The Acadiana Advocate 12-07-2025

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for development.

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Housing crunch

Lafayette rental market named one of the hottest in the U.S.

BY ADAM DAIGLE and ZETA McCASKILL

Acadiana business editor and contributing writer

When Brandon Gilley left student housing at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in 2020, he lived in his car his sister’s house, a partner’s house and later paid a co-worker

$200 to sleep on her couch for two months. Thanks to his job at Jimmy John’s, where he worked up to 70 hours a week, he was finally able to afford an apartment in Lafayette in 2021.

Yet that ended poorly.

The next summer, he landed at The Heritage at UL in a four-bedroom apartment.

But the rent, which he estimated ended up costing over $2,200 for the semester was too much

“It put me in the worst financial bind of my life,” said Gilley, an Opelousas native “Ever since then, I’ve kind of been on the struggle bus. I couldn’t afford to pay for that My sister had to end up giving me about $1,200 so I could pay that and still continue classes in the fall.”

Apartment market running hot in Lafayette

The Lafayette market was named the fastest-rising small market in the U.S for rentals. Here are four indicators of how hot the market is:

Source: RentCafe

ä Finding a place to live a monthslong endeavor for one University of Louisiana at Lafayette student. PAGE 4A

now it’s tighter Analysts at RentCafe, a national apartment service, identified the Lafayette market — which includes Lake Charles — as the fastestrising small market in the U.S. for rentals earlier this year

Occupancy is up significantly, and the number of applicants seeking a typical available unit has nearly doubled. The population has gradually risen in Lafayette Parish, which had the biggest population spike in Louisiana in census data revealed earlier this year

Over the past three years, the total number of jobs in the parish has risen 6%, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

LSU, Kiffin center stage in debate on college athlete pay

Bill reshaping NIL tabled following bipartisan backlash

BY MARK BALLARD Staff writer

WASHINGTON As the top Democrat in the U.S. House took the podium Thursday to speak out against a bill to regulate college athletics, he set his sights squarely on LSU, its new football coach and two of the school’s alumni who are among the most powerful people on Capitol Hill.

“Why would Mike Johnson and Steve Scalise think it was a good idea to bring the Lane Kiffin Protection Act to the floor of the House of Representatives?” said House Majority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a New York Democrat. Jeffries posited that it might have been to please big donors to the state’s flagship university “Legislation that would do nothing to benefit college athletes and everything to benefit coaches like Lane Kiffin, who got out of town, abandoned his players in the middle of a playoff run to go get a $100 million contract from LSU

Construction on paused LNG project can resume

Regulators reissue permit for Cameron Parish facility

BY JOSIE ABUGOV Staff writer

His housing struggles continued. There was the apartment near campus that at times had no refrigerator, stove, air-conditioning or hot water Instead of addressing the issues, management merely lowered the rent. Now he’s sharing a place near campus and paying $555 a month that includes rent, utilities and Wi-Fi.

“I am a little stretched thin,” he said. “I feel like I’m just at my last little wick, honestly, like the

candle is almost gone.”

In Lafayette Parish, where just over 1 out of every 3 households is a rental property, the challenge to find an affordable rental has gotten more challenging. The market has been competitive since the coronavirus pandemic, but

Those aren’t surprising numbers to Steven Hebert, CEO of Billeaud Companies, which is a partner in the 300-unit Villa Broussard apartments in Broussard. The occupancy rate in recent years was in the high 80s, but in the past 18

See HOUSING, page 4A

Louisiana regulators have reissued a permit for a multi-billion dollar liquefied natural gas terminal less than a month after a state judge ruled they had failed to consider the impacts of climate change and environmental justice, a judgment described as a first-of-its-kind.

The permit allows Commonwealth LNG, the Houston-based company planning the gas export facility in Cameron Parish, to move forward with its project. The Nov 18 permit dismayed environmental groups and advocates, who saw the judge’s previous order as a marginal win against the rapid industrial expansion in southwest Louisiana.

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5 killed in clashes on Afghan-Pakistan border

JALALABAD Afghanistan An overnight exchange of fire between Afghan forces and Pakistani troops along the two countries’ tense border killed five Afghan civilians and wounded five others, while three civilians were also wounded on the Pakistani side, officials from the two countries said Saturday Each side has blamed the other for triggering the clash in violation of a tenuous two-month ceasefire.

Those killed in the border area near the Afghan city of Spin Boldak, in southern Afghanistan’s Kandahar province, included three children and one woman, said Ali Mohammad Haqmal, the head of information of Spin Boldak District.

Pakistani police and a hospital official in the Pakistani city of Chaman, Mohammad Awais, said three people, including a woman, were wounded in the shooting and shelling that came from the Afghan side. The clashes lasted until dawn Saturday, police said.

Tension between the two countries has been high since October, when deadly border clashes killed dozens of soldiers, civilians and suspected militants, and wounded hundreds on both sides. The violence erupted after explosions in Kabul, the Afghan capital, on Oct. 9 that the Taliban government blamed on Pakistan and vowed to avenge.

Hong Kong police arrest man for posts about fire HONG KONG Hong Kong’s national security police arrested a man on Saturday in the first publicly confirmed arrest relating to criticism of authorities over a high-rise apartment blaze that killed at least 159 people.

Police said he had been accused of posting “information with seditious intention” on social media.

“That mainly included (materials intending to) incite hatred among (others) toward the Hong Kong government and the central government,” Steve Li, chief superintendent of the police National Security Department, told reporters.

“For example, he pointed to the Hong Kong and the central governments as instigators of exploiting the tragedy to cause chaos and turmoil,” he said. “That’s something totally impossible.”

Local media reported other arrests earlier but authorities have not confirmed them.

The fire, which broke out Nov 26 at the Wang Fuk Court housing complex, has prompted a debate about government accountability Authorities have warned against attempts to use the fire to try to undermine the local government or the central government in Beijing Hong Kong is part of China but, like nearby Macao, has its own legal system and laws. Both are former European colonies that were returned to China in the late 1990s.

Calif. warns of poison mushroom outbreak

California officials are warning foragers after an outbreak of poisoning linked to wild mushrooms that has killed one adult and caused severe liver damage in several patients, including children.

The state poison control system has identified 21 cases of amatoxin poisoning, likely caused by death cap mushrooms, the health department said Friday. The toxic wild mushrooms are often mistaken for edible ones because of their appearance and taste.

“Death cap mushrooms contain potentially deadly toxins that can lead to liver failure,” Erica Pan, director of the California Department of Public Health, said in a statement “Because the death cap can easily be mistaken for edible safe mushrooms, we advise the public not to forage for wild mushrooms at all during this high-risk season.”

One adult has died and several patients have required intensive care, including at least one who might need a liver transplant.

Wet weather fuels the growth of death cap mushrooms, and officials warn against any wild mushroom foraging to avoid confusion.

Hegseth defends boat strikes

Official says Trump can order use of force ‘as he sees fit’

BY DAVID KLEPPER Associated Press

WASHINGTON Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth defended strikes on alleged drug cartel boats during remarks Saturday at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library saying President Donald Trump has the power to take military action “as he sees fit” to defend the nation.

Hegseth dismissed criticism of the strikes, which have killed more than 80 people and now face intense

scrutiny over concerns that they violated international law Saying the strikes are justified to protect Americans, Hegseth likened the fight to the war on terror following the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.

“If you’re working for a designated terrorist organization and you bring drugs to this country in a boat, we will find you and we will sink you. Let there be no doubt about it,” Hegseth said during his keynote address at the Reagan National Defense Forum. “President Trump can and will take decisive military action as he sees fit to defend our nation’s interests. Let no country on earth doubt that for a moment.”

The most recent strike brings the death toll of the campaign to at least 87 people. Lawmakers have sought more answers about the attacks and their legal justification, and whether U.S. forces were ordered to launch a follow-up strike following a September attack even after the Pentagon knew of survivors.

Though Hegseth compared the alleged drug smugglers to Al-Qaida terrorists, experts have noted significant differences between the two foes and the efforts to combat them

Hegseth’s remarks came after the Trump administration released its new national security strategy, one

that paints European allies as weak and aims to reassert America’s dominance in the Western Hemisphere.

During the speech, Hegseth also discussed the need to check China’s rise through strength instead of conflict. He repeated Trump’s vow to resume nuclear testing on an equal basis as China and Russia — a goal that has alarmed many nuclear arms experts. China and Russia haven’t conducted explosive tests in decades, though the Kremlin said it would follow the U.S. if Trump restarted tests.

The speech was delivered at the Reagan National Defense Forum at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute in California, an event which brings together top nation-

al security experts from around the country Hegseth used the visit to argue that Trump is Reagan’s “true and rightful heir” when it comes to muscular foreign policy By contrast, Hegseth criticized Republican leaders in the years since Reagan for supporting wars in the Middle East and democracy-building efforts that didn’t work. He also blasted those who have argued that climate change poses serious challenges to military readiness.

“The war department will not be distracted by democracy building, interventionism, undefined wars, regime change, climate change, woke moralizing and feckless nation building,” he said.

Russia unleashes massive attack on Ukraine

Diplomatic talks continue

BY SUSIE BLANN Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine Russia unleashed a major missile and drone barrage on Ukraine overnight into Saturday, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he had a “substantive phone call” with American officials engaged in talks with a Ukrainian delegation in Florida, aimed at ending the nearly 4-year war.

Russia used 653 drones and 51 missiles in the widereaching overnight attack on Ukraine, which triggered air raid alerts across the country and came as Ukraine marked Armed Forces Day, the country’s air force said Saturday morning.

Ukrainian forces shot down and neutralized 585 drones and 30 missiles, the air force said adding that 29 locations were struck.

At least eight people were wounded in the attacks, Ukrainian Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko said. Among these, at least three people were wounded in the Kyiv region, according to local officials. Drone sightings were reported as far west as Ukraine’s Lviv region.

Russia carried out a “massive missile-drone attack” on power stations and other energy infrastructure in several Ukrainian regions, Ukraine’s

Workers and military inspect Ukrainian Fire

handover to the military in an undisclosed location

national energy operator, Ukrenergo, wrote on Telegram.

Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant temporarily lost all off-site power overnight, the International Atomic Energy Agency said Saturday, citing its Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi.

The plant is in an area that has been under Russian control since early in Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine and is not in service, but it needs reliable power to cool its six shutdown reactors and spent fuel, to avoid any catastrophic nuclear incidents.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that energy facilities were the main targets of the attacks, also noting that a drone strike had “burned down” the train station in the city of Fastiv, located

in the Kyiv region.

Russia’s Ministry of Defense said its air defenses had shot down 116 Ukrainian drones over Russian territory overnight into Saturday

Russian Telegram news channel Astra said Ukraine struck Russia’s Ryazan Oil Refinery, sharing footage appearing to show a fire breaking out and plumes of smoke rising above the refinery The Associated Press could not independently verify the video.

The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces later said Ukrainian forces had struck the refinery. Ryazan regional Gov Pavel Malkov said a residential building had been damaged in a drone attack and that drone debris had fallen on the grounds of an “industrial facility,” but did not mention the refinery

Shooting at South African bar leaves 12 dead, including 3 children

BY GERALD IMRAY Associated Press

CAPE TOWN, South Africa A mass shooting carried out Saturday by multiple suspects in an unlicensed bar near the South African capital left at least 12 people dead, police said. The victims included three children aged 3, 12 and 16.

Another 13 people were wounded and being treated in the hospital. Police didn’t give details of the ages of those who were injured or their conditions.

Police adjusted the death toll after they said a 12th victim died in the hospital.

The shooting happened at a bar inside a hostel in the Saulsville township west of the administrative capital of Pretoria in early Saturday Ten of the victims died at the scene and two others died at the hospital, police said.

The children killed were a 3-year-old boy, a 12-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl. Police said they were searching for three male suspects.

“We are told that at least three unknown gunmen entered this hostel where a group of people were drinking and they started randomly shooting,” police spokesperson Brig Athlenda Mathe told national broadcaster SABC. She said the motive for the killings was not clear The shootings happened at around 4.15 a.m., she said but police were only alerted at 6 a.m.

South Africa has one of the highest homicide rates in the world and recorded more than 26,000 homicides in 2024 — an average of more than 70 a day Firearms are by far the leading cause of death in homicides. The country of 62 million people has relatively strict gun ownership laws, but many killings are committed with illegal guns, authorities say There have been several mass shootings at bars sometimes called shebeens or taverns in South Africa — in recent years, including one that killed 16 people in the Johannesburg township of Soweto in 2022. On the same day, four people were killed in a mass shooting at a bar in another province.

Months of Ukrainian longrange drone strikes on Russian refineries have aimed to deprive Moscow of the oil export revenue it needs to pursue the war Meanwhile, Kyiv and its Western allies say Russia is trying to cripple the Ukrainian power grid and deny civilians access to heat, light and running water for a fourth consecutive winter, in what Ukrainian officials call “weaponizing” the cold.

The latest round of attacks came as President Donald Trump’s advisers and Ukrai-

nian officials said they’ll meet for a third day of talks on Saturday in Florida, after making progress on finding agreement on a security framework for postwar Ukraine.

Zelenskyy said Saturday that he had been given an update over the phone by U.S. and Ukrainian officials at the talks.

“Ukraine is determined to keep working in good faith with the American side to genuinely achieve peace,” Zelenskyy wrote on social media.

Following Friday’s talks, the two sides had also offered the sober assessment that any “real progress toward any agreement” ultimately will depend “on Russia’s readiness to show serious commitment to longterm peace.”

The statement from U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner as well as Ukrainian negotiators Rustem Umerov and Andriy Hnatov came after they met for a second day on Friday They offered only broad brushstrokes about the progress they say has been made as Trump pushes Kyiv and Moscow to agree to a U.S.mediated proposal to end nearly four years of war

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Qatari leader says Gaza ceasefireatcriticalmoment

BY SAMY MAGDY and JOSEF FEDERMAN Associated Press

DOHA, Qatar Qatar’sprime minister on Saturdaysaid the Gaza ceasefire has reached a“critical moment” as itsfirst phase winds down, with the remainsof one Israeli hostage still to be handed overbymilitants.

Sheikh Mohammedbin Abdulrahman Al Thani told aconference in the Qatari capital that international mediators, led by the U.S., are working “to force the way forward” to the second phase to cement the deal.

“What we havejust done is apause,” he told the Doha Forum. “Wecannot consider it yet aceasefire.”

He added: “A ceasefire cannot be completed unless there is afull withdrawal of Israeli forces, there is stability back in Gaza, people can go in and out, which is not the case today.”

While the ceasefire halted the heavy fighting of the two-year war,Gaza health officials say that over 360 Palestinians havebeen killed by Israeli fire since the truce took effect on Oct 10. In new violence, two Palestinians were killed in an Israeli airstrikenorthwest of Gaza City,Shifa Hospital said.

Israel’sarmy said it wasn’t aware of an airstrike in that location. However,itsaid that Israeli soldiers on Saturday killed threemilitants who crossed the “yellow line” into Israeli-controlled northern part of Gaza and “posed an immediate threat.”

The Israeli army has said it has carried out anumber

APalestinian girlsitsonaswingSaturday in the portofGazaCity

Sea.

of attacks on Palestinians crossingthe ceasefire line.

Underthe firstphase of President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan, the fighting stoppedand dozens of hostages heldinGaza were exchangedfor hundreds of Palestinians held in Israeli prison. Israel sent adelegation last week to Egypt for talks on returning the remains of thelast hostage

The next phase has not begun. It includes thedeployment of an international security force in Gaza, formationofanew technocratic government for theterritory,disarmament ofHamas and an eventual withdrawal of Israeli forces.

Arab andWestern officials told The Associated Presson Friday that an international bodyoverseeingthe ceasefire, to be led by Trump himself, is expected to be

appointed by theend of the year.Inthe long term, the plan also calls for apossible “pathway” to Palestinian independence.

Qatar’sprime minister saidthat even theupcoming phase should be “temporary” andthatpeace in the region could only take place with theeventualestablishmentofaPalestinian state —something that is opposed by Israel’shard-line government.

“If we are just resolving what happened in Gaza, the catastrophe that happened in the last two years, it’s not enough,”hesaid. “There is aroot for this conflict. And this conflict is not only about Gaza.”

He added: “It’s about Gaza. It’s about the West Bank. It’s about the rights of the Palestinians for their state. We are hoping that we canworktogether with the U.S. adminis-

Supporters of Venezuelaopposition leader marchin cities worldwide

BY REGINA GARCIA CANO Associated Press

CARACAS Supporters of Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado demonstrated Saturday in several cities worldwide to commemorate her Nobel PeacePrize win ahead of the prestigious award ceremony next week.

Dozens of people marched throughMadrid, Utrecht, Buenos Aires, Lima and other cities in support of Machado, whose organization wants to use the attention gained by the award to highlight Venezuela’s democratic aspirations. The organization expected demonstrations in more than 80 cities around theworld on Saturday

The crowd in Lima carried portraits of Machado and demanded a“Free Venezuela.” With the country’syellow blue and red flagdraped over their backsoremblazoned on their caps, demonstrators clutched posters that read, “The Nobel Prize is from Venezuela.”

Venezuelan Verónica Durán, who has lived in

Lima for eight years, said Machado’sNobel Peace Prize is celebrated because “it represents all Venezuelans, thefallen andthe political prisoners in their fight to recover democracy.”

been recognized with the Nobel Peace Prize.”

tration to achieve this vision at the end of the day.”

TurkishForeign Minister HakanFidansaid there is a “big question” over theformation of an international security forcefor Gaza. Speaking at the conference, he said it’s unclear which countries will join, what the commandstructure would look like and what its “first mission” will be.

Turkey is oneofthe guarantors of theceasefire,but Israel, which has rocky relations with the Ankara government, hasrejected any Turkish participation in the force.

“Thousands of details, questionsare in place,”Fidan said. “I think once we deploy ISF,the rest will come.”

Aday after an overwhelm-

The gatheringscome at acritical point in the country’sprotracted crisis as the administrationofU.S President Donald Trump builds up amassivemilitary deployment in theCaribbean,threatening repeatedly to strikeVenezuelan soil. Venezuela’sPresident Nicolás Maduroisamong those who see the operation as an effort to end hishold on power,and the oppositionhas only added to this perception by reigniting its promise to soon govern the country

“Weare livingthrough times whereour composure, our conviction, and ourorganization are being tested,” Machado said in avideo message shared Tuesday on social media. “Times when ourcountry needs even more dedication because now all theseyears of struggle, thedignity of theVenezuelan people, have

Machado won theaward Oct. 10 for herstruggleto achievea democratic transition in theSouthAmerican nation, winning recognition as awoman “who keeps the flameofdemocracy burning amid agrowing darkness.”

Machado, 58, wonthe opposition’s primaryelection and intended to run against Maduro in last year’spresidentialelection, but the government barred her from running for office. Retired diplomat Edmundo González, who had never run for office before, took her place.

The lead-up to the July 28, 2024, election sawwidespread repression, including disqualifications, arrests and human rights violations. It all increasedafter the country’sNational Electoral Council, which is stacked with Maduroloyalists,declared him thewinner despite credible evidence to thecontrary González sought asylum in Spain last year after aVenezuelan court issueda warrant for his arrest.

ing international endorsement, theU.N. agency for Palestinianrefugees said its future role in Gaza is unclear Throughout the war,Israel andthe UnitedStates have sidelined UNRWA,accusing it cooperating with Hamas, a charge UNRWA denies.

TamaraAlrifai, UNRWA’s director of external relations andcommunications, said the agency continues to offer humanitarian and educational services in Gaza But she saidUNRWA has

been excluded from U.S.led talks on the ceasefire’s second phase. Alrifai said that UNRWA serves as the de facto “public sector” in Gaza. And with 12,000 employees, she said it will be nearly impossible for the international community to duplicate the agency’s network of services.

“If you squeeze UNRWA out, whatother agency can fill that void?” shesaidon the sidelinesofthe Doha Forum.

Findingaplace to live amonthslongendeavor

Apartmenthunting in Lafayettehas gotten harder

BY ZETAMcCASKILL

Contributing writer

The process of finding an apartment was extensive for Cassie Boudreaux.

The 21-year-old psychology major at the University of Louisiana

at Lafayette has twoservingjobs, one in her hometown of New Iberia and another in Lafayette. She had to saveexcessively to buyacar before she could move out, but now she wishes she had saved more. Last year,she and her partner,Mattie, beganlooking for an apartment

After months of searching, they found astudio apartment for $675, which did not include

utilities but was just below the fair market rate. That first place was difficult, and they sought another one that could include roommates to help with the rent.

It was not easy.Some landlords placed restrictionsonthe unitswithout offering exceptions or negotiations. And in Lafayette, where just over 1out of every3households is arental property, finding an apartmentin

recent months maybethe most challenging it’sbeen in years.

Analysts at RentCafe, anational apartment service, identified the Lafayette market —which includes Lake Charles—asthe fastest-rising smallmarket in the U.S. for rentals earlier this year.It citedanumber of factors, includingthe applicantsseeking atypical available unit has nearly doubled.

“Wefound so many places that were likeperfect price, this is goingtobegreat,” she said. “Thenwe

werelike, ‘OK, one of us is going to share abedroom,’ andthey were like, ‘No, because there are three bedrooms.’ Three bedroomsequal three people to them.”

After months of frustration, Boudreaux, her partner and roommates found athree-bedroom town house for $1,800.They split the rent among themselves.

“Wekindofjust do it based on whatweboth feelcomfortable with,” she said. “Then we split it with our roommates as well.”

months, it’shovered around 95% or even higher

“Everything economically remains reallygoodin LafayetteParish,” Hebert said. “I’d be surprised if there’sany qualityhousing out there that’s moderately priced that’savailable. Any kind of affordable townhomes or houses for rent, I’d be very surprised if there’s any vacancy.”

Across the country isa similar deal. RentCafe’sdata indicated the recent peak seasonfor rentals across the U.S. as “very tight” as the number of new units coming onlineisexpected to drop to 506,000 this year compared to 640,000 in 2024. Two-thirds of the marketsit analyzed show no signs of softening.

Much of it is due to the rising price of buying ahome and interest rates above 6%, said Doug Ressler,business intelligence manager at Yardi Matrix, acommercial real estate research firm,which operates RentCafe.

Earlier this month, the National AssociationofRealtors dropped these sobering numbers: The median age of the first-time homebuyeris now 40 years old, and those buying their first home accounted for ahistorically low 21% of all buyers

“The gap betweenrenting and owning has widened significantly,” Ressler said. “On amonthly basis,it’s$1,000 less in terms of expense to rent as opposed to buy Home priceshave surged —increasing about 50%nationallysince February 2020 —and it’scoupled with high mortgage rates.

“It’smade (buying) homes more expensive than renting in many areas. Ithink there’sonly three markets we coverwhere that isn’t thecase.”

Thesupply

There’sbeen steady constructionofmultifamily projects overthe past two years in Lafayette Parish ranging from the 264 fair market rate units and the 146-unit, single-familyrental project planned by Baton Rouge-based Bearing Point Propertiestothe upscale $36 million Silo Creek development by New Orleans-based Key Real Estatenext door to Topgolf.

Between 2020 and 2024, the Lafayette area added 1,553units, up from the 1,438 units that were added between 2015 and 2019, RentCafe’sdata shows.

Silo Creek maybeamong the shiniest and most visible projects to open recently Construction is still not complete on the 11-building, 252unit development, yet the occupancy rate is “better than we expected,” said Michael Lang, Key’smanaging principal for development.

“We’ve been very famil-

n 68.9% of renters renewed theirleases, up from 64.3% last year

n Competition jumped to 11 renters per unit, up from six ayear ago.

n Vacant unitswerefilled in 34 days, three days faster than last year

Otherdatacould shed some light on what’shappening, such as thepopulation rising by 3,755 residentsbetween July 1, 2023, and July 1, 2024.

Also, Lafayette Parish has continuedtogrow jobs in manufacturing, which made up 12.4% of all theparish’s jobs in the first quarterof this year and is double the ratefrom five years ago, federal jobsdata shows.

remainupfrom ayear ago despite the average sale pricesitting just under $300,000, data shows. Yetthe homeownership rate is abit morerevealing. That rate slid to 63.8% last year afterhovering around 66% foryears, according to AmericanCommunity Surveyestimates. The rate of renter-occupied households rose to 36.2%, the highest since it reached 37.7% in 2015.

iar with the Lafayette market for awhile,” said Lang, whose companydeveloped the Robley Place andAnsleyWalkapartments before selling them in 2022. “One of the benefits of it is that whilethere havebeensome new projects, it’s avery consistentand solid market. Yousee some of theselarger marketswhere there’sjust atrue influx of supplyand it kind of getsoverbuilt,but this is amarket we believe in long term.”

Bearing Point’s first development, The Arbours at Lafayette, has awaiting list, and thecompany isbuilding asecondphase to that along with asimilar project atthe corner of ChappuisDrive and Moss Street, John Buzzell, the company’smanaging partner,said Thatproject will not go online for another year,but thecompany opted to begin constructiondue to the demand, he said. Jobsinhealth care, shipping andconstruction are increasinginLafayette and across theregion, including in Lake Charles, where LNGcompanyWoodside Energy Group plans to launch its $17.5 billion plant

in 2029.

“It’s certainly oneofthe hottest in the state,” Buzzellsaid of the Lafayette market.“It’sbeen outpacing other marketsofits size. The samething withLake Charles now.Certainly over thenext handful of years, we’re going to see some good growth outinthat market like we did 10 years ago.”

Other significant projects beingbuilt includethe 136unit Camellia Grove Townhomes at 705 E. Bluebird DrivebyDantin Bruce Development of Baton Rouge and the 288-unit Villas at E. Broussard in the1300 block of East Broussard Road by local developers Cliff Guidry and TimBradley Guidry’searlier project, the 154-unit Parkway Villas in Broussard that opened last year,reached 100% occupancy over the summer he said.

Thedemand

More data from RentCafe’sreport shows how tight themarket has become:

n Occupancy rose to 93.7% this peak season, up from 89.3% last year

Jobsineducation and health, which include health care jobs, now make up 22% of the parish’sjobs, up from 16.3% 10 years ago. Home sales, meanwhile,

“Our housing market stays tight allthe time,” MayorPresident Monique Boulet said. “I can’tpinpoint it exactly. It’s nota horrible thing, right? It doesn’tfluctuate with the economythe wayyou think it would. The prices continue to escalate, andwedohavealot of building going on right now.”

The Boulet administration wantstochange an incentive that she sayswould

spur more high-density infill development. When developers build asubdivision, theyare reimbursed forinstalling theelectrical infrastructure. Yetwhen developers build an apartment complex, theyare instead paid only $100 per unit. The tight market is also taking away supply for those seeking deeply affordable units, said Elsa Dimitriadis, executive director of the Acadiana Regional Coalition forHomelessness andHousing. There’snot enough units for people who are on, say Social Security or disability It’s also cut into units offered to transitional housing, Boulet said.Whenvacancy rates were higher, organizations whoassist homelessresidents would connect with apartment owners to house people temporarily,she said, but now thoseunits arenot available. The affordability factor remains significant. The recentOut of Reach Report indicated atypical worker would need to earn $20.23 an hour —a $42,080 salary —to afford atwo-bedroom apartment at fair marketrent. Theaverage rent price is at $1,167, up 2.86% from a year ago, RentCafe’s most recent data shows. Data from Housing Louisiana from 2021 showsthat 46% of renters in Lafayette Parish were cost-burdened, meaning theyspent at least 30% of theirincomeon housing. More units coming into the market helps, Dimitriadis said, but the issue may notbeone that theregion can build its wayout. “Although that’svery necessary —I’m notsaying we shouldn’t,” she said. “I’m saying it needstobe‘Yes, and,’you know?”

Email Adam Daigle at adaigle@theadvocate.com.

the home state of Mike Johnson and Steve Scalise,” Jeffries said. “People are asking the question: Why did you bring this bill this week with all the other issues that the country is demanding that we focus on led by the affordability crisis that they say is a scam and a hoax?”

But Scalise and supporters of the bill say it’s time to set clearer rules in a rapidly changing college sports landscape to provide clarity and safeguards for athletes.

“Over the years, you’ve seen lawsuits erode the ability for the NCAA to even police college athletics to the point where now it’s the wild, wild West. There are no rules in place, no structure. You have people that can play until they’re 26 years old in college athletics,” Scalise told reporters.

“You don’t have any protections for a lot of the studentathletes. And so, we first restore the ability for policing through the NCAA Congress won’t be doing the regulations It will be the NCAA having the ability to police college athletics again.”

Johnson, from Benton, and Scalise, of Jefferson, are the top leaders in the Republican-majority House, and both graduated from LSU. They were on the verge of having the House approve legislation that would reshape oversight of college athletics and establish national standards for name, image and likeness, which has become an important part of building competitive teams

But a nose count persuaded them that voting Wednesday would lead to a loss that House leadership, which is under fire from its own GOP majority couldn’t countenance. Opposition from a small group of hard-right conservatives, along with most Democrats, prompted Johnson and Scalise to first delay then pull the legislation from the vote schedule until this week at the

sion,” SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said in a statement.

The Big Ten said in a statement: “The SCORE Act enshrines important student-athlete protections into federal law, fortifies the educational mission of college sports, makes it possible for everyone to play by the same rules, and protects the ongoing funding structure for women’s and Olympic sports, a Big Ten priority.”

earliest. Scalise dismissed the postponement as tactical and tagged some of the opposition as not wanting the federal government to be so involved in regulating college sports.

Kiffin’s hiring has highlighted the importance of paying players, particularly in college football. The coach has said LSU’s commitment to spend $25 million to $30 million — a combination of revenue sharing by the athletic department and NIL deals from boosters on attracting top players played a key role in his decision to accept the job.

“There’s a great plan of how we can come together with what we bring and what players around the country want to play for us and play in our systems and then have that support to be able to do that so that they want to play for us and they get taken care of financially,”

he told reporters shortly after being named LSU’s new football coach. “Obviously, nowadays it’s the world of college football, and it’s very important and critical to them, which it should be This was the best setup. That definitely played a factor into it. Because I don’t care what your systems are, without good players, they don’t work.”

How to pay players

The Student Compensation and Opportunity through

Rights and Endorsements

Act, or SCORE, would organize a governing system that has grown up haphazardly over the years under often conflicting state laws particularly the handling of NIL, which allows studentathletes to be compensated. NIL rules have been evolving since 2021, when a U.S. Supreme Court ruling allowed the payments.

The bill would halt statelevel rules that hinder student-athletes from entering an NIL agreement, such as getting paid to help advertise a business. SCORE also would classify studentathletes as amateurs, rather than employees Universities would have to provide health insurance for student-athletes.

The NCAA would define the standards for when student-athletes could transfer schools and how they would be recruited. Governing bodies of college sports would be protected from most litigation and could ignore some state laws that regulate college athletics, such as how the players are paid.

The bill has the backing of the SEC and the Big Ten, the two largest college athletic conferences, along with the Trump administration and most Republicans.

“The SCORE Act will establish stability and return national standards to college sports while supporting universities’ educational mis-

President Donald Trump’s administration said in a statement: “Urgent federal action is necessary to provide the stability, fairness and balance that will protect student-athletes and preserve collegiate athletic opportunities.”

Why some oppose the bill It’s not often that Republicans contradict Trump, but some did on this issue.

A small group of conservatives balked and, given the small Republican majority in the House, it only took two “no” votes at the time to stymie passage.

Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, said the bill was wellintended but fell short of what was needed Congress would be interfering with state prerogatives but not going far enough to fix the problems, he said Roy is running for attorney general of Texas. The current attorney general, Ken Paxton, has spoken against a part of SCORE that forbids civil lawsuits against the College Sports Commission, a newly formed arm of the NCAA to oversee name, image and likeness standards. To participate, the commission required schools to settle disputes by arbitration.

Paxton, who is running as the MAGA opponent to the reelection of Republican Sen. John Cornyn, urged Texas schools not to sign on with the College Sports Commission because of the clause insulating the governing body from legal challenges.

Though a handful of Democratic representa-

tives back SCORE, the vast majority join conservatives in their opposition to legal immunity for NCAA under antitrust laws. But Democrats also don’t like provisions that would forbid college athletes from organizing or joining labor unions and their designation as amateurs and not employees. In addition to keeping student-athletes from bargaining collectively, that designation also disqualifies them from disability benefits. The legislation favors the big football and basketball conferences at the expense of smaller

schools that don’t have the same resources, the opponents claim.

“The players’ associations across every sports league led by the NFL Players Association were opposed to it because they concluded when evaluating the bill on the merits that it would actually hurt college athletes, not help them,” Jeffries concluded.

Staff reporter Wilson Alexander contributed to this report

Email Mark Ballard at mballard@theadvocate. com.

IndianaGOP face redistrictingchallenges

PresidentTrump challenges loyalty of Republican senators

BY THOMAS BEAUMONT and ISABELLA VOLMERT Associated Press

Spencer Deery’sson was getting ready for school when someone tried to provoke police into swarming his home by reporting afake emergency Linda Rogers saidthere were threats at her home and the golf course that her family has run for generations.

Jean Leising faced apipe bomb scare that wasemailed to local law enforcement.

The three are among roughly adozen Republicans in the Indiana Senate who have seen their lives turned upside down while President Donald Trump pushes to redraw the state’scongressional map to expand the party’s power in the 2026 midterm elections.

It’sabewildering and frightening experience for lawmakers who consider themselves loyalparty members and never imagined they would be doing their jobs under the same shadow of violence that has darkened American political life in recent years. Leising described

PROJECT

Continued from page1A

Commonwealth is one of more than adozen LNG export terminals existing, approved or proposed in Louisiana, which hasbecome the global epicenter of the industry.The technology at these massive facilities converts natural gas into liquid form by supercooling it, allowing the fuel to be loaded on tankers and exported worldwide.

Proponents of LNGtout job creation, revenue and the importance of supplying U.S. allieswith fuel long seen as burningcleaner than coal. The state’sbasis for the decision for thepermit also notes the “national significance” of LNG exports.

But making LNG is more energy-intensive than burning gas alone, leadingto more emissions. Recent studies have also found that natural gas may be no better than coalwhen it comes to climate-warming emissions due to methaneleaks throughout the supply chain.

In October,Judge Penelope Richard of Louisiana’s 38th Judicial District Court struck down akey environmental permit that the Louisiana energy department had granted to Commonwealth. Richard said the departmentneeded to consider the impact the terminalwill have on the coastalzone and nearby communities, specifically mentioning people living in poverty and recreational fishers.

Her judgment also noted that Commonwealth would be the third LNG facility in the Calcasieu Ship Channel, and that state regulators were obligated to consider the “potential impacts on storm severity or sea level rise in the coastal zone together with two other LNG facilities,” she stated.

The Louisiana Bucket Brigade and two national nonprofits, the Sierra Club

it as“averydangerousand intimidating process.”

Redistrictingisnormally done once adecade after a new national census. Trump wants to accelerate theprocess in hopes of protecting the Republicans’ thin majorityinthe U.S. House next year.His alliesinTexas, Missouri, Ohio andNorth Carolina have alreadygone along with his plans for new politicallines.

Now Trump’scampaign facesits greatest test yet in a stubborn pocket of Midwesternconservatism. Although IndianaGov.Mike Braun and theHouse of Representatives are on board, the proposalmay fall short withsenators who value theircivic traditions and independence over what they fear wouldbe short-term partisangain.

“When you have thepresident of theUnited States and your governor sending signals, youwant to listen to them,” said Rogers, who has notdeclared her positionon the redistricting push. “But it doesn’tmean you’ll compromise your values.”

On Friday,Trump posted alistofsenators who “need encouragement to make the right decision,” and he took to social media Saturday to say that if legislators “stupidly sayno, vote themout of Office —They are not worthy— And Iwill be there to help!” Meanwhile, thecon-

servative campaign organization Turning Point Action said it would spend heavily to unseat anyone who voted “no.”

Senators are scheduled to convene Monday to consider the proposal after months of turmoil. Resistance could signal the limits of Trump’s otherwise undisputed dominanceofthe Republican Party

Redistrictingsession

Deery considers himself lucky.The policeinhis hometown of West Lafayette knew the senator was apotential target for “swatting,” adangerous type of hoax when someone reports afake emergency to provoke an aggressive response from law enforcement.

So when Deery was targeted last monthwhile his son and otherswerewaiting for their daily bus ride to school, officers did not rush to the scene.

“You could have had SWAT teams driving in withguns out while there were kids in the area,” he said.

Deery was one of the first senators to publicly oppose the mid-decade redistricting, arguingitinterferes with voters’ right to hold lawmakersaccountable through elections

“The country would be an uglier place for it,” he said just days after Vice Presi-

PROVIDED RENDERING

The proposedCameron Parish offshore carbon capture and storagefacility canmove forward withits project after apermit was reissued for the multi-billiondollarliquefied natural gasterminal.

and the Turtle Island RestorationNetwork, brought the case against theLouisiana Department of Conservationand Energy(formerly the Department of Energy and Natural Resources)

Environmental groups applauded the October ruling as an unprecedented win —the first time that acourt hasinvalidated an LNG permit based on climate change and environmental justice

industry is being destroyed by the gas export tankers and pollution,” Rolfes said.

Commonwealth didnot respond to requests for comment. The state energy agency declined to comment.

Usingfederal,state analysis

dentJDVance visitedthe stateinAugust,the first of two trips to talkwithlawmakers about approvingnew maps

Republican leaders in the Indiana Senatesaid in midNovember that they would not hold avote on the matter because there was not enough support for it.Trump lashed out on social media, calling the senators weak and pathetic.

“Any Republican that votes againstthis important redistricting, potentially having an impact on America itself, should be PRIMARIED,” he wrote.

The threats againstsenators began shortly after that.

Sen. Sue Glick, aRepublican who was first elected in 2010 andpreviously served as alocal prosecutor,saidshe has never seen “this kind of rancor”inpolitics in her lifetime. She opposes redistricting, saying “it has thetaint of cheating.”

Not even the plan’ssupporters are immune to threats

Republican Sen. Andy Zay said his vehicle-leasing business was targeted with apipe bomb scareonthe same day he learned thathewould face aprimary challengerwho accusesZay of being insufficiently conservative.

Zay, whohas spent adecade in theSenate, believes the threat was related to his

criticism of Trump’seffort to pressure lawmakers. But the White House hasnot heeded his suggestions to build public support for redistricting through amedia campaign.

“When you push us around and into acorner,we’re not going to change because you hound us and threaten us,” Zay said. “For those who have made adecision to stand up for history and tradition, the tactics of persuasion do not embolden them to change their viewpoint.”

The White House did not respondtomessages seeking areaction to Zay’scomments.

Trumpseesmixed support

Trumpeasily won Indiana in all his presidential campaigns, and its leaders are unquestionably conservative. For example, the state was the first to restrict abortion after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

But Indiana’s political culture never becamesaturated with the sensibilities of Trump’s“Make America Great Again” movement.

Some21% of Republican voters backed NikkiHaley over Trump in last year’s presidential primary,even though the former South Carolina governor had al-

readysuspendedher campaign twomonths earlier Trumpalso holds agrudge against Indiana’sMike Pence, who served the state as acongressman andgovernor before becoming Trump’sfirst vice president. Adevout evangelical, Pence loyally accommodated Trump’sindiscretions and scandals but refused to go along with Trump’sattempt on Jan.6,2021, to overturn DemocratJoe Biden’svictory “Mike Pence didn’thave the courage to do what was necessary,” Trump posted online after an angry crowd of his supporters breached the U.S. Capitol. Pence has not taken apublic stance on his home state’s redistricting effort.But the governor before him,Republican MitchDaniels, recentlysaiditwas “clearly wrong.”

The proposed map, which was released Monday and approved by the state House on Friday,attempts to dilute theinfluenceofDemocratic voters in Indianapolis by splitting up the city.Parts of the capital would be grafted onto four different Republican-leaning districts, oneof whichwould stretch all the way south to the border with Kentucky

Last month, the Louisiana regulators determined that the project was “inthe best interestofthe state” and reissued the permit EricHuber, an attorney for the Sierra Club, said that thegroup’sattorneys are reviewing the decision andwill decide “whether further legalaction is in order.” Anne Rolfes, who runs the Louisiana Bucket Brigade, said the state failed to get to thebottom of the problems the environmentalgroups raised.

“In particular,the agency didn’tgoand talk to the fishermen and did not investigate the really seriousclaims that thefishing

Around 90 acres of wetlands will be impacted, which will be “sufficiently mitigated” and not significantly harm environmental justice communities, according to the state.

Louisianaofficials relied on analysis from other agencies —the Federal Energy RegulatoryCommission and the state’sDepartment of EnvironmentalQuality —intheir determination of the climate change-related impactsfromCommonwealth’sproject.

“The information being considered herein wasalready located within the administrative record of thispermit application,” the state’sbasis of decision states.

It similarly states that therecord “alreadycontains environmental justice analysis surrounding the proposed facility,” and points to thestate and federal agencies. The state also says that re-creating the other agencies’ envi-

ronmental justiceanalyses is no longerpossible due to aJanuary executiveorder by President Donald Trump thateliminated afederal environmental justice tool that FERC andLDEQ used. Environmental groups opposing the LNG build-out criticized the state fornot conducting itsown analysis beyond information alreadyin the record. James Hiatt, wholeads the southwestLouisiana nonprofit For aBetter Bayou,saidthe agencyis simply “rubber-stamping” the requests of the LNG corporations.

Email Josie Abugovat josie.abugov@theadvocate. com.

Trump awards medals to KennedyCenterhonorees

Stallone, Strait join others at ceremony

BY DARLENE SUPERVILLE Associated Press

WASHINGTON President Donald TrumponSaturday presented medals to the 2025 Kennedy Centerhonorees during an event in the Oval Office, hailing the slate of artists he had ahand in choosingas“perhaps the most accomplished andrenowned class” ever assembled. This year’srecipients are actor Sylvester Stallone, singers Gloria Gaynor and George Strait, the rock band Kiss and actor-singer Michael Crawford.

Trump ignored the Kennedy Center and its premier awards program during his first term as president. But the Republican instituted aseriesofchanges since returning to office in January,most notablyousting itsboardoftrustees andreplacing them with GOP supporters who voted him in as chairman.

