The Advocate 01-23-2026

Louisiana braces for extreme winter weather

BR area near ‘icing line’ with worse conditions to north

Gov. Jeff Landry speaks at a news conference Thursday on the severe winter weather expected to hit Louisiana this weekend.

BY ELLYN COUVILLION and QUINN COFFMAN Staff writers

A winter storm watch is in effect for the Baton Rouge area this weekend, from late Saturday night until 6 p.m. Sunday as the entire state of Louisiana prepares for extreme winter weather, the National Weather Service said Thursday

Total ice accumulations of around one-tenth of an inch are expected in Baton Rouge with locally higher accumulations of up to a quarter-inch possible.

“Difficult travel conditions are pos-

sible,” the weather service said. There is a 90% chance of rain Saturday night, with a low temperature of 39 degrees, the agency said. A 90% chance of rain continues on Sunday, with a low of 24 degrees predicted, the weather service said. Gov Jeff Landry urged all Louisiana residents to plan ahead for the inclement and potentially dangerous weather conditions.

“We are preparing for significant impacts across the state starting as early as Friday in our northwestern parishes,” Landry said Thursday during a news conference about the weather “I beg you, please take this serious.”

Emerson exits U.S. Senate race

BY TYLER BRIDGES Staff writer

State Rep. Julie Emerson dropped out of the U.S. Senate race on Thursday, becoming the first political casualty of U.S. Rep Julia Letlow’s sudden entry into the election two days earlier.

Emerson’s move comes as no big surprise she had said she was running only because Letlow hadn’t declared her candidacy Letlow R-Baton Rouge, became a formidable challenger to Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Baton Rouge, after President Donald Trump endorsed her on Saturday “With Congresswoman Letlow’s entry into the race, the path to victory that was visible a couple of months ago has diminished,” Emerson posted on social media Thursday “I support President

Both the governor and State Climatologist Jay Grymes said the worst impacts will be in central and north Louisiana, with a maximum of 1 inch of accumulated surface ice in some areas.

“These accumulation amounts would be crippling,” Grymes said. “Add in a three-day-long continuous freeze, that’s a formula for potential widespread closures into next week.”

Grymes said north Louisiana should prepare for a “triple whammy”: first ice, then snow and finally cold air

The threat of dangerous ice is most

State Rep.

in her third term in the Louisiana House of Representatives. ä See EMERSON, page 4A

BY PATRICK WALL Staff writer

The country’s top education official returned to Louisiana this week as part of a nationwide tour where she praised the state’s educational gains, joined the governor in a school second-line and played the role of national cheerleader for what President Donald Trump has called “patriotic education.” U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon‘s visit, which included stops on Wednesday at Sophie B. Wright Charter School and The National WWII Museum, was part of a crosscountry tour celebrating America’s 250th anniversary this year and promoting an unapologetically pro-America civics and history education. That promotion started as soon as she addressed the hundreds of students gathered in the Sophie B. Wright auditorium. “I want to hear a resounding cheer from all of you,” she said, “for the greatest country in the world: the United States of America!” How to teach America’s story to students is a perpetually contentious topic, but today’s political polarization has cranked up

Secretary of education visits La. charter school ä See PATRIOTIC, page 5A

BY CHRISTOPHER CARTWRIGHT Staff writer

The bases are loaded in Ascension Parish, as an agreement about who can use the Gonzales baseball fields heads to a vote in the Parish Council and Gonzales City Council. If approved, the agreement allows the parish to use the baseball and softball fields at Tee Joe Park, Municipal Park and BergeronGaudin Park for parish programming That includes the parish’s agreement with AP Baseball league, which has more than 1,300 players, said Pamela Matassa,

communications director for the parish government. The agreement states that other groups, such as traveling baseball teams, may reserve the fields for a fee if scheduling permits. That has led to a sticking point at the city level, because AP Baseball gets priority, leading to a lack of availability for other teams and programs.

Speaking at the city’s Jan 12 meeting, Gonzales resident Randell Williams said travel leagues have previously paid the city to

See WEATHER, page 4A ä See BASEBALL, page 5A

BRIEFS FROM WIRE REPORTS

Human fetal tissue use in NIH research banned

The Trump administration announced Thursday that human fetal tissue derived from abortions can no longer be used in research funded by the National Institutes of Health.

The policy, long urged by anti-abortion groups, expands restrictions issued during President Donald Trump’s first term.

The tissue, which otherwise would be thrown away, has been critical for certain research, including ways to fight HIV and cancer Opponents of fetal tissue use say there are now alternatives, although many scientists say there aren’t always adequate substitutes.

In a statement Thursday, NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya acknowledged the agency “has long maintained policies governing the responsible and limited use of human fetal tissue in biomedical research.”

NIH documents say the policy doesn’t end the use of “cell lines” created years ago from fetal cells. Those are cloned copies of cells, such as embryonic stem cells, adapted to grow continuously in labs.

Playground covered with more than 50 swastikas

NEW YORK A crew of vandals covered a Brooklyn playground in a Jewish neighborhood with more than 50 swastikas during a two-day attack, police and city officials said Thursday

Members of Community Board 12 alerted the 66th Precinct on Tuesday after the hateful graffiti was found peppered throughout the park.

After board members and police toured the playground, the vandals returned Tuesday night, drawing more than 25 swastikas on the playground equipment, the sidewalk and the handball courts, bringing the total over two days to 57.

Pictures of the vandalism shared by Community Board 12 show red and blue swastikas on the handball courts along with the words “Adolf Hitler.”

Fla. AG’s memo taunted minorities, Democrat says TALLAHASSEE, Fla. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier was being deliberately provocative when he released a memo on Martin Luther King Jr. Day stating he wouldn’t enforce or defend dozens of laws that mention race, the Florida House minority leader said Thursday

“I think he did it, basically, to flaunt that he has the power and to do it to taunt Black and Brown people in Florida,” said Democratic Rep. Fentrice Driskell.

On Monday, Uthmeier issued a news release announcing an opinion identifying more than 80 state laws that he wrote “promote and require racial discrimination on its face.”

“Therefore, I requested, and I am now giving, an official legal opinion in writing on a question of law relating to my official duties,” the opinion states.

The list of laws varies widely, from programs to recruit minority physicians to student scholarships and efforts to encourage minority-owned businesses to bid on government contracts. He wrote that he would not defend or enforce “any of these discriminatory provisions.”

Hiker who forged on alone found dead

LOS ANGELES Another hiker has died while attempting to summit the highest peak in the contiguous U.S., marking the third reported death on Mount Whitney this season. The hiker was reported missing Monday after failing to descend the mountain and reunite with a hiking companion, who had decided the prior afternoon to turn around early due to safety concerns, according a post from Inyo County Search & Rescue.

The hiker who was later found dead had decided Sunday afternoon to continue onward alone A rescue team located the hiker during an aerial search, recovering the body from the north face of Mount Whitney, below the notorious “final 400” stretch, a dangerously steep chute along the route that is particularly challenging to navigate in the winter months.

UVALDE SCHOOL SHOOTING

Acquittal shifts focus to next case

Officer found not guilty of child endangerment

BY JIM VERTUNO Associated Press

AUSTIN,Texas

With the acquittal in the first Texas trial over the hesitant police response to the Robb Elementary School mass shooting, prosecutors must now decide how to try their case against the only other officer who was charged.

Adrian Gonzales’ trial was a rare prosecution of an officer accused of failing to save lives by preventing a crime.

For nearly three weeks, Uvalde County’s district attorney laid out a case to jurors how Gonzales did nothing to stop the gunman and bore responsibility for failing to protect the 19 fourth-graders killed in one of the worst school shootings in U.S. history But jurors found Gonzales not

guilty after seven hours of deliberations, leaving Pete Arredondo, Uvalde’s former schools police chief, as the only officer still facing trial over the response to the May 24, 2022, attack, which also killed two teachers.

Uvalde County District Attorney Christina Mitchell declined immediate comment Thursday on plans to proceed against Arredondo, but legal experts said prosecutors will likely consider changes to how they present evidence and witness testimony Prosecutors also will face pressure from victims’ families, some of whom have spent years questioning why more of the nearly 400 officers who rushed to the school the day of the attack weren’t charged.

“Again, we are failed. I don’t even know what to say,” Javier

Cazares, the father of 9-year-old Jackie Cazares, told reporters after Wednesday’s verdict. Gonzales and Arredondo were both indicted on felony charges of child abandonment or endangerment, but the actions behind the counts are markedly different.

Gonzales, who was one of the first officers to arrive that day, was accused of abandoning his training and duty to confront the gunman.

Arredondo, who was deemed the incident commander, is accused of failing to enforce the school district’s active shooter response plan through a series of decisions that led law enforcement to wait more than an hour before entering the classroom where the gunman was.

While officers waited, children and teachers lay dead or wounded inside, and some made emergency calls pleading for help.

The case against Gonzales focused on what he did in the first

NASA, astronauts’ families mark Challenger accident

Space shuttle broke apart at launch 40 years ago

BY MARCIA DUNN AP aerospace writer

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Families of the astronauts lost in the space shuttle Challenger accident gathered back at the launch site Thursday to mark that tragic day 40 years ago.

All seven on board were killed when Challenger broke apart following liftoff on Jan 28, 1986.

At the Kennedy Space Center memorial ceremony, Challenger pilot Michael Smith’s daughter, Alison Smith Balch, said through tears that her life forever changed that frigid morning, as did many other lives. “In that sense,” she told the hundreds of mourners, “we are all part of this story.”

“Every day I miss Mike,” added his widow, Jane Smith-Holcott, “every day’s the same.”

The bitter cold weakened the O-ring seals in Challenger’s right solid rocket booster, causing the shuttle to rupture 73 seconds after liftoff. A dysfunctional culture at NASA contributed to that disaster and, 17 years later, shuttle Columbia’s.

Kennedy Space Center’s deputy director Kelvin Manning said those humble

Recovery

and painful lessons require constant vigilance “now more than ever” with rockets soaring almost every day and the next astronaut moonshot just weeks away Challenger’s crew included schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe, who was selected from more than 100 teachers representing every state. Two of her fellow teacher-in-space contenders — both retired now attended the memorial.

“We were so close together,” said Bob Veilleux, a retired astronomy high school teacher from New Hampshire, McAuliffe’s home state.

Twenty-five names are carved into the Space Mirror Memorial at Kennedy’s visitor complex: the Challenger seven, the seven who perished in the Columbia disaster on Feb. 1, 2003, the three killed in the Apollo 1 fire on Jan. 27, 1967, and all those lost in plane and other on-thejob accidents.

Relatives of the fallen Columbia and Apollo crews also attended NASA’s Day of Remembrance, held each year on the fourth Thursday of January The space agency also held ceremonies at Virginia’s Arlington National Cemetery and Houston’s Johnson Space Center

“You always wonder what they could have accomplished” had they lived longer, Lowell Grissom, brother of Apollo 1 commander Gus Grissom, said at Kennedy “There was a lot of talent there.”

of missing dog brings hope after Spain’s train crashes

BY SUMAN NAISHADHAM Associated Press

MADRID After back-to-back fatal train crashes sent shock waves through Spain, some good news arrived on Thursday: Boro, the missing dog, was found.

Days earlier, Boro’s owner Ana García issued a desperate plea to help find him after the dog bolted Sunday in the aftermath of the high-speed train crash in southern Spain that killed at least 45 people. García, 26, and her pregnant sister were traveling with Boro on the train that derailed

On Thursday forest firefighters in southern Spain found the black-andwhite pooch, and posted images that showed García with one of her legs in a brace embracing Boro.

“Many thanks to all of Spain and everyone who has got involved so much,” she

said. “It gave me great hope and we’ve done it.”

Photos of Boro, a medium-sized black dog with white eyebrows, went viral alongside phone numbers for García and her family Spanish television broadcasters and newspapers covered the search.

García, her sister and the dog had been traveling Sunday by high-speed train from Malaga, their hometown in southern Spain, to the capital Madrid, when the tail of their train car jumped the rails for reasons that remain unclear, and smashed into another train.

The collision killed dozens and injured more than 150 people Rescue crews helped García and her sister out of the tilted train car That’s when she briefly saw Boro before he ran.

On Thursday, she had a bruise beneath her eye but, with Boro back by her side, also a smile plastered across her face.

frantic seconds and minutes after 18-year-old Salvador Ramos began shooting at the school.

Gonzales said he never saw the gunman before he entered the building. Gonzales also noted that he was among the first group of officers who tried to reach the classroom before they retreated under gunfire.

Arredondo was indicted on 10 charges stemming from the excruciating time period when Ramos was inside a classroom while dozens of officers gathered in the hallway, and hundreds more were outside. Arredondo’s decisions included negotiating with the gunman he considered contained. A tactical team eventually forced its way into the classroom and killed Ramos.

Gonzales and Arredondo were indicted on the same day in June 2024, but Arredondo’s trial has been delayed.

Budget

office wants data on money sent to Democratic states

BY GEOFF MULVIHILL Associated Press

Pres id ent Do na ld

Trump’s budget office this week ordered most government agencies to compile data on the federal money that is sent to 14 mostly Democratic-controlled states and the District of Columbia in what it describes as a tool to “reduce the improper and fraudulent use of those funds.”

The order obtained by The Associated Press, comes a week after Trump said he intended to cut off federal funding that goes to states that are home to “sanctuary cities” that resist his immigration policies. He said that would start Feb. 1 but hasn’t unveiled further details.

A memo to federal departments and agencies did not explain why those states were targeted. All but one — Virginia — were either included last year on the administration’s list of sanctuary places or were home to at least one jurisdiction that was.

There is no strict defini-

tion for sanctuary policies or sanctuary cities, but the terms generally describe limited cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

“This is a data-gathering exercise only,” the memo said. “It does not involve withholding funds.”

Trump said at a White House news conference Tuesday — the same day the memo went to federal departments — that he still intended to cut off funding.

“We’re not going to pay them anymore. They are sanctuary for criminals,” he said. “They can sue us and maybe they’ll win, but we’re not giving money to sanctuary cities anymore.”

The list of targets includes all fully Democratic-controlled states except Hawaii, Maryland and New Mexico And it includes all the states with nearly all the sanctuary jurisdictions But it does not include some other states that are home to cities or counties on the list: Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, New Mexico and Pennsylvania.

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3involvedinMinn. church protestarrested

BY ALANNA DURKIN RICHER, GIOVANNA DELL’ORTO and

JACK

BROOK Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS Aprominent civil rights attorney and at least two other people involved in an anti-immigration enforcement protest that disrupted aservice at a Minnesota church have been arrested, Trump administration officials said Thursday evenasajudge rebuffed related chargesagainst journalist Don Lemon.

Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the arrest of Nekima Levy Armstrong in apost on X. On Sunday, protestersentered the Cities Church in St. Paul, where a local officialwith U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement serves as apastor.Bondi later posted on Xthat asecond person had been arrested, followed by athird arrest announcedby FBI Director KashPatel.

The Justice Department quickly openeda civilrights investigation after the group interrupted services by chanting “ICE out” and “Justice for Renee Good,” referring to the 37-year-old mother of three who was fatally shot by an ICE officer in Minneapolis earlier this month.

ANGELINAKATSANIS

NekimaLevyArmstrong holds up her fist after speaking at an anti-ICE rally MondayinSt. Paul, Minn. Levy Armstrong has been arrested after aprotest that disrupted achurch service, U.S. AttorneyGeneral PamBondi announced in a social media post.

“Listen loudand clear: WE DO NOT TOLERATE ATTACKSONPLACES OF WORSHIP,”the attorney general wroteonX CitiesChurch belongs to theSouthern Baptist Convention and lists one of its pastors as DavidEasterwood, who leads thelocal ICE field office. Many Baptist churches have pastors who also work other jobs Prominent leaders of the Southern Baptist Con-

ventionhavecometothe church’sdefense, arguing that compassionfor migrantfamiliesaffectedby the crackdown cannot justify violating asacred space during worship.

Attorneys representing the church hailed the arrests.

“The U.S. Department of Justice acted decisively by arresting those who coordinated and carriedout the terrible crime,” saidDoug

Wardlow,director of litigationfor True North Legal, which calls itself apublic interestcivil rights firm, in astatement.

Levy Armstrong, an attorney and prominent local activist, hadcalledfor the pastor affiliatedwithICE to resign, saying his dual role poses a“fundamental moral conflict.”

“You cannot lead acongregation while directing an agency whoseactions have cost lives andinflicted fear in ourcommunities,”she said Tuesday.“When officials protect armed agents, repeatedly refuse meaningful investigation intokillings like Renee Good’s, and signal theymay pursue peaceful protesters and journalists, that is not justice —itis intimidation.”

Alongtime activist in theTwin Cities metropolitan area, Levy Armstrong hashelpedlead local protestsafter thehigh-profile police-involved killings of Black Americans, including George Floyd,Philando Castile and Jamar Clark. She is aformer president of the NAACP’s Minneapolis branch.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem posted aphoto on XofLevy Armstrong withher armsbehind

herback next to aperson wearing abadge. Noem said shefaces acharge undera statute that bars threatening or intimidating someone exercising aright. Patel posted on Xthat Chauntyll Louisa Allen, the second person Bondi said was arrested, is charged under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, which prohibits physically obstructing or using the threat of force to intimidate or interfere with aperson seeking reproductive health services or seeking to participate in aservice at a house of worship. Patel said WilliamKelly hasalso been arrested.

It’s unclear which attorneys would representAllen and Kelly Allen and Levy Armstrong arepartofa community of Black Minnesota activists who have protested the deaths of African Americans at the hands of police.

Kelly defended the protest during anewsconference Tuesday,criticizing the church forits association with apastor whoworks for ICE.

In court Thursday,federal magistrate judge Doug Micko granted the women bond and restricted them from traveling outside Minnesota or from going near thechurch. Thegovernment said it would appeal. Levy Armstrong’sattorneysaidheofferedfor her to turn herself in peacefully, but the Trump administration insisted on arresting her. “Theywanted aspectacle,” Levy Armstrong’shusband Marques Armstrong said, recalling around 50 agents came to detainhis wife.

TheJustice Department’s swift investigation into the church proteststands in contrast to its decision not to open acivil rights investigation into the killing of Good. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said last week there was “nobasis” fora civil rightsinvestigation into her death. Administration officials have said the officer acted in self-defense andthat the driver of the Honda was engaging in “an act of domestic terrorism”when she pulled toward him

BY MICHELLEL.PRICE, JULIE CARR SMYTH and STEVE PEOPLES

Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS Insisting that he was in Minnesota to help “lower the temperature,” Vice PresidentJDVance on Thursday blamed “far-left people” and state and local law enforcement officials forthe chaos that hasconvulsed thestate during the White House’saggressive deportation campaign. He also defended federal agents who detained a 5-year-old boy whilemaking an immigration arrest.

The recent turmoil “has been created, Ithink, by a lot of very,frankly,far-left people, also by some of the state and local law enforcement officials who could do amuch better job in cooperating,” the Republican vice president said.

“We’re doing everything that we can to lower the temperature,” Vance said, adding that he wants “state and local officials to meet us halfway.”

The Justice Department is investigating Minnesota’s Democratic leaders, including Gov.Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, over whether they have obstructed or impededlaw enforcement through their public statements. Walz and Frey have described the investigation as an attempt to bully the political opposition.

Federal officers stood in arow behind Vance as he spoke, and there were two Immigrantsand Customs Enforcement vehicles emblazoned with the slogan

“Defend the Homeland.”

His visit follows weeksof aggressive rhetoricfrom the White House,including President Donald Trump, whohas threatened to invoke theInsurrection Act andsendinmilitaryforces —to crack down on unrest in the state. Asked about that option, Vance said, “Right now,wedon’t think that we need that.”

spokesperson.

Vance pushed back against such criticism and defended ICEagentswho detained the young boyashewas arriving home from preschool.

“When they went to arrest his illegal alien father,the fatherran,” Vance said. “So the story is that ICE detained a 5-year-old. Well, what are theysupposed to do?”

Trump dispatched thousands of federal agentsto Minnesota after reports of child care fraud by Somali immigrants. Minneapolis-area officials, including Frey,as wellas the police, religious leadersand the bu siness community have pushed back, and outrage grew after an agent fatally shot a woman duringa confrontation this month

Vancehas played aleading role in defending that agent, and the vice president previously said Renee Good’s death was“atragedy of her own making.” On Thursday, he repeated claims that Good “rammed” an agent with her car,anaccount that hasbeendisputed based on videos ofthe incident.

Minnesota faith leaders, backedbylabor unions and hundreds of Minneapolisarea businesses, areplanning aday of protests Friday. Nearly 600local business have announced plans to shut down, while hundreds of “solidarity events” are expected across the country, according toaMoveOn

The boy,who was taken by federal agents alongwithhis father to adetention facility in Texas, was the fourth student from his Minneapolis suburb to be detained by immigration officers in recent weeks.

During an appearance in Ohio earlier in theday, Vance praised thearrest of protesters who disrupted achurchserviceinMinnesota on Sundayand said he expectsmoreprosecutions to come.

“They’re scaring little kids who are there to worship God on aSunday morning,”Vance said. “Those people are going to be sent to prison so long as we have thepower to do so.”

He added: “Just as you have theright to protest, they have aright to worship Godastheychoose. And when youinterrupt that, that is aviolation of the law.”

Appearance in Ohio

Vance’sstop in Ohiowas focused primarily on bolstering the Republican administration’s positive economic message. The vice president also took the opportunity to boostsome of Republicans’important statewide candidates in this fall’smidterm elections.

Convincing voters that the nation is in rosy financial

shape hasbeen apersistent challengefor Trumpduring the first year of his second term. Pollinghas shown that the public is unconvinced that the economy is in good condition and majorities disapproveofhow Trump’s handling of foreign policy Vanceurged voters to be patient on the economy,saying Trump hadinheriteda badsituation from Democratic President Joe Biden. “You don’tturn theTitanic around overnight,” Vance said. “It takes time to fix what is broken.”

Noticeisherebygiven pursuanttoArticle7, Section 23(C) of the Louisiana Constitution and R.S. 47:1705(B) thata public hearing of the City of Baker, LA in East BatonRouge Parish willbeheldatits regular meeting placeinthe Council Chambers locatedat 3325 GroomRd.,Baker,LAonTuesday,February24, 2026 at 6:00 PM to consider levying additional or increased millage rates without further voterapproval or adopting the adjusted millage ratesafter reassessment and rolling forwardtorates not to exceed the prior year’s maximum. Theestimated amount of tax revenues to be collected in the next year from the increased millage is $517,609 comparedto$473,579 forFY2024, and the amount of increase in taxes attributabletothe millage increase is $44,030. TheFY2026 adopted budget includes $545,000 in property tax revenues

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Houseapproves finalspendingbills

BY KEVIN FREKING and LISA MASCARO Associated Press

WASHINGTON The Housepassed this year’s final batch of spending bills on Thursday as lawmakers, still smarting from last fall’s record 43-day shutdown, worked to avoid another funding lapse for a broad swath of the federal government.

The four bills total about $1.2 trillion in spending and now move tothe Senate, with final passage needed next week before aJan. 30 deadline to avoid apartial government shutdown.

Three of the bills had broad, bipartisan support. Theyfunded Defense and various other departments, including Education, Transportation and Health and Human Services.

Afourthbillfundingthe Department of Homeland Security was hotly disputed as Democrats voiced concerns thatitfailed to restrain President Donald Trump’s mass deportation efforts. Republicans were abletoovercome the Democratic objections andmuscle theHomeland Security bill to passage in a220-207 vote. The broader package, which funds a3.8% pay raise for the military,

WEATHER

Continued from page1A

pressing in Louisiana’scentral and northern parishes, Grymes said. He also is holding out hope that future projections will shift the “icing line” north, taking the I-10/I-12 corridor out of the freeze’sthreat zone.

The Louisiana Department of Transportationand Development will have crews out scouting bridges and overpasses, the department said in astatement, with field crews being ready to begin pretreating measures as

EMERSON

Continued from page1A

Trump and respect his decision to endorse Julia Letlow to defeat Bill Cassidy.” Emerson, 37, is aRepublican from Carencro, just north of Lafayette, who was running as afresh-faced conservativewho knows how to get things done.

Servinginher third and final term, Emersonchairs the Ways and Means Committee, one of the two most sought-after chairs,thanks to her closeness with House Speaker Phillip DeVillier,REunice.

Thecommitteewritestax legislation and plays an importantrole in determining which state construction projects get funding.

passed in a341-88 vote.

Before the votes, House Democratic leaders announced their opposition to theHomeland Security bill as the party’srank-and-file demanded amore forceful stand in responsetothe Republican president’simmigration crackdown. Trump’sefforts have recently centered in theMinneapolisarea, where morethan 2,000 officersare stationed and where aU.S. Immigrationand Customs Enforcement officer fatally shot ReneeGood, a mother of three.

In ajointstatement, the Democratic leaders said Trumppromised the American people thathis

necessary In East Baton Rouge, Clay Rives, director of the Mayor’sOffice of Homeland Securityand EmergencyPreparedness, said crews will salt and sand four bridges leading to the Baton Rouge Municipal Airport.Other locationswill be addedbased on theamount ofsurface ice. His office also shared a graphic advising homeowners touse caulk or weather stripstosealgaps in windowsordoors, andtoinsulate exposed pipes. Both stateand localoffices warned of agreater risk of house fires,carbon monoxide poisoning andhypother-

In 2024, Emerson sponsored the legislation, pushed by Gov. Jeff Landry,that creates the closed primary system for federal elections beginning this year. Under that system,candidateswill qualify from Feb. 11-13 for the congressional and Senateprimaries tobe held onMay 16. If no candidatewins at least 50% in the party primary,the top two finishers will advance to arunoffonJune 27. Her legislation ended thejungle primary system for federal elections.

In 2024,Emersonalso sponsored thelegislation that repealed thecorporate franchisetax,whichisa levy on corporate assets. In 2024, Emerson shepherded through the House a measure that gives parents greater opportunities to use

deportation policywould focus on violent felonsinthe country illegally,but instead,ICE hastargeted American citizens and law-abiding immigrant families.

