The Advocate 11-26-2025

PRIME PRODUCER

east Feliciana cattle farm succeeds doing things the old-fashioned way

BY MADDIE SCOTT staff writer

When Shawn Sagrera was 6, his dad told him he could pick out any cow to be his own. That was the day he became a fourth-generation Louisiana cattle farmer Now his family legacy continues in Sagrera Farms in East Feliciana Parish

“I’m so fortunate to have this legacy, this family history of raising cattle,” Sagrera said.

The sun had just risen on a chilly early November morning at Sagrera Farms in Ethel. With the dew sparkling on the grass, owner Shawn Sagrera held a hand-

ful of fermented cow feed to his nose, inhaling the grain’s sweet aroma. A tractor delivered it to the troughs seconds before.

“Smell that,” Sagrera said, holding a handful of chopped feed that’s 17% protein. “It’s sweet. How beautiful.”

Twice a day, the feed nourishes Angus cattle in the last six months of their lives, a key step in forming high levels of intramuscular fat that make the beef abundantly marbled.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture grades beef in three categories select, choice and prime — by taking a 2-inchby-2-inch cut between the 12th and 13th rib of the cow and measuring the per-

centage of intramuscular fat. Anything with a beef marbling score above 9% is considered prime. Sagrera has more than doubled the prime minimum with measurements up to 20%.

The Louisiana rancher does things the old-fashioned way, selling half or whole cows off the farm The meat can’t be found in grocery stores or farmers markets, but there’s one Baton Rouge restaurant, Supper Club, where diners can get a taste.

He’s even caught the eye of chef John Folse. A few years ago, Sagrera brought a few cuts of meat to Folse’s

ä see BEEF, page 4A

BR businesses rounding cash sales

end of penny production prompts change

BY IANNE SALVOSA staff writer

After the U.S. Mint produced its last penny earlier this month, local retailers are rounding up prices and preparing for shortages of the copper coin.

While 114 billion pennies are still in circulation, some local grocers have instituted rounding policies for cash transactions and nixed the 1-cent coin from their daily tenders. Brett Deville, an assistant manager at Calandro’s Supermarket, said the Government Street store began adjusting cash transactions to the nearest nickel last month.

Transactions ending in 1 or 2 cents will round down

to zero, transactions ending in 3 to 7 cents will round to 5 cents and transactions ending in 8 or 9 cents will round up to 10 Noncash transactions will not be affected.

Deville said the store made the decision after its bank sent out a message to the grocer stating it would no longer be using pennies.

Calandro’s customers cannot pay with pennies, and cashiers will not use pennies when giving change The

store still has some pennies to round out deposits for accounting. Less than a quarter of their sales are cash, so the store hasn’t noticed much of a difference.

“We have not seen the full impact yet,” Deville said.

President Donald Trump ordered his administration to halt penny production in February after the cost of making the coin jumped

ä see PENNY, page 6A

Abraham named to CDC post

La. surgeon general to be second in command

BY MEGHAN FRIEDMANN staff writer

Louisiana Surgeon General Ralph Abraham, who has come under scrutiny for ending mass vaccination campaigns in the state and casting doubts about COVID-19 vaccines, has been named second in command at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Abraham, a physician and former U.S. congressman who ran for governor in 2019, became the state’s first surgeon general in June 2024, when Gov Jeff Landry tapped him for the position. He previously served as the secretary for the Louisiana Department of Health under Landry

“It’s a bittersweet day in Louisiana. While we are certainly sad to lose Dr Abraham here in Louisiana, we are thrilled to see the CDC gain a selfless leader,” Landry said in a statement, adding that Abraham did an “impeccable” job as surgeon general.

“He helped lead our state to the forefront of the Make America Healthy Again movement. There is no better advocate for health freedom than Ralph Abraham,” Landry added. Abraham didn’t immediately return requests for comment. A spokesperson for the federal Department of Health and Human Services confirmed Abraham’s appointment but did not comment further

Formerly a veterinarian, Abraham became a doctor at 40 after attending the LSU School of Medicine in Shreveport. He once served in the Army National Guard and represented Louisiana in Congress from 2015 to 2020.

As surgeon general, he was tasked with advising the state on its health

ä see ABRAHAM, page 6A

BRIEFS

4 more arrested in $102M Louvre heist

PARIS The Paris prosecutor announced four more arrests Tuesday in connection with the stunning heist at the Louvre Museum in October by a gang that made off with $102 million worth of jewels.

The two men and two women taken into custody are from the Paris region and range in age from 31 to 40, said the prosecutor, Laure Beccuau, whose office is heading the investigation Her statement didn’t say what role they’re suspected of having played in the Oct. 19 theft. Police can hold them for questioning for 96 hours.

French media report that one of those arrested, a 39-year-old already known to police services, is believed to be the fourth member of the team thought to have carried out the daring daylight robbery and is from Aubervilliers, a suburb north of Paris other suspects have connections with

The other three alleged members of the so-called “commando” team have been previously arrested and face preliminary charges of theft by an organized gang and criminal conspiracy

Their DNA has been found on the scene or on items linked to the robbery

France says ‘bon voyage’ to giant pandas

PARIS A couple of star giant pandas who lived in France for 13 years and gave birth to three cubs were on their way back to China on Tuesday, the Beauval Zoo said.

Huan Huan, the female, and her partner Yuan Zi, both 17, are traveling on a 12-hour flight from Paris’ Charles-de-Gaulle airport in big white boxes with windows, holes for breathing and the inscription “Bon voyage.” Zoo director Rodolphe Delord, during a goodbye ceremony at the airport, said “they are reaching an age that requires highly specialized care” and will “benefit from the optimal environment” at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, where they were born.

Delord had previously explained that Huan Huan has been diagnosed with kidney failure, which isn’t uncommon for a carnivore this age. French and Chinese veterinary teams decided to send them back to China while their health condition allows them to travel safely he said.

For decades, China has gifted friendly nations with its unofficial mascot as part of a policy of “panda diplomacy.” The country now loans pandas to zoos on commercial terms. The pair became famous in France since they arrived at the Beauval Zoo in 2012.

Gramma the Galapagos tortoise dies at 141

LOS ANGELES After more than a century of munching on her favorite foods of romaine lettuce and cactus fruit, beloved Galapagos tortoise Gramma, the oldest resident of the San Diego Zoo has died.

Gramma was born in her native habitat and was estimated to be about 141 years old, zoo officials said. She died Nov 20. It’s not clear exactly when the tortoise arrived at the San Diego Zoo, but zoo officials said she came from the Bronx Zoo in either 1928 or 1931 as part of their first group of Galapagos tortoises.

As the world changed around her, she delighted visitors with her sweet, shy personality She lived through two World Wars and 20 U.S. presidents Her care specialists affectionately called her “the Queen of the Zoo.” She was suffering from bone conditions related to her old age that progressed recently before she was euthanized, the zoo said.

Many visitors commented on social media about getting to first visit Gramma when they were young, and being able to come back years later with their kids.

Cristina Park, 69, said one of her earliest memories from her childhood was going to the San Diego Zoo when she was 3 or 4 years old and riding on the back of a tortoise. That’s no longer allowed, but the experience inspired her to keep a small desert tortoise as a pet and learn more about tortoise conservation.

U.S. push for peace deal gains momentum

trump says he’s sending his envoys to see Putin, Ukrainians

BY ISOBEL KOSHIW and KONSTANTIN TOROPIN associated Press

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump said Tuesday his plan to end the war in Ukraine has been “fine-tuned” and he’s sending envoy Steve Witkoff to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Army Secretary Dan Driscoll to meet with Ukrainian officials.

He suggested he could eventually meet with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but not until further progress has been made in negotiations.

“I will be briefed on all progress made, along with Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of War Pete

Hegseth, and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles,” Trump added in the social media posting. “I look forward to hopefully meeting with President Zelenskyy and President Putin soon, but ONLY when the deal to end this War is FINAL or, in its final stages.”

Trump spoke after Driscoll held talks late Monday and throughout Tuesday with Russian officials in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, to discuss the emerging proposal.

“The talks are going well and we remain optimistic,” Lt. Col. Jeff Tolbert, spokesman for the Army secretary, said in a statement.

As the talks were taking place, Russia launched a wave of overnight attacks on Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, with at least seven people killed in strikes that hit city buildings and energy infrastructure. A Ukrainian attack on southern Russia killed three people and damaged homes, authorities said.

Still, Trump expressed a measure of optimism that his administration’s diplomatic efforts could soon lead to a breakthrough. Witkoff, a real estate developer

turned diplomat, has been Trump’s chief interlocutor with Putin, while Driscoll, who is close to Vance, has stepped up his involvement in the administration’s peace push in recent days.

Trump’s plan for ending the nearly four-year war emerged last week. It heavily favored Russia, prompting Zelenskyy to quickly engage with American negotiators. European leaders, fearing for their own future facing Russian aggression but apparently sidelined by Trump in drawing up the proposal, scrambled to steer the negotiations toward accommodating their concerns.

“I think we’re getting very close to a deal. We’ll find out,” Trump said in an aside during the annual White House turkey pardon, a typically lighthearted annual event to mark the Thanksgiving holiday in the U.S. He added, “I thought that would have been an easier one, but I think we’re making progress.”

French President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday peace efforts are gathering momentum and “are clearly at a crucial juncture.”

Winter rains in Gaza bring new misery for Palestinians

BY WAFAA SHURAFA and MEGAN JANETSKY associated Press

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip Children and families in Gaza scooped muddy water from their tents on Tuesday, trying to protect the few belongings that remain after two years of war

Winter’s heavy rains have left displaced Palestinians splashing in water that reaches their ankles, and blaming both Israel and Hamas for the misery that remains despite a ceasefire.

“All tents were destroyed,” said Assmaa Fayad in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, whose shelter was damaged in Tuesday’s latest downpour “Where is Hamas? Where are the people to see this rain and how our children are drowning?”

A Hamas spokesperson, Hazem Qassem, lashed out in a message on Telegram: “All the world’s efforts to alleviate the disaster have failed because of the Israeli siege.”

Aid organizations worry that the rainy winter months will make the stark situation worse, with ongoing shortages of humanitarian supplies. They are scrambling to mitigate the flooding and restore infrastructure devastated by the fighting.

Nearly all of Gaza’s over 2 million people were forced from their homes during the war Most have been living in tents or shelters, some of them built over destroyed homes, with no proper sewage facilities. For toilets, they depend on cesspits dug near tents that overflow in heavy rainfall.

Reham al-Hilu was among those assessing the damage in Deir al-Balah, one of the areas hardest hit by the rains. Her wood and metal shelter collapsed over-

night, and she said her head was injured.

“Rainwater flooded the mattresses,” she said. “As you can see, everything is soaked the clothes, everything and my children are all soaked.”

The United Nations humanitarian office last week said the downpours have damaged at least 13,000 tents like al-Hilu’s, and “destroyed what little shelter and belongings thousands of Palestinians in Gaza had left.”

The office said aid organizations had begun preparing for winter in October, when the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect, transporting materials like winterized tents into Gaza. Aid groups were able to distribute over 3,600 tents, 129,000 tarpaulins and 87,000 blankets earlier this month, the U.N. office said.

But the office said efforts have been hampered by the slow entry of aid. It said deliveries into the territory continue to be “severely constrained by Israeli authorities’ restrictions on the entry of shelter supplies.”

Severe weather sweeps country

BY KATHY MCCORMACK and JULIE WALKER associated Press

CYPRESS Texas Kenny Beck surveyed the damage Tuesday to his family’s two-story home after at least one tornado tore through the Houston area, damaging over 100 homes at the start of a busy Thanksgiving travel week that has Americans closely eyeing the weather

“Half my roof on the back is gone,” Beck, 46, said as workers cleared large tree branches and other debris from around nearby houses. “We’ve lost a lot of ceiling because of the rain. Our garage door got sucked in.” No injuries were reported from Monday’s storm but it uprooted trees, downed power lines and scattered debris throughout some neighborhoods northwest of Houston. National Weather Service staff were surveying the area to determine if multiple tornadoes had struck.

Beck said that while repairs are being made, his family will have to move out of the home where they’ve lived and shared many moments and memories with family and friends over the past 20 years.

“I’m just hoping that here in a couple of months, we can get back in and we can start making more of those memories,” Beck said.

Meanwhile, multiple rounds of storms and showers were expected in Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia. The storm system was expected to move to the Northeast by Tuesday night, with another one in the forecast in the Pacific Northwest.

Even though the official start of winter is nearly a month away, a wintry storm was developing in the northern part of the country, with snow falling in North Dakota.

“That’s impacting North Dakota, Minnesota, including Minneapolis, and then portions of the northern Great Lakes,” said weather service meteorologist Marc Chenard in College Park, Maryland.

He said snowfall was expected into Wednesday

assoCIateDPress PHoto By JaCQUeLyN MartIN turkeysWaddle and Gobble, whoreceived apresidentialpardon at the White House ahead of thanksgiving,visit Mondaywith the Love family in theturkeys’ hotel room at the Willard InterContinental Hotel in Washington.

Trumpsparesturkeys butnot politicalopponents

BY CHRIS MEGERIAN associated Press

WASHINGTON— President Donald Trump didn’tbring much holiday cheerTuesday when bestowing ceremonial pardons on two Thanksgiving turkeys,dispensing more insults than goodwill at the traditional White House ritual. He joked about sending the turkeys to an infamous prison in El Salvador that has been used to house migrants deported from the United States. He said the birds should be named Chuck and Nancy —after Democratic stalwarts Chuck Schumer and NancyPelosi —but “I would never pardon those people.” Trump claimed that last

year’sturkey pardons, issued by President Joe Biden, were invalidbecause he used an autopen. “Where’s Hunter?” he said,suggesting thathis predecessor’sson couldonceagain facelegal jeopardy And all of that wasbefore Trump turned hisattention to Illinois Gov.J.B. Pritzker, aDemocrat who has resisted theWhite House’splansto deploy the National Guard in Chicago.

Trumpsaid he had ajoke prepared about Pritzker, but “I refuse to talk about thefact that he’safat slob. Idon’t mentionit.”

Scattered laughter rippled throughthe audience, which sat undercloudy skies and an intermittent drizzleon theRose Garden patio.

Trump eventually got around to the business at hand, which was pardoningthe turkeysGobble and Waddle. Both were spared the dinnertable,but only one got thespotlight “Gobble, Ijust want totell you this —very important —you are hereby unconditionally pardoned,”Trump said. He reached overtorun hishandoverthe feathers, saying, “Who would wantto harm this beautiful bird?” Waddle hadpreviously been spottedinthe White House briefing room “Waddle, want to give us a gobble?” WhiteHouse press secretary Karoline Leavitt asked. The turkeyobliged.

“Very on message!” Leavitt said.

Some DACA recipients arrested in immigrationcrackdown

BY VALERIE GONZALEZ

associated Press

McALLEN, Texas Yaakub Vijandre was preparing to go to work as amechanic when six vehicles appeared outside his Dallas-area home Federal agents jumped out, one pointed aweapon at him, and they took him into custody Vijandre is arecipient of Deferred Actionfor Childhood Arrivals, the Obamaera program that has shielded hundreds of thousands of people from deportation since 2012 if they were brought to the United States as childrenand generally stayed out of trouble. The Trump administration said it targeted Vijandre over social media posts. The freelance videographer and pro-Palestinian activist described his early October arrest to his attorneys, who relayed the information to reporters. His arrest and several

others this year signal a change in how the U.S. is handling DACA recipients as President Donald Trump’sadministration reshapes immigration policy more broadly.The change comes as immigrants have face increased vetting,includingof their social media,whentheyapplyfor visas, greencards, citizenship, or to request therelease of theirchildren from federal custody. Theadministration also has sought to deport foreign students for participating in pro-Palestinianactivism.

DACA was created to shield recipients, commonly referred to as “Dreamers,” from immigration arrests anddeportation.It also allows them to legally work in theU.S.Recipients reapply every two years. Previouslyiftheirstatus was in jeopardy,they would receive awarning and would still have achance to fight it before immigration

FBIseeks interviews with lawmakersintroop video

BY JOEY CAPPELLETTI and MIKE HOUSEHOLDER associated Press

WASHINGTON Democratic lawmakerswho appeared in asocial media video urging U.S. troops todefy “illegalorders” saythe FBI has contacted them to begin scheduling interviews, signaling apossible inquiry into the matter.

It would markthe second investigation tied to the video, coming aday after the Pentagon said it was reviewing DemocraticSen.Mark Kelly,ofArizona,overpotential violationsofmilitary law. The FBI andPentagon actions come after President Donald Trumpaccused thelawmakers of sedition and saiditis“punishable by DEATH”inasocial media post.

Together,the inquiries mark an extraordinary escalation for federal law enforcementand military institutions that traditionally

steer clear of partisan clashes. Theyalsounderscore the administration’swillingness to push legal limits against its critics, even when they are sitting members of Congress. Lawmakers in the video urge troops to reject anyillegalorders from their superiors, something they are already duty-bound to do.

“President Trumpisusing the FBI as atool to intimidate andharass Members of Congress,” agroupoffour DemocraticHouse memberssaid in astatement Tuesday.“Yesterday, the FBIcontacted the House and Senate Sergeants at Arms requestinginterviews.”

Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin, oneofthe sixDemocratic lawmakers in the video, told reportersTuesday that “last night the counterterrorism division at the FBI sent anotetothe members of Congress, saying they are opening what appears to be an inquiry against the six of us.” Slotkin calledita“scare

tacticby” Trump. “Whether you agree with thevideoordon’tagree with thevideo, thequestion to me is: Is this the appropriate responsefor apresident of the United States to go after and seek to weaponize the federalgovernment against thosehedisagrees with?” saidSlotkin.

The group of four Democratic House members said in their statement that “no amount of intimidation or harassment will ever stop us from doing ourjobsand honoring ourConstitution.”

Allsix of theDemocratic lawmakers in thevideohave served in themilitary or intelligence community

The FBI went through the top securityofficials forthe House and Senate to request interviews with each of the sixlawmakers. Thelawmakers said they had no further information andthe FBI has notmadeclear on whatbasis they were seeking the interviews

Tests: ByHeartformula may be contaminated with botulism

BY JONEL ALECCIA associated Press

TestsofByHeart infant formula tiedtoabotulism outbreak thathas sickened dozens of babiesshowed that all of the company’sproducts may have been contaminated.

Laboratory tests of 36 samples of formulafromthree different lots showed that five samples contained the type of bacteriathatcan lead to the rare and potentially deadlyillness, the company said Monday on its website. “Based on these results, we cannot rule out therisk

that all ByHeart formula across allproductlotsmay have been contaminated,” thecompany wrote.

At least 31 babiesin15 states who consumed ByHeartformula have been sickened in the outbreak that began in August, according to federaland state health officials. In addition, other infants who drank ByHeart formula were treated for botulisminearliermonths, as far back as November 2024, although they arenot counted in the outbreak, officials said.

Clostridium botulinum type A, the type of bacteria

detected, can be unevenly distributed in powdered formula. Notall babies who ingest it will become ill, though allinfantsunder age 1are at risk,medical experts said. ByHeart recalled all of its formula nationwide on Nov 11. However,someproduct has remained on store shelves despite the recall, according to state officials and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Parents andcaregivers should stop feeding the formula to babiesimmediately and monitor the children for symptoms, which can takeupto30daystoappear

officers detained them and began efforts to deport them. In response to questions about any changes, Homeland Security Assistant SecretaryTricia McLaughlin issued astatementsaying that people “whoclaim to be recipientsofDeferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) arenot automatically protected from deportations. DACA does not confer anyform of legalstatus in this country.” DACA recipients can losestatus“for a numberofreasons, including if they’ve committeda crime,” she said.

McLaughlin also claimed in astatement that Vijandre made social media posts “glorifying terrorism,”including one she said celebrated Abu Musabal-Zarqawi, al-Qaida’s leader in Iraq who was killed in aU.S. strike in 2006.