Trump also has criticized the center’sprogramming and its physical appearance, and vowed to overhaul both

The president placed around each honoree’sneck anew medal that wasdesigned, createdand donated

by jeweler Tiffany &Co., according to theKennedy Center andTrump.

It’sagold disc etched on one side with the Kennedy Center’simage andrainbow colors. The honoree’sname appears on the reverse side with the date of the ceremony.The medallion hangs from anavy blueribbon and replaces alargerainbow ribbon decorated withthree gold platesthat rested on thehonoree’sshouldersand chest.

SanDiego considers settlement in shooting deathofBlack teen

By The Associated Press

SAN DIEGO

TheSan Diego city attorney’sofficehas

agreed to pay $30 million to the family of a16-yearoldyouth whowas fatally shot by police last January in what would be one of the largest settlements of apolice-involved killing case in U.S. history

Aresolution authorizing the proposed settlement with the family of Konoa Wilson has been added to the city council’sagendafor Tuesday morning. “What happened to Konoa was acatastrophic failure of policing,” family attorney Nick Rowley said in astatement emailed to The Associated Press on Saturday. “A 16-year-old boy wasrunning for his life. He wasnot a threat and not asuspect, yet he was shot in the back by a police officer who only saw him for one second before deciding to pull the trigger.”

If approved, the settlement would exceed the $27 million the city of Minneapolis agreed to pay the family of George Floyd, whose May 2020 murder by apolice officer who kneeled on hisnecksparked anationwide racial reckoning. Surveillance and bodyworn camera footage from Jan. 28 showed Wilsonrunning away from someone

who pulled agun and fired at himinadowntowntrain station. As he exitedthe station, Wilson encountered San Diego PoliceOfficer Daniel Gold.

In alawsuit against the city and Gold, the family alleged the officer “instantly, without anywarning,”fired two shots atWilsonashe ran by,striking himinthe upperbody.The suit identifiedWilsonasBlack.

“Only after shooting DECEDENT and watching him fall to the ground did Defendant GOLD finallyannounce‘San Diego Police,’ said the suit, which was filed in June. “Defendants committed acts of racialviolence against DECEDENT, ateenager,byshooting him in his back as he ran past DefendantGOLD,inanattempt to get to aplace of safety.”

Wilson was pronounced dead at UC San Diego Health Medical Center less than an hour later

An agenda item posted Friday said thesettlement would bepaid from the Public Liability Fund.

Lt. ChrisTivanian, a spokesperson for the San DiegoPolice Department, told The New York Times that Goldremained on an administrativeassignment pending results of acase review by the city attorney.

Songs by honorees Gaynor and Kiss played in the Rose Garden just outside the Oval Office as members of the White House press corps waited nearby to be admitted

The president said in Augustthat he was “about 98% involved” in choosing the 2025 honoreeswhen he personally announced them at the Kennedy Center,the first slate chosen underhis leadership. The honorees traditionally hadbeenan-

nounced by news release. It was unclear how they werechosen. Before Trump, it felltoa bipartisan selection committee.

Later Saturday, after the Oval Office event, Trump was scheduled to attendan annual State Department dinnerfor thehonorees. In yearspast, thehonorees would receive their medallions at the dinner but Trump hasmoved theceremony to the White House. Meanwhile, theglitzyKen-

nedyCenter Honors program and its series of tribute performances for each recipientisset to be taped on Sunday at the performing arts centerfor broadcastlater in December on CBS and Paramount+. Trump is to attendthe program forthe firsttimeaspresident, accompanied by his wife, first lady Melania Trump.

The president said in August that he would host the show,but the White House hasnot characterizedhis

level of participation. Presidentstraditionally attend the program and sit with the honorees in theaudience. None haseverservedas host. “I’vebeen asked to host. Isaid, ‘I’m the president of the United States. Are you fools asking me to do that?’” Trumpsaid back then. “And thenSusie Wilessaidtome, ‘Sir,I’d like youtohost.’ I said, OK,Susie, I’ll do it,” Trumpsaid, referring to his White House chief of staff.

By The Associated Press

WASHINGTON Afederal judge has rejected arequest from theTrumpadministration to toss alawsuit challengingthe detentionofmigrantsatthe U.S. Navy base at Guantánamo Bay In aruling Friday,U.S. District Court Judge Sparkle L. Sooknanandeniedthe federal government’smotion to dismiss thecase and has set ahearing for next week for the parties to discuss next steps in this case.

President Donald Trump in January announced his administration would use a detention center at Guantánamo to hold tensofthousands of the “worst criminal aliens,” as partofhis wider immigration crackdown.

Between February and June, the federal government heldaround 500 immigrants at Guantánamo, according to Sooknanan, as authorities usedthe base as away station for immigrants with finalremoval orders.

American Civil Liberties Union attorney Lee Gelernt, who argued thecase, said in astatement Saturday that he hopes theruling “will put an end to the Trump administration’sunlawfulpolicyof sendingimmigrants to military bases in the middle of nowhere solely forthe theatric value.”

The ACLU and other advocacy groups have argued thattransporting immigrants to Guantánamo is unlawful. The Trump administration has saidithas broad authority to hold immigrantswith final deportation orders at the facility

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EDUCATION

AI maybescoring thosecollege essays

BY JOCELYN GECKER AP education writer

Students applying to college know they can’t—oratleast

shouldn’t—use AI chatbots to write their essays and personal statements. So it might come as a surprise that someschoolsare now using artificial intelligence toread them.

AI tools are now being incorporated into howstudentapplications are screenedand analyzed, admissions directors say. It can be adelicate topic, and not allcolleges are eager to talk about it, but higher education is amongthe many industries where artificial intelligence is rapidly taking on tasks once reserved for humans. In some cases, schools arequietly slipping AI into their evaluation process, experts say.Others are touting thetechnology’spotential to speed up their review of applications, cut processing times and even performsometasks better than humans.

“Humans get tired; somedays arebetter than others.The AI does not get tired. It doesn’t getgrumpy It doesn’thave abad day.The AI is consistent,” says Juan Espinoza, vice provost for enrollment management at Virginia Tech.

This fall, Virginia Tech is debuting an AI-powered essayreader The college expects it will be able to inform students of admissions decisions amonth sooner than usual, in late January,because of the tool’shelp sorting tensofthousands of applications.

Colleges stress they arenot relying on AI to make admissions decisions, using it primarily to reviewtranscripts and eliminate data-entry tasks. Butartificial intelligence also is playing arolein evaluatingstudents.Somehighly selective schools are adopting AI

tools to vetthe increasingly curated application packages that some students develop with the help of high-priced admissions consultants.

TheCalifornia Institute of Technologyislaunching an AI tool this fall to look for “authenticity” in students who submit research projectswith their applications, admissionsdirector AshleyPallie said. Students upload their research to an AI chatbot that interviews themabout it on video, which is then reviewed by Caltech faculty

“It’sagaugeofauthenticity.Can youclaim this research intellectually?Isthere alevel of joy around your project? That passion is important to us,” Pallie said.

Theprevalence of AI usage is difficulttogauge because it is such anew trend,said Ruby Bhattacharya, chair of the admission practices committee at theNational Association for College Admission Counseling. NACAC updated its ethics guidethisfall to addasection on artificial intelligence. It urges colleges to ensure the way

they use it “aligns with our shared values of transparency,integrity, fairness andrespect forstudent dignity.

Blowback

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill faced abarrage of negative feedback fromapplicants,parents andstudents after itsstudent newspaper,The Daily TarHeel, reported in January the school was using AI to evaluate the grammar and writing style of applicants’ essays.

The universitydeclined to comment and referred to its admissions website, which it updated afterthe criticism.“UNC uses AI programs to providedata points about students’ commonapplication essay and their school transcripts,” the website says. Every application “is evaluated comprehensively by extensively trained human application evaluators.”

At Virginia Tech,Espinoza said he has been contacted by several colleges thatare interested in the new technology but waryofbacklash.“The feedback from alot of

colleagues is, ‘You roll this out, we’re watching you, and we’ll see howeveryone’sreacting,’”hesaid.

He stressed the AI reader his school spent three years developing is beingused only to confirm human readers’ essay scores.

Until this fall, each of the four short-answer essaysVirginia Tech applicants submit wasread and scored by twopeople. Under the newsystem,one of those readers is theAImodel, which has been trainedonpastapplicantessays andthe rubric for scoring, Espinoza said.

Asecond person will step in if the AI andhuman reader disagree by morethan twopoints on a12-point scoring scale.

Like many colleges, Virginia Tech hasseen ahuge increase in applications since making SATs optional. Last year,itreceiveda record 57,622 applications forits 7,000-seat freshman class. Even with 200 essay readers, the school hasstruggled to keep up andfound itself notifying students later and later

TheAItoolcan scanabout 250,000 essays in under an hour, compared with ahumanreader whoaverages twominutes per essay.Based on last year’sapplication pool, “We’re saving at least 8,000 hours,” Espinoza said.

Colleges seebenefits

The messaging is sensitive for colleges, manyofwhich now have studentscertify that they have not used AI unethically foressays and other parts of the application. But schools sayAItools can help admissions offices eliminate errors in tasks likeuploading transcripts andcan simplify the process for students.

Georgia Tech this fall is rolling outanAItool to reviewthe college transcripts of transfer students, replacing the need forstaff to enter each course manually into adatabase. It will allow the school to inform applicants morequickly

how many transfer credits they’ll receive, cutting downonuncertainty and wait times, said Richard Clark, the school’s executive director of enrollment management.

“It’sone morelayer of delay and stress and inevitable errors. AI is going to kill that, which I’m so excited about,” Clark said. The school hopes to expand the service soon to all high school transcripts. Georgia Tech also is testing out AI toolsfor other uses, including one that would identify low-income students whoare eligible forfederal PellGrantsbut may nothave realized it.

Stony Brook University in New York is also using artificial intelligence to review applicants’ transcripts and testing AI tools for a variety of tasks, like summarizing student essays and letters of recommendation to highlight things an admissions officer should consider, said RichardBeatty,the school’s senior associateprovost forenrollment management.

“Maybe astudent was fighting a diseasesophomore year.Ormaybe aparentpassed away,orthey’re taking care of siblings at home. All these things matter, anditallows the counselors to look at the transcript differently,” Beatty said.

Collegesare interestedinAI summariesoftranscripts,extracurricular activities and letters of recommendation that tell human readers thestudents’ story in amore digestible way, said EmilyPacheco,founder of NACAC’s special interest group forAIand admission.

“Humans and AI working together —that is the key right now.Every step along the way can be greatly improved: transcript reading, essay reviews, telling us things we might be missing about the students,”saidPacheco, aformerassistant directorofadmission at Loyola University Chicago. “Ten years from now,all bets are off. I’mguessing AI will be admitting students.”

LOUISIANAPOLITICS

Cassidycriticizesvaccination policy butnot RFKJr.

WASHINGTON

—U.S. Sen.Bill Cassidy’svociferous opposition to the nation’stightening vaccination policies is becoming more pointed, though he has avoided directly criticizing by name Health Chief Robert F. Kennedy Jr., aleader in antivaccinationefforts.

“I’m adoctor.I have seen people die from vaccinepreventable disease,” Cassidy said two weeks ago on “Face the Nation,”reprising talkingpoints the Baton Rouge Republican has made repeatedly.“Iwantpeople to be healthy.Iwant to make America healthy,and you don’t start by stopping recommendations thathave made us substantially healthier.”

As chair of the Senate Health Education Laborand Pensions committee, Cassidy gave Kennedy legitimacy with fellow senators who greenlighted his confirmation to run the U.S.Department of Health and Human Services.

Cassidy said he did so based on promises Kennedy made toinclude him in major personnel and policy decisions —particularly as relates to vaccinations

Since then, Kennedy fired the entire 17-member board that recommends vaccination policies for the Centers for DiseaseControl and Prevention to adopt. Among his replacements on the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices are several who have voiced anti-vaccine positions, including two members withBaton Rouge ties: Dr.Robert W. Malone, ACIP deputy chairand an adjunct professor at the LSU Pennington Biomedical Research Center; and Dr.Evelyn Griffin, an obstetrician.

Both Malone and Griffinvoted Friday to roll back the 30-year-old recommendation that all babies

Landrypicks new revenue secretary

or having sex. Infants whoare infected by their untreated mothers have a90% chance of moreserious problemslater in life, including cancer or liver cirrhosis. One in 4people whodie of liver disease wereinfected as newborns.

Since 1991, physicians have given babies the vaccine at birth, followed by twomore doses, sometimes along with inoculations such as diphtheria, tetanus and polio.

“Since that recommendation started, we moved from 20,000 children getting hepatitis Bat birth or shortly after birth to 200 getting hepatitis Batbirth or shortly after birth,” Cassidy said Tuesday

“This has been an incredibly effective public health intervention, which has contributed to amuch lower incidence of people with children getting both hepatitis B at the time of birth.”

Cassidy is pushing back, though not directly naming Kennedy But he is also seeking athird term in 2026.

receive ahepatitis Bshot at birth andissued weaker guidance for certain infants.

The CDC recently posted on its website that despitewell-established science, vaccines might cause autism.

ThoughKennedy promised to include himinpersonnel decisions, the health department tapped Louisiana Surgeon General RalphAbraham to be theCDC’s second-highest ranking official without seeking Cassidy’sinput Aformer congressman and gubernatorialcandidate, Abraham forbadethe Louisiana Department of Health from promoting vaccinations.

The federal health departmentalso canceled $500 million in funding to develop mRNA vaccines and adopted the ACIP recommendation to removethimerosal from flu vaccines despite somecommittee membersnoting no evidence was presented that thepreservative caused harm

The ACIP has made COVID-19 booster shotsvoluntary,even for at-risk populations like the elderly It also suggested restrictions on combination inoculations like those that protect against chickenpox, measles, mumps and rubella, which are required before children can attend school.

Mark Ballard Capitol Buzz STAFF REPORTS

The day after the board of the Louisiana Community and Technical College System selected Department of Revenue Secretary Richard Nelson as its next president, Gov.Jeff Landry announced areplacement for the topjob at the tax agency Jarrod J. Coniglio will soon ascend to the secretary role at the revenue department and replace Nelson, who will lead the community college system effective Jan. 1. Coniglio is currently second-incommand as deputy secretary, apost he was appointed to by Landry last year Landry also announced Thursday that Brandea Averettwill serve as deputy secretary and Catherine Logan will be assistant secretary in the Office of Legal Affairs.

“I want to thank Richard Nelson for his dedicated service over the past two years as secretary of revenue,” Landry said in astate-

ment.“Under his leadership, and with the hard work of this team, we passed historic tax reform that hasalready helped attract tens of billions of dollars in new investment toour state.”

“I look forward to continuing that momentumwith Jarrod Coniglio as secretary,” he said.

Aside from his time at theDepartment of Revenue, Coniglio previously workedatthe LouisianaDepartment of Health, and he worked in the privatesector at JPMorganChase and Wells Fargo.

He served in the Louisiana Army National Guard and has abachelor’s degree in financefromLSU.

LakeCharles-area airport gets big FEMAgrant

The ChennaultInternational Airport, acommercial airport nearLake Charles, received a$20 milliongrant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency that will supportabout100 jobs, state officials announced last week.

Themoney will be used to build a37,449-square-foot paint hangar

Louisiana Economic Development will also pitch in a$2M grant.

“The addition of this new han-

In theopening moments of thepanel’stwo-day meeting on hepatitis Bvaccinations, Cassidy tweeted:“The ACIP is totally discredited. They are not protecting children.”

Usually,Cassidy cites his personal experiences as aliver specialist in Baton Rouge’sLSU Earl K. Long Medical Center forthree decades. While he leans into stories of suffering patients at “the Earl,” Cassidy also has done extensive research into hepatitis B. Cassidy participated in tests and is listed as an author on at least 30 medical papers

Mostly adults are infected with hepatitis Bfrom sharing needles

The Chennault International Airport, acommercial airportnear

Charles, received a$20 milliongrant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency that will support about 100jobs, state offi

announced last week.

gar will be amajor step forward for Chennault International Airport,increasing operational capacity,attracting new commercial opportunities, and bolstering thelong-term economic strength of the region,” said U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins.“I’m grateful for President Trump, FEMA andLED’sinvestmenttoenhance Chennault’s infrastructure.”

Kevin Melton, the airport’sexecutive director,said the grants are theresult of afour-year effort to expand the airport.

The airport is aformer Air Force base that once housed the famous Flying Tigers Squadron of World WarII. Originally called LakeCharles Air Force Base, it

was renamed after General Claire Chennault, the squadron’sleader Today,the airport hosts companies like Northrop Grumman that employ 1,000 people, according to its website. About 3,000 takeoffs, landings and other operations occur there each month.

Cassidy’slaw to address opioid deaths renewed

President Donald Trumplast week signed arenewal of the SUPPORTAct, a2018 law sponsored by U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy,RBaton Rouge, that aims to address overdose deaths. The law,which expired in September,authorizes programs for

Cassidy wascensured by Louisiana Republicans in 2021 forvoting to convict Trumponcharges stemming from the Jan. 6riot by MAGAsupporters at the U.S. Capitol. On the other hand, Cassidy said he received White House assurances that President Donald Trumpisn’tworking against his campaign.

He has attracted four challengers —all running to the right of Cassidy in aclosed GOPprimary in which no Democrat can vote.

Cassidy sighs when asked for the umpteenth timewhether he regrets backing Kennedy “You makethe best decision you can with the information at the time, based upon assurances you’ve received, and you just trust in that,” Cassidy said. “You live your lifeforward.”

Email Mark Ballard at mballard@theadvocate.com.

the prevention, treatment and recovery programs, specialized programs for mothers and babies with substance use disorders, opioid recovery centers, among other efforts.

“The opioid and mental health crisis is devastating families across the nation. Thousands of Americans die each month from an overdose,” Cassidy said in a newsrelease. “President Trump and Iare committed to tackling this crisis head-on. I’mproud to work with him to enact the SUPPORTAct to equip communities with vital resources to save lives.”

In July,Trumpsigned Cassidy’s HALTFentanyl Act, which permanently labeled fentanyl-related substances as aSchedule Idrug in an effort to makeiteasier for law enforcement to arrest and prosecute dealers. Fentanyl is apotent synthetic opioid that helped fuel asurge in overdoses across the country

The SUPPORTAct also includes steps to protect the 9-8-8 Suicide Prevention Lifeline from cybersecurity threats and supports training forfirst responders to administer overdose-reversing medications.

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Supreme Court to weigh broad presidential power

BY MARK SHERMAN Associated Press

WASHINGTON Chief Justice John Roberts has led the Supreme Court’s conservative majority on a steady march of increasing the power of the presidency, starting well before Donald Trump’s time in the White House.

The justices could take the next step in a case being argued Monday that calls for a unanimous 90-year-old decision limiting executive authority to be overturned

The court’s conservatives, liberal Justice Elena Kagan noted in September, seem to be “raring to take that action.”

They already have allowed Trump, in the opening months of the Republican’s second term, to fire almost everyone he has wanted, despite the court’s 1935 decision in Humphrey’s Executor that prohibits the president from removing the heads of independent agencies without cause.

The officials include Rebecca Slaughter, whose firing from the Federal Trade Commission is at issue in the current case, as well as officials from the National Labor Relations Board, the Merit Systems Protection

A worker shovels snow and ice in front of the Supreme Court building on Friday in Washington.

Board and the Consumer Product Safety Commission. The only officials who have so far survived efforts to remove them are Lisa Cook, a Federal Reserve governor and Shira Perlmutter a copyright official with the Library of Congress.

The court already has suggested that it will view the Fed differently from other independent agencies, and Trump has said he wants her out because of allegations of mortgage fraud. Cook says she did nothing wrong

Humphrey’s Executor has long been a target of the conservative legal movement that has embraced an expansive view of presidential power known as the unitary executive.

The case before the high court involves the same agency, the FTC, that was at issue in 1935. The justices established that presidents Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt at the time — could not fire the appointed leaders of the alphabet soup of federal agencies without cause.

Playwright arrested in Japan for smuggling

BY MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press

TOKYO Prominent American playwright and actor Jeremy O. Harris, known for his Tony-nominated “Slave Play,” was arrested in Japan on suspicion of smuggling the psychedelic drug ecstasy officials said Saturday Officers at Naha Airport on Japan’s southern island of Okinawa arrested Harris on Nov 16 for an alleged violation of customs law for having 0.0275 ounces of the crystallized drug, also known as MDMA, in a container in a tote bag he was carrying, according to Okinawa Regional Customs spokesperson Tatsunori Fukuda. Harris, 36, had left London’s Heathrow Airport two days earlier and transited in Taiwan’s Taoyuan International Airport before arriving in Naha for sightseeing, Fukuda said. Okinawa is a popular resort destination with mild weather throughout the year Fukuda said Harris was arrested on the spot and taken into custody by the Tomishiro police, which filed a criminal complaint to the Naha District Prosecutors’ Office Thursday for further investigation and possible indictment.

Japanese authorities did not find any other drugs in his luggage and believe the MDMA was for his personal use. They are still investigating, Fukuda said, while adding that whether Harris made any comment on the case could not be released. There was no immediate comment from Harris’ representatives.

Japanese criminal procedures allow investigators to

keep a suspect in custody for up to 23 days before indictment, and pretrial detention can be prolonged if the accused exercises their right of silence or denies the charges, a practice widely criticized as “hostage justice.”

Those convicted of drug smuggling in Japan can face a multiyear prison term. Harris burst onto the arts scene with “Slave Play,”

written while he was still a graduate student at the Yale School of Drama. It premiered off-Broadway in 2018, inciting controversy and even a petition to shut down the production with its provocative mix of race, class and sexual taboos It moved to Broadway the following year, earning a Tony nomination for best play, but did not win an award.

The decision ushered in an era of powerful independent federal agencies charged with regulating labor relations, employment discrimination, the air waves and much else.

Proponents of the unitary executive theory have said the modern administrative state gets the Constitution all wrong: Federal agencies that are part of the executive branch answer to the president, and that includes

the ability to fire their leaders at will.

As Justice Antonin Scalia wrote in a 1988 dissent that has taken on mythical status among conservatives, “this does not mean some of the executive power, but all of the executive power.”

Since 2010 and under Roberts’ leadership, the Supreme Court has steadily whittled away at laws restricting the president’s ability to fire people.

In 2020, Roberts wrote for the court that “the President’s removal power is the rule, not the exception” in a decision upholding Trump’s firing of the head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau despite job protections similar to those upheld in Humphrey’s case.

In the 2024 immunity decision that spared Trump from being prosecuted for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, Roberts included the power to fire among the president’s “conclusive and preclusive” powers that Congress lacks the authority to restrict.

But according to legal historians and even a prominent proponent of the originalism approach to interpreting the Constitution that is favored by conservatives, Roberts may be wrong about the history underpinning the unitary executive.

“Both the text and the history of Article II are far more equivocal than the current Court has been suggesting,” wrote Caleb Nelson, a University of Virginia law professor who once served as a law clerk to Justice Clarence Thomas. Jane Manners, a Fordham University law professor, said she and other historians filed briefs with the court to provide history and context about the removal power in the country’s early years that also could lead the court to revise its views. “I’m not holding my breath,” she said.

Slaughter’s lawyers embrace the historians’ arguments, telling the court that limits on Trump’s power are consistent with the Constitution and U.S. history The Justice Department argues Trump can fire board members for any reason as he works to carry out his agenda and that the precedent should be tossed aside.

“Humphrey’s Executor was always egregiously wrong,” Solicitor General D. John Sauer wrote. A second question in the case could affect Cook, the Fed governor Even if a firing turns out to be illegal, the court wants to decide whether judges have the power to reinstate someone.

GULF COAST

K-9 locates plane wreckage in fatal crash

Two were killed in training flight from N.O. airport

BY ANITA LEE Sun Herald

A K-9 named Ensey located the area where the United Cajun Navy found the fuselage from a Cessna 172 that plunged into Lake Pontchartrain Nov. 24, said the organization’s vice president, Brian Trascher of New Orleans.

The trained cadaver dog, with handler Crystal Fields of nonprofit Team Texas K9s, alerted a search crew to the area.

Cadaver dogs can detect human remains in the water through odors that float to the surface.

“The dog will almost try to jump in the water,” Trascher said. “That’s where they anchored and put the diver in.”

A United Cajun Navy diver reached the fuselage Nov 29, Trascher said.

The diver did not find the remains of flight instructor Taylor Dickey, of Biloxi, and private pilot David Michael Jahn, of Gulfport, in the cockpit seats, but Trascher believes they might be further back in the fuselage.

“I’m convinced if we hadn’t had Ensey,” Trascher said, “we wouldn’t have found the wreckage.”

The site has been turned over to the National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration, which are investigating the crash. The NTSB said that a salvage company arranged by the plane’s insurer will retrieve the wreckage “Once the plane is recovered, our investigators will move it to a secure facility for further evaluation,” Sarah Taylor Sulick, an NTSB public affairs specialist, said in an email. Recovery operations will re-

sume only after rough weather clears, Michael Carastro said. Carastro’s company, Apollo Flight Training & Aircraft Management in Gulfport, owns the Cessna. The plane went missing after departing Gulfport for a training flight to New Orleans. The New Orleans Lakefront Airport lost contact with the plane about 4 miles north of the airport.

Sulick said a preliminary report that contains facts gathered during the initial investigation should be released in 30 days.

A final report that details the probable cause of the crash and contributing factors will take 12 to 24 months, she said.

The United Cajun Navy has

now assisted the U.S. Coast Guard with several recent searches in south Louisiana, Trascher said. Ensey followed a 12-year-old boy’s scent from his New Orleans home to the lagoon shore where he entered the water A United Cajun Navy drone then located the boy’s body in late August after a weekslong search, NOLA.com reported. Because of the United Cajun Navy’s assets, the Coast Guard requested the organization’s assistance in the Cessna search, Trascher said. The federal agency was aware the group would continue recovery efforts after protocol required that the search be suspended.

Mobile revises Mardi Gras rules for horses

BY POET WOLFE Staff writer

The United Cajun Navy was founded after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and grew more active again after the 2016 floods in and around Baton Rouge. Trascher said the organization now has chapters in 13 to 14 states, including Mississippi. The largest chapters are in Louisiana, Texas and Florida, he said.

He said the United Cajun Navy is transparent with government agencies, including local offices, about when and where they plan to search. They submitted a search grid and plan to the Coast Guard and other agencies before Saturday’s search, he said.

“We’re not here to fight them,” he said. “We’re here to help them.”

Officials in Mobile, Alabama, on Wednesday unveiled revised policies governing the use of horses in parades for the 2026 Carnival season. Under the new rules, animal control officers will evaluate horses on parade days to ensure they meet health standards before entering the route, replacing a previous rule that relied only on a separate veterinary examination certificate. Horses that fail to meet the standards may be removed from the route at any time, the Gulf Coast city said in a statement. The revisions follow the city’s introduction of new rules for the 2025 Carnival season, after a video of a horse collapsing and being struck while its rider remained mounted during an opening parade went viral. Those earlier requirements included veterinary evaluations of parading horses and mandatory training for riders. Since then, the city has worked with “veterinarians, riding groups, and community partners to refine those rules and regulations,” the announcement said. The new regulations are a part of a broader shift in Carnival traditions across the Gulf Coast, where cities in recent years have stepped up enforcement of parade rules amid growing safety concerns. At the same time, viral videos on social media have drawn attention to animal welfare during Mardi Gras, including a 2018 incident in New Orleans in which a rider was seen hitting and kicking a horse during a parade. Similar to Mobile, New Orleans has implemented tighter regulations for parade horses, including requiring that all participants have a hip tag showing they are vaccinated and that non-participating horses remain at least 200 yards from the route.

Email Poet Wolfe at poet.wolfe@ theadvocate.com.

Arrest of pipe bomb suspect a warning, officials say

But administration silent on Jan. 6

BY ALANNA DURKIN RICHER and ERIC TUCKER Associated Press

WASHINGTON After the arrest of a man charged with placing two pipe bombs outside the headquarters of the Republican and Democratic national parties on Jan. 5, 2021, the warning from the Trump administration was clear: If you come to the nation’s capital to attack citizens and institutions of democracy, you will be held accountable.

Yet Justice Department leaders who announced the arrest were silent about the violence that had taken place when supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol and clashed with police one day after those bombs were placed.

It was the latest example of the Trump’s administration’s efforts to rewrite the history of the riot, through pardons and the firings of lawyers who prosecuted the participants of the siege, and of the disconnect for a government that prides itself for cracking down on violent crime and supporting law enforcement but has papered over the brutality of the Jan. 6 attacks on police officers.

“The administration has ignored and attempted to whitewash the violence committed by rioters on Jan 6 because they were the president’s supporters. They were trying to install him a second time against the will of the voters in 2020,” said Michael Romano, who prosecuted the rioters before leaving the Justice Department this year “And it feels like the effort to ignore that is purely transactional.”

The White House referred comment to the Justice Department, which referred comment to the FBI. The bureau did not immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press on Friday.

FBI Director Kash Patel, as a conservative podcast host during the Biden administration, had called the Jan. 6 rioters “political prisoners” and offered to represent them for free But on Thursday, he said the arrest of the pipe bomb suspect, 30-year-old Brian Cole Jr. was in keeping with Trump’s

Man

By The Associated Press

CHARLOTTE, N.C Police in North Carolina have charged a 33-year-old man with critically injuring another person in a stabbing on a Charlotte commuter train, just a few months after a Ukrainian refugee riding one of the city’s trains was killed in an unrelated knife attack.

Oscar Solarzano, 33, was charged with attempted first-degree murder, assault with a deadly weapon and other crimes stemming from the Friday afternoon

commitment to “secure our nation’s capital.”

“When you attack American citizens, when you attack our institutions of legislation, when you attack the nation’s capital, you attack the very being of our way of life,” Patel said “And this FBI and this Department of Justice stand here to tell you that we will always combat it.”

Patel’s deputy, Dan Bongino, had suggested before joining the FBI that federal law enforcement had wasted time investigating Jan. 6 rioters and anti-abortion activists

“These are threats to the United States?” he once said on a podcast. “Grandma is in the gulag for a trespassing charge on January 6th.”

Bongino speculated last year that the pipe bomb incident was an “inside job” that involved a “massive cover-up.” After joining the FBI, Bongino repeatedly described the investigation as a top priority that was receiving significant resources and attention.

“We were going to track this person to the end of the earth. There was no way he was getting away,” he said Thursday.

No public link has emerged between the pipe bombs and the riot, and Cole’s arrest was a significant development in its own right given that the nearly 5-year investigation had confounded authorities, who are now are assembling

attack in which he wielded a large knife, Charlotte-Mecklenburg police said in a news release.

Police said the victim suffered a stab wound and was hospitalized in critical but stable condition.

Solarzano was being held in jail Saturday without bond. A magistrate judge said in a court filing that the suspect was in the U.S. illegally and had previously been deported. He faced a hearing Monday morning in Mecklenburg County District Court.

An arrest warrant filed in a North Carolina court says So-

a portrait of Cole.

People familiar with the matter told The Associated Press that among the statements Cole made to investigators is that he believed conspiracy theories about the 2020 election, which Trump has insisted was stolen from him in favor of Democrat Joe Biden. The people were not authorized to discuss ongoing investigation publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. There was no widespread fraud in that election, which a range of election officials across the country, including Trump’s former attorney general, William Barr, have confirmed. Republican governors in key states crucial to Biden’s victory have also vouched for the integrity of the elections in their states Nearly all the legal challenges from Trump and his allies were dismissed by the courts.

The tough-on-crime words heard during Thursday’s announcement about Cole’s arrest were at odds with the Republican administration’s repeated efforts to play down the violence of Jan. 6, absolve those charged in the insurrection and target those who investigated and prosecuted the rioters.

Trump’s clemency action on his first day back in the White House in January applied to all 1,500-plus people charged with participating in the attack on the foundations

larzano appeared to be intoxicated and was slurring his words when he challenged the victim to a fight Online court and jail records did not list an attorney for Solarzano.

The attack comes less than four months after a 23-yearold woman from Ukraine was killed on a Charlotte commuter train in an apparently random assault captured on video. The victim, Iryna Zarutska, had been living in a bomb shelter in Ukraine before coming to the U.S. to escape the war, her relatives said.

of American democracy

That included defendants seen on camera violently attacking police with makeshift weapons such as flagpoles, a crutch and a hockey stick. More than 100 police officers were injured, including some who have described being scared for their lives as they were dragged into the crowd and beaten.

Earlier this year, the Justice Department asked the FBI for the names of agents who participated in Jan. 6 investigations, a demand feared within the bureau for as a possible precursor to mass firings. In August, Patel fired Brian Driscoll, who as the FBI’s acting director in the early days of the Trump administration resisted handing over those names.

Trump’s administration, meanwhile, has fired or demoted numerous prosecutors who worked on Jan. 6 cases, including more than two dozen lawyers who had been hired for temporary assignments to support the investigation but were moved into permanent roles after

Trump won the 2024 election.

In October, two federal prosecutors were locked out of their government devices and told they were being put on leave after filing court papers that described those who attacked the Capitol as a “mob of rioters.” The Justice Department later submitted a new court filing that stripped mentions of the Jan. 6 riot.

One man whose case was dismissed because of Trump’s pardons was accused of hurling an explosive device and a large piece of wood at a group of officers who trying to defend an entrance to the Capitol. Some officers later said they had “believed they were going to die,” prosecutors wrote in court papers, and several reported suffering temporary hearing loss.

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cute thecontract, should it be awardedtohim,in conformity with thecon‐tractdocuments within ten(10) days

No bidder may withdraw hisbid foratleast fortyfive (45) days after the time scheduledfor the openingofbids. Each bid shallbesubmitted only on thequotation form provided with thespeci‐fications.

CLASSIFIEDS WORK

Bids will be evaluatedby thePurchaser basedon thelowestresponsible andresponsivebid sub‐mitted which is also in compliance with thebid documents. The Lafayette Consolidated Government reserves the righttorejectany andall bids forjustcause in ac‐cordance with LA R.S. 38§2214.B. TheLafayette Consoli‐datedGovernment strongly encourages the participationofDBEs (Disadvantaged Business Enterprise)inall con‐tracts or procurements letbythe Lafayette Con‐solidatedGovernment forgoodsand services andlabor andmaterial. To that end, allcontrac‐tors andsuppliers are encouraged to utilize DBEs business enter‐prises in thepurchaseor sub-contractingofmate‐rials, supplies, services andlabor andmaterialin which disadvantaged business areavailable Assistance in identifying said businessesmay be obtained by calling(337) 291-8410.

PUBLIC NOTICE NOTICE TO BIDDERS Notice is hereby given that sealed bids will be received either electroni‐callyatwww.centralbidd ing.comorinthe office of thePurchasingDivi‐sion at theLafayette Consolidated Govern‐ment Building,located at 705 West University Av‐enue,Lafayette Louisiana, until 3:00 p.m. CentralTimeonthe 9th dayofJanuary,2026 for thefollowing: 167118.5. 2940 OIL/WATER SEPARATORAND UG TANKS andwill, shortlythere‐after,beopenedand read aloudinthe Council Briefing Room locatedat 705 West University Av‐

Zoom usingthe followinglink: https://us02web.zoom us/j/81653892375? pwd=NCGtmeL51bynJwC i19gOq1DTvijfJO.1. ScopeofWork: The scopeofWorkshall con‐

Each bidshall be accom‐panied by acertified check, cashier’scheck or bidbondpayable to the Lafayette Consolidated Government,the amount of which shallbe five percent(5%)ofthe base bidplusadditive alter‐nates. If abid bond is used,itshall be written by asuretyorinsurance companycurrently on theU.S.Departmentof theTreasuryFinancial Management Servicelist of approved bonding companieswhich is pub‐lished annually in the FederalRegister, or by a Louisianadomiciled in‐surancecompany with at leastanA-Ratinginthe latest printing of theA.M Best’s KeyRatingGuide to writeindividualbonds up to tenpercent (10%) of policyholders’ surplus as showninthe A.M. Best’s KeyRatingGuide or by an insurancecom‐pany in good standing li‐censed to writebid bondswhich is either domiciledinLouisiana or ownedbyLouisiana resi‐dents. Thebid bond shall be issued

of thePurchasing Di‐vision at theLafayette Consolidated Govern‐ment Building,located at 705WestUniversityAv‐enue,Lafayette Louisiana, until 11:00 am CentralTimeonthe 23rd dayofDecember, 2025 forthe following: Eight (8)69kVVoltage f f i

List of jurors randomly drawn and to serve for the term beginningonDecember 15, 2025:

ADAMS, JOSEPH FOSTER AJAM, DIALA

AL-BADRY, FATMA SAAD DAKHIL

ALBERT, CATHY RENE

ALEXANDER, ADRIANA MICHELLE ALI, OTHMAN MOHAMED

ALLEMAN, SHERELL NICOLE

ALLEN, BRYCE ISIAH ANDREPONT,ALEXANDER RENE ANDRES, CLIFTON JOSEPH

ANGELLE, CURTIS GABRIEL ANGELLE, LEE ETHEL F

ANGELLE, CHARLI ANN ANTOINE, BRIAN RAYNEA APONTE, VICTOR M ARABIE, TISHA DOUET

ARCENEAUX, CHRISTOPHER ARCENEAUX, DESTINY ALEXIS

ASHKEBOUSSI, DANIEL BIJON

AUCOIN, CHERI ANN AWBREY,ANGELENA ADELE

BABINEAUX, DYLAN CHARLES

BAKER, LARRYE

BALBEISI, KEFAH ASALI

BALDESCHWILER, JOHN ANDREW BARBIN, JASMINE ARMANT

BARON, BARBARA AUCOIN

BARRAS, DEIDRA HEBERT

BATCHELOR, KACIE LYNN BATISTE, OWEN JAMES BATISTE, WILDRED

BEARB, ALEXANDRA RENEE

BENOIT,ELIZABETH G

BENOIT,JEREMY LLOYD

BERARD, GAGEMATHEW

BERGERON, BENITAM

BERNARD, HENRYJ

BERNARD, LUCILLE

BERNARD, JACQUELYN L

BERTRAND, JALAYSIA

BLANCHARD, DYLAN LEE

BLANCO, RAYMOND S

BOUDREAUX, MONICA ROSE

BOUDREAUX, CHRISTOPHER

BOUDREAUX, ALEX JAMES

BOUTERIE, ROBERTM

BOUTTE, ROBERTLEE

BOUTTE, CAVIEZ MONTRAE

BOUTTE, RAYANTHONY

BRADFORD, SUZONNE P BRANCH, JEANNINE G BRANNON, JESSICA DANIELLE BREAUX, EBBIE J BRIGGS, JOSHUA LLOYD BRIGGS, MARQUISHA JANAE BRIGNAC, CHARLES EDWARD BROOKS, FREDDIE DESHUN

BROTHERS, SHEKAILA THEREZ

BROUSSARD, RYAN MARK BROUSSARD, WILLY BROUSSARD, JOYCE R BROUSSARD, DONALD JOSEPH

BROUSSARD, BARBARA A BROUSSARD, DERRICK ANTHONY BROWN, OMARI TARIQ BROWN, BRETT AINSLEY BROWN, RACHEL LAUREN BROWN, WARREN LENOX BROWN, DEMAI D BRUNSON, SHONDA MARIE BRYAN, JENNIFER NORTH BRYAN, MONICA MEADOURS BURTNER, DAVID M BUTEAUX, GAGETHOMAS CABALLERO, SANTIAGO CAMPBELL, GLENN P CARPENTER, MATTHEW JOSEPH MCCREARY

CARPER, CHARITY LENORE CARTER, GWENDOLYN CASTILLE, ARTHUR WAYNE CAVELL, LAWRENCE ARTHUR CELESTINE, ANTHONY TYJUAN CELESTINE, THADDEUS SCOTT CHAISSON, JERE DEANN POIRIER CHAPMAN, CHARLES DAVID

CHARPENTIER, ANDREA DUGAS

CHICASGOMEZ, ANA GABRIELA CHICOLA,CHRISTINA GREGORY CHOUEST, KATELYN ELIZABETH

CLEMENTS, CHRISTOPHER JOHN COCKE, HANNAH LOUISESONGY COINTOT,DANIELLE EDEN COOPER, GREGORYKEITH

CORMIER, CHANZ DCARLO

COROY,DESEREE JOSEPH CORTEZ, MATTHEW COUVILLION, KALA R CUCCIA, BETTIE RAE DANG, VANT

DANIELS-GIROUARD, ARNETTA R DAVID, GARYPAUL

DEGEYTER, CHRISTOPHER DUANE

DELCAMBRE, BRAD MATTHEW

DEREGO, CARL MORGAN

DESONIER, JENNIFER CRAPPELL

DOBBS, ROBERTC

DOMINGUE, BRIANLOUIS

DOUCET,ANDREA CREDEUR

DRONET,NICOLE MARIE

DROWIN, CHRISTIAN JOEL

DUBOSE, JACKLYN M

DUBOSE, SYDNIECLAIRE

DUEITT,JAKE SCOTT

DUGAS, DION KAMERON

DUHON, CURLEY A DUHON, NICKEY JOSEPH

DUHON, BRADLEY HEATH

DUHON, RYANN RENEE

DUNN, CARMEN ELIZABETH

g g Transformers for Various Substations andwill, shortlythere‐after,beopenedand read aloudinthe Office of Purchasing locatedat 705 West University Av‐enue,Lafayette,LA. Bids received after theabove specified time foropen‐ingshall notbeconsid‐ered andshall be re‐turned unopened to the sender.Bidders mayat‐tend thebid openingin person,but arehighly encouraged to virtually join thebid openings via Zoom using thefollowing link:https://us02web zoom.us/j/82190109837? pwd=O0BhcCtZfPFKeDc ZJXraCqs3qxMuDT.1. In accordance with LouisianaRS38:2212 electronic Bids maybe submittedonVendorAc‐cess (https://lafayettecs dgovla.tylerportico.com/ va/vendor-access/ registration).Official Bid Documentsare available on Vendor Access (https://lafayettecsdgov la.tylerportico.com/va/ vendor-access/ registration). Forques‐tionsrelated to theelec‐tronic biddingprocess please call Morgan Broussardat337-2918263. Biddersmay re‐questthe electronic bid packagefromMorgan Broussardatmcbrous‐

sard@lafayettela.gov Vendorssubmittingbids electronically arere‐quired to providethe same documentsasbid‐ders submitting through themailassoon as avail‐able.Onlya bidbond, certified checkor cashier’scheck shallbe submittedasthe bidse‐curity.Electroniccopies of both thefront and back of thecheck or bid bond shallbeincluded with theelectronicbid Bids must be signedin accordance with LRS Title38:2212(B)5.A Cor‐porate Resolution or Cer‐tificate of Authorityau‐thorizingthe person signingthe bidisre‐quired to be submitted with bid. Failuretosub‐mita CorporateResolu‐tion or Certificate of Au‐thoritywiththe bidshall be causefor rejectionof bid. Copies of thebidding documentsare available at thePurchasingOffice locatedat705 West Uni‐versityAvenue Lafayette,LA70506. Tele‐phonenumber(337) 2918263 (Attn:Morgan Broussard).Bidding doc‐uments shallbeavailable until twenty-four (24) hoursbeforethe bid openingdate.

