faith-based approach to its offerings is what makes Jacobs and other participants feel a genuine connection.

“It wasn’t to gain anything — if anything, it was to gain that bond with us coming out of situations where we are broken,” Jacobs said. “At ages 18 to 24, they just really cared about us at the age where a lot of people don’t care.” Find more information at faithandfostering.networkforgood.com.

SUNDAY, November 23, 2025

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

word game

instructions: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed. 3. Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.

todAY's Word — PerVAsiVe: perVAY-siv: Existing in or spreading through every part of something Average mark 51 words Time limit 60 minutes Can you find 66 or more words in PERVASIVE?

ken ken

instructions: 1 -Each rowand each column must contain thenumbers 1through4 (easy) or 1through6 (challenging) without repeating 2 -The numbers within the heavily outlinedboxes, called cages, must combine using thegiven operation (inany order)toproduce the target numbersinthe top-left corners. 3 -Freebies: Fillinthe single-boxcages withthe numberinthe top-left corner

instructions: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 gridwith several given numbers. The object is to placethe numbers 1to 9in theempty squares so that each row,each column and each 3x3 boxcontains the same number only once. The difficultylevel of the Conceptis Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday

directions: Complete thegridso that numbers 1–132 connect horizontally, vertically or diagonally

Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

goren Bridge

Dangerous king

South’s jump to game was a reasonable decision. He caught a miserable dummy, however, with not much to work with. The opening heart lead went to East’s ace and South won the heart continuation with his king. He cashed the ace of spades, relieved to see the suit splitting 2-1. Still, it looked like he had four losers South cashed the king of spades, drawingthelasttrump,andledaspade to the jack He ruffed dummy’s last heart back to his hand. There wasn’t much to be done, so South decided to run the rest of his spades and hope something good would develop. This was the position after all the spades had been cashed:

Instead, he led a club to dummy’s king and a diamond back to his ace. West was not napping now West realized that the king was a dangerous card to keep — he could be end-played with it. He alertlyplayeditundertheaceand South had no winning options.

wuzzLes

super Quiz

question asks, “How many?” (e.g., Days in November? Answer: 30.) FRESHMAN LEVEL

Letters in the English alphabet? Answer________

Planets in our solar system? Answer________ 3. Dwarfs in the story of Snow White? Answer________ 4. Soccer players for one team on the field to start a game?

the

might have tried cash-

of diamonds now. He might have caught West napping.

Tannah Hirsch welcomes readers’ responses sent in care of this newspaper or to Tribune Content Agency inc., 2225 Kenmore Ave., Suite 114, Buffalo, Ny 14207. E-mail responses may be sent to gorenbridge@ aol.com. © 2025 Tribune Content Agency

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 23-Dec. 21) Consistency matters. Don’t jump to conclusions or believe everything you hear Research, verification and secrecy will help deter others from taking advantage of you.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Evaluate relationships and choose who you want to spend time with Using the skills and talents you enjoy most may not be lucrative, but it will be worth its weight in gold if it makes you happy

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) High energy will promote positive change. Choose a healthier lifestyle and strive to look and feel

your best. Avoid risky events, travel and situations. PISCES (Feb 20-March 20) Not everyone will appreciate your time, effort and input. It’s important not to waste energy on people, places and pastimes that are not a good fit for your plans and perspectives

ARIES (March 21-April 19) Think, formulate, take the lead and curb your emotions. Sticking to the facts, figures and what you want without letting your feelings interfere will get you where you want to go. TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Put your energy where it counts, tidy up

loose ends and consider alterations that will add to your emotional well-being. Reach out to someone you want to spend more time with and make plans and proposals.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Ensure you check all the boxes before committing to something with variable options. Mistakes and misinterpretations are prevalent. When in doubt, take a pass.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) Take the lead, and you will find out where you stand. Share your feelings, intentions and long-term plans. Create the life you want,

and personal growth will be yours.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Choose to act, and you’ll avoid criticism. Follow your heart and concentrate on what makes you happy A reminder of the past will help you determine what you want your life to be like moving forward.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Refuse to let anger set in when rational action is necessary. Visiting a place that offers inspiration will prompt you to invest more time in personal growth and learning.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Don’t give up or give in to the emotional

whims of others. Trust and believe in yourself, and take the road that promises personal happiness. A tranquil destination will satisfy your soul.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) Look for change, and you’ll find something or someone interesting. Love is in the stars, but it begins with loving yourself first. Self-appreciation is key to how things will shake out.

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

1. Twenty-six. 2. Eight. 3. Seven. 4. Eleven. 5. Three.6.Six.7.Seven. 8. Eight. 9. Six. 10.Three. 11. Four (2, 3, 5, 7).12. Forty-two. 13.Five. 14. Six.15. 1,760.

SCORING: 24 to 30 points —congratulations, doctor; 18 to 23 points—honorsgraduate; 13 to 17 points —you’replenty smart, but no grind; 5to12points —you really shouldhit the booksharder;1point to 4points —enroll in remedial courses immediately; 0points who reads thequestions to you?

Saturday's Cryptoquote: Some of the days in November carry the whole memory of summer as afire opal carriesthe colorofmoon rise. Gladys Taber