An attorney for Vijandre, Chris Godshall-Bennett, said Vijandre’s social media activity is “clearly” protected speech.

White Oak Estate &Gardens in Baton Rouge. They became great friends that day,Folse said.

“When it came to asuperior beefproduct, Shawn had it all: pure genetics, grain-fed andhormone-free,” Folse said. “I tasted his choice and prime beef as well as premium steaks, roasts and groundbeef.Itwas the best beef Ihad ever tasted.”

So, how does Sagreradoit?

Thescience behind thesuccess

“Giddy up,baby!” Sagrerasaid while maneuvering his high-speed side-by-side vehicle through the rolling farm fields.

Cattle are dispersed throughout the fields in pastures grouped by function, and Sagrera drives the side-by-side to each cattle group.

In early November,Sagrera was doing what he does well —looking ahead.

“I’m workingonthe beef that the consumerswill eatin2029,” Sagrera said. “It’snot an afterthought. This is carefully planned.”

He pulls about 60 data points on each cow,but four traits are the top criteria: calving ease (theability to easily birth calves), growth, marbling and significant rib-eye area.

“Only the elite animals get to be aherd sire,” he said. “You don’t want somethingreproducingthat’s really skinny-legged anddoes not have good muscle mass.”

we takea12-year bourbonout of thebarrel at seven (years)? We don’t.”

Exclusivesteak

Time is another important fac-

tor.Each cow lives about twoyears and grows to about1,100 pounds, which gives it the necessary time to develop high levels of fat. He compares raisingcattle to making bourbon.

“Let’s say we want to drink 12year bourbon,” Sagrera said. “Do

It’sall based on data, scienceand DNA, Sagrera said, and heuses ultrasound technology research on genetics. He specifically raises Angus cattle because they have the genetic potential for high IMF levels.

“Wedon’tdeal with just any restaurant,” Sagrera said. “Supper Club and Igot areally good partnership.”

The acclaimed Baton Rouge restaurant at 10480 Perkins Road opened in 2022 and sources itsingredients from all over the globe, but executive chef Leighton Carbo sources his best steak about an hour up theroad.

Before Supper Club opened,the restaurantstaff ran atest kitchen on Burbank Drive where thecrew tested all sorts of recipes anddishes. Folse visited the kitchen often, Carbosaid, and when thecrew was in search of premium steak, Folse said he knew aguy.Itdidn’t takelong for Carbo and Sagrera to shake hands on adeal.

“It’sbeen ahuge staple in our success over here,” Carbo said. “It’sacool story to tell, andI’m proud to be his business partner. I’m proud to be his friend.”

SagreraFarms’ beef is in afew menu items at SupperClub, including dry-aged meatballs,shortrib burnt ends, and of course, the

SagreraCut, aged for 35 days and butchered in-house.

About everythreeorfourweeks, Sagreradeliverstwo chucks,two loins,two ribs and he grinds the hind legs,soCarbo gets “six giant sections,” about 300 pounds apiece.

“Some of the cows he brings me are16, 17, 18%IMF,” Carbosaid.

“You think aboutthat, thatisa really good prime high-end steak.It’s off-the-charts super prime.”

Carbo and the sous chef butcher each piece witha bandsawand serve thecutsoverthe next couple weeks.

The quality of the product speaks for itself, Carbo said.

“It’s salt, pepper,ahot grill and thebest quality meat,” Carbo said.

“If yougot the quality,anything else you do to it will almosttake away from the quality.I’m really just trying to let that beef shine.”

Meet thecowboys

Abraham Gonzalez, 26, and Miller Mayes, 16, seem to live alife that feels like aWesternfilm. Insteadofriding horses, they drive tractors, side-by-sides and fourwheeled farm bikes.

Gonzalez,fromBrownsville, Texas, worked in the exotic animal industry forseven yearsbefore

joining Sagrera Farms, going from raising giraffes and zebras to cows.

Theconstant movement is his favorite part of the job.

“There’snever the same thing every single day,” Gonzalezsaid. “I like getting up and moving, and Ilike where things just happen unexpectedly.It’snever-ending here, that’sfor sure.”

He hasworkedatSagrera Farms sinceJanuary,and his dailyresponsibilities, whichchange from season to season,include feeding the cattle, checking on calves and planting ryegrass.

His decade-younger counterpart, Mayes, started work at Sagrera FarmsinMay after working at a nearby cattle and sheep farm in Slaughter.When Mayes isn’tatthe farm,he’sworking towardgraduating from his homeschooling program

“It’sjustalways somethingthat I’ve loved,” he said about farm life. Mornings andevenings are the best times to peek at thecows, Gonzalez said.

“The evenings —the sun’sgoing down, and they’re out there grazing,” Gonzalezsaid. “You seeall the calves runningaround, jumping around, and it’ssuper neat. Super peaceful.”

Some families ‘adopting’ turkeysfor Thanksgiving

BY HALLIE GOLDEN and THOMAS PEIPERT associated Press

ERIE, Colo. “Gus” the turkey has been spending Thanksgiving week much differently than millions of other unluckygobblers across the U.S.

As he trots in asprawling animal sanctuary on the Colorado plains, he is stopped every few steps by staff who pet him, hug him or even give him apeck on hisred face.Gus hasbeen there since 2023 after being pardoned by the governor “Whatdoyou think? Do youwant to do snuggles today?” Lanette Cook, education andengagement manager at the Luvin Arms Animal Sanctuary in Erie, says to Gus.

Gus is among agrowing number of turkeys that are being “adopted” instead of being covered in gravy and eaten at Thanksgiving dinner tables.

An increasing number of farm animal sanctuaries across the country have started promoting this alternative versionof Thanksgiving in which families “adopt” turkeys and donate money to their lifelong care. In return, they receive photos,certificates and sometimes even one-onone visits with the birds

The goal: Spare afew of

PENNY

Continued from page1a

about 20% last year. According to the U.S. Mint’s2024 annual report, the penny costs 3.7 centstoproduce.

The problem with pennies is that they are issued by the U.S. Mint, given as change, andrarely recirculated back into theeconomy.Americans store their penniesin jars or use them for decoration. This requires the agency to produce significant sums of pennies each year

National food chains like Cinnabon, Auntie Anne’s, Wendy’sand McDonald’s have recommended their franchisees round cash transactions as they run out of pennies,CBS News reported. ASeptember report from Capital One Shopping found that nearly half of

ABRAHAM

Continued from page1a

policies, being an advocate for disease prevention and handling Louisiana’sresponse to health emergencies.

Abraham made several splashes in the media after taking on that role.

In September of lastyear, he blasted the state’sCOVID-19 response, calling most of the government’shealth interventions, such as mask mandates and “coerced”

thetensofmillions ofturkeys slaughteredthistime of year,many of which are raised in what animalrights advocates say are inhumane conditions in factory farms. Some people will adopt for themselves and feature their turkey’sphoto on their Thanksgiving table, while otherswill gift the adoptions to friends or family members.

At Luvin Arms, a$25 donationcomes with acertificate, photoand eithera virtual or in-person visit, explained Kelly Nix, its executivedirector.Since launching the programin 2022, the sanctuary,located about25milesnorth of Denver,has seen the number of sponsorshipsdouble every year.And this year they’re on track to reach their goal of $18,000, she said.

Luvin Arms’ website featuresGus anda gaggle of turkeysalong with their personalitytraits (Gusis very talkative!)aspart of its sponsor-a-turkey program. It encourages the publictodonatefor the birds forThanksgiving and maybe even rethink their holiday traditions.

Thefunds have helped payfor extendingthe turkeys’ outdoor pasture area, along with feeding and rescuing more turkeys. They’ve helped withveterinary bills,which cansome-

Americans don’tpurchase goods with cash in atypical week

Rouses Markets announced earlier this month that thestores will round cash transactions uptothe nearest nickel to ensure customers don’tcomeup short in change. All 66 of the grocer’sstores across Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi have implemented the policy,which RousesCreative Director Marcy Nathan said has been “no issue at all.” Justin Alford,co-owner of Benny’s CarWash &Oil Change andB-Quikconvenience stores, said his businesses still have enough pennies at themoment to continue cash transactions —which make up about onethirdoftheir overall transactions —but he is trying to getaheadof an imminent depletion.Alford said he has

vaccinations, “ineffective, counterproductive and antithetical to the core principles of afree society ” TheCOVID-19 vaccine hasbeenshowntobesafe in most instances, the CDC said inprevious statements before changing itsguidance this year under President Donald Trump’shealth secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has campaigned against vaccines. Studies also show theCOVID-19 vaccine decreasesthe risk of severe illness. Earlier this year, Abraham was criticized after

times cost thousands of dollarsbecause of themedical complications that arise for turkeysthat come from factory farms, which breed them to grow very bigina short period of time, said Nix. In thewild, turkeys tend to live an average of three or four years, according to the National Wild Turkey Federation.

Butthe sanctuarysays the programisabout more than just the turkeys or money.There’s also an important educationalfactor, whether learning about the conditions in factoryfarms or that turkeys are more than just centerpieces

“Even if it makes you stop anddouble think what it is you’re abouttodo,” said Nix. “Or thatyou’re like, ‘wow this is alifeofasentient being,’ for us that’sa conversation starter.”

Farm Sanctuary,which is located in New York and California,isbelieved to be the first to launchthistype of turkey adoption program, kicking it off in 1986. Gene Baur,its president andcofounder,saidinitially the public was not only confused aboutthe program butabout theconcept of rescuing farm animals altogether

In thenearlyfourdecades since, thesanctuary has rescued thousands of turkeys. And the public hasnot only caught on tothe conceptbut

notyet instituted anychanges regarding theuse of pennies in cash transactionsbut anticipates implementing a rounding policy early next year

Benny’sfirst felt the impact of thepenny cessation in September,when their weekly purchases of pennies from the bank decreased from $100 worth of pennies to $20 worth of pennies

He expects theconvenience stores, where most cash transactions occur acrosshis businesses,to be mostaffected by the upcoming policy.Customers purchasing gas or car washes tend to pay with a credit card or dollar bills, if they’re using cash. Alford said he doesn’tknow if the rounding policy will have an impact on sales.

“Everyone’s going to be on thesame boat, so it’s hard to say,” he said.

he banned Louisiana Department of Health staff from promoting seasonal vaccinesand brought the state’s long-standing mass vaccination efforts to an end.

He hasinsteadencouraged patientstodiscuss vaccination decisions with their healthcare providers.

“Perhapsthere are some treatments that every human being shouldtake, but they are fewand far between,and things that are good generally don’thave to be pushed by the government,” he wroteinaletter

in someyearshas donated hundreds of thousands of dollars, Baursaid

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He rattles off some of theorganization’sresidentslike they’reclose friends: Lewis isn’tmuch of apeople personbut loves spending timeswith the girls. Sabrina and Hilda are always interested in what people are bringing into the coop and what everyone’s doing.

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Pakistan denies Afghanistan’sclaimsofairstrikes

BY ABDUL QAHAR AFGHAN and MUNIR AHMED associated Press

KABUL, Afghanistan Afghanistan’s Taliban government on Tuesday accused Pakistan of launching deadly overnight strikes in three eastern provinces, butPakistan’smilitary dismissed the claim andsaid no such strikes were carried out.

The Pakistani denial came hours after Zabihullah Mujahid,the chief spokesperson for the Afghan government, said on Xthat Pakistan “bombed” the home of acivilian in Khost province, killing nine children and awoman. He also claimed additional strikes were carried out in the Afghan provincesofKunar and Paktika, injuring fourpeople. Mujahid described the attacks as “atrocities” and said the strikes were “a violation of Afghanterritory.” Afghanistan “considers the use of its airspace and territory and defenseofits people to be itslegitimate right, and at the appropriate time, it will givethe necessary response,” he said.

Tensions escalate Afghanistan’sreportofnew strikes camemore than amonth after cross-border clashes erupted when the Afghan government claimed Pakistani drone strikes hit

Kabul.

Pakistan military spokesperson

Ahmad Sharif Chaudhry denied the Afghan government’s claim Tuesday,saying Pakistan does not target and kill civilians

He added that strikes carried out in October targeted thehideouts of Pakistani Taliban who were behind the surge of violence in the country

“Weannounce and acknowledge whenever we carry outsuch strikes,”hesaid during anews briefinginthe garrison city of Rawalpindi.

Theceasefire brokered by Qatar and Turkey betweenthe twosides in October still held Tuesday despite the reported strikes.There was no immediate comment from Qatar and Turkey Iran has recently offered to play arolein defusingtensionsbetween Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Ali Larijani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National SecurityCouncil, said Tuesday on Xthat he met with Pakistan’sForeign Minister Ishaq Dar in Islamabad, aday after arrivingona previouslyscheduled visit.

Dar’soffice wasalsoexpected to release astatementabout themeeting.

In Khost, residents combed through the rubble of the destroyed home, retrieving belongings.

“You see the cruelty with your own eyes, that young children, a

woman and nine children, were martyred,”saidMuhammad Iqbal, who said the dead were his cousin’s family Local tribal leader Mer Adam Khan saidthe attack was carried out by adrone that wasflying over thearea at around midnight.“It is notknown whereitcamefromand by whom,” he said, adding thatthe home that was destroyed was that of alocal man, whom he identified as

Shariat Khan

“He has not interfered with any government. He livesa poor life here,” the tribal leader said. Recent attackstargetPakistan

The latest escalation follows a deadly attack aday earlier in Pakistan’snorthwestern city of Peshawar, wheretwo suicidebombers and agunman stormed theheadquarters of theFederal Constabulary.Three

officers were killedand 11 others were wounded in theMondaymorning attack

No group claimed responsibility for the Peshawar attack, but suspicion quickly fell on the Pakistani Taliban, or Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan

The army spokesperson, Chaudhry,said the three militants who carried out the attack were Afghan nationals who sneaked into the country from the Tirah border region in the northwest.

TTP is aseparate group but closely allied with the Afghan Taliban and manyofits leaders are believed to be hiding in Afghanistan. Kabul in 2022 brokered abriefceasefire between the TTP and Pakistan. The militant group then ended the truce after accusing Pakistan of violating it. Pakistan has intensified intelligence-based operations against militants in recent weeks. Since January,Pakistan haskilled1,873 militants in thousands of operations, Chaudhry said.

On Tuesday,the military said security forceskilled22militants during araid on what it described as ahideout of “Indian-backed” fighters in Bannu, adistrict in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province near the Afghan border

BY MAURICIO SAVARESE associated Press

BRASILIA, Brazil Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro started on Tuesday to serve his 27-year prison sentence for leadingacoup attempt designed to keep him in office after losing the 2022 presidential elections, amove that manyin the South American nation doubted would ever take place.

Supreme Court JusticeAlexandre de Moraes, who has overseen thecase, ruled Bolsonaro will remainatthe same federalpolice headquarters where he hasbeen since he was preemptively arrested on Saturday for beingconsidered aflight risk. Brazil’scriminal law alsocould

have allowed the70-year-old to be transferred to alocal penitentiary or to aprison room in amilitary facility in capital Brasilia.

The Supreme Court justiceconsidered that Bolsonaro’sdefense hadexhaustedall appeals of his conviction on Monday.His lawyers wanted him to be on house arrest due to hispoor health.

Theembattled leader had been under house arrest sinceAugust when de Moraesfirstmentioned he could escape. Thefar-rightleader said“hallucinations” had ledhim to break hisanklemonitoring with awelder on Saturday,aclaim that de Moraes dismissedinhis preemptivearrest order

The former president and several of his allieswereconvictedby

apanel of Supreme Court justices for attempted to overthrow Brazil’sdemocracy following his 2022 election defeat.

The plot included plans to kill President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Vice President Geraldo Alckmin andJusticedeMoraes. The plan also involved egging on an insurrection in early 2023.

The former president was also found guilty of charges including leading an armed criminal organization and of attempting the violent abolition of the democratic rule of law Bolsonaro has always denied wrongdoing.

Twoothers convicted, Augusto Heleno and Paulo Sérgio Nogueira, bothArmygenerals, were sent the

militaryfacility in Brasilia to start serving their sentences.

Former justiceminister Anderson Torres is now imprisoned at thePapuda penitentiary,also in Brazil’scapital.

Adm.AlmirGarnier will serve his term at Navy facilities in Brasilia.

Bolsonaro’srunning mate and former DefenseMinisterWalter Braga Netto, another army general, will remain in prison at military facilities in Rio de Janeiro.

De Moraes also confirmed that lawmaker andformerhead of Brazil’sintelligence agency Alexandre Ramagem is on the loose in the United States.

Bolsonaro remains akey figure in Brazilian politics, despite being

ineligible to run again at least until 2030 after aseparate ruling by Brazil’stop electoral court. Polls showhewould be acompetitive candidate in next year’svote if allowed to run.

The former president is an ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, who hascalled the trial of the former Brazilian leader a“witch hunt.” Bolsonaro was mentioned in aJuly orderbythe U.S. administration to raise tariffs on several Brazilianexports by 50%tariffs. Relations betweenthe twocountries have improved since, with Lula andTrump meeting in Malaysia at the ASEAN summitin October

Most of those higher tariffs have been dropped.

BY WAFAA SHURAFA, MEGAN JANETSKY andSAMY MAGDY associated Press

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip

Israel on Tuesday said it received human remains turned over by Palestinian militants andforensic experts were trying to determine if they belonged to one of the three remaininghostages held in Gaza.

The handover wasthe latest under afragile ceasefire that began in October and has held despite accusations by both sides of violations.

The Palestinian militant groupIslamic Jihad said it found the remains earlier this week in Nuseirat, arefugee camp in central Gaza.

The ceasefire requires Hamas to release all hostages, and Palestinian militants have returned 25 hostage bodies so far.The remaining hostages are two Israelis and aman from Thailand.In return, Israel has released the bodies of 330Palestinians to Gaza. Most remain unidentified.

Israel has accused Hamas of stalling and threatened to resume military operations or withhold humanitarian aid if all remains are not returned. Hamas says it has not been able to reach all the remains of hostages because they are buried under rubble from Israel’stwo-year offensive. Netanyahu’soffice asserted that thedelayamountedtoa ceasefire violation.

Arising deathtollinGaza

While daily fighting has stopped,the deathtoll has gone up as Israel strikes parts of Gaza in response to what it says areceasefireviolations by

Hamas.

Gaza’s health ministry on Tuesday said Israeli forces killed three peopleeast of Khan Younis in the south. It said thebodies were brought to hospitals alongwith 14 others recovered from the rubble over the past 24 hours.

Those brought the death toll to 345 Palestinianssince the ceasefire took effect, the ministry said.

On Tuesday night, Israel’s military said it killed five militants emerging from atunnel in Rafah in southern Gaza and anotherwho crossed into an Israeli-held part of northern Gaza and approachedtroops.

The war began with the Hamas-led attack on southernIsrael on Oct. 7, 2023, that killed some 1,200 people and took over 250 hostages Almost all of thehostages or their remainshave been returned in ceasefiresorother deals.

Gaza’sHealth Ministry says 69,775 Palestinians have been killed and 170,863 injuredinIsrael’sretaliatory offensive. It does not distinguish between civilians and combatantsinits figures,but

has said women and children makeupamajorityofthose killed. The ministry is staffed by medical professionals and maintainsdetailed records viewed as generally reliable by independent experts.

support battalions,and that themilitary waspreparing

other support, including three hospital warships, aC-130 Herculesmilitarytransport aircraftand ahelicopter

The U.S. plan also includes atransitional authority to be overseen by President Donald Trumpand envisions a possible future path to an independentPalestinian state.

Visits fordetainees

Israelihuman rights organizations HaMoked, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel and the Public Committee AgainstTorture in Israel filedapetition on Tuesdayto Israel’shigh court calling on authoritiestoresume family visits forPalestinian prisonerssuspected of being militants.

Family visits were suspended at thebeginning of thewar in Gaza. Sincethen, the number of Palestinians dyingin Israelicustodyhas surged,

and prison populations have doubled. Rights groups allege systematic violence and denialofmedical care as key causes of deaths.