DUPRE, MARY K DUPUIS, ROSEMARYHARRIS DUPUIS, COLIN EDDY DUPUIS, JENA RICHARD EAGLIN,SHARON EDMOND, TAWANA L ELKHANSA, SAIDHUSSEIN ENJA, MANJUL ESPERIAN,CLERY EVANS, TERIANA RENEE FAIN, KIMBERLYJOJOHNSON FAULK,KEITH JOSEPH FAVALORO, GEORGEA FEERICK,BEAU TYLER FEI,AMY TIEN YU FERNEY,ALICIA D FLUGENCE, WALTER JOSEPH FONTENOT,MICHAEL W FONTENOT,CHRIS B FONTENOT,ROBERTADAM FORBES, CAROL FORTIER, PEGGY MAY FOTI,LANDON JOSEPHSCOTT FRANCIS, MEKHINIZERE FRANCIS, VERNICE MARIE FRANK, JAMES L FRANKLIN, DEAN ALLEN FREDERICK,MARSHAM FRUGE,ROBERT MICHAEL FRUGE,ANNIE AMALIA GALLAND, VANCE W GANN, BILLIE LANETTE

GARCIADORANTES, VIRGINIA GARNER, GRACEELIZABETH GASTINEAU-BESHEARS, CHERIEP GAUTREAUX, BRENDA JO

GEORGE, LINDAM GERARD, LOUIS GILL, ASHLEY MARIE

GOBERT, MARTINALEXANDER

GOMBOS, ZOLTAN

GORDON,MARCUS BRADY

GRANT, MARION KYLE

GREENE, SKYE NOEL

GROSSIE, CRYSTAL LYNN

GUIBAULT, STEPHEN MICHAEL

GUIDROZ, EDITH M GUIDRY,ELIZABETH P GUIDRY,WILLIAMCHRISTIAN

GUIDRY,MEGAN CHARIE

GUILLORY,LORI VIDRINE

GUILLORY,DESTINI MAKENZIE

GUILLOTTE, BRITTANYMARIE

HAMILTON,BERWICK L HAMZA, LYNN A HARDY,PAUL HARMON,GAYLE MARIE

HARRIS, JAYDEN JOSEPH

HARRISON, PRECIOUS CHANQUELL

HEAVEY,LINDAM

HEBERT, MARY DUHON

HEBERT, MARK ALAN

HENDRICKSON,GLORIA A

HENRY, BRAYLINLAWRENCE

HENRY, ALESHAWILLIAMS

HESSE, JASON M

HESTER, JEANNE T HETHCOAT,CHASITY LYNN

HIGGINBOTHAM, DEBORAH KAY

HOHENSEE, CAROLINE KATHERINE

HULIN, MARIAH LEDET

HURLEY,EVANMARCUS

HUTCHINSON,JANAE RALEONA

HUVAL, BONNIEV HUVAL, BRANDON JAMES

ISADORE, DESMONDPORIET

ISERMAN,MARILYNBETH JACKSON, ALISHA SHANTEL JAMES, CHRISTIAN TAVON LEE

JONES, SHANIKAM

JOSEPH, THEOTIS DWAYNE JOUBERT, DAN

JOUBERT, CHLOEALEXANDRA KELLER, GARY LEE

KENNISON,JARROD LANE

KERGAN,JEAN LUC KOFFSKEY,ARLENER

LABRY, JACQUE DORAN

LANDRY, NICHOLAS JAMES

LANDRY, PHALINV

LANUSSE, LORYR

LARUE, CHRISTOPHER E

LASALA, LISA AYRES

LATIOLAIS, JUDE PAUL

LATIOLAIS, JENNIFER

LATOUR, CLAIRELORAINE ALEXIS

LEBLANC,MIA ELISE

LEBLANC,AMY FOURNET

LEBLANC,JILL S

LEBLANC-MARTIN, SHELIAANN LEBRETON,TREY MICHAEL

LEJEUNE, HAYLEY E

LORMAND, REED M

LOUVIERE, MATTHEW

MAHDY, MAHMOUD B

MAHER, GREGORYTHOMAS

MANNING, SCOTT TRACY

MARCEAUX, CLAIR HEBERT

MARINO,TRACY CARTER

MARKS, RACHELLYNN

MARTIN, PENNY M

MARTIN, RYAN DANIEL

LEONARD

MARTY, MARCIE

MATTHEWS, EUGENE J MAYEUX, KIMBERLYMICHELE

MCCLAIN, CRAIGROBERT

MCCLESKEY,SARAH ELIZABETH

MCCLINTON,MARQUES JERMAINE

MCCOLLUM, JACK MILES

MCCORMIC,NICHOLASDAVID

MCCRAY,CASEY M MCCUEJOHNSON, MEGHANJANELEBLANC

MCDONALD, OLYVIAFAYE

PURCHASING DIVISION Lafayette Consolidated Government PUBLISHDATES:12-3-25, 12-7-25 DPR 1002600 168517-DEC3-7-2T $98.68

MEAUX, JOLIE ELISE MECHE,MONICA SELLERS MEJIALOPEZ, ANASOFIA MELANCON, MATTHEW MELANCON, BARBARA TEPE MELARA, CHARLESD MENARD,ANN PAIGE MENARD,TIFFANY EVE MENARD,DRAKE PAUL MENDOZA,BRIAN EZQUIEL MERCADO, JOAQUIN MERCIER, LUXONE MERIWETHER, ANNA BROUSSARD MEYERS,CHASE TYLER MIGUES, BERTANTHONY MILLER, CARROL C MILLER, KENNETH JAMES MONTGOMERY, ANDREA SAUCIER MOON,YOOJIN S MOORE, KAYLEN TAYLOR MORAD, HOSNIEHM MOUTON, ASHLEY KRISTINE MOUTON, EBENEZER JAMES MOUTON, DESTINEE RENEE MYERS, RICHARDM NEALY, WILLIAM ARTHUR NEPVEUX, JOSHUA MICHAEL NEZAT, RILEY MCKENNA NIXON, LATONYATAWNIE OGBAZI, JOY U PAGE, SHELIAFRANCIS PARKER, SHAMAINE DENISE PARROTT,WILLIAM HENRY PARTAIN, DANIELMARCUS PATTERSON, CURTIS FRANCIS PELLETIER, WILLIAM PARKER PERAZARODRIGUEZ, ROSEMERI VANESSA PHILLIPS, BENTRAVIN LIONEL PIERSON,CODY DOUGLAS PIPPINS, ANDROMEDIA JERE PITRE,NICHOLAS ERIC PLUNKETT,ANDREA CHARLIER PORTER, TERRALISA M RAMSEY,TREVOR OBRIAN RANDALL, JACOB HUNTER RANSOM, BARRYSHERWOOD RAUSCHENBACH, CAROLINE GRACE REZENDE, GUSTAVO RICHARD, ALEYAHRENEE RICHARDSON, CARL RICOARELLANO, VALERIA RIZZUTO, ANTHONY JAMES ROBERTS, JOHN MALCOLM ROBERTS, TORI LYNN ROBERTSON, DAHLIA MARIE ROBIDEAUX, JOHN DARIUS ROBINSON, KIMBERLYM RODRIGUEZ, LATOYAL ROMERO, PAULA S ROMERO, BRANDON JAMES ROURK, ELIZABETH ADELEBUTTROSS ROWLEY,KARLIE NICOLE RUBIN,LAILA NEVAY SAEED, YASEEN SAEED MOHAMED SAGER, DAN WILLIAM L SALTZMAN,RUSSELL GARDINER SANDERS,JESSICA NEAL SANDERSON, JOSHUA DAVID SARP,CANDAN ALEXANDRIA SARVER, MELANIE D SCIVICQUE, CHARLOTTE DUPUIS SELLERS, MATTHEW BELONIE SEMIEN,BRANDON JAMES SHEPARD, SHARON NOEL SHOALMIRE,KRISTEN WELLS SIAS, TANYAPROVOST SIMON, ELLA MOUTON SIMONEAUX,CRYSTAL L SINITIERE, KENNEDY ANNE SIPES, RICHARDWILLIAM SIRAGUSA, JANESE SMITH, ELIZABETH RENEE SMITH, NEIL BRIAN SMITH, AMANDALSOILEAU SOILEAU, BAILEY RENEE SONNIER, CARSON WYNNE SONNIER, DALLAS SPENCER, INGRID VALENCIA STATON, MARK ANTHONY STLOUIS, MICHELLE LYNNE SULLIVAN, ALEXANDER MIGUEL THERIOT,JAREDMICHEAL THIBEAUX, ANGELA MARIE THIBODEAUX, DANNY J THIBODEAUX, MAKYRA MONAE THOMAS, GERALDLEE TRAHAN, MITCHELL CLARENCE TRAHAN, BRITTANY RENE TRAHAN, KEVIN AKEEM TREADWAY,CHRISTOPHER JAMES TRINH, VANBACH VANVLEET,JAREDKEVIN VIDRINE, RICHARDJ VIDRINE, ZACHARYJAMES VILJOEN, DANIELA WALKER, MICHAEL WALLACE,HUNTERMICHAEL WATKINS, KENNON LANE WEST,KRISTY LANGLINAIS WESTERMAN, LAURARENEE WHITE, DAVID JESSE WILD, DIANE JOYCE WILLIAMSON, KASSANDRA ANN WINTERS, LECHRISTY YOUNG, DOLORES FRANCES ZENON YOUNG, CYNTHIA CAPRI ZAMBRANOALVARADO, SINDYPATRICIA ZAUNBRECHER, JOSEPH ALEXANDER

Coulee project gets parish green light

After delays, work to resume on detention ponds

BY KRISTIN ASKELSON Staff writer

Lafayette Consolidated Government has received final approval from the Louisiana Division of Administration’s Office of Facility Planning and Control to complete the long-delayed detention ponds along the Coulee Ile de Cannes, according to a news release from LCG.

The authorization removes the last barrier that has stalled progress on the project since August 2023 and allows construction to

La.

judge rules in ICE’s favor

Laos man to remain deported

BY MEGHAN FRIEDMANN Staff writer

A federal judge in Louisiana has sided with Immigration and Customs Enforcement in a court case over a man’s deportation to Laos, declining to order the U.S. government to bring him back to the United States because she believed he could fight his case against the agency while abroad But Shelly Dick, chief judge of the Middle District Court of Louisiana, also found that the government violated a temporary restraining order blocking Chanthila Souvannarath’s removal even though she did not find officials did so intentionally “The timeline is clear: the TRO

ä See JUDGE, page 2B

Enrollment in Lafayette Parish schools still declining

Area charter schools see increase

BY ASHLEY WHITE Staff writer

The number of students enrolled in the Lafayette Parish School System continued to decline for another year

The school system had 977 fewer students in October compared to the same time last year, according to data released by the Louisiana Department of Education. The district now has 28,900 enrolled students.

While fewer students enrolled in LPSS, area charter schools saw an increase in enrollment Enrollment data for nonpublic schools was not yet available.

LPSS has seen a decline in enrollment in the past few years. In October 2019, there were 31,864 students enrolled in LPSS, nearly 3,000 more than were enrolled this October

The decline is likely due to

ä See SCHOOLS, page 2B

restart. Work is expected to begin the first week of January and take approximately 75 working days, according to LCG. Construction at the site has been dormant for more than two years because city-parish government did not have the required final engineering designs, federal permits or state approvals to connect the ponds to Coulee Ile de Cannes. This approval allows LCG to move forward with building those connections — the intake and outfall structures that let the ponds take on water when the coulee rises

and releases it once water levels recede.

“I want to thank Rachel Godeaux and our entire team for their tireless dedication over the last 2 years to overcome the technical, legal and regulatory barriers this project was left with,” MayorPresident Monique Boulet said.

“Working with Congressman Higgins, our team is committed to seeing it through to completion and ensuring these ponds finally become functional.”

The CIDC site includes four detention ponds located just north of

Duhon Road. The remaining work — designed by HDR Engineering and to be completed by Rigid Constructors — will cost $983,965, funded entirely with local resources. These costs will count toward future local match requirements for state funding tied to the Homewood Detention Ponds. The CIDC ponds are part of the broader Bayou Vermilion Flood Control Project, a set of detention ponds at two locations in Lafayette Parish intended to mitigate flooding along the Vermilion River This project started in 2022, with construction rapidly advancing throughout 2022 and 2023, before grinding to a halt at the end of 2023

because of legal and regulatory issues.

LCG has received $6 million in reimbursements from the state for work already completed, has secured required permits from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for ponds at both locations, according to the release. LCG continues to pursue approximately $22 million in state reimbursements for previously completed work.

Final design of the Homewood Detention Ponds is underway, with plans to advertise for public bid before the third quarter of 2026, using state funds as the primary source.

HAPPINESS AND JOy

Children play in fake snow in the fourth floor of Ochsner’s garage. Behind them, Santa and his sleigh are lit up on Ochsner’s crosswalk

Evangeline Parish manarrestedafter standoff

CRIME BLOTTER

Advocate staff reports

ARedell manwas booked with terrorizing andother chargesafter astandoff with Evangeline Parish deputi es, accordi ng to theEvangeline Parish Sheriff’s Office. Gerald Chapman,60, was bookedwith aggravated assault with afirearm, possession of afakeexplosive device and terrorizing. He also faces charges on active warrants for unlawful ownership of dangerous dogs, criminal damage to

property and failure to appear in court fora theft charge.

The incident began Thursday when narcoticsagentsdoing surveillanceinthe Bond Road area were approached by aman wearinga cowboy hat, aface mask andclothingconcealing his face.He asked the agents if they hadcar trouble,and they told himtogoaway.He left, but returned afew minutes later with arifle and“assumed awarfare fightingstance behind an electrical pole,” according to the Sheriff’s Office Aftera shorttime, Chapmanallegedly went to his

house and fired threeshots from his rifle;agentsdrove to thehome on Veteran Memorial Highway and saw Chapman, with his rifle,using atree forcover.Chapman then “took atactical kneeling position” and allegedly fired at theagents

The agents pulled their weaponsand toldhim to drop his weapon, but Chapman ran into hishouse. The agentscalled forbackup; the house was surrounded and personnel tried to make contactwithChapmantoget himtocome out.

After several hours of negotiation, Chapman came out and toldpersonnel he had “booby traps” in

thehouse.

Evangeline Parish deputies called for help from theRapides Parish Sheriff’s Officebomb team, andtheyhelpedexecute asearch warrant on the house. They found acache of ammo in various calibers andwhatappeared to be piecesofpipe bombs around thehouse.

Escaped Vermilion inmate captured

An inmate who escaped from theVermilion Parish CorrectionCenter on Wednesday night has been captured, according to the Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s

Office. Gavin Garnica wasapprehended along Interstate 10 west of Lafayette shortly before midnight Friday. At the time of his escape, deputies saidthey initially believed he was asleep in his bunk during routine bedchecks. Surveillance footage later showed him scaling the jail’seastperimeter fence around 11:15 p.m.before fleeing on foot.

Garnica has adocumented historyofescaping from custody,aswellasprior involvement with dangerous weapons, authoritiessaid. Additional details were notimmediately available.

Jeffersonschools sueFEMAoverstorm repairs

Districtsaysit’s owed money from Idadamage

BY ELYSE CARMOSINO Staff writer

The Jefferson Parish School Board has hired a team of attorneys to pursuethe FederalEmergency Management Agency for money the district saysit is owed for repairs after HurricaneIda tore throughthe coastal district four years ago, leavingover $400 million in damage.

Theboard voted unanimously Wednesdaytohire three attorneys: GretnabasedWalter J. LeBlanc Jr., New Orleans-based Michael S. Sepcich and Metairie-based PeterConnick.

Theteamwillbegin meeting with board members and the superintendent of schools this month to determine which reimbursement claims to pursue through litigation, board member and facilities subcommittee Chair Clay Moise said in an

interview As of early December, FEMA had paid outroughly $100 million to Jefferson Parish schools, or abouta quarter of the total damage the district suffered, according to data provided to the board’sfacilities subcommittee this week. The school system is still waiting on $5 million that the agency already agreed to pay out, whiledozensofotherprojectsremaininlimbo,stalled at various stages ofFEMA’s lengthy approval process. About 700 district buildings were damaged inthe 2021 storm’s150-mile-perhour winds and heavyrains. Thedestruction ranged from broken windows and roofs to more catastrophic losses, includingatFisher Middle/High School in Lafitte, which was declared uninhabitable anddemolished in Septembertomake way for anew building.

About500 Fisher students still attendclasses at atemporary campus a40-minute drive away For some projects, the amount FEMAhas agreed to

repairs.

“Thisisobviously amoving target with over 100 projects” still waiting on FEMA approval, Moise said.

Some remaining projects include an estimated$4.3 million in repairs at J.D. Meisler Middle School, $2.2 millioninfixes to West Jefferson High School and $1.2 millionfor repairs at Joshua Butler Elementary School.

Continued from page1B

was violated,” she said in her ruling, later adding, “The Court accepts that Respondentsdid not know of the TRO prior to Petitioner’sdeparturefrom the country.”

Thegovernment learned of theorder about several hoursafter putting Souvannarathonaplane to Laos, Dick said.

Dick, aPresident Barack Obama appointee, also wrote that the court only had jurisdiction to decide whether ICE wrongfully detained Souvannarath, and that shecould not rule on acitizenship claim he raised or on his removal order.Because the court could resolve thematter whileSouvannarath was in Laos, shewrote,she would not enforce thetemporary restraining order, which put apauseonSouvannarath’sdeportation so that his casecould play out.

Initially,Souvannarath hadbeen held in aLaos jail, preventing him from having regular access to his lawyers. But he was released, making it easier for him to resolve his case remotely,Dick said.

Souvannarath “had no right to be in this country,”

pay out is less than what the district determined thecost of the project to be, Moise said, adding that the team alsoplans to contest some of the agency’sestimates. For example, FEMA agreed to pay the district $59 million to rebuild Fisher, Moisesaid, but school officials say the actual cost will likely approach $90 million. Moise said amajor factor

in determiningwhichreimbursements the attorneys will pursue is whether district officials believethey have “reached an impasse” in negotiations withFEMA. In the meantime,the expectedcost of many projectscontinuestogrowas new inspectionsfindadditional damages, leadingthe board to approve multiple budget increases for some

For anyclaims that are settled outside of court, the attorneyswill receive 25% of themoney that makes up thedifferencebetween what FEMA initially offered thedistrict and what it ultimatelypays out. They’ll receive40% of anymoney the districtreceives from claims that are disputedin court.

Retaining ateam of attorneys is the latest step in what school system officialssay hasbeenanarduous rebuildingprocess, stalledbyFEMA’s notoriously complicated and lengthyreimbursement process and issues with the district’sinsurance coverage.

N.O. City Counciltokeepclosedschools’names alive

BY MARIE FAZIO Staff writer

New Orleans City Council members are urging the schooldistrict to preserve the names of longtime New Orleansschools that close or consolidate, an issue that is likely to become more pressing in thecoming years as more schools shutter due to low enrollment. City Council members unanimously passed a resolution last month that asked the district to “take all reasonable measures” to keep alive the names ofschools that shut down, arguing that“changing or erasing these names risks erasing the living historyofthe city’spublic education system.” It also urgedthe district to form a“Legacy Schools Working Group” of alumni, neighborhood leaders, historians and educatorstodetermine waystopreserve and memorialize school names.

The council passed the resolution just days after Einstein Charter announced plans to close Sarah T. Reed HighSchool afterthis academic year, which raised concerns that another longtime high school name would be lost. The school’salumni association has issued aplea foranother schooltotake on Reed’sname and brand. In acity where annual alumni picnicscan draw thousands of attendees, students march in parades

SCHOOLS

Continued frompage1B

several factors, one being theexpansionofcharter schools in the area. Charter schoolsare publicly funded, tuition-free schools that are independently operated. Per-pupil funding follows students to charter schools, even

decked out in their school colorsand high schoolallegiance is core to many residents’ identities, school names and brands hold outsizeimportance —and changes to them can provoke fierce backlash

Theissue flared up after Hurricane Katrina, when some charterschools opened in historic school buildingsunder different names, andmorerecently when the school district renamed campuses that had been named after enslavers, Confederatefigures or segregation supporters. (The school district controls building names, while charteroperators determine school names.)

Now, as the city’sshrinking school-aged population is likely to forcemore campuses to close, district officials will havetodecide whether and how to retain legacy school names.

“There’s agreatunderstandingofthe needand importance of preserving thenames,” said board member Carlos Zervigon. “Thequestion is howdo we do it.”

What’s in aname

Though the City Council doesn’thave direct authority over New Orleans schools, the resolution reflects acommon sentiment.

As charter schools proliferated in New Orleans after Katrina, some replaced longtime schools under new names, upsetting many community

if they later reenroll in apublic school after theofficial count date Louisiana counts enrollment twicea year,once in October and once in February

About7,800 students are enrolled in threeLafayette Parish charter schools AcadianaRenaissance Charter Academy, Lafayette RenaissanceCharter Academy andWillow Char-

members. Many of those schools later brought back legacy namesand reestablished relationships with alumni.

For example, KIPP Booker T. Washington High School dropped KIPP from itsmoniker in 2019 and KIPP RenaissanceHigh School wasrenamed Frederick A. DouglassHigh School, bringing back the name of theschool it replaced. (Before it was changed to Douglassin the 1990s, the school had been named for Francis T. Nicholls, aConfederate general.)

“There’s avalue in the names associated with theseschools,” said council member Eugene Green, who co-authored the resolution. “The way it makes itsstudentsfeel about themselves.”

Zervigon said many peoplefelt alossofidentity and sense of community when charter groups didn’t use schools’ traditional names.

“Ifyou lose your name you lose your school,” Zervigon said. “And if one of theplaces you felt at home wasyourschool, you’re renderedhomeless.”

In 2021, after more than ayear of deliberation, theSchool Boardvoted to change the names of 30 buildings,most because theirnamesakes had ties to slavery or racial segregation.A handful of buildings were renamedtohonor local figures, such as Alfred

ter Academy Allthreeschoolssaw an increase in enrollment compared to last year.Lafayette Renaissance saw thelargest increase with about1,100 more students enrolled this fall than last, bringing itstotal to 3,292. Its sister school, Acadiana Renaissance, saw a smaller increase of about 180 students, bringing its

Lawless.

Council member Oliver Thomas, who proposed the resolutionafter Reed’s closure, said his wife was a graduate of the school and he attended an alumni barbecue picnic this summer “Inc re as ingly,t he schools we went to in New Orleans don’texist anymore,” saidThomas, who attendedLawless andJosephS.ClarkSeniorHigh School,whichclosedafter Katrina.“That part of New Orleanspride is diminishing.”

Reed’s legacy

The tension between low enrollment and school legacy hascome to ahead with Reed High School.

After Katrina, theRecoverySchool District took over the strugglingschool andoperated it until 2014, when it was closed because of low ratings despitecommunity outcry.Two years later,the Einstein Charter Groupagreedtoreopen and run the school, giving it asecond chance.

Butlastmonth, Einstein officials said they decided to close theschool because of poor academicperformance, dwindlingenrollment and rising operational costs in its longtime building on Michoud Boulevard. It consolidated itsthree other schools intoone K-8 school.

Tiffany Delcour,chief operationsofficerofNew Schools for New Orleans, an education nonprofit that

totalenrollment to 3,848. Decr eas ing enrollment in traditional public schools is not unique to Lafayette Parish. Nationwide, districts are struggling with declining enrollment. Some of that is due to the increase in choices between charter andprivate schools. Another issue is the decliningbirth rate in the U.S.

There are also anum-

supports the school district and charter schools, commended Einstein for the “difficult andvery necessary” decision to close the school and remove two low-quality facilitiesfrom the district’sportfolio. Delcoursaidsimilarconversations arehappening among charter school leaders acrossthe city

“This is just the reality of what is facing our schools,” Delcour said, “as we continue to see overall reductions in enrollment.”

Greg Lee, president of theSarah T. Reed alumni association, told the School Board last month that the group accepted that their school would no longer exist in that building. But he asked the district to issue a“formal solicitation” to charter operators to incorporate the SarahT Reed “name, brand, and likeness” into an existing school

“Wefully understand that the Michoud campus will close,”Lee said. “Instead, we are asking the district to safeguard theidentity of one of New Orleans East’smostenduring institutionsbyensuring that SarahT.Reed continues in anew chapter, under a newoperator and at anew site.”

If anew school picks up Reed’slegacy,alumni pledgedtomentorstudentsand volunteeratthe new school to “ensure that the school’s next chapter is strong andsustainable.”

ber of students who just didn’treturntoclassroomsafter the COVID-19 pandemic. Nearly 20,000 school-age children in Louisiana were absent from school rosters with no clear explanation as to why, according to a2023 analysis

Contact AshleyWhite at ashley.white@ theadvocate.com.

Tricia McLaughlin, deputy secretary of the Department of Homeland Security,which oversees ICE, said in astatementwhen asked about the ruling.

“Following his heinous crimes, he lost his green card, and an immigration judge ordered him removed in 2006,” she said, referring to a2004assault conviction.

Souvannarath was born in arefugee camp in Thailand and came to theU.S. in 1982 as ababy.His father was from Laos but became aU.S. citizen in 1988. The American CivilLiberties UnionofLouisiana, which is representing Souvannarath, said he has awifeand children in the United States,and that he had never been to Laos before his deportation. In 2004, Souvannarath wasconvicted of unlawful possession of afirearmand domestic violence-related second-degree assault in Washington state, prompting ajudge to order him removed in 2006 to Thailand or Laos Souvannarath remained in the United States for the next 19 years. In June, he was detained at a“regularly scheduled (ICE) checkin,” his attorneys wrote in acourtfiling. He ended up in the Louisiana Lockup, a new ICE detention center at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola. Six weeks ago, Souvannarathfiled alawsuit challenging his detention, arguing he had aclaim to U.S. citizenshipbecause he livedwithhis father,a naturalizedU.S. citizen, for atime as achild. Under immigration lawsat the time, he would have automatically become a citizen,hesaid in legal filings McLaughlin called Souvannarath’s citizenship claim a“Hail Mary attempt to remain in our country.” Dick found theclaim to be “substantial” and temporarily blocked his removal in October.The next day, the government put him on aplane to Laos,where he waskept in ajail, according to his attorneys In aDec.1 filing, Souvannarath’sown lawyers described him as a“noncitizen.” TheACLU did not answeraquestion Friday about whetherhewas dropping hiscitizenship claim The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Strait, DDS, Russell Craig

Obituaries Strait(Melody); grandchildren, Mary Ganser Lacey, Anne Lindsey Lacey, Robert Hilton "Topper" Lacey, Nancy Willett Strait, Lyle James Straitand Andrew Dalton Bodin; and brother,Donald Paul Strait (Nancy)

Russell Craig Strait,DDS died peacefullyathis residence at the age of 82. He was born in Neah Bay, Washington to the late Helen Genevieveand Russell Truman Strait. Craig grew up in Aurora, Colorado and attended University of Colorado where he was an active member of Delta TauDelta fraternity.Hegraduated from Baylor Dental School in Dallas, Texas and then served his country as a Captain in the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam War. Professionally, Craig was awell-respected dentist, treating thousands of patients in the Acadiana area. He loved his adopted state of Louisiana,enjoying hunting, fishing, cooking Cajun food and especially golfing with good friends at Oakbourne Country Club Craig is survived by a son, Adam Craig Strait (Jennifer); daughters, Anne Lindsey Lacey (John), and Nancy Arrington Miller

The

interests–

Acelebration of lifewill be held on Monday, December15, 2025,with visitation from 12:00PMto 2:00 PM in Martin &Castille Funeral Home -SOUTHSIDE Location, 600 E. Farrel Road Lafayette, LA. 70508with private burial to follow. In lieu of flowers, donationsmay be made to Alzheimer's Association, 225 NMichigan Ave. Floor 17 Chicago,IL60601or Hope Healthcare & Hospice, 301 EKaliste SaloomRd#201, Lafayette, LA 70508. View the obituary and guestbook online at www.mourning.com Martin &CastilleSOUTHSIDE,600 E. Farrel Road, Lafayette, Louisiana 70508, 337-984-2811 Acelebrationoflifewillbeheld from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM on 2025-12-15atMartin& CastilleFuneral HomeSouthside, 600 E. Farrel Road.

Remembering thelessons of Pearl Harbor

Editor’snote:Aversion of this editorial has been published on the anniversary of theattackin previous years.

When Franklin D. Roosevelt called for adeclarationofwar after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and Hawaii, the president knew how to make aphrase that would stand the test of time.

Today is, and should be, “a date that will live in infamy,” as Roosevelt told the Congress to waves of bipartisan cheers of support. Only afew in the crowd knew how costly the battle had been, even as the president spoke. Now,84years later,aswecommemorate that fateful day on Dec. 7, 1941 that changed the course of history,our nation has seen wars and terror attacks. But still we return to whatwe learnedabout the nature of our country and its people on that day

It is forever engraved on tombstones and in the hearts of families of sailors and airmen killed in the treacherous attack. Most were buried in hasty graves, the loss in lives being so great

To briefly recap: On aquiet Sunday morning, Japanese warplanes surprised American military personnel, sinking ships and shattering aircraft. The attack was meant to cripple the United States’ ability to fight back in awar that it had yet to formally enter.But fight back Americans did, eventually prevailing in along war that saved the world from tyranny

The Pearl Harbor attack claimed more than 2,400 Americans, including 45 Louisiana natives. Among the dead was Rear Admiral Isaac C. Kidd Sr., after whom the USS Kidd, anaval vesselnow amuseum attractioninBaton Rouge, is named. With the advance of science, those killed in the port have been identified by DNA in recent years and reburied whensurviving family members are located.

In 2022, Seaman First Class Houston Temples was buried in Bogalusa; in 2023, Ship’sCook First Class Clarence Thompson was laid torest in Slidell; and in 2024, Navy Mess Attendant First Class Ralph McHenry Boudreaux was buriedinSlidell, all mourned by family and honored by the people of the United States because of their service on the USS Oklahoma, one of the first battleships hit in the attack.

Thegeneration of World WarIIwarriors who secured this country’sliberty grows smaller by the day.Institutions such as theWorld War II Museum in New Orleans and the USS Kidd keep their legacy alive. With these historical treasures so close by,there’snoreason for any resident of south Louisiana not to know what happened 84 years ago this weekend. Even eight decades later,Pearl Harbor’s lessons —vigilance, principle, courage, engagement and leadershiponthe world stage —should remain close to our hearts, as we remember those who gave their lives and the multitudes more who served in the most devastatingconflict the world had ever seen.

The least we can do is learn. Our obligation is to never forget.

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

As masked, armed men clad in tactical gear swept through theNew Orleansarea Wednesday conducting immigration “enforcement,” asmaller group of men in central Louisiana were engaged in afar nobler pursuit Those men,19Buddhist monks, are in the midst of a2,300-mile trek that began in FortWorth, Texas, and will conclude in Washington, D.C., in an effort “toraise awareness of peace, loving kindness and compassion across America and the world.”

Wednesday morning, the Venerable Monks, as they are called, left Pineville and headed out along La. 28, accompanied by local law enforcement vehicles By theafternoon, they had entered LaSalle Parish,Rapides ParishSheriff Mark Wood told me. “They arewalking every step of the way,” he said, sounding impressed. “I thinkit’spretty neat.” Wood said he had spokenwith afew of the monks as they walked. “They were very humble, very meek,” he said. Louisianaisthe second stateonthe journey that began in October.Accompanied by their dog Aloka, they walked southtoHouston before turning east towardthe nation’scapital.

Thursday was Day 40 of their journey It hasn’tbeen an entirely peaceful stroll. On Thursday,for instance, the cold and rain meantAloka rode in the monks’ support vehicle. Far worse, on Nov.19, atruck hit thevehicle near Houston, and two monks were injured. One had his leg amputated earlier this week, according to asocial media post. That samepost said theinjured monkwas resting comfortably What struck me particularly about the monks’ quest wasthe contrast with what is going on in southeast Louisiana right now,as hopped-up, camo-clad Border Patrol agents have descended on Louisiana in this, one of Christianity’sholiest seasons.

The former group is humbly walking for peace; thelatter is here to spread fear through entire communities, not just the“worst of the worst” they are allegedly targeting.

They and their supporters brag about how their actions have not just led to thedetainment of many hardworking, innocentfolks, but also caused others to “self-deport,” as if that’ssomething to be proud of.

Ithink of Mary,Joseph and Jesus, who also were forcedto“self-deport”

to Egypt to escape Herod’sbrutal policies. That irony seemslost on so many whosupport these efforts, believing somehow that Christ’steachings are best accomplished while hiding their faces and wearing bulletproof vests. Meanwhile, acouple of hundred miles north, somemonks clad only in orange robes and simple shoes are literally walking the walk. Their mission is to encourage people to live peacefully,both with themselves and with others. “Goodwill on earth and peace among men,” we might paraphrase it. At various stages in their journey, other walkers have joined Walk for Peace, and ever since they entered Louisiana in Merryville in Vernon Parish, they have had law enforcement escorts. They have been greeted at times with food, water and other aid. Their Facebook page includes alink to amap of their journey,photos and thoughts along the way.I pray their journey remains safeand also offers hope and encouragement amid so much angst and injustice. They,atleast, moresothan many others, seem to get the real reason for the season.

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

We know several of you have topics that you like to return to often in your letters, either because you have particular experience withitoritisa personal pet peeve. We welcome all letters, but we do like to vary thetopics and the writers to keep thingsfresh. Often,groups of letters will come in when there is amonth dedicated toraising awareness for acause. Generally,weonly print two or three of these. We feel that it should be sufficient to put a spotlight on theissue. It is thesame with guest columns. We know that sometimes writersfear that the public will move on from a topic as time passes, and the newspaper can be apowerful means of revivinginterest.But please know that letters and guest columns remain on our websitelong after they are published in print. We encourage writers to share the links on their social media pages if

they want to remind others of somethingthey feel is importantyear after year

Right now,wehave an importantquestion we have asked you to consider as the year comes to aclose. We want to know:Who do you thinkshould be our Louisianan of the Year? As Iexplained last week, we started this recognition lastyear as away to assess who the biggest newsmakers in thepast year were from Louisiana. Ourcriteria of whoisaLouisianan is fairly expansive, so as long as you can makeacase, we will consider it. Send us your responses to letters@theadvocate.com.

It doesn’thave to be apolitician or public figure; it could be someone you thinkhas madeadifference in your community.Wewill accept your lettersuntil mid-month and reveal our responses at the end of the year

Turning to our Letters inbox, Ican

give you the totals forthe first two weeks in November For Nov.6-13, we received 56 letters. That week, you weremost concerned about the government shutdown, which would come to aclose Nov. 12. We received six letters on the issue. Then we received three letters on Louisiana’snew closed party primaries and three letters on boats allegedly carrying drugs near Venezuela. For Nov. 13-20, we received 52 letters. A local issue was atop concern, with six letters on the tax renewal proposal called Thrive, which wasrejected by Baton Rouge voters. That week, we also received six letters on immigration, with aheavy focus on the federal agents being sent to NewOrleans. Lastly,wegot five letters on health care, with mostfocused on the expiring ACA subsidies.

Arnessa Garrett is Deputy Editor | OpinionPageEditor.Emailher at arnessa.garrett@theadvocate.com.

COMMENTARY

Bill Cassidycould runfor governor

The conventionalwisdomabout

U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy havinga tough primary reelection battlein 2026 couldprove very wrong

Instead, the Baton RougeRepublican could engage in a 2027 donnybrook for governor against incumbent Republican Jeff Landry

The thinking goes like this: Cassidy has every reason to be frustrated as just one of 100 senators in Washington, D.C.’spolitical snake pit. He is by nature aproblem-solving policy maven not apartisan mudslinger.Why would he want another six years battlingboth the national, woke Left and the take-no-prisoners

Landry than winning reelection to theSenate, although aloss in the latter is less likely than many peoplethink.

The political plusesand minusesofeachpath are interesting.

large number of policy victories: bills signed intolaw and amendments adopted,including one that essentially saves Louisiana’s Medicaid funding for thenext few years.

If Cassidyruns for reelection to the Senate in whatalready is an 11-person primary,heisalmost certain to find himself in a primaryrunoff. There, he will havetwo significant advantages but one massive disadvantage.

Cassidy’ssecond, even bigger advantage is that he has financial resources both to publicize those victories and, if needed, to conduct blistering attacks on any Achilles’heel his opponent might have. As of Sept. 30, Cassidy’s $9.5 million campaign cash on hand dwarfs thecash of his nearest challengers by $7 million.

MAGA-ites on the Right, thelatter of whom jump at every whim of amercurial billionaireegotist, when Cassidy could instead be Numero Uno in his home state, successfullyimplementingcreative reforms?

Most people would want to be astrong governor rather than a beleaguered senator

The politics actually could work very well for Cassidy.Hemight have abetter chance of defeating

The disadvantage is well known: Most LouisianaRepublican voters remain besotted with President Donald Trump, andthey seem to remain furiousatCassidy for votingtoconvict in Trump’s2021 impeachment trial. As long as Trumpism rules national GOP politics, plenty of Louisiana Republicansare against sending asenator to Washington who doesn’t reflect theTrumpianzeitgeist.

Polls consistently show Cassidy’s conviction vote is aroadblock to hisreelection

Contrarily (advantage one), Cassidy can point to an unusually

That cash alone gives Cassidy a nearly 50-50 chance of overcoming his impeachment-trial vote.

It is that very same money, though, that makes Cassidy a threat toLandry.While statelaw says he can’ttransfer federal campaign funds directly to astate campaign, courts have ruled that acandidate can transfer such money to aso-called independent super PAC. That super PAC, which could be run by aCassidy loyalist,could carpet-bomb Landry (figuratively speaking) in a2027 gubernatorial primary while Cassidy uses his own, offi-

cial campaign to remind people of his proven, substantive, problemsolving record Landry is vulnerable. Polls consistently show him in political trouble, with an October survey puttinghis approval rate at just 39% while 54% say the state is moving in the wrong direction. Meanwhile, Cassidy’simpeachment-trialvote wouldn’tmatter much in astate race. The public’s attitudes canbevastly different when choosing agovernor than when choosing delegates to Congress.

On thelatter,voters know they are choosing one member among either 100 or 435, and they are much more likely to be “sending a message” or wanting to ally with national movements than to be worrying about specific administrative abilities. When it comes to their governor,though,“stuffgets real.” Voters want someone to deliver good government, period. They rightly view thejob as being morehandson, more practical, moremanagerial, moreconcrete —and less ideological. For example, voters twice saw right-wing Republican

David Vitter as afine messagebearer to Washington, but rejected him forgovernor.Democrat John Bel Edwards probably could never winthe Senate seat, but he won twice forgovernor Looking at the governorship as ajob the way someone would hire the best mechanic to fix a car,even pro-TrumpRepublican voters might wanttohire someone with Cassidy’sprofile as the state’schief executive, despite Landry’smore self-consciously Trumpy profile.

Cassidy has no reason to defer to Landry.Despite Cassidy endorsing Landry in 2023, Landry has quite openly machinated in waysdetrimental to Cassidy’s Senate reelection. YetifCassidy abandons the 2026 Senate race and aims at the 2027 gubernatorial race instead, Landry could be hoisted with his own petard. By all accounts, Cassidy seems determined to run forreelection anyway.The other option, though, should makeLandry reassess his machinations.

Email Quin Hillyer at quin hillyer@theadvocate.com

High-flyingJohnson is runningintosometurbulence

When Congress finallyemerged from its 43-day shutdown,I noted that House Speaker MikeJohnson of Benton, who has managed to keep control of the chamber’s slim, restive majority for two yearsnow,has some top-notch survival instincts.

Not one month later,itseems as if an addendum is in order: And these days, he really needs them. If it can beargued that Johnson won the shutdown when ahandful of Senate Democrats finally agreed to the House-passed spending bill that didn’tinclude their top priority —anextension of the COVID-era enhanced premium tax credits for people on the Affordable Care Act exchanges —it’salso thecase that the aftermath isn’tgoingthe speaker’sway

But don’tjust take my word for it. In afriendly podcast interview with KatieMiller,wife of top White House adviser Stephen Miller,Johnson said he spends much of his time in “triage” mode.

“Wetry to have order and schedule, but it gets blown up because there’sanemergency every 10 minutes,” he said.“And so we’re kind ofinsurvival mode right now.”

From the context of the inter-

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By

WOLF Speaker MikeJohnson, R-Benton, talks to reporters outsidehis office in theCapitol on ThursdayinWashington, D.C.

view, it’sclear Johnson was talking about howthings have been ever since thechaotic stretch in 2023 when hegot elected speaker after Kevin McCarthy was ousted and three higher-profile colleagues —including Steve Scalise of Metairie —failed to line up enoughvotes.

Still, it’smore true than ever nowthatthe shutdown is over and

anger over how he handled that and other matters is spilling out in public.