“Taxpayer dollarsare being misused to brutalize U.S.citizens, including the tragic killing of ReneeNicole Good. This extremism must end,” saidthe statement from Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, DemocraticWhip KatherineClark andDemocraticCaucus Chair Pete Aguilar Democrats hadfew good options to express their opposition to Homeland Securityfunding. Lawmakers, when confronting a

mia for residentstrying to fight thecold.

LivingstonParish has declared astate of emergency ahead of the winter storm watch, beginning at 6p.m. Saturday,according to a news release. The state of emergency will continue until noon Tuesday Ascension Parish made asimilarstate of emergencydeclaration,beginning Thursdayand lasting through Feb.21. TheEast BatonRouge Parish school system,the largest in the Capital Region, is tentatively planning to stayopen Monday, but won’t make a final call until Sunday

public dollarstopay for theirchildren to study at privateschools. The bill setting up the program, known as LA GATOR, was sponsored by Sen. Rick Edmonds, RBaton Rouge.

In 2025, Emerson pushed for big tax cuts. The House passed themeasures, but they were derailed by the Senate because the cost to thetreasury would have led to big budget cuts.

With Emerson’s departure, theother Republicans in the Senate race are Cassidy, stateSen. Blake Miguez of New Iberia, state treasurer JohnFleming, Public Service Commissioner Eric Skrmetta andSt. Tammany ParishCouncil member Kathy Seiden.

Three little-known Democratshave said theyplan to run as well.

funding impasse, generally turn to continuing resolutions to temporarily fund agencies at their current levels.But doing so in this case would simply cede more Homeland Security spending decisions to Trump, said Rep. Rosa DeLauro, topDemocrat on the House Appropriations Committee.

Also, there was concern that a failuretofundHomelandSecurity would hurt disaster assistance programs and agencies such as the Transportation Security Administration, while ICE andCustoms and Border Protection would simply carry on.They could use funding from Trump’sbig tax cut and

Superintendent LaMont Cole said the forecast remainsinconclusiveabout how bad theweather will be early next week.Colesaidhe wants to wait until the cold andrainhit Sundaymorning to see how long-lived the badconditions are likely to be.Hewill announceaclosure decision either Sunday morning or in the afternoon. “You want to make adecision early so thatparents and families can make plans, but that said youdon’t want to makeadecision too early

immigration bill to continue their operations. ICE, which typically receives about $10 billion ayear, was provided$30 billionfor operations and $45 billion for detention facilitiesthrough Republicans’ “one big beautiful bill.”

This year’sHomelandSecurity bill holds the annual spending that Congress provides ICE roughly flat from the prior year.It also restricts the ability of Homeland SecuritySecretaryKristi Noemtounilaterally shift funding and allocate federal dollars as she sees fit. Thebillalso allocates $20 millionfor the purchase and operations of body cameras for ICE and CBP officers interacting with the public during immigration enforcementoperations. And it will requireHomeland Security to provide monthly updates on howitplans to spend money from Trump’sbill.

“It’snot everything we wanted. We wanted moreoversight. But look, Democrats don’tcontrol the House. We don’tcontrol the Senate or the White House. But we wereable to add someoversight over Homeland,” said Rep. Henry Cuellar,D-Texas, amember of the Appropriations panel. Republicans countered that the Homeland Security bill helps lawmakers accomplish their mostimportant duty —keeping the American people safe.

“This legislation delivers just that and upholds the America first agenda,” said Rep. TomCole, the Republican chairman of theHouse Appropriations Committee.

and then have to reverse it,” Cole said. Cole said he was in regulartouch withRivesand MOHSEP.Healso has atext thread with local school superintendents.

In case East Baton Rouge Parishdoesopt to close Monday,Cole said he is askingprincipalstodetermine nowthe take-home work that students will bring hometotide them over until schools reopen. During the historic snows in January 2025, the school

system announceditwas closing school four days ahead of time and endedup staying closed allweek. Cole said he wishes he had sent school laptops homethen so studentscould have had classvirtually forpartof that week.With thecurrent weather,though,hesaidhe doesn’tthink schools will be closed that long, if at all, so such amove is unnecessary Southern University also announcedits BatonRouge campus will movetoremote learning on Monday

the controversy On thepolitical left,Democrats and some educators —including McMahon’spredecessor,Miguel Cardona —have made the case forhistory instructionthatincorporates diverse perspectives and draws aline from pastinstitutions like slavery to present-day inequality.Onthe right,Republicanshave called that approach divisive and overly negative, with President DonaldTrumpsaying it “warped, distorted, and defiled the American story.”

Trump has moved to dismantle the Education Department, arguing that it has done little toimprove student outcomes.Atthe same time, his administration continues to wield it to influence what happens in the nation’sschools. Last year,the department said it will fund projects that promote “patriotic education” in schools, and it launched acivics education campaign focusedoncelebrating the country’sanniversary and “renewing patriotism.”

Trump is “really hopeful that this celebration of patriotism, of respect for the flag, of respect of our rights,” will remind students and citizens “that this is the greatest country in the world,” McMahon said during an interview atThe National WWII Museum, which she visited after the school.

The push for amore patriotic education has been echoed at the state level. In Louisiana,Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley in 2022 led areworking of the state’ssocial studies standards known as the Freedom Framework, to emphasize “American exceptionalism” while providing afuller account of the nation’s origins and “journey towards freedom.”

Brumley said during McMahon’s visit that the standards have led to more rigorous history instruction that helps students learn to think

BASEBALL

Continued from page1A

usethe fields. However, following the approval of asimilar agreement last year,he said the travel leagues had to find alternative practice facilities.

“I want to have aplace for the kids to practice,” he said. “And if y’all would allow us to, to be able to continue to rent the city fields during the week and possibly playgames on the weekend.”

The Gonzales City Council deferred on the intergovernmental agreementin December.Itrejectedthe agreement 3-2 at the Jan. 12 meeting, with council members Cynthia Gray James, Tyler Turner and TerriLambert voting against it.

Turnersaidhevoted against the agreement because he wanted to ensure both groups could use the fields.

“My no vote was never anovote to say that they could not use the field,” he said. “The no vote was that Ibelieve that municipal ball and the travel baseball needed to come to a compromise or come to an agreement so that everyone

critically

“It’sbuilt on the conceptof American exceptionalism,” he said, “but it doesn’tbias thestudentstowardsthat belief.

Still, some teachers viewthe Trump administration’schanges as part of abroader effort to limit what studentslearn about the nation’sdarker chapters while putting arelentlessly positive spin on the past.

“Our job as history teachers is to examine thepast,not pre-decide themessage for students,” said Christopher Dier, who teaches U.S history at Benjamin Franklin High

School in New Orleans. “For us,patriotism means engaging andgrappling withthe country’shistory.”

Trump has long called for “patriotic education”tocounterwhat he has called anti-American ideologies thathesays students are exposedtoinpublic school —including the idea that “America is awicked and racist nation,”ashe put it during aspeech in 2020.

Lastyear,hedirected the EducationDepartmentand other agencies to advance patriotic education,which wasdefinedasteaching American history in away that is “accurate, honest,unifying, inspir-

ing, and ennobling.”

McMahon’s“History Rocks!” tourispart of that effort, along with the “America 250 Civics Education Coalition” that the EducationDepartment announced in September.The coalition, which wastaskedwithcreating educational programs to mark the anniversaryofthe country’sfounding in 1776, is madeupofmore than 40 conservative groups.

They include the Heritage Foundation, athink tank that helped craft Trump’ssecond-term agenda; PragerU, which produces “proAmerica” educational content; and

Turning Point USA, ayouth organizing group founded by the late activist Charlie Kirk thatseeksto “advanceGod-centered,virtuous education forstudents.”

In 2024, Brumley said Louisiana teachers could usePragerU’s videos to teach social studies. The move drew criticism from Democratic state lawmakers whocalled thegroup“right-wing extremists.

During her visit, McMahon praised the state’sacademic progress under Brumley,with Louisianastudentsleading thepack on reading growth on the mostrecent national test.

“Tostart from next to the bottom thentobemoretowards themiddle of the pack and growing very quickly,”she said, “it’sjustreally been amazing.”

In August, McMahon celebrated thegains during atourofa Baton Rouge school. On Wednesday,she wasaccompaniedbyBrumley, state BoardofEducationmembers and Gov.JeffLandry on her visit to the Uptowncharter school. She told the students that America’s250th birthday is an occasion to celebrate the “courage and the exceptionalism that built this wonderful nation.”

“Let’sstand united in upholding what has madeAmerica and Louisiana great,” she said.

Brandon Phelps, asenior at Sophie B. Wright, helped escort McMahon on atour of several classroomsbefore giving her a featheredparasoltocarry during an indoor second-line ledbythe school’sbrass band.

“I felt like it was agreat honor,” he said, “to share our Cajun culture.”

After the event, which included atrivia gamewith questions about U.S. and Louisiana history,12th grader De’Miyah Doyle said she believesit’simportanttolearnall aspectsofhistory,including parts that are painful.

“Itmakes you more humane,” she said, “because you can see from otherperspectives how history has treated and affected other people.”

could be happy.” He said he intends to speak with officials to help work on acompromise later in theweek before Jan. 26, when Mayor TimRiley plans to reintroduce the agreement.Heannounced theplans in anews release on Tuesday

“Timeisofthe essence since theorganization is set to begin operations in early February,” he saidof theAP Baseball season. “A second refusal to approve the agreement will jeopardizethe spring seasonand, almost certainly,denythe opportunity to play ballto our city’syouth.”

Council member Terri Lambert saidthe focus of the discussion should be on the children it impacts, as well as theresponsible useofpublic resources.“Unfortunately, the City administration has chosen to politicize this issue, creatingdivisionwhere cooperation shouldexist,” she said in astatement

There’salso afinancial aspect. Under the intergovernmental agreement, the citywillberesponsible for maintaining the fields and facilities, while the league provider will be allowed to operate concession stands. Travel teams pay the city

to usethe fields.Acting

Recreation Director Ranita Claiborne toldthe Gonzales council the city made alittle more than $11,000 last year from such teams.

Yetinhis statement, Riley said the 2025 contract included a$40,000 payment from the citytoAPBaseball for baseball officials, which is not included in the 2026 agreement. The Parish Council, however,agreed to pay$80,000toAPBaseball forbaseballofficials in October

“By all accounts, AP Baseball’s2025season was asuccess.That fact is borne out by thenumberofkids who signed up forthis year’s league,” Rileystated.“And it wasaccomplished while providingaccess to local travel ball teams who utilized our fields for practice (we will endeavor to accommodate thosetravel teams again this year).”

The agreement also says that theparish programs have exceeded theircapacity at parish-owned parks, and that not enough people participated in Gonzales programs to form aviable league.

YetWilliams saidhe thought the travel teams could fill theGonzales fields during theweek.

“Wehave five teams ourselves. Thereare about 15 other teams that could rent thecity fields also, so it wouldn’tbeanissue, he said. “…Theywouldn’t

be vacant as they were before.”

The agreement was unanimously approved by the AscensionParish Recreation Committee on Jan.15. At

thatmeeting, Gonzales City Council member Eddie Williams and Parish Council member Joel Robert both asked the committeetosupport the agreement.

Smith defends his investigations of Trump

BY ERIC TUCKER, MARY CLARE JALONICK, LISA MASCARO and ALANNA DURKIN RICHER Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Former Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith defended his investigations of President Donald Trump at a congressional hearing Thursday in which he insisted that he had acted without regard to politics and had no second thoughts about the criminal charges he brought.

“No one should be above the law in our country and the law required that he be held to account. So that is what I did,” Smith said of Trump.

Smith testified behind closed doors last month but returned to the House Judiciary Committee for a public hearing that provided the prosecutor with a forum to address Congress and the country more generally about the breadth of evidence he collected during investigations that shadowed Trump during the 2024 presidential campaign and resulted in indictments.

The hourslong hearing immediately split along partisan lines as Republican lawmakers sought to undermine the former Justice Department official while Democrats tried to elicit damaging testimony about Trump’s conduct and accused their GOP counterparts of attempting to rewrite history

“It was always about politics,” said Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, the committee’s Republican chairman.

“Maybe for them,” retorted Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin, referring to Repub-

licans. “But, for us, it’s all about the rule of law.”

The president posted on his Truth Social account that

“DerangedJackSmithshould be prosecuted for his actions” andassertingwithoutanyevidence that the prosecutor had committed perjury Smith told lawmakers that he stood behind his decisions as special counsel to bring charges against Trump in separate cases that accused the Republican of conspiring to overturn the 2020 presidential election after he lost to Democrat Joe Biden and hoarding classified documents at his Mar-aLago estate in Palm Beach, Florida.

“Our investigation developed proof beyond a reasonable doubt that President

Trump engaged in criminal activity,” Smith said.

Spar over phone records

Republicans from the outset sought to portray Smith as an overly aggressive, hard-charging prosecutor who had to be “reined in” by higher-ups and the courts as he investigated Trump. They seized on revelations that the Smith team had subpoenaed the phone records of a group of Republican lawmakers on and around Jan. 6, 2021, the day Trump’s supporters stormed the Capitol.

The records revealed the incoming and outgoing phone numbers as well as the duration of the calls but not the content of the communications, but Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, said the

episode showed how Smith had “walked all over the Constitution.”

Smith has repeatedly justi-

fied the move as necessary to document any contact that Trump or surrogates may have had with lawmakers as he was pressing them to delay the certification of his 2020 election loss to Democrat Joe Biden.

“My office didn’t spy on anyone,” Smith said, explaining that collecting phone records is a common prosecutorial tactic.

Wide-ranging conspiracy

Under questioning, Smith described what he said was a wide-ranging conspiracy to overturn the results of the election and recounted how the Republican refused

‘Sinners’ sets Oscars nomination record

BY JAKE COYLE

AP film writer

Ryan Coogler’s blues-steeped vampire epic “Sinners” led all films with 16 nominations to the 98th Academy Awards on Thursday, setting a record for the most in Oscar history Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences voters showered “Sinners” with more nominations than they had ever bestowed before, breaking the 14-nomination mark set by “All About Eve,” “Titanic” and “La La Land.” Along with best picture Coogler was nominated for best director and best screenplay, and double-duty star Michael B. Jordan was rewarded with his first Oscar nomination, for best actor Paul Thomas Anderson’s fatherdaughter revolutionary saga “One Battle After Another,” the favorite coming into nominations, trailed in second with 13 of its own. Four of its actors Leonardo DiCaprio, Teyana Taylor, Benicio del Toro and Sean Penn — were nominated. In those two top nominees, the film academy put its full force behind a pair of visceral and bracingly original American epics that each connected with a fraught national moment. Coogler’s Jim Crow-era film the rare horror movie to win the academy’s favor — conjures a mythical allegory of Black life. In “One Battle After Another,” a dormant spirit of rebellion is revived in an out-of-control police state. For Coogler, the 39-year-old filmmaker of “Fruitvale Station” and “Black Panther,” it was a crowning moment.

One of Hollywood’s most esteemed yet humble filmmakers, Coogler has called “Sinners” — a film that he will own outright 25 years after its release — his most personal movie.

“I wrote this script for my uncle who passed away 11 years ago,” Coogler said in an interview Thursday “I got to imagine that he’s listening to some blues music right now to celebrate.”

Reached by phone an hour after the nominations were read, Coogler speaking alongside his wife and producer Zinzi Coogler and producer Sev Ohanian was still trying to process the movie’s record-breaking haul.

“I love making movies. I’m honored to wake up every day and do it. I was writing last night. That’s why I didn’t get too much sleep,” said Coogler chuckling “Honestly, bro, I still feel a little bit asleep right now.”

The 10 films nominated for best picture are “Bugonia,” “F1,” “Frankenstein,” “Hamnet,” “Marty Supreme,” “One Battle After Another,” “The Secret Agent,” “Sentimental Value,” “Sinners” and “Train Dreams.” Guillermo del Toro’s lush Mary Shelley adaptation “Frankenstein,” Josh Safdie’s period ping-pong odyssey “Marty Supreme” and Joachim Trier’s family drama “Sentimental Value” all scored nine nominations. Chloé Zhao’s speculative Shakespeare drama “Hamnet” collected eight nods. With the notable exception of del Toro, those filmmakers filled up a best director category of Anderson, Coogler, Safdie, Trier and Zhao, who in 2021 became the first woman of color to ever

win the award.

The nine nods for “Marty Supreme” included a third best actor nod for 30-year-old Timothée Chalamet With Jordan and Chalamet, the nominees are Ethan Hawke for “Blue Moon,” Wagner Moura for “The Secret Agent” and DiCaprio for “One Battle After Another.”

Reached by phone Thursday, DiCaprio said the nominations for “One Battle After Another” and “Sinners” signaled a sea change in an industry where studios have largely shied away from big-budget original stories.

“To me what matters is great ideas and original filmmaking,” said DiCaprio. “I think there’s this tide of change that is going to happen no matter how we feel about it.”

Nominated for best actress was the category favorite, Jessie Buckley (“Hamnet”), along with Rose Byrne (“If I Had Legs I’d Kick You”), Kate Hudson (“Song Sung Blue”), Renate Reinsve (“Sentimental Value”) and twotime winner Emma Stone, who landed her sixth nomination, for “Bugonia.”

The year’s most-watched movie, “KPop Demon Hunters,” scored nominations for both best song (“Golden”) and best animated feature. Sony Pictures developed and produced the film, but, after selling it to Netflix, watched it become a worldwide sensation.

Blockbusters otherwise had a difficult morning. Universal Pictures’ “Wicked: For Good” was shut out entirely The biggest box-office hit nominated for Hollywood’s top award instead was “F1,” an Apple production that landed four nominations.

to listen to advisers who told him that the contest had in fact not been stolen. After he was charged, Smith said, Trump tried to silence and intimidate potential witnesses against him.

Smith said one reason he felt confident in the strength of the case that prosecutors had prepared to take to trial was the extent to which it relied on Republican supporters of Trump.

“Some of the most powerful witnesses were witnesses who, in fact, were fellow Republicans who had voted for Donald Trump, who had campaigned for him and who wanted him to win the election,” Smith said.

Smith was appointed in 2022 by Biden’s Justice Department to oversee investigations into Trump, who has denied any wrongdoing.

Both investigations produced indictments against Trump, but the cases were abandoned by Smith and his team after Trump won back the White House because of longstanding Justice Department legal opinions that say sitting presidents cannot be indicted.

The hearing unfolded against the backdrop of an ongoing Trump administration retribution campaign targeting the investigators who scrutinized the Republican president and amid mounting alarm that the Justice Department’s institutional independence is eroding under the sway of the president.

Rep. Becca Balint, D-Vt., also asked Smith at one point if he was concerned the Trump administration would try to prosecute him.

GOP sees other motives

Republicans, for their part, repeatedly denounced Smith, with Rep. Kevin Kiley of California accusing him of seeking “maximum litigation advantage at every turn” and “circumventing constitutional limitations to the point that you had to be reined in again and again throughout the process.”

Rep. Ben Cline, R-Va., challenged Smith on his team’s requested court order to restrict Trump from making incendiary comments about prosecutors, potential witnesses and other people involved in the case. Smith said the order was necessary because of Trump’s efforts to intimidate witnesses, but Cline asserted that it was meant to silence Trump in the heat of the presidential campaign. And Jordan, the committee chairman, advanced a frequent Trump talking point that the investigation was driven by a desire to derail Trump’s candidacy

“We should never forget what took place, what they did to the guy we, the people, elected twice,” Jordan said. Smith vigorously rejected those suggestions and said the evidence placed Trump’s actions squarely at the heart of a criminal conspiracy to undo the 2020 election.

“Our investigation revealed that Donald Trump is the person who caused Jan. 6, it was foreseeable to him,” Smith said, adding that Trump also “sought to exploit the violence.”

Smith responded: “I believe they will do everything in their power to do that because they’ve been ordered to by the president.”

BY MATTHEW LEE and ALI SWENSON Associated Press

WASHINGTON The Trump administration is expanding its ban on U.S. foreign aid for groups supporting abortion services to include assistance going to international and domestic organizations and agencies that promote gender identity as well as diversity, equity and inclusion programs.

An administration official said Thursday that the State Department would release final rules that expand the scope of the “Mexico City” policy that has already severely reduced assistance to international organizations that provide abortion-related care. The policy was first established under President Ronald Reagan, rescinded by subsequent Democratic administrations and reinstated in Trump’s first term.

The new rules would halt foreign assistance from going toward not only groups that provide abortion as a method of family planning but also those that advo-

cate “gender ideology” and DEI, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of the rules’ publication in the Federal Register on Friday The change, which threatens billions in funding for groups around the world, was part of a series of actions that the Trump administration timed to this week’s anniversary of the now-overturned Roe v. Wade ruling and anti-abortion activists’ annual March for Life in Washington. The official said the expanded policy would apply to more than $30 billion in foreign aid that the U.S. provides and would cover not only foreign and U.S.based aid agencies but international organizations. Beirne Roose-Snyder, senior policy fellow at the Council for Global Equality said, “It’s hard for me to even begin to anticipate how destructive this will be.” SBA Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser said the Trump administration presented it to them alongside other new actions.

Warpowersresolutionbarelydefeated

BY STEPHEN GROVES Associated Press

WASHINGTON The House rejected aDemocratic-backed resolution

Thursday that would have prevented President Donald Trump from sending U.S. military forces to Venezuela after atiedvoteon the legislation fell just short of the majority needed for passage.

The tied vote was the latest sign of Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson’stenuous hold on the majority,aswell as some of the growing pushback in the GOPcontrolledCongresstoTrump’s aggressions in theWesternHemisphere. ASenate vote on asimilar resolution wasalso tied last week until Vice President JD Vance broke the deadlock.

To defeat the resolution Thursday,Republican leaders had to hold the vote open for more than 20 minutes while Republican Rep Wesley Hunt, who had been out of Washington all week campaigning for aSenate seat in Texas, rushed

back to Capitol Hill to cast thedecisivevote.

On the House floor,Democrats responded with shouts thatRepublicanleaders were violating the chamber’sprocedural rules.

TwoRepublicans— Reps. Don BaconofNebraska and Thomas Massie of Kentucky —voted with all Democrats for the legislation.

The warpowers resolution would have directed Trumptoremove U.S. troops from Venezuela.

TheTrump administration told senators last week that there are no U.S. troopsonthe ground in the South American nation and committed to getting congressional approval before launching major military operations there.

But Democratsargued the resolution is necessary after theU.S. raid to capture Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and since Trump hasstated plans to control thecountry’soil industryfor yearstocome.

Thursday’svote wasthe latest test in Congress of how much leewayRepublicans will give apresi-

dent who campaigned on removing the U.S. from foreign entanglements but has increasingly reached for militaryoptionstoimpose his will in the Western Hemisphere. So far,almost all Republicans have declined to put checks on Trump through the war powersvotes

Rep. Brian Mast,the Republican chair of the House Armed Services Committee, accused Democrats of bringing the war powers resolution to avoteout of “spite” for Trump.

“It’s about the fact that you don’t want President Trump to arrest Maduro, and you will condemn him no matter what he does, even though he brought Maduro to justicewith possibly the mostsuccessful law enforcementoperation in history,” Mast added.

Still, Democrats stridently argued thatCongress needs to assert itsrole in determining when the president can use wartime powers. They have been able to force aseries of votes in both theHouse andSenate as Trump, in recent months, ramped up his campaign

‘British invasion’questionpopsup in AlienEnemiesAct arguments

BY NICHOLAS RICCARDI Associated Press

Afederal judge hearing argumentsThursday over President Donald Trump’s use of an 18th-century wartime lawtodeport Venezuelan gang members had a question: Could apresident use the same law against a “British invasion” that was corrupting young minds?

Jennifer Walker Elrod, chief judge of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appealsin New Orleans, said herquery —areference to the moral panic in the 1960s over the arrival of the Beatles and other British bands —was “fanciful,” but agovernment attorney responded that the president did have that power and courts could not stop him.

“These sort of questionsof foreign affairs and the security of the nation are specifically political issues,” said Drew Ensign,anassistant attorney general who was

arguingthe administration’s case beforethe full 5thCircuit Court of Appeals. Ensign said it would be up to Congress to check the presidentinthatscenario

Theunexpected and cheekyexchange came in the administration’sappeal of aruling by athree-judge panel ofthe 5thCircuit,one of the most conservative courts in the country,that foundTrumpinappropriately used the Alien Enemies Actof1798 when hetargeted theVenezuelan gang Tren de Aragualast year

Amajority ofthe threejudge panelagreedinlast year’sruling with multiple lower court judges andimmigration lawyers who brought thecase that it cannotbedeployed against a gang rather than abelligerent foreignpower

Theadministration appealed to thefull5th Circuit, andall 17 judgesonthe court were present for the argumentsinNew Orleans

on Thursday

“Tren de Aragua is committing ordinary crimes that are being dealtwith by law enforcement,” Lee Gelernt, an attorney forthe ACLU, told thejudges. “The Alien Enemies Act is about wartime and it’s about the military.”

Several of the judgeswere concernedabout secondguessing the president’sdetermination of athreat to the country.Ensign notedthe law allows it to be invoked in attempts of “invasion” or “predatory incursion” and arguedthatcourts should accept apresident’sdeclaration that that is happening. “A predatory incursionis lessthananinvasion,” Ensign said, arguing that cases involvingother laws have determined it happens when foreign fishing boats enter U.S. waters. Thefinal decision on the constitutionality of Trump’s action will likely be made by theU.S. SupremeCourt.

EEOC scraps anti-harassmentguidance

BY CLAIRE SAVAGEand LEAH ASKARINAM

Associated Press

WASHINGTON The federal agency in charge of enforcing workplace anti-discrimination laws on Thursday voted to rescind itsown guidance on how to guard against harassment at work, marking another majorshift in civil rights enforcement under President Donald Trump’ssecond administration.

The U.S. Equal EmploymentOpportunity Commission’sRepublicanmajority voted to rescind the 190-page document designedto serve as aresource for compliancewith Title VII of the CivilRights Act of 1964, including howtoprotect transgender workers. Chair Andrea Lucas and recently-installed Commissioner Brittany Panuccio cited Trump’s executive order issuedlast year —inwhich he decreed there are two immutable sexes, male and female —asone of the reasons for revoking the document.