HaMoked attorney Daniel Shenhar said “Israel hasalmost completely cut off Palestinianprisoners anddetainees from theoutside world.

Apopemobilefor Gaza

The Catholic charity Caritas on Tuesdayunveiledthe late Pope Francis’ so-called popemobile in the Israelioccupied West Bank. Per Francis’ request, it has been transformed into amobile health clinic and is supposed to be senttoGaza to help care forchildren

“Thisvehicle standsasa testament. The world has not forgotten the children of Gaza,” said Cardinal Anders Arborelius, the bishop of Stockholm,Sweden.

Meanwhile, familiesin Gaza confronted heavy winter rains that worsened dire humanitarianconditionsfor many of the2 million people displaced by the war

Stabilizationforce

Planning was underway for an international stabilization force mandated by the U.N. lastweek during the approval of Washington’s20-pointblueprinttosecureand govern Gaza.

Indonesia said Tuesday it was preparing troops. Officials saidthe final deployment would await an official order from Indonesian PresidentPrabowo Subianto, who has said his country was ready to deploy 20,000 peacekeepers to Gaza at any time.

Gen. AgusSubianto, chief of the Indonesian Armed Forces, toldreporters the contingent would be abrigade consisting of health, engineering and mechanized

24 schoolgirlsabductedinNigeria rescued

BY TUNDE OMOLEHIN, OPE ADETAYOand MARK BANCHEREAU associated Press

SOKOTO, Nigeria— All24 schoolgirls held by assailants following amass abduction last week from a school in northwestern Nigeria have been rescued, the country’spresident announced Tuesday

Atotal of 25 girls were abducted Nov.17from the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Kebbi state’sMaga town, but one of them was able to escapethe sameday,the school’sprincipalsaid.The remaining24were all rescued, according to astatement from President Bola Tinubu, though no details were released about the rescue “I am relived that allthe 24 girls gavebeen accounted for.Now,wemust put as amatter of urgency more boots on the ground in the vulnerable areas to avert

further incidentsofkidnapping,” the statement quoted Tinubu as saying. The attack in Kebbi was among aspate of recent mass abductions in Nigeria, including araidFriday on theSaint Mary’sSchool in north-central Niger state in which more than 300 students and staff from theCatholicschoolwere abducted.Fifty students escaped over the weekend.

Musa Rabi Magaji,principal of the primarily Muslim school in Kebbi, told The Associated Press that all of thegirls hadbeenreleased but that they were still in the custody of authorities. He had no immediatedetails of theircondition.

Abdulkarim Abdullahi, whose twodaughtersaged 12 and 13 were among those abducted,saidauthorities told him the girls were beingtaken tothe statecapital of Birnin Kebbi. “I am excited to receive the news of their freedom, thepast few days have

been difficultfor me and my family,especially their mother,” Abdullahi saidina telephone interview.“Iwill wait to seefromthe government about theirwellbeing, but Ican’twait to seethem in good health.”

Meanwhile, 38 worshippers kidnapped during a deadly church attack in central Nigeria’sKwara state have regainedtheir freedom, KwaraGov.AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq saidina statementonSunday.Gunmen had attacked the Christ Apostolic Church in Kwara’sEruku town on Nov.18, killing twopeople andtakingthe others hostage.

No group has claimed responsibility forthe recent abductions,but analysts and locals say gangs of banditsoften target schools, travelers and remote villagers in kidnappings for ransoms. The gangs have usedkidnapping for ransom as one way of dominating remote communitieswith

littlegovernmentand security presence. Authorities say the ban-

ditsare mostlyformer herders whohave taken up armsagainst farming communities

them

Ethiopianvolcano subsides, leavingtrail of disruption in wake

BY AMANUELGEBREMEDHIN

BIRHANE and RAJESHROY associated Press

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia Volcanic activity in northern Ethiopia’slongdormant Hayli Gubbi volcano subsided Tuesday afteraneruption over the weekend thatleft atrail of destruction in nearby villages andcaused flight cancellations after ashplumes disrupted highaltitude flight paths. Villages in the district of Afdera in the Afar region werecovered in ash, officials saidresidents were coughing, and livestock found their grass and water totally covered. Airlinescanceled dozens of flights scheduled to fly over affected areasasthe meteorological

department said the ash clouds wereexpected to clearlater on Tuesday India’sflagcarrier,Air India, said it canceled 11 flights, most of them international, on Monday and Tuesdaytoinspect aircraft thatmay have flownover affected areas, acting on adirective from India’saviationsafety regulator AnotherIndianoperator,Akasa Air, saidithad canceled flights to Middle East destinations such as Jeddah, Kuwait, and Abu Dhabi scheduled over the past two days. At least seven international flights scheduledtodepartfrom andarrive at theIndira Gandhi International Airport in the Indian capital of New Delhi were canceled on Tuesday, while at least a dozen were delayed, according to

Featherweight Scooter

an officialatthe airport.

An official in charge of health in northern Ethiopia’sAfdera district,AbedellaMussa,said the residents were coughing and mobile medicalservices from thelargerAfar regionhad been launchedinthe remote area.

“Two medical teams have been dispatched to the affected kebeles(neighborhoods) like Fia and Nemma-Gubi to provide mobile medical services,” he said.

Another official in charge of livestock, Nuur Mussa,said animalswere unable to find clean water or grass.

“Many animals, especially in thetwo affected kebeles, cannot drink clean water or feed on grass because it is covered by volcanic ash,” he said.

EPAmoves to abandonsootrule

toughstandards fordeadly fine particle matter challengedincourt

BY MATTHEW DALY associated Press

WASHINGTON TheTrump administration is seeking to abandon a rule that sets tough standards for deadly soot pollution, arguing that the Biden administrationdid not have authority to set the tighter standard on pollution from tailpipes, smokestacks and other industrial sources. The action follows moves by theadministrationlastweek to weaken federal rules protectingmillions of acresofwetlands andstreams and roll back protections for imperiled species and the places they live. In aseparate action, theInterior Department proposednew oildrillingoff the California and Florida coasts for the first time in decades, advancing aproject that critics saycould harm coastal communities and ecosystems.

The Environmental Protection Agency finalized arule last year that imposed strict standards for soot pollution, saying that reducingfine particle matter from motor vehicles and industrial sources could prevent thousands of premature deaths ayear Twenty-five Republican-led states and ahost of business groups filed lawsuits seekingto block the rule in court. Asuit led by attorneys general from Kentuckyand West Virginia argued that the EPArule would raise costs for manufacturers, utilities andfamilies and could block new manufacturing plants.

In acourt filing this week,the EPAessentially tookthe side of the challengers, saying the Biden-era rule was done “without the rigorous, stepwise process that Congress required” and was therefore unlawful.

“EPAnow confesses errorand urges this Court to vacatethe Rule”before Feb. 7, theagency said in abrief filed with the U.S

DistrictCourt of Appealsfor the District of ColumbiaCircuit.Vacatingthe Biden-era rulewould revert the soot standard to alevel established adozen years ago under the Obama administration The Trump EPAisset to propose its own ruleearly next year Environmental groups said the agency’saction —which follows a pledge by EPAAdministrator Lee Zeldin to roll back thesoot rule and dozens of other environmental regulations —threatens public health and undermines its obligations underthe Clean AirAct.

“EPA’s motion is ablatant attempt to avoidlegal requirements for arollback, in this case for one of the most impactful actions the

agency has takeninrecent years to protect public health,” said Hayden Hashimoto, an attorney at thenonprofit Clean Air Task Force.

The 2024 rule set maximum levelsof9 micrograms of fineparticle pollution percubic meterof air, down from 12 micrograms established under former President Barack Obama. Therulesetsan airquality levelthatstatesand counties must achieve in the coming years to reduce pollution from powerplants, vehicles,industrial sites and wildfires.

“An abundance of scientific evidence shows thatgoing back to theprevious standard would fail to provide the level of protection

for public health required under the Clean AirAct,” Hashimoto said.

EPAsaidincreating the rule that the new standard would avoid 800,000cases of asthmasymptoms, 2,000 hospitalvisits and 4,500 premature deaths, adding up to about $46 billioninhealth benefitsin2032.

Then-EPAhead Michael Regan said the rule would especially benefit children, older adultsand those with heart and lung conditions, as well as those living near highways, factories and power plants.

“Walking away from these clean-air standards doesn’tpower anythingbut disease,”said

Patrice Simms,vice president of healthy communities at Earthjustice, anonprofit law firm that represents environmental groups in the legalcase. President Donald Trump“has made it clear thathis agenda is all about saving corporations money,” Simms said, adding under Zeldin,the EPA“hasnothing to do with protecting people’s health, saving livesorserving children families or communities.”

Soot, made up of tiny toxicparticlesthatlodge deep in the lungs, can result in severe health harms, including premature death, and comes from sourcessuch as vehicle exhaust pipes, power plants, andfactories.

Group challenges law for carbon storage

says process is an unlawful taking of property

BY DAVID J MITCHELL staff writer

A central Louisiana group op-

posed to carbon capture and stor-

age has asked a state judge in Baton Rouge to declare laws allowing companies to use private land for such projects an “egregious and overt trampling” of landowners’ state constitutional rights.

In a lawsuit brought Thursday,

Charter founder removed from accounts

Save My Louisiana and several of its members leveled that accusation as they seek to block enforcement of state laws allowing carbon capture companies to create underground storage “units” on private land for carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.

are private companies for private gain, and we’re saying that you’re violating the Constitution.”

BY CHARLES LUSSIER staff writer

Ten months after taking over, Impact Charter School’s new board of directors has persuaded a Baton Rouge judge to allow it to take greater financial control from founder Chakesha Scott, though not as much as it sought. But the legal battle over the Baker-based elementary school is far from over It’s also not clear how quickly the management group will be able to gain this control, though, because five members of the previous, ousted board of directors have filed a separate lawsuit. Their lawsuit aims to block Neighbors Federal Credit Union and Automatic Data Processing, or ADP, from allowing the new management to assume control of those accounts. The former holds some school funds, and the latter processes payroll and

ä see CHARTER, page 2B

Inmate dies after cell fight

Investigation underway at elayn Hunt

BY AIDAN McCAHILL

staff writer

An inmate at Elayn Hunt Correctional Facility died Monday morning after a fight with another inmate in his cell, authorities confirmed. The Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections confirmed the inmate was 30-year-old Detroit Draper Iberville Parish Sheriff Brett Stassi said his office is investigating the death, pending the results of an autopsy Stassi said that after the fight, Draper was “woozy” and briefly stood up before collapsing. A corrections officer then took him to the facility’s infirmary before he was taken to a hospital where he died. The death comes after three inmates died from overdoses at the St. Gabriel facility in September

At a news conference outside the Baton Rouge courthouse, retired U.S. Air Force Col. Mark T Guillory, one of the named plaintiffs in Save My Louisiana, argued that the Legislature improperly gave those powers in a way that doesn’t serve the public good

Legal battles continue over Impact’s management Harper Mullis passes a turkey to Carter Rentz to hand out to a driver

“The Legislature is prohibited from creating special laws for special people. Well, that’s what this is. It’s a special law for a special group of people,” said Guillory, a resident of Rapides Parish. “This is not a utility issue These

Filed in the 19th Judicial District Court, the lawsuit was brought against the state, naming Gov Jeff Landry and Dustin Davidson, secretary of the Department of Conservation and Energy as defendants in their official capacities.

Since being granted authority to do so by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in early 2024, Davidson’s department

handles the permitting of carbon capture wells. It also regulates pipelines that begin and end inside the state’s boundaries. A spokesman for the department declined to comment Thursday, citing the pending litigation. Carbon capture and sequestration takes waste carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that would normally be emitted into the atmosphere from fossil fuelbased industrial processes and

easy PICKINGs

ABOVE: Ryder Swaggart, left, lifts up a frozen turkey with his leg before giving it to a driver with the help of Donnie Swaggart, center, at Jimmy Swaggart Ministries during its turkey giveaway on Tuesday LEFT: Dr. Gabriel Swaggart hugs his daughter, Caroline.

BY CLAIRE TAYLOR staff writer

Three people were indicted by aSt. Landry Parish jury for second-degree murder,including aman charged in 2017 in connection with a“shaken baby syndrome” incident. Benjamin Baquet, 30,was indicted Friday on acharge of second-degree murder in the death of ajuvenileunder theage of 12, according to District Attorney Chad Pitre.

CHALLENGES

Continued from page 1B

injects them deep underground for permanent storage.

Proponents see this process as asafe way to cut emissions that contribute to climate change and rising average global temperatures. It also presents away for Louisiana’s fossil fuel-based industries to offer low-carbon products to increasinglyimportant foreign markets.

Scientists say Louisiana’ssedimentary geology is perfect for long-termstorage,withexisting techniques already used to pump CO2into the ground and pushup oiland gas from depleted reservoirs.

Butpublic opposition has emergedasprojects to storepotentially tens of millions of tons per year in CO2 under rural centraland western Louisiana —as well as in parishes east and south of Baton Rouge have begun cyclingthrough earlytesting and state permitting.

These critics say the technology remainsa still-unproven

CHARTER

Continued from page1B

other human resources-related activities for the school. Meanwhile, there’sa chance that one or both partieswill appealthe ruling issued Monday NineteenthJudicialDistrict Judge Ron Johnson issued a preliminary injunction orderingScott to stay out of school operations and allow thenew management to assume control of payroll, financial software and bank accounts. Johnson listed five banks by name, including Neighbors

“The court found sufficient evidence to enjoin the defendant,” Johnson said Monday,ruling from the bench.

Johnson, however,rejected thenew management’seffort to also get control of assets held by Scott’shusband, Eric, whoserved as the school’sprincipal,aswell as two entities associated with theschool, includingFriends of Impact Charter School.

The Friends group is aphilanthropic organizationthat supports the charter school. It owns andserves as the landlord for theproperty in Baker where the school hasresided formost of its 11-year existence.InApril, the new management relocatedtoa vacantschool in Baker after receiving an eviction notice for fail-

According to previous reports, in July2017, deputies with theSt. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office responded to acall of an unresponsive baby Sheriff Bobby Guidroz said at thetime that medical officials reported the 7-week-old baby sufferedbleeding on the brain, aright broken clavicle, bruises, respiratoryarrest,diffuse cerebral hemorrhages andnonaccidentaltrauma, also known as “shaken baby syndrome.” Baquet was arrestedinconnection with the incident in 2017. The baby remainedhospitalized anddiedrecently,Assistant Dis-

concept that could damage aquifersifleaksoccur andcreate a public safety risk through transport pipelinesthat could leak from the corrosive effects of CO2

The statelaws at issueallow companies to create “units” —or defined swathsof land that can be tens of thousands of acres —for carbon storage.

Companies must get at least 85% of thelandowners in the unit to agree to payments under alease deal and canthen force the remaining landowners to accept storage leases even if they are opposed

In practice, carbon storage companies andindustrieshave used theirown landorfocused storageareas under lands where single,large owners, such as timber companies, hold all or asignificantpart of the storage area. Companies have also lookedtothe state, such as the water bottoms under Lake Maurepas and state wildlife areas.

CO2storage uses tiny spaces, or pores, in rock layers thousands of feet below ground that are often close to amile below most drink-

ing to pay the $130,000 monthly rent.

Johnsonofferedlittleexplanation Monday for whyheruledas he did. He plans soon to issuea writtenruling.

Theplaintiffs claim Scott wrongfully diverted funds from school accounts andlater used them for personal expenses

Scott’smanagementofthe charter school has been under scrutiny since the Legislative Auditor’sOffice began investigating Impact in 2023. That investigation culminated in adamning auditthatthe state agency released in earlyFebruary

Within weeks,the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education replaced the school’sboard, whichsoonled to Scott’ssuspension andtermination. Scottisalso facing afederal criminal investigation into hermanagement of Impact.

Plaintiffs estimatethat Scott continues to control $1.5 million to $3 millioninschoolassetseven though she wassuspended and firedsoonafter stateregulators installed anew board to oversee the K-8 elementary with about 400 students

After Monday’s hearing, Scott’s attorney,J.Arthur Smith, downplayed Johnson’s decision.

“She’sbeen enjoined from doingwhatshe wouldn’tdoanyway,”hesaid

Monday’sruling was the cul-

trict Attorney Alisa Gothreaux said on Monday The coronerdid an autopsy, she said, and determined the girl’s death is related to theinjuries shesuffered in 2017. Awarranthas been issued for Baquet’s arrest based on the grandjury indictment. Hislast known address is in Lumberton, Texas, accordingtothe news release The grand jury also on Friday indicted HaydenBoudreaux, 22, of Arnaudville, in connection withthe second-degree murder of NathanPowell, 31, also from Arnaudville. Powell died after suffering two

ingwater aquifers. Understate law,landowners hold these“pore spaces,” just as theydofor what is on the surface.

This method of creatingunits mirrors alongstanding practice in oil andgas drilling, but plaintiffs’ attorney W. Alan Pesnell arguesthe process still amounts to acondemnation that,unlike other government takings, isn’t reviewedbya judge andisn’t for apublic purpose, like aroad or bridge.

“In effect, that’syou taking my property foruse by thatprivate personbecause it’shis CO2that’s stored there, not mine, not the state’s, nota nonprofit entity that does public work, but aprivate entity thatowns this gas, or liquid,”Pesnell said.

Earlierlawsuit

The lawsuit triestodrawadistinction with oil andgas units.It arguesthat, with thoseunits,the oil and gas under someone’spropertyisn’t trulyowned by anyone until it’s brought to the surface. Theseunitsare createdtoshare in profits fromthe sale of the oil andgas.

The lawsuit claims carbon cap-

mination of 10 monthsofcourt activity

Impact’s new board of directors filed its lawsuit againstScott in late February, just days after beingappointed. Johnsoncalled aMarch 17 hearing on whether to issueapreliminaryinjunction, but Scott was notpresent. It took twomoremonths to successfully serve herand compel hertoappear

The case repeatedly stalled as Scott and other affiliatedentities, each with their own attorneys, lodged avariety of legal challenges to theproceedings. Scott twice unsuccessfully appealed Johnson’sruling to the 1st Circuit Court of Appeal Priya Kumar,aNew Orleansbasedattorney representing Impact’snew management, complained repeatedly about how long it was alltaking.

“Thepetitioners have been significantly prejudiced by these proceedings,” Kumar said.

The hearingonthe requested preliminary injunction did not finally start until Oct. 30, resumed Nov. 17 andthenconcluded Mondayafter afull day of proceedings No onetestified in person.Everything wasdoneonpaper in the form of affidavits. The bulk of them wereaffidavits from Impact school leaders, collected in March, documentingthe chaos of the early days of the school.

gunshot wounds, according to the news release. The incident happenedatTiger TouchdownNo. 6 on MainStreet in Arnaudville on Aug. 30. Earlier news reports indicate the men wereinavideo poker room andwereinvolved in afight that led to the shooting. Boudreaux is set for arraignment on Jan. 8. LorenzoFontenot, 54, of Opelousas, was also indicted in connection with thesecond-degreemurder of Awen Fontenot, also from Opelousas Awen Fontenotdiedofmultiple stab wounds to his upper torso in August, according to the

ture units arenot thesame: “This is the state requiring landowners to receive and store adangerous chemical under their land forprivate entities and pay for the same through tax credits and subsidies.”

Lucrative federal tax credits, known by thetax code section name “45Q,” andsome federal loans and grants are helping finance thestorage projects.

The expropriation power pipeline companies have to lay new CO2 lines— it allow them to take property for fair market value aftercourt review —has alsobeen ahot-button issue. Though the lawsuit doesn’tdelve intothose laws directly,Pesnell believes if acourt accepts his theoryof the lawonstorage units,aruling could likely overturn those laws as well.

In the past session, legislators upped the percentage required for the creation of storageunits from 75% to 85% and made it harder forcompanies to useexpropriationpower for CO2 lines, forcing themtohaveacourt declaretheir pipelinesare fora public purpose.