Yes, Johnson triumphed by sending his membershome long enough for those Senate Democrats to cry uncle, but thestory didn’tend there.

Once back, he faced thesame pressurehewas already facing to protect the one man he can’tquit

moresereneSt. RoseinSt. Charles Parish

—that would be President Donald Trump—from the release of the notorious Jeffrey Epstein files. Facingarevolt within his own caucus, he finally got on board of ameasure that attracted just a single opponent, Clay Higgins of Lafayette

That did little to assuage hard feelings from someMAGAdiehard members —reportedly including committee chairs who once held plenty of power —that they hadn’tbeen allowed to legislate on their own priorities for all that time away,orreally at all during the current Congress, as Johnson’schosen to completely subjugatethe House’sagenda to Trump’s.

The trouble goes way beyond Trumpacolyte-turned-critic Marjorie Taylor Greene, whoagitated to release the Epstein files and then up and quit Congress. More are rumored to be ready to follow her into early retirement. Andstill others are angry that thepresident’sovert power play to keep the House in GOPhands, pushing for around of mid-decade redistricting, is actually puttingsomeincumbent Republicans in electoral peril.

Things are getting so bad that Johnson’snow openly fighting with amember of his own leadership team,Elise Stefanik, who told The Wall Street Journal that Johnson’sangered so many colleagues that “he certainly

wouldn’thave the votes to be speaker if there wasaroll-call vote tomorrow.”

Add in an apparent blue wave built in part on widespread frustration over the cost of living and the Trump-instituted tariffs that are contributing to it —not to mention the likelihood that more than 20 million Americans will soon see their health insurance bills skyrocket because Republicans still refuse to extend the ACA subsidies.

Tone-wise, it sure doesn’thelp that Trumpmocks concern over affordability as aDemocratic hoax, as he merrily goes about building agreat big ballroom financed by rich companies looking to curry favor Or that manyAmericans are rightfully turning on his thuggish treatment of immigrants, or watching him appear to decline mentally in real time.

Sure, Johnson’shad his fun playing Trump’swingman, frequenting the White House and Mar-a-Lago and joining him at football games and wrestling matches. But with all the glamour come someepic headwinds.

The way things are going, it’s fair to wonder whether 2026 is the year Louisiana’sunlikely speaker comes crashing back downto earth.

Email Stephanie Graceat sgrace@theadvocate.com.

Crunch’

The U.S. Customs and Enforcementpeople are not the U.S. Border Patrol people. And they are not the only federal agencies goingafter the so-called “worst of the worst” andcomingupshort, but they have the highest profiles in Louisiana, and they’re the reason we’re in the national spotlight. The Border Patrol operates in Louisiana from digs on Canal Street in downtown New Orleans. Gregory Bovino, the chief of theBorder Patrol’sElCentro Sector and theguy President DonaldTrump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem have been sending intometro areas to get ridofthe “worst of the worst,” made apoint to exit with agang of Border Patrol officers as ashow of force on the busy commercial street. ICE operates in several Louisiana locations. There are “processing centers” in Basile and Jena,and Angola’sformer Camp Jisnow Camp 57, aholdingplace for those detained based on assumed or real immigration issues. Until last month, ICE operated from the Central Business District in New Orleans.Justweeksago,that office moved from the bustlingCBD to the

The Border Patrol is still in New Orleans, with offices on Canal Street, theLakefront Airport along LakePontchartrain and at the Louis Armstrong International Airport in Kenner

Kenner was one of several places where theBorder Patrol dudes executed part of their “Catahoula Crunch” netting strategy Wednesday. If you saw any of thevideo of the detention of ayoung man outside of aBurlington store in aKenner strip mall, you likely heard jet noiseasflights flew above. The place is close to the airport. That poor soul had aphotowith handcuffs behind his back on the front page of this newspaperand at the top of broadcast and television newscasts across the country.Wedon’tknow his name. We don’t know whyhewas detained. We don’tknow whether he’sa citizen. We don’tknow whether he was shopping, working or gettingabite to eat. Idoubtthe Border Patrol knew much about him.

If they did, and if he’sone or the “worst,” I’m sure we’d know by now

Email Will Sutton at wsutton@ theadvocate.com. Show

What Iknow is that after detaining dozens of people in Kenner,atahome in Gretna, at aHome Depot in LaPlace and

at aLowe’sinNew Orleans, only ahandful might be considered someofthe “worst of theworst,” including aman supposedly convicted of sexual crimes and sentenced to 40 years in prison. They boasted that they had rounded up criminals “with rap sheetsthat include murder,kidnapping, child abuse and robbery.”

Butwhere’sthe beef, folks? Youround up dozens, and that’sall you can say?

If this crunch, sweep or roundup is really about going after noncitizen bad guys and gals, why aren’tthey sharing with us the fresh news about thebig catches they’ve made? Why? Because these efforts are shallow and have not yielded the promised results.

Yetmuch of Louisiana is buying in. Not long ago, the Department of Homeland Securityproudly announced that thefeds had morethan 1,000 agreements with local law enforcement agencies to help ICE in 40 states. Oneofthe most cooperative states? Louisiana. They’re in it for the money since thefeds are paying.

Since Trumpand Noem started this silly fishing for catfish with double-ring crab nets, they’ve mostly caught tadpoles. They’ve got people convicted of driving while intoxicated, marijuana possession and disturbing thepeace. If they had

award- and contest-winning catches, you’d better believe they’d be plastering them on social media.

Back in 2000, one of the mostpopular songs was“Who Let the DogsOut?” by the Baha Men. Youcan play that song today and heads will bop, feet will tap and people whocan’tsing will shout lyrics without a song sheet. People may not know,ormay not remember,that the catchy song has its roots in a1998 feminist anthem about bad actor men whocatcall women, calling those dudes dogs. The feds switched the nameofthis local immigration effort from “Swamp Sweep” to “Catahoula Crunch” with clear intent and purpose. The greater NewOrleans area has anumber of bayous, but not many swamps. Someone in Washington, D.C., didn’tdotheir homework. But Louisiana does have aCatahoula Parish, acommunity named Catahoula in St. Martin Parish and our state dog is the Catahoula leopard dog. It’s not the mostfamily-friendly animal, but it’sgood at herding cattle and sheep. Who let the dogs out? Our feds. But as fortheir claims of major results? That dog won’t hunt.

SPORTS

UL puts up afightinlosstoUNC-Wilmington

opponent

BY MIKE COPPAGE

Contributing writer

UL

men’sbasketball may not have gotten the winagainst aone-loss UNC-Wilmington team on Saturdayinthe Cajundome,but there were encouraging takeaways forthe shorthandedRagin’ Cajuns.

Already missing several players with injury,ULalso had to scratchprojected starter Jeremiah Evans, yet held the lead four minutes into the second half on Dariyus Woodson’s3-pointer and cut it to four pointson aJoshLewis slam with three minutes left before falling 70-63.

LSUset to hire Robinson as DL coach

BY WILSON ALEXANDER

Staff writer

LSU is expected to hireElijah Robinson from Syracuse as its next defensive line coach, multiple sources confirmed withThe Advocateon Saturday morning.

Robinson spent the pasttwo seasons at Syracuse as the associatehead coach and defensive coordinatorunder Fran Brown. He was demoted earlier this week to co-defensive coordinator and defensiveline coach after a3-9 season. Robinson was in LSU’s football operations building Friday,and adeal is expected to come together.The terms are not yet known. FootballScoop first reported the news Robinson is expected to replace Kyle Williams, aformer LSUstar andlongtime NFL defensivelineman with the Buffalo Bills. Williams was expected to choosetostep away after one season as LSU’sdefensiveline coach. Before he went to Syracuse, Robinson spent six seasons at Texas A&M, where he became knownfor hisrecruitingand development on thedefensive line. After Jimbo Fisher was firedduring the 2023 season,Robinson was named the interim head coach. Robinson, anativeofNew Jersey,played defensive tackle at Penn State. In the first year under head coach Lane Kiffin, LSU is expected to keep the rest of its defensive staff in place after defensive coordinator Blake Baker decided to stay with theTigers. Baker was acandidate for the head coachingjobs at Tulane and Memphis, but he decided Friday night to remain in Baton Rouge with anew contract extension.

With Baker staying, LSU is expected to retain edge rushers coach Kevin Peoples, cornerbacks coach Corey

“I’m disappointed that we lost, but I’mreally proudofour guys,”ULcoach Quannas White said. “When you have a1-9 record, you worry about guys mentally,but like I alwayssay,wehave high character guys on this team.”

With Evans out, 6-foot-9ToddJones battled the Seahawks’ 7-foot-0center Patrick Wessler,who was held to 10 points after a recent 21-point outing, White said.

“UNC-Wilmingtonisanolder,more experienced, well-coached team,” White said.

“Wewere right there. Our guys are playing with confidence, going up 11 pointsat Lamar. The work is starting to payoff that these guyshave been puttinginsince June. Eventually,the water is going to findits mark.”

JaxonOlvera scored 13 points in the first

Aftertwo roughseasons,Saints legend Jordan hasbounced back

BY LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer

Pride is apowerful thing, and if you need evidence to back that up,justwatch what has been going on with the New Orleans Saints’ 36-year-old edge rusher lately

Check out what happened with aboutfive minutes left in the first quarter against the Miami Dolphins last week, when Cam Jordan took an insidemove at the snap on third-and-14 and split a doubleteam by the left guard and center.Watch theway he fought through ahold anddidn’tquituntilhedropped the quarterback. Then,peep thehand-over-hand “Levelz” celebration that he’s hitsomanytimes over the years, andwatch theway hisyoung teammates can’thelp but do it alongsidehim.

Thatwas his second sack of the first quarter,making 61/2 on the season, and the 128th in what shouldbeaHallof Fame career.And it was the latest reminder that, after two down seasons, Jordan still has plentytooffer Is Cam Jordanback? Ask theman himself, and he will tell you he never left.

“I’mreally enjoying the abilityto show the ability,” Jordan said.

But wasn’t that the question coming

into 2025? The cliff comes for every professional athletewhen theability that made them special isn’tthere to tapintoanymore. Jordan faced questions in thepast two seasons about whether it might be time to retire, andevery time,Jordan scoffed at the notion. At times,itlooked like he was not willing to see what everyone else could: That he was well into decline.

ä See SAINTS, page 7C

BY TOYLOYBROWN III

Staff writer

Matt McMahon viewsNo. 19 Texas Tech morefavorably than the AP Top 25 poll. The LSU coach called Texas Tech (6-2) one of the top 15 basketball teams in thenation after his team’s 78-69 overtimewin over Boston College on Wednesday Red Raiders coach Grant McCaslandalsoholds unranked LSUin high regard. “They’re significantly improved,” McCasland said. “It’s notacoincidencethatthey’re 8-0. Theyhaveevery position with experience and every position can leverageyou.From thepoint to the rim to perimeter scoring to rebounding. They’re switching defense,and they’re really competitive. They have firepower.Ithink they’re atremendous team. They’ve gotten great players and also have agreat plan. They’re alegit top 25 team.” The pleasantries between thetwo coacheswill pause when their programs face offat2 p.m. Sundayat Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, in theCoast 2Coast Challenge.The neutral-site game will be LSU’smost important contestbeforethe SoutheasternConference slate begins in January

Allofits nonconference games thus far have been against teams ranked outside thetop 100 on KenPom, with thehighest-rated beingDrake at 116 as of Fridaymorning. Texas Tech is asignificantly moretalented opponent. The Red Raiders returned two of their three best players from last year’sgroup that made the Elite Eight and lost 84-79 to Florida, the eventual champions.

Awin over Texas Tech, which was the No.10-ranked team in the AP preseason poll, can realistically vault

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TexasTechwinsBig 12 title

BY STEPHEN HAWKINS AP sportswriter

ARLINGTON, Texas CameronDickey scored right afterthe firstof linebacker Ben Roberts’ two interceptions in the secondhalf as No.5TexasTech wonthe Big 12 championship game, and almost certainly locked up afirst-round bye in the College Football Playoff, with a34-7 victory over 11thranked BYU on Saturday After investing millions of dollars in the transfer portal, the Red Raiders (12-1, No. 4CFP) have their first Big 12 title they are one of only six schools that have beenpartofall 30 Big 12 seasons. They are also going to the CFP for the first time, though their win likely prevented the Big 12 from getting asecond team in the playoff.

“If we are gonna buy ateam, why not be the best,” Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez said after the game.

“Man, Ican’twait to see where the CFP is going to put us,” fourthyear Tech coach Joey McGuire said.“We’re lookingforwardto the bye. Youknow,we’rehoping and expecting that’s wherewe’ll be.” Behren Morton, who didn’tplay in Tech’sonly loss at Arizona State, threw two TDs to CoyEakin and Stone Harrington kicked four field goals for the Red Raiders.

The only losses by BYU(11-2, No. 11 CFP) are to the Red Raiders, including 29-7 in Lubbock four weeks ago before four turnovers in the second half this time. The Cougars will fall out of the top 12 instead of moving up when the new CFPrankingscome out

Sunday.They likely needed to be in the top10for aplayoff spot. Roberts, one of the holdovers on the Tech defense along with Rodriguez(13 tackles),got his first interceptionwithabout 31/2 minutes left in the third quarter when he reached up anddeflected thepassby freshman Bear Bachmeier.On thenext play,Dickeytook a directsnapand ran untouched 11 yards fora touchdownand 21-7lead after making the

2-point conversion. Harrington, who kicked a school-record five field goals against BYU last month, missed a49-yard field goal attempt after Roberts jumped aroute to make aone-handedinterception in the fourthquarter But in between Roberts becoming the first player with multiple interceptions in one of the 24 Big12championship games,transfer Romello Height recovered whenBachmeier fumbled when being

sacked. Harrington madea 44-yarderthat time. Roberts almost had his hands on another interception, but that deflection cameona fourth-down play that gave the ball back to the Red Raiders. Tech went ahead to stay on Eakin’sincredible leaping33yard TD catch with10:42 left in the second quarter that made it 10-7. He reached up with both hands to snag theball, then got afoot down while twisting and lunging into the end zone.

WesternMichiganwinsMAC championship game

By The Associated Press

DETROIT Jalen Buckley had touchdown runs of 67 and 64 yards and Western Michigan won the MAC Championship, defeating Miami of Ohio 23-13 on Saturday Buckley’s67-yard touchdown burst on the third play of the game gave theBroncos theearly lead Palmer Domschke added three field goals in the firsthalf, thelast from 50 yards, andthe Broncos led 16-6 at halftime. Buckley’s64yard TD run made it 23-6early in the third quarter

In the regular-season matchup between the two, Miami scored 17 points in the fourth quarter,rallying to a26-17victory.Thistime, Western Michigan did notfalter

Acouple of possessions after Miamiclosed to within 23-13 with 61/2 minutes left in the fourth quarter,WesternMichigan drove to the 1-yard line before turning the ball overondowns. Facing a 10-point deficit and 99 yardstogo in less than two minutes,the RedHawks only reached their own 16yard line. Buckley finished with 193 yards on 19 carries for the Broncos (94). His career highwas 196 as a freshman against Toledo in 2023. Broc Lowry had 111 yardspassing and 65 yards rushingfor the Broncos, who had 286 yards on the ground, 397 total.

Kam Perry had 101 receiving yards for Miami (7-6) and the RedHawks managed 272 yards of total offense.

Friday’sgames

No.21TULANE 34,No. 20 NORTHTEXAS 21: In New Orleans, Jake Retzlaff had two short touchdown runs Jamauri McClure rushed for 121

yards anda score and Tulane beat North Texas in the American Conference championshipgame Fridaynight —a victory that likely secured aCollege Football Playoff bid.

Chris Rogers returned an interception 35 yards for atouchdown for Tulane (11-2), which intercepted three passes and recovered two fumbles in an effort that is expectedtodelay coach Jon Sumrall’sdeparture for the Florida job he accepted last Sunday

He’ssaid that if the Green Wave qualified forthe 12-teamCFP,he’d see that through to theend. The loss marked the end of the line forNorth Texascoach Eric Morris,who likeSumrall already had beenhired awayafter leading theMean Green to its first 11-win regular season.Morris moves on to Oklahoma State No. 19 JAMESMADISON 31,TROY 14: In

Harrisonburg, Virginia, Wayne Knight rushedfor career-high 212 yards, including a73-yard touchdown,and James Madison made its case for aCollege Football Playoff berth, beatingTroy in theSun Belt Conference title game TheDukes(12-1) will nowroot for Duke to beat Virginiainthe Atlantic Coast Conference title game on Saturday night, aresult that couldmakethemone of two Group of Five schools in the 12team playoff. On achillynight when fans were repeatedly chidedfor throwing snowballsontothe field, James Madison’sdefense recorded eight sacks,ascoopand-scoretouchdown and, for the sixth time this season, shut outanopponent in the second half. Defensive end Sahir West had three sacksand was in on

James Madisonhires fired Florida coachNapier

HARRISONBURG, Va.— James Madison has hired former UL and Florida coach Billy Napiertoreplace Bob Chesney,who is leaving for UCLA but would coach the Dukes in the College Football Playoff if they makethe 12-team field. Napier,who was 22-23 in four seasonsatFlorida,was firedOct 19. Chesney, who coached JMUto a12-1 record and Sun Belt Conference championship, wasofficially announced as UCLA’snew coach on Saturday JMU is in only its fourth season in the Bowl Subdivision and has a combined record of 40-10 under Curt Cignetti and Chesney Napier wasone of the top upand-coming coachesasheled UL to a40-12 record from 2018-21 with four appearances in the Sun Belt title game.

UCLA aiming to revive program withChesney hire LOS ANGELES UCLA hired Bob ChesneyfromJames Madisonas footballcoach on Saturday,hoping he can turn around aprogramthat hasstruggledfor years, including in itsfirst twoseasons in theBig Ten. Chesney takes over from interim coach TimSkipper, who guidedthe Bruins (3-9, 3-6) after athletic director Martin Jarmond fired DeShaun Foster on Sept. 14. Foster went 5-10 aftertaking over the program from Chip Kelly in February 2024. Skipper washired as coach at CalPolySan Luis Obispo on Wednesday Chesneybecomes the 20thhead coach in UCLA football history Chesney led No.19James Madisontoa12-1recordthis season, with theDukes making theircase foraberth in theCFP after winning the SBC title gameonFriday

Messi, Inter Miami topple Vancouver to win MLS Cup FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. Lionel Messi and Inter Miamihave completedtheir ascent, beating the Vancouver Whitecaps 3-1 on Saturday in the MLS Cup final forthe franchise’sfirst championship. It came21/2 years after the legend arrived in South Florida, amove that stunned plenty of onlookers at the time.

He set up the title-clinching goal with a72nd-minute assist to Rodrigo De Paul, aplay where Messi stolethe ball and threaded apass through atiny gap in awall of Vancouver defenders. De Paulgot it in stride, pushed it into the far corner of thenet —and Messi went airborne to hop into his armsafew seconds later,all smiles. Inter Miami becamethe 16th franchise in the league’s30-year history to winanMLS title.

Marinersacquire

reliever Ferrer in trade withNats

10 tackles.

BOISE STATE38, UNLV 21: In Boise, Idaho, BoiseState became the first team in Mountain West historytowin three consecutive championships, defeating UNLV. UNLVsaw their four-game win streak snapped in what could be the program’sfinal trip here as the Broncos exit the Mountain West.

BoiseState’s Maddux Madsen was named the game’sOffensive MVPafter throwing for 289 yardsand threetouchdowns. The redshirt sophomore completed 17 of his31passattemptsand also ran for atouchdown.

BoiseState’s Ty Benefield was named the Defensive MVP, after recording ateam-high seven tackles,one TFLand afumble recovery in the contest.

KENNESAW STATE19, JACKSONVILLE STATE15: In Jacksonville,Alabama, Kennesaw State overcame afourth-quarterJacksonville State rally to upend the Gamecocks in the 21st annual Air National Guard Conference USA Championship Game. The Owls ended the third-longest FBS home winning streak after Jax Statehad mounted afurious comebacktoerase a 12-point deficit with just over 10 minutes left on the clock behind touchdown runs from Conference USAMost Valuable Player Cam Cook and quarterback CadenCreel.

CUSAChampionship Game MVP Amari Odom calmly directed Kennesaw State75yardsin11 plays, scrambling for akey first downonafourth-and-14 play and finishing offthe game-winning drive withan11-yard TD pass to Navelle Dean with 52 seconds remaining.

The Seattle Mariners acquired left-handed reliever Jose A. Ferrer in atrade with the Washington Nationals on Saturday Seattlesentcatcher HarryFord and minorleague pitcher Isaac Lyon to Washington forFerrer,who set career highs with11saves and 21 holds in 72 appearances this year

The 22-year-old Ford is one of baseball’s topprospects,but the Mariners already have All-Star slugger Cal Raleigh at catcher.Ford made his major league debut in September,going 1for 6ineight games. The Mariners won the AL West this year for the first timesince 2001.Theymadeittothe AL Championship Series before they were eliminated by the Toronto Blue Jays in seven games.

Milan Cortina Olympics sees slow ticket sales

ROME Construction on the main hockey arena is still not finished. Spectator and media areas at the controversial sliding venue also need to be completed. And with exactly two months to go to the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, thereisanother major area that local organizers are concentrating on: only slightly morethan halfofthe 1.5 million tickets forthe games have been sold.

As the torch relay began in Rome on Saturday,just over 850,000 tickets had been sold.

ABlack Friday promotion last weekincluded three days of 20% discounts on tickets. And purchasers of both Olympics and Paralympics tickets have the chance to getlift passes foreight euros ($9) valid between Dec. 9-22.

STAFF PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

Mulkey thinks LSU defense has more room to improve

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

This LSU women’s basketball team knows how to score.

If the Tigers hadn’t proven they could before, they most certainly have now after they threatened to hit the century mark again on Thursday in a come-from-behind road win over Duke.

LSU ultimately fell short of 100 points. It had to settle for 93.

“And look how poor we played in the first quarter,” coach Kim Mulkey said.

To Mulkey’s point — before the No. 5 Tigers (9-0) got a win they could use to solidify their standing among the nation’s best teams — they first spotted Duke a 14-point lead. The Blue Devils eventually cooled off. But by the end of the night, they had, in fact, pieced together one of their best offensive showings of the season, showing Mulkey exactly what LSU needs to tighten up before SEC play begins Jan. 1.

“Scoring the ball is not going to be a problem,” Mulkey said “Our problem is we have to just continue to get better on the defensive end.”

Statistically speaking, the Tigers will enter their road matchup with UNO on Sunday (3 p.m., ESPN+) as one of the nation’s best defensive teams. Only six Division I squads, according to Her Hoop Stats, have allowed fewer points per 100 possessions than LSU has through the

STREAK

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LSU into the top 25 for the first time since the 2021-22 season One key to winning that McMahon will harp on is rebounding. Texas Tech is tied for 15th in the country in offensive rebounds per game (14.9). The Red Raiders have four players who average at least two points per game, led by junior JT Toppin, who was an AP Preseason All-American.

The 6-foot-9, 230-pound forward is averaging 11 boards with 5.3 coming on the offensive end. A strong interior offense complements Toppin’s athleticism and relentlessness on the glass as he averages 22.1 points, seventh most in the country, on 54.1% shooting. He’s the only player in the nation averaging over 20 points and 11 rebounds. Although LSU will miss the rebounding of redshirt junior forward Jalen Reed, who is out for the season due to an Achilles tendon injury, it still has size in the frontcourt. The bigs who will battle with Toppin for rebounds are Mike Nwoko, Pablo Tamba, Robert Miller and Marquel Sutton, who leads the team with nine rebounds a game. Also atop the scouting report will be limiting 3-pointers. Texas Tech is in the top 35 in the country in 3-pointers attempted per game (29.5) Texas Tech has four players shooting at least four 3s per game, including Donovan Atwell,

Cajuns headed to 68 Ventures Bowl

UL to face Delaware in familiar territory

BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer

The UL Ragin’ Cajuns will be returning to a very familiar place to face a very unfamiliar foe in the program’s eighth consecutive bowl appearance with a trip to meet Delaware in the 68 Ventures Bowl in Mobile, Alabama. The game will be played at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 17 on ESPN. The Cajuns enter the game on a four-game winning streak, finishing the regular season 6-6 overall and 5-3 in Sun Belt play In its first season of FBS football, the Fightin’ Blue Hens finished 6-6 overall and 4-4 in Conference USA. Because of a lack of six-win teams to fill out bowl spots, Delaware was allowed to participate in its first bowl, along with Missouri State taking on Arkansas State in Frisco, Texas. UL faced a similar situation against Jacksonville State in the 2023 New Orleans Bowl and lost 34-31 in overtime.

Although not at the FBS level, Delaware has been a successful program for decades, with six national championships and 15

conference championships. The Blue Hens were Division II from 1972-79 and then competed at the 1-AA level/FCS from 1980-2024.

The Cajuns have an 8-6 record in bowl games and have now earned 13 bowl appearances over the last 15 seasons.

The Cajuns have a strong history in Mobile, Alabama, defeating South Alabama at Hancock Whitney Stadium 31-22 earlier this season. Over the years, UL has accrued a 7-2 record in Mobile — including a 27-17 win over Miami of Ohio at the LendingTree Bowl after the 2019 season.

The Blue Hens average 29.7 points a game and have given up 32.5, leaning heavily on their quarterback, Nick Minicucci. He has thrown for 3,507 yards with 22 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

The leading rusher is Jo Silver with 536 yards and four scores on 135 carries. The receiving corps is deep, with 10 receivers catching for at least 162 yards. By comparison, UL only has three receivers over 162 yards.

Delaware’s top targets are Sean Wilson with 60 catches for 796 yards and two touchdowns and Kyre Duplessis with 55 receptions for 755 yards and five scores.

first nine games of its season.

But the Tigers have played a light schedule. Duke (3-6) is the only high-major team on their nonconference slate.

And the 77 points the Blue Devils scored against LSU is the most they’ve tallied against a powerconference opponent this year

South Carolina held them to only 66 points on 39% shooting. UCLA let them score just 65 points on 34% shooting. Baylor and West Virginia — two other ranked teams — allowed them to put up only 52 points on 29% shooting and just 49 points on 38% shooting, respectively Duke shot 50% from the field against LSU. That field-goal percentage was high enough to tie its season high.

The Tigers have allowed only two Mulkey-era nonconference opponents to shoot from the field at a higher percentage than the Blue Devils did on Thursday LSU lost both of those games — to Florida Gulf Coast in 2021 and to Colorado in 2023.

“I want to compliment Duke,”

Mulkey said. “That’s as good as I have seen them play all year

“I thought we were poor in transition defense early They got some second-chance points. We didn’t grab rebounds. This is their home court, and they just came out excited to play.”

LSU will play five more mid-ma-

jor teams before it opens SEC play at home against Kentucky — UNO, Louisiana Tech, Morgan State, UTArlington and Alabama State.

The Tigers scored 112 points per game on 56% shooting against their first eight mid-major opponents. Both marks led the country LSU’s NCAA-record streak of 100-point outings was snapped on Thursday against Duke, but it could’ve been extended had the Tigers not gotten off to a rough start or slowed down their offense late in the fourth quarter Before Thursday, the Blue Devils had allowed at least 90 points only one time across the past six seasons. LSU finished with 93 while shooting a hyper-efficient 60% from the field.

If the Tigers can keep scoring at that rate, then only a few teams they face in January and February will be able to keep pace — whether they play better defense than they did on Thursday or not.

But Mulkey still wants to see LSU improve how it plays at that end of the floor The last game showed the Tigers they can get better, and the next five will give them opportunities to do so.

“They jumped on us early,” point guard Jada Richard said, “but I think we never really lost our composure. We stayed poised, stayed together as a team. So I think that’s the thing we learned tonight. Just togetherness If we stay together, then we can do whatever we want.”

who takes 7.9 and is making 44.4%.

LSU only has two players, Sutton and Max Mackinnon, who attempt at least four 3s a game. Texas Tech’s second-best shooter and primary playmaker is Christian Anderson. The 6-foot-3 sophomore is averaging 6.9 assists, 10th in the country and 18.1 points. He is also shooting 41.1% from 3 on seven attempts. LSU’s starting guards, Dedan Thomas and Mackinnon, will have to be attentive to the opposing marksmen, Limiting offensive rebounds and

playing good 3-point defense will not be enough. The Tigers’ offense has to be explosive in their own way, which is pounding the paint and allowing Thomas to push the pace. It can’t win if it plays as it did against Boston College. While Thomas is coming off a season-high 23 points and seven assists in the team’s first true road game, the Tigers needed overtime because they were 9 of 34 from the field in the second half. Texas Tech will easily exploit a cold spell like that.

Georgia ends Alabama’s hold on SEC title game

BY CHARLES ODUM AP sportswriter

ATLANTA Gunner Stockton

threw three touchdown passes as No. 3 Georgia solidified its position for a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff and beat Alabama in the Southeastern Conference championship game for the first time, pounding the 10th-ranked Crimson Tide 28-7 on Saturday Georgia (12-1, No. 3 CFP), had been 0-4 against Alabama in the SEC title game and 1-7 against the Crimson Tide under coach Kirby Smart. Playing in their fifth straight league championship game, the Bulldogs earned their fourth title under Smart and 16th overall. The lopsided loss forces Alabama (10-3, No. 9 CFP) to worry about its standing with the College Football Playoff selection committee. The Crimson Tide were believed to be in good position when they moved up one spot in last week’s CFP ranking, but the loss to the Bulldogs provides renewed cause for concern that the Crimson Tide could miss the playoff for the second consecutive season under coach Kalen DeBoer Georgia led 21-0 before Alabama’s Ty Simpson threw a 23yard touchdown pass to Germie Bernard early in the fourth quarter The Bulldogs turned two gamechanging plays into first-half

touchdowns.

Cole Speer’s block of Blake Doud’s punt in the first quarter allowed Georgia to start a drive at the Alabama 21. Nate Frazier ran for 14 yards on first down. On third down from the 1, Stockton faked a handoff, rolled right and passed to Roderick Robinson II for the touchdown.

Late in the first quarter Daylon Everette’s interception of Simpson’s pass deflected by KJ Bolden gave the Bulldogs the ball near midfield Stockton’s 1-yard scoring pass to Dillon Bell gave Georgia a 14-0 lead.

A block by London Humphreys helped Nate Frazier score easily on a 9-yard run to cap Georgia’s first possession of the second half, extending the lead to three touchdowns. Alabama posted the biggest comeback in SEC championship game history when it beat Georgia 35-28 in 2018 after trailing by 14 points. It wasn’t Alabama’s only rally against Georgia. Before Saturday, the Bulldogs were 0-3 against Alabama under Smart when leading at halftime and 90-1 against all other teams before Saturday This time, Georgia wasn’t giving up the lead. After Simpson’s fourth-and-2 pass from the Alabama 12 was incomplete with 8:17 remaining, Georgia put the game away on Stockton’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Zachariah Branch.

THE VARSITY ZONE

LCA stunned in semis by Dunham

Knights fall in high-scoring thriller

BY ERIC NARCISSE Staff writer

For the second consecutive year, the Lafayette Christian Academy Knights’ football season was ended by the Dunham Tigers.

In a shootout between explosive teams, the Knights were outdueled 49-48 by Dunham in the Division III select semifinals Friday.

“It was an incredible game,”

Knights coach Matt Standiford said. “It was what a semifinals game should be like. Two of the tops teams regardless of classification, matching up in a thriller It went down to the wire like we had a feeling it would. It sucks to be on the losing side, obviously, but just an incredible game.”

The Knights (11-2) were leading 48-41 with 4:35 remaining in the game, but the Tigers put together one final drive to overcome the deficit. They marched 68 yards in six plays, capping it off with a 19yard touchdown pass from quarterback Elijah Haven to receiver Jarvis Washington to pull the Tigers within one at 48-47 with 1:46 left in the game. Instead of kicking the PAT, the Tigers elected to go for two and converted it when Haven hit Khris Thomas in the front corner of the end zone to put the Tigers ahead 49-48.

“Our team endures, man,” said Haven, who was announced as the Gatorade Louisiana Football Player of the Year on Friday “We endure and we rise to the occasion. That’s what we did.”

On the ensuing possession, Knights quarterback Braylon

Walker was sacked on first down before being intercepted on second down at LCA’s 47-yard line with 1:29 left in the game.

The Knights were able to force the Tigers to punt — which the Knights partially blocked — but it gave LCA the football at its 39yard line with 18 seconds remaining.

The Knights picked up a first down on a 13-yard pass from Walker to receiver Brayden Allen out to the Tigers’ 48-yard line.

Walker then rushed for 9 yards to the Tigers’ 39-yard line with seven seconds remaining. But that was as close as the Knights would get as Walker’s Hail Mary attempt was batted down as time expired.

“Very unfortunate to be on the losing side of it,” Standiford said.

“You have to give them some credit. Their guys made some plays at the end of the game.”

The loss overshadowed what had been a stellar performance by Walker, Allen, running back Caiden Bellard and receiver Draylon August. Walker completed 13 of 17 passes for 216 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 187 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries.

Allen had six receptions for 96 yards, while August had 90 yards and a touchdown on five catches.

Bellard finished with 153 yards and three touchdowns on 30 carries.

“I love this group,” Standiford said. “I love the fight that they played with. Bellard ran his butt off all night long, and Braylon made all of the right reads. We scored 48 points in a semifinals game, and it is tough because we

Simon, Ascension Catholic rout WCA

BY MIKE COPPAGE

Contributing writer

A group of nine seniors laid the foundation for the future of Westminster Christian football this season. The top-seeded Crusaders achieved history with their first semifinal berth, which ended in a 45-14 loss to No 5 Ascension Catholic and running back Trevin Simon, who set two state records in the Division IV select playoff game on Friday in Opelousas.

“He’s a good player,” WCA coach Byron Porter said of Simon, who set single-season state rushing records for yards and touchdowns in a 33-carry, 364yard, six-TD performance. “He runs hard, and he’s physical. He’s a good back.”

The Bulldogs (11-2), who will face No. 2 Riverside Academy in the finals, won the toss elected to receive and went for it on fourth and 1 from their own 23 with fullback Josh Barber moving the chains. After a quarterback keeper by Greg Fernandez, Simon ran 70 yards for his first touchdown.

“In the first half, I think there were some questionable calls, and those things had something to do with the momentum, but Ascension Catholic is a good team that is here for a reason,” Porter said. “I wish them the best next week.”

Down 14-0 early in the second quarter, the Crusaders appeared to have recovered a fumble near midfield after a 13-yard loss, but

felt we left two possessions out there. I love the way we fought. We played extremely hard, and all (four) of those young men have very bright futures.”

Haven completed 18 of 27 passes for 357 yards, six touchdowns and one interception while rushing for a team-high 61 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries Washington, who was unstoppable, finished with 182 yards and four touchdowns on seven receptions.

Email Eric Narcisse at enarcisse@theadvocate.com.

Notre Dame turned back in OT by Calvary Baptist’s goal-line stand

BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer

Calvary Baptist coach Rodney Guin knew exactly how the Notre Dame Pioneers felt after his Cavaliers survived a 34-28 overtime thriller on Friday in the Division III select state semifinals at Gardiner Memorial Stadium.

After all, in the same round one year ago, Guin’s team suffered a 33-31 heartbreaker to Catholic High of New Iberia. And two years after beating St. Charles 34-28 in the state final, also on the last play of the game.

“It’s hard on an old man,” Guin said with a laugh. “We won in ‘23 in the Dome on the last play of the game. We lost last year on the last play of the game. The kids are resilient.”

In this nailbiter, it came down to one play from the 3 in overtime

an inadvertent whistle negated the turnover and the loss. On the next play, the Bulldogs scored on a 37-yard run. At the half, it was 33-0.

WCA (11-1) drove 75 yards to open the third quarter with its first touchdown, a 9-yard pass from quarterback Stephen George to Evan Lemon.

The Crusaders’ defense forced a three-and-out, but after WCA didn’t score on its next possession, Barber ran 33 yards on a fake punt for a first down, and Simon capped the drive with a touchdown.

George finished with 22 yards on 14 carries, and Kyle Horde added 48 yards on 10 carries.

George threw for 200 yards with a touchdown to Damien Thomas (three receptions, 60 yards).

Gavin Frith caught four passes for 62 yards.

Horde, fellow junior linebacker/running back Jack Hunt and sack leader Matthew Lalonde will be among the leading returning players next season for the Crusaders.

“For the older guys, it was a heck of a ride,” Porter said. “A heck of a run. For the younger guys, they get to learn from this. We were right there. We were one week away We’re going to keep on grinding and fighting.” Cooper Campo, Parker Campo Conner Payne, Omar Guillory, Mac Proffitt, Thomas, Frith, Lemon and George are the seniors who are expected to be known as trendsetters for the program.

The Pioneers won the toss and deferred, leading to a 6-yard touchdown pass to Braylon Huglon on second down.

But it appeared Notre Dame had gained an upper hand by blocking the extra point to keep the score 34-28.

Notre Dame’s turn came down to fourth and goal from the 3.

“They run the ball 90 percent of the time, so we got enough bodies up in there to hold them,” Guin said. “Against them, that’s huge because they’re so good at pounding that thing in there.

“We knew what they were going to do. You just have to be man enough to stop it. If I had him (running back Joachim Bourgeois), he’s getting the ball.”

That’s exactly what the Pioneers did, but Calvary Baptist’s defense stopped Bourgeois at the 1 to end the game.

“We had scored on that play earlier in the game,” Notre Dame coach Lewis Cook said. “We were trying to get Joachim to stretch it, run wide and hopefully hit a crease. I thought we might have a chance to get a little wider with it, but I guess he saw a crease and he tried to take it He’s strong, but I guess not big enough to run through them.”

It was fitting to put the ball in his hands, because Bourgeois had done so much for the Pioneers all year Bourgeois finished with 140 yards rushing and a touchdown on 27 carries. That was one week after rushing for 200 yards on 34 carries in the quarterfinal win over Lafayette Renaissance.

“He’s a fantastic player,” Guin said. “He’s as good as we’ve played. You win a lot of games with guys like that.”

Bourgeois also caught four passes for 21 yards and was 2-for-2 passing for 75 yards and a touchdown.

Calvary scored first after blocking a punt and returning it 20 yards for a touchdown, but the Pioneers quickly responded with a 56-yard touchdown pass from Drew LeJeune to Brice Duhon.

On Notre Dame’s next possession, the Pios drove it 59 yards on 10 plays in 4:10 and LeJeune plunged in from the 1 for a 14-7 lead with 8:05 until halftime

Wes Duplechin then delivered an interception on a risky pass from sophomore quarterback Hudson Price under pressure one play before Bourgeois connected with Duhon on 66-yard halfback pass for a 21-7 Notre Dame lead with 4:25 left until halftime

Three plays later, the Cavaliers’ 17-yard punt set up the Pios at the Calvary Baptist 34, but Bourgeois fumbled and the game turned.

The Cavaliers scored on an eight-play 55-yard drive just before intermission, culminating with a 10-yard touchdown run by Price.

That ignited three consecutive scoring drives for Calvary Baptist, which scored on the other

side of the halftime break on a 6-yard touchdown toss to Huglon.

On the next drive, Price hit Huglon for a 69-yard touchdown to give the Cavaliers a 28-21 lead with 3:33 left in the third quarter.

“Our quarterback just settled down a little bit,” Guinn said.

“He’s just a sophomore — his first year to play — and he made some bonehead plays early in the game. But he settled down and made some big runs to keep some drives going.”

Price finished the game 11-of-18 passing for 156 yards and three touchdowns with two interceptions. He also ran for 60 yards and a score on seven carries.

Huglon contributed six receptions for 102 yards and three touchdowns. Before overtime, it appeared the Pioneers might be able to win the game with a 36-yard field goal try with 31 seconds left, but it was blocked.

“We always talk about if we can get to the 20, we’ve got a shot,” Cook said. “If he hits it solid, he’s got a chance.

“I didn’t look at it to see where it came from to get the block. I was just glad we tackled him. I’m thinking block, score would have been a tough way to go.”

Email Kevin Foote at kfoote@ theadvocate.com.

Bakeragreestoanew contract to stay at LSU

BY WILSON ALEXANDER Staff writer

After turning down interest from other schools, LSU defensivecoordinator Blake Bakeragreedtoanew contract extension that could ultimately make him the highest-paid assistant coach in the country next year Baker agreed to athreeyear,$9.3 million deal, multiplesourcestoldThe Advocate.His salary starts at $3 million next season before rising every year to $3.2 million in 2028. Under the terms of the deal, asource said Baker would earn a$300,000 raise and afourth-year option with asalary of $3.5 million if LSU finishes in thetop 20 in scoring defense in any of the first three years. Entering conference championship games this weekend, LSUisranked 15th nationally in scoring defense at 18.3 pointsallowed per game, which ranks fourth in the SEC behind likely playoff-bound teams Oklahoma, Alabama

LSU

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Raymond and safetiescoach Jake Olsen. An on-field role is being discussed for Kiffin’sbrother,Chris Kiffin, who coached linebackers this past season at Ole Miss.

andGeorgia

Penn State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles was reportedlythe highest-paid assistantcoachinthe countrythis past seasonat$3.1 million, but his future is unclear after theNittany Lions hired new head coach Matt Campbell. In 2024, LSU madeBaker the highest-paid assistant coach in the country when he signed athree-year deal worth $2.5 million per year ahead of hisfirstseason.He was reportedly passed this year by Knowles and Ole Miss defensive coordinator Pete Golding,who was promotedtohead coach after thedeparture of Lane Kiffin.

Kiffin wanted to keep Baker, whobecameTulane’s primary targetand received interest fromMemphis.Baker interviewed for thejobs, but he decided to stay lateFriday night after agreeing to the new contract.

Tulane, Baker’salma mater,offered him the chance to be ahead coach for the

Chris Kiffinisa longtime defensive assistant with NFL experience. The majority of Kiffin’s staff hascome together within aweek of hisarrival at LSU. LSUalready agreed to terms with offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr., co-offensive coordinator and tight ends coach Joe Cox, wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator George McDonald and inside receivers coach Saw-

CAJUNS

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half and finished with 21 in over 37 minutes. He was 4-for-7 from 3-point range and brought the Cajuns within 52-50 with his first bucket of the second half.