Lucas emphasized at thebeginningof Thursday’smeeting that the commission’s decision to rescind the guidance “will not leave avoid where employersare free to ha-

rass wherever they see fit, leaving atrailof victims in theirwake,” citing severalrecent examplesofsettledharassment cases. And Panucciosaidthatprivate sector resources on anti-harassment law would fill in anygaps.

Kalpana Kotagal, the lone Democrat on thecommission, likened it to “throwing out thebaby with the bathwater.”

The agency updated its guidance on workplace harassment in April 2024 under President Joe Biden forthe first timein25years following a2020 Supreme Court ruling that gay, lesbian and transgender people are protected from employmentdiscrimination. Lucas voted against the guidanceatthattime, citing her opposition to language warning employers against deliberately misgendering transgenderemployees or refusing them access to bathrooms corresponding with their gender identity

Theagency under Lucas’leadership has been aggressivelyparingback protections for transgender workers, dropping lawsuits on their behalf as wellasrequiring heightened scrutiny for incoming complaints related to gender identity.

against Maduro and set his sights on other conflicts overseas.

“Donald Trump is reducingthe United States to aregional bully withfewer allies and more enemies,” Rep. Gregory Meeks, thetop Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said during a floor debate. “This isn’t making Americagreat again. It’s making us isolated and weak.”

Last week, Senate Republicans wereonly able to narrowly dismiss theVenezuela war powers resolution after the Trumpadministration persuaded twoRepublicans to back away from theirearliersupport.

As partofthat effort, Secretary of State MarcoRubio committed to a briefing next week before the SenateForeign Relations Committee.

YetTrump’s insistence that theU.S. will possess Greenland over the objections of Denmark, aNATOally,has alarmedsome Republicans on Capitol Hill. They have mounted someofthe most outspoken objections to almost anything thepresident hasdone

since taking office. Trump this week backed away from military and tariff threats against European allies as he announced that hisadministration was working with NATO on a “framework of afuture deal” on Arctic security But Bacon still expressed frustrationwithTrump’saggressive foreign policyand voted for the war powers resolution even though it only appliestoVenezuela.“I’m tired of all the threats,” he said. The WarPowers Resolution was passed in the Vietnam Warera. It attemptedtoforce presidents to work with Congress to deploy troops if there hasn’talready been aformal declaration of war. Under the legislation, lawmakers can also force votes on legislation that directs the president to remove U.S. forces from hostilities. Presidentshavelongtestedthe limits of those parameters, and Democrats argue that Trump in his second term has pushed those limits farther than ever

BREC official calls for more dialogue Superintendent discusses organizational restructuring plans

BY CHRISTOPHER CARTWRIGHT Staff writer

The first BREC Commission meeting of 2026 saw relatively few remarks about the layoffs announced last week, although one commissioner suggested there should have been more dialogue between the BREC administration and commissioners before the decision. In a Jan 16 news release, BREC announced it would be immediately laying off around 10% of its workforce and restructuring the organization. The decision followed a December workshop with members of the BREC Commission, where some commissioners advocated for the changes. But speaking to interim Super-

intendent Janet Simmons during Thursday’s meeting, Commission Treasurer Carl Stages said he felt he didn’t “have enough information to really understand what was happening” last Friday

nity in an efficient and effective way that’s using taxpayer dollars to the best.”

Previous

BY MATT BRUCE Staff writer

“I hope going forward that as we’re looking at all the different things that we want to achieve, that there’s maybe more of a dialogue, or there’s more information presented to the commissioners,” he said. “… I think when it’s a major undertaking that this body should, as a whole, consider things.” Simmons responded by agreeing and saying she appreciated his comments.

At Thursday’s meeting, she said that department heads were tasked with evaluating which positions to cut.

Around 90 to 100 employees have been laid off, Simmons estimated earlier this week, saying the goal is to “provide services to the commu-

“We talked to the directors, because they’re the subject matter experts in their area,” she said. “… We used our directors to be the subject matter experts to decide

ä See BREC, page 3B

GO WITH THE OVERFLOW

Council, mayor move to toss Entergy fee suit

Baton Rouge GOP chair accused of tainting jury

BY PATRICK SLOAN-TURNER Staff writer

The Baton Rouge Metro Council and mayor-president are asking a judge to dismiss a lawsuit challenging a new Entergy franchise fee, arguing the plaintiffs lack standing and that a local Republican Party leader is attempting to influence potential jurors through his newspaper Former Metro Council member Darrell Glasper filed the suit last month, alleging the current council violated the state constitution by using franchise fee revenue for district-level projects at the discretion of individual members

In a motion filed this week, city-parish attorneys say Glasper and the other plaintiffs Fred Reed and Sharon D. Rob-

inson-Williams — do not even live in the unincorporated parts of the parish where customers are subject to the fee.

newspaper, given the existence of the First Amendment,” Guillory said.

The filing also accuses East Baton Rouge Republican Party Chairman Woody Jenkins of being “a moving force behind” the lawsuit and of actively attempting to prejudice potential jurors through coverage in his Central City News newspaper New Orleans attorney and former Louisiana state Sen. Elbert Guillory — who is representing Glasper and the other plaintiffs in the suit — called the motions filed by the city-parish “premature” and the arguments about Jenkins’ newspaper made little sense. “I found their motions interesting as well as their discussions about Mr Jenkins and his

Jenkins

Lawyers with the Parish Attorney’s Office asked the court to institute a gag order on Jenkins and Glasper who frequently posts about the suit on social media and his website called “Louisiana Public Records Project, Inc.” — and order them to remove content.

“Certain portions of the websites claiming the illegality and criminal nature of the defendants (should) be taken down. In order to allow defendants to have a fair trial and prevent plaintiffs from ‘poisoning the well,’” wrote Special Assistant Parish Attorney Latoya Jordan. Mayor-President Sid Edwards and all Metro Council members

ä See FEE, page 3B

AIDAN McCAHILL Staff writer

Landry discusses immigration policies

Schowen outlines strategies to reduce poverty at luncheon

BY IANNE SALVOSA Staff writer

With about $100 billion in private investment on the horizon for the state, Gov Jeff Landry said his public safety and immigration policies will support Louisiana’s economic prosperity

In a keynote speech Thursday at the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Louisiana’s 2026 Baton Rouge Business Luncheon, Landry touted his efforts to improve quality of life in the state, which he said has opened the doors for companies to do business in Louisiana. He backed his immigration policies, which have invited federal law enforcement into the state and allowed the arrest of undocumented individuals, as a means to improve safety and make way for economic development.

“What we have done systematically tackling public safety, crime, education, focusing on economy, is starting to create a high tide that is lifting all boats in this state,” he said at the luncheon at the Hilton Baton Rouge Capitol Center

He commended the state’s His-

Chamber of Commerce at Hilton Baton Rouge Capitol Center on Thursday.

panic community, saying all Americans are products of immigration.

“I want you to know that I really appreciate the Hispanic community,” he said. “Because I look at it like the Cajun community as well.

I believe that the Hispanic community for the most part, shares exactly the same values as the Cajun culture as well, and that is

faith, family, a belief in country, a belief in our God and absolutely hard work.”

The chamber has issued statements in the past year calling for transparency from federal immigration officials in New Orleans and warning Landry against signing state policies allowing the arrest of undocumented immigrants.

Police: Man arrested in attempted murder, second person on the run

Charles E. Jones Jr was arrested Thursday on a count of attempted second-degree murder in the shooting of a woman Jan. 5 in the 5600 block of St. Gerard Circle, according to an arrest warrant from the Baton Rouge Police Department.

CRIME BLOTTER staff reports

Police are looking for a second individual in the case. Both people live together in a house on the 5800 block of Hammond Road in the same neighborhood as the victim. Jones and the other suspect allegedly approached the victim in a gray Nissan and said, “I know that’s not who I think it is.” The victim said she knew the defendant from a previous altercation, and the tone indicated that they had returned to confront her

The victim attempted to leave in her red Jaguar three to five minutes later when she saw the two defendants approach her from an adjacent street. Jones had a handgun and the other individual had a rifle, according to the warrant Both individuals fired several rounds at the victim, and she took cover behind her car on the driver’s side. From there, she retrieved her handgun and fired one shot before the gun malfunctioned.

The defendants shot the victim’s car on the passenger side and struck the window, both passenger doors and a rear panel.

The victim was able to get into her car and drive to the Baton Rouge Police Department to make a report.

Police identified the car and found damage consistent with the victim’s description USPS offers reward in attempted robbery

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is offering a $150,000 reward to anyone who can aid in the arrest and conviction of someone who attempted to rob a Baton Rouge letter carrier last week.

The incident happened in the 1200 block of Audubon Avenue on Jan. 12. The suspect appears to be male and was wearing a black hoodie, red pants and cream-colored slide shoes.

Anyone with information or details on the incident is urged to contact the U.S Postal Inspection Service at (877) 876-2455.

Audubon unveils new prices, options

Zoo, aquarium in New Orleans to raise prices March 2

BY STEPHANIE RIEGEL Staff writer

Two months after pausing a widely unpopular and steep price hike on annual memberships to the zoo and aquarium, the Audubon Nature Institute has unveiled a new pricing structure with more modest increases and new options for zoo- and aquariumonly memberships.

The new prices go into effect March 2 and will raise the price of annual membership to Audubon’s facilities about 25% over current prices — far less than the 90% increases rolled out in November

Under the new pricing structure, an all-access membership to the zoo and aquarium for a family of four is $275, compared to about $220 before.

The updated membership rates were designed to offer more costeffective options for guests while continuing to provide unlimited visits and exceptional value, Audubon said Wednesday after presenting the new rates to the Audubon Commission, the organization’s governing board.

“Our updated membership options for 2026 allow us to balance affordable access with responsible care for our animals, ensuring Audubon remains a trusted conservation, education and community partner for generations to come,” Audubon CEO Michael Sawaya said in a prepared statement. The changes came after widespread criticism of Audubon last fall, following the organization’s decision to up the price for its annual memberships ahead of Black Friday holiday sales. Those who went online to renew their memberships or buy new ones during the holiday weekend found the

price of an annual membership for a family of four had nearly doubled from $220 to $425.

Annual memberships offer deep discounts off the admission price to the zoo and aquarium and are typically purchased by locals Amid negative pushback on social media, Audubon paused the price hikes after several days and said it would roll out new deals in mid-December But after hearing from the community and convening a focus group, Sawaya said Audubon needed more time to make sure it came up with pricing levels that provide value while also helping to close the gap between rising costs and declining revenues. The new structure he said Wednesday, will do that.

It also will give guests many more options, modeled after those in other cities, with new tiered membership levels that allow families to bring caregivers, for instance. It also has optional add-ons that provide special access behind the scenes. New tiers, options

One of the biggest changes to the pricing structure is zoo- and aquarium-only memberships, something that hasn’t been available since the early 1990s Members of the focus group in December said they would like to see a return to the option, Sawaya has

Landry said the United States has not properly enforced immigration in the past, leading to undocumented immigrants entering the country He asked attendees if they entered the country “the right way,” which was met by a few individuals reluctantly raising their hands.

Landry likened his immigration enforcement policies to disciplining children.

“They have wreaked havoc on our communities, and I have sought to find those people and to remove them,” he said. “Why? Because they endangered you, endanger your children, endanger your families, and they endanger our ability to have a great state that is peaceful and prosperous and a place where there’s opportunity.”

At the end of his address, he asked attendees to urge their congressional representatives to help stem illegal immigration, met with a standing ovation from most of the audience.

Mayor-President Sid Edwards delivered opening remarks and Susie Schowen, secretary of Louisiana Works, and Ileana Ledet, chief economic competitiveness officer for Louisiana Economic Development, delivered remarks following Landry’s speech.

Schowen said Hispanic-owned

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But during a hearing Thursday, District Judge Colette Greggs removed her from the cases, citing the fact that Hines Myers recused herself last January then reversed that recusal days later without holding a hearing.

“A judge cannot unilaterally reverse her recusal,” Greggs said during the Jan. 16 hearing inside her courtroom. “There’s a process for everything. This is a court of law And to recuse yourself, then unrecuse yourself through a chain of emails with the involved parties. No, you can’t do that.”

Facts of the case

Ferguson is a reputed member of the Vultures, a gang based out of a stash house off Old Hammond Highway near O’Neal Lane according to charging affidavits.

businesses, which are some of the fastest growing in the state, tend to be disproportionately smaller and family-owned. She said Hispanic businesses’ deep ties in their communities make them “ideal partners” for economic development.

With about 125,000 open jobs in Louisiana and more on the horizon from upcoming industrial projects, Schowen said addressing the state’s poverty issue is key for bolstering the workforce, suggesting the state should find ways to move impoverished citizens into the open jobs.

“We’ve got policy solutions that are going to work, but we also have solutions that are based on approaching the problem from the other side, and that is directly tackling the problem of generational poverty in Louisiana head on,” she said.

Ledet promoted the LED’s SourceLouisiana.com directory for business owners to input their company information to increase their visibility to clients. She said small businesses are the foundation of the agency’s work.

“By our very nature as Latinos, what a lot of us do is a spirit of entrepreneurship, small business, starting out on your own, being your own boss,” she said. “And so we really prioritize small businesses.”

cords show she issued a reversal order 16 days later taking back that decision.

Sandra James Page, Ferguson’s attorney, pointed to a series of emails Hines Myers sent to prosecutors and defense lawyers involved in the case at that time. James Page said the emails showed the judge had an extensive amount of prior knowledge on Ferguson and his family from prosecuting the Mall of Louisiana shooting.

“I feel the judge can’t be impartial in regard to Mr Ferguson’s case because of the in-depth relationship she had with Mr Grim,” James Page said. “The judge recused herself already She went back and decided she did not want to recuse herself. She’s not supposed to hear her own hearings.”

But in hearing arguments on the motion for recusal, Greggs seemed unconvinced that the emails showed any evidence of a bias by Hines Myers.

previously said. A zoo-only membership for an individual will cost as little as $70 a year, $115 for a couple, and $155 for a family of four A family plus membership, which allows access to special events, will cost $190. Annual memberships to the aquarium and insectarium only will cost $90 for an individual, $150 for a couple, $200 for a family basic and $250 for a family plus. An all-access membership to the three facilities will cost $125 for individuals, $210 for a couple, $275 for family basic and $325 for family plus. The premium level Audubon Krewe — will cost $499 and include benefits like a caregiver pass, flex guest, and five, single-use guest passes.

Big picture

The changes come a little more than one year into Sawaya’s tenure at the helm of Audubon, which, besides the zoo and aquarium and insectarium, owns and operates seven other facilities and attractions. Most of those, including Audubon Park, Woldenberg Park, the Audubon Louisiana Nature Center and the Freeport McMoRan Audubon Wildlife Species Survival Center, are cost centers not revenue generators.

Though Audubon receives some public support and has a foundation, now run by Sawaya’s predecessor, Ron Forman, the organization has struggled amid rising costs and declining attendance in recent years. It ended 2025 with a roughly $3 million operating loss, the third year in a row it has finished in the red. In December, Sawaya said the organization was making up for the 2025 shortfall by taking out a line of credit and reducing expenses, including a hiring freeze. Raising prices also has to be part of the equation, he said.

Email Stephanie Riegel at stephanie.riegel@theadvocate. com.

Several cars were fleeing the scene when Baton Rouge Police responded to a chaotic shooting early the morning April 1, 2024. Williams was lying dead in the front yard of the house in the 2800 block of 68th Street, according to police reports. Demetriyon Maquan Grim, a 23-year-old affiliate of the Vultures, arrived at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center shortly after Grim later died of multiple gunshot wounds he sustained during the shootout He was Ferguson’s younger brother, court records show Officers nabbed one of the drivers fleeing the shooting scene and apprehended two men that dropped Grim off at the hospital. Investigators later arrested Ferguson, Trelvis Albronse Griffin, Titus Lucas and Camari Jacobi Taylor as principals to Williams’ killing. All four were indicted on charges of second-degree murder and face the prospect of a mandatory life sentence if convicted.

A tangled web of shootings Grim had ties to Banks Town Mafia, a street crew authorities have described as a precursor to the Vultures. In February 2022, he was involved in a deadly gang-related drive-by shooting at the Mall of Louisiana, according to arrest reports. Clifton Lindsey, 19, and Donte Dorsey, an 18-year-old Baton Rouge rapper known as TrueBleeda, died at the scene. Two other young men were wounded. Attorneys said the shooting at the mall was an act of retaliation stemming from the feud between the Vultures and Bleedas, a rival Baton Rouge gang. Hines Myers spent years as a prosecutor for the East Baton Rouge District Attorney’s Office before she took the bench. In the motion to have her removed from his ongoing cases, Ferguson’s attorney argued that Hines Myers investigated him as a “potential person of interest” in the Mall of Louisiana shooting.

Arguments for the recusal

During a sidebar with attorneys at a Jan. 13, 2025, hearing, Hines Myers recused herself from the ongoing murder case stemming from Williams’ death. Court re-

Prosecutors said Ferguson was never implicated, questioned or listed as a suspect in the Mall of Louisiana shooting. And the investigation ended when a grand jury determined there wasn’t enough evidence to formally charge Grim in the matter Assistant District Attorney Tiara Jones told Greggs there was nothing to warrant Hines Myers’ recusal.

“Judge Hines did not investigate that particular incident,” she argued. “Judge Hines also did not request search warrants. Judge Hines did not request Gervea Ferguson’s GPS or phone records either That was done by the detective in the case. Judge Hines was a prosecutor, and a prosecutor is not an expert in any case that comes into our office.”

The determining factor Greggs determined Hines Myers needed to file something with the court to validate her change of heart, and neither side presented any evidence that she did that.

“In Louisiana law, once a judge recuses him or herself, it’s considered final,” Greggs said. “There are certain situations where a judge can reverse it. I’ve not heard any reason why what happened between the time she recused herself to the time she reversed her recusal. I’ve not heard anything to support that from either one of y’all.” Greggs ordered the case back to the Clerk of Court’s Office to randomly reallot it to a different judge.

“My ruling is based on the fact that I don’t know why she recused herself, and what circumstances happened to cause her to unrecuse herself,” Greggs said after making her decision.

LOTTERY WEDNESDAY, JAN. 21, 2026

PICK 3: 9-5-6

PICK 4:

State starts sprint to work on 62 bridges

New infrastructure office gears up

BY ALYSE PFEIL Staff writer

The new Office of Louisiana Highway Construction on Wednesday broke ground on its inaugural project as it aims to repair or replace 62 minor bridges throughout the state by Dec 31 — a goal officials say they are on track to achieve.

Gov Jeff Landry and Archie Chaisson III, executive director of the highway construction of-

fice, celebrated the launch of the $2.1 million project — replacing a small bridge with one about 40 feet long and 25 feet wide over Morgan Branch on La. 424 in Washington Parish.

“We are transforming how Louisiana delivers infrastructure through a smarter, more efficient approach that brings real results, real progress, and real value for taxpayers,” Landry said in a statement.

Chaisson said the firm that designed the bridge, Crescent Engineering & Mapping, did so in less than 90 days, and the construction contractor RNGD, is scheduled to complete the work by July or August.

“It’s harnessing the power of that private sector,” Chaisson said in an interview

FEE

Continued from page 1B

except for Laurie Adams are listed as defendants in the lawsuit.

Guillory said he was not aware of anything slanderous being posted online or written in any newspapers by his clients.

“We’re going to try this in the courthouse, not in any newspapers or websites,” he said. “Certainly we will respond to their motion, but we will respond within the rules of decorum and justice. We are not going to slander anyone.”

Reached Thursday, Jen-

BREC

Continued from page 1B

who we were going to be cutting.”

Washington Parish President Ryan Seal said the project demonstrates “what can be achieved when state leadership, local government and technical teams are fully aligned.”

“That collaboration allowed the state to move from concept to construction far more efficiently than traditional timelines,” he said.

Of the 62 bridges — most less than 150 feet long and 30 feet wide and crossing ditches, canals and creeks — contracts for construction on 10 others have been signed and work should get underway in the next few weeks, Chaisson said.

For the entire package of bridges, engineering plans are complete for roughly 40% and contractors are on board for about 25%, and completion of all is on target for the end of 2026, he said. Looking to private sector

The Office of Louisiana Highway Construction handles upkeep of 4,000 miles of rural and local roads and 2,800 bridges across the state that aren’t big enough to qualify for federal funding for repairs.

And, with a staff that likely won’t grow beyond three people this year, the office will hire private companies for maintenance or construction work.

An executive management officer who will handle administrative work starts Monday, and a project manager will join the

kins chuckled at the claims that he was behind the lawsuit and said he was not involved.

“That’scrazy,”Jenkinssaid. “It’s hard to know how to respond to that. I’m just publishing a newspaper.”

The Parish Attorney’s Office notes in court filings that Jenkins’ Central City News has characterized the funds from the franchise fee as “illegal,” “criminal” and “slush funds.”

“They further imply that the Metro Council engages in extortion,” Jordan wrote. An article written by Jenkins and published on Dec. 19 with the headline “While Cutting the C-P Budget, Metro Council Created New $2.7M

contract and a third in Assumption Parish is close to an award.

State leaders at the groundbreaking in Washington Parish also said they’re looking at putting together a second package of 54 bridges for next year.

Quicker bids

To help the new transportation office, state lawmakers gave it temporary emergency procurement powers letting it bypass lengthier standard public bidding procedures aimed at fairness and transparency

That allowed the office to quickly select engineering firms for this year’s 62 bridge projects.

The office’s emergency procurement authority could be extended by state lawmakers this year, Chaisson said. The bridges would need to be in serious need of repair, he said.

“We’ve talked to the (House) speaker and Senate president about doing that,” he said “We’re asking them to at least extend it to the end of 2026 to help us get through these 62.”

office eventually

“I think for now we’re going to hold it steady at three people and really lean on the private sector when it comes to not only engineering and construction but the maintenance side as well,” Chaisson said. He said whether the work in-

volves bridges, potholes, stop signs, or “whatever the case may be,” the office will look to the private sector to handle it.

In addition to the bridges, the office is also working on three asphalt preservation projects, Chaisson said. Two of those in Olla and Shreveport are under

The Office of Louisiana Highway Construction in September took over rehabbing those bridges from the Department of Transportation and Development.

State officials said they wanted that office, rather than DOTD, to take the lead and take advantage of the less restrictive bidding procedures to expedite work.

Slush Fund for Themselves” characterized Entergy’s fee as a tax.

Entergy officials opposed the council’s efforts to institute the fee in December 2024, which affects about 32,000 parish residents in unincorporated areas.

Council members grilled the company’s representatives, and said an organization worth billions of dollars could choose to absorb the cost rather than pass it onto consumers. The council passed the initiative though council members Dwight Hudson and Rowdy Gaudet voted against it. Entergy put the fee on customers anyway, which amounts to about $4 more on

a monthly residential bill.

The fee produced about $4.6 million for the city-parish’s general fund last year Of that, $1.2 million was divvied up between the 12 council districts while the rest went to cityparish departments, including $750,000 to the District Attorney’s Office and 19th Judicial Court.

social media posts as an example of misuse of taxpayer dollars.

Council member Darryl Hurst caught criticism last year when he used his budget to purchase an off-road vehicle in February, which Glasper has criticized in

At a budget hearing in December, council member Cleve Dunn Jr said some his colleagues used the funds to hire staff, support events in their districts and finance infrastructure projects and environmental studies in their districts.

“The funds were put to great use,” Dunn said. Glasper’s motivation in suing the city-parish was more political than anything else,

said council member Jen Racca, who is an attorney

“This lawsuit is frivolous and crafted to elicit public reaction rather than pursue a valid legal claim,” Racca said. In his original filing, Guillory asks the court declare the franchise fee unconstitutional, stop council members from spending any of the funds and order that money be paid back to taxpayers. “The Constitution and the plan of government are fairly clear,” Guillory said. “There is a clear prohibition from council members individually directing or controlling public expenditures.”

The organization is set to potentially adjust the retirement plans for new hires and is looking to privatize certain areas Simmons has pointed to the commission’s approval of SELA Aquatics, which now manages all of BREC’s aquatic operations, as the type of outsourcing that might be expanded going forward. No members of the public commented on the changes. Before moving on from the subject, Commission Chair Mike Polito thanked the BREC staff who were tasked with cutting positions.

CHARGES

Continued from page 1B

in the effort. She now faces five counts each of election offenses affecting registration and election fraud, most involving the family members, he said.

“I know that it pains people to do what you had to do. It’s not easy,” he said. “So we appreciate you doing the hard things and continuing to take the initiative to rise to the occasion and make BREC the excellent organization that it is going to become.”

Attempts to contact Jones for comment were unsuccessful.

A Registrar of Voters employee noticed irregularities in the applications and reported them to the Louisiana Secretary of State’s Office, Stassi said. The Secretary of State’s Office then con-

“We decided those would be the easiest to prosecute,” Clayton said.

ducted an investigation and turned the results over to the District Attorney’s Office, Stassi said. Clayton agreed to the five charges and notified Stassi.

In the Nov 5, 2024, election, Jones defeated fellow Democrat Mary “Beth” Bueche 269-183, according to the Louisiana Secretary of State’s records.

4B ■ Friday, January23, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

70788onSaturday, January 24, 2026from9 a.m. until funeral services at 11:00am. Arrangements entrusted to RoscoeMortuary, Plaquemine, LA.

Canella, Joseph 'Jay'

Covington, Paul

Live OakBaptistChurchinDenham

Springs at 2pm

Dendy,Billy

ResthavenGardens of Memory & FuneralHomeat3pm

Fields,Rozelle

Miller& DaughterMortuary, 5905 Highway 19 in Zachary, at 11 a.m.

Henry, Isaiah St.PaulB.C,10438 BoudreauxRd. Gonzales,LAat11am.

Hughes, Barbara

University United Methodist Church

3350Dalrymple Dr BatonRouge, LA at 11am

McInnis, Betty

St.AloysiusCatholic Church in BatonRouge,Louisianaat12:30pm.