Scott submitted affidavitsin an attempt to rebut the new management’sclaims. She also submitted an affidavit fromher hiredexpert, DarylPurpera,who cast doubt on various findings in thelegislative auditor’sreport Aforensicaccountant, Purpera served as the state’slegislative auditorfor 11 years.

During the hearings, Johnson was obliged to rule on along list of objections from plaintiffsand defendants aboutthe assertions made in the affidavit. Johnsonended up turning thosedocuments intoSwiss cheese as he removed many passages.

Another battleground was whetherthe charter wasundergoing “irreparable harm,” aprerequisite forwinning apreliminary injunction. The defendants pointedtoreportsofimproving finances for the school.

“I knowthey had some disruption in March,but if you look at theaffidavits, since thenthey have been doing OK,”Smith said.

“Theonly reason they areable to saythat is that this administration hasworked tirelessly so that theycan find away for the school to stay aboveboard,”Kumar said Kumarsaid the school’sinabilitytoaccesspersonnel and other records before late February forced it to beg state and federal regulators forextensions on required reports and has hampered

release. Earlier reportsindicate Lorenzo Fontenot had been released from prison afew weeks before the stabbing and had recently moved into the residence. Lorenzo Fontenot is set forarraignment on Jan. 8. Jakob Oakley,23, of Opelousas, wasindicted Friday on charges of first-degree rape and seconddegree battery of an Opelousas woman.Oakley will be arraigned on Dec. 18, according to Pitre’s office.

Email ClaireTayloratctaylor@ theadvocate.com.

This isn’tthe first time state lawsorfederalrules clearingthe pathfor carbon capture in Louisiana have faced acourt challenge. The Deep South Center for Environmental Justiceand other environmental groups sued the EPAinFebruary 2024 afterthe agency rule granting the state primacy over carbon captureinjection permits.

Alittle morethan ayear later, in May,the U.S.5th Circuit Court of Appeals threwout the case on the grounds that the groups didn’thavestanding to bring thesuitbecausetheydidn’t have an “injury in fact” and their claims of injury weretoo speculative.

TheSave My Louisiana lawsuit has plaintiffs who live or ownland in thetarget area for carbon storage and carbon pipeline projects.Someofthose named plaintiffs alsoclaim they werethreatened with expropriation by storage companies if they didn’taccept lease deals

DavidJ.Mitchellcan be reached at dmitchell@ theadvocate.com.

its ability to pay its employees’ taxes.

“Theirreparable harmhas evolved, and it is not the same as it wasinFebruary,” Kumar argued.

This is just one of many legal cases involving Impact Charter School.

Scott and related parties have filed several state and federal lawsuits seeking to unseat the new management and restore her and the school’sprevious board of directors to power.Scotthas pinned alot of her hopes on her federal challenge to theschool’s takeover,a case in which Smith is also serving as her attorney After much delay,that case is finally advancing.

“I think we will ultimately be found to be correct,” Smith said.

Email Charles Lussier at clussier@theadvocate.com.

LOTTERY

MONDAY,NOV.24, 2025

PICK 3: 8-8-8

PICK 4: 3-3-9-2

PICK 5: 0-7-5-7-2

POWERBALL: 8-16-26-30-58 (14)

Black,Merilyn

St.AloysiusCatholic Church at 10am.

Herbert,Alton

St.AugustineCatholic Church at 11am

Kirby-Jones, LisaBeth

TheChurch International, 13423 Hwy.431, St.Amant,LAat10am.

Morgan,Marvin

OursoFuneralHome, 13533 Airline Highway in Gonzales,at11a.m

Obituaries

Browning, Betty Ann Chemin 'Cooky'

The Lord called Betty Ann Chemin Browning affectionately known as "Cooky" home on November 21, 2025. She wasa resident of Central and a 1964 graduate of Central High School. Cooky was born on October 9, 1946,in Baton Rouge, Louisiana where she was acheerleader hersenior year and majorette in the high school band. She was preceded in death by her parents, Louis O. and Betty M. Chemin, and her husband, James Douglas"Doug" Browning. She is survived by her brother,Louis "Rusty" Chemin Jr. (Beverly); children, Cindy Branch Hollis (Paul), Jerry Branch (Wendy); stepson, Barry Browning; grandchildren, Tina Branch, Erin Hollis, Hunter Stafford; niece and nephews; Natalie Chemin, Dr. Louis Chemin III (Ledys), Manie Chemin (Lee); and great nieces and nephews.

Cooky had agreat sense of humor, vivid imagination, and loved telling stories about her family, friends, and childhood She also loved teaching children's Sunday school at FellowshipBaptist Church in Central. She was blessed with the love and support of many dear friends and extended family members. The family extends heartfelt appreciation to the staff and residents at Oakwood Assisted Living and Compassus Hospice for their kindness, compassion and friendship. The family would also like to thank her cousin, Wanda Whittington, and her longtime friend, Connie Faber, for their enduring support and friendship.

Pallbearers are Barry Browning, Paul Hollis, Dr. Louis Chemin III, Manie Chemin, Louis Chemin IV and Hunter Stafford. Honorary Pallbearers are Mike Maranto, Natalie Chemin, Tina Branch and Erin Hollis.

Visitation willbeheld from 10:00 AM to 12:00PM, Saturday, November 29, 2025 at Greenoaks Funeral Home, with afuneral service to follow at noon, and burial at 1:00PM

Entered into eternal rest on November 19, 2025at the ageof40. Survived by his wife, Britney Critney; mother, BeverlyCritney; father,LouisCritney.Precededindeath by his daughter, Brooklyn Critney. VisitationSaturday, November 29,2025,Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, 1565 Curtis Street, Baton Rouge, LA.,10:00 am until religious service at 11:00am. Entombment Heavenly GatesCemetery of Baton Rouge, Baton Rouge, LA. Funeral Service Entrusted to HallDavis and Son.

WilliamA.Fontenot, 82, passed awaypeacefully in his home on November 23, 2025.Willie wasborn in Washington,LAand grew up in Opelousas. He was one of 8childrenborn to L. Austinand Ruth Robertson Fontenot. He became a prominent environmental justice activist. For 27 years, Willie served as the communityliaison officer forthe Louisiana Attorney General'sOffice.Heplayed akey roleinestablishing communityand environmental groups across Louisiana and the Deep South. He brought hope and empowerment to marginalized communities. Eventually, he became known as the "Grandfather of the Louisiana Environmental Movement."Willie alwaystreated others with kindness, patience,and respect, and he was wellloved and admired. In his own neighborhood, he was the Garden DistrictEaster Bunny for24years.

Heissurvivedbyhis wifeof53years, Mary,his son,Jacques and daughter, Dona. Brothersare Joe Fontenot (Linda), Freddie (Paula), Eric, deceased, (Margie). Sisters are Frances (deceased), Carolyn Goodman, Lilias LeBlanc (deceased), Marie Porche (Ed).Heleaves many niecesand nephews and great nieces and nephews. Therewillbea Celebration of LifeonSunday, December 28, from 1:003:00pm at TheGuru, located in the Circa 1857 complex at the corner of Government and 19th Streets in Baton Rouge. If anyone wouldliketodonateagift in his name, please consider The Louisiana Environmental Action Network (LEAN) (leanweb.org) or Alzheimer's Services of the Capital Area (www.alzbr.org)(3772 North Blvd. BR, LA 70806.)

VivianMyrtis Gray Oliver Johnson, of Baton Rouge, transitionedpeacefullyonNovember 23, 2025, at Baton Rouge General Hospital.She liveda life grounded in faith, family and service. BorninNew Orleans to Levy and Lizetta Young, she was lovingly raised in Woodville, Mississippi, by her uncle and aunt,Rev.Peyton and Mrs. Betsy Oliver, whose Christian example shaped her life.Vivian accepted Christ at ayoung age, lovedmusic, and found greatjoy playing hymns on thepiano.Vivian marriedAaron Johnson, and together they raised ten children. Their home became aplace of warmth,wisdom and welcome for generations. She enjoyed a25-year career as an insurance agent before becoming acaregiver, and she served her church at every level—trustee, steward, layleader, missionary, Sunday School teacher and choir leader. She is survivedbyher children AaronJr. (Patricia), Gerald, Alvin(Carolyn), Carmen (Patty),Glenda Minor (Daryl)and Eileen Johnson-Forester(Darrick); nephews Ralph Sheffieand Lester Young Jr.; sisters-in-law Vivian Brown and Gloria Mae Simon; 29 grandchildren; 50 great-grandchildren; 15 great-great-grandchildren; and many extended family and friends. Her favorite scripturewas, "...ifGod be forus, who can be against us." Visitation and funeral serviceswillbeheldat Greater AllenChapel AME Church, 6175 Scenic Hwy., BatonRouge,onSaturday, Nov. 29. Visitationat9 a.m., funeral at 11 a.m. Arrangementsentrusted to Hall Davis &Son FuneralServices.

Kirby-Jones, LisaBeth

LisaBeth Kirby-Jones was bornOctober 2, 1965, and passedaway on November 17, 2025. She was born and raised in BatonRouge,LA. andwas a 1983 graduateofGlenOaks High School. She had resided in NorthCarolina forthe past 25 years. She worked in the medical fieldasa transcriptionist and was a clerical supervisoratAtrium Health

LisaBeth was abeloved daughter, sister, cousin, aunt, wife, mother, grandmother, and friend. She married her best friend on November 1, 2025, and is survivedbyher husband Kristian Jones and her beautiful childrenMegan Walland Adam Wall (Krista) and grandchildren Katiana,Malachi &Liana Meeks whom she dearly lovedand cherished.She is also survivedbyher mother Anita Bush Kirby, brothersRandy Kirby(Kelle), Ret. Lt.BrettKirby EBRSO

(Cindy), sisterBelinda Roth, specialAunt, Judy Bayham, numerous nieces, nephews, &cousins.

She was preceded in death by her father, Harold Blanchard Kirbywhom she shared her birthdaywith.

Acelebrationofher life will be held at The Church International 13423 Hwy 431 St.Amant,LAon November 26, 2025. Visitation willstart at 8:30 am until time of serviceat 10:00 am. She willbelaid to rest at HopeHavenGardenofMemory Cemetery in Gonzales, LA.Pallbearers will be family and friends.

Neldare,Ardra

Ardra MalreaNeldare, a resident of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, passed away peacefully on November 19, 2025. Ardrawas adevotedearlychildhoodeducator who had apassion forshapingyoung minds. She worked in East Baton Rouge and Calcasieu Parishes.Visitation willbe held Friday, November 28, 2025 at 9AM, followedby thefuneral service at 10AM at Hall Davis &Son Funeral Services, 9348 Scenic Hwy., BatonRouge,Louisiana. Interment:Southern Memorial Gardens- Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Services Entrusted to Hall Davis and SonFuneralServices. www.halldavisandson.com

Rey-Cambric, Linda

Linda Rey-Cambric of NewOrleans,La, passed away unexpectedly at Old JeffersonCommunity Center on November 11, 2025 at the age of 84. Shewas born to theunion of Albert andHelen ReySr.,who shaped the strongand caringperson she was. Linda waspreceded in death by herbrothers, Hughes (Butch), andAlbertJr. (Boogie Rey); hersister, Jacqueline (Sister); her nephews, Gregory and Paul (Cotton-Top); ason in love,James D. III andher companionfor 34 years, HenryDolliole Jr.Linda leaves behind hertwo children,Ashley Annand Marc Hughes, whoshe cherished unconditionally. She also leaves behind two grandchildren, JamesD known as "Radar" and Taylor E, known as her "Weenie" andher husband Blake Hammond;her great -grandchildren, BlaydeE known as "Bunnie",and thenewest addition she waitedsoanxiously for, Chicago James, whom she hadyet to give his moniker.All of whom broughther much joy. Linda is also survived by her nieceTamara(Eulis) Simien,her nephews Steven(Tyise) Dunnaway andDavid Dunnaway, alongwitha host of great nieces and nephews. Avisitationwillbeheld at RabenhorstFuneral Home (825 Government St,Baton Rouge)onSaturday, November 29, at 9AMuntil funeral service at 10. Intermentwillfollow at St Louis Cemetery #3 (3421 EsplanadeAve,New Orleans).

Glenda Stubbs, along time residentofPride passedawaypeacefullyon Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025. Shewas 79 years old. Visitation will be on Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025 at Charlet FuneralHome in Zachary from 10am until12pm. Gravesideservice will be at Sandy CreekBaptist Church Cemetery in Pride Sheissurvived by her daughter, Hope Landryand husband, Jonathan.Grandchildren, Luke, Lawson, and Laynie GraceLandry. Hersister andbrother-inlaw,Jeanette "Rita" and David Hancock. Sheisprecededindeathbyher husband of 54 years, John RaymondStubbs,her parents, 3sistersand 4brothers. Special thanks to Hospice in HisCareand TheCrossingfor all of thecare and compassion given to Glenda. Share sympathies, condolences,and memories at www.CharletFuneralHome com.

Latest

The laurels for Louisiana schools this year came early.InJanuary,whenitwas announced that the state’sfourth graders had outpaced all others in the nation for thegrowth in theirreadingscores, we were elated. It waseven more impressive that our studentswere achieving at pre-pandemic levels,while scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress had stalled in most of thenation.And itpushed Louisiana from49th of 50 states up to 32nd injust five years, its highest ranking ever on thetest, knownas“the nation’sreport card.”

But questions remained: Could thestate sustain theprogress it is making in reading andhow could it translatethose gains to other subject areas? Scores on LEAP tests released in July showed mixed results. While math scores improvedsignificantly, readingwas stagnant, but small yearly fluctuationsdon’tnecessarily mean much.

That’s why we were eagertosee theschool scores come out last week.While student assessmentsgive asnapshot of aparticulargroup of students and aparticular time,school scores canpaint abroader picture, telling us whether good systems are in place tobuild on success long-term. And last week, there was some goodnews. School scoresaround the state were at their highest level ever.Accordingtothe statewide criteria, which looks at test scores, graduation rates and other benchmarks, 44% of elementary and middle schoolsand 70% of high schools earnedanA or Bthis year.It is the fourthyear in arow that scores have inchedup. Thestatewide average for districts was aB,or80.9out of apossible 150 points, the highest averagesince it reworked the accountabilityformula in 2018. In the Baton Rouge region,there were lotsof improvements to note, with five localdistricts among the top 10 districts in the state.West Feliciana Parish led the statewithadistrict performance score of 97.7, withAscension, Zachary,Central and Livingston also in the top echelon. East Baton Rouge Parish showed striking progress as the district received its highest performance score ever,but it wasn’tenough to lift its C-grade. Still,overall seven BatonRouge area districts didbetter than thestateaverage With anew assessmentsystemplannedfor next year,Superintendent of EducationCade Brumley and other state officials warn that scorescould dip. We have long beenaproponent of the new grading scale, whichputsmore emphasis on whether students are improving in key areas. But we are encouraged that this year’sscoresshow that schools anddistricts can meet any bar that is set for them with clear and consistent guidelines. So even withthe bar seta bit higher,weare certain that Louisiana schools have the map and the tools tocontinueinthe right direction.

LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR ARE WELCOME. HERE AREOUR

GUIDELINES: Letters are published identifying name, occupation and/or title and the writer’scity of residence theadvocate |the times-Picayune require astreet address andphone number for verification purposes, but that information is not published. Letters are not to exceed 300 words. Letters to the editor,the advocate, P.o. Box 588, Baton rouge, La 70821-0588, or email letters@ theadvocate.com. to seND Us a Letter, sCaNHere

Recently,Sen. John Kennedy used crude sexual analogies about “nuns” when discussing serious policy issues about the economy and the governmentshutdown. It is unclear what motivated Kennedy to say what he said, especially as he representsa statewherein 22% of the residentsare Catholic. We hope that Kennedy was not wishing to diminish or obscure our prophetic witness. Making sisters an object of ridicule and alaughingstock will not deter us.

Apostolic religious life is about making visible through our various ministries the love and compassion of Jesus Christ, especially for the outcastsofsociety.Our vow of celibacy is aradical witness to thevalues of the Christian Gospel. It also frees us from

Thosewho ponder thebackwardnessofLouisiana’spopulation have new evidence of the moral and intellectual incapacityofour citizens and political leadersintheir reactions to Donald Trump’sblatantly criminal campaign of murder being conducted against people alleged to be transporting cocaine in boatstraveling from South America in the Caribbean and Pacific oceans. Between Sept.2and Nov.9.Trump’s government has bombed 20 boats, killing 76 people so far Trump bragsabout these killings and claims he is saving thousands of lives by preventing deadly drugs from entering theU.S.

Butheisdestroying these boats and their passengers without atrace of legal process. Therehave been no arrests, no charges, no trialsand no judgments— only summary execu-

As amoderate voter in full support of Louisiana’sformer open “jungle”primarysystem, it infuriated me that our Legislature supported thechange to closed primarieswithout apublic vote

Despite theclaim of being a“deeply conservative” state, Louisiana is more thanits Republicans, who make up 35.3% of registered voters. Approximately 36.8% areregistered Democrats, plus there’sanother 27.8%, who areunaffiliated and third-partyvoters.

theresponsibilities of family life, so we can serve wherever and whenever thegospel calls. We sisters take no personal credit for anyofthis; it is God’sgracious gift to us to witness in this way At this time of political chaos and gross polarization in ourcountry,let us all try toact like adults. Let us work together,not against each other,for the good of all, not just the rich and powerful. Belittlingeach other along theway only serves to increase the polarization and makes the vulnerable in our world, for whom we have aserious responsibility, even morevulnerable.

MAURAO’DONOVAN ROCHELLE PERRIER on behalf of Burning Bush: Catholic sisters and Brothers for an end to Violence

tions. Thesekillings are totally illegal and immoral. They aresimply actsof murder

Ourvery pious, pro-life Rep. Mike Johnson and our energetic Attorney General Liz Murrill, who both claim to be legal and religious experts, have enthusiastically supportedthe killings;and it seems that most Louisiana citizens have not waveredintheir supportfor President Donald Trump since he became aserial killer

So, Louisiana citizens and public policy advocates of all kinds, please takeamoment to reflect on the biblical premises of your reactions to these grotesque hypocrisies and official crimes.Satan and self-delusion are running wild today.Like the honorable Admiral AlvinHolsey, we too can say,“Count me out of this.”

MICHAEL WOLF Neworleans

There is hope forour country in the aftermath of the political shutdownwar.Wenow have an opportunity to evaluate our representatives’ take on the health care issue. They have an opportunity to articulate what their stand is and why, instead of ducking the issue under loyalty to the party.I urge you to call or email your representative about this now.Before the next election, please give serious consideration to what issues are important to you. Question the candidates and vote forthe issues rather than the party Your issues are likely not the sameasmine. Iamhopeful that a crack in loyalty to the party will allow us to moveforward with loyalty to each other

JANE METCALF Baton rouge

Gov. Jeff Landry and Attorney General Liz Murrill want to holler about “free speech” regarding Loyola student government’svote against right wing extremist group Turning Point USA. The governor is suggesting that LSU erect astatue to Charlie Kirk, the newly anointed martyr of the extreme right, while Trumpdefunds PBS, NPR, CPB and attacks CBS, Steven Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel and any media publishing anegative view of his poor,injured self. Trumpmini-me, Landry,and his like-minded AG, are unsurprising in their ridiculous hypocrisy

RUSS W. COPPING Covington

So, an overwhelming 62.6% of Louisiana votersare overlooked in the decisions that affect our state. The governor has been determinedsince taking office to unduly influence election outcomes in GOPfavor.When the Legislature made this change,itallowed “No Party” unaffiliated voters to still have a choice in aclosed primary election. The Republican Party is nowgoing to file a lawsuit to close“their” primaries. Did anyone file alawsuit to stop the change in primaries in the first place? Ican appreciate the Louisiana Public Service Commissioner Eric Skrmetta’sconcern as he puts it, but he is off base to think senior citizens will notchange party affiliation.