“Jaxon is not apoint guard,” White said. “He’s been having to adjust, play that position and score the ball. That’snot easy.Those things take time.” Dorian Finister logged36 minutes and scored16points with fiverebounds. Woodson had nine points, while Jones added three points and six boards. Lewis (3-of-4 FG) chipped in seven points. Milan Meija’s3-pointer tied it at 54-54 around the 11-minute mark.

Saturday.

“Jaxonisdoing what we need him to do,” White said. “I can say the same for Dorian

first time, but sources said a few factors kept him at LSU He did not want to move his youngfamilyfor thefifth time since 2019,hefeltloyaltytothe players, and if he had success at Tulane, he may not have stayed long because he wants to become apower conference head coach, ajob he may be able to get from his spot at LSU. With Baker staying, sources said LSU is expected to retainedge rushers coach Kevin Peoples, cornerbacks coachCorey Raymondand safeties coach JakeOlsen. It is alsoset to hire Syracuse defensive linecoach Elijah Robinson, andanon-field role is being discussed for Chris Kiffin, who coached linebackersthis season at OleMiss. Baker coached linebackers the past two years at LSU. Bakertookoveraunitthat ranked108thinthe country in total defense theyear before he arrived. It has improved over the past two years, andLSU ranks 25th this season with319 yards allowed per game.

yer Jordan.

FormerKentucky offensive line coach Eric Wolfordhas joined the staff, and he may be thenext offensive line coach. Meanwhile, the future of LSU running backscoach Frank Wilsonremains uncertain. Therest of LSU’soffensive coaches this past season arenot expected to be retained.

“De’Vion Laverge is akid I’m really proud of. He got comfortable tonight. As the season goes on, Ithink he’ll continue to have really good games. It’sgoing to take time. Injuries happen. Basketball is agameofadjustments. The injuriesmake you adjust.”

Lavergne scored all of his fourpoints in the first half and brought aburst of energy to thepoint guard position, grabbingabig defensive rebound with UL down 60-56 with 7:53 left before fouling out late in thecontest. The Cajuns, who are back in action against Dec. 13 at Louisiana Tech,outscored the 9-1 Seahawks on fast breaks (11-4) and won the turnover battle(14-11) but were outscored 21-16 on bench pointsand outrebounded 35-27.

Team AC WCA First Downs 16 12

YardsRushing 53-495 27-70

YardsPassing 78 180 Passes(C-A-HI) 5-615-30-2

Punts-avg.3-32 6-31.8

Fumbles-lost 3-0

Penalties-yards4-30

ACHS:

ACHS:

PREP BASKETBALL REPORT

Boys Erath Tournament At Erath High Wednesday’s games Northeast 54,Iota 37 Acadiana Renaissance71, Loreauville 29 ESA56, Delcambre 43 Thursday’s games Kaplan 50, Ascension Episcopal 45 Northeast 64,Erath 29 Abbeville 71, Acadiana Renaissance 29 Friday’s games

vs.Kaplan Abbeville

SAINTS GAMEDAY

SAINTS

BUCCANEERS

ROSTERS INJURY REPORT

SAINTS

OUT: TTaliese Fuaga(ankle), RB Alvin Kamara (ankle), SJustin Reid (knee)

QUESTIONABLE: WR Chris Olave (back)

BUCCANEERS

OUT: WR MikeEvans (collarbone),WR Jalen McMillan (neck), SRashad Wisdom (quad)

QUESTIONABLE: CB Benjamin Morrison (hamstring),OTTristan Wirfs (oblique)

FOUR THINGS TO WATCH

TAKE CARE OF THEBALL

TheSaintsdidn’tdothatinthe firstmeeting with theBuccaneers in late October. TheSaints committedfour turnovers, including a3-yardpick-six by Bucs’linebacker AnthonyNelson. Theinterceptionofthe Spencer Rattlerpassset thetonefor the day. TheBucsalsopickedoff Tyler Shough andrecovered apairof fumbles. TheBucsare tied for second in theleagueinturnover differential,thanksinparttoan opportunisticdefense that has forced 18 turnovers. TheSaints will havezerochanceofpulling off an upsetiftheycan’t take care of theball

GETBIG GAME FROM SHOUGH

In the first meeting of the season between the twoteams,Tyler Shoughcame off the bench and replaced Rattler Shoughcompleted 17 of 30 passesfor 128 yards that day in the Superdome and has been the starter ever since. He’s had some highs and lows since taking over. Last week against the Dolphins, the Saints had just 63 yards of offense in the first half. But Shough gotgoing in the second half and gave the Saintsachance. He’ll need that second-half productivitytospill over intothis game. Can Shough farebetteragainst the Bucs in his second time seeing them?

MAKE PLAYS

TheSaints finallyunlockeda weapon last week when receiver Devaughn Vele gotgoing.Vele, acquired in atrade in August,had barely been targeted before thegameagainst theDolphins. He had caught ninepassesall season but reeled in eightpasseslastweek. He showed whythe Saints traded forhim in the firstplace,using his 6-foot-5 frametomakecontested catches. Shough should go to him earlyand often. He canbeagreat complement to ChrisOlave,who wasunabletohaulinwhatlooked like acatchable touchdownlast week.Theywillbothneedtomake playswhencalledupon.

SLOW DOWN BAKER

The Saints did apretty good job with Bucsquarterback Baker Mayfield in the firstmeeting Mayfield completed 15 of 24 passes for 152 yards and was sacked three times.Saints defensivecoordinator Brandon Staleyprobablylikes his chances if theycan hold Mayfield to those numbers in arematch. Mayfield will have afew more weapons this time. ReceiverChris Godwin has returned after missing the teams’ firstmeeting.Running back Bucky Irving also missed the firstgame. The Saints held the Bucs to 212 yards of offense, but the taskwill be tougher thistime around.

1 2 3 4 Rod Walker

Thegoldstandard

Demario Davis, who turns37inJanuary,isn’t supposed to still be thebest player on the New Orleans Saints.

Cam Jordan, who turns 37 in July isn’tsupposed to be leading theteam in sacks.

But herethe two ageless wondersare, in the midst of the team’sdisastrous season, adding bullet pointstotheir respective résumés showing why they aretwo of the best defensive players to ever wear afleur-de-lis on the side of their helmets.

One day —probably sooner than later —Mickey Loomis will have to try to replace Davis and Jordan.

Chances are, Loomis won’tbeable to find someonewho can record 922 tacklesinless than eight seasonslike Davis has done since arriving in New Orleans in 2018.

Even more unlikely is him landing another edge rusher who can rack up 128 sacks like Jordan has done since being drafted by theSaints in 2011.

As crazyasitmay sound, finding that type of productivity won’teven be the hard part.

The real difficultywill be trying to replace two playerswho arejust as productive off the field as they are on it.While Sundays in theSuperdome are where Davis and Jordan get theloudest cheers, it’sthe workthey do outside the Dome that really deserves thekudos It’swhat will makethem irreplaceable. I’m not even sure if they still even make football playerslike Demario and Cam. They have missed just one game each (out of 364 they’ve played with the Saints) becauseofinjury. They areiron men with hearts of gold.

The latestexample of their exemplary community service came Friday when Davis was named the Saints’ nominee for theprestigious Walter Payton Man of the Year award. The award recognizes playerswho excel on the field and demonstrate asteadfast commitment to creating apositiveimpact beyond the game.

“It’satremendoushonor,” Davis said.

“I think anytime you get arecognition of this stature, it takes you back to your

why.For me, my why will always be centered around my faith. Ithink we are called to take the gospeltothe ends of the earth. I’m so grateful for this organization because of the platform I have; Iamable to do that.”

Truthbetold, the Saints could nominateDavis for this award every year It’sthe thirdtime he has been the Saints’ nominee. He was also the nominee in 2020 and 2022.

Jordan has also been nominatedfor it three times (2017, 2021 and 2024).

Tyran Mathieu, who retired before this season,was the nomineein2023 and is the only other playerthe Saints have nominated since 2020. When Davis and Jordan hang up theircleats, theSaints will have to find someoneelsetonominate. And the city of New Orleans will need someone else to carry thetorch that Davis and Jordan now carry,the one passedtothem by thegreat Drew Brees. In the 2006 season,Brees became the only Saints nominee to beat out the other 31 nominees and win the award. Davis, who is a Mississippi native like Payton, hopes to become thesecond

“This awardisthe highest honorthat you can receive in our game,” Davis said. “It speaks to whothe award is named after.(Walter Payton) is atremendous player on the field. But even more important is the impact that we are able to have in thecommunity we serve.”

Saintsdefensive coordinator Brandon Staley,inhis first seasoninNew Orleans,has admired Davis fromafar.But this season,hegot to personally witness Davis’ commitment both on and off the field.

“He’sjustapro’spro,” Staley said. “I

think he’s oneofone. He’spartofthat rarifiedair of aspecial player Aleader affecting so many people. Affecting so many things. The league is so fortunate to have an ambassador like him.” Davis’ Devoted Dreamers Foundation, which he operates with wife Tamela, is a big part of his giving back. He hasalso partneredwith The 18th Ward to create aleadership development program. He also took atrip to Paris to help with the NFL’s efforts to expand the game globally.But it’sNew Orleans, less than200 miles from his hometown of Brandon, Mississippi, thatisnearestand dearest to Davis.

“It’ssuchaneasyplace to serve,” Davis said. Davis andJordanare nowmuch closer to the endoftheir careers than the beginning. Someone will eventually have to try to fill their shoes both on and offthe field.

“You can’t force anybody to be outin the community,” Jordan said. “You can seeguys andsay,‘yeah, he’snextup.’ But it hastobeinyou to want to be going outonyouroff days andsetting up events or looking outfor people.For the longest time,Ididn’thave the foundation. Iwas just outhelping. Ifinally realizedthatyou can do so muchmore with so many more people.One message with 100 people behind it can go so much farther thanone message by one person.” It helps, Jordansaid, whenplayers have been in the city for awhile.Jordan is in his 15thNFL season, all in New Orleans. Davis is in his 14th season and eighth in NewOrleans. Davis took fellowlinebackersJaylan Ford and Isaiah Stalbird on oneofhis most recent endeavors.

“This is what it’sabout,” Davis said. “Everything youlearn and acquire in life is meant to be passed down and passedforward.”

Whoever thatperson is will have a good blueprint to follow,thanks to two Saints’ defensive greats.

EmailRod Walker at rwalker@ theadvocate.com.

ASSOCIATEDPRESS FILE PHOTO By BRIAN WESTERHOLT

Saints defensiveend Cam Jordan, center, celebrates with teammates after asack during agame against the Carolina PanthersonNov.9 in Charlotte,N.C.

SAINTS

Continued from page1C

At age 36, that was alegitimatequestion. Since sacks became an official statistic in 1982, only fiveplayers haverecorded double-digit sacks after turning 36, and they’re all Hallof-Famers: Reggie White, Bruce Smith, Chris Doleman, Kevin Greene andJulius Peppers. The Saints, though, were willing to entertain theideathatJordancould contributetotheir new scheme. One of the first calls defensive coordinator BrandonStaley madeafter he took the job went to Jordan. He told himabout the ways they thought he could affect the game in the new scheme, but also wanted to knowhe could count on Jordan to exist outsidehis comfort zone.

“If you can put him in position where he’simpactful, he’s going to make the plays more often than not,”Staleysaid “You’ve seen that throughout the season.”

Now that the Saints are officially out of the playoffpicture, Jordan said he wants to makethe endofthis season about a“legacy push.” Counting the postseason,Sunday’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will markthe 250th time Jordan has suited up in aSaints uniform. Pride is at play here, too. Pride in that 250 number, notbecause it’snice and even, but because of the 1 that is often associated with it: In 15 seasons, Jordan has missed just onegamebecause of injury,and if he’d had it his way,hewould have found away to play with that broken orbital bone back in 2022. Pride because it’snot like Jordan hasn’tbeen injured. The discussion about his decline began to truly heatup in 2023, when he finished the season with only two sacks.

mainly because he’sawarm-blooded creature that can’tstandthe cold tub.

“I’m always working on something,” Jordan said. Pride, because sometimes it getshurt.The Buccaneers have replaced the Saints as the NFC South’spower,winning each of the last four division titles since Drew Brees retired and handing the Saints sixdefeatsinthe past seven times they’ve played.

The recent history made Jordan the butt of some jokes. When Tampa Bay beat theSaints 23-3 earlier this season,Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht shared amocking video of Jordan after the game, replaying an old comment of Jordan’sabout the Buccaneers going back to being irrelevant after theretirement of TomBrady,only to flash Jordan’sstatisticalline in the 2025 loss: One assistedtackle next to a bunchofzeroes and apicture of him in his purposely dyed gray hair

Youwork so hard in the offseason, youwork so hard in OTAs, youwork so hardintraining camp, and youtry to meld together during the season to tryand create …asuccessful season, and it doesn’t come out that way— yeah, it keeps you up at night fora couple of days.”

CAM JORDAN, Saints defensiveend

Injury reports that season stated:Cam Jordan, ankle. What “Cam Jordan, ankle” failedtoget across was atorn peroneal tendonthatleftthe pass rusher with littlelateral movement ability That, Jordan said, is just lovefor the game. Thedegrees of the injuries are alwaysdifferent, but the injuries are almost alwayspresent. This season, it has been an ankle sprain that has bugged him for about half this season.

“Just alow ankle,” Jordan said, addingthat he wasglad it wasn’tahigh ankle sprain because “I’d have had to miss apractice, then.”

Notably: apractice, not agame. Jordan puts an extreme amount of time into taking careof hisbody so he doesn’tmiss games.

When his ankle was feeling the worst this season, Jordan was spending 90minutesevery morning in the hyperbaric chamber at theteam facility,often beforesunrise. He gets “scraped” and “cupped” severaltimes per week, athletic training techniques that promote soft tissue recovery.Hegetsatwo-hourmassage every Wednesday.Hevisits achiropractor twicea week. He endures dry needling and acupuncture. At home,hewears aGame Ready device that combines compressionand coldtherapy—

Jordan shrugged off the shot, saying Tampa Bay had the right to talk trash after its sustained successes. But even if he didn’ttake it personally,hehas not adapted to what it’slike playing for a team that last week clinched itsfourth consecutive season without aplayoff berth.

Jordan lovesplaying football—astatement that can feel emptysometimes comingfrom millionaire players, but is legitimizedevery time Jordan bounds onto thepractice field like ahappy puppy He loves playing football at ahigh level, andthis season hasvalidated what he’s always thought about himself.

Butheacknowledgedit’s harder tobehappy with his own play when the team is mired in arut the way it currently is

“You work so hard in the offseason,you work so hard in OTAs,you work so hard in training camp, andyou try to meld together during the season to try andcreate… asuccessfulseason,and it doesn’tcome out that way —yeah,itkeepsyou up at night for acouple of days,” Jordansaid.

Last year was oneofthe darkest in Jordan’s career.The Saints fired their head coach midway through the season after agame against the Panthers in whichJordan played10snaps. At that pointinthe season, he had yettorecord asack as he butted heads with defensive line coach Todd Grantham abouthis role withinthe unit. Grantham left shortly after Dennis Allenwas letgo, andJordan’s playing timeand production spiked, withfour sacks in the remainderofthe season

He had too much beliefinhimself to worry he was done.For every argument to be made about Jordan’s current ability on thefield, he has acounterargument ready. And this season has been about backing up what he’salways known to be true. In fact, Jordan had aline ready for it: “When proofhas alwaysbeen in thepudding, why don’t youjust eat the pudding?”

Email Luke Johnson at ljohnson@theadvocate.com.

OFFENSIVELEADERS

STAFF PREDICTIONS

JEFF DUNCAN

BUCCANEERS 26,SAINTS19:

TheBucshavedominated this series in recent years, winningsix of the last seven. Butthe Saints’lone wincameinTampa,and they have traditionallyplayedwellatRaymond JamesStadium.Tohangclose in this one, they’llneedagreat effort by the defense, becauseTampa Bay’stop playmakers,Chris Godwin andBucky Irving,are expected to play,unlikethe teams’ firstmeeting in NewOrleans LUKE JOHNSON

BUCCANEERS 21,SAINTS13: I mostlylikewhatI’veseenfromrookie QB TylerShough, andIbelieve abig breakout game is coming sometime soon.It’sjusttough to predictitthis week.Tampa Bayhas agoodrun defenseand should be able to make theSaintsone-dimensional

MATTHEWPARAS

BUCCANEERS 24,SAINTS17: The Saints tend to play well in TampaBay, so Icould seethisbeing closefor most of theafternoon.But theBuccaneers should still stop theSaints’ rungame, andBaker Mayfieldwill probably get outofone toomanynear-sacksfor the Saints to actually pull theupset

RODWALKER

BUCCANEERS 27,SAINTS10: The Saints will putupamuchbetter fight this time againstthe Bucs.Theymight even find theend zone this time.But BakerMay

Percentages: FG .386, FT .769. 3-Point Goals: 9-29, .310 (Olvera4-7, Woodson 3-7, Mejia 1-1,Lewis1-2,Ratliff

Collins 0-2, Finister0-2,Lavergne 0-7) Team Rebounds:3.Team Turnovers:2 BlockedShots:2(Finister, Jones). Turnovers: 7(Olvera4,Lewis, Mejia, Woodson). Steals: 5(Finister,Jones,Lavergne, Lewis, Olvera). Technical Fouls:None. UNC Wilmington 39 31 —70 Louisiana 38 25 —63 Women’s state schedule Thursday’s games Missouri State 72,Tulane 66 Louisiana Tech 82, South Alabama 80 LSU 93, Duke 77 Friday’s game Arizona State 57, McNeese 47 Saturday’s games

McNeese 63,Nevada 42

Sunday’s game Northwestern State at Southeastern, 1p.m. Southern at Houston, 2p.m. LSU at UNO,3 p.m. Morehead at UL, 4p.m. Alabama at UL-Monroe,4 p.m.

College football

Friday’s games

SOUTH Kennesaw St. 19, Jacksonville St. 15 James Madison31, Troy 1 Tulane 34, North Texas21

FARWEST BoiseSt. 38, UNLV21

Saturday’s games EAST Villanova 14, Lehigh 7

SOUTH Georgia 28, Alabama 7 Prairie View 23, JacksonSt. 21

South Dakota 47, Mercer 0

MIDWEST IllinoisSt. 29, N. Dakota St. 28 W. Michigan 23, Miami (Ohio) 13 SOUTHWEST Stephen F. Austin 41, Abilene Christian34

Tarleton St. 31, North Dakota 13 TexasTech 34, BYU7 FARWEST Montana 50, S. Dakota St. 29 Montana St. 21, Yale 13 FCSPlayoff Glance Second Round Saturday’s games IllinoisSt. 29, North Dakota St. 28 UC Davis vs.Rhode Island, n Villanova 14, Lehigh 7 Tarleton St. 31, North Dakota 13 Montana St. 21, Yale 13 SFA41, Abilene Christian 34 South Dakota 47, Mercer 0 Montana 50, South Dakota St. 29 Late Friday No.21Tulane 34, No. 20 UNT 21 North Texas7 06 8— 21 Tulane 71773 —34

First Quarter UNT—T.Williams 10 pass from Mestemaker (Nguma kick), 8:32. TULN—Retzlaff 2run (Durkin kick),:30. Second Quarter TULN—McClure7 run (Durkin kick), 12:29. TULN—FGDurkin 30, 5:46. TULN—Retzlaff 1run (Durkin kick),:00. ThirdQuarter TULN—Rodgers 35 interception return (Durkin kick), 7:32. UNT—Coleman 59 pass from Mestemaker (passfailed), :16. Fourth Quarter UNT—Gray 9run (Grayrun), 9:26. TULN—FGDurkin 30, 2:51. A—23,986. UNT TULN

First downs 25 21 Total Net Yards415 344 Rushes-yards34-121 52-199 Passing 294 145 Punt Returns 1-20-0

Kickoff Returns2-8 3-50

Interceptions Ret. 0-03-36 Comp-Att-Int 21-34-313-22-0 Sacked-YardsLost5-400-0 Punts 2-45.5 3-35.0

Fumbles-Lost 2-21-0

Penalties-Yards 7-65 5-48

Time of Possession24:52 35:08

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING—NorthTexas,Gray8-47, Sibley 8-40, Hawkins 7-20, Mestemaker 11-14. Tulane, McClure22-121, Retzlaff 15-49, Gordon 11-26, Barnes 2-6, (Team) 2-(minus 3) PASSING—North Texas, Mestemaker 21-34-3294. Tulane, Retzlaff 13-22-0-145. RECEIVING—North Texas, Coleman 7-125, Dorner 6-76,T.Williams 4-52, T.Lewis1-13, Hawkins 1-11, Sides 1-11, W.Young 1-6. Tulane, Mmahat 3-39, Hayes3-21, Z.Lewis2-30, Preston 2-16, Brown-Stephens 1-22, McClure 1-12, Gordon 1-5.

LIVING

DannyHeitman

AT RANDOM

David Busekist taught me that clothes don’t make theman

I’m in aseasonoflife when more of my former teachers are passing away,each loss reminding me how early mentors helped lead me to theright place.All of this came to mind recently with the news that David Busekist, who taughtme high school trigonometry and so much else, had died at 73 It’sbeen said that the world’s newsrooms are full of failed math students —journalists who toil in the world of words because the world of numbers eluded them. Isuppose Icount myself in that legion. As ascholar of arithmetic and geometry,Iwas dutifulbut uninspired, and Isigned up for trigonometry only because it was expected of me.

Gazing at the equations Mr Busekist scribbled on the board, Iwas quickly lost in the fog of sines, cosines and tangents —somystified, in fact, that Icouldn’tsee my way out. The fog never lifted in that anguished daily hour of my senior year,and Isuspectthat Mr.Busekist waved me through to graduation on groundsof mercy rather than merit. The lessons from Mr Busekist that really stuck with me unfolded outside of his classroom.

He was the faculty sponsor of our Key Club, ajunior arm of Kiwanis that, in that place and time, was all-male. In the interest of fellowship, we gathered one Sunday amonthfor the breakfast buffet at alocal hotel, then went to church as agroup. The place of worship changed each time so that all of us, regardless of our faith lives, could see what it was like to sit among Catholics, Presbyterians, Methodists,Episcopalians and Baptists.

If there had been amosque or synagogue in my Louisiana hometown, I’m sure we would have ended up there, too. For our monthly church tours, Mr.Busekist required us to wear suits. Ican still picture us perchedover our eggs and pancakes —adozen boys fingering their collars and neckties like beagles chafed by the leash. Inevitably,there would be some horseplay at the breakfast table as teenagers still groggy on aweekend morning tried to tease themselves awake There would be no mischief in church, though.

“When you wear asuit,” Mr.Busekist told us, “you’re

ä See AT RANDOM, page 4D

Lafargue is buried in the WesleyMethodist Church Cemetery in Pineville.

‘The Nutcracker’ballethas marked Lafayette’s holidayseasonfor thepast25years

BY JOANNABROWN Staff writer

“The Nutcracker” is amagical holiday tradition for many,merging dance, music andthe romance of the season in asparkling twohourperformance. This year,Lafayette Ballet Theatre will celebrate the25th anniversary of its first “Nutcracker” performance, with shows at the Heymann Performing Arts Center on Dec. 13-14.The Acadiana Symphony Orchestra will provide live music for the shows for thefirst time in theproduction’shistory,in acollaboration that celebrates the “artistic excellence of our region,” according to ASO board president Robert Schacht.

“The Nutcracker” is an old story, andabeloved one —ayoung girl, Clara,awakenstofind thather nutcracker doll has come to life, andheleads her on adventures to the Land of Sweets as the Mouse King, Sugar Plum Fairy and other characters danceadazzling ballet on stage.

‘The Nutcracker’ is an old story, and abeloved one —ayoung girl, Clara, awakens to find that her nutcrackerdoll has come to life,and he leads her on adventures. ‘IT’STRULY

Tchaikovsky’sscore is dramatic, haunting and enchanting by turns, but for many,it’sthe costumes that really give thisshow its magic.

Lafayette Ballet Theatre’s“Nutcracker”features hundreds of handmade costumescreated by PattyHeath,the mother of Shan-

nonand MitziHeath,co-artistic directors of the company

“Our motherplayedanintricate part in the beauty andsuccess of this performance,” saidShannon Heath. “She designed and created each and every costumethat will be performed this year,and have been performed for anumber of years.

“I love that the beauty of her workisseen every year.I think it’sgoing to mean so much more to Mitzi and I, and the LBT alumni, because she’sunable to sew any longer.Sothey becomemore beautiful to see each year,knowing that thegift of herlegacy will hopefully

ARTS &CULTURE

Michalopoulosopens newexhibit at theCabildo

The exhibition “Michalopoulos: Mystical Expressionism,” on view in the top level of the Cabildo through Sept. 27, 2026, takesplace only afew steps and decades away from the artist’sstart in New Orleans, painting plein air on French Quarter streets.

Dave Walker Worksofone of New Orleans’ most successful living artistsondisplay

The JamesMichalopoulos brand has traveled widely and well throughout and beyond the art world. In addition to exhibits of his work in Geneva, London, Berlin and his own Bienville Street gallery,hefounded Orleania Art Studios, Celebration Distillation (a rum distillery that closed in 2021), and recently the art-centric Hotel Pompadour on Elysian Fields Avenue.

His eighth Jazz Fest poster,adding Tank and the Bangas to the lineup of Dr.John (1998), Louis Armstrong (2001), AaronNeville (2013) and others, headlined the 2025 festival. And anew documentary about him premieres Dec. 14 on WLAE-TV,called “Michalopoulos –The Art of Celebration.” APittsburgh native whoisarguably New Orleans’ most successful living artist, Michalopoulos could nothave imagined acareer retrospective in an exhibition spaceheonce literally looked up to.

“I never once thought of this possibility,” he said during arecent pre-opening interview in the gallery “Back in the days whenI was on the other end of Pirate Alley,my focus was much more on learning, on mastering perspective, light and dark, on composition and commerce, on making it all work.

TODAYINHISTORY

By The Associated Press

Today is Sunday,Dec. 7, the341st day of 2025. There are 24 days left in the year

Todayinhistory:

On Dec. 7, 1941, the Empire of Japan launched an air raid on theU.S. Navy base at PearlHarbor in Hawaii, killing more than 2,300 Americans. The United States declared war against Japan the following day

Also on this date:

In 1787, Delaware became thefirst state to ratify the U.S. Constitution In 1972, America’slastcrewed moon mission to date was launched as Apollo 17 blasted off from Cape Canaveral

In 1982, convicted murderer Charlie Brooks Jr.became thefirst U.S. prisoner to be executed by lethal injection, at aprison in Huntsville, Texas.

In 1988, amajor earthquake in the Soviet Union devastated northern Armenia, killing at least 25,000 people In 1993, six people were killed and19wounded in amass shooting aboard aLong Island Rail Road train in New York.

In 2004, Hamid Karzai was sworn in as Afghanistan’sfirstpopularly elected president.

In 2018, James Alex Fields Jr who drove his car into acrowdofcounterdemonstrators at a2017 White nationalist rally in Virginia, wasconvicted of first-degree murder in the death of Heather Heyer,an anti-racism activist. He was later sentenced on that and other convictionstolife in prison plus 419 years

In 2024, the restored Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris was reopened to the public afteradevastatingblaze nearly destroyed the beloved Gothic masterpiece in 2019. World leaders attended the reopening ceremony amid great fanfareand celebration. Today’sbirthdays: Linguistand political philosopher Noam Chomskyis97. Actor Ellen Burstyn is 93. Baseball Hall of Famer Johnny Bench is78. Singer-songwriter TomWaitsis76. Republican Sen. Susan M. Collins of Maine is 73. Basketball Hall of Famer Larry Bird is 69. Actor Jeffrey Wright is 60. Actor C. Thomas Howell is 59. Football Hall of Famer Terrell Owens is 52. Football Hall of FamerAlan Faneca is 49. Actor Shiri Appleby is 47. Singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles is 46. Actor Nicholas Hoult is 36. MLB All-Star Pete Alonso is 31. Olympic swimming gold medalistTorri Huske is 23.

“I thought at one point to name the show ‘From One End of the Alleytothe Other,’ which would have been an apt summary,” he said

The more than 60 paintings in theexhibitionrange throughout the artist’s40-year professional career,all calling-card depictions of classic NewOrleans vernacular architecture, most rendered in his quavering, paint-heavy, color-rich,dreamy, dramatic style,which he describes in the exhibitwalltextas“liberated engagement,not characterized by intellectualdeliberation, adirect experience.”

The labels on the paintings aremeticulousindescribing the exact style of house or building depicted —shotgun, Italianate, double gallery,etc. —and often offer ahistory lesson in how and from where the style evolved, which are learningsthat tour-

“Sometimes, forinstance, it is as simple as there’ssomething magnificentin front of me and there’samood, and it’s really galvanizing.It’s so alluring that my sole focus is to just kind of recreatewhat’s there.”

JAMES MICHALOPOULOS, artist

ists wandering in from Jackson Square can take home.

There are afew examples of how Michalopoulos’ style has changed over time, as well. In a 1980 painting of acottage, “You can see that my style has evolved from this period,” he said. “There’sasoft quality to this, very soft and very atmospheric, and it’sless abstract.”

There are many later examples of the more mystical and expressionistic, of course.

“My style does evolve, and also my mood evolves,” he said. “So, I allow myself to go where the moment takes me.”

He described how,when he looks at abuilding for apainting, he feels enthralled and hopes his deep appreciation translates into his work.

“Sometimes, for instance, it is as simple as there’ssomething magnificent in front of me and there’samood, and it’sreally galvanizing. It’ssoalluring that my sole focus is to just kind of recreate what’sthere.

“In another moment, Ifeel something that is beyond the physical appearance. So, there’sa kind of energy in asituation, and I’m often in that mode where I am allowing the energy in the moment to kind of lead me through something.”

The Michalopoulos style, however popular it maybewith art collectors, Jazz Fest fans and now Cabildo visitors, will continue to evolve, he said.

“I don’tfeel like I’m held within acertain stylistic limit, right?” he said.

“In fact, I’m planning on breaching even many of the limited norms that Ialready live within. Yeah. I’m ready to violate all of that, and Iwill. That’sa promise.”

Dave Walkerfocuses on behindthe-scenes coverage of the region’s many museumshere and at www.themuseumgoer com. Email Daveatdwalkertp@ gmail.com.

When thesushi rollsare toodarnbig to eat

Dear Miss Manners: What is the polite way to eat large sushi rolls? Sometimes they’retoo big to comfortably eat whole without gagging!

Gentlereader: Dissect them.

Miss Manners does not usually condone deconstructing food in public, but these are desperate times. Use your chopsticks to pull out the insides and eat them separately.Then either squish the remaining rice and seaweed togetherand eat it in two bites or use the side of the chopstick to cut it in half. Perhaps the sight of their beautiful creationsbeing desecrated will inspire the chefs to make more manageable bites Or at least have them wonder why everyone is suddenly ordering them as takeout instead. Dear Miss Manners: My friend and Iwere discussing dating

reciprocity, and we both agree that even with “old-fashioned” concepts, things must be reciprocated.

The gentleman will pay for dinner thefirst time, but then thelady must reciprocatethe next time.

However,ifthe lady does not have an income sufficient to fund dinner for two at arestaurant, what should shedo? If therelationship is new and she does not yet wishtoentertain her gentleman friend in her home (unchaperoned),what are some low-costoptions that she might offer as anext date?

Ithought of asummer picnic, but arethere other options that might takeplace in thecolder months?

Gentle reader: Coffee? Tea? Miss Mannerswill resist adding “Me?” —since presumably that is thereason for not hosting in her home (unchaperoned) in

thefirst place. Dear Miss Manners: Six weeks ago, afriend andIscheduled a meetup. We have not seen each other in person formore than ayear

Oneday before ourscheduled appointment, Itexted her to ask where she would like to get together. This washer response: “Oh, I did notput this in my calendar and we areleaving in acouple days to go overseas. Let’sreconnect in the fall. Apologies.” Would it be rude of me notto respond to this text? Honestly, given thatshe did noteven put our appointment in her calendar and did notreach out to reschedule or cancel whenshe made otherplans, Idon’twant to signalthatIamOKwith how lightly she treated ourplan to get together. At the same time,Idon’t want to senda snippy response that’snot who Iam. Can Ilet my silence speak for itself?

Gentle reader: Friends should generally be allowedone scheduling mishapevery fewyears. It is when it happens every single time thatwestart reconsidering the friendship. So while Miss Manners understands your annoyance, she suggests an alternative to silencethatisstill not snippy: “Oh, Iamsodisappointed. I was looking forward to seeing you, andhad it in my calendar. But yes, let’splease gettogether once youare back.” The advantage is thatitwill make herfeel just alittle bit bad—and therefore less likely to forget aboutyou again come fall.

Sendquestions to Miss Manners at herwebsite, www missmanners.com; to her email, dearmissmanners@ gmail.com; or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St.,Kansas City,MO64106.

Dear Heloise: After having total knee replacement surgery,Ibought asmall treadmill that goes under my desk. Since it doesn’t have anything to hold onto, Iplaced awalker over the top to steady it as Iwalk It workslike acharm! —Marie G.,inConnecticut Paperbag soundoff

Dear Heloise: Ihope you get many responses to your idea aboutusingpaper bags. No, no! Usereusable totes; this way, there’snothing to toss out or recycle. Think “reduce, reuse, recycle,”with emphasis on reduce. —Joyce L., via email Joyce, for people who live in apartments, using apaper bag to collect and carry plastic, paper orglassobjectsmakes recyclingeasier

Even homeownerswill tell me

that using paper bags to gather recyclable itemsiseasier

I’d rather see someone using a paper bag than merely dumping plastic in theregular trash, or worse, dumping it in theocean or on the ground. —Heloise Letthere be light

Dear Heloise: When thelights go out at our house, Iuse solarcharged lights but not theones that are used to light up my walkways. There are companies that sell lights that are perfect to keep on-hand for power outages, camping, and many other uses. They can be charged by sunlight or by plugging them into acellphone charger,and a charge will last for six monthsif thelight is not used.

In addition, you can charge your cellphone from your light There is no heat, flame or carbon monoxide. Somecompanies also donate their products to disaster victims —Leon P.,inParksburg,West Virginia

Painting hints

Dear Heloise: Iamanartist who paintsinacrylics and also paints thewalls of an arts festival boothtwice ayear.Here are somepainting and paint removal tips: n Iwear thin latex-type gloves when painting. If Ineed to take them off, Idust my hands with baby powder before putting them back on.

n Icollect the plastic hair caps they hand out in hotels, store them with my paint supplies, and slip one on my head when painting.

n Before Ipaint, Irub alight layer of baby oil on any exposed skin, such as my legs, face and arms. Cleanup is easy!

n When Idoforget to wear my gloves or to follow the above tips, Ifind witch hazel and drop someonto ababy wipe. It’s great forscrubbing dried paint off my hands and body.When used with anail file, the baby wipe gets dried paint out from

under my fingernails.

n My favorite remover of dried acrylic paint from clothes and surfaces is an ammoniabased window cleaner.Rinse promptly and launder the clothing right away —HedyB., in Laguna Beach, California

Adrain strainer

Dear Heloise: Iread aletter from areader whosaid that she had problemswith things going downthe drain and clogging it. So, she uses, among other things, the back of acardboard cereal box! This cardboard cereal box should be going into the recycling bin, not in her sink and then the trash. Ibought asimple piece (a strainer) that goes in the sink drain, which you could buy at nearly any discount store for about $1.50. It keeps things from

TRAVEL

AirPodstakeawayalearningopportunity

things in lifeshould be difficult.

BY MADISON DARBYSHIRE Bloomberg News (TNS)

Years ago, after graduating from culinary school, Ilived for awhile withrelatives in Switzerland, oftencooking them dinner and asking my aunt, whospoke limited English, how it tasted.Everynight she would pat me on the shoulder and say, “It’sfine.” Ispoke none of themultiple languages she was fluent in, but one time,I could have sworn she described ameal to my uncleas “gross.” Ibecame ajournalist instead.

It was only years later that Ilearned one translation for gross,orgroß,inSwiss German is …great. And fein means something closer to elegant,delicate, even delicious. If I’d had atool to acceleratemyunderstanding, Imight have madedifferent life choices.

Ithought of that night when Iread about the latest Apple Inc. AirPods, whichcan translate foreign languages in real time

Aperson speaks to you in English, French, German, Portuguese or Spanish (with more languages on the way), and Siri repeatsitinyour native tongue.It’s an incredible inflection point forfuturistic personaltech,with the potential to open up theworld in wayshumans have dreamed about for millennia. And yet Ifeel sadfor how much we maylose, especially when travelingabroad.

According to the Bible,the diffuse languages of the world were handed down from Heaven as apunishment forhuman ambition,away to limit mankind’s belief in its own importance over the divine. But cautionary tales have never much bothered Silicon Valley Technology has already all buteliminated the chance of getting lost on ourway to dinner,limiting opportunities to stumble upon things we didn’tevenknow we were looking for.What happens when we stop misunderstanding,misreading andmistranslating? How much serendipity—and comedy —will simply cease?

Some of the best dishes I’ve ever eaten abroad showed up after Iaccidentally nodded yes when Imeant no to awaiter listing specials faster than an auctioneer.It’shappened less and less since Google made it possible to translate aphoto of amenu in real time, but my anecdotes havesuffered. It would have made for amuch better story if in Vietnam I’d actually ordered the goat testicles, thinking Iwas askingfor

TRAVEL TROUBLESHOOTER

By ChristopherElliott

chops.

AndsoIworry,not simply that someone mightend up in asweaty kitchen instead of becoming awriter prone to eating microwaved peas for dinner,but also thatwe will lose what remains of our motivation to learn languages when urgency to understand is suddenly stripped away Americans and Brits arealready broadly deridedfor their overconfidence when travelingabroad —our willingness to traipse around theworld with the assumption that we will be able to speak English andbeunderstood. It’snot instinctive for English-speaking tourists to learn basic pleasantries before going on atrip to Italy or Spain, the way it might be for speakers of other languages. The new AirPods—which can also translate speechintowriting —only exacerbate this complacency.Sure, you might get what you want faster by holding up your phone, but isn’tthere moretogain from theembarrassment of slightly mispronouncing your request for atable for two? At least you will have tried Withoutunderstanding, we observe more closely,weread physical cues. We slow down. We watch what they do so that we can copyit. We makemistakes, embracing an increasingly rare experience in our dayto-day:failure.

To tryis“cringe,” especially in front of others. Buttraveling, being aforeigner, is one of the truly great opportunities to be outside what makes us comfortable and to grow from thechallenge. Acertain amount of friction is an essential part of being aperson in the world, and the muscles we develop todeal with it are vital forself-esteem and resiliency.Asthis friction is removed from ourdaily life, human beings are, rather than finding themselves morerelaxed and connected, feeling lonelier and moreanxious.

So few opportunities for not knowing remain.Wecan judge adate by stalking their LinkedIn profile and sleuthing photos of their middle-school homecoming dance, before ever learning if we likethe way they laugh, how they take their coffee or if they’re polite to waitstaff. We decide what looks good on amenu long before we stroll into aneighborhood trattoria. Preparation can make life more streamlined and less stressful, but is theloss of mystery (and surprise, and often embarrassment) really better?

As we become more reliant on technology and artificial intelligence to provide us withanswers, there are fewer chances to be inexpert.Itisnice, but not good, to be constantly reassured that we are right, smart and have all the answers. Some

I’mnot advocating forignorance: People should commit to learning languages. Gaining another language is not just functionally rewarding, it teaches you to think differently.But there are times in life where things should be new —even completely unintelligible —soyou can look at them in their entirety,and appreciate the scale of everything you don’tyet understand.

Our phones and Google Maps already mean we are now rarely,ifever,lost. If you’re walking around with your eyes trained on amap, you’ll get to where you’re going, but you’ll miss so manyofthe wrong turns and mysteries that makeyou curious about the world that you’re exploring. Without the barrier of language, the experience becomes even morestraightforward, less unknown.

It is so often our missteps —our not knowing —that give lifeits flavor.Even within language groups, dialects can catch us off-guard.

Ionce announced to aroom of Brits that Ineeded to go put on pants (to them, underpants). The verb “to grab” as in “to grab ataco” in Spain meanstodosomething entirely different —and very NSFW —inCentral and South America. Iwonder whether the AirPods know that.

The new technology mademethink about the 2001 novel “Bel Canto” by Ann Patchett. When agroup of foreign dignitaries and businessmen are taken hostage by arebel terrorist organization, the relationships between the characters lay bare how little human communication relies on common language. Her point, on somelevel, is that language can actually get in the way of human understanding. To believe in love at first sight is to believe that love is its own language, and that spoken dialects are somewhat irrelevant.

Speaking with bilingual friends, they often note that they have subtly different personalities in each language —more subtle in one, moreloose or comedic in another.How wellcan you really know your spouse when you know them only in their second language? Would you gain adeeper understanding if you could hear them in their first? Can AirPods ever be anuanced enough tool to bridge that divide? There remain, after all, compelling arguments forkeeping alittle bit of illegibility in life. “Wouldn’titbenice to be able to speak fluently with your mother-in-law?” I asked an American friend whomarried a man from Paris. “That is exactly whyI don’tlearn French,” she said.

Turo unfairly accusesrenterofcausing $1,200 in damage

Irented acar through Turo in Edmonton, Canada, and returned it in the same condition —but the host accused me of causing ascratch.

The car wascovered in mud when I picked it up, making it impossible to inspect for existing damage.At drop-off, it wasdark, snowy and my phone wasdying, so my photos were too dim to prove anything

Turo ignored my evidence and raised the chargeby$400 for“hiddendamage” found after otherrenters usedthe car.Asa student livingonless than $2,000 amonth, this feeisdevastating.Did Ijust become avictim of aTuroscam? —Bartosz Jusypenko, Olszanica, Poland

photos and refusing to address your evidence.