Newman, Ruby Immaculate HeartofMaryCatholic Church, 11140 La-77, Maringouin, LA at 11am

Pitts,Frank Greater King DavidBaptistChurch 222 Blount Rd BatonRouge,LAat 11am

Vitale,Peter

St.John theEvangelistCatholic Church in Plaquemineat11a.m

Obituaries

Allen, Mark

Mark Allen Sr., 54, passed awaySunday, January 18, 2026, at Baton Rouge Health Care Center

He worked 18 years at Dow Chemical plant as a welder. He is survived by his wife of 29 years, Shalanda Allen; adaughter Markeisha Miles; and four sons, ChamarcusLewis, Mark Allen Jr., Jamarik Allen, Jabez Allen, one nephew he reared, Paul Williams; 1grandson;one sister and four brothers. Visitation at Roscoe Mortuary, 58635 Meriam St, Plaquemine, LA 70764,on Friday, January 23, 2026, from 5p.m. to 7p.m. Visitation resumes at The City Of Refuge Ministries, 32925 Bowie St., White Castle, LA

Joseph "Jay" Canella,a native of Baton Rouge,LA and prominentbusiness man, passedawayonJanuary15, 2026 at the ageof 85. Jay was born on August 31, 1940 as agrandson of SicilianItalian immigrants. At ayoung age, he soldhot tamalesonthe streets of downtown Baton Rouge for his family's business, "Muffoletto'sHot Tamales",founded by his maternal grandmother. He was aproud graduate of Baton Rouge High School and later served with honor in the Army Reserves. He also served as areserve deputy sherifffor the East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office

Asa teenager, Jay beganlaying floors and turned that into alifelong career, eventuallystarting his own flooring company "Jay'sCommercial Carpets",which delivered top quality flooring and service to customersthroughout the Baton Rouge area for25years. After retiring, he got involvedinthe Louisiana Institutional Boxing Association (LIBA) whereheserved as areferee,judge,and eventually becamethe commissioner fora numberofyears. Later in life,Jay enjoyed traveling allover the world, which included visiting all 7continents, 48 states and special VIP trips to the Pro FootballHall of Fame with his goodfriend, JimTaylor He had apassion for givingtochildren's charities, including St Jude's Children'sHospitaland the Shriner's Hospital. He also helped manychildrenin Mexico gaintheir smiles by donating to the Cleft Lip and Palate Clinic(CLAYPA) and sponsoring children forsurgeries performedby his lifelongfriend, Dr. Abelardo "Jay" Arizpe. Jay is survived byhis daugh-

ters, KellyLastrapes (Kevin) and Melissa Canella,son, Joey Canella, and granddaughter,Kirby Lastrapes. He is also survived by his sisters, Mary Williams, JoAnn Falgoust and Donna Canella. Heis preceded in death by his mother, Mary Muffoleto Canella, andfather, Joseph J. Canella, Sr. The family wouldliketothank the staff at theClaiborne of BatonRouge and Hospice of BatonRouge forthe loving care they gaveJay at theend of his life.Special thankstohis loving sitter, CleuzaHelena de Abreu "CiCy" who cared for him with much love and compassionall the way to the very end

Pallbearers willbeSkipperRawls,Billy Hymel, Sammy Muffoleto, Kenny Landry, Bert Tugwell, Ryan Richard, Kevin Lastrapes and Brad Lindley.Honorary Pallbearers areJerril Musso, RJ D'Agostinoand Dr. Abelardo "Jay" Arizpe Both visitationand funeral services willbeheldat Greenoaks Funeral Home, 9595 FloridaBlvd Baton Rouge, LA. Visitation will be on Thursday,January 22, 2026 from 4:00pmto 7:30pm and Friday, January 23, 2026 from 10:00am to 11:00am. Funeral services willbeonJanuary 23, 2026, beginning at 11:00am with graveside servicestofollow.

Herman Cann, Jr. departed this life on January 15, 2026, at theage of 60. Viewing willbeheldon Saturday, January24, 2026, at MJR Friendly Service Funeral Home,7803 Florida Blvd.,DenhamSprings, La 70726 at 9amuntil thereligious serviceat11am. Interment willbeinCann Cemetery. Arrangementsentrusted to MJR Friendly Service Funeral Home

Franklin, Arie Mack

We miss you now, our hearts are sore As time goes by we miss youmore

Your loving smile, your gentle face No one can fillyourvacant place.

Arie Mack Franklin is survivedbyher daughter and son-in-law, Juanita and LeroyShanklin; son and daughter-in-law,Gregory Charles and Alva Franklin. Avisitationwill be held from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM on 2026-01-24 at PINE GROVE BAPTIST

CHURCH, 6670 LA HWY 412. FUNERAL SERVICE AT 12.

Johnson,Beverly McDuffie'Ann'

Beverly "Ann" McDuffie Johnson, 86, passedaway peacefully on Monday, January 19, 2026, at her son's home in ClintonAnn was a nativeofWinnsboro and a lifelong resident of Jackson. She is agraduateof Louisiana Tech University. Ann retiredasa social worker at Villa Geriatric HospitalinJackson and served as thepianist at Jackson First Baptist Church forover 40 years. She lovedtocookand mademany jars of jelly to share with friends and family.Her greatest love was her family.She spent many hours on Karr's creek with her grandkids andgreat grandkids.She is survivedby2 sons, Douglas (Tammy) and Terral "TJ"(Kay) Johnson. She had5 grandchildren, Kenny (Natasha)Johnson Kristen (Steve) Landry of League City, Alaina Johnson, Joshuah (Abigail) and Zach Johnson. She had 14 greatgrandchildren, Kiley (Ethan), Keilan,Katey, Kaiden, Kade, Karter, Gage, Leia,Karsyn, Kinslee Baylee, Jordyn, Grafton, and Abby.She is also survivedbya sister-in-law, Rosalee McDuffie, along with many nieces, nephews, and cousins. She also leavesbehindmany lifelong friends, especially Deidre Summers, who she lovedlikesister. She is preceded in deathbyher husband of 61 years, Edwin "Buddy" Johnson, ason,

JarrelJohnson,and grandson, Jonathan Johnson. Sheisalso preceded in death by herparents, Mylesand Mattie McDuffie, asister,Mary Evelyn Brown,and 2brothersand sister-in-law,Myles H "Duffie" (Patsy) and George McDuffie. Many thanks to theteam from Hospice of Baton Rouge Kathy, Martina, Jean,and Jeff for all theirlove and care that wasgiventoher Serviceswill be held at Charlet Funeral Home, Zachary, LA, on Saturday January24, 2026. Visitation will be at 12pm followed by servicesat2pm.

Aresident of Jasper Texas passed away on January 17, 2026, at the age of 82. Survivedbyher husband, Melvin Newman (Jasper, TX); two sons: Calvin Newman(Jasper TX) andBilly (Angela) Newman (Northville,Michigan); threegrandchildren Brian Knighten(Conyers, GA), Asia(Beau)Anderson (Maringouin,LA), and Lexie Butler (Houston, TX) one great-grandchild, Rhyan Williams (Maringouin, LA). twobrothers: Leroy and Donald Ray Knighten (Maringouin,LA) onesister: Gloria (Mose) Burke (Baton Rouge,LA); devoted friend: Rosa "Tullie"Sims (Baton Rouge,LA) and a host of nephews, nieces, andcousins. She is preceded in death by herparents: Booker andMary Knighten;

In Loving Memory on His Birthday

Today, we honor and remember Norman "Bonk" Whitaker on his birthday.

This day brings back cherished memories of laughter around the domino table, where he found joy playing the game he loved most—surrounded by family and friends. We remember the sound of the tiles, the stories shared, and the way those moments brought everyone together. We also remember his love for Southern football, proudly cheering on his team and enjoying every moment of the game.

Though he is no longer physically with us, these memories remain forever etched in our hearts. His love for family, fellowship, and tradition continues to live on through us. On his birthday, we celebrate the life he lived, the joy he brought, and the legacy he left behind. We find comfort in knowing that he now rests in eternal peace, held in God's loving arms, watching over us until we meet again.

Happy Birthday. Always loved. Deeply missed. Forever remembered.

—Your loving family

Pamela B.,Verified

son, Brian Knighten; brother, Booker Knighten; and sister, Dorothy Harris. Visitation services Thursday January22, 2026 at A. Wesley'sFuneral Home 10810 Ventress Dr. Maringouin, La 70757 5pm to 8pm. Religious services Friday January 23,2026 at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church 11140 La-77 Maringouin, La at 11am. Interment church cemetery, Repast North Iberville Community Center 75700 Rosedale Rd, Rosedale, La.

Frank Pitts, age 82, entered eternal rest on January 16, 2026. He was born on November 12, 1943 and was united in marriage to Diane Guidry Pitts. He leaves to cherish his memory his loving wife; three children, MarvaBolden MauricePitts, and Monika Pitts; six grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren, along with ahost of other relatives and friends. Visitation willbeheld on Friday, January 23, 2026 at Greater King David Baptist Church, 222 Blount Rd.,Baton Rouge,LAfrom 9:00 a.m. followed by funeral services at 11:00 a.m. Services are entrusted to Hall Davis &Son. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Alzheimer's Services of the Capital Area

Margaret'sHospice in New Orleans,LAonMonday December8,2025.Hewas 79 years old. Phil was born on February 17, 1946to Martha Rush and Frances Rinkle in Clairton, PA and is survived by hiswife, Paulette DupontRinkle.He was aloving husband, father and grandfather. He served his country honorably in the US Army from 1967to1969and graduated from Robert Morris University in 1974. Amemorialservicewill be held at St. Martin's Church 2216 Metairie Rd on January 24, 2026 at 11:00 am. Visitation willbegin at 10:00am.

At the distinguished age of eighty-four, our beloved F. L., peacefully completed his circle of life on Friday, January 16, 2026, at his daughter's home.F.L.lived afulland meaningful life, a precious giftofhope, strength, and grace, as someone who made the world brighter and better forthose who knew him. He made alastingdifference in the livesofmany, and he willbefondlyremembered. F.L.Stewart,a native of Woodville,Mississippi, was born on July 20, 1941, to the late Willie and Odessa Stewart. The Stewartfamilyrelocated to Baton Rouge,Louisiana, when F.L.was achild,and F.L. was baptized at an earlyage into the Baptist faith. In 1967,F.L.was united in Holy Matrimony to AudreyJean Reed, whom he met in college.Their union spanned 58 years and was blessed with one daughter, Dr.Kimberly Michelle Stewart Davis.F L. was adevoted husband, father,and grandfather. He always made time for his family,had agreat sense of humor, and hada big heart. Worshippingasa family was extremelyimportant to F.L. As an adult, he converted to Catholicism and became afaithful and activemember of St Paulthe ApostleCatholic Church. Until his health failed him, F.L. was adevoted memberofthe 10:30A.M. Choirand Male Chorus,a member of the Knights of Peter Claver (3rd and 4th Degree Divi-

sions), and assisted with theJunior KnightsofPeter Claver. He also volunteered his time to make theyearlyLentenFish Fry asuccess. F. L. served his Savior and church community with dedication and humility. F. L.'s educational journey included high schoolyears at Capitol HighSchool and collegiate years at both Grambling StateUniversity and Southern University and Agricultureand Mechanical College.WhileatCapitol High School, he excelled in football,basketball,and track, and was awardedand accepted abasketball scholarship to Grambling State University. After sustaining acareer-ending injury during basketball practicehis freshmanyear, he transferred to Southern University. He graduated in 1967 with aBachelor of Science degree in Liberal Arts and Mathematics. As a TelecommunicationsSystemInstaller, F. L. dedicated morethan30years of servicetoWestern Electric/AT&Tand retired as a faithful employee. An avid golfer, F. L. was aproud member of the Capital City GolfAssociation. He also lovedtennisand football. He served his community as avolunteer head coach for theBRECEdenPark Chargers football team for several years and enjoyed watching hisgrandchildren play competitivetennis. Memories withF.L.will forever be treasured by his wife, AudreyReedStewart; daughter, Dr. Kimberly M. StewartDavis (E'Vinski); grandson, Ethan L. Davis; granddaughter,Audrey M. Davis;sister,Sarah Thompson(Curtis); three sisters-in-law, CherylF Stewart,CarolynPrewitt, and MyrtisReed; two brothers-in-law, Frederic Reed, and Raphew T. Reed, Sr. (Bobbie)all of Baton Rouge, Louisiana and a host of nieces, nephews, relatives, and friends. He was preceded in deathby his parents, Willie and Odessa Stewart;brothers, Severe,Oliver, Theodore and Elgin Stewart;and sisters, Cherry, Rosetta, Mary Stewart,and Jessie Harris. Family and friends are invitedtoattend avisitation which willheldonSaturday, January24, 2026, from 8:00AM until Mass of Christian Burial at 10:00AMat St.Paul'sCatholicChurch, 3912 Gus Young Ave.,BatonRouge,LA70802. A Recitation of theRosary will begin at 9:15AM. Burial will follow Mass at

Barbara "Bobbie" Williams, 73, passed away on Saturday, January10, 2026. She is survived by her husband, Oscar Williams, Sr.; children, Juanicka Trusclair,OrlandoWilliams, Sr., and Tyrell Williams, Sr.; five sisters;one brother;16 grandchildren; and ahost of otherrelativesand friends. She was preceded in death by her parents, Juliana and PhillipBessix, Jr.; James Shaw; and her sister, Sandra Scott.Visitation willbeheldSaturday, January 24, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. until funeralservices beginat10:00 a.m. at Hall's CelebrationCenter,9348 Scenic Hwy.,Baton Rouge, LA.Interment at Mt.Giddeon Baptist Church Ceme-

Young,Ronald Paul

Ronald PaulYoung,87, of Baton Rouge,LA, passed away Sunday, January18, 2026. He is survived by his wife, ShirleyYoung;children,April Lewis, Angela Young,Menty McNeil,and Baron Young;siblings, Jocelyn Young,Joshua Young,YoulonYoung,and KennethYoung;7 grandchildren; anda host of other relativesand friends. He waspreceded in death by hisparents, Youlon and Mildred Young. Visitation will be held Saturday, January24, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. untilfuneral services at 10:00 a.m. at Hollywood Street Church of Christ, 5111 Hollywood St., Baton Rouge,LA. Rev. W. L. Viltz, officiating.Servicesen-

In Minneapolis, echoes of HurricaneKatrina

Living in Minnesota during the federal occupation and in New Orleans during the federal flood can feel eerilysimilar

First, there’sthe rage: adumbfounded rage in which you find yourself repeatedly asking, “How can this be happening?” to nobody in particular.Itwas there in 2005; it’shere now Then there is the betrayal. In 2005, as Bruce Springsteen said duringhis post-Katrina Jazz Fest performance, we were betrayed by agovernment that is “supposed to serve American citizens in times of trial and hardship.”

Earlier this month, Springsteen said in concertthat thenew betrayal comes in the form of “heavily armed masked federal troops invading an American city and using Gestapo tactics against our fellow citizens.”

I’ve learned, among other things, that it’snever agood sign when your city is name-checked in aSpringsteen song intro.

Then as now,there is acast of villains we wish we’d never met, certain underlings that history will always associate with these horrors. If incompetencehad a facein2005, it was the doughy countenance of then-FEMA di-

Protesters confront lawenforcement Jan. 9outside

Federal Building in Minneapolis.

rector Michael D. Brown. Now, the crueltyofthis time can be seeninthe figure of Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino, currently stalking around Minnesota in what appearstobea World War II Axis commanderreenactment outfit.

Yetmore than rage, betrayal and blame, theclearest echo that Inotice this past month is a renewal of alove of place. Often an amorphousthing, it becomes more defined in an attack, and more deeply felt. In New Or-

leans,wewept when John Boutté sang, “They’retrying to wash us away.” In Minnesota, we weep when we witness our fellow citizens sliding on theirprotest signs down asnowy hill to assemble at arally Only in New Orleans, we’d say Only in Minneapolis,wesay Other times, the two places nearly collapseinto each other When you attenda protestinthe Twin Cities,it’sagood idea to listen for atuba and then follow the sound to acircle of people gath-

Better advocacy needed forcancerpatients

ered around Brass Solidarity,a New Orleans-style brass band that formed after the murderof George Floyd andcontinues to gather people together to simultaneouslyresist andcelebrate, singing “This Little Light” and “StandByMe” and, yes, “When theSaints Go Marching In.” In crisis, this love of place has thechancetogrow more expansive.

Iremember an interview during Katrina with aman who had been boating around New Orleans, rescuing people from rooftops. He said he’d traveled on water into neighborhoods he’d never visitedina car.

Ithought of thatinterview this pastmonth, when Ifound myself in places in the Twin Cities I’d not previously entered. ASomali-Americanmall filled with the spicy scent of fresh samosas, with signs on its doors stating ICE is notallowed inside.

ASpanish-language church now headquartering amassive food deliveryeffort for people afraid to leave their homes—much like FatherJerome LeDoux once transformed St. Augustine Church into astaging area for young CommonGround volunteers.

In New Orleans, it was often these volunteerswho cleared land and restored atype of faith. Yetmuch of the heavy lifting,

as anyNew Orleanianshould recall, wasperformed by tens of thousands of Latino immigrants —the same population now being terrorized both in Minnesota andinLouisiana,and across the country.Louisiana’sstatewide elected officialswho support the current ICE surge seem to have forgotten —orsimply don’tcare about—Katrina’s lessons. Iwas reminded of perhaps the most important of these lessons by the Minnesota poet Ollie Schminkey, who wrote of the riverthattiesthe two statestogether, andhow this is the “land of the mississippi river’sbirth /landofsmall things turning mighty.” Schminkey wrote the poem during the current occupation, concluding it with afew linesabout alocal custom that we calla “Minnesota goodbye”— alengthy,reluctant parting that sounds alot like post-Katrina Louisiana to me, as well: didn’tyou know?

we are bad at saying goodbye to those we love.

we could stay here all night, shoes on in the entryway refusing to open the door These days, as in 2005, hanging on to each other might be the best we’vegot

MichaelTisserand is an author He was theeditor of Gambit Weekly from 1998 to 2005.

Cost of living coming down, butCongresscan do more

Allthrough the fall, Iheard stories of hope and healing from breast cancer patients who, through new treatments and innovations,are living longer and breaking free fromthe disease. And while I’m happyfor these patientsand their families, it also hurts because my family was not so lucky.Wewere robbed of hope andhealing by my mother’s health insurance company.Because of denials and delays, my mother died of metastatic breast cancer at only 55 years old. Mom, or “Jammie” as my son called her,was one of a kind. She loved life. She was the lifeofthe party,and as alabor and delivery nurse, she loved bringing anew lifeinto the world. When she was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2011, she fought hard, forgingher own path and making decisions abouther treatment and care. But when the cancer metastasized in 2018, mom worked with a dedicated team of oncologists who were determined to get her the care she needed. But as we soon learned, hard work and dedication are stillnomatch forovercoming the mazeofburdens and hurdles that insurance companies and their pharmacy benefitmanagers put in the way of patients —eventhe verysickest of cancer patients It allhappened veryquickly.InmidApril of that year,Mom’snew oncologist prescribed atreatment that she felt would give her the best chance of stavingoff disease progression. Over thenext month,the insurancecompany refused to pay forthe treatment and denied and delayed theappeals process. They tried every trick in the book, includingrepeatedly asking the doctor’soffice to send in paper copies of forms that had alreadybeen completedonline. It would be laughable if it wasn’tsopainful to watch Mom had no treatment during this time and ended up in the hospital fortwo weeks Ironically,the same day she was admitted to the hospital, the treatment approval finally came through. But it was too late Those six weeks of insurance denials robbed my mother of precious time and of the hope that comes with having options

time thatmay have cost her life. Because of the delays, she didn’thave the chance to trythe medication thatmay have extended her time with us.

She was released from the hospital to hospice, because she told me she wanted to die at home. She passed away ashort time later. Alifecut short at just 55 years old.

My brother and Iwill never know if that treatmentwould have madeadifference. It is so incredibly awful to watch someone you love to suffer,and there’s nothing you can do about it. Our family has been forever changed. My nieces and daughter will neverknow Jammie. My son who does remember her asks for her often.

No family should have to endure what ours did. My mom deserved the chance to fight,but insurance denials stole thatfrom her.Families acrossthe country facethe same roadblocks—delays,denials and decisions made by insurance middlemen insteadofdoctors.

And it’snot just breastcancer patients

People battling chronic blood, stomach andother serious cancers are facing the same uphill fight —not just against their diagnosis, but against an insurance system thattoo often stands in the way of clinical care.

Theseinsurance practices have sunk to adangerous new low,and something needs to bedonetostop this from continuing to happen. My brother and Ihave spoken out. We’ve been to Washington totalk with Sen.Bill Cassidy

We’resupportive of any legislation that putsthe power of treatmentand prescribing backinthe hands of the doctors where it should be. Congress can start by advancing PBMreformtobring transparency and accountability to insurers and middlemen, and by passing the commonsense reforms like the Safe Step Act to ensure patients get timely access to the treatments their doctors prescribe. We’re fighting for patientslike our mom, who deserved better from the system thanwhat she got. Cancer already takes so much. No one should have to fight their insurer,too.

Gabriella Burst is apatient advocate based in Metairie.

It’sa new year,but many Louisianians are still missing the old prices that they were paying before President Joe Biden took office. The Biden administration’sbad policies drove up prices by 21%injust four years. In turn,the average Louisiana household hadtospend an additional $28,426 to cover thecost of inflationover thecourse of Biden’sfour years in office. It’sa mess, but Republicans in Washington have already begun to clean it up. We started by peeling back excessive regulationsthat raise the price of goods and services. President Biden added more regulations thanany presidentinhistory,and it cost American businesses roughly $2 trillion to comply withthisred tape President Donald Trump vowed to cut ten regulations for everynew rule he put in place. By March, he hadalready eliminated $1.3 trillion worth of bad Biden-erarules.Congress joinedthe fight by permanently invalidating some of the worst Biden administrationrules through theCongressional ReviewAct President Trumpsigned two of my regulatoryrepeals into law to save consumers money on their energy pricesand bank fees

Theseregulatory repeals have already unleashed a flurry of investment in Louisiana. The Interior Department, for example, recentlyannounced that it had raised $279 million from oil and gas leases after scaling back President Biden’s offshore drilling ban. These offshore leasesales not only generate revenue to reinvestinAmerica, but theyalso help drive down gas prices to below$3per gallon from record-high prices

In addition to cutting regulations, Republicans in Washingtonpassed the OneBig BeautifulBill. This legislation secured our border,doubledthe child tax credit and eliminated taxes on tips and overtime. By extending the 2017 tax cuts, we saved Louisianians from an average tax increase of $1,214 per family

Inflation is now down to 2.7%per year from upward of 9% underPresident

Biden. Thatdoesn’tmean, however,that the lowprices from President Trump’s first term will come back.Lower inflationonly means thatprices arenot growing as quickly.Ifwewanttobring the costofliving within reach for more Louisiana families, we must increase incomes Fortunately,real wageshave already begun to climb under President Trump. In fact, wages for blue-collar workers increased faster in the first half of this year thantheyhaveinany time in recenthistory.Add in the fact thatAmerica’sGDP grew at astaggering 4.3%, and Louisianians have alot of reasonstobe optimistic aboutthe high-paying jobs on the horizon.

We’re offtoagreat start, but Congress still hasa lotofwork to do to keep wages growing andreturn asense of normalcy to the pocketbooks of Louisianians. We need to address ourbroken health care system, bolsterour immigration policies,reformour burdensome regulatory state andaddress the soaring price of housing. To do anyofthis, though, we need 60 votesinthe Senate.You don’thave to be asenioratCaltech to know that most of my Democratic colleagues hate President Trump. They’ll never cast avoteto help the Republican agenda, and that’s their right. The only wayaround the 60-vote requirement is to use the 1974 CongressionalBudgetAct’s reconciliationprocess. This procedure allows us to pass legislationwith 51 votes—just like we did with the One Big Beautiful Bill. We still have two opportunities to use reconciliationtopass legislation with a simple majority.That’swhy Ihave been hounding Senate leadership to put reconciliation to use to address the cost of living in America, with or without our Democratic friends. Prices may notsoonreturn to where theywerebeforePresident Biden destroyedthe costofliving in America, but the right policies can ensure that Louisianians have the income theyneed to breathe easy in this new year

John Kennedy represents Louisiana in theU.S.Senate.

ISSUEOFTHE WEEK MINNESOTA

After Renee Good, aU.S.citizen, was shot and killed by an Immigration and CustomsEnforcement agent in Minneapolis, tensions have continuedtobuild in the city as residents opposeICE raids President Donald Trumphas said he couldsend troops into the state to restore orderasclashes between protestersand immigration enforcement officers shownosign of easing.Theconfrontation between aRepublicanpresidentand aDemocratic-run city and state is testingthe limitsoffederal power. Meanwhile, as Trumpappears to have backed away from someofhis harshest words,somesay state leadersinMinnesotaalso have adutytoratchet down the rhetoric. Hereare twoperspectives

What if Trumpmade warand nobody came?

President Donald Trump’sapproval ratings are down the drain. The midterms are coming, andifDemocrats prevail, his agenda gets boxed in fast. What can he do to avoid that outcome? Well, what’sworked in the past?Immigration!

Minnesotaand the battle to crippleICE

Froma Harrop

Former President Joe Biden had irresponsibly left borders open for too long, afailure that suited Trump just fine. Abipartisan fix emerged, and Trump pressured Republicans to reject it. He needed ashow

Few foreigners are entering the country illegally these days, and so Trump had to create the appearance of anew immigration crisis. Easy Send armies of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents into Minneapolis. In doing so, he tried to link afraud investigation —one involving many membersofthe Somali community —toillegal immigration. The swindles are outrageous, but most of the Somalis involved are in this country legally.That is not an immigration issue, but Trump is an expert at mixing things up. Another advantage to making war in Minneapolis was the knowledge that many in that generally liberal city would give him that war and provide street theater for media coverage. The performers came out on cue and put on shows. Some were clownish, though most were peaceful. Others threatened violence andbrought tensions to aboil.