Ivote for the best candidates despite party lines, and Iwant to continue to be able to do just that. And to Christy Haik Iwould say,your party is not aclub. ALLYSON DIAZ thibodaux

Policy leaders debate what’s the best way to attract investment to the state

Michael Hecht is the CEO of GNO Inc.

Daniel Erspamer is chief executive officer of the Pelican Institute. Stacey Roussel is deputy director of Invest in Louisiana. They recently discussed the pros and cons of special business tax incentives at an event hosted by the nonpartisan “Neutral Ground” organization, which promotes civil discourse on matters of public interest. The Times-Picayune is a partner with Neutral Ground.

The following is an excerpt of their conversation, edited for length and clarity, as moderated by Nathalie Simon, a Neutral Ground board member and special counsel to the CEO at Laitram Industries.

SIMON: The Landry administration has been particularly aggressive with incentive programs and reforms, and Louisiana has recently secured several wins.

One we’ve all read about is the Venture Global LNG; they are investing $18 billion in an expansion in Plaquemines Parish Another is the one we’ve all also read about, the Meta AI Data Center It is considered one of the biggest economic development wins in the state’s history $10 billion in Richland Parish. (That figure is now estimated to be north of $25 billion — ed.) And we’ also read about the Hyundai steel mill, $6 billion in Ascension Parish. All sound great, right? More jobs, more economic activity in a lot of poor regions of the state But not everyone’s happy Michael, what is the purpose of economic development incentives?

HECHT: There’s a three-part test for a good incentive. The first is that it needs to pass the if-not/but-for test, meaning that it has to actually change behavior An incentive that doesn’t change behavior is basically wasted money, because the company was going to do it anyway The second is it has to be net-present-value positive, meaning that money that is spent has to have a positive return to the state over time And the third is it has to be permanent, meaning that if the incentive goes away, the industry or the company stays.

SIMON: Stacey, is that your three-part test?

ROUSSEL: Well, I didn’t know that we had three-part tests. Organizationally, our lens is also low- and moderate-income households. Unfortunately, there are too many of them About 51% of the state really struggles to make ends meet, inclusive of about

20% who live below the federal poverty level. So: Are we maximizing as a state all that we can for our low- and moderateincome households?

SIMON: Daniel, you run a free enterprise think tank. What is your ideological position with regard to these incentives?

Special deals or low taxes

ERSPAMER: The challenge with incentives is that they put government in the position of picking winners or losers. And so by definition, an incentive is given to one company, one industry, one group of companies, and some political body makes that decision, some government entity or quasi-government entity Do we want to sort of cement in the Huey Long system of government, which meant that everyone had to come to Baton Rouge to kiss the ring? And so if you are a company that has a good lawyer and a good lobbyist, and a good accountant, you can do pretty well in Louisiana.

Well, the problem is, we’ve ended up with this patchwork quilt of tax policies that means, again, the government has chosen winners and losers, and we make it very difficult, particularly for new entrants into the market, for entrepreneurs. There’s a study that looked backward to say of companies that took advantage of economic development incentives, somewhere between 75% and 98% of them said they would have done this anyway So I think most of these are bad, and the ones that are good are hard to identify

SIMON: But if you look at some of these projects, they do they sound promising: Meta, 500 permanent workers, 1,000 indirect jobs, 5,000 temporary workers. The Hyundai one, I think 1,300 jobs are expected with an average salary of $95,000 a year But how does that benefit a small-business owner, working-class people? My question is, what is the return on investment?

HECHT: Let’s talk about something even

more technical, but more important, which is net present value. That means that if I’m going to pay $100 to Daniel’s company because he has the best lawyers, as he was talking about before, and so he gets $100, right? So that was $100 that I spent. Then, if the state treasury because the state gave them $100, if the state treasury gets back $10 a year in the first year, and that goes on for another 20 years, then it diminishes over time, right? The further away you get into the future, you have to discount it by some agreed-upon value, to account for inflation.

SIMON: Thank you for explaining economic development. But I do think there is that big elephant in the room, and I think we should just talk about the tax code overall.

ROUSSEL: In Louisiana, we have the 10th most regressive tax structure in the nation, according to our friends at the Institute for Taxation Economic Policy, which is a national think tank. What does that mean? It means that those who are making the least so those who are making $18,000 or below in Louisiana — are paying about 13.1% of that income in combined state and local tax.

If you go to the other end of the spectrum to our top 1% of earners, those are folks pulling down about a half million a year, they’re paying about 5.6% of their income in combined state and local tax. So really, from our perspective, the way that you raise revenue matters just as much as how you spend the revenue. But do we have what we need to invest as a state in our people?

ERSPAMER: Our baseline belief is that the best tax policy is low, flat and broad, right? That everyone has some skin in the game; that is, everyone pays essentially the same rate based on their decisions, and that it is as uncomplicated and simple as possible. Historically, Louisiana has had one of the most complex tax codes in the country If you look at the data, states that follow “low, flat and broad” have the best economic outcomes. And I suspect one of the things that Michael will tell you from talking to businesses I certainly hear it all the time — is that simplicity and predictability matter almost as much, in some cases more, as what the tax rate is. And Louisiana has a history of unpredictability

This is a question of opportunity costs, and the opportunity cost for these sorts

of tax incentives and credits and special carve-outs is that that’s money that could be reduced in taxes or, not to speak for her, but I suspect what Stacey might say, to spend on government services. The case for “good” incentives

SIMON: Michael, it sounds like Daniel’s saying, and I think Stacey as well, that although they have very different solutions, they’re saying, “simplify the tax code, and business will come.” No more need for economic development. I guess my question is, are these incentives enough to keep these businesses here long term?

HECHT: I have on my note card some examples of good incentives and some examples of bad incentives. Good incentives have to pass at least most of those three tests I mentioned earlier So, the digital media incentive, I believe that over time it’s going to be positive net-present-value. You look at the slow but steady growth we’re having in companies like Copado, DAQA, High Voltage Software. Then there’s the historic tax credit: If the historic tax credit for rebuilding did not exist, we would not have a downtown post-Katrina, and whole historic downtowns in this country would not exist. It is a stimulative incentive that jumpstarts the market, creates those buildings, which are now condos and offices and entertainment centers that become revenue-producing for the state. So that one passes the “if not/but for” test.

SIMON: We live in a poor state and region. How do you sell taxpayers on spending money on incentives versus basic services when basic services of government are not functioning?

ROUSSEL: I would like to say a word in defense of the safety net in Louisiana. There are some things we do really, really well when it comes to making a safety net that does work. There are some things that we don’t do well, but Louisiana has one of the lowest uninsured rates in the nation, and that’s because we expanded Medicaid, and those are public dollars that go into private health care providers, private health insurance companies, and what we get in return is that when people are sick, they get to go to the doctor And that’s a great thing. It’s really important that the safety net remains strong and we have enough money to keep it running.

SPORTS

Talesfromheadcoachingsearches past

twists andturns have been thenorminpreviousLsU processes

ä LSU at Oklahoma. 2:30 P.M. satUrDay,aBC

an SECtitle in 1988.Spurrier won an ACC title at Duke,thenturned Florida into anationalpowerhouse.

If you think the search for the next LSU football coach over the past few weeks has been wild, I’m here to tell you something: They’re all wild. This is the seventh coaching search I’ve covered for The Advocate since 1991, and I was in school at LSU for an eighth. They’re almost all messy,and at times,itseems no one will ever take the job. Then the Tigers hire the guy everyone becomes convinced will, or won’t, take them to anational championship. And three ofthem have.

Scott Rabalais

But we’re not here to talk about

titles.We’re here to tell stories. Tales from coaching searches past. Away we go.

SPURNINGSPURRIER: In 1986, LSU coach Bill Arnsparger announced he was leaving to become athletic director at Florida after three successful seasons.LSU players emotionally pleaded their case for defensive coordinator Mike Archer to get the job. Steve Spurrier,who had been a head coach for three years in the defunct USFL, wanted the LSU jobbadly.LSU hired Archer,then fired him in 1990 despite winning

To date, Archer is the last man without head coaching experience to get the LSUjob

PATSULLIVANSAGA: In 1994, TCU coach PatSullivan —the 1971 Heisman Trophy winner at Auburn —appearedtobeheaded to LSU. All that stood in the waywas —get this —a$400,000 buyout he owed TCU.

LSUrefused to pay it. TCU refused to waiveit, which Ialways believed Sullivan thought would happen.

As then-TCU athletic director Frank Windeggertold me in a

ä see RABALAIS, page 3C

MURKYFUTURE

saints running back alvin Kamara goes down awkwardly after beingtackled by atlanta Falcons linebackerKaden

Caesars superdome. Kamara,who didn’t returnafter the play, has seen his productivity declinethis season.

Kamara’s

BY MATTHEW PARAS staff writer

Kellen Moore hadto be correctedwhen

he first said that Alvin Kamara still wasbeingevaluated for the ankle injuryhesufferedinSunday’s loss to the Falcons.

The Saints coach meant the running back hadhurt his knee, right? Kamara alreadyhad been dealing with an ankle injury “Oh yeah, sorry,” Mooresaid.“Yes. Moore’smixup easily can be chalked up to amental mistake. But in its own way, theerror wasyet

anotherway Kamara wasoverlooked —forgotten? —bythe first-year head coach. For whatever reason, Kamara’susage —and effectiveness— has not been the same under Moore. The 30-year-old is in themidst of the worst statistical season of hiscareer as he’saveraging career lows in yards per carry and catches per game. And now he’shurt again.

The lack of production raises uncomfortable questions for theSaints.

Is this asign that Kamara is finally on his last legs?

Or is it areflection that Moore may not know how to utilize him properly? Will Kamara’s dip cause theSaints to cut bait with the running back after the season?

The answers aren’tclear,but Kamara isn’thaving the season the Saints are used to seeing from him

“There’sa lot of positives; he’splayed really well,” Moore said. “He’sbeen in some challenging situations.Wehaven’tbeen

Saints boot Grupe, to sign ex-LSU KYork

BY LUKE JOHNSON staff writer

The New Orleans Saints’ patience with kicker Blake Grupe met its breakingpoint when the team waivedthe third-year kicker

Tuesday

Thedecision wasmadeafter Grupe, who signed with the Saints as an undrafted free agent in 2023, missed his seventh and eighth field goalsofthe season in aWeek 12 loss to theAtlanta Falcons. Five of Grupe’smisses have come from inside 50 yards this season, includinga2-for5mark from 40-49 yards. Both of Grupe’s misses against the Falcons, from38and 47 yards, missed wide right of the uprights. With Grupe out, the Saints are planning to sign former LSU kicker Cade York to the

practice squad, asource with knowledge of thesituation confirmed.

The Saints will add York after atryout Tuesdaythatincludedthe 24-year-oldand veteran Justin Tucker,the latter of whom received hisfirst NFL workout after a10gamesuspension for violating the league’s personalconduct policy.Sixteen women accusedTucker of inappropriate misconduct during massage-therapy sessions, which Tucker has denied.

York hasa career 73.3%fieldgoalmake ratein23games. Aformer fourth-round pick in 2022, York has spent timewith the Cleveland Browns, Tennessee Titans, New York Giants, Washington Commandersand Cincinnati Bengals.

ä see GRUPE, page 4C

SolidD eclipsed by offense’s dead zone

BY LUKE JOHNSON staff writer

Anotherstrong performance from theNew OrleansSaints defense Sunday waslost in the noise after a24-10 loss to the Atlanta Falcons.

On adown-to-down basis, the Saints mostly kept the lid on the Atlanta offense. Talented running back duo Bijan Robinson (28.6%)and TylerAllgeier (25%)werebothheldwellbelow theirseason averages in termsof rushing successrate— astatistic that gauges whether individual runs weresuccessful based on the down-and-distance situations (both of them are averaging around 42% this season).

The Falcons wereworking without their regular starting quarterback, Michael Penix, but backup Kirk Cousins is not far removed from signing a$180 million contract with Atlanta.

More than half of Cousins’ 199 yards passing came on three plays —which, obviously,must be factored into the equation. But on a play-to-playbasis, he wasn’tfinding things easygoing against a young Saints secondary,and New Orleans sacked him on 11.1% of his dropbacks, thefourth-highest rate in the NFLlast weekend.

Atlanta ran 11 plays on third down against the Saints (not counting an intentional spike to stop the clock). Those plays went for atotal of 21 net yards, and only three of them moved the chains.

The Saints sacked Cousins three times,all of them on thirddown TheFalcons’ -0.75ExpectedPoints Added (EPA) per play on third down wasthe fifth-worst mark in the NFLthrough Sunday games. Chase Young, who recordedhis fourth sack in six games since coming back from acalfinjury, pressuredCousins four times in 16 pass-rush snaps.

The only thing that really bit the Saints defensively was the explosive plays —someofwhich were designed to use the Saints’ aggressiveness against them.

Fourplays essentially ledtothe Falcons’ two touchdown drives, leading to gains of 23, 32, 32 and 49 yards —nearly half of Atlanta’s total yardage output.

The23-yarder to Kyle Pitts was afake screen to Robinson in which Pitts began as ablocker in space before sprinting up the sideline to catch adeep pass from Cousins. A few plays later,the Falcons lined Robinson up in the slot to the right side of the formation, then motioned himacross theline of scrimmage to catch ascreen.Itofficially went as arushing play because the

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6 p.m. Players era Festival: tBD tNt

6:30 p.m. st. Mary’s (Ca) vs.Wichita st. esPN2

6:30 p.m. terry’s Chocolate Inv’l: tBD esPNU

7 p.m. Players era Festival: tBD trUtV

8 p.m. NJIt at Louisville aCCN

8:30 p.m acrisure Holiday Inv’l: tBD CBssN

8:30 p.m. southwest Maui Inv’l: tBD esPN2

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11 p.m. acrisure Holiday Inv’l: tBD CBssN

11 p.m. southwest Maui Inv’l: tBD esPN2 WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

1 p.m texas vs UCLa trUtV

3:30 p.m. Duke vs. south Carolina trUtV WOMEN’S COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL

6 p.m. Louisville at Pittsburgh aCCN

6 p.m. Purdue at Minnesota BtN

8 p.m. Indiana at Illinois BtN GOLF

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Pavia leading Vandy to historic season

BY TERESA M. WALKER associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Vanderbilt lists Diego Pavia as 6-foot, though the quarterback has allowed he’s been measured a smidge under 5-10. Cornerback Martel Hight said Pavia plays much taller with a contagious confidence that borders on cockiness. How tall?

“Six-seven,” Hight said making the viral hand motion.

Pavia certainly has made the most of a season granted to him by a federal judge.

The quarterback from New Mexico has played his way into the Heisman Trophy conversation by leading No. 12 Vanderbilt to its first nine-win regular season. A win Saturday at No. 18 Tennessee would give the Commodores (9-2) their first 10-win season ever and possibly a College Football Playoff berth.

“I feel like that’s my superpower is just bringing everyone together,” Pavia said.

Coach Clark Lea got Pavia to Vanderbilt as part of a package deal with his then-New Mexico State coach Jerry Kill and offensive coordinator Tim Beck. In Pavia’s first season, the Commodores beat then-No. 1 Alabama for their first win over an AP Top Five opponent in 61 tries and posted their first winning record since 2013.

Pavia, who once walked on at New Mexico Military Institute, is having his best season yet, putting himself among the nation’s very best His play is why Vanderbilt has a Heisman Trophy campaign for the quarterback who wears No. 2 with a “HEI2MAN” link on its football page and the hashtag #2turnt on social media.

He leads the SEC in total offense and ranks third nationally averaging 325.9 yards per game. He’s third in the SEC throwing at 265.8 yards a game, behind Tennessee’s Joey Aguilar and Ty Simpson of Alabama He’s completing a career-high 71.7% of his passes

while also leading the SEC with 26 touchdown passes.

Lea said Pavia deserves to be in the Heisman conversation for how the quarterback takes over games.

“This is a guy that has been doubted every way you can be doubted and counted out, and all he’s done is bet on himself,”

Lea said. “He’s taken risks He’s leaned into trust. He’s shown up

and done the work. I hope everyone’s paying attention This guy is one of one He’s a great role model and a great team member.”

Pavia has shown how much he’s evolved as a quarterback over the past three games, throwing for 1,226 yards passing with 11 TDs and only one interception He has run for 203 yards with three more scores. He set the single-game passing record with

484 yards against Kentucky last week with six total TDs in three quarters.

Lea gave Pavia a chance for an ovation in that game, his last at home. Pavia made a heart symbol with his hands to the fans, then started giving hugs on the sideline starting with Lea, then Kill.

“Coach Kill’s the reason, basically why I’m here,” Pavia said.

“He brought me here. He took a chance on me in New Mexico State when I was a juco I had no Division I offers, had to walk onto juco. Almost walked on New Mexico State.”

Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said Monday that Pavia is an offensive threat with both his arm and his legs. Pavia is Vanderbilt’s leading rusher, averaging 60.1 yards per game and tied for the team lead with eight more TDs.

“He’s continued to get better throughout the course of the season and being efficient with the football and has created a bunch of big plays,” Heupel said. “But his ability to be a part of the run game, as well, is a huge part of what they do offensively.”

The Volunteers (8-3) lead the series 79-33-5. They beat Vanderbilt and Pavia, who played with an injured hamstring, 36-23 last year in Nashville needing a win to clinch a College Football Playoff berth.

Now Pavia goes to the SEC’s biggest stadium in Knoxville where 101,915 fans will fill Neyland Stadium on Saturday Pavia gave Vols’ fans bulletin board material this summer on a podcast when he said: “Vanderbilt is gonna run Tennessee after this year.”

Pavia couldn’t be baited into any trash talk before the first game in this rivalry with both teams ranked. He simply said he’s heard a lot about Neyland and is excited with “everything we wanted ahead of us.”

Still, just how good does Pavia think he is?

“I feel like I’m the best player in college football right now,” Pavia said.

Young, inconsistent offense hindering Panthers

BY STEVE REED associated Press

CHARLOTTE, N.C. The inconsistent play of quarterback Bryce Young and the offense is holding the Carolina Panthers back from being a playoff team.

Eight days after Young threw for a franchise-record 448 yards and three touchdowns in a road win at Atlanta, the big question became whether the No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft could do it on a consistent basis.

He couldn’t on Monday night Young struggled on the national stage, completing just 18 of 29 passes for 169 yards with two interceptions including one on a first-andgoal play at the San Francisco 1 — in a 20-9 road loss to the 49ers. It marked the ninth time in 11 games Young has failed to eclipse 200 yards passing. He had one TD pass.

Young’s decision-making was questionable at best, particularly on the goal-line interception when he should have either attempted to run the ball into the end zone or simply thrown it out of bounds.

“There’s no dream plays or hoorah speeches,” Young said. “I need to do a better job of executing myself. I need to take care of the ball. I needed to do a better job of making plays. I didn’t do good enough. I take all ownership in that.”

Young’s failure to produce could prove costly to the Panthers’ postseason chances.

The Panthers (6-6) had a chance to take sole possession of the lead in the NFC South with a win, but instead the offense failed to take advantage of the defense’s three

first-half interceptions of Brock Purdy and managed just 230 yards.

Carolina is now a half-game behind Tampa Bay (6-5). The teams meet twice later this season.

“It’s a quick week,” Young said.

“We have to be able to flush it quick and get on to the next one.”

What’s working The starting cornerback tandem of Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson has been playing well all season, and they stepped up their play against the 49ers by combining for three picks in the first half before Horn left the game early in the third quarter because of a concussion Horn, who signed a $100 million

contract to remain in Carolina, showed why he’s emerging as one of the best cornerbacks in the league with two picks, giving him five for the season, which is tied for the league lead. His athleticism and intelligence were on display on the two interceptions. He made a tough grab in traffic on the first pick, then broke off his coverage assignment on the second to intercept Purdy, who never saw him break on the ball. What needs help Play-calling. The Panthers had climbed back into the playoff race this month largely behind the legs of Rico Dowdle. But coach Dave Canales, the team’s offensive

Skenes gets record $3.4M in pre-arbitration pool

Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher and former LSU standout Paul Skenes will receive a record $3,436,343 from this year’s pre-arbitration bonus pool, raising his two-year total to $5,588,400 under the initiative to direct more money to top younger players.