Christopher Elliott

The host admitted the damagecould’ve happened after Ileftthe car in an unsecured parking spot. He refused to meet in person to discuss the allegeddamage. He rented the car outagain immediately,and Turo backed his $1,200 claim despite mechanics saying the scratch wasminor

Turo, which is like Airbnb for cars, should have ensured the host followed its own policy requiring vehicles to be clean at pickup. Adirty car prevented you from documenting preexisting damage, violatingthe company’s terms (Turo’sguidelines state hostsmust“clean the vehicle before each trip”).

Alberta’sConsumer Protection Act also requires businesses to act in good faith,which Turo ignored by rubber-stamping blurry

Butyou made afew mistakes, too. First,you shouldn’thave accepted amuddy car.Ifyou had no choice, you should have spoken with your Turo host about the difficultyofdocumenting any preexisting damage. (For me, knowing what Iknow about damage claims, Iwould have been highly reluctanttoaccept anything other than awritten waiver from the host.)

Youshould have taken better photos at drop-off. Butthe host’s refusal to allow an inspection and Turo’sfailure to mandateone —tilted the process unfairly Alwayskeep adetailed paper trail, as you did, and escalate to

executives if acompany stonewalls you. I’ve published Turo’s contacts on my consumer advocacy site, Elliott.org.

BeforeI get to the resolution of this case, Iwanted to note that I agree with Turo and the host on one issue. If arenter damages acar while they have it —even if it’snot their fault —they are responsible. In other words, if someonescratched your car and you didn’tnotice, it doesn’tmatter.You’re still on the hook. Butthe evidence in this case was as muddy as the side of your Turo car.The photos were inconclusive. Turo didn’tfollow its procedures, and neither did the car’s owner.The company needed to takeanother look at your case.

Icontacted Turo on your behalf The company admitted the host’s photos were “unclear” and voided the claim. “Weremind all hosts and guests of the importance of clear trip photos,” arepresentative told me. Moral of the story? Never let a company pressure you into paying fordamage that was not visible at the time of pickup —and always snap those pre-trip photos, even if it meansborrowing a flashlight.

Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy,anonprofit organization that helps consumers solve their problems. Email him at chris@elliott.org or get help by contacting him on his site.

An Advent approach to disengagingfromsocialmedia

BY KEITHHORCASITAS

Contributing writer

By this time of the morning,after prayers, Iwould havealready checked my Facebook, Instagram and other social media at least afew times on my phone just to stay connected to things, right?

Human Condition

As one of my social work colleagues, Jan, used to wisely note to me:

“Da Nile” (denial) is not ariver in Egypt!”

OK, Iadmit it —whileIcertainly have some good routines and organized tendencies, Imust admit how important it is to really “know thyself,” as Socrates sharedmany moons ago And Jesus certainly brought this fully to being in Mt. 22:39, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” So, yes, Idohave asocial media

CURIOUS

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roots of what is now Peabody Magnet High School, named for George Foster Peabody,a wealthy Massachusetts philanthropist, who gave agrant to help build the school in 1895. Lafargueteamed up with his wife to operate the school.

“His grave is in the Wesley Methodist Church Cemeteryon Hunter Street in Pineville,” Alexandria historian and authorMichael Wynne said. “When Iwas searching forit, Ihad to clear away grass and other growth to find it.”

The reason for Wynne’ssearch for Lafargue’sgravesite wasthe same as Burns’. Both wantedto tell the story of how Lafargue rose from being borntoanenslaved person to become anational education pioneer

“He was even invited to the White House at atime when no Black people would have been asked there,”said Wynne. Wynne did extensive research of Lafargue’slife for the book, “Jean Baptiste Lafargue,The ‘Negro’ Who Re-Invented Black Education For America.”

“He accomplished so much, yet there’snot much said about him,” Wynne said.

As weeds slowly overtake the flat headstones marking the graves of Lafargue and his wife, it’salmost as if he’sbeen lost to time. But Wynne is working notto let that happen.

“The City of Pinevilleisgoing to put up astate historicmarker honoring Lafargue at the cemetery,” Wynne said. “It takesabout sixmonths for the marker to be made, so it should happen in May or June.”

So, what story will the marker commemorate? Well, it begins with the 1863 birth of John Baptiste Lafargue in Marksville.

“His father,Arnaud Denis Lafargue, was awell-knownpolitician and newspaper editorin Avoyelles Parish,” Wynne said “Arnaud was also alieutenant in the Confederate Army.His mother was an enslaved personnamed Mary Jackson, who was born in Virginia, transported to New Orleans and sold to J.B. Lafargue’s grandfather.The family owned land and was very influential.”

Though his mother was enslaved, Lafargue’sfather hadhim baptized at St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church in Mansuraand sent him to an Avoyelles Parish school supported by the Peabody Education Fund, established in 1867 by Peabody to promote education in the post-Civil War Southern United States. Lafargue later would pursue agrant from the same fund to establish the Peabody school in Alexandria. He received his state teaching certificate in 1889, which would set him on apath to change education for Black people in Louisiana.

“He was such an incredible influence not only in central Louisiana, not only in Louisiana but in the South,” Wynne said Lafargue actually started out working in journalism for his father’spaper,the Marksville Bulletin, then started hisown newspaper,the Louisiana Progress, in 1895. The paper was aimed at Black readership, and though arsonists destroyed his building, Lafargue was electedvice president of the Colored National Press in 1896.

Then came his work in education. His accomplishments include the 1907 creation of a Mother’sConference, which would become the first Parent-

addiction SinceIhave facilitated in the past as alicensed clinical social worker for many support groups for others, such as Alcoholics Anonymous, Alzheimer’s, cancer, diabetes, infant loss, Parkinson’s,

The original PeabodyHigh School building in Alexandria. J.B. Lafargue founded the city’spredominantly Black school,which nowisknown as PeabodyMagnet High School

Teacher AssociationinLouisiana.

He alsocreatedand served as first president ofthe Louisiana State ColoredTeachersAssociation in 1902

“In 1907, hefirst broached the idea of having acity library in Alexandria,” Wynne said. “His idea developed into the creation of the Carnegie-endowed library on WashingtonStreet in Alexandria in 1908 Unfortunately,during Lafargue’s time,this library building was basicallyinaccessible tothe Blackcitizenry.”

But Lafargue kept pushing forward.Hestarted asecond newspaper, the AdvancedMessenger, in Alexandria in 1911 and served as its editor.

“Hewas thefirst Blackman in the state to become anewspaper editor,”Wynne said.“And in 1929, he created the Alexandria Advocate newspaper.”

Lafargue also wasmoving in politicalcircles.

In 1896,the Rapides Parish RepublicanParty sent Lafargue to the Republican National Convention. He wasthe onlyBlack man in the nation to serve in aparty leadership position in the nominationofWilliamMcKinley for the presidency Lafargue and McKinley developeda friendshipduring the conventionand remained friends throughout McKinley’spresidency.

“In 1896, McKinley gave him the flagthatliberated Cuba,” Wynne said.“And in 1902, he met Booker T. Washington and convinced himtocome to Alexandriain1903 tospeak before the National Negro Congress convention, whichLafargue organized.”

This is justasmall listing of Lafargue’s activities, which also includedorganizing“Educational Societies” educationofBlack adults, amusic program at Peabody,the state’s first at aBlack school.

Peabody’spopular Marching Stampede marching band is a legacy of that program

Meanwhile,Lafargue maintainedasuccessful marriage to his wife, Sarah, whose father was the first Black representative in theLouisiana Legislature.

“She was aprincipal at aBlack school in Rapides Parish when shemet J.B., andfrom what I’ve found in my research, Ibelieve shewas thefirst Black female principalinthe state,” Wynne said.

Still, there were obstacles

“Hewas ignored by his family,” Wynne said.“When his father died, Lafargue couldnot inherit anypartofthe estate, because his father’srelationship with his motherwas illegal at thetime.”

Lafargue sued. The case went to theLouisiana SupremeCourt, whichruled in his favor,but court expenses bankrupted the estate.

Lafargue died in 1943 at age 80, andwith Burns nationalizing his story,hewon’t be forgotten

Do you have aquestionabout something in Louisiana that’s got you curious?Emailyour question to curiouslouisiana@ theadvocate.com.Include your name, phone number and the city where you live.

stroke, etc., it is time for me to start an SMA (Social Media Anonymous) support group.

With Advent underway and New Year’scoming up soon, it is a good time to makesome practical resolutions, so here’smy12-step plan:

1. Fast from social media, including Facebook, Instagram and other accounts.

2. Spend that surfing time in service to theneedy and the poor —sometimes, right in my own family

3. Write more handwritten letters.

4. Call family and friends, and leave averbal message of love for them, if that is available.

5. Only use my cellphone for calls and texting (not while driving!) when needed —OK, and also for Googling things, maps, etc.

6. Only use my laptop for personal needs twice aday —inthe

morning after prayers and in the evening before prayers.

7. Look forthe “Facebook of Christ” in everyone, as Michael Acaldo, former CEO of St. Vincent de Paul, so greatly promoted with the homeless.

8. “Start where the person is” —the motto formyprofession of social work

9. Follow the example of St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta in reaching outtoall in need.

10. Make adaily examination of conscience to find ways to amend for my mistakes, and to ask forgiveness from God and others and using “the Golden Tool:” the Golden Rule.

11. Weekly,and moreoften and possibly daily when possible, attendchurch services.

12. Keep humor in my daily life to share my humanity in honesty and simplicity,asSt. Francis de Sales noted,“Remember this

well: We are sometimes so busy being good angels that we neglect to be good men and women.” Our imperfections are going to accompany us to the grave. We can’tgoanywhere without having our feet on the ground; yet, if we fall, we don’tjust lie there, sprawled in the dust. On the other hand, we must not think we can fly,for we are like little chicks whodon’thave wings yet. “Wedie little by little, so our imperfections must die with us, a little each day.” —St. Francis de Sales, “Golden Counsels,” page 14. —Horcasitaslives in Baton Rouge. HumanConditionsubmissions of 600 wordsorfewer may be emailedtofeatures@ theadvocate.com. Stories will be kept on file and publication is notguaranteed.There is no payment forHumanCondition

Embracethe noveltyofwedding crashers

Dear Harriette: Igot married recently,and while the day was beautiful overall, afew unexpected guestsshowed up —actual wedding crashers! At first, Ithought maybe they were distant friends of my husband’s, but it became obvious they didn’t know anyone. They ate, drank and even joined us on the dance floor like they belonged there. By thetime we realized what was happening, they had already helped themselves to food, drinks and favors meantfor our guests. I’mstill upset thinking about how they took advantage of such aspecial day Partofmefeels silly for caring since thewedding was otherwise amazing, but another part of me feels disrespected. HowdoIlet go of the frustration and focus on thepositive without feeling like I let something so tacky slide?It’s becomethe story everyone keeps bringing up when they talk about my wedding, and Ihate that it’s overshadowing thegood memories. Should Ijust laugh it off, or is it OK that I’m still bothered by it? Iwant to move on, but Ican’t

help replaying the momentand wondering how people could be so inconsiderate. —Crashers

Dear Crashers: Every wedding has its idiosyncrasies. Yours had wedding crashers. Embrace thenovelty of it. Your wedding was so hot that others wanted to join the fun!

genuinely stressed.

Dear Harriette: My boyfriend recently moved in with me, and ever since then,mycat’sbehavior has completely changed. She’s been acting out: scratching furniture, hiding forhours and even refusing to eat sometimes. She used to be calm and affectionate, but now she seemsanxious and territorial. My partner is trying to be patient, but Ican tell he’sgetting frustrated, especially since the cat hisses at him whenever he walks by or tries to sit near me. It’s creating tension between us, and Ifeel stuck in the middle trying to keep everyone happy.I’ve tried introducing them slowly,giving the cat space and even buying new toys to distract her,but nothing seems to help. My boyfriend thinks I’m overreacting and that the cat will “get over it,” but Iknow she’s

Ifeel guilty because Iwas so excited for us to finally live together and now it feels like we’re both walking on eggshells around my pet. Ilove them both, but I’m starting to wonderifthis living situation is sustainable. How can Ihelp my cat adjust to this big change without it putting more strain on my relationship? —Standoff

DearStandoff: Experts say it sometimes takes time for cats and lovers to become friends. My research suggests that you must rebuild arelationship with each of them so that jealousy reduces to a minimum and both of them know how muchyou love them. Catster com advises having separate oneon-one timewith your cat and your boyfriend, closing the door when you want alone timewith your guy and setting aside timefor the two of them to bond without you around. If your cat is motivated by food, you might have your boyfriend start feeding her so she has that positive association. Youcan also try calling in apet trainer for more personalized help. Sendquestions to askharriette@ harriettecole.com.

For this 25thanniversaryperformance, Lafayette BalletTheatre has incorporated

from choreographytostaging,from LBT’s first production in 2001.

BALLET

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last manydecades to come.” Lafayette Ballet Theatrewas founded by theHeathfamily in 1982 with thegoalofoffering excellent dance education and performance opportunities in the Acadiana area. Hundreds of LBT dancers have trained for and performed in “The Nutcracker”over theyears, and manyhave gone on to dancewithprestigious national companies like the BostonBallet, Pacific Northwest Ballet and Ballet Austin. The leading stars in this year’sproduction of “The Nutcracker”have come to Lafayette from Pacific Northwest Ballet, which is in Seattle.

“That companyisright up there with American Ballet Theatre and New York City Ballet,” said Heath. “Tohavetwo of theirprincipals

AT RANDOM

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joinusissuch agift to our community.Itmotivates thetraining and gets young dancers involved and thenthey fall in love with ballet.”

She said, “In ‘The Nutcracker,’ theangelsare our youngest, at 8 years old.Theyget to work with the Sugar Plum Fairy,the highest principaldancerofPacificNorthwest Ballet. It provides that education andthatcommunication that artists love, working side by side. Ithink it helps inspire young people and build the arts in our community.”

In addition to providing opportunitiesfor dancers, “The Nutcracker”performance also pulls in dozens of local musicians and visualartists. This year,25Lafayette artists painted their own unique nutcrackers that will be available as part of an online auctioninDecember,leading up to the performances. ShannonHeath encourages people who have made “The Nutcracker” part of their tradition

in the past to be sure to come this year.For this 25th anniversary performance, Lafayette Ballet Theatre has incorporated notablefeatures, fromchoreography to staging, fromLBT’sfirst productionin2001, whichHeath said will be nostalgic for audience members.

“Wetriedtogoback as deep in ourrootsaswecan,and it’s truly very special.Iknowpeople who have nevermisseda year,and I cannotwaitfor them to see this performance. Hopefully, people will notice several of their favoritememories in thisyear’sproduction.”

Tickets areavailable on the Heymann Center website for “The Nutcracker” performances, taking place in Lafayette at the Heymann Performing Arts Center on Dec. 13-14.

Email Joanna Brownatjoanna. brown@theadvocate.com.

READS WE LOVED IN 2025

We opened up the floor in the newsroom to see which new books our reporters loved most this year

Below are five suggestions, three of which were published this year and two that were published in 2024.

“Alchemised,” by SenLinYu, and “The Irresistible Urge To Fall For Your Enemy,” by Brigitte Knightley

These two books made their way onto my shelf via the same popular new sub-genre of romance novel “Dramione” fan fiction. The books were written by authors who penned and uploaded fan-fics about love blossoming between Harry Potter characters/rivals Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger

They are two of three Dramione tales that proved so popular online that their authors got deals to rework and publish their stories this year

The books fall squarely in the enemies-to-lovers category. Be forewarned, “Alchemised” is the darker of the pair, delving into themes of war and trauma, while “The Irresistible Urge” is lighter with fun banter and a slow-burn yearn. — Michelle Hunter, New Orleans crime reporter

“Dinner for Vampires,” by Bethany Joy Lenz

I was addicted to the teen drama television series “One Tree Hill” as a teen and thought this memoir would be an interesting look behind the curtain. But “Dinner for Vampires” surprised me, reading more like a suspense novel that I could not put down Bethany Joy Lenz writes a fascinating tale about how a young actress looking for connection wound up in a cult while also filming one of the most famous shows on television. She’s honest about her scars while also sharing hardwon wisdom and hope. — Andrea Gallo, senior investigations editor

“Harriet Tubman: Live in Concert,” by Bob The Drag Queen

The only new-release book

I read this year was “Harriet Tubman: Live in Concert” which is an excellent palate cleanser between heavier reads.

It’s a hilarious trip through history through the eyes of Bob the Drag Queen, served with a lot of attitude and even some original songs. I love that it makes historical figures so accessible, and it has a great message about getting past the fear of putting yourself out there! Lauren Walck, New Orleans features editor

“The Heartbeat Library,” by Laura Imai Messina

This book is quite literally a meditation. It is a portrait of emotions, of how we grieve and how we grow, and how

one cannot do one without the other.

The story is of a man coming to terms with losing a child

Author James Nolan ‘a bit odd,’ ‘mesmerized by darkness and joy’

Writer thoroughly ‘represented New Orleans’

BY RIEN FERTEL Contributing writer

“I’m good at running away,” the New Orleans writer and teacher James Nolan once wrote me in an email. Always moving, always writing, that was Nolan, who died earlier this year, on Aug. 22, at the age of 78. For those who only knew his work on the page, he was not only a prolific multihyphenate of an author a published poet, novelist, essayist, memoirist and translator — but thoroughly represented New Orleans: a bit odd, equally mesmerized by darkness and joy unafraid to let life get in the way of work.

Though his back-flap biography would later describe him as a “fifthgeneration New Orleans native,” as a bisexual and bookish young man, he couldn’t wait to escape.

“The city struck me as brutally backward,” he wrote in his first book of memoirs, “nowhere I wanted to call home.”

He longed to be a poet a crime for which his conservative parents committed him to a mental hospital. Set free, he set out west in 1966, joining the generation bound for San Francisco, where he communed with that city’s famed class of social deviants.

“I’ve never been so happy in my life,” he wrote. After college and graduate school, meandering around Central and South America, destined for the poetry hot spot that was Chile, he learned of the death of the Chilean Nobel laureate Pablo Neruda. Years later, he would translate a book he purchased en route to meet the master “Stones of the Sky.”

That book’s six final lines would have inspired any aspiring artist: “In this point or port or birth or death / we shall be stone, borderless night, / unbending love, unending brilliance, / eternal light, buried fire, / pride condemned to its intensity: / the only star that is ours.”

Nolan’s early travels inform the first two books of his own verse.

“Why I Live in the Forest,” published in 1974, shows a restless but shackled Nolan, not yet able to escape his birthplace.

“Walking again down Canal Street / in this seething Scorpio city,” he writes. “You never really leave New Orleans / you only dream you do.”

His 1980 follow-up, “What Moves Is Not the Wind,” broadcasts lyrical dispatches from a poet on the run and thoroughly enjoying himself — eating ceviche on an Ecuadorian beach, bargaining for avocados in a Guatemalan market sipping mango juice and anise gin in Popayán, tramping through the jungles of Tierradentro and Tikal.

“He washed through a life / that seemed a lot like / the lives all around him,” he writes.

Center for Creative Arts student His friends show up to hang out and smoke joints while taking in this performance from the beyond. WWOZ shows up to transmit a “Live from the Crypt” program to kick off Jazz Fest. It turns out his grieving girlfriend snuck a portable radio into the casket. The assembled face a second silencing when the radio’s batteries run out.

“For weeks to come,” Nolan writes, “many still didn’t speak, afraid they would somehow find their own voices abruptly, irrevocably, gone.”

“He churned with the currents / and was thrashed by the rhythms / growing louder and louder / until it was all he could hear.”

Nolan bargained that his nomadic lifestyle was not conducive to the life of a poet and turned to academia. He earned a doctorate in comparative literature from the University of California, taught English and creative writing coast to coast, scored a pair of Fulbright scholarships to lecture in Spain and navigated the perils of teaching Orwell’s “Nineteen Eighty-Four” in Beijing (his administrators banned the book, but his students had already clandestinely read it).

After returning to New Orleans in 2002 to care for his ailing mother, Nolan taught at Tulane, Loyola and independently, nurturing many writers, including Maurice Carlos Ruffin.

Post-Katrina, perhaps horrified by the city’s fortunes and reinvigorated by its possibilities, he wrote at a rapid pace — beginning with his debut short story collection, “Perpetual Care,” released in 2008, the body of work that the storm engendered found hope and more often humor in the darkest of places.

In one story, a middle-aged New Orleanian faces funerals at home and away His mother’s dying wish is that her family not eat the post-wake meal at Mandina’s.

“There was too much butter in the meunière sauce, she insisted, and the string beans were canned.” Concurrently, he agrees to scatter the cremains of a San Francisco friend into the Pacific headwinds, only to receive a mouthful of ashes.

In another, music emanates from the tomb of a recently deceased, trumpet-playing New Orleans

A first novel, “Higher Ground,” followed A madcap murder mystery “A Confederacy of Dunces” meets Dashiell Hammett — the novel is set in the “open-air mental hospital” that was New Orleans in the months immediately after Katrina.

On a roll, Nolan would publish “Flight Risk: Memoirs of a New Orleans Bad Boy” in 2017. The story of his family, travels and many sexcapades including one toogood-to-not-be-true dream sequence involving Mick Jagger — is devilishly chatty

The following year, he collected his New Orleans-set poems in “Nasty Water,” titled after his most famous poem, a sordid slice of verse that earned a “rapturous response” at readings. It’s easy to see why.

“New Orleans is a shimmering / mirage floating on nasty water,” he chants, “irrigated by nasty water, / nasty water seeping out / of every pore.”

It’s the “drain ditch gumbo” accumulating in the neutral ground of St Claude Avenue that gives New Orleans life, the Easter lilies rotting in cemetery urns, the “black tadpole broth” of the City Park lagoons, “where swans preen / in mean perfection / and stale bread crusts / bob, bloat, and sink / among mosquito hawks.”

The last book Nolan published before his death is his best. “Between Dying and Not Dying, I Chose the Guitar,” which I reviewed in these pages last November, is a charming and cantankerous memoir of our recent plague years.

In the COVID summer of 2020, Nolan was evicted from his apartment, setting up a metaphysical spiral into “the guitar of my imagination,” a phrase inspired by Neruda. He writes of the loss of loved ones, pandemics past and the thin line that separates the dead from the living.

In reading over the past several months everything he published, what stuck with me most was a poem featuring Nolan at his most bawdy and beatific, a selfelegy of sorts, titled “In Lieu of Flowers.”

“After I die / no more erections, / no more wild parties / for anyone, okay?” he teases. “No more smoking, drinking, staying / up late. The good old days / officially will be over / Do your taxes on New Year’s Eve. / Darn your socks on Mardi Gras. / You’ll finally have a great excuse / to mope, so go ahead, be morose. / Order bottled water Become a vegan. / You could never keep up / with my leaps of joy.”

Rien Fertel is the author of four books, including, most recently, “Brown Pelican.”

Achange in leadership at RoyOMartin, Louisiana’s largest private timbercompany 4E

HAZARD WARNING

BY RICH COLLINS Staff writer

When self-driving taxi company Way-

mo announced plans last monthtolaunch its service in New Orleans in 2026, the news drew cheers from economic development executives, technophiles and local tourism boosters, who said the city’srole as an early adopter of the evolving technology gives travelersanother reason to visit.

Some New Orleanians wonder if Waymo cansafely operate in atown with notoriously bad streets, endless construction and arowdy partyculture.

Rideshareand taxidrivers worrythat the autonomousvehicle startup’sentry into the market will threaten their livelihoods. And policymakers,playing catchup to aquickly evolving industry, may need to establish new regulations.

Expertssay additional benefits of Waymo’srollout in New Orleanscould include lower carbon emissions, feweraccidents and reduced insurancecosts.

But the high-profile company’splanned arrival also brings concerns.

Experts whohavestudied Waymo’sdebut in other towns saythe questionsand concerns are understandable. New industries and technologies bring change that can be disruptive.And, for some, theidea of self-driving cars is downright terrifying.

But Harry Campbell, aformer rideshare driver who reportsonthe industry

fromhis Los Angeles home base, said the experience of cities with Waymohas been generally positive and that thecompany is winning over skeptics.

“I’veheardconcerns in every city whereWaymo is trying to launch,” said Campbell. “L.A. thinks it has the worst drivers, or Boston and New York have so much rain and snowand angry drivers. Thereare legitimatequestions about how Waymo handlesthe idiosyncrasiesof each city,but it’s doing better than you’d expect and getting better.”

As thecompanyprepares to resume testingonlocal streets, here are answers to some of thequestions on people’s minds.

HowdoesaWaymo vehiclework?

Driverless driving seems like science fiction, but it’s becomeareality as aresult of decades of progress in robotics,

computervision, machine learning and other areas of artificial intelligence, according to Tulane computer science professor Aron Culotta, who studies the industry In aWaymo taxi,cameras seelane markings, traffic lights, signs and other vehicles. Radarsenses the distance and speed of surrounding objects. Lasers create 3D maps. Andultrasonic sensors, which emit high-frequency sound waves, help judge close-range distances for parking andother maneuvers.

Machine learning —a type of AI that can detect patterns, make predictions and improve its performance —allows computers to understand what the sensor information meansand to take actions, like braking, accelerating or turning.

ä See WAYMO, page 2E

Recent hotel‘fire sales’ illustrate industry pressures

Wave of marquee properties hitting market at steep discounts

BY ANTHONY McAULEY Staff writer

New Orleans’ hotel market is in the middle of an unusually turbulent chapter,asacluster of marquee properties have quietly —or in some cases very publicly been put up for sale at steep discounts to their replacement cost or even to valuations from just a few years ago. Brokers, operators and industry analysts saythe downturn reflects amix of national pressures and local complications, creating one of the most buyer-

friendlyenvironments the cityhas seen in more than adecade. Nothing captures the moment more vividly than the looming sale of Virgin Hotels New Orleans Built four yearsago in the WarehouseDistrictfor roughly $80 million, the stylish 238-room property is now expectedtosell early next year for about half that amount. The hotel’sfinancial unraveling has effectively wiped out investors in the fund that financed the project —an“opportunity zone” REIT managed by SkyBridge Capital, the group run by hedge fund manager Anthony Scaramucci, who rose to fame during his brief stint as White House communications director in President Donald Trump’sfirst term. In November, Bloomberg and other outlets reportedthat SkyBridge informed investors in a

September letter that the REIT formally the SkyBridge-EJF Opportunity ZoneREIT,whose sole asset is Virgin HotelsNew Orleans —now expects theirequitytobe reduced tozeroonce the sale closes. Despite receiving an appraisal valuing the hotel at $94 million last December,the fund had little practical choice but to sell: rising expenses, especially unexpectedly high insurance premiumsand city property taxes, had climbed to levels thatmade injecting additional capital financially unjustifiable, theletter said. The troubles at Virgin Hotels highlight the uneasy path of the federal Qualified Opportunity Zones program,created under the 2017 TaxCutsand Jobs Act during Trump’sfirst term.

2025 BUILD

LOUISIANA AWARDS

WINNERS

n Building (Over $10 million)

WINNER: Ryan Gootee Harrah’s

MERIT: JB Mouton —Our Ladyof Lourdes Stadium

n Building (Under $10 million)

WINNER: Ryan Gootee —Board of Trade

MERIT: RNGD—Regional HQ

Campus n Highway (Over$25 million)

WINNER: Gilchrist —LoyolaDrive /Interstate 10 Interchange

MERIT: Boh —Interstate 10 & Interstate 12 CollegeDriveFlyover

Ramp n Highway (Under $25 million)

WINNER: RNGD —Globalplex Access Bridge

MERIT: Hand Construction —ShreveportGate Capacity Expansion

n Utility Infrastructure(Over $20 million)

WINNER: RNGD —St.Anthony Group A n Utility Infrastructure(Under $20 million)

WINNER: Boh Brothers —French Quarter ROWImprovements

MERIT: WhartonSmith —New Cheniere Water StorageTank & Duplex Pump Station

n Federal /Heavy /Coastal (Over $10million)

WINNER: Cycle Construction— 17th St. Canal

MERIT: Primoris —Comite River Bridges n Federal /Heavy /Coastal (Under $10 million)

WINNER: Massman —Algiers Lock Dolphin Replacement

Inaugural BuildLa. Awards honor contractors

BY JONAH MEADOWS Staff writer

The contractors behind some of Louisiana’smost high-profile recent construction projectsrecently presented the inaugural Build Louisiana Awards Winners included thefirms thatworked on casinoand sports stadium renovations, interstate improvements and canal restoration. Presented by Louisiana Associated GeneralContractors, the awards were modeled on the BuildAmerica Awards given outbythe Associated General ContractorsofAmerica, with categories for each of thefour occupational divisions the organizationsrepresent —building, highway and transportation, utility infrastructure and federal, heavy and coastal.

Reldon Owens, CEO ofthe LouisianaAGC, said the timeline for nominations for thenew awards was arranged to encourage more applications to thenational awards.

In anormal year,only acouple of Louisiana firms submit projects to be Build America awards, but this year —with the application process for the statewide awards mirroring the national one —there were eight to 10.

“It’safast-paced industry,” Owens said. “I think sometimes we’resobusy building the future and building tomorrowsthat we forget to stopand celebrate our wins and our victories.”

Owens said his organization’s first-ever gala, held at Renaissance in Baton Rouge, exceeded expectations, with about50% more attendees thananticipated

The competition for Build Louisiana Awards drew 36 entries

—twice as many as Owens anticipated —who were judged by an outside panel of 42 engineers, architects, facultyand neighboring industry professionals. Projects were divided into small and large-scale categories in each division based on contract value, ensuring afair comparison between multimilliondollar infrastructure jobs and smaller-scale improvements

Email Jonah Meadows at Jonah.Meadows@theadvocate. com.

WAYMO

Continued from page1E

“It’sagiant pipeline of data and analysisthat helps the computer systems behave intelligently,detecting andreacting to pedestrians, street signs and potholes,” Culotta said

Aretheysafe?

Waymo,now active in ahalf dozen cities, boasts about itssafety record since its 2020 debut in Phoenix, Arizona

Last month,the company released data showingthat itsfleet had traveled 96 millionmilesasof June, and its vehicles are “91% less likely” to be involved in crashes resultinginserious injury compared to humandrivers.

Thefirst fatal accident involving aWaymo car happened in JanuaryinSan Francisco, but local law enforcementchargedthe human driverofanother car with multiple crimes related to the incident

Thevehicles do make mistakes, though. When aWaymocar struck and killed acat last month in San Francisco, angry neighborhood residents called for new regulations. Therewas also an incident in 2023,whentwo separate Waymos crashed into abackward-facing truckthatwas being towed

“Whenthe systemfails, it fails in weird waysthatmakes people lose confidence, which is why theyroll out slowly,” Culotta said.

CantheyhandleN.O.conditions?

Oneway to geta previewofhow Waymo’sautonomous taxis could perform is to take aride in aTesla sedan, which hassimilar capabilities.

When alocal Tesla owner gave a reporter atest drive through the Central Business District earlier this week, the results were mostly impressive.The car followeda prescribed route, making careful turns andlane changes while stopping at stop signs for abeat longerthan any human would. It also drove through several potholes without

HOTEL

Continued from page1E

Theprogram was designed to incentivizelong-term investment andjob creation ineconomically distressed areas,but in practice much of thecapitalflowed intohighend real estate projects in central business districts —ventures once viewed as “safe,” including Virgin Hotels, the Four Seasons Hotel New Orleans, andother property development projects across the city SkyBridgeand fellow investor BucciniPollinGroupdid not respond to requestsfor comment Virgin declined to comment, other than providinga general statement of support for financial backers.

TheVirgin Hotels New Orleans situation reflects anational trend.

Jan Freitag, national analyst for CoStar,which tracksthe hotel industry, noted that TheHilton SanFrancisco Union Square and Parc 55 San Francisco hotel complex sold last month for $408 million, a75% discount to its last appraisal in2016.

“People havebeentalking about alooming distressed hotel market since 2020,” Freitagsaid. “But bankers had been doing this ‘extend and pretend’ thing, allowing investors to usetheir capitalfunds to payinterest and stay current. Those days are over.”

Virgin Hotels isn’talone in setting anew baseline for diminished hotel valuations in New Orleans. Highprofile properties have been changing hands atnumbers that would have seemed unthinkably lowjust before the pandemic.

In June, Sunstone HotelInvestors sold the 252-room Hilton St. Charles for $47 million—well below the$59

Issued Nov. 25-Dec. 2.

Commercial alterations

INDUSTRIAL: 2600 N. University Ave., description, new warehouse project for StarService Inc.; applicant, Prime Design; contractor, SouthernConstructors; $700,000. TECH: 5725 Johnston St., description, antenna modifications forAT&T;applicant and contractor, MASTEC Network Solutions; $25,000.

Newcommercial

HOTEL: 301 E. Vermilion St., description, construction of 56,130-squarefoot,four-story hotel; applicant,Pecot &Co. Architects; contractor, Southern Cross Construction; $15 million.

INDUSTRIAL: 204 Southpark Road, description, compressed air station for InternationalPaper;applicant and contractor, Air Exchange; $350,000.

Commercial demolition OFFICE: 108 W. Congress St., description, commercial demolition; applicant

slowingdown,and when it slowly pulledfrom aparking lot into traffic on Orleans Avenue, it provoked an angry outburst from the driver of atruckthat was speeding by TheWaymo fleet, which costsup to $200,000 pervehicle, won’tlast verylongifcars drive headlong into every crater in town. So it’s fair to wonder if therobotaxis will eventuallydowhathumandrivers do: either drive through them very slowly or trytoavoid them

Tulane’sCulotta said it’stough to predictexactly howthe cars will behave,but he believestheywill be able tosuccessfully navigate pockmarked roadsovertimeif theygather enough data.

“That’swhy theinitial rollout will be cautious,” he said. “They’ll stick to certain neighborhoods, driving around collecting data at the millimeter level.”

Wetweather will createadditional challenges becausepotholes filled withwater could confuse the vehicles’ sensors.

“When light is bouncing off apuddle, it’shard to tell if it’sapotholeor not,” Culotta said.

Will Waymosteal jobs?

Adecadeago,the rise of ride-hailing platforms completely disrupted the generations-old taxiindustry

millionitpaid for the asset in 2014.

Three months earlier,longtime owner WH Holdingsfinalized the saleofthe Ritz-Carlton and itsadjacent MarriottCourtyard, totaling 758 rooms, for an estimated $195 million. There is no recently published appraisal for the RitzCarlton, but thetransformationof the former Maison Blanche departmentstoreintothe luxury hotel cost $250 millionin2000, suggesting significantlost value when adjusted for inflation and escalating construction costs.

“The New Orleans hotel market has notfullyrecoveredpost-COVID, andbecause of where interest rates are today,hotel valuations are dramatically lower,” said Randy Waesche,who manages the hotel trusts of the late developer Joe Jaeger.Waesche has been trying to sell Jaeger’s“JCollection” of hotels —a total of 16 properties,mostly in or near the French Quarter —over thepast18months. Earlierthis fall, he transferred managementof all those hotels to Waterford Hotel Group in hopes of improving performance while waiting for amore favorable market.

Marqueehotels

The list of New Orleans properties recently offered for sale includes someofthe city’s marquee properties in historic buildings.LePavillon, a226-room landmark perched at theedge of theFrench Quarter on Poydras Street,has been under contract to selltolocal investor Bobby Guidry and Florida-based David Bansmer in adeal valued near $43 million.Thatwouldrepresenta dropofroughly one-third from the price thatseller AshfordHospitality Trust paid ten yearsago. Ashford declined to comment.

Now,ridesharing, aroughly $30 billionindustry in theU.S., is facing threats from autonomous vehicles, and local rideshare drivers and cabbies are scared.

“Self-driving cars are athreat to our existence,” said Mark Grzywacz,afull-time driver in New Orleans. “AI will definitely be replacing human jobs.”

Bolstering those fearsare studies showing that theaverage rideshare driver’s payislowerincitieswith autonomous vehiclesinoperation becauseofincreased competition.

It’shard to say for sure how many local jobscould be obliterated by Waymo because Uber andLyft drivers are not represented by an industry that tracks job numbers.

Butthere areabout 200 drivers working for UnitedCab, one of the city’sremaining major taxi companies.

Rideshareand taxi advocates also say there are times when ahuman driver is essential, such as whenan older or disabled passenger needs help getting to the airport with luggage, or loading and unloading groceries.And they arguethatin New Orleans, human drivers are uniquely prepared to manage unpredictable situations, like preventing adrunk passengerfromgetting sickinthe backseat or figuring out

The Loews New Orleans Hotel, the Troubadour,the Mercantile Hotel, andthe Q&C Hotel and Bar have also been shoppedinrecentmonths. Most owners have ultimately backedoff, preferring to hold their assetsand ride out what they hope is atemporary trough in valuations.

Yetnot everyone sees doom in the downturn. For Len Wormser, vice president at Hospitality Real Estate Counselors andone of the city’smost active hotel brokers, the current moment represents arare confluence of low pricing and favorable long-term fundamentals.

“This is the best timetobuy hotelsinNew Orleans in the last 10 years,” saidWormser,who brokeredthe $73 million sale of the dual-brandedMarriott Courtyard andSpringHill Suites in theWarehouse District last year to Guidry and Bansmer

Positive trends

Beyond bargain prices, Wormser pointedtoseveral encouraging indicators.Chief among them is the Pace Report, which tracks future room bookings at the Ernest N. Morial ConventionCenter.After several softyears following the pandemic, thereport shows convention bookings returning to their 2017–2019 average over the next twoyearsand then climbing sharply through 2030.

If thatforecastholds,itwould mean along-awaited rebound in group travel —the lifeblood of the city’s hospitality sector and foroccupancylevelsofits 26,000 downtown hotel rooms.

At the sametime,New Orleans is adding very fewnew hotel roomsin the nearterm.Developers are facinghighconstructioncosts,complex zoningrequirements anda financ-

and contractor, MSD Properties; $2,500. Newresidential 104 MARBLEHEAD AVE., UNIT 206: Level Construction &Development, $230,375. 702 E. BAYOUPARKWAY: Momentum DesignBuild, $448,750. 306 GUN RUNNER DRIVE, CARENCRO: ManuelBuilders, $315,250. 218 CAMERONS COVE, CARENCRO: ManuelBuilders, $231,875. 305 GUN RUNNER DRIVE, CARENCRO: ManuelBuilders, $243,750. 3327 MILLS ST CARENCRO: Magnolia Construction &Roofing, $300,000. 216 CAMERONS COVE, CARENCRO: ManuelBuilders, $227,250. 115 WATERWAYDRIVE, YOUNGSVILLE: BECC Enterprises, $678,000. 205 SEQUOIA TRAILS TERRACE, YOUNGSVILLE: Southern Bend Homes, $380,000. 105 FOUNTAIN MEADOWDRIVE, BROUSSARD: AM Design, $220,000. 107 FOUNTAIN MEADOWDRIVE, BROUSSARD: AM Design, $220,000.

workarounds to parades.

“What’sadriverless taxi going to do when there’sa second-line?” said KirtanParmar,United Cab manager.“It can’tcall the passengers and tell them to meet on the other side.”

Another plus for human-powered rideshares is that they’re about 30% cheaper,according to Obi, a global platform that helps customersshoparoundfor thebestrates for aride.

But robotaxis offer acouple of advantages over human drivers. In afully autonomous vehicle, there’s no human driver to behave abusively,commit acrime or be the victim of one. And AI cars don’tget tired. “They aren’tlooking at their phone,” said Campbell. “And, unlike ahuman, there’snochance they didn’tsleep well the night before.”

Whowillregulatethe company?

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has yet to establish aregulatory framework for autonomous vehicles, so Waymo and itscompetitors operate under different rules in different cities and states.

Some states require permits, safety certificationsand data reporting while others have minimal regulations. There are different insurance requirements as well. California is among the stricter states, while Texashas created more industry-friendly rules. Louisiana already has laws on thebooks dating back to 2016 related to commercial operation of autonomous vehicles. The state’sinnovation chief Josh Fleig said the state’sapproach is “on par” with Texas. New OrleansMayor-elect Helena Moreno’soffice did not respond to a request for comment about autonomousvehicle regulation. But as rules get written, officials will have to consider some of the challenges particular to life in south Louisiana. The cars can’t go offline during a hurricane, for instance.

Said Campbell: “When people need to get out of the city,theycan’t have 200 Waymosbricked in themiddleofa thoroughfare.”

ing drought drivenbyinterest rates that remain elevated. Meanwhile, City Hall’scrackdown on illegal short-term rentals is reducing the numberofalternative lodging optionsinseveral key neighborhoods, gradually funneling more demand back toward licensed hotels. Waesche, despitenavigatingthe difficult processofattempting to sell legacy assets at depressed prices, agrees that the market now strongly favors buyers with available capital andpatience.

“I think if you talk to the New Orleans banking community,you’ll find that none of them have an appetite forhotels,” he said. “But people withcapital —they can come in and buy attractively,absolutely.” Freitag of CoStar agrees that hotel deal-makingcontinues apace forbig institutional backers with capital, pointingtothe saleinSeptember of EAST Miamihotel and residences forareported $300 million (with fixturesand furniture), compared to itsbuild costfouryearsago of about $174 million.

Fornow,the city’s marquee hotel owners are hunkering down, trimming costs,renegotiating debt where possible, andhopingfor either lowerinterest rates or ameaningful jumpindemand. But fora small group of investors, the moment representsa chance to acquire once-premium assets at discounts not seen since the aftermath of the Great Recession And for NewOrleans —acity whose economyisinseparable from its hotel rooms —the next two years may determine whether today’sbargain prices were atemporaryvalley or thenew normal

Email AnthonyMcAuley tmcauley@theadvocate.com.

ACADIANA BUSINESS BRIEFS

Broaddus Burger to closeCongresslocation

Broaddus Burger will close its Congress Street location laterthis month,the restaurant announced Wednesday Thelocation at 4519 W. CongressSt., which opened over two years ago, will close Dec. 21 as the restaurant makes amovetofocusonits next phaseofgrowth, theannouncement indicated. The restaurant’soriginal location is at 610 E. Kaliste Saloom Road. “It’stime forustoregroup before Broaddus Burgers goes through itsnextphase of growth,” the post read. “We’ll be bringing back table-side service, new specials and being afull-service family restaurant.”