Cecil B. DeMille had nothing on Trump in creating spectacle. Unlike DeMille, Trump casts “order” as the hero and ragtag discontentsasthe villains. The ICE officers didn’tsend themselves into these cities. Trump did. Some may have acted badly,but they arehumans. They were being used by Trump on oneside while being provoked by the other

There was really no excuse for aprotest at achurch in St. Paul, where apastor reportedly also worked as an ICE agent. The ICE agentsreally are not the

enemies here. It’sthe people who put theminimpossible situations. What transpired in thefatal shooting of Renee Good should be settled by an in-depth federal investigation. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said thatthe morethe Trump administration refuses to conduct one, “themore frustrationbuilds hereamong the people I speak to.”

To stoke more chaos, the Trump administration has given ICE daily quotas on the number of arrests. That forces —or incentivizes —them to hassle brown people without cause. Trump campaigned on thepromise to at first limit these resources for undocumented immigrants who had committed crimes. He broke that promise, and his brutal campaign against immigrants, legal or otherwise, is abig reason his poll numbers on immigration went negative.

Theworry for Democrats isthat some of their prominent figures may help Trump by playing the“Abolish ICE” card again. That was very bad for them last time. MostAmericans supportimmigration but want it kept legal. “AbolishICE” sounds alot like “Defund the Police.” (“Abolish ICE” probably cost Wisconsin Lt. Gov.Mandela Barnes and Democrats —aSenate seat in 2022. He lost to Republican Sen. Ron Johnson by ahair.)

What if these armies of agents showed up and the town answered by pulling the shades and turning on the TV?Confrontation is Trump’spreferred setting, andconfusion caused by amultitude of playersblursthe lines

Note that Trump hasn’tsent the forces intoconservative Texas or Florida —stateswithfar higher percentages of undocumented immigrants than Minnesota. Andhehas cut back on raids in California farm country,whereundocumented immigrants provide much of the labor.

Trump’slatest verbal escalationcontainedinthreatstoinvoke the Insurrection Act and send in active-duty troops suggests he’sworried thetemperature may soon drop. Democrats,don’t be suckers

Froma Harrop on X@FromaHarrop. Email her at fharrop@gmail.com.

You’ve seen videos of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers struggling to apprehendillegalimmigrants in Minneapolis and elsewhere around the country.Many of those immigrants have criminal records. The reason ICE struggles to detainthemis thatheavily Democratic jurisdictions,suchas Minneapolis, specifically make it hard forimmigration authorities to detain criminal illegal immigrants That’s thepoint of sanctuary laws —toerect abarrier between the illegal immigrant and federal immigrationlaw.Inamore normal world, when aperson who is in the country illegally and who has committed another crime is released from jail, local authorities would notify federal immigration officials, who would thenpickupthe illegal immigrant and put them on thepath to deportation. Not in sanctuary jurisdictions. Their laws, passed by Democratic local and state governments, forbid local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities. If ICE wantstodeport acriminal who is in the country illegally,ICE will have to find them itself. That is what often leadsto the scenes of ICE officers showing up in neighborhoods. Meanwhile, in Washington, D.C.,a bitter debate about the future of ICE is underway and likely to intensify in thecoming days as Congress attempts to pass ahomeland security funding bill. Many Democrats see thisastheir opportunity to take asledgehammer to ICE. There is ahard core of progressive Democratswho have signed on to the “Abolish ICE” cause that flourished for awhile in the first Trump administration. On the other hand, some Democrats are afraid the momentumtoabolishICE will grow and become aliabilityfor the party.The Searchlight Institute, amoderateDemocratic think tank, recently said that while the idea of abolishing ICE might appeal to some in theparty, “it means that you support getting rid

of theagencyresponsible forenforcing immigration andcustomslaws, creating alawless system wherepeople who enter thecountry illegally can stay here indefinitely, leaving no agency charged with finding andremoving them.This will, inevitably,incentivizeothers to come to theUnited States illegally.” Whenthe time to vote comes, it seems likely there will be enough moderate Democrats to joinwithRepublicans, who nearlyunanimouslysupport ICE, to getthe bill through theHouse of Representatives. Whatwill happeninthe Senate whenDemocrats force thefunding bill to get60votes to go forward is anybody’sguess.

Finally,anti-ICE activisminMinneapolis hit anew high, or low, withthe invasion of achurch serviceonSunday Several protesters claimed they had aFirst Amendment right to bargeinto theservice, interrupt worship with theiryelling, andshut thechurch down. That’snot howthe First Amendment works, of course; theFirst Amendment’s right to free speech does not allowprotesters to cancel others’ First Amendment right to religious expression.Inaddition, theprotesters, ledby a“civil rights lawyer,”likely violated alaw calledthe Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, which was passed in 1994 to protect access to both abortion clinicsand churches. The FACE Act mandates fines or imprisonmentfor anyone who“by force or threat of force or by physical obstruction,intentionally injures, intimidates or interferes withorattemptstoinjure, intimidate or interfere withany person lawfully exercising or seeking to exercise theFirst Amendment right of religious freedom at aplace of religious worship.”That seemsanexact description of what theprotesters did Now, theJustice Departmentislooking intothe church matter,while local officialssearch forfurther ways to obstruct ICE, and someDemocrats in Washington seek waystocut back or shut down theagency. The Battleof Minnesota goes on,both in Minnesota andinWashington,withnoend in sight. Email Byron York at byork@ washingtonexaminer.com.

Baton RougeWeather

Fulwiley liftsLSU to lopsided winover Aggies

With road victory, Tigers improveto4-2 in SECplay

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

Since it’sstartedfacing SECteams, the LSU women’sbasketball team has been neither taking nor making many 3-pointers. Only about three makes on 10 attempts per game. Then the No. 6Tigers(18-2, 4-2 SEC)visited College Station, Texas, on Thursday and knocked down four long-range shots in the firstquarter alone, propellingthemselvesto a98-54 win over Texas A&M.

MiLaysia Fulwiley keyed thathot start. Before Thursday,when shescored agamehigh 23 points to lead LSU to its win over the Aggies (8-7,1-5), thejunior transfer guard hadn’thit alook from beyondthe arc since LSUplayed LouisianaTech on Dec. 13. Against Texas A&M, however,she drained threeofher firstfourlong-range field-goal tries to give the Tigers an early double-digit lead. And the most lopsided SEC win of coach Kim Mulkey’stenure.

LSU had an opportunityThursdaytobuild on its last two victories —résumé-building wins over No. 4Texas and No. 16 Oklahoma. Texas A&M was aheavyunderdog. The Aggies began the night with onlyone win

ä See FULWILEY, page 4C

atouchdownagainst South Carolina on Oct.11atTiger Stadium. LSU football reported $117.5 million in revenue during the 2025 fiscal year

LSUathletics reportsuptick in

revenue

Breaking down department’s spending for2025 fiscal year

BY WILSON ALEXANDER Staff writer

LSU athletics finished with a$3.8 million surplus and the footballteam turned arecord profitduring the 2025 fiscal year,according to an annual NCAA financial report. The department recorded $223.4 million in revenue, aslight uptick from the year before, while spending $219.6 million. As aresult, LSU ended up with ahigher profitthan the year before, when it hadone of $1.73 million in the 2024 fiscal year

Financialsummaries sent by schools to the governing body of college sports are available through publicrecordslaw.The figures covered July 2024 to June 2025,a period that includeda national championship in baseball, former football coach Brian Kelly‘s third season and the last fullschool year under former athletic directorScott Woodward. It wasthe last financialreportbefore the

Followinginjuries, LSUgymnast Zeisshas foundjoy in competingagain as Tigers host Kentucky in home opener

BY SCOTTRABALAIS Staff writer

Lexi Zeiss has gone to great lengths to pursue her gymnastics dreams. She left her hometown of Omaha, Nebraska, after her freshmanyear of high school to traininMinneapolis at one of the nation’stop gyms: Twin CityTwisters. Her parents, Dana and Jess Zeiss, kept their homeinOmaha, rented another in Minneapolis andspent three years shuttlingback and forth between the twocities.

“My wife andI hadmanydate nights in the Deltaclub at theMinneapolis airport switching off,”JessZeiss, said. Thereare sacrifices required topursuethe highest goalsinsports. And debts to be paid. Lexi Zeiss made them andpaid them. She was home-schooled her last three years of high school, acommon practice for elitelevelgymnasts. The routinesshe was doing, withmore lengthand difficultythanthose of collegiate gymnastics,

Saints QB Tyler Shough STAFF FILEPHOTO By BRETTDUKE

took atoll on her physically

Ultimately,inMarch 2023, it all camecrashing down. Zeiss traveled to Stuttgart, Germany, as part of the USA Gymnastics team forthe DTBPokai meet there, but the night before, in vault practice, she shredded the deltoid muscle in her ankle. Soon after,she injured her other ankle as well. The injuries ended Zeiss’ hopes of making theU.S. Olympic team forthe 2024 Paris Olympics. Zeiss’ parents asked their only child if all the moving, allthe training, allthe nothaving anormal life wasworth theeffort. “Itcame with consequences,” Jess Zeiss said.

“My injury was really hard,” Zeiss said. “My recovery didn’tgothewayitwasplanned.Itwassupposedtobefaster Iwas constantly in pain and we couldn’tget it to go away.”

Gradually,Lexi Zeiss got her health back. Her joy in doinggymnastics back. Though she does take someLSU classes online, theTigers’ sophomore finds enjoyment

ä See LSU, page 5C

BY LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer

The NFL releasedthe finalists for its most prestigious postseasonhonorsThursday, and one New OrleansSaints player madethe cut Quarterback Tyler Shough is officially a finalist for theAssociated Press Offensive Rookie of theYear award, which is considered thedefinitive honorthatwill be unveiled at the annual NFL honors gala. Joining Shough as finalists forthe Offensive Rookie of theYear award are New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart, TampaBay Buccaneers receiverEmeka Egbuka, New England Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson and Carolina Panthers receiver Tetairoa McMillan. Shough engineered an impressive turnaround for the Saints aftertaking over as the team’sstarting quarterback fora Week 9contest against theLos Angeles Rams. He led New Orleans to a5-4 record in his nine starts, finishing the season with more team wins thanany otherrookie

quarterback despite starting only half the season.Three of the five wins Shough authored featured game-winning drives in the fourth quarter —the rest of the rookie class of quarterbacks combined for three game-winning drives. Shough ranked second amongrookie quarterbacks in quarterback rating (91.3), and firstincompletionpercentage (67.6 %), passing yards pergame (216.7) and

CamWard to lead the Saints to a34-26 win against the Tennessee Titans —the fourth straight win by New Orleans at that stage of the season. At that point, Shough was pulling roughly even with McMillan as the betting favorite forthe award.But amodeststatistical per-

Djokovic one away from 400

Serbian star cruises in straight sets at Australian Open

BY JOHN PYE

AP sportswriter

MELBOURNE, Australia Novak

Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka made it a day for the ages at the Australian Open.

Djokovic improved to 399 wins in Grand Slam matches with a 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 victory over Francesco Maestrelli on Thursday, making the 38-year-old, 24-time major winner just one shy of becoming the first player ever to 400. He’s aiming to win an unprecedented 25th Grand Slam title And if he does, he’ll beat Ken Rosewall’s record (aged 37 in 1972) as the oldest man in the Open era to win a major singles championship. The Rosewall name was prominent on Day 5 at Melbourne Park, where he was among the invited VIPs.

Wawrinka, at 40 years, 310 days, became the first man over 40 to reach the third round of a major since Rosewall in 1978. It took a 4 1/2-hour 4-6, 6-3, 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (3) comeback victory over 21-year-old qualifier Arthur Gea. That’s the longest match of the 2026 tournament so far

Wawrinka, who is retiring at the end of the year, will next face No. 9 Taylor Fritz. Before then, he told the crowd at John Cain Arena: “I think I’ll pick up a beer I deserve one!”

His was one of three high-profile matches that finished around the same time, with Jannik Sinner continuing his bid for an Australian Open three-peat after beating James Duckworth 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 on Rod Laver Arena.

The defining feature of Naomi Osaka’s first two rounds quickly moved from fashion to friction when her 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 win over Sorana Cirstea ended in tension.

“I think this was her last Australian Open so, OK, sorry she was mad about it,” Osaka said. Day and night

With Sinner facing an Australian wild card, he got the prime time night slot and bumped 10-time Australian Open winner Djokovic into the afternoon session

That didn’t bother Djokovic as much as the dropped service game in the third set — his first of the tournament It stung Djokovic, who broke the Italian qualifier at love in the next game and finished on an eight-point roll.

He said he took extra time out in the offseason and fine-tuned some skills as he chases his biggest goals.

“When I have more time, then I obviously try to look at my game and different elements that I can really improve Otherwise, what’s the point?” he said. “That’s the kind of mentality I try to nurture.

It’s been allowing to me play at the highest level at this age.”

Iga wi tek beat Marie Bouzkova 6-2, 6-3 and later said she’s been trying to take lessons from Djokovic’s attitude to sustained success and longevity.

“It’s good to look at people like that and find inspiration,” the sixtime major winner said. “For sure I’ve got to learn to appreciate every single match,” she said.

Keys to success

Defending champion Madison Keys was down a double break in the second set before rallying to

beat Ashlyn Krueger 6-1, 7-5 and advancing to a third-round match against former No. 1 Karolina Plíšková.

Melbourne is where Keys made her Grand Slam breakthrough 12 months ago and since her return people have been asking her how confident she is about retaining the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup.

“Whether or not I do repeat it,” she said, “I still get to keep Daphne at home!”

In that tough quarter of the draw, No. 4 Amanda Anisimova fended off doubles champion Katerina Siniakova 6-1, 6-4 and sixthseeded Jessica Pegula won 6-0, 6-2 over McCartney Kessler, her doubles partner

Anisimova, who has been runner-up at the last two major tournaments, will next play fellow American Peyton Stearns. Pegula will next face Oksana Selekhmeteva, who upset 2025 semifinalist Paula Badosa 6-4, 6-4. No. 5 Elena Rybakina advanced over Varvara Gracheva and No. 10 Belinda Bencic was ousted by Nikola Bartunkova.

Men’s draw

Eighth-seeded Ben Shelton, a

semifinalist here last year, reached the third round with a 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 win over Australian qualifier Dane Sweeny

His fellow American Eliot Spizzirri beat Wu Yibing in five grueling sets and will next face Sinner

Two men’s seeds tumbled: Marin Cilic, the 2014 U.S. Open winner, ousted No. 21 Denis Shapovalov and Tomas Machac upset 2023 Australian Open runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (5).

Big, big crowds

The combined day and night crowd set a tournament record for the fourth time in five days, rising to 103,720. The cumulative total for the main draw so far is 508,430, prompting a lot of chatter about crowding.

Light will win

Before the start of the night session, spectators were asked to join in a moment of silence to remember the 15 people killed in the Bondi Beach terror attack last month. It was designated a national day of mourning in Australia and signs in Melbourne Park highlighted the message: “Light Will Win.

Scheffler 1 shot back at American Express

BY DOUG FERGUSON AP golf writer

LA QUINTA, Calif.

— The idea for Scottie Scheffler was to get a gauge on his game at The American Express, and all appeared to be in good working order Thursday He made birdies on half of his holes for a 9-under 63 to join a parade of low scores that left him one shot out of the lead.

Min Woo Lee and Pierceson Coody led the way at 10-under 62 on the Nicklaus Tournament course at PGA West, the easiest of the three on the rotation. Scheffler played at La Quinta where he didn’t miss a green until the 17th hole. He chipped that in for birdie.

“I think the hardest part about these tests where you have to shoot so low is you can only shoot so many under par in a round of golf,” Scheffler said. “The easier tests, where the scores are crazy low if you start falling behind it’s a lot harder to keep up, so you have to keep pace out here.” Jason Day had the most impressive round of the day with his 63 on the Stadium Course at PGA West, which averaged nearly four shots harder than the Nicklaus course and just over three shots harder than La Quinta.

But it was a solid start for so many of the 156 players — the largest domestic field of the year among regular PGA Tour

golf courses, and it’s just a good check to see where your game’s at in very benign conditions. Because if you can’t hit a 6-iron out here you’re not going to hit a 6-iron good anywhere.”

Scheffler leads the strongest field in decades at The American Express, approaching the three-year anniversary at No. 1 in the world, a combined 13 tour titles and three majors the last two years.

This was his first competition against a full field the first time playing when there was a 36-hole cut — since September in Napa, California (which he won).

nities,” Scheffler said. “Even the fairways I was missing, I was missing on the correct side. And it was nice, even though I wasn’t hitting it my best on the back, but to keep it in play and give myself some opportunities.”

That was the case for just about everybody Lee had three straight birdies around the turn and four in a row toward the end of his round.

Coody made seven straight birdies on the back nine before closing with a par Nine players were at 63, a group that included Ben Griffin and Patrick Cantlay and eight more players were at 64.

Rees joins Falcons as offensive coordinator

The Atlanta Falcons have named Tommy Rees offensive coordinator the team announced Thursday It’ll be a reunion for Rees and newly-appointed Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski. Rees worked under Stefanski for two years in Cleveland He was initially brought on as tight ends coach and pass game specialist in 2024 before being promoted to offensive coordinator prior to the 2025 season. He took over play-calling duties from Stefanski in Week 10 after a 2-6 start. Rees replaces Zac Robinson, who was recently hired as the offensive coordinator of NFC South foe Tampa Bay after two seasons in Atlanta. The Falcons also announced the hiring of Jacqueline Roberts, who will serve as the manager of coaching operations.

Liberty announce May 8 start to regular season

NEW YORK The Liberty are set to begin the WNBA’s 30th season on May 8 — if the league and the WNBPA are able to reach a deal on a new collective bargaining agreement and avoid work stoppage. The spring matchup against the Connecticut Sun would be the WNBA debut of new Liberty head coach Chris DeMarco at Barclays Center The Friday evening matchup is the first of a 44-game WNBA schedule.

It’s still unknown how the initial 44-game schedule announced Wednesday will be impacted if CBA talks continue through the winter as spring approaches There’s no guarantee for play to begin on May 8 or if the 44-game season will remain as currently structured.

Mets acquire pitcher Peralta in Brewers trade

NEW YORK The active New York Mets acquired ace pitcher Freddy Peralta and right-hander Tobias Myers from Milwaukee on Wednesday night in a trade that sent two prized young players to the Brewers. Milwaukee received pitcher Brandon Sproat and minor league infielder/outfielder Jett Williams. Both were rated among the game’s top 100 prospects by Baseball America.

Peralta gives the new-look Mets a frontline starter after their rotation faltered in the second half of a hugely disappointing 2025 season. Peralta went 17-6 with a 2.70 ERA in 33 starts last season, when he led the National League in wins and finished fifth in Cy Young Award voting.

Lions’ Skipper retiring, will pursure coaching

DETROIT — Dan Skipper is reporting as retired.

Skipper, a fan favorite with the Detroit Lions, made the announcement via Instagram on Thursday “24 years of putting on pads and a helmet every fall. This year I’ll trade that out to pursue a career on the other side in coaching,” Skipper, 31, wrote “The memories and experiences that the NFL has brought me and my family are hard to put into words. Thankful for every person that has been apart of my journey.”

Skipper is reportedly volunteering as an offensive line coach for the East-West Shrine bowl, which is hosted in Texas.

Skipper has spent the last few seasons as the Lions’ swing tackle and their extra offensive lineman.

‘Heated Rivalry’ stars to be Olympic torchbearers

events because of the three courses. They were treated to ideal conditions they expect in the California desert, with pleasant weather and barely a breath of wind.

Even with the new tech-infused TGL weather like this has always made Palm Springs feel like playing indoors.

“You’re coming to a dome almost,” Vince Whaley said after a 63 at Nicklaus. “You got hardly any wind, perfect turf, perfect

Six holes into the new year, he already was 5-under par Scheffler hit only five of 14 fairways but was rarely out of position until the end of his round, twice being blocked by trees that required a hard fade on one how and a low slider around the trees on another at the 17th. That one ran through the green, leading to a chip that rolled in like a putt. It was a fast start and routine pars in the middle with a few birdies sprinkled in About the only thing that caused even a little stress was when sprinkler came on right below his feet when he was doing interviews after his round.

“Felt I could have hit a few more fairways on the back nine, give myself some more opportu-

The final round will be played on the Stadium Course, and its difficulty was primarily the firmness of the greens that made it hard to get it close. Day didn’t have too many problems as he put in a new set of Avoda irons this year

“Irons felt great, the short game felt good, and I putted really nice today,” Day said. “Just got to work on the driver a little bit. Some of the drives were a little off. But overall I feel pretty solid.”

Rickie Fowler was slowed by three bogeys in a four-hole stretch on the back nine at La Quinta, but his left shoulder felt great and there wasn’t too much tournament rust. Fowler hasn’t competed since the BMW Championship five months ago.

MILAN The actors Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie who costar in the hit hockey romance TV series “Heated Rivalry” are set to be among the torchbearers carrying the Olympic flame on the way to the Opening Ceremony for the Milan Cortina Games.

The organizing committee announced Thursday that Williams and Storrie will take part in the torch relay The Opening Ceremony is scheduled for Feb. 6. The series based off “Game Changers” books has captivated viewers with the fictional story of a Canadian and a Russian hockey player sustaining

AP NFL MVP finalists announced

49ers’ RB McCaffrey only second player to be finalist for three AP NFL awards in same year

BY ROB MAADDI AP pro football writer

NEW YORK Christian McCaf-

frey has become only the second player to be a finalist for three AP NFL awards in the same year, as he joins Josh Allen, Trevor Lawrence, Drake Maye and Matthew Stafford in the running for The Associated Press 2025 NFL Most Valuable Player award. McCaffrey and Maye are also finalists for Offensive Player of the Year McCaffrey and Lawrence are among the finalists for Comeback Player of the Year

The winners will be announced at “NFL Honors” on Feb. 5. A nationwide panel of 50 media members who regularly cover the league completed voting before the playoffs began. Votes were tabulated by the accounting firm of Lutz and Carr

Voters selected a top 5 for the eight AP NFL awards. First-place votes were worth 10 points Second- through fifth-place votes were worth 5, 3, 2 and 1 points

Here are the finalists, in alphabetical order for the eight AP NFL awards:

Most Valuable Player

Allen, the reigning MVP, threw for 3,668 yards, 25 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, posting a 102.2 passer rating while leading Buffalo to its seventh straight playoff appearance. He also ran for 14 TDs. The Bills were knocked out of the playoffs by Denver in the divisional round and fired coach Sean McDermott. Lawrence helped Jacksonville win 13 games and the AFC South title. He had 4,007 yards passing, 29 TDs and 12 picks. The Jaguars were eliminated by the Bills in the wild-card round.

McCaffrey, an All-Purpose AllPro, ran for 1,202 yards and 10 TDs and caught 102 passes for 924 yards and seven TDs. He played a key role in helping the injury-depleted San Francisco

SAINTS

Continued from page 1C

Falcons a game the Saints played without most of their top offensive play-makers — allowed McMillan to pull back ahead in the race. McMillan was recently named the Pro Football Writers Association Rookie of the Year, though Shough made the All-Rookie team at quarterback ahead of Dart.

The last time a Saints player won Rookie of the Year honors was in 2017, when both Alvin Kamara and Marshon Lattimore took home the offensive and defensive honors. Running backs George Rogers (1981) and Rueben Mayes (1986) also took home the AP’s top rookie honors.

ATHLETICS

Continued from page 1C

implementation of revenue sharing rules that allowed schools to directly pay players in exchange for the use of their name, image and likeness rights. LSU said it would meet a $20.5 million spending cap in the first year of the system, which administrators said would create a financial deficit in the 2026 fiscal year

LSU has now exceeded $200 million in revenue for three straight years. It generated a slight increase in revenue in Fiscal Year 2025 compared to the year before in large part due to an increase in media rights payouts LSU made $53.1 million from media rights after bringing in $43.6 million the previous year As revenues continue to rise in major college sports, so have expenses.

LSU spent $219.6 million, which was roughly $1 million more than the year before. The highest expenditures came from $82.7 million in combined compensation for coaches, support staff and administration.

LSU also spent $27 million on unspecified operating expenses. As usual, LSU football

49ers win 12 games He’s a finalist for three awards this year, a feat last accomplished by Joe Burrow

Maye had 4,394 yards passing, 31 TDs and eight picks to lead the New England Patriots to an AFC East title and an appearance in the AFC championship game on Sunday Maye led the NFL in passer rating (113.5) and completion percentage (72) Stafford led the NFL with 4,707 yards passing and 46 TDs. He threw eight picks and finished second to Maye with a 109.2 passer rating. Stafford was first-team All-Pro for the first time in his 17year career

Last year, Lamar Jackson was the first-team All-Pro QB but was edged out by Allen for MVP

Coach of the Year

Liam Coen led the Jaguars to a 13-4 record and a division title in his first season, a nine-win turnaround for the franchise.

Ben Johnson guided the Chicago Bears to an 11-5 record and their first NFC North championship in seven seasons.

Mike Macdonald led the Seattle Seahawks to a 14-3 record and the NFC’s No. 1 seed. The Seahawks host the Rams in the NFC championship game on Sunday

Kyle Shanahan guided the 49ers to 12 wins despite a slew of injuries to key players, including losing defensive stars Nick Bosa and Fred Warner for the season.

Mike Vrabel, the 2021 AP NFL Coach of the Year, took the Patri-

second half of a

in Atlanta.

Shough was also recently named a finalist for the Pepsi Zero Sugar Rookie of the

was the big money-maker It reported $117.5 million in revenue and $50.7 million in expenses, resulting in a $66.8 million surplus, which is believed to be a record for the team. LSU football had never cleared a $60 million profit, according to available financial reports that date back to 2004. It generated a $52.4 million surplus the year before.

The increase was mostly thanks to multi-million dollar bumps in ticket sales ($43.6 million), media rights ($18.6 million) and conference distributions of bowlgenerated revenue ($13.1 million). The team also received $28 million in outside contributions. Its total revenue was $9.6 million higher than the year before.