A 23-year-old right-hander who debuted in May 2024, Skenes was a unanimous winner of this year’s NL Cy Young Award after leading the major leagues with a 1.97 ERA and striking out 216 batters in 1871⁄3 innings. He had an $875,000 salary in the major leagues after earning $564,946 in pay last year He won’t be eligible for salary arbitration until after the 2026 season. Kansas City shortstop Bobby Witt Jr had the previous high of $3,077,595 for the 2024 season.

Red Sox acquire RHP Gray from Cardinals

BOSTON The Boston Red Sox acquired 36-year-old right-hander Sonny Gray, a three-time All-Star, from the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday for righty Richard Fitts and a prospect.

Red Sox chief baseball officer

Craig Breslow had said adding a starting pitcher behind ace Garrett Crochet was one of the team’s goals for the offseason. Gray gives them a dependable option who could take some of the pressure off the rest of the rotation.

Gray went 14-8 with a 4.28 ERA for the Cardinals last season, striking out 201 batters and walking 38 in 32 starts — the best ratio in the National League. He is one of five pitchers to record at least 200 strikeouts in each of the last two seasons.

Ohtani to play for Japan during next year’s WBC LOSANGELES Shohei Ohtani plans to play for Japan in next year’s World Baseball Classic, the twoway Los Angeles Dodgers star announced on social media Monday Ohtani helped Japan win the 2023 WBC, striking out then-Los Angeles Angels teammate Mike Trout for the final out of the championship game against the United States. He was named MVP of the tournament.

Ohtani won his fourth MVP award this month shortly after he helped the Dodgers win their second straight World Series title. He returned to the mound this season after not pitching in 2024 while recovering from Tommy John surgery Ohtani did not specify whether he plans to pitch for Japan in the WBC, which begins on March 5.

Chiefs RB Pacheco set to return for game Thursday

play-caller, inexplicably went away from his highly productive running back in the team’s biggest game of the season.

Dowdle only got six carries against the 49ers despite experiencing success early on.

Chuba Hubbard carried three times.

Canales said the team was trying to build off Young’s big passing game last week and the Panthers faced some “loaded boxes” — even though Dowdle averaged 6.3 yards per carry against the 49ers.

“The run game was solid when we look at it on average,” Canales said. “There were some good runs, but the mix of it and the way we were going to try to attack this team, it didn’t play out. We didn’t come away with a lot of the passes that we wanted to make that happen.”

Canales also called for the playaction pass on first-and-goal at the 49ers 1 instead of simply handing the ball off to Dowdle, who has been productive around the goal line this season. Instead, the intended receiver was third-string tight end Mitchell Evans.

Canales defended the play call after the game.

“There’s an option (Young) could take off and run it into the front pylon,” Canales said. “He saw (Evans) right when he turned back in, they had a defender on the edge who popped out and intercepted it at that time. He made a great play on the ball. But we’ve been running the ball there in that situation and felt like we could get another chance to run at it if we didn’t get the completion on that roll. I like the call.”

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs could have Isiah Pacheco in the backfield when they visit the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving.

Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Tuesday that he expects his top running back to return from a knee injury that cost him three games for the matchup on Thursday Pacheco started the first eight games of the season and has 329 yards rushing and a touchdown.

“We’ll see how he does today,” Reid said “but we’ll get him in there. He’ll play How much, I can’t tell you that right now See how it goes.”

Pacheco returned to practice last week but was held out of Sunday’s overtime win over the Colts.

Oklahoma State to hire North Texas football coach Oklahoma State has chosen North Texas coach Eric Morris as its new head football coach, the school announced Tuesday Morris has been the head coach at North Texas since 2023. The program went 5-7 his first season, but now is 10-1 and contending for a conference championship and College Football Playoff berth. The Mean Green is No. 21 in the AP Top 25.

Morris has a reputation for helping quarterbacks, having coached developed or recruited Patrick Mahomes, Baker Mayfield, John Mateer, Cam Ward, Chandler Morris and Drew Mestemaker UNT leads the country in scoring offense and total offense, and the team has reached the AP Top 25 for the first time since 1959. Morris will step in for Mike Gundy who was fired in September during his 21st season.

Sumrall, Wave playerssee flaws despitecommandingposition

BY GUERRYSMITH

Contributing writer

Even with Tulane needing only ahome win against hapless Charlotte (6:30 p.m. Saturday,ESPNU) to clinch aspot in the American Conference championshipgame, coach Jon Sumrall, quarterback Jake Retzlaff anddefensive end

Jordan Norman found plenty of flawsinwhat appeared to be a commanding 37-13 win atTemple on Saturday Chiefamong them wasthe struggle for touchdowns following a 69-yard scoring striketowidereceiver Shazz Preston on theGreen Wave’ssecond offensivesnap.

Seven subsequent drives reached at least the Owls’ 34. Only two reached the end zone.

Sumrall and Retzlaff lingered on one play in particular while giving contrasting explanations of what went wrong. With theWaveup23-7 late in the third quarter, Retzlaff rolled to his right on third and 9 and was tackled for no gain when atight end was wide open in front of him.

Patrick Durkin’sfourth fieldgoal made the score 26-7.

“Wemissed one for sure on aslot option that we could have converted and not had to kick afieldgoal,” Sumrall said. “I could have made that throw.Wejust didn’tread it out right. Retzlaff did some good things but still has some room to grow.” Retzlaff —named to the American Conference weekly honor roll for the fifth time —said he was more irritated about not getting past linebacker CurlyOrdonez.

“The play that Iwas caught makes me upset,” he said.“I’m a guy who takes pride in notbeing caught by anybody.I probably would have scored if Ihad avoided that shoe-string tackle.”

Tulane (9-2, 6-1) has scored 25 touchdowns in 45 red zonepossessions, while likely AmericanConference title game opponent North Texas has punched it in 51times in 64 chances. Theonly three league teams with worse ratios than the Wave —Florida Atlantic, Tulsa and Charlotte —have acomposite re-

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cord of 9-24.

Sumrall,who said Tulane sometimes lookedlikeone of theworst 25 teams in the FBS rather than oneofthe best 25 four days before theTemple blowout, softened only slightly.Heconceded the 22ndranked Wave “might be one of the best 75 teams.”

Sumralland Norman were no more complimentary of the defense even though Templegained fewer than 100 yards until the finalminuteofthe thirdquarter

Sumrall dwelled on the first of two Owls touchdown drives —an eight-play,75-yard series that featured passesdownthe middle for 22 and30yards.

“Wejust giftedacouple of plays,” he said. “Let’splaygood football. Our defense played OK. Our defense did some good things but didn’tdominatebyany stretch of theimagination.”

Norman had two of Tulane’sfour sacks, moving the Wave intoatie for second withEast Carolina for thesecond most in theleague (26), but he said theentire unit should have been better “I don’tthink it was acomplete game,”Norman said. “Coach Sumrall alwayssaysfocusonthe next target, so our focus is now Charlotte.”

The 49ers (1-10, 0-7) are last in the American in yards (299.0 per game) and yards allowed (472.7). Sumrall, whohas tried to keep his players from feeling comfortable allyear,will need to do hisbest work to makethembelieve the 49ers are athreat

“As soon as you think we’ve got nine wins, that meanswe’re going to get 10, that’swhen you’re going to get beat,”hesaid. “You have to earn it, and the only way you earn it is by preparing the right way and giving great effort. I’mprobably going to coach these guys harder this week than Ihave all year.”

Top5inCFP rankings stay same;Oregon, Miamirise

BY EDDIE PELLS

associated Press

Asleepy week filled with nonconference blowouts lockedthe College Football Playoff rankings into anear standstill, with Ohio State ranked first again and Oregon’sflip-flop with Ole Miss at Nos. 6and 7one of the few significant changes in Tuesday’snew top 25 Oregon’simpressive victory over Southern California in one of last week’s fewgames betweenranked teams accounted for its move up one spot overMississippi, which didn’tplay last week. The other meaningful change was Miami’s move to No. 12, in aswitch with Utahafter the Utesgave up 472 yards rushing in atight win over Kansas State Pitt’sreturn to the rankings —atNo. 22 —after falling out for aweek impacts the meaning of its

key Atlantic Coast Conference game againstthe Hurricanes, who need a win and some help to make the conference title game but still have hopes of makingthe playoffbracket as an at-large Following the Buckeyes for the fourth timeinfour rankings were fellow undefeated teams Indiana and Texas A&M. Georgia stayed at No. 4, followed by Texas Tech.After Oregon and Mississippi came Oklahoma,Notre Dame, Alabama and BYU. Ohio State and Indiana will play in what should be a1vs. 2Big Tentitle game if both win rivalry gamesonthe road over Thanksgiving weekend Ohio State’s task ismore difficult —againstMichigan, which moved up three spots to No. 15. Indiana plays Purdue. No. 10 Alabama plays at Auburn with aspot in the Southeastern Conference titlegameonthe line.Their opponent would be Texas A&M if the Aggieswin at No. 16 Texas.

Whit Weeksbroke ankleagain

BY KOKI RILEY staff writer

LSU junior linebacker Whit Weeks revealed on Tuesday that he broke his ankle during the Tigers’ 2419 loss to Ole Miss backin Week 5. Weeks, who then played two weeks later with the injury against South Carolina, suffered abroken bone in the same ankle that he had broken during theTexas Bowl against Baylor at the end of last season. But this injury he suffered against Ole Miss, Weeks said, is totally different from the one he suffered in the bowl game. “I hardly even practiced before that (South Carolina) game, just because Icould

hardly even walkonit,” Weeks said. “But then Ijust kind of sucked it up for that game. But then Iremember on Sunday,I wastaking a shower,and Icouldn’teven stand in the shower,(so I was like,) ‘I probably need to go get this checked out.’

Sure enough, Igot an MRI on it, and sure enough, it was broken.”

As aresultofthe injury and the pain that came with it, Weeks missed theTigers’ next four games before returning to the field in alimitedcapacity last Saturday against Western Kentucky

Theinjury still hasn’t fully healed, Weeks said, but it hasimprovedtothe point where heexpectstoplay morethis weekend in LSU’s season-finale at Oklahoma.

“It cracked right down the middle,” Weeks said. “So once it’s healed,it’s healed.But it’sgoing to takejust acouple more weeks, hopefully.I’m tryingtoturn that corner,but just struggling.”

Weekshasn’tgiven any thought to howthe injury may affect his decision to enter the NFL Draftthis spring.His focus, instead, is squarely on returning to the field in full this weekend.

“I’ve been focused on just my rehab every single day, trying to get everything around my ankle as strong as possible,” Weeks said, “just to protect it alittle bit more, to be able to get out there and play this last week.”

RABALAIS

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private momentona tumultuous day in Fort Worth, Texas, “$400,000 is alot of money to us.”

LSUmoved on andhired Vanderbilt coach Gerry DiNardo instead. In 1997, TCU firedSullivan, paying hima $400,000 buyout

BRING BACK THE MAGIC: No onewon the introductory news conference like DiNardo, who vowed to “Bring the magic back”toTiger Stadium after LSU’ssix straight losing seasons. It seemed unlikelyhewould get hired. Even DiNardo’swife, Terri, didn’tbelieveit.

“He camehome onenight and said, ‘Joe Dean called,’ ”Terri DiNardo said.

“‘Well, who’sJoe Dean?’

“‘He’s(athletic director) at LSU.’ LSU? Right. They want someone from Brooklyn at LSU?’ ” DiNardo won for three years at LSU, then was fired after two losing seasons, though he didlay the foundation for the magic to come under Nick Saban.

NEVERSAY NEVER: In December 1999, Iwas at home when Igot a call from my thensportseditor, Sam King. He’d justheard from a source at LSU thatthe school was about to hire Saban, who then wascoaching at Michigan State

Icalled areporter coveringthe Spartans I’d been talking to,asking what he knew.The voice on the other end of the line chuckled, then said: “He’d neverleave Michigan State to go there.”

Ithink both of us learned a lesson thatday:Never discount credible informationina coaching search.

BLAMEITONDEL RIO: Five Decembers later,Saban hadaccepted the Miami Dolphins jobbut first would coach LSU in the Capital OneBowl on New Year’sDay 2005 against Iowa. While bowl practices took place in Orlando, Florida, the LSU coaching search rolledon. In hishotel room there that week, then-LSU athletic director Skip Bertmanwas awakened by acall from former President George H.W.Bush, asking him on behalf of somefriends to interviewex-Texas A&M coach R.C. Slocum. “OK, Mr.President,” Bertman

said, andBertman didjust that. Whileatthe bowl,LSU officials also arrangeda meetingwith then-Jacksonville Jaguars coach Jack Del Rioata restaurant in Daytona Beach,Florida. As they waited, Del Riocircled the building in hiscar while hisagent frantically told himifhetook the meetinghewould be fired by Jaguars owner Wayne Weaver Del Rioheaded back to Jacksonville without aword to Bertman andhis staff, who went on to hire Les Miles afew days later

KIFFIN AND O: Ed Orgeron was named the LSU interimcoach in 2016 after Mileswas fired four games in. Seekingthe jobpermanently, Orgeron presented thenathletic director Joe Allevawith alistofnames for hisprojected coachingstaff.

Thename he hadfor offensive coordinator was Lane Kiffin, then the offensivecoordinator at Alabama. Kiffinevencalled Alleva to affirm he wouldcome if he didn’tlanda head coachingjob That’s exactly what happened. Kiffin got the jobatFlorida Atlantic —the story always has been thatSaban asked their agent, Jimmy Sexton, to find Kiffin ajob to keep him away from LSU —staying there for three seasonsbefore going to Ole Missin2020.

ANAME IN THENIGHT: Iwas convinced LSU was going to land Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley to replace Orgeron in 2021. I even talkedour then-sportseditor, Perryn Keys, into sending former Advocatesportswriter Leah Vann to Stillwater, Oklahoma, for the Nov.27OU-Oklahoma State game. That night, Rileydenied he was taking the LSU job, though no oneasked himabout the USC jobhewas abouttosurprisingly take.Meanwhile, LSU was preparing to pullits own surprise, luring Brian Kelly away from Notre Dame. That same night, as LSU finishedthe regular season with an upsetwin over TexasA&M asource told me LSU board members were talking at halftimeabout hiring Kelly.After we finished writing, Iwrotethe words “Brian Kelly”onthe inside of my notebook,turnedtoLSU beat writerWilson Alexander andsaid, “I’m goingtoshowyou aname.” Eyes widened. Three days later, Kelly was hired.

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

Each Monday,Scottwill puthis thoughts on the last week’sgameand thenextweek’sgame into avideo essayplacing the game in its context anddrawing historical parallels.

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pass traveled backward, but Robinson made one man miss, dusting rookie Jonas Sanker with a juke before turning upfield for 32 yards

The Falcons caught the Saints again with a screen to Robinson for a big chunk in the fourth quarter, moving the chains on second and 23 and setting up the deep shot to Darnell Mooney for 49 yards — the only one of those explosives that wasn’t built off of some sort of screen pass. Overall, it might have been enough to win the game for the Saints, but Dead zone

Surprisingly, there were teams that fared worse in the red zone than the Saints did in Week 12, but not many At this point, it’s hard to find the words to adequately capture how poorly the Saints have fared in prime scoring opportunities this season. Sunday against Atlanta seemed to represent a new low, especially considering the Saints’ two trips inside the 1-yard line New Orleans ran 13 plays inside Atlanta’s 20-yard line. The New England Patriots were the only other team last week to run at least five plays in the opponent’s red zone and not score a touchdown. The Falcons, by contrast, ran only three plays inside the Saints 20 (one touchdown). Of the 13 plays inside the 20, the Saints attempted only four passes, and that number is really actually three because one pass was the result of a botched snap over Taysom Hill’s head on a designed run. Only two of those passes would have been thrown by Tyler Shough, but he was sacked on both drop backs.

Some of the stats were skewed by Shough’s decision-making — he had multiple scrambles in the red zone, and one keeper that included

Brees and Evans make the cut as HOF semifinalists

BY JEFF DUNCAN staff writer

Former New Orleans Saints standouts Drew Brees and Jahri Evans have reached the semifinalist stage for possible election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026. A pair of New Orleans natives former Newman star Eli Manning and former John Ehret standout Reggie Wayne also are among the 26 semifinalists announced by Hall officials Tuesday Brees is one of five first-yeareligible players to make the list, joining Larry Fitzgerald, Frank Gore, Philip Rivers and Jason Witten.

Among the semifinalists, Willie Anderson, Tory Holt, Luke Kuechly and Adam Vinatieri will advance automatically to the finalist stage since they finished in the top seven of voting for election a year ago. Two other players, Lomas Brown and Kevin Williams, are semifinalists for the first time.

Brees, who retired from the Saints in 2020, is trying to become the first Saints player to be elected on the first ballot of his Hall of Fame candidacy He would join Rickey Jackson (Class of 2010), Willie Roaf (2012), Morten Andersen (2017) and Sam Mills (2022) on the list of Hall of Famers who played the majority of their careers in New Orleans.

Brees led the Saints to their only Super Bowl title in 2009 and is the only player in club history to win the league’s Offensive Player of the Year Award, which he did in 2008 and 2011. He was a 13-time Pro Bowler and holds every major club passing record.

For 11 seasons, Evans anchored one of the most prolific offenses in NFL history and became one of the most decorated offensive linemen ever for the Saints. He was named to the NFL AllDecade Team for the 2010s and earned first-team All-Pro honors four times. He was inducted into the Saints Ring of Honor last season. Evans has been a semifinalist in each of his three seasons of eligibility He advanced to the finalist stage the past two years.

Manning passed for more than 57,000 yards and 366 touchdowns during his 16-year career with the Giants A first-round draft pick in 2004 out of Ole Miss by the then-San Diego Chargers, Manning was quickly traded to the Giants, where he led the club to six playoff appearances, three

2026

HALL OF FAME

SEMIFINALISTS

OFFENSE (17)

QB (3): Drew Brees, eli Manning,

Philip rivers

RB (2): Frank Gore, Fred taylor

WR (5): Larry Fitzgerald,torry Holt, steve smith, Hines Ward, reggie Wayne

TE (1): Jason Witten

OL (6): Willie anderson, Lomas Brown, Jahri evans, richmond Webb steve Wisniewski, Marshal yanda

DEFENSE (8)

DB (3): rodney Harrison, earl thomas, Darren Woodson

LB (2): Luke Kuechly,terrell suggs (also De)

DL (3): robert Mathis (also LB), Vince Wilfork, Kevin Williams

SPECIAL TEAMS (1)

K (1): adam Vinatieri

NFC East Division titles and two Super Bowl wins.

Manning, who is in his second year on the ballot, was a finalist last year He is trying to join older brother Peyton and become the first set of brothers to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Peyton Manning was inducted into the Hall in 2021.

Wayne is a semifinalist for the seventh consecutive year He had 14,345 yards on 1,070 receptions with 82 touchdowns for the Colts from 2001-14. He ranks 10th alltime in both receiving yards and receptions and was a six-time Pro Bowler He earned first-team AP All-Pro honors in 2010. He didn’t miss a game between 2002-12, and his streak of 189 consecutive games played is the third-longest by a wide receiver in NFL history

The Class of 2026 can consist of three to five modern-era players under the Hall of Fame’s bylaws. In addition to 15 modern-era finalists, the selection committee will discuss three senior finalists, a coach finalist and a contributor finalist as potential members of the Class of 2026. Finalists must receive at least 80% support from the selection committee to join the Class of 2026. The Hall’s 50-person selection committee will vote to reduce the list to 15 finalists in December The selection meeting is ahead of Super Bowl LX in San Francisco. The Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026 will be enshrined in August.

able to get the run game going to the best of our ability And I think a lot of it is the explosive play. We haven’t been able to generate the explosives, and that’s something we have to continue to evaluate.” Moore is correct that the Saints haven’t consistently gotten the run game on track this season. The offensive line, particularly the interior has struggled no matter which running back takes the carry While Kamara has averaged only 3.6 yards per attempt in 2025,

Continued from page 1C

a pass option. But still, Hill was the only Saints player who actually attempted a pass inside the red zone.