Broaddus will also expand itshours on Mondaysand Tuesday,move itsSaturday brunch buffet to its current location and Sunday plate lunches will be available this weekend. Owner Shawn Broaddus opened theCongressStreet location in 2023asa“one-stop burger shop,” he said at the time. The location had earlier housed Las Palmitas restaurant and Southside Bakery The company has been in business since2014.

TALKING BUSINESS

ASK THE EXPERTS

Professor: Your calendar reveals your true priorities

BY JONAH MEADOWS Staff writer

Michelle Johnston, a longtime management professor at Loyola was preparing to publish her first book on new leadership models when the COVID pandemic inspired a rewrite that focused on building human connections in a hybrid workplace.

After identifying the rise of artificial intelligence as the next major challenge coming to the office, Johnston recently published her second book, “The Seismic Shift in You,” with co-author Marshall Goldsmith.

With advances in technology and remote work coinciding with rising rates of loneliness — linked to health risks comparable to smoking 15 cigarettes a day Johnston calls for leaders to focus less on control and more on maintaining connections

Besides studying leadership and management through an academic lens, Johnston knows about it first-hand from real-world experience As an executive coach and podcast host, she has worked with clients including Ochsner Health System, Entergy, the New Orleans Saints and Georges Enterprises, the parent company of The TimesPicayune and The Advocate.

In this week’s Talking Business, Johnston discusses her new book and how she teaches her clients to keep the teams in their workplace connected.

This interview has been edited for brevity

What is your advice for how to connect in a hybrid or remote work environment?

What we’re seeing is, even in a hybrid environment, we need face-to-face time to build the connection, to build the trust that fuels the innovation, that fuels the productivity and the financial performance.

I advocate for at least quarterly off-sites. It’s really hard in these

virtual meetings to go deep with connections. If you’re running big monthly meetings, try to get people in breakout rooms and say, “OK, I’m going to give you all a question.” Share each other’s stories: Where are you from? What’s your birth order? We’ve got to know each other’s stories first, because when you know somebody’s story, then it’s very hard to judge and assume the worst.

You can also begin with connection questions. Some people think it’s hokey, I believe that it is necessary Share the agenda, pass it around from person to person each week. We have to run meetings differently They’ve got to be more of a conversation, rather than talking at people.

How do accountability and connectionbased leadership relate to each other?

I think they go hand-in-hand, because in order to hold each other accountable, you have to have open communication, you have to have dialogue, you have to have trust. You have to be able to lean in and have difficult conversations. You have to be comfortable with conflict.

Connection requires courage.

It takes a lot of courage to lean in and have those delicate conversations, and when conflict arises, figure out how to resolve it, how to hold each other accountable.

Think about this: if you want to go super fast with your team, just barking at them and giving them orders and telling them to figure it out is not going to work. You have to spend a lot of time building that connection, getting to know each other as humans on a personal level.

And I am not advocating being a therapist. I don’t want people to show up and talk about all their problems. If you want to build a team that is high-performing, spend time developing them together, so that we all get to know each other, who we are as humans,

Q&A WITH MICHELLE JOHNSTON

able, because if the most important people in your life, personally and professionally, are not on your calendar, then business has taken over And then you wake up, and years have gone by You’re like, “Why haven’t I seen my family?” “Why haven’t I seen my best friends?” “Wait, I haven’t nurtured these relationships because it’s not on my calendar.”

Have you — either from students or from business leaders who you’re coaching — experienced a pushback to this philosophy?

Some leaders, in the very beginning, when I’ve worked with them, they’ll say, “Michelle, I lead finance. I’ve got all these agenda items, you’re telling me you want me to spend 15 minutes at the beginning of my meeting going around and asking my people on a scale of 1 to 10 how they’re doing?” I said, “Yes, try it out. Try it out for six months. I understand, and I appreciate your being honest that you think that you have too much to accomplish to actually ask your people how they’re doing on a scale of 1 to 10, but try it out.”

Every single one of them who’s tried it has come back to me and said, “You are absolutely correct. It works.” Because once you build that relationship, the team members know more about each other. We’re all human. We’re not just cogs in a wheel.

what our preferences are, how we work best, how we communicate best, what our background is. If you do all that up front, then you build that trust, then you go fast How does the lack of a shared reality, of being able to trust what you read or what you see, change the value proposition of one-on-one, individualized connections?

Social media makes you feel like you’re connected, and all of a sudden, you look up and it’s been 45 minutes and you’ve been scrolling and you’re like, “Oh, but I’m connecting.” But then the research is showing that it actually creates emptiness and anxiety

Automation, AI, is going to help us immensely — it really will, if we use it the right way it can do so much for us, and it also means we’re going to be more dependent on technology, on our computers, on our phones. I believe that productivity without connection equals emptiness. Make sure that we’re focusing on face-to-face when we can, meaningful connection, and then we’ll be happier, healthier, and everything else will fall in place. Show me your calendar, and I will show you your priorities. It might make you really uncomfort-

They’ve all come back to me and said, “Now we have a cohesive team who trust one another, who now collaborates well. They’re so much more productive. I can now retain my people. They’re more engaged.” Those are all the indicators of success. I tell my leaders: If you want to go fast and drive financial performance — who doesn’t, right? — then you have to start with the building blocks of connection.

Email Jonah Meadows at jonah. meadows@theadvocate.com.

AROUND THE REGION

Leadership changesatRoyOMartin

BY STEPHANIE RIEGEL Staff writer

Over the past century,Alexandria-based RoyOMartin has grown from asinglesawmill foundedin 1923 by thecompany’s eponymous founder to the largestprivateforestryand timberproductsbusiness in Louisianawith more than500,000 acres of land,three processing plants in two states, 1,400 employees and clients around the globe

Now,after six years at the helm of the company founded byhis grandfather,third-generationCEO Roy O. Martin III, 65, is passing the torch to Presidentand Chief Operating Officer E. Scott Poole, the first chief executivetoleadthe company who is not amember of the Martin family

While the succession is notable, it isn’tlikely to bring about any significant changes at the company.The plan has been5 years in the making and Poole is a40-year veteran of RoyOMartin. Besides, Martin will continue to keep acloseeye on business as chiefinvestment officer and chairman of the board. “I think we will have aseamless transition,” Martin said. “Every goodcompany hasa succession plan. It should not be aproblem. Scott shares our values.”

The transition comes at atime of upheaval in the timber industry Tariffs, higher interest ratesand ahousing slump have driven timber prices down and softened demand for many of RoyOMartin’s products. Adding to the pressure is an influx of several new Canadian competitors, who are buying up timber mills in the South. Martinacknowledges the industry has seen alot of change in the four decades since he joined his family’sbusiness. But the company has diversified, branching out beyond timber into otherholdings andisable to weather industry

After six yearsatthe helm of RoyOMartin, the companyfounded by his grandfather,third-generation CEO RoyO.Martin III, left, is passing the torchtoPresidentand Chief Operating Officer E. Scott Poole, the first chief executive to lead the companywho is not amember of the Martin family

ups and downs, he said.

“The industry is in aslump but we are acommodity business,” he said. “Weplanfor slumps.”

‘A manufacturing company’

Thecompany was foundedby Martin’sgrandfather, RoyOtis Martin,who came to Louisiana from his native Michigan and purchased alumbermillinAlexandria. In the decades that followed, he acquired thousands of acres of timber land acrosscentral Louisiana, opened larger facilitiesand grew the company into aregional powerhouse.

In the1960s, Roy Martin Jr.took the reins and continuedgrowing the company.Martin III’suncle, Ellis Martin, and first cousin, JonathanMartin, also hadstints as CEO

“RoyOMartin’ssuccess has always been rooted in its people, its values, and its commitmenttodoing what’s right for ourteam members, our customers, and our communities. Ilook forward to building on that legacy as we move steadfast into the future.”

E. SCOTT POOLE

Today,the company has its corporateheadquartersinAlexandria, aplywoodand timber mill in Chopin, aplantinOakdale that specializes in manufacturing a type of engineered woodcalled orientedstrandboard or OSB, and afacilityinCorrigan, Texas, that

Beyond Conventional.

JonesWalker’sEnergy, Environmental&Natural ResourcesIndustryTeamhelps clientsfind andfollowa clearpathtowardbusiness success. We have represented domesticand internationalclients in mattersfromthe west coasttothe east coastand across theGulfCoast of theUnitedStates.

Ourclients include major oiland gasproducers independent producers, renewableand alternative energy companies,joint ventures,operators,pipeline companies,miningcompanies,fabricators,service companies,refining andchemical companies,power generationand transmissioncompanies,landowners, royaltyinterestowners, andfinancialinstitutions.

William H. Hines

Managing Partner bhines@joneswalker.com 504.582.8000

201St. CharlesAvenue NewOrleans,LA70170-5100 joneswalker.com

also makes theengineered wood products.

The company does not disclose revenues but estimates from online industry sources estimates them to be at least$350 million.

RoyOMartin is vertically integrated, with holdings that include rawtimber land, mills and processing plants, as well as mineral holdings andbusiness that manufacture pipelines, among other things,though the bulk of its revenues come from manufacturing wood products, Martin said.

“Weused to be aforestry company that manufactured products,” Martinsaid. “Nowweare amanufacturingcompany that owns alot of timberland.”

Thecompanyisknown as an early adapter of sustainable forestry practices andhas pioneered technologiesusedingrowing and processing timber.

“Weare able to growour timber fourtimes faster than my grandfather did because of smart agriculture practices,” Martin said.

It also has its own health care company on-site with adoctor, physicians assistants and nurses who provide primarycare and wellness services to employees on-site.

“Theyhave always been very environmentally minded, concerned about sustainable agriculture andahead of the curve,” said Richard Vlosky,aprofessor and director of the Louisiana Forestry ProductsDevelopment Center at theLSU AgCenter’sSchool of Renewable NaturalResources.

Building on alegacy

Louisiana’svast acres of pine are the number one agricultural crop in the state,Vlosky said, bigger than corn, cotton, soybean andsugar cane combined.Ithas an economic impact of $11 billion.

It is the state’ssecond-largest employer

But global pressureshave softened themarketfor pine in

recent years. President Donald Trump’shigher tariffs have actually helpeddomestictimber producers to an extent, Martin said, because it hasmadeinferior Brazilian plywood products less attractive.

The housing market slump, however,continues to dampen demand fortimber and building products. Martinisoptimistic things will turn around soon.

“Demand is there it’sjust an affordabilityissue,” he said. “But interest ratesare coming down and housing prices are coming down.”

The companyisalso developing newtechnologiesand usesfor its pine in partnerships with LSU and Louisiana Tech, which awarded Martinwithanhonorary doctorateearlierthis month for his contributions to the industry

His successor, Poole, said in a statementheplans to continue growing acompany that is aleader in the industry

“RoyOMartin’ssuccesshas always been rootedinits people, itsvalues, andits commitment to doingwhat’sright forour team members, ourcustomers, andour communities,” Poolesaid. “I look forward to building on that legacy as we move steadfast into the future.”

Email Stephanie Riegel at stephanie.riegel@theadvocate. com.

Louisianaisanall-of-the-aboveenergystate —leveragingits deep rootsintraditional oil andgas whilerapidly building on that tradition to advanceenergyinnovationand attract record investmenttoLouisiana Jones Walker attorneysbring decadesoflegal regulatory,and practicalexperiencetothe entire energy spectrum,including offshore andonshore drilling andproduction, pipeline transportation andstorage,and liquefied naturalgas (LNG)facilities. Andmorerecently, this includesextensive experiencesinthe useofcarboncapture andsequestration to expand marketsfor Louisiananatural gas and manufacturing products,aswellasthe useof newerenergysources such as lithiumand biofuels.Our firm proudlysupportsLouisiana’s balancedand forward-thinking approach to energy development.

By advising clientsonbothlegacyand emerging energy solutions, we areproudly helpingsupport thestate as aleader in shapingAmerica’s energy independencefor thefuture.

Thinkstoresget thetax break?

Thetruth aboutcheckoutdonations

The TikTok creator leans into the camera with righteousindignation. She has some important financial advicefor people confused about donation requests at checkout.

Yousee the solicitationsall the time —various charities teaming up with retailers to raise needed funds.

tion when customers give. That video hadmore than 500,000 likes andwas shared 28,000 times on theplatform,she wroteina2020 blogpost.

Fool’s Take:Kimberly-Clarkis gettingbigger

grow

Michelle Singletary

THE COLOR OF MONEy

Just before you finish paying either in person or online, you’re asked for a contribution.You can give aspecific amount or roundup your purchase total to help fund achildren’shospital charitable campaign or afood bank.

“When you go to check outand get asked to donate to charity do not donate to it,” the TikToker warned. “Thatmoney is atax write-off for the company.”

The video, posted ahead of Thanksgiving, received over 1,000 likes. Retailers “don’t deserve the tax write off for MY generosity,” one person commented.

Similar videos have been uploaded on Instagram, claimingto revealthe truthabout checkout charity,and it’sfueling agrowing wave of consumer skepticism: Why giveyour dollars if thestore benefits from the tax break?

While mistrust of corporations is understandable and often justified, in this specific case, the advice is entirely wrong.

If you’re declining to give because of asocial media video, you’re making afinancial decision based on bad information.

Corporations cannot take tax deductions for charitable contributions made by their customers. This would be illegalunder U.S. tax law,accordingtoRenu Zaretsky,awriter and editor for the Urban-Brookings TaxPolicy Center Zaretsky has been trying to correct the misinformation ever since she came across aTikTok video during the pandemic claiming companies get the tax deduc-

“It really irritated me abit because it was just so wrong,” she said in an interview.“There are charities that are working really well to collect alot of money for good causes, andIwould hate for peopletobemisinformed and stop giving if they could afford it.”

Zaretsky saidcharities can ben-

efitfrom point-of-sale donations in two ways: Either the business donatesaportion of its sales or it acts as an intermediary for donations.

In other words, if thebusiness is actinglawfully,the company can donate apercentage of sales and takeacharitable deduction. Or it can ask customers to donate, then pass alongthe money to the charity.Inthat case, the customer might claim thededuction. For small donations, though, many peopledon’t take adeduction, she said.

Here’smore reason to give at checkout: Startingin2026, taxpayers who claim thestandard deduction (meaningthey don’t itemize) can take an above-theline deduction for qualified charitable contributions —upto$1,000 for single filers and $2,000 for married couples filing jointly.An above-the-linededuction means you cansubtractitfrom your gross incomebeforecalculatingyour adjusted grossincome, which in turn lowers your taxable income.

That’sabig change from this tax year,when you can deduct charitable contributions only if you itemize your deductions.

The bottom line: Don’tavoid giving just because you think companies are taking advantage of you

By discouraging donations at checkoutbased on an inaccurate understanding oftax law,these social media videos could disrupt acrucial funding source for some charities.

Youmight feel annoyed or pressuredbycheckoutcharity

campaigns. However,they have proven to be an effective way for nonprofitstoraise funds. How manytimes have you meantto give, but life getsinthe way,and you don’tfollow through? Encouraging generosity at thepoint of sale helps generate essential funds.

“The concept of ‘checkout charity’ is really one of impulse giving,” wrote two researchers for a paper published in theJournal of Public and Nonprofit Affairslast year

The study also discovered somethinginteresting. Younger customers and women were more likely to give at the register

“The mostdrastic impact on giving at the register was being Black,” the researchers found.

Black customers reported giving $122.80 moreannually than aWhiterespondent. “This is in alignment with previous research on African American giving,” they wrote.

The research pointed out that somecustomers might feel pressured to donateatcheckout. The decision is completely yours. If you can’tafford it or don’twant to support that specific charity,say no without hesitation or guilt.It’s your money,and nobody should makeyou feel obligated.

Usually,Iwarn against making hastydecisions, but with checkout donation campaigns, small change makes adifference.

In 2024, 92 checkout charity campaigns raised over $275 million, according to areport by Engage for Good, which tracks this specific type of giving. The average donation was $1.13. Taco Bell reported raising $50 million in 2024, with an average donation of 44 cents. Walmart and Sam’s Club gathered $43 million for the Children’sMiracle Network Hospitals’ campaign, which included customer donations.

As with most online content, independently verify the information before it affectsa financial decision.

Email Michelle Singletary at michelle.singletary@washpost com.

Kimberly-Clark (Nasdaq: KMB)isacquiring Kenvue (NYSE: KVUE), creating ahealth and wellness giant with $32 billion in revenue, and 10 brands generating over $1 billion in annual sales each (such as Kimberly-Clark’s Kleenexand Huggies and Kenvue’s Tylenol and Listerine).

Kimberly-Clark is expecting anet benefit of $2.1 billion within four years of closing the deal. The larger scale will alsohelp the combined company navigate the issues Kenvue has faced since becoming independent in 2023, following its separationfrom Johnson &Johnson. The combined company should be in astrong financial position to continue paying agrowing dividend. While Kimberly-Clark is taking on debt to fund the deal, it aims to reduce its debt level quickly.Kimberly-Clark’sdividend yield was recently ahefty 4.7%.

The deal isn’twithout risk, though. While the combined company will be in abetter positiontoweather potential legal issues, they could still be costly This could weigh on its stock and potentially impact its ability to grow thedividend in the future.

Kimberly-Clark’srecent share price is attractive, though, with arecent forward-looking priceto-earnings (P/E) ratio of 14.1, well belowits five-year average of 18.9. (The Motley Fool owns sharesofand recommends Kenvue.)

Fool’s School:PhilFisher’s15 questions

In Philip A. Fisher’s1958 book, “CommonStocks and Uncommon Profits,” he laid out “the 15 points to look for in acommonstock.”

The list can still help us evaluate stock candidatesfor our portfolios. Here are some of the questions he posed.

”Does thecompanyhaveproductsor services with sufficient market potential to makepossibleasizable increase in sales for at least several years?” Ideally,a company will have alarge target market, offering alot of room to

”Does the management have adetermination to continue to develop products or processes that willstill furtherincrease total sales potentialswhen the growthpotentialsofcurrentlyattractive product lines have largely been exploited?” The best companies have shown they can innovate and keep introducing new offerings for customers. Significant investments in research and development are apromising sign.

”Does thecompanyhaveaworthwhile profitmargin?” and “What is the company doing to maintain or improve profitmargins?” Favor companies with profit margins greater than those of their peers. And increasing margins are desirable, too.

”Does thecompanyhaveoutstanding labor and personnel relations?” Companies that treat their workers well have lower turnover rates, which can save money.And asatisfied employee maytreat customers better,too

Askthe Fool:Earningsseason

What is “earningsseason”? —N.T., Jacksonville, North Carolina

It’s when manycompanies’ earnings reports are released. Public companies(thosewith publicly traded stock) mustissue three quarterly“10-Q” reports andanannual “10-K” report (for theirfourth quarter), detailing theirearnings andfinancialcondition

Many companies conclude their years at theend of December, while others choose March, June or September.Earnings reports are typically issued afew weeks after theend of each quarter,so there are four “earnings seasons” throughout theyear: generally, from mid-January through February,from mid-Aprilthrough May, from mid-July through August andfrom mid-October through November

Earnings seasonsare noteworthybecause if resultsare better than predicted or expected,a company’sstock pricecan jump —and, conversely, it can sink on worse-than-expected results. Reports also offer investors thelatest information on revenue,earnings,growth trends andmore, and they can result in analysts revising theiropinions on companies. It’s agood ideatolearn to read andunderstandfinancialstatementsyourself— andtokeep up with your holdings’ earnings reports.

Gallagher: LessonsinResilience

On the recent 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, the Gallagherteam has been looking backat theexperienceand howitshaped today’sinsurance industry.

NancySylvester is an area executive vice presidentatGallagher,based in Baton Rouge. Sherecentlysharedher story of Hurricane Katrina, the challenges the insuranceindustry facedand howresilienceshaped the path forward.

With damages exceeding USD200 billion, Katrina notonly altered the city’sphysical landscapebut alsoreshaped global perspectives on disasterpreparednessand response.Today, 20 yearsafter Hurricane Katrina struck NewOrleans, its impact remains deeply felt acrossthe affectedcommunities as the costliestand one of the fivedeadliesthurricanes in US history.

Q: Take us back to Augustof2005. Howdid youexperience the landfall of the hurricane?

IliveinBaton Rouge,70milesfromNew Orleans. That weekend, my oldestson wasfishing in the Gulf of Mexicoand when we urged him to come back inland, whatshould have been an hour’s drivetook about 12 hoursdue to the worseningconditions. The news reports initiallysaid things were under control, butby lunchtime on Monday, the levees began breaking and things quickly spiraled out of control.

Q: What were the firstdayslikewhen family andfriendssought shelter at your home,far from the mostaffectedareas?

Iwelcomed my family from NewOrleans,expectingittobe manageable,but soon found myselfhosting 26 people.Islept undermydining room table,the only privatespaceleft. Wandering into the kitchenatnight, I’dmeetstrangers saying, “I work foryour cousin. He said it would be OK.”Ireassured everyone,“Yeah, everything’s fine.”

Q: Howwas daily lifeimpactedinthe aftermath of Hurricane Katrina?

My usual 15-minutedrivetothe office would takehours due to the crowds seeking refuge in BatonRouge and justtrying to get somewhereelse. Schools also faceda suddensurge in students, andthe schoolofficeswould announcewherepeople could find food.

Blackhawk helicopterswereconstantly flying overhead, transporting the injured from NewOrleans to Louisiana State University(LSU), where the athletics departmentbecame a makeshift emergency hospital. TheLSU studentbody even donatedclothingtothose in need, and youcouldsee people wearing purple andgold, thecolorsofthe university. It wasa touching displayofhumanity after Hurricane Katrina, with everyone welcomed and cared forasbestaspossible

Q: Howhaveyour clients’ perspectives on extremeweather risks evolved since Hurricane Katrina?

BeforeKatrina, redundancies were oftenviewedasunnecessary expenses. Today, having backups is understood as essential. Clients nowprioritizestrengthening buildings to ensuretheir facilities can enduresevereweather,addressing all potential exposures on supply chains or backup power, forexample Everyoneisfocused on preventing businessinterruptionclaims and avoiding closingtheir doorsbecause, once theydo, theymay neveropen again. We knowthatFEMA [Federal Emergency ManagementAgency] has stated 40%ofcompanies don’t reopen after adisaster, and another 25% fail within oneyear

As acommunity, we’realso massively investing in roof resilience to withstand strong winds and preventpiercings. When damage or lossoccurs, my clientsaren’tinterestedinjustrebuilding what wastherebefore; they’refocused on constructing to newercodes and following thehighestbuildingstandards

LOUISIANA

“Having my child in the programwithmewas the pinnacle,the top-notch service Ineeded.”

DE

JON MUWWAKKIL,

whocompletedoutpatient substanceuse treatment through VolunteersofAmerica SoutheastLouisiana

Creating an ‘opportunity’

Firstrecoverycenterfor womenand theirchildrenlaunchesinNew Orleans

BY EMILYWOODRUFF

Staffwriter

At asmallplay area insideanewly renovatedbuilding on Canal Street in New Orleans, De Jon Muwwakkil watched her daughter work apulley elevator on adollhouse and tuck a stuffedpandabehind aminiature cupboard —“hisnew home,” the child announced For Muwwakkil, who completed outpatient substanceuse treatment through Volunteers of America SoutheastLouisiana, moments like that show what recoverycouldlike when women don’t havetochoose between getting help and caring for their children

“Havingmychild in the program with me was the pinnacle, the topnotch service Ineeded,” she said.

Many women in New Orleans have never been able to consistently stay with theirchildren throughout treatment. But on Nov.25, VOASELA held aribbon-cutting ceremony for CanalPointe, New Orleans’ onlyfamily-centered residential

“I’ve worked with clients where sometimes their first substance usewas with their parents, when they were as young as 9doing heroin. It’sreally important to break that cycle.”

JACKIE KELLETT,Volunteers of AmericaSoutheast Louisiana’s assistant vicepresident of integrated and behavioral healthand alicensed clinical social worker

treatmentand recoveryfacility for pregnantwomen and mothers with children. The site, aformer auto dealership acrossfromUniversityMedical Center,has been transformed intoa31-room center where families will live together for about 90 days while the parent goes through treatment.

“This is an opportunity,” Muwwakkil said.“It keepswomenand childrensafe, away from the triggers, away from the badactors in thestreets, away from the bad sub-

stances,the traumatic experiences of someone’slife.”

Asmall library inside Canal Pointe is stocked with local children’s books, and the facility also includes ateaching kitchen, play areas, communityareas forfamilies,and private roomsequipped with cribs and trundle beds so mothersand childrencan stay together.Outpatient services are already operating, and residential admissionsare expected to begin in December or January

Medication-assistedtreatment will be provided on site through DePaul Community Health Centers. The first week for new residentsistypically a blur of medical appointments, group therapy,individualcounseling and casemanagement, staff said Jackie Kellett, VOASELA’s assistantvicepresident of integrated andbehavioralhealth anda licensed clinical social worker,saidtreating mothers alongside their children is essential. Child care barriers often stop women from seeking help, but

Zinc shows promise in muscle treatment

BY MIRIAM FAUZIA

The Dallas Morning News (TNS)

DALLAS— Far from any battlefield, north Texas scientists are testing afamiliarnutrient they hope can helpregrow soldiers’ damaged muscles.

At theUniversityofTexas at Arlington, professor of graduatenursing ZuiPan andher colleagues are studying whether a zinc-infused gel can spur injured muscle to regenerate after ablast. Suchtraumatic injuriesmostoften occur in war,terrorist attacks and serious accidentswhenanexplosive force sends apowerful pressure wave through the body,tearing muscle and other tissues.

Theproject is part of theUniversity of Texas system’s Trauma Researchand CombatCasualty Care Collaborative,whichlaunched in 2022 to fund trauma research and innovation. In October,the initiative announced it had awarded $18 million to universities andmedical centers across the public university system Trauma injuries are the leading cause of deathand permanent disabilityinchildren andadults younger than 44, according to the University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio.Though initial damage from ablast is irreversible, it may be possible to prevent someofthe secondary injury to muscle andother tissuesthat happens when blood flow is cut off with atourniquet or bandage and then suddenly restored, Pan said in anews release.

That’swhere zinc,a metal and essential micronutrient, comes in. In thehumanbody,zinc plays a critical role in supporting the immune system and healing wounds. In a150-pound person,roughlytwo to three grams of body weight is zinc,and only about 0.1% of that is replenishedeachday through diet, according to someestimates. Unlike iron, zinc isn’tstored in the body.About 60% of it is found in skeletal muscle and 30% in bone.

Studies in rats have found that, whenzinc levels are low, muscle growth is stunted. Other research has suggested minerals such as zinc mayhelp prevent or treat sarcopenia, or age-related loss of muscle massand strength, among people with cirrhosis or late-stage liverdisease. Zinc may also help with muscle atrophy in people with diabetes, at leastbased on animal studies.

But toomuchzinc is toxic and can cause damage, Pan said in the newsrelease. This toxicity can result whether zinc is taken orally or placed on the skin.

HEALTH MAKER

La. doctor discovers passion for treating bone cancer

BY MARGARET DELANEY Staff writer

Dr Gustin Zervoudakis

went to the University of Dayton in Ohio, majoring in exercise physiology and minoring in biology He completed medical school at the Western Michigan University Homer Stryker MD School of Medicine as part of the inaugural class in Kalamazoo, Michigan, where he also received his orthopaedic surgery residency training. Zervoudakis then went to Tampa, Florida, to complete his orthopaedic oncology fellowship at the Moffitt Cancer Center followed by a fellowship specializing in sarcomas also at Moffitt.

returned to rugby one last time after this injury

The same drive that pushed him to recover from near career-ending injury now fuels his dedication to patients whose challenges are often far greater.

Zervoudakis

“I first got into rugby my freshman year of high school,” he said “I fell in love with the sport almost immediately and have been involved with the sport in some capacity ever since whether that be as an athlete, a coach or spectator.” Who inspires you?

Zervoudakis is now a pediatric orthopedic oncologist at Ochsner Health specializing in bone cancer treatments. Once a professional rugby player, he endured a devastating knee injury tearing his MCL, ACL and PCL — and still

I’ve always been inspired by the love and dedication of my parents. I am one of five brothers. Despite having their hands completely full raising and providing for all of us, particularly the weekly grocery bill, I never heard them complain, and they always put us first. I attribute a lot of the credit for being where I am today to them as I attempt to emulate just a portion of their work ethic

and dedication in my professional endeavors.

At what point did you know you were going to study orthopedics?

I knew I wanted to go into orthopaedic surgery very early in my premedical path. This was mainly based off a long-standing interest in the musculoskeletal system and my experience in orthopaedic surgery on the patient side. Naturally, I had envisioned myself as an orthopaedic sports surgeon working with athletes and teams. However, I discovered my passion for oncology while shadowing my uncle, Dr Emmanuel Zervos, who is a surgical oncologist at the ECU Health Medical Center in Greenville, North Carolina, during my summer between junior and senior year of college. I was immediately drawn to the complexity of the cases, interdisciplinary treatment paradigm, and the opportunity to help patients in what is most likely the scariest time of their life.

What brought you to Louisiana?

My oldest brother and his

family used to live in New Orleans, so I had visited the city a number of times in the past and always left looking forward to the next visit. Professionally, I was drawn to Ochsner specifically for the opportunity to utilize the resources and partnerships with worldrenowned establishments like MD Anderson Cancer Center to bring an elevated level of care to Louisiana. My typical week consists of clinic and surgery days. Clinic will consist of seeing post-op patients, follow-up patients, and new patients that may either present with a known diagnosis of sarcoma/cancer or require a complete workup.

What should people know about bone cancer?

Bone cancers are part of the sarcoma family of cancers. These cancers are different from the more common carcinoma family of cancers that most individuals are familiar with cancers of lung, breast, thyroid, kidney, prostate They are derived from cells of mesenchymal origin

including bone, fat, nerve, muscle, cartilage or blood vessel cells. Sarcomas make up less than 2% of all cancer and thus are very rare relative to their carcinoma counterpart.

Some major changes in the treatment of cancer involving the musculoskeletal system include advances in percutaneous treatment such as minimally invasive internal fixation techniques as well as development of immunotherapy treatments that have made great strides in the management of metastatic disease.

How do you experience change as an oncologist? How do you manage the ever-evolving landscape of the medical world?

I experience change the same way as everyone in the medical field. Medical knowledge, particularly in the world of oncology, is an exponentially expanding body of information with new discoveries occurring seemingly every day requiring a large amount of diligence and curiosity to stay up to date through reading articles and attending conferences. Luckily, I have plenty of both, so I enjoy getting the chance to read about the most advanced techniques and treatments. What is the first thing you ask a patient after saying hello? The first question I ask after saying hello is “How are you?” It’s very easy to get wrapped up in labs, notes and images, so I find starting with this question brings my focus back to the actual person across from me.

This habit also serves as a reminder that every patient is someone’s family member or friend and should be treated the same as my own family member or friend. What do you enjoy doing most outside of work at the hospital? Outside of the job, I love spending time with my family at home exploring nearby hikes, going camping or just playing in the yard. I also enjoy working on small woodworking projects and building furniture for the house when I have the space and time.

Menopause hormone therapy warning is removed

Health officials discuss treatment benefits

BY MEG WINGERTER

The Denver Post (TNS)

Removing the most dire warning from hormonal therapies to treat menopause is likely the right call, women’s health experts say, but exuberance for the treatments could be getting ahead of the evidence.

Since 2003, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration required a “black box” warning — reserved for the most-serious side effects on products that use estrogen, progesterone or both to treat symptoms such as hot flashes and vaginal dryness. The black box warned of an increased risk of blood clots and certain heart problems.

Recently U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr announced providers would no longer see the black box, and described the decision to place the warning as a betrayal of women that denied them “strength, peace and dignity,” and may have shortened their lives.

Other top officials said in a news release that estrogen would help women prevent chronic diseases while “extending their vigor,” and that female brains need estrogen to function at their best.

“With the exception of antibiotics and vaccines, there may be no medication in the modern world that can improve the health outcomes of older women on a population level more than hormone therapy,” FDA Commissioner Dr Marty Makary

RECOVERY

Continued from page 1X

they don’t have to choose between getting help and their children at Canal Point With everyone able to stay together Kellett pointed out the facility would also be able to offer services to anyone in the family who needs it. She often has seen multigenerational substance use.

“I’ve worked with clients where sometimes their first substance use was with their parents, when they were as young as 9 doing heroin ” Kellett said. “It’s really im-

wrote in an opinion piece in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Removing the black box is the right call for forms of hormone therapy delivered directly to the vagina, and may be for pills and other “systemic” medications, though those require a nuanced conversation about risk, said Dr Jill Liss, an associate clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at University of Colorado’s Anschutz Medical Campus. But despite what Kennedy and other federal officials said, no studies have proven that hormone therapy prevents heart disease or dementia, said Liss, who is on the board of the Menopause Society It is, however, a highly effective and generally safe option for treating hot flashes and vaginal symptoms of perimenopause, and delays bone loss that can lead to osteopo-

portant to break that cycle.” Louisiana continues to see high overdose rates among pregnant and postpartum women. Accidental overdose is the leading cause of death among pregnant women in the state. In the most recent report, 28 women died of overdose in a single year Nick Albares, who helped oversee the project’s development, said the $8-millionplus facility was funded through a mix of tax credits, federal and private grants, and philanthropy It will cost roughly $2 million annually to operate. Medicaid is expected to cover about a month of treatment

rosis, she said. Some women also report better sleep and mood.

“It’s a really nice tool for the menopause transition,” she said Some of the comments from federal officials “gave this notion that hormone therapy is more miraculous than it really is.”

Older women who didn’t get hormone therapy while the black box was in place likely suffered more symptoms than they would have if it had remained widely available, but they don’t need to worry that their long-term health took a hit, Liss said.

Black box warnings don’t technically limit availability, but doctors are more reluctant to prescribe medications that carry one, and women who saw media coverage of hormone therapy’s risks were less likely to seek it out, she said.

“It’s not an anti-aging medication,” Liss said.

per participant, supplemented by TANF dollars But outside support will remain critical

No one will be turned away because of an inability to pay Albares said. “But it’s not a program that is sustainable on its own.”

“It’s going to take everyone to make it work,” said Voris Vigee, CEO and president of VOASELA. The facility will accept women from across Louisiana. VOASELA leaders emphasized the project’s goal of providing long-term stability for families navigating both addiction and poverty

Views on hormone therapy have shifted dramatically over the years. In the 1960s, doctors recommended it for almost all women in menopause, often with an eye toward pleasing their husbands. Concerns about a kind of uterine cancer dampened enthusiasm in the 1970s, though interest started to pick up again as data showed combining two hormones largely eliminated that risk. While the research clearly showed that hormone therapy was effective for treating some of the more bothersome symptoms of menopause, no one knew whether it had any effect on women’s risk of chronic diseases.

In the 1990s, the Women’s Health Initiative study tried to answer that question. The trial stopped early, in 2002, after finding an increase in breast cancer diagnoses and blood clots among women taking one type of hormone

therapy For the first decade or so of the millennium, most gynecologists took the view that women should avoid hormonal therapy, said Dr Katie Rustici, one of the gynecologists certified in menopause care at Intermountain Health, which has a clinic for holistic menopause care in Denver

As of 2020, about 5% of women who reported they were in the menopause transition were taking estrogen, progesterone or a combination product, down from more than one-quarter in 1999.

Later analyses found that women who started hormone therapy in their 40s and 50s had small increases in risk, with about six additional breast cancer cases and five cases of heart disease or stroke for every 10,000 people treated. They had a lower risk of broken bones,

diabetes and dying during the follow-up period. The risks are higher for women who start hormone therapy after 60. The study didn’t last long enough to generate conclusions about the safety of starting early and continuing to take hormones well past when perimenopause symptoms typically end, though the risk is clearly lower than starting late, Liss said.

Rustici said she typically sits down with patients to reevaluate hormone use after about five years. The risk of breast cancer continues to rise with longer use, but some women are willing to accept that trade-off because they report more energy and better sexual functioning, she said.

“There really is a piece here that is patient autonomy,” she said. Even so, systemic hormone therapy isn’t an option for breast cancer survivors or women who’ve had heart attacks, strokes or certain high-risk blood clots, Rustici said Those patients generally can use estrogen products applied in the vagina, however because only trace amounts of hormones reach the rest of the body Vaginal estrogen won’t help with hot flashes and night sweats, but patients can get some relief from using antidepressants or the antiseizure drug gabapentin, Rustici said. A new class of drugs works on the brain’s temperature control mechanisms, though those aren’t an option for women with liver problems.

Ultimately, each woman’s symptoms, risks and priorities — all of which shift over time need to guide conversations with her doctor about treatments during menopause, Liss said.

“What’s right for your friend or your mother or your sister could be different from what’s going to be right for you,” she said.

The organization expects Canal Pointe to serve 150 to 200 mothers and children each year The organization is accepting donations of hygiene items, cleaning supplies and new clothing for residents.

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU

The Louisiana Health section is focused on providing in-depth, personal accounts of health in the state.This section looks at medical innovations, health discoveries, state and national health statistics and reexamining tried and true methods on ways to live well.

Health editions will also profile people who are advancing health for the state of Louisiana. Do you have a health story? We want to hear from you. Email margaret.delaney@ theadvocate.com to submit health questions, stories and more.

Eat Fit LiveFit

UGH TT OY OU BY

BRO

Holiday bakingthat’sactually good forus

The holidays can be awonderful mix of comfort, nostalgia and, let’s be honest, temptation. It can also bring stress, especially if we’re navigating specific nutrition needs or simply trying to feel ourbest. This isn’t about giving up traditions or being “good.” It’s about having more options, more curiosity and moreways to make food both joyful and nutritious

That’sexactlywhatdrivesCarolyn Ketchum,founderoftheblog:Allday Idreamaboutfood,oneofthemost extensivelow-carbbakingresources online.Aself-taughtbakerandfood bloggerofmorethan15years,Carolyn startedexperimentingwithrecipesafter developinggestationaldiabeteswhen shewaspregnantwithheryoungest child.Herdiagnosisledhertowarda lower-carblifestyle.

“I’vealwayslovedtobake,andIdidn’t wanttogiveitup,”saidCarolyn.“Istarted playingwithalmondflour,coconutflour, alternativesweetenersandjustfiguring outwhatworksandwhatdefinitely doesn’twork.” Carolynjoinedmeonmypodcastto sharesomeofherfavoriteholidaybaking andgift-givingtips.Youcanhearour fullinterviewonmyFUELEDWellness +Nutritionpodcast,justsearch‘holiday baking’.Herearethehighlights:

StartEarlyandFreezeSmart

One of Carolyn’s biggest stress-saving tips is to plan ahead. “I start early because Ilove cookie swaps,and I especially love having amix of abunch of different options,” she said. “If you waituntil three days beforeChristmas, you’ll just be grumpy you committed to it.”

Shepreferstofocusonsturdy, freezer-friendlycookies,likelow-carb biscotti,shortbreadorslice-and-bake doughs.“Freezingstopsthestaling

process,”sheadded.“Fridgestendtomake themgostalefaster.”

ChoosetheRight Gluten-FreeFlours

InCarolyn’sworld,glutenfreeisn’t aboutrestriction.It’saboutbetter ingredients.“Gowithagood-quality almondflour.Ipreferafinealmondflour versusalmondmeal.Thetextureoffine almondflourissmoother,andthecoloris lighterandprettierinbakedgoods.Also, almondflouraddsagoodbitofmoisture tobakedgoods,”shesaid.“Coconutflour, ontheotherhand,isverydry,soIuse justalittletoaddstructure.”Theresult? Cookiesandcakesthatlookandtastelike therealthing,minusthestarchycarbs

LearnHowSweetenersBehave “Almond flourdoesn’t act like wheat flour, and zero-sugarplant-based sweeteners don’t actlike realsugar,” Carolyn said.That means followinga testedrecipe at first. Erythritol-based sweeteners (like Swerve) give crispness, while allulose makes cookies soft and chewy.

RepurposeOurMess-Ups Acakethatsank?Cookiesthat crumbled?Carolynrepurposesthem intootherbakedgoods,likecakepops ortruffles.“Pleasedon’tthrowmistakes away,”shesaid.“Pulsedrycookiesinto crumbs,mixwithabitofcreamcheese,

rollintoballsanddipintoalow-carb chocolate.Boom—instanttruffles.” GiftwithLove(andFunction) Youdon’tneedtospendafortuneto togiveathoughtfulgift.Masonjarsfilled withlittlecookiesortrufflesaresimple, prettyandeasytopersonalizewitha recipecardandaribbon.Forsavorytreats, thinkcheesestraws,rosemary-Parmesan crackersorevenCarolyn’sfan-favorite spinachsquares(madewithfrozen spinach,coconutflour,eggsandcheese). Carolynhasbuiltavastlibraryof meticulouslytestedrecipesandauthored adozenrecipebookssofar,including “TheProteinAdvantageCookbook”and “TheUltimateGuidetoKetoBaking,”a full-colorreferenceguidethatbreaks

MollyKimball,RD,CSSD,isaregistereddietitian withOchsnerHealthandfounderofOchsnersEatFit nonprofitinitiative.Formorewellnesscontent,tuneinto Molly’spodcast,FUELEDWellness+Nutrition,andfollow @MollykimballRDand@EatFitOchsneronsocialmedia. Emailnutrition@ochsner.orgtoconnectwithMollyor scheduleaconsultwithherteam.

BY THENUMBERS

downthescienceofswappingflours, fatsandsweeteners.Recipesfilledwith Carolyn’ssignatureblendofplayfulness andprecisionarealsoavailableonher website,AllDayIDreamAboutFood com.Youcansearchthesitebyflavor, ingredientoroccasion.

Shesaidallbakingisallaboutcuriosity, notperfection,andthat’strueforlowcarbrecipestoo.“Bekindtoyourself,” Carolynsaid.“Startwitharecipethat’s alreadybeentested.Then,onceyougeta feelfortheingredients,playaroundwith it.Addyourownflavors,experimentand havefun.