LSU football’s expenses mostly remained the same, with one exception. It spent $4.3 million less on unspecified “other operating expenses” than the year before, which includes nonteam travel and team banquets or awards. The only other team to record a profit was men’s basketball, which made $2.5 million in head coach Matt McMahon’s third season. Even though the team went 14-18 overall and 3-15 in the SEC, its media rights increased to $6.8 million, providing a larger financial

Year, a promotional award that is determined by fan vote.

cushion as expenses held steady Despite its issues on the court, LSU men’s basketball has made money for four straight years.

LSU women’s basketball lost the most money of the teams on campus, a regular occurrence ever since the school hired coach Kim Mulkey and decided to invest more in the program. LSU spent $12.09 million on the team, with the largest expense coming on salaries and benefits ($6 million) for Mulkey and her staff.

LSU women’s basketball lost $7.9 million during a season in which it went 31-6 overall and made it to the Elite Eight. Though ticket sales continued to go up, reaching $1.6 million, the team does not receive much from NCAA and SEC distributions It also does not make any money on media rights the way men’s basketball does. In baseball, LSU baseball lost $921,607 as it won the national championship for the second time in coach Jay Johnson’s four seasons. That was less than the year before, when it lost $1.9 million, but operating the team has become more expensive than it used to be. LSU spent $10.9 million that season, compared to $5.9 million three years earlier

ots from worst to first, a 10-win turnaround in his first season with the team.

Assistant Coach of the Year

Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores, Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak and Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels are the finalists.

Comeback Player of the Year

Lawrence, McCaffrey, Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs, Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson and Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott are the finalists.

Defensive Player of the Year

All-Pro edge rusher Will Anderson Jr had 12 sacks for the Houston Texans and was a major part of the NFL’s No. 1 ranked defense.

Broncos edge rusher Nik Bonitto had 14 sacks for the league’s second-ranked defense.

Browns edge rusher Myles Garrett, a unanimous choice for All-Pro, set a single-season record with 23 sacks and had 33 tackles for loss. He was the 2023 AP Defensive Player of the Year

Lions edge rusher Hutchinson had 14 ½ sacks.

All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons had 12 ½ sacks in 13 1/2 games before tearing his ACL in his first season in Green Bay.

Offensive Player of the Year

Puka Nacua, Bijan Robinson and Jaxon Smith-Njigba join Maye and McCaffrey as finalists. Nacua and Smith-Njigba were unanimous selections for All-Pro. Nacua led the NFL with 129 catches for 1,715 yards and 10 TDs for the Rams. Smith-Njigba caught 119 passes and led the league with 1,793 yards receiving and had 10 TDs.

Robinson, who was All-Pro running back, led the NFL with 2,298 yards from scrimmage. He ran for 1,478 yards and seven TDs and caught 79 passes for 820 yards and four scores.

Defensive Rookie of the Year

Giants edge rusher Abdul Carter, Seahawks defensive back Nick Emmanwori, Falcons edge rusher James Pearce Jr Browns linebacker Carson Schwesinger and Falcons safety Xavier Watts are the finalists.

Offensive Rookie of the Year Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart, Buccaneers wide receiver Emeka Egbuka Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson, Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan and Saints quarterback Tyler Shough are the finalists.

Ex-Michigan coach Moore seeks to dismiss charges

BY LARRY LAGE AND ED WHITE Associated Press

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — A lawyer for fired University of Michigan football coach Sherrone Moore declared his innocence Thursday and said she’s seeking to have home invasion and other charges against him dismissed.

Authorities say Moore entered a woman’s apartment on Dec. 10 and blamed her for him losing his job that day, then grabbed butter knives and kitchen scissors and threatened to kill himself. Moore was fired for having a personal relationship with the woman — who was a football staff member — and for lying during the investigation, the university’s athletic

director said in the dismissal letter In court Thursday, defense attorney Ellen Michaels said she had filed a motion to quash the arrest warrant against Moore. She later told reporters Moore is innocent

“This warrant was issued based on false and misleading statements presented as facts,” Michaels said. “We’re confident the truth will come out in court under oath where it belongs.”

Michaels didn’t elaborate on the disputed statements and directed reporters to a court filing that wasn’t immediately available. Without the statements, she said, “there would be no probable cause for these charges.”

Moore, 39, faces three

charges, including felony home invasion and stalking. He has pleaded not guilty and must wear a tracking device while free on bond. He stood nearby while Michaels spoke outside the courthouse but declined to comment Washtenaw County assistant prosecutor Kati Rezmierski told the judge that she had just received Michaels’ court filing. Judge Cedric Simpson set the next hearing for Feb. 17.

When the charges were filed on Dec. 12, Rezmierski said the woman involved in the case cooperated with the university investigating the affair after she ended it with Moore. The prosecutor quoted Moore as telling the woman, “My blood is on your hands.”

‘I

want to leaveapositive impact on thecommunity’

Pelicans star Jones givesbacktoNew Orleans’ youth

Herb Jones is knownfor his defense. But the New Orleans Pelicans forward also doesn’tminddishing out an assist or two.

ä Pelicans at Grizzlies. 7P.M. FRIDAy,GULF COAST SPORTS NETWORK

life. (I wanted to) give back and helpastudentoncethey go back to college.”

Smith was oneof25students from variousNew Orleans Public Schoolswho attended theevent

NBA, AbuDhabi extend partnership

BY TIM REYNOLDS AP basketball writer

The NBA and Abu Dhabi’sDepartment of Culture and Tourismannounced an extension of their partnershipThursday,with the league agreeing to continue bringing preseason games to the Middle East and the sides completing talks to launch anew global academyinthe United Arab Emirates’ capital for top boys players.

Financial terms were not disclosed, thoughit’sreasonableto expect that the nine-year extension would be worthwellover $300 million —based on how theDCT agreed to pay the EuroLeague areported 25 million euros ($29.2million) to playhost to that league’sFinal Four last year

Theextensionalso comes at a time where the NBAand FIBA are working toward launching a newleague in Europe,possibly as early as next year.And theDCT has deep ties to Manchester City, which is believed to be one of thefranchisesthathas metwith the NBA about the possibility of bidding for aspot in the new basketball venture. Manchester City also has astake in the Co-Op LiveArena, where the NBA is bringing aregular-season game in 2027.

chester City andisa top executive with Mubadala, one of AbuDhabi’ssovereign wealth funds.

TheNBA has played in Abu Dhabi in each of the last four preseasons: Milwaukee and Atlanta went in 2022, Dallasand Minnesota went in 2023, Boston and Denver went in 2024 and New York and Philadelphia went in the 2025 preseason.

USA Basketball also visited Abu Dhabi forgames preceding the2023 BasketballWorld Cup in the Philippines and the 2024 Paris Olympics. It’slogical to expect that USABasketball will return there in 2027 in advance of the next World Cup, which will be played in Qatar NBAgames have aired in the UAEfor nearly 40 years, and the league —citing research provided by YouGov —says “basketball participation has increased by 60% in the UAE and basketball’s fanbase in the country has grown by more than 25%”sincethe annual preseason trips started in 2022.

found ways to have fun without having to spend money.Ikept that with me as Igrew.Ialways said once Iran into money,I would use those same principles to save and give back to my family or those that need it.”

Smith, who plans to attend Spelman College in Atlanta, was thrilled to win.

Jones, who has 645 assistssince being drafted by the Pelicans in 2021, added one more to his total Wednesday night This particular assist didn’t go to Zion Williamson or Trey Murphy or any of hisother teammates. And it was worthfar more than just two points. This one went to Trinity Smith, asenior at the New OrleansCenter for Creative Arts. And this one was worth $10,000.

Smith was the recipient of the 2026 Herb Jones Excellence Award.

Smith was named the winner during aceremony in the Courtside Club of the SmoothieKing Center following the Pelicans’ 112-104 losstothe Detroit Pistons.

“I wanted to give back to the community,” Jones said. “Withso much we do in sports,Iwanted to let the kids know that’snot the only option to be successfulin

Continued from page1C

in league play,and their last two games both turned into 40-point losses to AP top-10 teams. LSU gave them asimilarly lopsided defeat.

Texas A&M turnedthe ball over 25 times, shot only 33% fromthe field and grabbed just 24 total rebounds, losing the battle on the glass by 25 boards.

Fulwileyalsoadded five steals and four assists, whileshooting8 of 13 from the field. Star juniorMikaylah Williams scored only four points but assisteda career-high nine shots, corralled eight boards and forced three turnovers. Freshman forward Grace Knox chipped in 19 points on 9-of-9 shooting the most she’sscored since SEC playbegan Jan. 1— and transfer forward Amiya Joynertallied 11 points and 11 rebounds.

Williams set up each of Fulwiley’s 3-pointers. She drained the first off askip passtothe right wing,then drained the second after Williams drew ahelp defender and bounced apass out to the left wing. Texas A&M spentmost of the first quarter in a2-3 zone defense, which gave LSU opportunities to find open shots from beyond the arc.

The Tigers eventually forced the Aggiesoutofthatdefensivelook.But their offense kept rolling anyway

LSUscored 37 points in the third quarter. Fulwiley added acouple more steals, acouple more layups and acouple moreassists. She swiped the ball away froma Texas A&M ballhandler and finished the ensuing transition chance herself On another fast-break opportunity she flipped ano-look pass to sopho-

All 25 students demonstrated high academic achievements and served as leaders in their schools and in thecommunity. Their accomplishments made choosing a winnerdifficult, Jones said.

But really,everyone wasa winner

Each student was given agift bag that included asigned basketball, ajersey and aSurface Pro tablet and keyboard

That led to aloud“We love you, Herb” cheer from the students.

“I probably would’ve reacted the same way if somebody had done that formeinhigh school,” Jonessaid. “Especially given the circumstances back home. Iwas just happy that they were happy to get something to help them.I knowonce they get to college, alot of kidsdon’thave the resources to getcertain things. I’mglad Iwas able to bea blessingtoothers.”

Jones is known for not being flashy

He keepsitsimple when it comes to thingslike fashion and spending money.He credits that to his upbringinggrowing up in Alabama.

“Back home, we didn’thave a lot to do,” Jones said.“Butwe

“This honor and this distinguishment means everything to me,” Smithsaid. “I’ve worked so hard being an activist and a leader within my school and community. So to be awarded this and get recognition for thework I’ve put in feels like such ablessing.”

Andfor Jones, it was ablessing, too. His stellar defense play over theyears, including aselection to theAll-Defensive Team two seasons ago, helped coin the phrase “Not on Herb.”

ButWednesday,itwas more like “Because of Herb.”

Jones missed Wednesday’s gamebecause of an ankle injury he’sbeen dealing with. Yethestill managed to makeanimpact, albeit off the court, in the Smoothie King Center

Aplayer who takes pride in stopping opposing players from scoring goals takes just as much pride in helping students reach their goals.

“Regardless of what we do on thecourt, Iwant to leave apositiveimpact on the community,” Jones said. “Especially the kids.”

LSU guard MiLaysia Fulwileydrives the ball during agameagainst Texas on Jan. 11 at the PMAC. Fulwileyscored agame-high 23 points and had five steals and four assists in Thursday’swin over TexasA&M.

more center Kate Koval, giving her an easy layup Four Tigers hit multiple shots in that dominantthird quarter, including Knox. She took five shots in thepaint and convertedall of them, helping LSU take a78-41 lead into the fourthquarter

The Tigers also converted all 20 free throws they took,tying the program record for most makes at the stripe without amiss. Their 22 assists (on 36 makes) are tied for the third-most they’ve tallied

inleague play since 2021. LSU is now49-7against unrankedSEC teams under Mulkey Its winonThursdaywas their thirdleague victory of at least 40 pointsover thelast five seasons. The Tigers won’tplay another AP-ranked opponent until it hosts No. 23 Alabama on Feb.1.They have twomore games until then, starting at 7p.m. Monday with a homecontest against aFlorida squad that dropped five of its first six league matchups.

“Extending our partnership with the NBA further strengthensAbu Dhabi’s positionasthe new home of basketball in the Middle East and reinforces our commitment to our youth, inspiring our community,diversifying the economy,and elevating the emirate’sstanding as aglobal destination,” said Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, thechairmanofDCT AbuDhabi

He is the brother of Khaldoon Al Mubarak, whochairs Man-

“Our collaboration with DCT Abu Dhabi hasbeen instrumental in growing basketball participation and fandom in the UAEand across the Middle East,” NBA Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer Mark Tatum said. The planned NBAGlobal Academy in AbuDhabi will be considered the global hub for the league’sNBA Academy program The Abu Dhabi site, the league said, will operateyear-round andserve as an “elitebasketball development and academic program for top high-school-age student-athletes from theUAE, the Middle East and around the world.” The academy will also have some basketball developmentactivities forlocal girls, the league said.

SU women’sdepth, defensetoo much forMississippi Valley

BY CHARLES SALZER Contributing writer

The Southern women’s basketball team deep bench was too muchfor MississippiValleyon Thursday afternoon.

Nearly everyone in aJaguars uniform played significant minutes as Southern’sdefense dominatedplayina 69-46 win at the F.G. Clark Activity Center

Thewin allows Southern (9-8 5-1 SWAC) to hold on to ashare of first place in the Southwestern Athletic Conference standings.The Jaguars will finish their week on Saturday when they host Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

Against Valley (4-14, 3-4), Southern put the game away in the third quarter.The Jaguars made4of6shots, all 3-pointers, to open the quarter.A30-19 halftime lead ballooned out to 43-22, and thelead never fell below 20 pointsagain.

Jaylia Reed, who playedat Valley last season before transferring to Southern, showed up ready to play.Reed made three 3-pointers and was the game’s only double-figure scorer with 13 points.

Southern’sscoring wasspread among 12 players, all of whom played at least 10 minutes in the game.D’Shantae Edwardsand Zaria Hurston each had five of Southern’s18steals.

“We’re abalanced team,” Southern coach Carlos Funchess said. “It was good to get so many players involved in the game.”

SydneyThompson scored ninepoints to lead Valley,which struggled fromthe field most of

the game. TheDevilettes shot 26.7% (12 for 45), their lowest percentage of the season. “Wedid some good things defensively,but they relyonfree throwsand we put them on the line 27 times,” Funchess said. “They lead the league in freethrow attempts, and you can’t put ateam like that on the line.”

Reed’s3-pointer early in the fourth quarter helpedSouthern take its largest lead of the game at 62-30. The closest Valleygot was 67-46 with less than one minute remaining.

Southern’sdefense dominated playfor most of thefirst half. The Jaguars rolled to a23-6 lead after onequarter,and led27-7 four minutes into the second. To that point, Southern had forced 15 turnovers and Valley had madejust one field goal. That changed in the last three minutes of thehalfasthe Devilettes made4 of 8shots and outscored Southern 10-3.

As good as the Jaguars had been on defense, their offense was flat in the second quarter

They made just one field goal, Jaylie Reed’s3-pointer with 2:50 left in the half, and it wasn’t nearly enoughtokeepValley from climbing back into the game.

Sydnei Marshall scored on afast break in the final minute helping Valley slice Southern’s lead to 30-19 at halftime.

“Weleftatleast 20 points on the court in the second quarter We can’t do that against good teams,” Funchess said.“Idon’t expect us to make them all, but we have to be able to make the routine plays.”

‘I

didn’t like losing’

Now a state champion, East Ascension’s Stewart lost his first wrestling match but never quit improving

BY JACKSON REYES Staff writer

The

first time East Ascension’s Braylon Stewart stepped on a wrestling mat at 5 years old, his mother was not having it

“I took him and I called (his father),” Niokia Stewart said “I told him, I was like, ‘We’re not doing this.’

“They’re just throwing him around, beating him up. I don’t like this. I don’t want to do it.”

His first attempt at wrestling brought bruises, but the sting of defeat hurt even more. It drove him to stick with the sport and continue improving

More than a decade later, Stewart was an LHSAA state champion as a sophomore.

Now a junior, he’s 65-7 this season and recently won the 165-pound final of the 53rd Louisiana Classic without conceding a single point during the tournament that features the state’s best.

“Now I can’t see him doing anything else,” Niokia Stewart said “I absolutely love the sport. He’s enjoying wrestling. He enjoys helping his teammates get better, even when he was younger.”

Getting started

Braylon’s father, Kevin Stewart, got him into the sport after hearing that Stewart’s cousins had started wrestling.

Stewart struggled in other sports growing up, so he decided to give wrestling a chance.

Rather than shying away from the sport after his first time on the mat, he kept going.

“I didn’t like losing,” Stewart said. “I wanted to keep going until one day I could win. Just kept coming back over and over, got better each time.”

The driving factor

Stewart trusts himself each time he steps on the mat. The anticipation leading up to the match and the roar of a crowd bring jitters, but once he steps onto the mat it’s just him and his opponent — something he savors.

“I can take matters into my own hands,” he said. “I do feel the pressure sometimes. As soon as I step onto the mat, I’ve got nothing else to worry about.”

His confidence stems from his success. He remembers one of the first trophies from the Liberty Nationals America Crown in 2020. He wrestled in two divisions and won both.

“I was really excited — big trophy as a little kid,” Stewart said. “That really makes you happy knowing that you won something so grand that nobody else can take it from you.”

He also holds the Division I state title he won last year in high regard as it puts him among the fellow state champions at East Ascension. “I’m in EA’s history forever now,” Stewart said. “I’m a part of a legacy that’s going to keep going on forever Nobody can take this away from me. I can come back, with maybe my child, and show them where I put myself in EA’s history.”

Helping others

Stewart’s confidence might be matched only by his passion to help others.

His desire to be there for those he cares about fed into his drive to stay in the sport. Even in fifth grade, he saw wrestling as an opportunity to earn a scholarship and ensure his parents wouldn’t have to pay college tuition.

That aspect also helped him decide on his future career path of becoming a nurse.

“Wrestling is my pathway to do that,” he said. “Wrestling is teaching me all life lessons that help in everyday life.”

The sport has also become an outlet for Stewart to express his care for others

“He wants to be around a lot of people,” Spartans wrestling coach Conor Karwath said. “Seeing him being open and willing to help everybody is definitely one of the things that’s changed the most since he’s been a little kid.”

He can help ease the nerves his teammates feel in big tournaments. Stewart also stays after practice to work with his teammates.

“He’s been in so many big matches and scenarios throughout his entire wrestling career,” Karwath said. “He can pull from a lot of those experiences he had and give those kids guidance.”

Throughout Stewart’s life, his parents have received notes or calls from school about how supportive he is with his classmates.

“He gives everything he’s got to anybody,” Niokia Stewart said.

“He’s just that kid. To know Braylon is to love Braylon.”

Overcoming obstacles

While Stewart has experienced success and garnered accolades, his wrestling career has had its setbacks.

Just before his sophomore season, he suffered a torn labrum that sidelined him for six months.

He was cleared the week of last year’s Louisiana Classic wrestling tournament in January Though he

Perkins, BRHS soccer rebound to rout Zachary

Bulldogs snap two-game losing streak with shutout win

BY JACKSON REYES Staff writer

Baton Rouge High senior

George Perkins entered his team’s match against Zachary angry Coming off consecutive losses, Perkins and the Bulldogs were looking to get back on track. That aggressive mentality led to two goals and led to 6-0 win at Baton Rouge High.

Four Bulldogs scored in the match as Perkins and BRHS bounced back strong.

“This game, I just wanted to come out and (beat) them,” Perkins said. “That’s what we’re hoping to do the rest of the season.”

The Bulldogs put on early pressure, dominating possession and finding several shots on goal.

In the seventh minute, Diego Cruz spun around a defender and powered a shot from outside the box that made it past the Broncos’ goalkeeper to make it 1-0.

“We came out aggressive from the start,” Bulldogs coach Richard Harsch said. “We were able to control it in the first half, and so we finally got that first goal.”

The Bulldogs had a header hit off the crossbar six minutes later

After Baton Rouge High failed to score off of two shots in a crowded Broncos box, Samuel Perez gained possession off a pass

from Perkins from the end line. He fired it from the right side of the box past the keeper to make it 2-0 in the 15th minute.

Two minutes later, Leiden Poklemba stole possession in the Broncos’ final third and broke away to make it 3-0 after a quick shot beat the keeper

Zachary failed to break into Baton Rouge High’s scoring territory for a majority of the first half, but the Broncos had two chances late.

The Bulldogs shut down both opportunities without allowing a shot.

Zachary (8-7-3) failed to record a shot on goal in the first half.

“That’s something we work on every day with possession,” Harsch said. “Holding the ball, being patient, trying to pick our spots. That patience paid off.”

Late in the first half, Perkins scored after an initial Bulldogs shot drew the keeper out and deflected toward him. He made the most of an empty net to make it 4-0 at halftime.

Perkins netted his second goal in the 52nd minute to make it 5-0. He received a through ball and darted down the middle of the field. He saw an opening on the edge of the box and fired the ball into the net. Poklemba stretched the lead to 6-0 with his second goal in the 65th minute after he headed the ball into the back of the net, connecting with a cross into the box.

Harsch said he knew his side would have to bounce back.

“The team responded well,” he said. “We were ready for the game.”

BASKETBALL SCORES

Boys Dutchtown 60, Collegiate Baton Rouge 46

Girls Central Private 45, Catholic-PC 25

Live Oak 51, Glen Oaks 43 Parkview Baptist 62,Woodlawn 38 East Feliciana 49,Ascension Catholic 47

Family Christian 45, Pearl River 39

had only participated in two days of practice, he was dead set on competing.

“He was like, ‘Coach, I want to do this for the team,’ “ Karwath said.

After not stepping on a mat for six months, he finished third.

“You can tell he was hurting and he was tired,” Karwath said. “He didn’t let that bother him at all, and he was ready to compete every match.”

He then pinned his way through the state tournament three weeks later to win the LHSAA state title in Bossier City

The grind to work his way back to winning is a testament to his maturity and drive, Karwath said.

“Even at a young age, it’s like a job,” Karwath said “Practices are hard. You’ve got to watch what you eat. You’ve got to do extra to make sure you’re down at the weight people need you at.”

The expectations have continued to build for Stewart, who continues to do what it takes to be elite.

Stewart puts in the work. He cuts grass during the summer to raise money for the tournaments he attends around the country as he and his mother write letters, looking for sponsors.

He’s lost matches before. He’s fallen short of first place. But he’s never lost sight of his pursuit of greatness and refuses to quit.

“He’s going to try and figure out a way to make it work,” Kevin Stewart said. “That’s his biggest asset. He doesn’t need anyone else to push him to do anything.”

in something mundane for most college students: simply going to class. She also has found joy in the team aspect of collegiate gymnastics: eight of her teammates stayed at the Zeiss home in Omaha during LSU’s run to the 2025 College World Series title.

“I’ve really just started to enjoy competing again,” Zeiss said Monday as the Tigers began preparations for Friday’s home opener against Kentucky (6:30 p.m., SEC Network). “I lost that a little before I got here. I’m just being free and doing it for everyone. For the team. Just doing my normal. I’m being better at self-care. It’s a good mix of everything.”

A two-event competitor in 2025 as an LSU freshman on vault and uneven bars, Zeiss has extended her repertoire with balance beam as well in the Tigers’ first two meets. Her scores have been consistently strong in this early part of the season when scoring has been tight across the nation: three 9.85s, two 9.875s and a 9.90 on bars this past Friday at Georgia. Actually, LSU coach Jay Clark argued vociferously at the Sprouts Collegiate Quad meet two weeks ago that Zeiss’ 9.85 on beam should have been at least a 9.875 because one judge incorrectly devalued one of the skill elements and, in his view did not correctly upgrade the score after the error was made. Just that fraction of a deduction kept LSU from an outright victory in that meet instead of a tie with Oklahoma at 197.500.

“A 9.875 (by Zeiss) would have won the meet,” he said.

Still, LSU’s performance in the Sprouts meet was an encouraging one, the Tigers’ highest road score in a season opener in program history One week later at Georgia, LSU was not celebrating, as the Tigers had to count two poor scores of 9.65 and 9.575 in a frustrating 197.200-196.850 loss to the Bulldogs. It marked the fourth straight year that LSU (2-1-1 overall, 0-1 Southeastern Conference) has lost its SEC road opener Clark this week stressed the importance of not looking back at

past performances, good or bad, but only being focused on moving forward to try to be the championship-caliber program LSU has eventually been after those three early SEC road losses.

Zeiss said the Tigers have gotten the message.

“Our main approach is moving on,” she said. “We addressed what we needed to address (after Georgia) in a team meeting It was a good, athlete-led meeting.

“It’s early We’re growing and focused on ourselves and how we can improve.”

While LSU had its frustrations in the Georgia meet, the Tigers still carry a 197.175 season average that still has them ranked No. 4 in the country This week’s opponent, Kentucky, has had much bigger struggles. Though the Wildcats have two gymnasts ranked in the top-10 individually — Anna Flynn is tied for fourth on vault with LSU’s Kailin Chio and Delaynee Rodriguez is 10th in the all-around, three spots ahead of the Tigers’ Madison Ulrich — the No. 39-ranked Wildcats are 0-4 and 0-1. They finished fourth in their session at the Sprouts Quad against California, Michigan and Michigan State with a 194.925, then lost at home last week to Arizona State, 195.750-194.325.

Beltrán’s wife intently followed HOF vote-tracker

BY ALEX RUBINSON Associated Press

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y Carlos

Beltrán’s wife followed Ryan Thibodaux’s Hall of Fame votetracker with the intensity of an investor tracking the markets.

“My wife would wake up every morning and she was like, ‘Yes,’ and I was like, ‘What happened?’” he said Thursday during his first visit to the Hall of Fame since his election. “She was like, ‘We got five votes,’ and then she was like, ‘Oh my God, what’s going on? We lost five points.”

Making his fourth appearance of the ballot, Beltrán received 358 of 425 votes for 84.2% from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America in voting announced Tuesday That was 39 above the 319 needed for the 75% threshold.

Andruw Jones, in the ninth of 10 possible appearances, was picked on 333 ballots for 78.4%.

Beltrán fell 19 votes short last year Jessica kept him informed of this year’s projection.