Of the nine rushing plays by the Saints inside the Atlanta 20-yard line, none of them featured a running back with the ball in his hands Hill carried the ball five times in the red zone, gaining 3 yards. Shough ran four times for 8 yards. There were failures in execution,

the other backs on the roster are also under 4 yards per carry at 3.9. Include Taysom Hill in that equation, and the non-Kamara average drops to 3.4. But the problems with the run don’t explain why Kamara’s effectiveness in the passing game has cratered. His 5.6 yards per catch is down from last year’s 8.0. And he’s being targeted far less than usual. In past years, Kamara typically finishes either first or second in team targets. But through 11 games, Kamara’s 39 targets rank fourth on this year’s squad. There have been far fewer screens run for Kamara, who also hasn’t lined up in the slot or out wide as often.

to be sure. But that was also a failure in play-calling by Moore.

The end result: The Saints averaged 0.89 EPA per play in the red zone. Only the Minnesota Vikings, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Buffalo Bills put up worse numbers in Week 12.

Email Luke Johnson at ljohnson@theadvocate.com.

The age factor, however, can’t be ignored. Kamara said in 2024 that he didn’t feel anywhere close to having “running back body syndrome,” a diagnosis he said people like to give backs approaching their 30s. That season, it appeared to be true. He enjoyed a bounce-back campaign last fall, including a stellar four-touchdown day against the Dallas Cowboys. The resurgence is partly why the Saints rewarded Kamara with a two-year, $24.5 million contract extension.

But Kamara looks a lot different at 30 than he did at 29. According to Next Gen Stats, his minus-95 yards rushing over expected is

the second-worst in the NFL and his yards per carry average is the fourth-lowest among 48 qualified rushers. Kamara’s ankle injury, suffered in early October, may have affected those numbers, but his explosiveness continues to be a concern. Since 2023, he’s had just three rushes go longer than 20 yards — all of which occurred last season. If the Saints want to move on from Kamara in the offseason, according to Over The Cap, New Orleans could clear $8.5 million in cap space by designating his release as a post-June 1 cut. Such a move would split up the $18.2 million left in dead money on Kama-

saints quarterback Drew Brees takes a snap as guard Jahri evans, left, prepares to block during a preseason game against the texans on aug. 20, 2011, in Houston. Brees and evans made the cut as Hall of Fame Class of 2026 semifinalists.

By MICHaeL DeMoCKer

ra’s deal over the next two seasons. Kamara, whose contract expires after 2026, has often said he wants to stay with the Saints. He did so as recently as last month when he threatened to retire if moved at the trade deadline. He told reporters that he’d go “drink a piña colada somewhere” if traded.

“I’ve been vocal that I don’t want to go anywhere, and I’ve said it countless times, y’all know that, I think everybody knows that, the fan base knows that,” Kamara said then. The fan base may be wondering how much he has left.

Email Matthew Paras at matt.paras@theadvocate.com

Meanwhile, Lutz just signed a contract extension with the Denver Broncos, with whom he’s made 88.1% of his field goals (78 for 88) in parts of three seasons. Grupe was named a team captain prior to this season.

Email Luke Johnson at ljohnson@theadvocate.com.

GerMer

With Jones out, Pelicans turned to other stoppers

BY ROD WALKER staff writer

James Borrego was relieved to finally get a win as New Orleans Pelicans interim coach. The Pelicans had dropped their first five games since Borrego took over after Willie Green was fired Nov 15.

The skid ended Monday night with a 143-130 victory over the Chicago Bulls at Smoothie King Center

“It’s hard to get a win in this league,” Borrego said afterward.

It’s even harder when you don’t have your best defensive player, which was the case as Herb Jones missed his second straight game with at least a few more absences on the way Jones, a first-team all-defensive team selection two seasons ago, was diagnosed with a mild right calf strain Monday and will be re-evaluated in a week. The game before that, he sat out with back spasms. Jones is having a down year offensively, averaging 9.5 points and 3.5 rebounds. But it’s what he brings on the other end of the court that makes things more challenging when he’s not in the lineup.

“To put out fires everywhere?” Borrego asked rhetorically about not having his defensive stopper “It’s tough It’s tough on your defense. But somebody

ä Grizzlies at Pelicans.

7 P.M.WeDNesDay WaFB

else has to step into that role. That’s the goal here. Guys like (Micah) Peavy and Bryce (McGowens) and Saddiq (Bey) have to step into that defensive mindset. That’s the beauty with this thing. Next man up Go compete.”

All three delivered in Monday’s win Bey (20 points, 13 rebounds), who made his ninth start of the season, recorded his second straight doubledouble.

On a night when the entire lineup produced eight of the nine players who played scored in double figures — guys off the bench such as Peavy and McGowens made sure to make an impact, too. Peavy finished with a teamhigh four steals to go with his 10 points, three rebounds and two assists McGowens had a season-high 11 points, three rebounds and two assists.

“It feels like every time we put (Bryce) on the floor, he’s responded,” Borrego said “I can’t think of one game when he wasn’t ready for the moment. Peavy was massive again tonight. Those two kids deserve a lot of credit. We don’t get this done without them. We need that, especially with Herb out.”

Peavy, drafted in the sec-

ond round, relishes the moments he gets to play the role Jones has mastered.

“That’s what I want to do,” Peavy said. “Herb is a great defender And I want to be known as a great defender in this league.

“I take on that challenge of guarding the best player especially when Herb’s out. I think I’m doing a pretty good job.”

The Pelicans (3-15) host the Memphis Grizzlies (6-12) on Wednesday The Pels will try to avenge a 128-122 loss to the Grizzlies in the season opener, but they will be without Jones again.

But Borrego is starting to see that he has some other players who can help put out those fires.

“They are watching a great example in Herb Jones,” Borrego said. “Hopefully for the rest of Micah’s career, he can look back and say, ‘Man, I learned from one of the greatest and I want to be that and that’s going to be my role.’

“We are going to miss Herb tremendously until he’s back. Until then, these other guys will have to hold the fort down and I expect them to.

Mavericks rookie Flagg adjusting as losses pile up

BY TIM REYNOLDS

basketball writer

aP

Pistons tie franchise mark with 13th straight victory

By the associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS — Just two

years ago, the Detroit Pistons set an NBA record for the consecutive losses in a single NBA season with 28. Now, they seemingly can’t lose.

The Pistons tied a team record Monday night with their 13th straight victory, beating the Indiana Pacers 122-117. They matched winning streaks by their 1990 and 2004 NBA championship teams and improved to 15-2.

“It’s amazing,” Pistons star Cade Cunningham said. “We play for the Detroit Pistons, man. A historic franchise. So to be able to make history for a historic franchise like this it’s special.”

It’s a stunning turnaround for a franchise that started the 2023-24 season with a 3-36 record and finished with 14 wins.

The Pistons have a chance to surpass all the great Detroit teams, including the “Bad Boys” from back in the day And it’s only fitting that these Pistons, like those old Isiah Thomasled teams, will have Boston standing in the way of reaching a significant goal. Detroit visits the Celtics on Wednesday night in an NBA Cup game. Detroit had to get through another old rival, the scrappy, injury-plagued Pacers

on Monday to match the record. Indiana showed that toughness of a team that played in the NBA Finals just a few months ago, but still fell to 2-15.

Cunningham, the former No. 1 overall pick, has spearheaded Detroit’s run to the top of the Eastern Conference standings. He had 24 points, 11 rebounds and six assists Monday night.

Jalen Duren, one of the league’s top rebounders this season, had 17 points and 12 rebounds, and Caris Levert added 19 points.

The Pistons have added

Jaden Ivey back to their already dangerous team. The fifth pick in the 2022 draft had been out since breaking his fibula in January. He scored 12 points against the Pacers, playing just 12 minutes because of a minutes restriction. Still, Cunningham didn’t like the Pistons nearly squandering an 18-point lead in the fourth quarter “We shouldn’t have allowed them to get back into the game like that,” he said “So watch the film, be sick about the film, but work from it, learn from it and get better.”

Tailgateofthe Week:Cajun Tiger Tailgatingclosesthe season in stylewithcostumes, brisketand bigspirit

By Amanda McElfresh,amcelfresh@theadvocate.com

This articleisbrought to youbyLSU Eunice

part just being optimistic it’s a long season We’ve had a lot of guys step up, deal with a lot of injuries. And there’s been a lot of positive that we’ve been able to take from some of these games as well.”

MIAMI Cooper Flagg left college after one year. His education, however, continues. The No 1 pick in this year’s draft has been part of more losses with the Dallas Mavericks this season than he experienced in his last four years of basketball combined. Duke lost four times last season, Florida’s Montverde Academy lost a total of three games in 2022-23 and 2023-24, and Maine’s Nokomis Regional lost one in 2021-22. Championship contending has been an annual event for Flagg.

Duke went to the Final Four in his lone season. Montverde was considered the best high school team in the country in his final year there. Nokomis won a state title with Flagg leading the way

The Mavericks are next-tolast in the Western Conference right now at 5-14. And after the latest of those losses in Miami on Monday night Flagg was asked how he’s handling it all emotionally.

“I’m just trying to keep my people close to me, my family obviously,” Flagg said. “But I think the other

Flagg is averaging 15.9 points per game, secondbest among rookies; his former Duke teammate Kon Knueppel is averaging 19.4 for Charlotte He’s played more minutes than anyone else in the rookie class entering Tuesday, and even in a loss Flagg more than impressed the Heat by how he wanted the ball in the final minutes with the outcome still undecided.

“He’s not scared of the moment,” Miami center Bam Adebayo said “A lot of guys would move to the corner when there’s two minutes left in a close ball game he was going to get the ball. He’s growing up faster than people think. By the end of the season, I feel like he’s going to be one of them ones that’s hard to guard because he’s going through those moments now.”

Adebayo has seen the potential before. He was on the 2024 Olympic team, a squad that watched Flagg then a 17-year-old on a select team made up of players brought to Las Vegas to practice with and against the Paris-bound national team dominate a scrimmage against the team

that would go on to win the gold medal in France.

“I think probably more than anything, I’ve always just been impressed with his competitive spirit, but also how competitively mature he is for his age,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.

“He’s not even 19 yet. Is that correct? I mean, that’s crazy.”

“That’s the goal. I expect them to step up, especially on the defensive end. We are putting a lot of time and effort into focusing on that end of the floor Those guys are more than capable of doing it.” Flagg

Flagg shot 37% in his first six NBA games; he’s up to 45% on the season now He’s reached double figures in scoring in all but one of his pro games to this point. And he’s had some statistical success on a team that is missing Kyrie Irving (ACL recovery) and Anthony Davis (calf strain), plus dealt with the fallout after the firing of Nico Harrison — the general manager who traded Luka Doncic away The losses are not fun. There is a bit of a silver lining, Mavs coach Jason Kidd said.

“I think for himself and for the team, to go through this tough time of losing close games is only going to make us better as we go forward,” Kidd said. “Especially for Cooper — because he’s getting to see a lot of different close games and how to handle different situations. So, this is good.” In other words, Flagg is learning. College is over, but class is still very much in session.

LSUfanscould be forgiven if thetailgating fortheWesternKentuckygameonNovember 22 hadbeena bitmuted.The last home game of theseasonwas senior night, butwiththe Tigers outofthe runningfor theCollege Football PlayofforSEC Championship,it wouldhavebeenunderstandableifsome krewes phoned this onein.

That wasfar from thecasefor CajunTiger Tailgating, whichhas more than twodecades of gamesunder itsbelt. Despitethe team’s record,the krewewas readytocheer on the team more than 24 hoursbeforekickoff.The partystartedFridaynight,withtheovernight brisketgoinginthesmokeraround9p.m.Ribs andchicken wingsrounded outthe selections on Saturday

“We’ve made toomanymemoriesout here to count,”saidDarrenD’Aubin,one of the leadersofCajun TigerTailgating.

Up to 200peoplestopbythe krewe’ssetup eachweek,andtheyalsohaveadevotedsocial mediafollowing at www.facebook.com/ Cajuntigertailgating.InadditiontoD’Aubin otherkeyorganizersareJamesRead,Autumn Welch, Kelvin Welch, BrandonBenoit, Eddie Veillon,JenniferGirtmanandBrantleySalter But, truly, anyone is welcometostopbyfor

food andfun

Just awordofadvice– youmight want to look theparttofit in!MostofCajun Tiger Tailgatingisdressedinbigcostumes,complete with tiger tailsand headgear,purpleand gold wigs,brightyellowsunglassesand anything else that’s festiveand showcasesLSU’s signaturecolors.

“We’re just allabout friends, family,honor andloyalty,” D’Aubinsaid.

TheLSU football team willlookmuch differentin2026, with anew coaching staff andnew starting quarterback.But,there’s no doubtthatCajun TigerTailgatingwillbe oneofthe hundreds of krewes readytocheer them on

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Steinbrenner won’tsay he supports salary cap

BYLARRYFLEISHER

associated Press

NEW YORK New York Yankees

owner Hal Steinbrenner declined to say Monday whether he favors asalary cap proposal in the next collective bargainingagreement but reiterated he might support a payroll floor

“I don’tfeel like I’m in position right now research-wise,knowledge-wise to answer that question,” Steinbrenner said in avideo conference from Tampa. “We’ll always be among the highest payroll-wise. We alwayshavebeen. We always willbe.”

In February,Steinbrenner said he might support asalarycap proposal as long as it containsa provision mandating minimum payrolls. MLB has had aluxury tax in place since 2003 but is the only one of the fourmajor U.S professional leagues withouta salary cap.

“Something that would be rea-

sonableenough that it would improve competitive balance significantly in the sport,” Steinbrenner saidwhen asked about apossible salary floor.“Many fans already argueit’snot been enough. Ithink we made strides the last 10 years in someofthe things we’ve done but as an industry probably not nearwhere we need to be, at least that’swhat themajority of thefans believe and there’sanumber of waystoattack.”

At the end of the regular season andnot including contract bonuses, theYankeeshad a$301 million payroll and projected luxury tax bill of $62 million.The Yankees had MajorLeague Baseball’shighest payroll for 15 straight years through2013 but have not led in payroll since, though they have paidthe luxurytax in 21 of 23 seasonsfor atotal of more than $500 million.

The crosstown Mets signed Juan Sototoarecord $765 million,15-year contract after his

only season with the Yankees and missedthe playoffs witha$340 million payroll and aluxury tax of $89 million.

The Dodgers won theirsecond straight World Seriesbybeating the Toronto Blue Jays in seven games and ended the regular season with a$341.5 million payroll and aprojected luxurytax bill of $168 million —and that did not include the$6.5 million signing bonus for RokiSasaki on aminor league contract.

Six of the 12 postseason teams hadpayrolls of $200 million or morethrough theend of the regular season, with the BostonRed Soxabout $500,000 short of the mark.

Since 1995 when expanded playoffs began, 22 teams won aWorld Series ranked in the top10inopening day payroll. Since the Yankees last won atitle in 2009, only four teams won aWorld Series ranked in thetop three of payroll: the2018 RedSox,and the 2020, 2024 and

2025 Dodgers. Baseball’scollective bargaining agreement expires Dec. 1, 2026, andmanagement lockouts have becomethe norm,which shifts the start of astoppage to the offseason. During the last negotiations, the sidesreached afive-year deal on March 10 after a99-day lockout, salvaging a162-game2022season that was delayed aweek. Amanagement salary capproposalcould containa salary floor and aguaranteed percentage of revenue to players. Baseball playershave endured ninework stoppages, including a71/2-month strike in 1994-95 that fought offa cap proposal. TheYankees retained Trent Grisham after he accepted the $22 million, one-yearqualifying offer. Grisham wasamong arecord four players to accept along with Detroit second baseman Gleyber Torres, ChicagoCubs left-hander Shota Imanaga andMilwaukee right-hander Brandon Woodruff.

SCOREBOARD

at MICH ST.4½3½(48½) Maryland at S. FLA 23½ 27½ (59½) Rice at TULANE 28½ 29½ (52½) Charlotte at ILLINOIS 6½ 6½ (46½)Northwstrn at USC 21½ 21½ (59½) UCLA at NC STATE2½7½(48½) N. Carolina Alabama 5½ 5½ (46½) at AUBURN SMU 10½ 13½ (53½) at CAL UNLV9½8½(52½) at NEVADA NotreDame28½ 32½ (51½) at STNFRD FresnoState 2½ 2½ (46½) at SJSU at HAWAII 10½ 8½ (44½) Wyoming NBA

FAVORITE LINE O/UUNDERDOG Detroit2½(227½) at BOSTON at CHARLOTTE OFF (OFF) New York at TORONTOOFF (OFF)

The Yankees areexpected to make an aggressive bid to retain Cody Bellinger, who was paid $27.5 million last season.

The Cubs sent $5 milliontothe Yankees when they traded Bellingerand theversatile outfielder batted.272 with 29 homers and98 RBIs under the first of two player optionsaspart of an $80 million, three-year contract.

“Would it be ideal if Iwent down (with our payroll)? Of course,” Steinbrenner said. “But does that mean that’sgoing to happen? Of course not. We wanttofield ateam we know we believe couldwin a championship.

“It just hasn’tchanged which is why payrolls have gone up probably every year.Itdoesn’tmean they won’tgoslightlydown one year and then up the year after that. It all depends on what’sout there andwhatthe possibilitiesare andhow much Ifeelwe’re able to or we need to pull the trigger on those possibilities.”

e-Eliminatedfromplayoffs

New England 26,Cincinnati 20 Seattle30, Tennessee 24 Cleveland 24, Las Vegas 10 Jacksonville 27, Arizona 24, OT Atlanta 24, New Orleans 10 Dallas 24, Philadelphia21 L.A. Rams34, TampaBay 7 Open: Denver, L.A. Chargers, Miami,Washington Monday’s Games San Francisco 20,Carolina9

47, 1:00. ThirdQuarter SF_McCaffrey 12 run (Gay kick), 4:42 Car_McMillan 29 pass from Young (pass failed), :49. Fourth Quarter SF_FGGay 29, 9:21. A_71,337. Car SF First downs

Interceptions Ret. 3-36 2-4 Comp-Att-Int 18-29-223-32-3

Sacked-YardsLost1-8 0-0 Punts 4-50.25 1-40.0

Fumbles-Lost 1-01-0

Penalties-Yards 4-30 2-6 Time of Possession22:18 37:42

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING_Carolina, Dowdle 6-38, Hubbard 3-16, Young 4-15. San Francisco,McCaffrey 2489, B.Robinson 7-40, Purdy6-16, Pearsall 1-2.

PASSING_Carolina, Young 18-29-2-169. San Francisco,Purdy 23-32-3-193.

RECEIVING_Carolina, Dowdle 4-36, Hubbard 4-27, Coker 3-32, Legette 3-22, McMillan 2-35, Ji.Horn 1-11, Sanders 1-6. San Francisco McCaffrey 7-53, Kittle 6-78, Jennings 5-41, Pearsall 2-6, D.Robinson 1-8, B.Robinson 1-4, Farrell1-3. MISSED FIELD GOALS_Carolina, Fitzgerald 57. College basketball

Women’s state schedule Monday’s games West Virginia 83, McNeese 63 Virginia 69, NorthwesternState 48 Tuesday’s games Southern at Washington, n Northwestern State vs.Purdue Fort Wayne, n UL-Monroe at Clemson, n UL at Memphis, n Wednesday’s games McNeese vs.OhioState/Belmont,atNassau Bahamas,10a.m. or 12:30 p.m. Houston Christian at UNO,1p.m. Louisiana Tech at Baylor, 2p.m. Thursday’s games Tulane vs.Elon, at U.S. VirginIslands,12:30 p.m. Friday’s games Tulane vs.Boise State/North Dakota, at U.S. Virgin Islands, TBA UL vs.High Point, at Alario Center, noon LSU vs.Marist, 7p.m.