Theholidaysdon’thavetobeabout guilt,pressureorfoodsthatare“off-limits. Whetheryou’regivinggiftsfromyour kitchenorreworkingafavoriterecipe,it’s allinthespiritofcreativity,connection andcare.

AsCarolynremindsus,“There’salwaysa waytomakethethingsyouloveandenjoy inahealthierway.”

ForCarolyn’slow-carbrecipes everythingfrompeppermintbiscottito focaccia—visitAllDayIDreamAboutFood. comorpickup“TheUltimateGuideto KetoBaking.

DEATHS FROM CHRONICLIVER DISEASERISENATIONALLy, IN LOUISIANA

Over the past decade, the rate of deaths due to chronicliver disease has jumpedfrom10.5per 100,000peopleinthe U.S. in 2014 to 14.4 deaths per 100,000 people in 2023, according to data from the CDC In Louisiana, although steadily lowerthan the national average, has also seen an increase in chronic liver disease deaths, from 9.8 deaths per 100,000 in 2014 to 10.9 deaths per100,000 in 2023. Since 2014, the rate of people per 100,000 who died due to chronic liver disease in Louisiana are

ZINC

Continued from page 1X

as follows:

n In 2014, there were 9.8 deathsdue to chronic liver disease per 100,000; n In 2015, there were 10.5 deaths dueto chronic liver disease per 100,000; n In 2016, there were 9.7 deathsdue to chronic liver disease per 100,000; n In 2017, there were 10 deathsdue to chronic liver disease per 100,000; n In 2018, there were 9.5 deathsdue to chronic liver disease per 100,000; n In 2019, there were 9.2 deathsdue to chronic liver disease per 100,000; n In 2020, there were 10.8 deaths dueto chronic liver disease per 100,000;

“Our long-term goal is to identify asafeand convenient way to apply zinc directly to muscletissue,” Pan said of her team’sresearch. That way,they aim to protect skeletalmuscle from further injury and promoteregeneration. The researchers are looking into azincinfused gel called gelatin methacryloyl asan option to jump-start muscle regrowth.The gel is not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as amedical product formuscle regeneration, but it is generally considered safe to use, according to somestudies. It is alsoamong the many soft, Jell-O-like substances known as hydrogels that scientists use to support cells as they grow and repairtissue. Although the UT Arlington study is aimed at battlefield wounds, thesame kinds of blast and crush forces can affect people in car accidents, people sufferingsportsinjuriesor people injured in natural disasterssuch as earthquakes. The research, therefore, could oneday benefit those affected bytraumatic injuries outside the military as well. Miriam Fauzia is ascience reporting fellow at TheDallas Morning News. Her fellowship is supported by the Universityof Texas at Dallas.

n In 2021, therewere 12.2 deathsdue to chronicliver diseaseper 100,000; n In 2022, therewere 11.8 deathsdue to chronicliver diseaseper 100,000; n In 2023, therewere 10.9 deathsdue to chronicliver diseaseper 100,000.

Since2014, therateof people per 100,000 who died duetochronicliver diseaseinthe U.S. areas follows:

n In 2014, therewere 10.5 deathsdue to chronicliver diseaseper 100,000;

n In 2015, therewere 11.4 deathsdue to chronicliver diseaseper 100,000; n In 2016, therewere 11.1 deathsdue to chronicliver

diseaseper 100,000;

n In 2017, therewere 11.4 deathsdue to chronicliver diseaseper 100,000;

n In 2018, therewere 11.7 deathsdue to chronicliver diseaseper 100,000;

n In 2019, therewere 12.1 deathsdue to chronicliver diseaseper 100,000;

n In 2020, therewere 14.6 deathsdue to chronicliver diseaseper 100,000;

n In 2021, therewere 16.2 deathsdue to chronicliver diseaseper 100,000; n In 2022, therewere 15.4 deathsdue to chronicliver diseaseper 100,000; n In 2023, therewere 14.4 deathsdue to chronicliver diseaseper 100,000.

Must-knowFacts

Diabetes

about 7 Signs

DiabetesisoneofthemostcommonconditionsintheUnitedStates,andratesareaboveaverage alongtheGulfSouth.Somepeoplehavediabetesanddon’tevenknowit.Butknowingthewarning signsandhowtomanagediabetescanhelpyouliveahealthierlifeandavoidtheserioussideeffects ofthiscondition.

Hereare sevencommon warning signs of diabetes:

Increasedthirstandurination.Whenyourbloodcontainstoomuchglucose(sugar), thebodyproducesmoreurine,whichtriggersincreasedthirst.

Unexplainedweightloss

Persistentfatigue

Blurredvision

Slow-healingcutsorwounds

Tinglingornumbnessinyourhands,feetandtoes

Recurringinfections

Doyouhaveanyofthesesymptoms?

It’simportanttotellyourdoctorandgetscreened,particularlyifyouare overweightandbetweentheagesof35and70.Ifyoutestpositivefor diabetes,youcanworkwithyourdoctortocomeupwithaplantomanage yourcondition.Medicationsmaybeprescribed,andeatingahealthierdietand exercisingcanalsohelp.

TheOchsnerDigitalMedicineprogramisagreatwaytomanageyourcondition fromthecomfortofyourhome.Participantsreceiveadigitalglucometerthat connectstotheirsmartphoneortablet,helpingcutdownonthenumberof visitsyouhavetomaketotheclinic.You’llalsohavethebenefitofateamof healthcoachesandadedicatedclinician.

Top Ways Diabetes Might Hurt Your Eyes and HowtoProtect Them

Diabetescanaffectyoufromyourheadtoyourtoes.Onespecialareato focusonisyoureyes.

Whenyouhavediabetes,toomuchglucose(sugar)canbuildupinyour bloodstream.Thatcandamagenerves,bloodvesselsandtissue,including youreyes.Thiscanleadtoblurryvision.

Diabeticeyediseaseincludesseveralconditionsthatcanchangeover time.Youreyesarelikecameraswithmultipleparts.Diabetescan damagethefrontpartofyoureye,thecornea,causingdryeye

Thisleadstotearingupandburninginyoureyes.Insideyoureyeisthe lens.Acataractisacloudyareathatformsonthelens.Cataractsare commonaspeoplegetolder,butdiabetescancausecataractstohappen soonerthantheywouldotherwise.Morecomplexformsofdiabeticeye diseasecanharmyourretina,whichcanleadtodeclinesinvision.

Ifyouhavediabetes,itisimportanttohaveregularvisionscreenings. Prompttreatmentwithcontinuedfollow-upappointmentscanprevent blindness.Controllingyourdiabeteswiththehelpofyourdoctoror enrollingintheOchsnerDigitalMedicineProgramcanhelp.

Tips for Peoplewith Diabetes During the Holidays

Holidayspresentspecialchallengesfor thosewithdiabetes.Thegreatnewsis thatyoucanstillenjoyfestivemeals andcelebrationswiththeseninetips, andafewtweakstofavoriterecipes.

Keepregularmealtimes.Starvingyourselfcanleadtoovereating unhealthyfoods.

Minimizetemptation.Putfoodsawayaftermealstoavoidendless grazing.Focusonfunandconversationovermindlesssnacking.

Beapickyeateratparties.Trysmallsamplesofholidaydishes,butpass onchips,dipandfriedfoods.Freshveggieandfruittrays,orroasted veggies,arebettermainstays.

Listentoyourhunger.Eatslowlyandpayattentiontowhenyou’refull. Goeasyonalcohol,whichcontainslotsofcaloriesandfewnutrients. Drinkplentyofwater.

Stayactiveandgetexercisewithfamilyandfriends,whichcanbemore funthanjustsittingaround.

Managestress.Enlisthelpforyourholidaygatheringsfromfamilyand friends.Planaheadandpreparefoodinadvance.

Giveyourselfabreak.Onecheatmealorskipping oneexercisedayisn’ttheendoftheworld. Progress,notperfection,isthegoal.

Userecipesubstitutions.Searchonline orusecookbookstofindhealthy substitutesforingredients. Forexample,tryskimmilkfor wholemilk,twoeggwhitesfor onewholeegg,orplainyogurt insteadofsourcream.

LOUISIANA

Starting a longtime tradition

Sometimes holiday traditions have strange backstories.

Iremember the first time Uncle Mack, Aunt Doris and my cousin, Angie, cameover for biscuits on Christmas morning. Iwas 8years old, and Icalled to see what Santa Claus brought Angie that morning. Ihad gotten one of those life-size Barbie heads that camewith accessories so that Icould fix her hair and makeup. Iwas beyond excited and whispered to my mom, “Can we invite them over for biscuits?”

My momsaid yes, and aunt, uncle and cousin arrived 30 minuteslater

They cameover every Christmas morning for the next 52 years until my dad died and my mom moved away from the town where we all grew up.

I’m grateful for those years we hadtogether,but all these decades later Irealize that traditions change no matter how muchwe love the waywe’ve always done things.

UNABANDONED

What Ididn’tunderstand then —and only now see clearly —is how often traditions start that way: with achild’swhim, aparent’syes, followed by aknock on the door that ends up echoing through half a century

throughreclaimed oilwells

N.O. artist imagines apostapocalyptic Louisiana

BY ALEX LUBBEN Staffwriter

Hannah Chalew salvaged an old oil well from the Poland Avenue scrapyard in New Orleans. She coated itwithbagasse, or sugar cane pulp, from Grow Dat,the urban farm in City Park.The paint is recycled, from another nonprofit, theGreenProject, and theplants —palmettos,cypress, elephant ear —are largely from the Coalition to RestoreCoastal Louisiana’s greenhouse.

The embedded plastic trash atoothbrush, aCOVID-19 test, an old burned CD —“came from my life,” she said. “Plasticwill be afossil marker of our time, here long after we’re gone.”

The result is an artwork that gesturesatwhathumansmight leave behind, asculpturecalled “OrphanWellGamma Garden.” It’sawindowinto the post-apocalypse, where the stuff of civilization has coagulated around Chalew’sreclaimed steel wellheads, that questions the kind of future that humans are creating, and what might survive us.

“I felt kind of like areverse archaeologist, imagining how some person in the distant future would

think about this, like, disembodiedsippy-cuptop,”Chalewsaid. “What will thepeople, or the creatures,who encounter this make of it?”

That workturned out to be only the firstinaseries of orphan-oilwell-inspiredwork. Anew piece, “Christmas Tree”—named after the Christmas Tree wellheadsthat pockmark Louisiana’scoastline and are so called because they taper somewhat like atree—was inspiredbya June trip to the mouth of the Mississippi River. There, Chalew saw wells that had become “orphaned.” Thecompanies that owned them had gone bankrupt and responsibilityfor plugging them hadfallentothe state. Some wereleaking oil.

She wonders, too, what kind of plant life might recolonize old wells.She embedded “Christmas Tree” with oak wood and resurrection fern—aplant that can dry out andenterinto adesiccated, dormant state, andremain that way for up to acentury.When exposed to water,the fern comes back to life.

She said she wanted to imagine “what mightrecolonize” old,abandoned fossil-fuel infrastructure.

Chalew’s“Christmas Tree” is on

TOP: An artpiece titled ‘Orphan Well Gamma Garden’ stands in the back of artist Hannah Chalew’sstudio recently in NewOrleans. The piece wasondisplayatthe Contemporary Arts Center in NewOrleans during Prospect.6.

ABOVE: Chalew’snew sculpture, ‘Christmas Tree,’isondisplayatGood Children Gallery on St.Claude Avenue in NewOrleans.

display now at Good Children Gallery, at 4037 St. Claude Ave.,part of ashow called “Mining for Wonderinthe Humdrum.” Theshowis on view until Dec. 7. She has work on displayaspart of anotherexhibition, called “Fragile Matter,” at the HilliardArt Museum in Lafayette.

“I realized that this is abody of work,” she said. “These totemic sculptures arepart of an eventual showthat will be akind of ‘orphanage’ of old well sculptures.” Don’tworry aboutradon

The ‘gamma garden’ in the title is an allusion to thepost-World WarII, U.S.-led initiative called Atoms for Peace, which sought to find peaceful usesfor nuclear technology.The idea was to speed evolution in plantsbyplanting them around apole made of radioactive metal. (Most of theplants died.)

Chalewnamed herworkafter this practice becauseold oilwells can themselvesberadioactive,

As we settle into December again, Ifind myself thinking about how traditions not only start in unexpected ways, but they also can end quietly,without ceremony, even the ones we thought were stitched into our bones. And, that the change is OK. Life goes on. We can still smile real smiles. We can still laugh. We can still be happy These days, Christmas morning for our family takes place in adifferent house in adifferent city.My momisstill there. She still makes the biscuits, but there’sadifferent knock on the door.Mybaby brother and his small herd of little boys comebarreling in —not aBarbie head in sight. From there, we still sit at the table and eat my mama’s biscuits with Blackburn syrup, usually followed by games galore. The morning feels like Christmas all the same.

Iknow my family isn’talone in quietly renegotiating the holidays —deciding whichrituals to keep, which no longer fit or those that are no longer possible. There wasatime when the prospect of such change would have crushed my spirit —when Ifeared things wouldn’tbeOKifthis year didn’t unfold exactly like the last.

Now, Iknow better.Life keeps moving. Circumstances shift. Grief arrives and recedes. Love remains and joy keeps finding away,remaking itself.

While Iamgrateful for the steadiness and meaning family traditions have provided, Inow know that achange in the ritual can be delightful —and the change doesn’t have to be an expensive big production or require aDisney-style hullabaloo.

I’ve never been afan of people saying they are “making memories.” In my experience, core memories are rarely designed or curated.

They usually stem from something as simple as an 8-year-old girl smearing blue eyeshadow on aBarbie head and realizing she needed her fashion-forward cousin’sadvice —and accidentally starting ahalf-century tradition. No one clapped. No one announced it in a newsletter —and yet it stuck.

Perhaps that’sthe heart of every tradition: ordinary moments offered to someone else, repeated again and again, until they become part of who we are —and, if we’re lucky,feel like home.

And sometimes, just sometimes, they start with alittle blue eyeshadow,somehot, buttered biscuits and alot of love.

INSPIRED DISCUSSIONS

ASK THE EXPERTS

Baton Rouge educator built a life of service

BY JOY HOLDEN Staff writer

Baton Rouge native Barry Jackson found his calling unexpectedly in a classroom — in his former middle school, Kenilworth Middle School. Although he graduated from McNeese State for radio and television broadcasting and from Southern University with a master’s in mass communications, the classroom was where Jackson discovered his life’s purpose. Through teaching, coaching and leading for over 30 years in East Baton Rouge Parish schools, Jackson impacted hundreds of students. Many still consult him today with life decisions Jackson coached football, basketball, softball and volleyball. Remarkably every student athlete he coached graduated from high school. In his lengthy career, Jackson also served as dean of students and athletic director at Tara High School.

The Louisiana Blue Foundation chose Jackson as one of their Angel Award winners for 2025. Jackson, 63, retired this year but he still volunteers at Tara High School, offering guidance to those he continues to mentor

This interview has been edited for length and clarity

What has working in education meant to you?

It’s meant everything. Just the Lord allowing me an opportunity to be a part of what he desired to do in and through the lives of young people. It was so humbling when it was revealed to me what my true calling was. It means everything to know that you can play the smallest of roles in impact-

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which she learned as she was building the sculpture. She called up a friend who works at an environmental advocacy group, who told her “You don’t need to worry about the radon You need to worry about the benzene,” another carcinogenic chemical that can waft off oil wells. She tested her wells for both and found them to be free of radiation and toxins. The legacy of the petrochemical industry has been the focus of Chalew’s work. In one of her recent paintings, “Feedback LOOP,” now on display at the Hilliard, Chalew paints plants as intertwined — as they often are in south Louisiana with industrial pipes and valves.

An oak tree, downed in Hurricane Ida, almost appears to be fighting against the pipes that make up LOOP, an offshore oil hub connected to pipelines that weave their way through Louisiana’s coastal wetlands. As with her orphan well sculptures, the materials are natural or salvaged, with ink made from oak trees and paper made from sugar cane and used plastic.

ing positively the lives of young people. I never took it for granted. I’ve looked at it as something that I was purposed to do, and I always approached it in that manner

How did you work toward solutions as a coach and as a teacher?

I think the biggest thing was just showing the fact that you cared. The whole approach to teaching is not really about only teaching and coaching. It’s not about just the ABCs, or just about X’s and O’s when you’re talking about coaching. It’s about teaching and coaching the whole child. If we bring that awareness and if we approach it in such a manner, then I just think it helps build and foster better relationship with your students and with your student athletes. Therefore, you can actually better meet their needs. And then, that’s where true learning can begin to take place.

In all of your experience as a coach and as an athletic director what is the value of sports in a young person’s life?

I think the greatest thing is just seeing them succeed over the course of the time that the Lord afforded me to be able to do what I’ve what I’ve done in coaching. Every one of my student athletes graduated, which is just so phenomenal when you look at the grand scheme of things. I’ve been at Tara a long time to see the dynamics change and shift in terms of the population we serve. Many come from single-parent homes and low-income families, so being able to see them thrive in that space, not even understanding what they’re going through or what they have been through, is special.

If I had to look at anything that

Q&A WITH BARRy JACKSON

TEACHER AND COACH

was most impactful to me besides wins and losses in the sport and those type of things, its seeing them graduate and stepping into the many opportunities that’s ahead of them.

What would you say to young teachers and to parents with teenagers — how do

you help them be successful?

I believe that you have to be able to be open to what has evolved.

The teaching approach is always centered around the child. That should be our main thing

Our main focus, our motive should be to do what’s in the best

interest of the child. Then we have to be able to be receptive to how things have evolved without jeopardizing the integrity of what we do.

Email Joy Holden at joy.holden@ theadvocate.com.

She emblazoned the words

“HELIS OIL + GAS” on each of the wells, a reference to the onetime Louisiana oil and gas company, which, through its charitable foundation, is a major patron of the arts in Louisiana. By centering this particular well in her work, she is critiquing how the arts in New Orleans are funded. She’s re-

Her critique extends further, calling out industry’s affiliation with the arts.

fused funding from grant-making institutions that are linked to the oil and gas industry, she says, and won’t accept support from Helis She also logged the carbon footprint of producing and transporting the sculpture at 2.5 tons of

carbon dioxide, which she’s tried to offset by planting cypress trees. She considers this a challenge to other artists to consider the environmental impact of their work.

“I want to create these visions

that are beautiful, but then as you explore them, sort of unsettling,” she said. “Is this the future we want our descendants to inherit?”

Email Alex Lubben at alex. lubben@theadvocate.com.

THERE’S GOOD NEWS, TOO

STORIES OF GLOBAL PROGRESS, COMPILED By FIX THE NEWS

MENINGITIS

A global study from BMC Public Health found that childhood meningitis deaths have decreased significantly worldwide due to conjugate vaccines and faster outbreak detection.The study which analyzed trends in childhood meningitis from 1990 to 2021, explored patterns in the incidence mortality and disability-adjusted life years in children aged 0–14 years across 204 countries. By 2035, it’s projected that N. meningitidis will become the leading pathogen. Despite overall global improvements, disparities persist, particularly in lowincome areas and among newborns.

‘AHA’ MOMENTS

A cognitive neuroscientist at Duke University, Maxi Becker, and her team have pinpointed how the brain generates ‘aha’ moments — and why they tend to stick.A sudden realization, or aha moment, is known as insight, like when Greek mathematician Archimedes exclaimed “Eureka!” By studying people as they viewed ambiguous images (so-called Mooney images) in an fMRI scanner scientists found that insight triggers a rapid surge of activity in the ventral occipitotemporal cortex, which processes visual patterns, the amygdala (emotion) and the hippocampus (memory).

An article from Quanta Magazine reported that those neural bursts appear to rewire how the brain represents the information — making the moment subjectively powerful and easier to recall later

TRACHOMA

Egypt has been officially certified by the World Health Organization as having eliminated trachoma as a public health problem It is now the seventh country in the eastern Mediterranean region — and the 27th globally — to reach this milestone.

PRIMARY EDUCATION

Over the past century, global primary school enrollment has soared.According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, about 9 in 10 children of school age are enrolled in school Based on a report from Our World in Data, this data represents a dramatic expansion of access to basic education worldwide — and “education is widely seen as a basic right that governments are expected to provide.”While gender gaps were large for much of the 20th century, they have largely closed, with 91% of boys and 89% of girls enrolled in primary education in 2023.

This accomplishment follows decades of coordinated action under WHO’s SAFE strategy (Surgery,Antibiotics, Facial cleanliness, Environmental improvements), national surveillance across Egypt’s governorates and integration of trachoma surveillance into Egypt’s disease-reporting system

BUMBLEBEES

A new study led by Lancaster University found that solar farms in Britain — if managed for biodiversity — could become important refuges for bumblebees.Their modeling shows that solar-farm sites with wildflower margins (rather than plain turf) could support about 120% more bumblebees While the increase is

mostly limited to the solar farm itself, strategic placement of multiple wellmanaged farms could help sustain local bee populations.

CAVE

LARGEST

In Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park in Vietnam, the world’s largest cave can be found.A report from the nonprofit Mongabay said that, when a Vietnamese hunter found Son Doong cave, he conducted expeditions with the British Caving Association in 2001. In 2008, a team stepped inside the cave’s chambers, which are as wide as an airplane hangar and taller than the Great Pyramids of Giza.Today, the national park has made significant

progress in tourism, development and conservation After 15 years of efforts, wildlife populations are rebounding, studies have increased and poaching has decreased — leading UNESCO to create a new transboundary World Heritage with Laos.

COLOMBIA

Also from Mongabay, the Colombian Amazon has been officially declared a protected “renewable natural resources reserve,” and its government has banned all new oil exploration and large-scale mining projects in the region.The decision covers about 42% of Colombia’s territory, aiming to prevent forest

degradation, water pollution and biodiversity loss.The government also called on other Amazonregion countries to adopt similar protections.

CORAL RESTORATION

Researchers on the Great Barrier Reef have developed a new technique — the “larval seed box” — to help restore damaged reef areas, according to Oceanographic Magazine During a 2024 trial at Lizard Island, the method boosted coral-larvae settlement rates up to 56 times higher across thousands of square meters of reef habitat. Scientists collect millions of larvae during the annual coral spawn place them in seed boxes then deploy the boxes over degraded reefs so larvae can settle slowly and effectively A second trial is now underway in the Whitsundays to test efficacy under varied conditions.

LONDON

The first nine months of 2025 in London included fewer homicides than any year since monthly homicide records began in 2003, according to the Mayor of London’s Office for Policing and Crime Between January and September of this year, there were 70 homicides, a 16% drop from the same period last year Violent-injury crimes decreased across all 32 boroughs, and homicide rates remain lower than in several major international cities.The improvement is credited to increased policing prevention programs and the efforts of the Metropolitan Police Service alongside the London Violence Reduction Unit

Fixthenews.com is a solutions journalism newsletter that finds stories of progress and shares them with readers from across the world. Acclaimed author Steven Pinker calls Fix the News “the best source for positive news on the internet.”

FAITH & VALUES

UK’s ancient stones draw renewed awareness

BY YONAT SHIMRON Contributing writer

On a gray fall afternoon in November, a group of 19 people gathered outside the Church of St. Buryan, an iconic medieval parish with a 92-foot granite tower that dominates the skyline.

Clad in raincoats, reflective vests, waterproof boots with some holding wooden staffs, these residents of Cornwall, England’s coastal southwestern county, were ready for a different kind of spiritual experience — not in the church, but a stone circle.

Carolyn Kennett, an astronomer leading a 3.2-mile hike to the stone circle Boscawen-Ûn, explained why she organized the trip for Nov 5, the full moon. She was curious to see whether the moon rising opposite the sun cast a particular light on the taller inclining stone the only one made of quartz.

“It would have been a really nice thing to have seen,” she told the group, motioning to the overcast sky “We’re just going to hopefully have to imagine it, but you never know, we might get a small gap.”

The group assembled before her was undeterred With one or two exceptions, they had trekked to Boscawen-Ûn multiple times.

Cornwall has several stone circles, and as many as 800 sit across the United Kingdom, remnants of prehistoric people who dwelt there. The most famous is Stonehenge, estimated to be 3,500 to 5,000 years old, which draws more than a million visitors a year and is now a managed site, roped off and requiring a ticket.

Boscawen-Ûn, which lies in the middle of emerald green grazing fields, is far less well-known, more rugged and remote, with no defined roads leading to it only a short footpath. Its configuration — 19 evenly spaced upright stones plus the one slanting stone — resembles a sundial.

The walkers consider BoscawenÛn and other stone circles to be sacred.

“There is some sort of spiritual presence in these holy places,” said Jane Weller, one of the walkers who lives in Marazion, a tiny coastal town nearby “It’s magic enough for me to be happy to go there.”

circle recently in Cornwall county, England Floyd and a group of 18 others walked 3.2 miles toward the circle as part of an organized group walk to prehistoric sites. “I just like the feeling of connecting with our ancestors, something that’s really old and ancient,” Floyd said

Weller, like many in the group and across the U.K., no longer considers herself a Christian though she grew up in the Anglican church and attended regularly well into adulthood. In 2020, the Christian share of the U.K.’s population was reported to be less than half (49%). During that same time, the share of the religiously unaffiliated increased to 40%, according to a Pew Research Center survey Across the U.K. some have turned instead to history, folklore and nature as sources of spiritual nourishment. Stone circles in particular have become pilgrimage sites. These megalithic formations, dating back to the Bronze Age (3300-1200 B.C.E.) and sometimes the earlier Neolithic Age (10000 to 2200 B.C.E.), are ultimate mysteries The upright stones were obviously laid out carefully and methodically in regularly spaced intervals. But because they were constructed prior to the use of written language, there’s no record of how they were used.

Scholars think they had ritual significance and may have been used to mark celestial events such as the solstice and equinox, or more common events such as sunrise or sunset, a particular fascina-

tion of Kennett’s, the tour leader

But there’s no consensus.

“This whole part of the British islands and Ireland holds this past that was just there in our fields, but we don’t know much about it,” said Suzanne Owen, an associate professor in the philosophy ethics and religion program at Leeds Trinity University who studies Druidry Public engagement with these mysterious stones is growing. In 2021, a Cornwall couple started a group, Stone Club, to run ad hoc walks, concerts and exhibitions for a network of enthusiasts that now includes almost 3,000 people who share tips and tales about their stone explorations.

On the way to Boscawen-Ûn (the name is Cornish), the group walked through alternating fields of grass and brown scrub. They talked in small groups, stopping to admire the native plants, the sloe and gorse. At the edge of each field they slowed down to help fellow walkers climb over stiles separating the fields.

Some, like Andy, a 55-year-old solar panel installer from Penzance, who asked to be referred to by his first name only, proudly identified as pagan. He and his wife held an old-fashioned handfasting —

an ancient Celtic wedding ritual in which the couple’s hands are bound with ribbon — at Boscawen-Ûn about 30 years ago. Since then, he has been walking to stone circles and other ancient sites on a weekly basis.

“I couldn’t really worship in a church, in a sort of sterile environment,” he said. “I worship in nature.”

Modern-day paganism was born in the U.K., as people began exploring the prehistoric sites in the mid-20th century Today, scholars such as Ethan Doyle White regard paganism as a family of related religions including Wiccans, Druids, heathens and goddess spirituality

The official 2021 census put the number of U.K. pagans at 105,809 — which includes those who identified themselves as pagan, Wiccan and more but scholars don’t trust that number Religious identification was a voluntary question on the census. And many who hold some pagan beliefs don’t self-identify for various reasons. They may not hold membership in a particular pagan group or they may feel stigmatized for acknowledging their beliefs.

In addition, some on the walk said they have read up on recent scholarship into paganism that concludes its present-day practices were mostly made up and have no historical antecedents. They still have immense reverence for prehistoric sites but a healthy dose of skepticism about pagan celebrations and rituals, some said. Others criticized paganism’s romantic and nationalist undertones that sought to recover a great pre-Christian golden age. They are what scholars call “eclectic pagans” or “cultural pagans.”

“There is a cultural milieu that draws a lot on paganism but isn’t necessarily reflective of people who would actively practice a set of traditions,” said Doyle White, a visiting lecturer at the University of Hertfordshire in Hatfield, U.K. That group now also includes a host of people with strong views on protecting the environment.

Gail Charman, a 66-year-old retiree who was on the walk, prefers to call herself a nature lover She still attends a church service at

Christmas, but her community of fellow believers are fellow environmentalists on such walks.

“I love nature passionately,” Charman said. “So, I like the chance to mingle with people on the walk and then doing all this learning, going to these really old sites. When you’re there with a group of people with mutual interests, it doubles the joy.”

As they entered the stone circle on a narrow hedged pathway, the walkers grew quiet. There was no one else at the site. Aside from an occasional bird overhead, and some detritus left from other walkers — including a woolen hat tucked under the central stone the circle was still and undisturbed. Some walked meditatively around the stones, alone or with a partner

Tamsin Floyd, a former nurse who now sells condiments, pesto and jams that she makes from foraged ingredients, walked straight to the central quartz pillar, wrapped her arms around it and rested her head.

“It’s really comfortable to put your arms around it,” she said. “It just feels nice. It feels supremely relaxing. I just like the feeling of connecting with our ancestors, something that’s really old and ancient.”

Floyd and her partner are planning a wedding at Boscawen-Ûn next July. She also likes to visit holy wells and springs around Cornwall, which are thought to bring healing to those who dip in its waters.

Kennett gathered everyone around her in the center of the circle and offered a few observations from archaeologists and astronomers about how the site developed. Was the leaning stone always leaning? Was it the original slab around which the other standing stones were erected? What about the carvings on the bottom of that stone? Do they represent axe heads or maybe feet? Did ancient people come to watch the sun set at one end and the moon rise over another? She took questions and allowed for more quiet time. Then, with dusk descending quickly, she motioned for the group to begin the trek back over the fields to the Church of St. Buryan.

Farmers struggle to commit to cover crop practice

BY OLIVIA COHEN

Contributing writer

Editor’s note: This story, created by Olivia Cohen for the Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk is part of the AP Storyshare. Louisiana Inspired features solutions journalism stories that provide tangible evidence that positive change is happening in other places and in our own communities — solutions that can be adopted around the world.

When Levi Lyle was just 6 years old, his father was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer With treatment, his father survived his diagnosis. The ordeal changed how he farmed.

“It created an openness in his approach to farming to start doing things differently,” Lyle said. His father started no-till farming when the practice was still rare in Iowa. A decade ago, when Lyle, now 47, moved back to the family farm, he and his father jumped into organic farming.

“My experiences seeing my father overcome cancer, along with the Agricultural Health Survey’s Midwest cancer statistics, which point to a rural health crisis, inspire me to farm differently,” he said. Today, Lyle grows corn and soybeans in Keokuk County, in southeast Iowa. Lyle farms about 250 acres, with 40 acres of that organic certified. His father farms an additional 250 acres.

Lyle said introducing cover crops into his practice was a “nobrainer.”

According to the U.S Department of Agriculture, cover crops are usually grasses or legumes that are planted between cash crop seasons to provide soil cover and improve soil health. Cover crops can reduce erosion and compaction, improve soil’s ability to hold water, reduce nutrient runoff, suppress weeds, as well as provide other services. Despite being an advocate for cover crops, Lyle said the practice

PROVIDED PHOTO By JIM SLOSIAREK

Cattle graze on cover crops on a field at the Rodale Institute in Marion, Iowa, on Oct 3. The mix of plants are clover, radishes, Japanese millet and oats. According to a new study by Iowa State University researchers, nearly 20 percent of farmers who reported planting cover crops on their land one year had ceased using them the following year

does present challenges.

“The initial challenge is that there is more labor involved,” Lyle said Cover crops “do not pay for themselves in the short run.”

In the U.S. more than 153,000 farms had land planted in cover crops in 2022.

In Iowa specifically, the use of cover crops has expanded significantly in recent years, growing from 1.3 million acres in 2022 to 3.8 million acres in 2024.

The conservation practice is promoted by the state through cost share incentives. It’s an effort by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship to reduce the nutrients that go into local waters, make their way into the Mississippi River and ultimately contribute to the Gulf Dead Zone, an annually reoccurring area of reduced oxygen in the Gulf of Mexico.

According to the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy, an initiative aimed at reducing nitrogen and phosphorus runoff into Iowa’s waterways, to achieve 45% nutrient reduction will require about 14 million additional acres of cover crops to be planted

But a study published in July 2025 in the Society & Natural Re-

sources Journal found that while the number of acres being planted with cover crops has grown, many farmers abandon the practice after one year

“This study shows that adoption is not a one-time decision — it’s a dynamic process influenced by a range of factors,” co-author Suraj Upadhaya, assistant professor of sustainable systems at Kentucky State University, said in a news release about the study

Chris Morris, a postdoctoral research associate at Iowa State University was part of a research team that interviewed more than 3,000 Iowa farmers between 2015 and 2019.

The survey showed that nearly 20 percent of the farmers who reported planting cover crops on their land the first year had ceased using them the following year

However, the survey found that most of those farmers would be open to resuming the practice in the future.

Only about 4% of the farmers who participated in the survey said they have no intention of using cover crops again.

“What we found was a whole lot more shifting back and forth than we anticipated,” J. Arbuckle, pro-

fessor of rural sociology at ISU, said.

Nationwide, in 2022, nearly 18 million acres, or 4.7% of total U.S. cropland, had cover crops, up 17% from 2017.

Cover crop use is most common in the eastern U.S In states along the Mississippi River Iowa had the most acreage with cover crops in 2022 but Wisconsin had the highest percentage of its cropland using cover crops, at nearly 8%. All 10 states saw an increase in cover crop usage from 2012 to 2022, though some states, like Tennessee and Kentucky, saw a drop in cover crop use from 2017 to 2022.

Experts say cover crops present challenges to farmers that can act as barriers to permanent adoption.

Anna Morrow senior program manager with the Midwest Cover Crops Council, said one hurdle is that cover crop planting overlaps with the busy harvest season.

“Cover crops are a practice where a lot of the labor is right at a peak labor time in our season, right? So obviously (farmers) have to prioritize the cash crop so that they get paid,” Morrow said.

“It’s complicated because a lot of farmers are doing the cover crops in the winter so between getting the current crop harvested, planting the cover crop, getting that terminated before the next crop, if this cover crop is not going to work in that schedule, it’s going to be abandoned,” Morris said. Morris said barriers beyond timing abound, too, like the cost of purchasing and planting cover crops, balancing the cover crops with other farm work, and challenges that come with farming on rented land.

“A lot of farmers are in really short-term leases, and a lot of farmers feel like landlords aren’t interested in investing in conservation practices on rented land, because they may or may not be farming that land one or two or three years from now,” Arbuckle said. In Lyle’s case, he owns the 40 acres he uses for organic farm-

ing, but he and his father lease the rest of their land. They plant cover crops on both the land they own and rent.

Lyle said for him it’s “economically justifiable” to plant cover crops on his leased land because he expects a “reduction in number of field passes, reduced herbicides, and reduced fertilizer use due to the nutrient scavenging capacity of cover crops.”

To address cost barriers and encourage the use of cover crops, various federal and state programs offer cost-share incentives.

Lyle said this year he has been awarded cover crop funding for 150 acres, getting paid $10 per acre On average, it costs producers about $60 per acre to pay for cover crops.

Morris said these programs are helpful, but farmers told him they often don’t pay enough, require complicated, time-sucking paperwork, and only last one to three years.

But cover crops are a long game, Morris said. While use of cover crops can reduce the need for fertilizer, increase soil health and lead to better productivity, he said those benefits can be difficult to measure and can take years to materialize.

“It’s hard for farmers to justify that high economic cost of cover crops in any given year if there’s not going to be an immediate payoff. Most of these farmers are making marginal profits in any given year, if any, and some are at a net loss. So, there’s a huge weight on farmers’ shoulders of trying to keep the farm going, especially if it’s a farm that’s been in their families for generations,” Morris said. “Anything that could potentially put them out of business is going to seem like a threat.” Cover crops are generally not harvested; rather their benefits come from simply being on the land. At the end of their life they’re terminated using herbicides or manual methods, like mowing, and tilled into the soil or left atop it as mulch.

SUNDAY, December 7, 2025

directions: Make a 2- to 7-letter word from the letters in each row Add points of each word, using scoring directions at right. Finally, 7-letter words get 50-point bonus. “Blanks” used as any letter have no point value All the words are in the Official SCRABBLE® Players Dictionary, 5th Edition.

word game

instructions: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed. 3. Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.

todAY's Word — KeYBoArd: KEE-bord: A bank of keys on a musical instrument such as a piano.

Average mark 50 words Time limit 60 minutes Can you find 66 or more words in KEYBOARD?

ken ken

instructions: 1 -Each rowand each column must contain thenumbers 1through4 (easy) or 1through6 (challenging) without repeating 2 -The numbers within the heavily outlinedboxes, called cages, must combine using thegiven operation (inany order)toproduce the target numbersinthe top-left corners. 3 -Freebies: Fillinthe single-boxcages withthe numberinthe top-left corner

instructions: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 gridwith several given numbers. The object is to placethe numbers 1to 9in theempty squares so that each row,each column and each 3x3 boxcontains the same number only once. The difficultylevel of the Conceptis Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday

directions: Complete thegridso that numbers 1–132 connect horizontally, vertically or diagonally

Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

By John andrew agpalo

Inspired play

South in today’s deal was American expert John Schermer, who we believe is from the Seattle area. He covered the opening jack of diamonds lead with dummy’s king, losing to the ace. East returned a diamond.

Schermer played the 10, expecting it to be ruffed, but West followed with the five. Knowing that West started with short diamonds, Schermer decided not to play West for short clubs also. He cashed the king of clubs and led another club, picking up West’s queen. What next?

Who had the king of spades?

If West had it, Schermer could make his contract by leading toward the queen Schermer decided, however, that East would not have bid four hearts on only three trumps and the ace of diamonds He played East for the king of spades. Did that mean that the contract couldn’t be made? Not at all!

wuzzLes

super Quiz

a low spade and West was endplayed. He had to give dummy the king of hearts Had West unblocked the jack, Schermer would have crossed to dummy and led a spade toward his nine. Very nicely played!

West’s distribution was almost certainly 2-7-2-2. Schermer could make his contract if West held either the jack or the 10 of spades, or both. He cashed the queen of diamonds and led the queen of spades. East covered, Schermer played the ace, and West was under the gun. When West played low, Schermer led

Tannah Hirsch welcomes readers’ responses sent in care of this newspaper or to Tribune Content Agency inc., 2225 Kenmore Ave., Suite 114, Buffalo, Ny 14207. E-mail responses may be sent to gorenbridge@ aol.com. © 2025 Tribune Content Agency

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Home improvements, investing in yourself and your livelihood, and setting yourself up for success are on the rise. Take control and do what’s best for you.

CAPRICORN (Dec 22-Jan. 19) When opportunity knocks, open the door Look for new ways to utilize your skills and apply your experience to professions that are experiencing growth.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Put your energy into personal improvement, updating your resume and connecting with people who can help

you advance Upgrade your look to encourage better responses. PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) Refuse to let anyone push you. You’ll know when the right opportunity comes along. Listen to your heart, not someone trying to take advantage of you. ARIES (March 21-April 19) Say no to temptation and yes to learning, personal growth and romance. Do your research and get the lowdown before you pursue something new Do your due diligence.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Go through the proper channels before you

make a decision that may put you in a vulnerable position. Trust your instincts, not someone trying to take advantage of you.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Be open to suggestions, but rely on yourself and your intuition to guide you in a direction that’s best for you. Choose common sense over someone’s ego-boosting rhetoric.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) You are in a better position than you realize Take a moment to review the facts and reevaluate your past, present and future. Advancement awaits you.

Take this Super Quiz to a Ph.D. Score 1 point for each correct answer on the Freshman Level, 2 points on the graduate Level and 3 points on the Ph.D. Level.

SUBJECT: HISTORICAL BOOKS

(e.g., Isaac Newton’s book about gravitation and motion. Answer: Principia.)

FRESHMAN LEVEL

1. Betty Friedan’s book that sparked second-wave feminism in the United States.

Answer________

2. Complete the Adam Smith title: “An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of _____.”

Answer________

3. The earliest major book printed using mass-produced movable metal type in Europe.

Answer________

4. Writings by Anne Frank. Originally published as “Het Achterhuis” (“The Annex”).

Answer________

5. Karl Marx described his economic theories in this book.

Answer________

GRADUATE LEVEL

Charles Darwin’s work, considered to be the foundation of evolutionary biology

Answer________ 8.

Answer________ 7. Published in 1611, it is the widest distributed book ever, with over 6 billion copies.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Show everyone what you can do. Socialize, network and address situations that require your attention You stand to prosper if you take hold of situations and turn them in your favor

VIRGO (Aug 23-Sept. 22) Think before you act, and protect those you love from people who are out to take advantage of you. A change may be necessary if you discover you have misinterpreted what someone is offering you.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) What you hear will not be factual. Verify information before committing to

an action. Focus inward and put your time, effort and energy into self-improvement.

SCORPIO (Oct 24-Nov 22) Explore the possibilities, learn from an expert and take advantage of what you discover by using it to advance your current position. Change is within reach; all you must do is ignite the fuse.

The horoscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact.

© 2025 by NEA, inc., dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication

Answers to puzzles

SCORING: 24 to 30 points —congratulations, doctor; 18 to 23 points—honorsgraduate; 13 to 17 points —you’replenty smart, but no grind; 5to12points —you really shouldhit the booksharder;1point to 4points —enroll in remedial courses immediately; 0points who reads thequestions to you?

Saturday's Cryptoquote: Nothing says holidays like acheeselog.—Ellen DeGeneres

1. "The Feminine Mystique." 2. "The Wealthof Nations." 3. Gutenberg Bible. 4. "The Diaryofa Young Girl." 5. "Das Kapital." 6. "On the Origin of Species." 7. King James Bible. 8. Domesday Book.9."The Birds of America." 10."The Prince" ("Il Principe"). 11. "A Dictionary of the English Language." 12. "Silent Spring." 13. "Rightsof Man." 14. Dead Sea Scrolls. 15. "Quotationsfrom Chairman Mao Tse-tung." Crossword Answers