“She made me aware every single morning where I was, and if it was going to be a good day or a bad day,” he said.

Just two center fielders had been elected by the BBWAA in the pre-

vious 45 years, Ken Griffey Jr and Kirby Puckett. “I never dreamed about being

a Hall of Famer,” Jones said. “It’s kind of a weight off of my shoulders. All of my family was telling

me about it. All of my fans, all of my friends, they were like ‘oh when are you going to get that

call’, and I just said ‘I’m just living like it’s probably never going to happen.’”

Beltrán was the only Houston Astros player mentioned by name in a report by Major League Baseball regarding the team’s illicit use of electronics to steal signs during the teams run to the 2017 World Series championship his final season.

“Honestly, I know that’s part of my story,” Beltrán said. “There’s no doubt that as a team, we altogether put ourselves in that position. Looking back, understanding what we did and where we were and how we were able to do it as a team, there’s a lot of times you get caught up thinking on that moment, and there’s a lot of times when you think of: We did take it to a different level, meaning on finding ways to beat the opposing team.”

“As a group and as an organization, we also felt being able to find a way to take advantage of the opposing team is something that every team will do whatever it takes to win in baseball,” he added.

“When you hear the name Carlos Beltrán, that’s something that’s going to be attached to my name, and at the same time, that doesn’t really define the person that I am.”

Stony Brook 95, Northeastern 80 UMBC 87, NJIT 74 Vermont 77, UMass Lowell 68 Wisconsin 98, Penn State 71 SOUTH Appalachian State 72, Louisiana 58 Austin Peay 83, Florida Gulf Coast 62 Central Arkansas 86, West Georgia 65 Lipscomb 79, Stetson 74, OT Towson 72, Elon 59 MIDWEST Youngstown State 88, Green Bay 81 Women’s state scores, schedule Wednesday’s game UL 69, Coastal Carolina 66 Thursday’s games Southern 69, Mississippi Valley State 46 McNeese 72, Southeastern 30 Stephen F.

36-86 25-30 104. Detroit 34 34 21 23 — 112 New Orleans 30 32 22 20

3-Point Goals—Detroit 15-39 (Robinson 4-9, Green 2-3, Ivey 2-5, Harris 2-6, Jenkins

Holland II 1-1, Stewart 1-4, Sasser 1-5), New Orleans 7-32 (Peavy 3-5, Murphy III 2-9, Matkovic 1-2, Bey 1-5, Fears 0-2, McGowens 0-2, Poole 0-7). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—Detroit 47 (Duren 15), New Orleans 46 (Looney, Peavy 7). Assists—Detroit 26 (Jenkins, Sasser 4), New Orleans 19 (Queen 8). Total Fouls—Detroit 21, New Orleans 20. A—15,502 (16,867) College basketball

Men’s state scores, schedule Wednesday’s game Florida Atlantic 79, Tulane 74 Thursday’s games Appalachian State 72, UL 58 Marshall 115, UL-Monroe 60 Friday’s game Kennesaw State at Louisiana Tech, 1 p.m. Men’s national scores Thursday’s games EAST Maine 52, Albany 49 Marshall 115, Louisiana-Monroe 60 New Hampshire 88, Binghamton 82, 3OT Quinnipiac 77, Mount St Marys 62 Sacred Heart 69, Canisius 66 Siena 69, Marist 50

4-In Your Life (Castillo I.) $6.60 Also Ran: Diamonds Joy, Zoom Erin, Cairo Charm. Late Scratches: Margoinabubblebath Race Time: 1:05.65 Daily Double (1-7) $13.00; Exacta (7-2) $87.90; Superfecta (7-2-4-6) $131.28; Trifecta (7-2-4) $165.65; Pic 3 (3-1-7) $8.55 Claimed: Zoom Erin ($5,000.00, Owner: CATTTTS Family Racing LLC, Trainer: Jervon Broussard) Fourth Race — Purse $19,000, SOC $10,000$5,000, 4 yo’s & up, One And One Sixteenth Miles

6-Boitano (Concepcion A.) $5.40 $3.00 $2.60

8-Mister Muldoon (Graham J.) $4.00 $4.80

2-Even the Wind (Pedroza, Jr. M.) $13.40

Also Ran: Twoko Bay, Red Road, Fortuity, Prowling Tiger, Brit’s Wit. Late Scratches: Rock N Roll Bolt Race Time: 1:42.97 Daily Double (7-6) $17.20; Exacta (6-8) $12.90; Superfecta

(6-8-2-4) $201.82; Trifecta (6-8-2) $85.40; Pic 3 (1-7-6)

$12.65 Claimed: Prowling Tiger ($10,000.00, Owner: DARRS, Inc., Trainer: Brittany Russell) Fifth Race — Purse $55,000, Allowance,

Also Ran: Contribution, Shepherd. Late Scratches: Face the Future Race Time: 1:43.56 Daily Double (6-1) $13.10; Exacta (1-5) $11.90; Superfecta (1-5-3-2) $5.36; Trifecta (1-5-3) $12.50; Pic 3 (7-6-1) $45.70; Pic 4 (1-7-5/6-1) $63.85; Pic 5 (3-1-7-5/6-1) $110.15 Sixth Race — Purse $55,000, AOC $125,000, 3 yo, One Mile 3-Remember Mamba (Ortiz J.) $3.20 $2.40 $2.10

5-Casa Cielo (Graham J.) $4.00 $3.40

6-McCready (Pedroza, Jr. M.) $3.80

Also Ran: Beekman Street, Toogoodtosell, Sav’n Money, French Knight. Race Time: 1:36.97 Daily Double (1-3) $8.90; Exacta (3-5) $5.50; Superfecta (3-5-6-2) $3.40; Trifecta (3-5-6) $10.80; Pic 3 (6-1-3) $10.05

Seventh Race — Purse $54,000, Maiden special weight, 3 yo, One And One Sixteenth Miles

Claiming $5,000, 4 yo’s & up, Five And A Half Furlongs 7-Day for the Gray (Lopez P.) $11.40 $5.80 $5.80 2-Dixie Morning (McMahon C.) $23.20 $12.00

4 yo’s & up, One And One Sixteenth Miles

1-Original Sin (Curtis B.) $9.00 $3.60 $2.20

5-Crisis Manager (Ortiz J.) $3.00 $2.40 3-Tre Italiani (Loveberry J.) $2.10

COSTUMED CREATIVITY

Baton RougeGallery, 1515 Dalrymple Drive,will againhost its Surreal Salon

Soiree celebration blending art, music and costumes galore from 7p.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday.Advance tickets,$40 for gallery members, $50 for nonmembers;$60 at thedoor.batonrougegallery.org

THINGS TO DO THIS WEEKEND

BRMardi Gras Fest reveals lineup

Staff report

Blues, soul,R&B,reggae,jazz, pop/rock, contemporaryChristian, spoken wordand dance —visitors can experience all of thematthe 13th annual Baton Rouge Mardi Gras Festival.

The festival will run from 10 a.m. to 7p.m. Saturday, Feb. 14, at North Boulevard Town Square, 222 North Blvd.

In addition to continuousmusic, the family-friendly,free festival will offer avendor’s villageand food court. Seating is on the lawn, so guests are encouraged to bring chairs.

Kerwin Fealing and Free Spirit will host. Performers will be Henry Turner Jr.& Flavor, the Listening Room All-Stars including Ervin “Maestro”Foster andthe Better Half Band, Kelton ‘Nspire Harper,King Solomon and Princess Teha.Returning acts include the Phoenix Rouge Dance Troupe, Big Queen Tanya Sylvas, Uncle Chess and SmokeHouse Porter and the Gut Bucket BluesBand.New to the festival will be Texans Celeste Marie Wilson and SysiaDeNae

Popartist

Feb.14, for the Baton RougeMardiGras Festival.

CENTER CELEBRATION

The first Perkins Pop-Up, throughout the Essen &Perkins shopping center,will take place from 11 a.m. to 2p.m.Saturday. It’s designed to celebrate local businesses, creatives and wellness brands while driving foottrafficthroughout the center.Music, local artists, vendors and promotions are planned.

TAKE ALISTEN

INDEPTH Live!, at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Manship Theatre, 100 Lafayette St., will feature Academy Award-winning sound designer Mark Mangini exploring iconic soundscapes through curated film clips, discussions on innovativetechniques, and insights into cinematicsound design. $15. manshiptheatre.org

BY JUDYBERGERON| Staff writer

looks like an eclectic mix of country,Christian, rock and more are on the concert calendar for 2026. Under the category of “oldiesbut goodies,”there’sBob Dylan, “Weird Al”Yankovic and Emerson, Lake &Palmer.Relative countrynewcomers Bailey Zimmerman, Zach Bryanand James Dupré also aremakingittotown this year

With that, here are 12 of theconcertshappening in Baton Rouge andGonzales this year.All concert in Baton Rouge unless otherwise noted.

RaisingCane’sRiver Center

WINTER JAM2026: 7p.m. Thursday,March 12

Christianartists Chris Tomlin, Matthew W Nichole, Hulvey,Disciple, Emerson Day a song areinthe lineupfor theevening. Zan will speak, while a6 p.m. pre-jam partywill feature Jeremy Rosado, Heath Brothers and Cliff Preston. $15 donation at the door raisingcanesrivercenter.com.

RANDYTRAVIS: MORE LIFE TOUR: 7:30 p.m. Friday,March 27, Arena Although astroke has left Country MusicHallofFame vocalist Travis unable to perform, he will appear on stage duringthe show.Louisiana’sJames Dupré (“The Voice”) andTravis’ longtime band will perform his No. 1hits including “On TheOther Hand,” “Forever and Ever,Amen”and “Three Wooden Crosses.” $53-$249+. raisingcanesrivercenter.com.

BAILEY ZIMMERMAN: DIFFERENT NIGHT SAME

RODEO TOUR 2026: 7p.m. Friday,April 3, Arena Country musicbreakout starZimmermanhas already reached the topofthe chartswithhits including “Rock anda From Winter JamtoWeird Al, upcoming concerts to

Hard Place,” “Religiously” and “Fall in Love.” He’s known for raw lyrics, powerhousevocals and heartfelt storytelling. Special guests will be Hudson Westbrook and Blake Whiten,two rising voices in country music. $25-$200+. raisingcanesrivercenter.com.

BOBDYLAN: ROUGH AND ROWDY

WAYS TOUR: 8p.m. Monday, April 27, Theater for Performing Arts

What hasn’t been said about this prolific, iconic American singer-songwriter who, at 84, has had a68year music career and sold 125 million records worldwide? Among his most famous hits are “Blowin’in the Wind,” “The Times They Area-Changin’,” “Likea Rolling Stone” and“Knockin’ on Heaven’sDoor.” This show will be aphone-free experience. $121-$499+ raisingcanesrivercenter. com.

”WEIRD AL”YANKOVIC: BIGGER &WEIRDER 2026: 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday,Sept. 23, Arena

Yankovic returnswithhis full-production multimedia comedy rock show.He’ll play his earworm hits as well as some never-performedlive-before fan favorites. The five-time Grammy Award winner is best known for his parodies of the biggest musical artists over the last 40 years, including Madonna, Michael Jackson, Taylor Swift, Queen, U2 and Lady Gaga. $55-$233+. raisingcanesrivercenter.com.

LSU’sTiger Stadium

DEATH VALLEY LIVE: ZACH BRYAN: WITH HEAVENONTOUR: 7p.m.

Saturday,March 28

Bryan, amultiplatinum country artist and Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter, will openLSU Athletics’ new “Death Valley Live” series. The last show in the stadium was in 2022 when superstar Garth Brooks played for acrowd of 100,000-plus. Caamp, an American folk band,and J.R. Carrollwill be the opening acts for the Bryan show Bryan’sbiggest hits are “Something in theOrange,” “Pink Skies,” “I Remember Everything” and “Sun to Me.” This won’tbeBryan’s first headlining showina Louisiana football stadium. In July 2024, he made atour stop at

‘ZOOTOPIA’

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Thefilm has earned the bulk of its money overseas, with an international box office total of $1.31 billion. In the U.S. and Canada, “Zootopia 2” has made $390 million. The movie’slargest international haul has come from China, where “Zootopia 2” grossed $610 million thus far The first “Zootopia” was a surprise hit in China, where audiences connected with rabbit cop Judy Hopps’ storyline of moving from asmall rural village to the big city, as well as the unconventional re-

the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans for aconcert that attracted about40,000 fans. $34-$681. lsusports.evenue.net/events/CON.

Manship Theatre

BAND OF HEATHENS: 7:30 p.m.

Thursday,April 23, Manship Theatre Formed in Austin in 2005, The Band of Heathens’ sound blendscountry and rock. The band looks back at its career for itsupcoming album,“Country Sides.”

“Principal songwriters Ed Jurdiand Gordy Quist give the bandits collective focus and provide the DNA to the songs beloved by folks around the globe,” according to aManship Theatre news release

Nearly15yearslater,the band’s2011 song “Hurricane” wentgold and eventually was certified platinum.

Local performersClay Parker andJodiJames will open the show,which is presented by RedDragon Listening Room. Tickets are $72.24-$94.34. manshiptheatre.org.

AN EVENING WITH EMERSON, LAKE &PALMER: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April28

Ah, what modern technology can do.Thisshow will combine video performance of the English prog rock band’slatemembers KeithEmerson and Greg Lake from asold-outRoyal Albert Hallshowfrom 1992 with live-on-stage performances of Carl Palmer and hisown ELP Legacy band (PaulBielatowicz and Simon Fitzpatrick)

Expectthe musicians, all playingtogether in sync, to perform hits like “Lucky Man,” “From the Beginning,” “KarnEvil 9”and “Fanfarefor the Common Man.”

ELP garnered nine RIAAcertified gold record albums in the USand sold an estimated48million records worldwide. Alimited numberofVIP pre-show add-on tickets (whichinclude aQ&A and photo op) also are available. $70-$90.manshiptheatre org

TOMMYPRINE IN CONCERT: 7:30 p.m. Saturday,May 16

RedDragonListening Room also is bringing singer/songwriterTommy Prine to town again. Prine is indeed theson of legendary songwriter John Prine, but is forging his own way through the music world, a release states.

lationship between Judyand her partner Nick Wilde,afox, Disney executives have said. Disney then built on that popularity by opening a “Zootopia”-themed land in Shanghai Disneyland —the only suchthemedareain any Disney park

Butthe warm response in China was not agiven.

Adecade ago, Hollywood blockbustersthatgot government approval could count on theChina market to boost their international boxoffice totals. But sincethe COVID-19 pandemic, the recent geopolitical tensions between theU.S.and Chinaand the growthofthe local film indus-

Prine haspreviously sold out three shows at Red Dragon.

“Tommy will be armed with hisacoustic guitar and an armload of great tunes, manyofwhich will appear on his upcoming album,” therelease also said. $72.24$94.34. manshiptheatre.org. L’AubergeEvent Center

MARCBROUSSARD: 8p.m. Friday,Jan. 30

Louisiana soulsingersongwriter Broussard, a Carencro native, brings it on home for an evening of his hits(“Cry to Me,” “Give You the World,” “Home”) along with selections from his new studio album,“S.O.S.V: Songs of the’50s,” dueout Friday

The 11-song Artist Tone Records project will include renditions of soul, blues, rock andpop classics from the ’50s, two hits from the early’60s and aBroussard original.

The new album is Broussard’s latest entry in his philanthropic album series benefiting thenonprofitorganization, Love of People, basedinLafayette. $15$57+ (general admission as well as elevated seats). lbatonrouge.com.

JOSH TURNER: THE COUNTRYMUSIC THING TOUR: 8p.m. Friday, Feb.20

South Carolina-bornsinger-songwriter Turner is knownfor his bass-baritone vocalsand traditionalistapproach to thegenre. Hishits include “Your Man,” “Would YouGoWith Me,” “Firecracker” and“Why Don’t We JustDance.” $59-$125. lbatonrouge.com.

Lamar-DixonExpoCenter (Gonzales)

BULLS,BANDS,& BARRELS: 5:30 p.m.-11:30 p.m. Saturday,March 14, Arena

“This isn’tyour grandpappy’srodeo!” is how LamarDixon is describing this combination event.

Tracy Lawrence will headline theevent withspecial guestTyler Nance. The music will follow “an adrenaline-packed night of bull ridingand barrelracing,” Lamar-Dixon also states. $52.55-$195.47.bigtickets. com.

Staff writer Patrick Sloan-Turner contributed to this report.

Email Judy Bergeron at jbergeron@theadvocate. com.

try,that kind of reception has been much more unreliable.

Thelast Disney film that was released in China and earned more than $100 million was 2024’s“Alien: Romulus.”

Dear Heloise: Iread your “freezing onions” hint to avoid cryingall over them when slicing. Iuse another method that Ihavefound successful: Wet apaper towel (or several) andplace them beneath the onions when slicing.

By The Associated Press

This eliminates the onion fumes that cause the tearing agony

Hints from Heloise

—Joe S.,inChester, Virginia School is in

Dear Heloise: I’ve taught in schools since the mid-’90s, and on parentteacher night, Ialways ask parents if they help their kids with their homework. Note that Isaid “help” not do it forthem.Parental involvement is essential, but no parent helps their children by doing their work forthem —Mrs.W.,in Washington Sendahinttoheloise@ heloise.com.

TODAYINHISTORY

Today is Friday, Jan. 23, the 23rd day of 2026. There are 342 days left in the year

Todayinhistory:

On Jan. 23, 1870, approximately 200 Piegan Blackfoot tribe members, mostly women, children and older adults, were killed by U.S. Army troops under the command of Maj.Eugene MortimerBaker in Montana, in what becameknown as the BakerMassacre.

Also on this date:

In 1789, Georgetown University was established in present-day Washington, D.C.

In 1849, Elizabeth Blackwell became the first woman to receive amedical degree in theUnited States.

FESTIVAL

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the festival’sTown Lawn Stage. Pre-party admissionis $30 and includes abuffet andno-hostbar.Performersexpected to appear are HenryTurner Jr.&Flavor the Listening Room AllStars and special guests. The event is presented by Henry Turner Jr.’s Listening Room Museum Foundation, a501(c)3 nonprofitorganization.

In 1973, President Richard Nixon announced an accord had been reached to end the Vietnam War, and would be formally signed four days later in Paris.

In 1986, the Rock and Rock Hall of Fameinducted its first members, including Chuck Berry,Little Richard and Elvis Presley In 2002, Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl waskidnapped by extremists in Pakistan while researching Islamic militant groups, leading to the beheading of the American journalist weeks later in captivity

In 2020, Democratic House prosecutors presented arguments before skeptical Senate jurors at Donald Trump’s first

impeachment trial over his dealings with Ukraine, accusing him of abuse of power.(The Republicanled Senate would later vote to acquit Trump, and he would also be acquitted at another impeachment trial in 2021 following the U.S. Capitol riot).

Today’sbirthdays: Football Hall of Famer Jerry Kramer is 90. Jazz musician Gary Burton is 83. Actor Richard Dean Anderson is 76. Retired airline pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger (‘Miracle on the Hudson’ landing) is 75. Rock singer Robin Zander (Cheap

FESTIVAL SCHEDULE

10 A.M.-10:30 A.M.: Hosts Kerwin Fealing and Free Spirit 10:30 A.M.-11 A.M.: Ervin“Maestro” Foster andThe My Better Half Band (smooth jazz)

11:15 A.M.-11:35 A.M.: Dixie Rose (folk) 11:50 A.M.-12:10 P.M.: Kelton ‘Nspire Harper (motivational) 12:15 P.M.-12:45 P.M.: King Solomon (blues) 1P.M.-1:30 P.M.: SysiaDeNae (R&B) 1:45 P.M.-2:10 P.M.: Uncle Chess (R&B/soul) 2:20 P.M.-2:50 P.M.: Celeste MarieWilson (pop) 3P.M.-3:45 P.M.: Henry Turner

Jr. &Flavor(blues/soul/reggae)withBig Queen Tonya Sylvas

4P.M.-4:20 P.M.: Phoenix Rouge Dance Troupe(belly dancing)

4:30 P.M.-5 P.M.: Rodney Gipson(jazz) 5:15 P.M.-5:45 P.M.: Princess Teha (contemporary Christian)

6P.M.-6:30 P.M.: SmokeHouse Porter and theGut Bucket BluesBand (blues) *All times approximate. Lineup subject to change.

PROVIDED PHOTO

Countrysinger-songwriter Easton Corbin will perform at TheTexas Club in Baton Rougeon Saturday.The showstartsat9p.m.with opening act Parish County Line.

SHOWSTOWATCH —BATON ROUGE

WEDNESDAY

FRIDAY

ROCKIN’ ROUGE: T’Quilas, Zachary,6 p.m.

JOSHUAMAGEE: BLDG5

6p.m.

RACHAEL HALLACK &ERIC

CANTRELLE: Sullivan’s Steakhouse, 6p.m.

TOBY TOMPLAY: Tallulah at the Renaissance, 6p.m.

HONKY TONK PLAYBOYS: T’Quilas, Denham Springs 6p.m.

ROCK IT: Papi’s FajitaFactory,Watson, 6p.m NIGHT HOG: CourtToTable, 6p.m.

DRAMA KINGS: El Paso-Sherwood, 6p.m.

BRYCEBROUSSARD: Galvez Seafood, Prairieville, 6p.m

SAMJAM: El Paso, Gonzales, 6p.m

KAITLYN WALLACE: Mi Padres, Prairieville,6:30 p.m.

THE DRUNK UNCLES: On The Half Shell, Prairieville, 7p.m.

CAMPYLE: 18 Steak at L’Auberge, 7p.m.

CHRIS LEBLANC: Bin 77, 7p.m

THE LEE SERIO BAND: Charlie’s Lounge, Addis, 8p.m.

DAMON KING &BOJAMISON: Coop’s on 621, Gonzales, 8p.m.

HENRYTURNER JR. &ALLSTARS WITH SPECIAL GUESTS

FALL LIFT: Henry Turner Jr.’s Listening Room, 8p.m.

JOEY HOLAWAY: Riverbend Terrace II at L’Auberge, 8p.m.

LA SOUTHBOUND: Phil Brady’s, 8:30 p.m.

SOUTH OF CENTRAL: CourtTo Table, 8:30 p.m.

CAN’T FEEL MY FACE 2010’S

DANCE PARTY: Chelsea’s Live, 9p.m.

TRUE SPIN: Icehouse Tap Room, 9p.m

LOGAN SOILEAU: The Edge Bar at L’Auberge,9 p.m.

ANNA CLAIRE DUO: Jack’s Place, Port Allen, 9p.m.

JOEL COOPER &SCOTT JORDAN: The Vineyard, 9p.m. WADE BOWEN/ADAM HOOD: The TexasClub, 9p.m

88 REASONS WHY: FatCat Saloon, Prairieville, 9p.m.

RHETT GUILLOT: The Vineyard,9p.m.

TNT: Churchill’s, 9p.m.

SATURDAY

BRITTON MAJOR: Sullivan’s Steakhouse, 5:30 p.m.

PAPO YSON MANDAO: Pedros, Denham Springs, 6p.m.

ONE NIGHTSTAND DUO: Papi’s Fajita Factory, Watson, 6p.m.

TOPSHELF: Court To Table,

6p.m. JOVIN WEBB: El Paso,Gonzales, 6p.m.

TAYLOR HARRIS: T’Quilas, Denham Springs,6 p.m

SHO RETRO: Le ChienBrewing Co.,DenhamSprings, 6:30 p.m DON POURCIAU&KONSPIRACY: El Paso,Denham Springs, 6:30 p.m

DAMON KING &BOJAMISON: On The Half Shell, Prairieville, 7p.m.

DENTON HATCHER: 18 Steak at L’Auberge, 7p.m.

TAYLOR RAE: Bin 77, 7p.m.

ICONS OF COUNTRY: TRIBUTES TO JASON ALDEAN, LUKE BRYANAND KENNY

CHESNEY: Southern Rhythm, Denham Springs,8 p.m

OLD DAWGS: Backstreet Lounge, 8p.m.

BUBBAPLAUCHÉ: Riverbend Terrace II at L’Auberge, 8p.m.

ACOUSTIC SATURDAYSW/ HENRYTURNER: Henry Turner Jr.’s ListeningRoom, 8p.m.

ELECTRIC RENDEZVOUS: Court To Table, 8:30 p.m

EASTONCORBIN/PARISH COUNTY LINE: The Texas Club,9p.m. CORNER POCKET: Churchill’s, 9p.m.

TAYLOR RAE: Swamp Chicken Daiquiris, St.Amant, 9p.m. LA WESTWIND: Churchill’s, 9p.m.

BRIAN &THE BANDITS: Fat Cat Saloon, Prairieville, 9p.m.

HEATHRANSONNET: Swamp Chicken Daiquiris, St. Amant, 9p.m.

SUNDAY

JUSTIN BURDETTE TRIO: Superior Grill-MidCity,11a.m.

CHRISLEBLANC: On The Half Shell, Prairieville, 11a.m.

JAZZ BRUNCH: RedStick Social, noon

MIKE HOGAN: IcehouseTap Room, 4p.m.

SONGWRITER SUNDAYS: La Divina Italian Cafe, 5p.m.

THE ROUGH &TUMBLE/KATIE LOVE: UniversityUnited Methodist, 6:30p.m.

IAN WEBSTER &TAYLOR CLARK: The Vineyard, 9p.m.

MONDAY

JEFF BAJON PROJECT: Superior Grill-MidCity,6 p.m

TUESDAY

TREY MORGAN: Superior Grill-MidCity,6 p.m

EDDIE SMITH: On The Half Shell, Prairieville, 6:30p.m.

JOEL COOPER: GalvezSeafood, Prairieville, 5:30 p.m.

CHRIS OCMAND: BLDG 5, 5:30 p.m.

GARRETT REMSON DUO: Superior Grill-MidCity,6 p.m.

SHANE MADERE: Tallulah at the Renaissance,6 p.m.

LSU JAZZ JAM: Classic Vinyls, 6p.m

JOHNNY VIDACOVICH ORGAN

TRIO: Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge, 6:30 p.m.