Women’s national scores Tuesday’s games EAST Boston College 77, Merrimack 72 Bucknell 65, Le Moyne41 Fairfield 79, NewHaven 60 Saint Peter’s 83, Lehman 31 SOUTH Appalachian State 66, Norfolk State 38 Central Arkansas 70, StonyBrook 42 Georgia Southern 65, Charleston Southern 57 Georgia State 69, Samford64 Indiana 82, Florida Gulf Coast 64 Mississippi State 69, Middle Tennessee47 Providence64, Alcorn State 33 Stetson 89, Northern Kentucky 63 USC Upstate 96, Montreat37 West Georgia 69, WesternCarolina60 Wofford80, UNC Asheville 54 SOUTHWEST Saint Louis 70, SMU 67 FARWEST Oregon 71, Saint Mary’s 53 Wyoming 75, Chadron State 38 Wyoming 75, Chadron State 38 Men’s state schedule Monday’s games California-Riverside83, Grambling74 McNeese 73,Murray State 60 Mississippi State 81, UNO 78 California-Davis 77, UL 56 Tuesday’s game McNeese vs.Middle Tennessee, n Wednesday’s games UNO at TexasTech,noon Southeastern at North Carolina-Wilmington, 6p.m. Indiana State at Louisiana Tech,6:30 p.m. Friday’s games McNeese vs.Garner-Webb, at Wilmington, NC., 11 a.m. Nicholls at Tulane,2p.m. Jackson State at UL, 7p.m. LSU vs.Drake,8:30 p.m. Men’s national scores Tuesday’s game EAST East TexasA&M 84, Army67 Maryland 74, UNLV67 NotreDame 68, Rutgers 63 Rhode Island 80, Vermont 65 St. John’s 96, Baylor81 StonyBrook 61, Bethune-Cookman54 SOUTH Delaware 73, UNC Greensboro60 North Alabama 92, Tennessee Southern 60 Oral Roberts 91, KennesawState 83 Samford78,

Trynew flavors, locales with our favorites

staff report

Shroomin’ &Jammin’

n Curbside Burgers, 4158 Government St., BatonRouge

Sometimes you just need to leave the officefor an outside lunch. Iheaded to Curbside because Iwas craving aspecial burger that Ican only get there. IorderedmyShroomin’ and Jammin’ burger and chose aspot outside in the restaurant’slovely backyard. Ihave to endorse the outdoor dining of Curbside —peaceful, colorful, Mid City vibes and plenty of friendly sparrowsfluttering around diving for French fry bits. Once my burger was ready, Idove into the delicious brioche bun and perfect beef patty stacked with mushrooms, onion jam, Swiss cheese, arugula, roasted tomato and garlic mayo. This mixture of salty,sweet, slightly bitter and savory flavors broughtme to ahappy place. The crispy, hand-cut fries werejust the companion Ineeded for my outside lunch. WhileCurbside has awide variety of burgers, this is the one Ikeep coming back for —Joy Holden, features reporter

Soup, gyoza andsushi n Ochi Sushi, 5454 Bluebonnet Blvd., Baton Rouge

For my first trip to Ochi Sushi, Iopted for an array of options. To start, themiso soup, with broth, tofu, seaweed and scallions, was perfectly balanced. Not too saltyand not too bland. The pork gyoza was divine. It was soft and easy to bite into, but still crispy and pan-fried on the top. For sushi, Iordered the super bowlroll and the Audi roll. The super bowl roll is made with tempura shrimp, spicy tuna, snow crab and cream cheese, topped withtuna,salmon,avocado, mango, crunchy bits, smelt roe, eel sauce and spicy mayonnaise. Despite the many components, thecombination was like aparty on my tastebuds.

The Audi roll included tuna, snow crab and rice seasoning inside with chopped salmon, lemon slices, green onions and ponzu sauce on top. The lemon added anice zing to the roll, and the salmon was fresh. I

Classic creation

staFFPHoto By JoHN BaLLaNCe six Baton rougesensation saladspictured for the features team’sblind taste test.

Findingthe best SensationSalad in BR

staff report

Ah, yes, the iconic Sensation Salad.

“Invented” in BatonRouge, the dish is said to have originated in the 1950s at Bob&Jake’s, an upscale steakhouse owned by brother duo Bob andJakeStaples. The restaurant closed in the 1970s, but the Sensation Saladcontinuedtobe served at Jake Staples’ solo restaurant, The Place, until itsclosure Despite the dressing’sshortlist of ingredients —lemon, garlic, olive oil, Romanoand Parmesan, vinegar— thesalad bears much splendor for palates all over.It’s still on menus across the city

So, what Baton Rouge restaurant

once a warehouse, BLDG 5at2805 Kalurahst. has retained itsrustic charmwith its reclaimed wood, brick and tin.

staFF

makes thebest Sensation Salad?

Ourstaff triedeight salads to seewhich we liked best:Jubans, Phil’sOysterBar,Rocca, Solou, Maxwell’sMarket, Brew-Bacher’s Grill, Drusilla Seafood and Cecelia Creole Bistro.

The rules were simple:

n Six people picked up Sensation Salads from local restaurants.

n The businessesdid not know we were completing aSensation Salad test.

n The tasting was blind. Tasters didn’tknow which salads came from which restaurants.

n Each personjudgedonfreshness, balanceofflavors, texture andoverall appeal on ascale of 1-20, 20 being thehighest.

n Tasters sampledthe salads in different orders to prevent asingle salad from being the first tasted. If we missedyourfavorite, let us knowwhatelseweshouldtry Email madison.scott@theadvocate. com with suggestions.

Thesalads

Our team has conducted many similartaste tests, from thecity’s best gumbo to chocolate chip cookies. This tasting was particularly unique because of how different everyone’sratings were. There wasnot aclear favorite oneperson’stop saladwas another’sleast favorite. One taster gave

ä see SALAD, page 2D

BY MADDIE SCOTT staff writer

extra points for olives, and another did not the same with slivered almonds.

Others believed iceberg lettuce tasted the best. Others preferred romaine. One person liked croutons and another didn’t think that was a “real Sensation Salad.”

In short, while there are qualities most people can agree on when it comes to gumbo or cookies, salad preferences are a different game.

While many tasters loved Jubans’ cheese crisp, its Kalamata olives were divisive among judges. Staff writer Joy Holden enjoyed the sweet notes from the dressing.

The almond slivers in Phil’s Oyster Bar’s Sensation Salad also showed differences in preferences between judges. Writer Judy Bergeron liked the salad’s balanced flavor but believes Sensation Salads don’t need almonds.

The salad from Solou also had almonds. Some found the iceberg blend fresh; others wished for more flavor from the dressing.

Many judges noted the increased amount of black pepper in Drusilla Seafood’s Sensation Salad; some found the pepper overpowering, others enjoyed the smoky punch.

Judges loved the seasoned croutons in Cecelia Creole Bistro’s Sensation Salad, but wished the dressing had more flavor Others thought it was just right and loved the thinly sliced purple

BEST

Continued from page 1D

appreciated that the roll included both tuna and salmon so that I didn’t have to choose one over the other

BLDG 5

Continued from page 1D

onions. The top three favorites In third place was Maxwell’s Market, scoring high in freshness with an arugula and mixed greens blend with red onions and pepperoncini. The difference in scores between it and the second place salad was only half a point. In second place was Rocca Pizzeria The strong, tangy dressing and volume of cheese seemed to win over judges across the board In first place was BrewBacher’s Grill, an iceberg and

Lauren Cheramie, features coordinator Parillo de pollo n Cafe Habana, 911 Bertrand Drive, Lafayette I have been ordering this exact meal. Parillo de

The plans for the new spot are still very new, Broussard said, and the restaurant team is still figuring out the details like the opening date and menu specifics They bought the lease recently

romaine blend with cucumbers, grape tomatoes and green onion. The addition of cucumbers and tomatoes added a boost of freshness that won the palates of judges, and writer Lauren Cheramie noted that the Parmesan was the perfect amount. The bottom line is that, when it comes to Sensation Salads, personal preference reignssupreme.Whenthesalad started about 70 years ago, there may have been one way to do it, but these days restaurants across the Capital City area put their own spin on it.

Pollo with white rice, black beans, maduritos and extra citrus sauce for almost 20 years at Cafe Habana. I can’t get anything else. It is just that good. It is the ultimate comfort food for me.

— Jan Risher, Louisiana Culture Editor

but aren’t yet working with any designers or construction companies.

“We’re just really excited about doing it,” Broussard said. “The team is excited to do it.”

By the associated Press

Today is Wednesday, Nov 26, the 330th day of 2025. There are 35 days left in the year

Today in history:

On Nov 26, 2008, teams of heavily armed militants from the terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba stormed luxury hotels, a popular restaurant and a crowded train station in Mumbai, India, leaving at least 175 people dead (including nine of the attackers) in a rampage spanning four days.

Also on this date:

In 1791, President George Washington held his first full cabinet meeting; in attendance were Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton, Secretary of War Henry Knox and Attorney General Edmund Randolph.

In 1941, U.S. Secretary of State Cordell Hull de-

livered a note to Japan’s ambassador to the United States, Kichisaburo Nomura, setting forth U.S. demands for “lasting and extensive peace throughout the Pacific area.” The same day, a Japanese naval task force of six aircraft carriers left the Kuril Islands, bound for Hawaii, days before the attack on Pearl Harbor

In 1973, President Richard Nixon’s personal secretary, Rose Mary Woods, told a federal court she’d accidentally caused part of the 18½-minute erasure of a key Watergate tape. The gap was in a 1972 recording of a conversation between Nixon and his chief of staff.

In 2000, Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris certified Republican George W. Bush the winner over Democrat Al Gore in the state’s presidential balloting by a 537-vote margin. The U.S.

Supreme Court ultimately stopped recounts of the vote, and Bush won Florida’s 25 electoral votes and the presidential election. In 2011, a rocket carrying NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida. Today’s birthdays: Impressionist Rich Little is 87. Football Hall of Famer Jan Stenerud is 83. Author

Open floorplan alittletoo open

Dear Miss Manners: My home has an open floor plan with the kitchen, living room and dining area all combined This leads to guests meandering through the kitchen area while we’re preparing food. No approach I have used has been successful to deter this. How do Iapproachmydear aunt at Thanksgiving, who is arepeat offender? She hovers over the food being prepared, touches things and samples dishes beforethey are done. This makes my husband unable to enjoy the food, as he is concerned about sanitation Gentle reader: Thanksgiving being about expressing gratitude for what one has, Miss Manners cannot help noticing that the purpose of an open floor plan is to encourage people to move about —though maybe not to put their thumbs in the gravy She assumes that selling the house before Thanksgiving dinner is not an option. Well-placed screens to cordon off kitchen entrances are worth considering, as is assigning someone to keep your dear aunt busy either with charming conversation or by giving her

an actual food-preparation assignment.

Dear Miss Manners: Isubscribe to the belief that,at asit-down meal, it’s correct to wait until all guests have received their food before youbegin to eat.

Having abackscratcher on hand

hang plants from the top of my windows. —Heloise Operationgratitude

Judith Martin MIss MaNNers

However,it seems like other folks never gotthissame lesson. Ifrequently find that some wellintentioned guest will look over,notice me noteating, and try to persuade me to go aheadand digin— withoutany regard forthe other guests whodon’t yet have their food.

This really irks me. I’m well aware that, yes, Icould in fact begineating,but I’m intentionally choosing to wait out of consideration What’sapolite way Ican tell these types of peopleto buttout?

Gentle reader: Apolite way would betosay,“Thank you; Iwill in just amoment.”

MissManners agrees with you that it is polite to wait for everyone to be served before starting, presuming that it is notatable for 24, and rude of theother guests to order you about.

Butlest we are tempted to takeatone, she reminds

you that once others do start,there is adanger in continuing to abstain: It would be rude to draw attention to another person’s lapse in etiquette by,say ostentatiously continuing to wait for everyone else to be served. However,she suspectsyou would enjoy that.

Dear Miss Manners: These questions were posed at a dinnerparty Ihosted:“Did youmakethis roast?” “Did you makethese potatoes?” Iwas abit taken aback, but maybe Ishould just get over it. The meal was well received.

Gentlereader: Youfound the questions rude because you believe that no self-respecting host would serve guests precooked food. Miss Manners thinksitmorelikely that your guests asked as a prelude to complimenting you. So theproper answer is, “I did,” followed by aquick reply such as,“Would you like some more?”

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

Dear Harriette: My friend has always made comments about my weight, saying that I’m too skinny and that Ishould eat more. At first, Itried to laugh it off or change the subject, but over time, it started to really bother me. Ihave felt self-conscious and frustrated, but Ididn’tknow how to tell her how hurtful her remarks were. Recently,Ifinally snapped and told her she should eat less, thinking it would make her understand how it feels to have someone criticize your body.Now she’s reallymad at me, and Ifeel guilty for what Isaid, even though Ialso feel like she has crossed aline by constantly commenting on my appearance. Idon’twant to lose our friendship, but I also don’twant to continue tolerating hurtful behavior I’ve tried explaining why her comments hurt me, but she doesn’tseem to understand my perspective. I’m not sure how to move forward without damaging the friendship or letting her continue to make me feel bad about myself. How can

economy,Iappreciatethat

Harriette Cole

seNse aND seNsItIVIty

Iaddress this situation in a way that sets clear boundaries, helpsher understand my perspective andrepairs the friendship? —Ridiculed Dear Ridiculed: Lashing out at her didn’t work because it simply hurt her withoutgivingher cause for self-reflection.You need to talk to her.You can apologize for talking about her weight and admit that you constantly feel hurt by how she speaks aboutyours. Tell her it makes youfeel uncomfortable andjudged. Chances are, she hasno clue. People often think it’s fair game to talk about thin people but out ofbounds to talk about overweightpeople. Neither is OK. Politely ask her to stop,and remind herwhenever sheslips up Dear Harriette: At the beginning of this month, Ireceived some awful news.Mycompanyisgoingthrough somethings andwill be consolidating jobs. They told me and nearly200 other colleagues that we are being laidoff at theend of themonth They wanted to give us time to prepare, and in this

I’ve started looking for new positions, but Iamnoticing that companies are now offering much lower salaries than they were in years past.Based on the economic statewe’re in, Ican’t afford to takeapay cut. At thesame time, I’m not sure Ican afford to play hardball and miss these opportunities.How do Ibalance being undervalued with the risk of being indefinitely unemployed? How can I gauge when totake the bait versus when tofight alittle harder and hope for somethingbetter? —Job Market

Dear JobMarket: Read the tea leaves, so to speak. It is true that many workers are being undervalued in terms of pay these days —unfair, but too often true. Do your best to negotiate, but don’t wait too long. Youknow your job ends soon. It’s much easier to look for a job and negotiate while you have ajob, so accept somethingsooner rather than later,even if you choose to keep looking for something better

Send questions to askharriette@ harriettecole.com.

Hints from Heloise

Dear Heloise: The hint about using aback scratcher to reach things in astoreis something Ihave been doing for awhile. I keep it in my purse. One day while shopping, Inoticed a lady who was trying to get somethinghigh on ashelf and said that Icould help her She told me that Iwasn’t much taller than her.I whipped out my expandable back scratcher.She was surprised and said that she would have to purchase one. —Nancy Jo H., in Wood, Pennsylvania Nancy Jo, it’samazing how manyuses we can get out of one object.I’ve used my salad tongs for a number of tasks and overthe-door clothes hangers to

Dear Heloise: Recently,I discovered an old clipping in which you offered asuggestion fordonating unneeded greeting cards. Ireceive morethan Ican personally use and have been giving them to local senior centers, veteran affairs hospitals, etc. The “old” clipping mentioned Operation Gratitude in California as an appropriate organization to use these excess cards. Isent them abox with maybe 100 cards afew weeks ago. Surprise, surprise, Ireceived an email from Meg Barron at Operation Gratitude thanking me for the cards and outlining the extent of the care boxes that the Operation sends to the troops, veterans and military

families. They’re much appreciated, and soon enough, I’ll have more cards to send. Your columns’ tips are always helpful. Thank you. Keep up the good work! TomC., via email Collegegiftidea

Dear Heloise: Our daughter loved her “MacGyver” kit and first-aid kit forcollege! Maintenance departments have better things to do than running to dorm roomstofixascrew.Every student should have bandages, athermometer and pain relievers/fever reducers. Loving my independent daughter! —Sue I., via email Send ahinttoheloise@ heloise.com.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Pay attention to your overhead, and you'll find a way to cut corners. Explore community programs or better interest rates, and consider refinancing to fit your budget.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Diversions are necessary to personal growth and choosing what's best for you. A warm and passionate approach to expressing yourself will attract someone of interest.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Apply your energy to honing your skills and doing the best job possible. Refuse to let outside issues cloud your vision or someone else's drama eat up your time.

PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) Distance yourself from shared expenses and joint ventures. Use your intuitive intelligence to navigate your way forward and to promote financial matters, choice decisions and a better life.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) Participation will open doors. Be brave and sign up or submit your resume for a position that allows you to do something you enjoy doing. Invest in yourself and your future.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Pay attention to how you present yourself, and update your skills, appeal and resources to suit your needs. An overhaul will give you a boost that points you in a new and exciting direction.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Refuse to let weak excuses slow you down or some-

one who wants to manipulate you stand in your way. Take charge; head in the direction that stimulates your mind and calls your name.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) Check the job market, set up interviews and revise your resume. Attend reunions or events that bring you in contact with informative individuals who can enlighten you.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Let caution lead the way. If you act in haste or let spontaneity overrule common sense, you'll pay the price Choose growth, learning and striving to be your best over emotional drama.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Communication will spare you grief. Ask direct questions and make informed decisions based on facts. Personal improvements and growth will lead to unexpected gains and commitment.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Get out, mingle, challenge yourself and make personal growth your mission. However, don't lose sight of your budget, as you may find yourself in over your head.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) Refuse to labor over things you have no control over. It's time to open a new door that allows you the freedom to follow your heart and explore new territory.

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

By Andrews McMeel Syndication

Sudoku

InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers1 to 9inthe empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. Thedifficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.

Yesterday’s PuzzleAnswer

BY PHILLIP ALDER

George Ade, a columnist and playwright who died in 1944, said, “If it were not for the presents, an elopement would be preferable.” That is a distinctly materialistic attitude. In bridge, though, you will get presents, especially from defenders. And there is an elopement play it is featured in this deal. First, though, look at the North hand. South opens two spades, a weak two-bid showing a respectable six-card suit and some 5-10 high-card points. What should North respond? Second, how should South play in four spades after West leads the diamond queen?

In the bidding, there is an instinct to head for no-trump in the face of a misfit. But how will three no-trump ever make? Even if East ducks the first round of spades, North has only seven tricks: one spade, one heart, three diamonds (benefiting from the 3-3 break) and two clubs.

Instead, North should raise to four spades.

At first glance, it looks as though declarer will lose two spades, one diamond and one club. But perhaps he can take 10 tricks. To be honest, working out what to do in this deal requires some guesswork. However, with this layout, South can score his three low trumps with an elopement

RougeParish School Boardand the Board of Supervisorsof Louisiana StateUniver‐sityand Agricultural and MechanicalCollege,in the amount of $107,933 toextendthe agreement for oneyeartoprovide upto6 externs. Funding Source: GeneralFund Movedby: Michael Gaudet Seconded by:Emily Soulé Yea Mark Bellue,Shashonnie Steward,CliffLewis Michael Gaudet,and Emily Soulé Recuse CarlaPowell Lewis,Patrick Martin NotPresent at Vote NathanRust Motion Carries5-0 H. NewBusiness 1. Resolution Adoption of aresolution for thepurpose of levy‐ing millagerates to be appliedtothe 2025 East Baton RougeParishTax RollasrequiredbyR.S 47:1705(A) Movedby: EmilySoulé Seconded by:Carla Pow‐ell Lewis

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