VICTORIA LEA: On The Half Shell, Prairieville, 6:30 p.m.

KIRK HOLDER: Bin 77, 6:30 p.m.

SONGWRITERS OPENMIC W/

HEATH RANSONNET: Coop’s on 621, Gonzales, 7p.m

ANDYPIZZOTRIO: Hayride

Scandal, 7:30 p.m.

QUIANA LYNELL: The Edge Bar at L’Auberge, 7p.m

OPEN MIC JAM: FatCat Saloon,Prairieville, 7p.m

THURSDAY

RHETT GUILLOT: Tallulah at the Renaissance,6 p.m.

DRAMA KINGS: El Paso, Denham Springs, 6p.m

ERIC SCHMITT: La Divina Italian Cafe, 6p.m

KYBALION: El Paso-Sherwood, 6p.m

ERIC STELLY: Superior GrillMidCity, 6p.m

DON POURCIAU &KONSPIRA-

CY: Pedro’s-Siegen, 6p.m

UNITED WE JAM: T’Quilas, Denham Springs, 6p.m

BRIAN RITTENHOUSE: T’Quilas, Zachary,6 p.m.

JOSIE OLIVA: On The Half Shell, Prairieville, 6:30 p.m.

JOEL COOPER: Bin 77, 6:30 p.m.

TET DUR: Swamp Chicken Daiquiris,St. Amant, 7p.m

BEN BELL &THE STARDUST

BOYS: The Brakes Bar, 7p.m

HENRY TURNER JR. &ALLSTARS: Henry Turner Jr.’s Listening Room, 8p.m

OPEN MIC JAM: O’Hara’s Irish Pub, 8p.m

OUTLYING

FRIDAY

JODYVICKNAIR: Big J’s Side Porch, Clinton,6:30p.m

Compiled by Marchaund Jones. Want your venue’s musiclisted? Email info/ photos to showstowatch@ theadvocate.com. The deadline is noon FRIDAY for the following Friday’s paper

FRIDAY

POETRYWRITING WORK-

SHOP: 3p.m., Main Library at Goodwood, 7711 Goodwood Blvd. Watch poetry writing tutorials, offer variousprompts for inspiration and share poems. Free. ebrpl.com.

OPEN HOUSE: 6p.m-8 p.m., The Legacy at Bonne Esperance, 1655 Sherwood Forest Blvd. Neighborhood club. (225) 246-2917.

BUTTERR &FRIENDS: AN IMPROVCOLLIDER SHOW:

7:30 p.m.,Hartley/Vey Studio Theatre, Manship Theatre, 100 Lafayette St.Anight of off-the-cuff comedy.Rated R-ishdue to improv content. $14. manshiptheatre.org.

FRIDAY-SATURDAY

EVENING SKYVIEWING:

8:30 p.m.-10 p.m.,BRECHighland Road Park Observatory, 13800 Highland Road. See the majesty of the night sky in these public viewingsfor those 6and up. hrpo.lsu.edu/ events.

SATURDAY

RED STICK FARMERS MARKET:

8a.m.-noon,Fifth and Main streets, downtown. Farmfresh produce, goods, cooking demonstrations. breada. org.

FAMILY-HOURSTARGAZING:

10 a.m.,Irene W. Pennington Planetarium at the Louisiana Art &Science Museum, 100 S. River Road. Learn about the stars and constellations in the local nighttime sky followedbyanall-ages show. lasm.org.

GREATER BATONROUGE

MODEL RAILROADERS: 10 a.m. to 2p.m Republic of West Florida Historical Museum, 3406 CollegeSt.,Jackson. Electric trains of all sizes will be running on fivedifferent layouts. Free admission and parking

SATURDAY-SUNDAY

HOMEAND REMODELING SHOW: 10 a.m.-5 p.m.,LamarDixon Expo Center,9039 S. St Landry Ave.,Gonzales.Exhibitors, food and brand-new attractions for the whole family $6, adults; free, children 13 and under. lamardixonexpocenter.com.

SUNDAY

“THE UGLY DUCKLING”: 2p.m., Manship Theatre, 100 Lafayette St.All-ages showpresented by LightwireTheater $20, children under 18; $30, adults. manshiptheatre.org.

“GET MEDIEVAL WITH IT: FIBER ARTS IN MEDIEVAL IRAN”: 3p.m Main Library at Goodwood, 7711 Goodwood Blvd. Dr.Maryam Mehrabadi will presentalectureonthe importance of textiles in Medieval Iran. Free. ebrpl.com.

JUMP IN THE LINE: TRADITIONAL CHINESE DANCE CLASSES: 5p.m., Main Library at Goodwood, 7711 Goodwood Blvd. Free. ebrpl.com.

TUESDAY

BATONROUGE CHESS CLUB: 6p.m.-8 p.m.,LaDivina Italian Cafe, 3535 Perkins Road, Unit 360. Achance to playand learn; all levels welcome. Free.

THURSDAY

RED STICK FARMERS MARKET: 8a.m.-noon,Pennington Biomedical Research Center, 6400 Perkins Road. Farm-fresh produce, goods and more. facebook.com/redstickfarmersmarket.

FRIENDS OF MAGNOLIA

MOUND 26TH PETITE ANTIQUES FORUM: 9:30 a.m.4p.m., beginning at Louisiana State Archives, 3851 Essen Lane.Lecture, “The Artof Dressing: Clothing Menand Women 1770-1820,”byNeal

STAFFPHOTO By ROBIN MILLER

Dancers in the Big Buddyenrichment program at Progress ElementarySchool runthrough theirroutine for Of Moving Colors’production ‘LoveRevolution,’taking placeat6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 29, at the ManshipTheatre.

Hurst, curator at Colonial Williamsburg.Atour of three historic private homeswill follow. Also, lunch at the Baton Rouge Country Club $150; advance registration required. (225) 421-3162. “LOVEREVOLUTION”: 6p.m., Manship Theatre, 100 Lafayette St. Presented by Of Moving Colors and Big Buddy, thedance performance features kidsfromall over the community taking thestage alongside OMC’s professional dancers. $26. manshiptheatre. org.

WEEKLYSOCIAL BIKE RIDE: 7p.m., Geaux Ride, 521 N. ThirdSt., SuiteA.Free. fareharbor.com.

ONGOING

ARTGUILD OF LOUISIANA: Independence Park Theatre, 7800 Independence Blvd. Classes for February include Claudine Diamond– Intro to GelPlateand Collage, Feb. 22, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Sarah Sedwick –Dynamic Still Life in Oil or Acrylic, Feb. 27-March 1, 9a.m.-4 p.m.; Larry Downs –The Complete Artist Using Eyes, Hands, and Brain –the Basics of Art, Feb. 5, 3p.m.-6 p.m.; Roberta Loflin –Watercolor Basics –Tools and Techniques, Feb. 7, 9:30 a.m.-noon; and Dana Mosby: Interpreting theLandscape in Pastel:Infusing Your Work withPassion, March 14, 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m.All classes at Studiointhe Park, 2490 Silverest Ave. (225) 773-8020 or artguildlouisiana.org.

BATONROUGE GALLERY CENTER FORCONTEMPORARYART: 1515 Dalrymple Drive.“Surreal Salon 18,” with special guest juror SWOON, through Sunday.batonrougegallery.org.

CAPITOL PARK MUSEUM: 660 N. FourthSt. “Groundsfor Greatness: Louisiana and theNation,” “The Louisiana Experience:Discovering the SoulofAmerica,” “African American History,” “Music and Musicians,” and “Mardi Gras,” permanent exhibits. (225) 342-5428 or louisianastatemuseum.org.

CARY SAURAGE COMMUNITY ARTS CENTER SHELL GALLERY: 233 St. Ferdinand St. “The Great Reunion,”a contemporary exploration of theGreat Migration, through Feb. 21. Hours arefrom9 a.m. to 4p.m. weekdays and from 10 a.m. to 2p.m. Saturday artsbr.org. THE GALLERYATMANSHIP: 100 Lafayette St. “A NewFrame of Mind,” group exhibition that challenges the traditional role of thepicture

frame, through Jan. 31. Hours are9 a.m.-4 p.m.Monday 9a.m.-10 p.m.Tuesday-Thursday, 9a.m.-11 p.m.Friday, 10 a.m.-11 p.m.Saturday, and 11 a.m.-5 p.m.Sunday

LOUISIANAART &SCIENCE

MUSEUM: 100 S. River Road. “Pinpointing theStars,” through Aug. 1; “Crossroads &Connections: ACentury of theRailway in Baton Rouge,” through Oct. 1; “Landscapes Along theRailway:The Art of John Cleaveland,” through March 15; “Going Places: Transportation Toys of the Past,” through July 6, and “Shelf Queens: Model Train Masterpieces,” also through July 6. (225) 344-5272 or lasm. org. LSU MUSEUM OF ART: Shaw Center for theArts, 100 Lafayette St. “The Sculpture of Scott, Payton, Hayden,and Bechet,” through Sunday (225) 389-7200 or lsumoa.org. LSU TEXTILE &COSTUME MUSEUM: Human Ecology Building, TowerDrive, LSU campus. “Dressing Louisiana Histoires de la modedelaLouisiane,” through March 6. (225) 5785992 or email textile@lsu.edu

MAGNOLIA MOUNDMUSEUM +HISTORIC SITE: 2161 Nicholson Drive.Guided and selfguided tours.Hours arefrom 10 a.m. to 4p.m. MondaySaturday and from 1p.m. to 4p.m. Sunday.brec.org/facility/MagnoliaMound

OLD GOVERNOR’SMANSION: 502 NorthBlvd. Open for tours.Hours arefrom9 a.m. to 4p.m. Monday-Friday.Free admission. oldgovernorsmansion.com.

OLD STATECAPITOL: 100 NorthBlvd. “A MorePerfect Union: Reconstruction’s Legacy in Louisiana,”new permanent exhibit.Free. louisianaoldstatecapitol.org. USS KIDD VETERANS MUSEUM: 305 S. River Road. Displaysofavariety of artifacts that celebrate veteran and navalmilitary history.Note: Vessel is in Houma for dry dock repairs.usskidd.com. WEST BATONROUGE MUSEUM: 845 N. Jefferson Ave., Port Allen. “Gone ButNot Forgotten:Black CemeteriesofWest Baton Rouge,” through March 8. (225) 336-2422 or westbatonrougemuseum.org.

CompiledbyJudy Bergeron. Have an open-to-the-public eventyou’dlike to promote? Email details to red@theadvocate.com. Deadline is 5p.m.Friday forthe following Friday’s paper

BRIEFS

FROM WIRE REPORTS

Trump sues JPMorgan over being ‘debanked’

NEW YORK President Donald Trump sued banking giant JPMorgan Chase and its CEO Jamie Dimon for $5 billion on Thursday over allegations that JPMorgan stopped providing banking services to him and his businesses for political reasons after he left office in January 2021.

The lawsuit, filed in MiamiDade County court in Florida, alleges that JPMorgan abruptly closed multiple accounts in February 2021 with just 60 days notice and no explanation. By doing so, Trump claims JPMorgan and Dimon cut the president and his businesses off from millions of dollars, disrupted their operations and forced Trump and the businesses to urgently open bank accounts elsewhere.

“JPMC debanked (Trump and his businesses) because it believed that the political tide at the moment favored doing so,” the lawsuit alleges.

Debanking occurs when a bank closes the accounts of a customer or refuses to do business with a customer in the form of loans or other services. Once a relatively obscure issue in finance, debanking has become a politically charged issue in recent years, with conservative politicians arguing that banks have discriminated against them and their affiliated interests.

In its statement, JPMorgan said that it “regrets” that Trump sued the bank but insisted it did not close the accounts for political reasons.

Under Armour looking into data breach

BALTIMORE Clothing retailer Under Armour is investigating a recent data breach that purloined customers’ email addresses and other personal information, but so far there are no signs the hackers stole any passwords or financial information.

The breach is believed to have happened late last year, and affected 72 million email addresses, according to information cited by the cybersecurity website Have I Been Pwned. Some of the records taken also included personal information that included names, genders, birthdates and ZIP codes.

In an Under Armour statement acknowledging its probe into the claims of a data breach, the Baltimore-based company said: “We have no evidence to suggest this issue has affected UA.com or systems used to process payments or store customer passwords. Any implication that sensitive personal information of tens of millions of customers has been compromised is unfounded.”

Ryanair CEO dismisses

Musk buying airline

LONDON Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary on Wednesday dismissed Elon Musk’s idea of buying the budget airline and shrugged off insults from the billionaire, in a war of words that erupted over installing Starlink systems on aircraft.

The spat between one of the world’s richest individuals and one of Europe’s most outspoken corporate bosses has been escalating for days. O’Leary said last week that the airline had ruled out putting Musk’s Starlink satellite Wi-Fi on Ryanair planes because the extra fuel drag from the system’s antennas would be too costly Responding to Musk’s accusations that he was “misinformed,” O’Leary told an Irish radio station that “I would pay no attention whatsoever to Elon Musk, he’s an idiot.” Musk fired back on his social media platform X, calling O’Leary an “utter idiot” and an “imbecile.” He posted, “Should I buy Ryan Air and put someone whose actual name is Ryan in charge?” and polled his followers on the idea of buying the airline, with 76.5% responding yes

O’Leary told reporters in Dublin, where Ryanair is based, that non-European citizens can’t own a majority stake in a European airlines. Musk was born in South Africa and lives in the U.S. O’Leary, who’s known for trolling critics, thanked Musk for “additional publicity.”

BUSINESS

THEADVOCATE.COM/news/business

Stocks up after tariff threat nixed

BY STAN CHOE Associated Press

NEW YORK U.S stocks rose again

Thursday and regained more of their losses for the week following the latest walk back by President Donald Trump from tariffs he had earlier threatened

The S&P 500 gained 0.5% and added to its big gain from Wednesday, when Trump said he had reached “the framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland” and called off 10% tariffs for European countries that he said opposed his having the Arctic island. The index has recovered most of the losses it took after Trump shook financial markets with his initial tariff threat.

It’s the latest example of Trump making a big, initial threat, only to pull back after seeing how much pain it created in financial markets. The pattern has led to the

“TACO” acronym, suggesting that “Trump Always Chickens Out” if markets react strongly enough. Tuesday’s drop for the U.S. stock market was the worst since October and large enough that Trump, who often takes credit when Wall Street is doing well, acknowledged “the dip.”

But the pattern has also led to deals for Trump that outsiders may have initially considered unlikely if not for his market-shaking opening moves.

Details are still sparse about the framework of a deal on Greenland that Trump said he reached with the head of NATO. And it is not a signed deal yet.

Financial markets were still showing some signs of nervousness on Thursday Gold’s price swiveled between small losses and gains before turning 1.6% higher Its price often rises when investors are looking for something

safer to own. The value of the U.S. dollar also weakened against the euro and several other foreign currencies.

But Treasury yields held relatively steady in a signal that foreign investors weren’t rushing out of the U.S. bond market.

Yields got some support from reports on the U.S. economy’s strength that came in better than expected. One said fewer U.S workers applied for unemployment benefits last week than economists expected in a potential signal that the pace of layoffs remains low A second suggested the U.S. economy grew at a faster rate during the summer than the government initially estimated.

A third said that inflation in November was close to economists’ expectations, while spending by U.S. consumers was a touch better than expected.

On Wall Street, Northern Trust

climbed 6% after reporting a stronger profit for the end of 2025 than analysts expected. CEO Michael O’Grady also said that the financial services company is entering 2026 with “strong momentum across all our businesses.”

Procter & Gamble added 2.6% after likewise delivering a better profit than analysts expected. Revenue for the company behind the Downy, Pantene and Tide brands, though, fell just shy of expectations amid what CEO Shailesh Jejurikar called a “challenging consumer and geopolitical environment.”

Shares of BitGo, a company that helps crypto businesses and traditional financial firms hold and manage digital assets, rose 2.7% in their debut on the New York Stock Exchange. The company priced its stock at $18 per share in its initial public offering, above its earlier estimated range of $15 to $17.

FDA reviews Zyn advertising proposal

Philip Morris wants to market nicotine pouches as less harmful alternative for adults who smoke

BY MATTHEW PERRONE AP health writer

WASHINGTON Americans who smoke may soon be hearing a lot more about Zyn, the flavored nicotine pouches that have generated billions in sales while going viral on social media.

The Food and Drug Administration convened a public meeting Thursday to consider whether Philip Morris International should be allowed to advertise its pouches as a lessharmful alternative for adults who smoke cigarettes.

Government documents and presentations made at the meeting suggest FDA regulators are leaning toward approving the company’s request.

But a panel of independent experts asked pointed questions about the company’s research, the risks of underage use and whether the new marketing language would really steer smokers away from cigarettes. Nevertheless, they said the proposed risk statement is likely accurate.

“There are very few things that are legally available and worse for you than cigarettes, so it’s a pretty low bar to be safer than cigarettes,” said Lisa Postow, a panel member and scientist at the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute

The FDA is not bound to follow the panel’s guidance and will make the final decision on whether to approve the marketing claims There is no deadline for a decision.

Zyn contains nicotine powder and comes in 10 flavors, including mint, coffee and citrus Nicotine pouches have been a rare source of growth in the tobacco industry, where companies have struggled to replace shrinking revenue from cigarettes, chewing tobacco and other legacy products.

Philip Morris asked the agency to approve new marketing language for Zyn, emphasizing its relative health benefits when compared with cigarettes.

Specifically, the company wants to say that using Zyn reduces the risk of “mouth cancer, heart disease, lung cancer, stroke” and other smoking-related diseases Adding that language to Zyn promotional materials would further cement the brand in the U.S., where it

alternative for adults who smoke cigarettes.

dominates sales of nicotine pouches.

Last January, the FDA authorized Zyn to remain on the market after years of federal review, saying company data showed the small pouches are less harmful than cigarettes and other traditional tobacco products. Zyn was the first nicotine pouch to win FDA authorization.

If FDA signs off on the “reduced risk” claims, Philip Morris would be able to use the language in ads, mailing materials and online posts.

“Adults who smoke need accurate information about different tobacco products and the relative risks associated with them,” said Keagan Lenihan, a Philip Morris vice president. FDA scientists appeared to back the company’s proposal, saying “the totality of the evidence” supports the statement that Zyn reduces the risk of various smoking-related illnesses.

But the outside experts noted that Philip Morris did not conduct long-term studies of Zyn users or whether reading messages about lower risks led more smokers to switch.

“Whether or not the claim is going to accelerate that switching, there is no data here to answer that question,” said Cristine Delnevo of the Rutgers Institute for Nicotine and Tobacco Studies, who led the panel. Philip Morris already sells a similar oral tobacco product, snus, a type of tobacco pouch popular in Sweden and other Scandinavian

countries. Studies in those countries have consistently shown lower rates of lung cancer, mouth cancer and related diseases among snus users when compared with smokers.

The FDA approved a reduced-risk claim for the company’s snus in 2019 and panelists noted that there has been little uptake of those products by U.S. smokers But Philip Morris executives said the language could have an impact over time.

“The more you communicate to adult smokers with this type of claim it will hopefully only increase switching to Zyn,” Lenihan said. In addition to considering potential benefits for smokers, the FDA is required to review the potential harms to young people and nonsmokers.

Representatives from anti-tobacco groups pointed to worrying signs: Videos from “Zynfluencers” and other young people using the pouches have racked up tens of millions of views on social media platforms in recent years.

Andrew Tardiff of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids noted that Philip Morris did not test how its marketing messages might influence teenagers.

“Zyn has features that enhance its appeal to young people. It’s sold in a variety of flavors. It’s easy to conceal. And it can be used discretely,” Tardiff said, citing similarities to Juul, the e-cigarette widely blamed for sparking the recent trend in teenage vaping.

R.I. may ditch Mr. Potato Head license plates

Hasbro moving headquarters to Boston

BY KIMBERLEE KRUESI Associated Press

PAWTUCKET, R.I It’s been no small potatoes that Rhode Islanders have been able to choose the image of Mr Potato Head as a specialty license plate for decades.

Yet with Hasbro’s decision to move its headquarters from the smallest state in the U.S. to Boston, two lawmakers say it’s time to hash out whether Rhode Island should continue promoting one of the company’s most iconic characters.

Under the proposal introduced earlier this month, Rhode Island’s

Division of Motor Vehicles would stop providing Mr Potato Head as an option for a specialty license plate. Currently the plate costs around $40, with half of that amount going to help support the Rhode Island Community Food Bank.

Rep. Brian Newberry, a Republican, said in an email that he filed the legislation because Hasbro leaving the state will cause “untold economic harm and loss of tax revenue.”

“There is no reason we should be advertising their products on our license plates,” Newberry said.

“It may seem trivial compared to many other things but it’s a matter of self-respect.”

Mr Potato Head license plates were first issued in 2002 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the beloved toy, which notably has

appeared in the “ Toy Story ” films.

The plates include a small image of Mr Potato Head holding a sign of the Rhode Island Community Food Bank and “help end hunger” at the bottom of the plate.

“The license plate started at a time when Mr Potato Head was all over the state and was having a moment,” said Kate MacDonald, spokesperson for the food bank, which has received nearly $60,000 over the years due to the plate. “And while it has tapered off over the years, it’s been a steady way for people to contribute.”

An email was sent to Hasbro seeking comment. The toy company announced last year that it would be moving to Boston by the end of 2026 after operating in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, for nearly 70 years.

Lew Pryeor, who helps collect and distribute food donations to hungry Rhode Islanders, said he was upset when he heard about Newberry’s bill.

“My concern is, any cuts into the food programs is gonna affect some people,” said Pryeor, who lives just north of Providence, the state capital, and often sees people of different backgrounds who need help finding a warm meal.

“For him to say that he doesn’t like the plates, well, that’s your prerogative,” he added. “Don’t buy them. If it’s making money for the state, let it.”

Mr Potato Head has been around since the 1950s, when the original toy didn’t come with a plastic potato. Instead, kids had to supply their own vegetable to poke eyes, a nose or mustache into.

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Structure your daytomeet demands. Organization, along with dedication and attention to detail, will get you where you want to go. Romance is on therise.

PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Getinthe game of life andplaytowin.Use your intuition to guide you and your discipline to keep you out of trouble and avoid temptation. Challenge yourself mentally, physically and emotionally.

ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Participation is thebest antidote to feelingdown in the dumps. Join an organization that shares your concerns and offerwhatever support you can. Emotions will surface, and theresponses you get from otherscan make or break your day. Reach out with apositive attitude

TAuRus (April 20-May 20) Youcansitdown and put up withannoyances, or youcan change your plans and take control of what youdoand whomyou spend time with. Participate in community services thatcan enrich your life.

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Seizethemoment, go where the action is and discover new people, places and activities that stimulate your mindand keep youuptodate. An interviewormeeting willturn out better thananticipated.Romance is favored.

cAncER (June 21-July 22) Dig in and finish what youstart. Focus, alongwithdiscipline andintuition, will lead to positive physical or emotionalchange and potential profit. Be receptive to suggestions and willing to try something new

LEo(July 23-Aug. 22) Letthe electricity flowwhen you walk into aroom, and the attention you receive will change how you feel about yourself.You have plenty to gain by joining forces withpeople as dynamicand proactive as you are.

VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) An eventorday tripwillhelpyourethinkyourfuture.The peopleand surroundings you encounter will confirm what's possible. It's up to you to create opportunities and to make your dreams come true.

LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Take some "me time" and enjoy it. Get back to basics, start an activityyou enjoyortakeona project thathas meaningand purpose. Make choices that excite you.

scoRPIo(oct. 24-nov. 22) Keep interactions withothers light, playful and entertaining, and you'll avoidgetting into a harmful debate.Bethe onetocalm the storm instead of fueling the fire sAGITTARIus (nov. 23-Dec.21) Set abudget before you begina project. Your generosityordesiretopleasewillcostyou You can't solve everyone's problems or pay for others' mistakes.Offer akind word or suggestions,nothing more. cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Partnerships will offer positive results. Financial help, joint ventures and shared expenses will lead to high returns. Domestic improvements you start today will pay off.

The horoscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact. ©2026 by NEA, Inc., dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication

Sudoku

InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. Theobject is to place the numbers 1to9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 boxcontains the same number only once. Thedifficulty level of theSudoku increases from Monday to Sunday

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

By PHILLIP ALDER

Arne Glimcher, an artdealer,film producer and director, said, “When Robert Benton was doingthe movie ‘Still of the Night,’ I’d choreographed the auction scene and supplied the paintings and hada bitpart—Iwas bidding against Meryl Streep.”

Except for the occasional passout, everybridge deal begins with the bidding. It is intendedprimarily to help the side with the balance of power, but each call givesinformation to the opponents. In thisdeal, South opened one spade in the secondseat,and North responded three spades, agame-invitational limit raise. Now Southshould have raised to four spadesbecause it was unlikely that North could cover allofSouth’s losers. However,South control-bid four clubs, hoping North hadthe spade king-queen, diamondaceandasingletonheart.North control-bid fourdiamonds. And South signedoff in four spades, telling the world that he did not have aheart control. Then North, since he did not have oneeither,passed. Now it was easy for Westtolead the heartnine.Eastwonwithhisjack,cashed theheart ace and heart king, then led hislastheart. Should South have ruffed high or low? The auctiontold West what to lead

But it also told South, who almost certainly held the spade queen. East passed as dealer, but had already produced 10 high-card points in hearts. If he had held the spade queen too, he surely would haveopenedthebidding.SoSouthruffed with his spade ace, ranthe spade jack through West, and made his contract. ©2026 by NEA, Inc.,dist.

By Andrews McMeel Syndication

Each Wuzzle is aword riddlewhich creates adisguised word,phrase, name, place, saying, etc. For example: NOONGOOD =GOOD AFTERNOON

Previous answers:

word game

InsTRucTIons: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” suchas“bats” or “dies,” are not allowed. 3. Additional wordsmade 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’sWoRD MEMoRIZED: MEM-muh-rize’d: Learned by heart.

Averagemark 25 words

Time limit 40 minutes

Canyou find35ormore words in MEMORIZED?

yEsTERDAy’s WoRD —nIcoTInE