The Advocate 01-29-2026

NUSSMEIER RECOUNTS FRUSTRATING SEASON

EBR council member Dunn indicted

He faces nine felony counts in corruption case

BY PATRICK SLOAN-TURNER

Staff writer

East Baton Rouge Parish Metro

Council member Cleve Dunn Jr was indicted Wednesday on multiple felony counts, including bribery and public contract fraud, in a Baton Rouge corruption probe that prosecutors say could lead to more charges as a grand jury continues its investigation.

According to an arrest warrant, Dunn allegedly used his position on the Metro Council to help steer a $50,000 Capital Area Transit System contract to Supreme Solutions, a consulting firm he had previously owned.

Investigators say he collected more than 90% of the contract’s proceeds through his own company, Core Group LLC, while concealing his involvement from bus

system officials and the public.

“Evidence discovered disclosed that Dunn abused his elected position of power and participated in a scheme to defraud the Capital Area Transit System,” wrote Louisiana Bureau of Investigation agent Phillip Vitter

In total, Dunn was indicted on nine counts: Public bribery conspiracy to commit public bribery, conspiracy to commit theft over

$25,000, theft of $25,000, money laundering, conspiracy to commit money laundering, public contract fraud, prohibited splitting of profits and malfeasance in office. Dunn’s indictment follows charges earlier this month against former CATS Chief Administrative Officer Pearlina Thomas and contractors Jarian “Jay” Colar,

A FESTIVE START

Washington Mardi Gras — a party with a purpose — kicks off despite some travel snags

Terral “TJ” Jackson and Erica Jackson following an investigation that dates back to 2022. Attorney General Liz Murrill’s office said it expects additional indictments as the grand jury continues its investigation into alleged misuse of public funds at the parish transit agency Dunn did not respond to requests for comment on Wednesday Prosecutors allege that Dunn was at the forefront of a scheme

at the home of France’s ambassador to the

BY MARK BALLARD Staff writer

WASHINGTON Despite icy streets and slippery sidewalks, Louisiana folks streamed into the Washington Hilton — the state’s 65th parish for now as the 77th edition of the Washington Mardi Gras got underway Wednesday The traditional kickoff for the four days of festivities hit a weather-related snag as Carnival officials reacted to delayed flights and continued cleanup from the winter storm that hit earlier in the week But, at a slightly later time than planned, the traditional toast to this year’s Washington Mardi Gras

King Gray Stream and Queen Sarah Heebe took place at the home of France’s ambassador to the United States, Laurent Bili. “It’s good to see you,” said U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, referring to the travel woes. “It’s so cold. Traffic is such a delight. It’s like we’re in Baton Rouge.” In lighthearted remarks in which he occasionally went into his wellknown imitation of President Donald Trump, Johnson paid tribute to the long-standing friendship between France and the U.S. — Louisiana in particular Johnson, who is from Benton,

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Iberville residents report vibrations

VLS Environmental Solutions faces community scrutiny

BY AIDAN McCAHILL Staff writer

For Kyte Aymond, the rumbling started in the summer of 2024. Windows, cabinets and doors in his Plaquemine City home began rattling. It was intermittent, but sometimes up to a week straight, forcing countless sleepless nights.

“It pierces your head,” Aymond said. “It’s not really loud when you’re outside. But when you get on the porch, you begin to hear it really intensely.”

After talking with his neighbors most sandwiched between Railroad Street and the Mississippi River in the downtown historic district — Aymond realized they were all dealing with the same thing. What seemed like low-frequency vibrations were affecting their sleep, knocking over picture frames and even sinking some of their homes’ foundations.

A schoolteacher and chair of the Plaquemine Historic Board, Aymond took the lead, pressing thenPlaquemine Mayor Ed Reeves, Sheriff Brett Stassi, council members and Parish President Chris Daigle for answers. The vibrations began the same year that VLS Environmental Solutions, a private-equity-owned company specializing in waste management and marine services, began cleaning barges directly across the Mississippi River at Plaquemine Point in St. Gabriel Flares from its thermal oxidizers glowed visibly from Plaquemine levees across the river. Residents eyed a possible suspect. Answers remain elusive nearly two years after the first complaints began. Residents aired their frustration publicly for the first time at an Iberville Parish Council

See IBERVILLE, page 9A Dunn ä See DUNN, page 9A

Small plane crashes in rural area of Colombia

BOGOTA, Colombia

A small plane crashed Wednesday in a rural area of Norte de Santander province in northeast Colombia, killing all 15 people on board including a member of congress, authorities said.

Satena, the state-owned airline that operated the flight, said local officials in the community of Curasica notified authorities about where the plane had gone down and a rescue team was deployed to “assess the condition of the passengers.”

Colombia’s Transportation Ministry later released a statement saying that “once the aircraft was located on site, authorities regrettably confirmed that there were no survivors.”

The aircraft, which has a registration number of HK4709, took off at 11:42 a.m. from the airport in Cúcuta, the department’s capital, bound for Ocaña, a municipality surrounded by mountains, on a flight that typically lasts about 40 minutes

The aircraft’s final contact with air traffic control came minutes after takeoff, according to a statement released by Satena Officials did not provide a cause for the crash, but said there would be an investigation Winter weather impedes investigation into crash

PORTLAND, Maine

The federal investigation into the crash of a private jet that killed six people at Bangor International Airport has been hampered by extreme weather, the airport’s director said Wednesday including deep snow that has blanketed the scene and covered the burned wreckage.

The National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration joined state and local authorities at the scene, and recovered the cockpit voice and data recorders for analysis. The state medical examiner’s office also was there, to remove the bodies of the victims and formally identify them.

The Paris-bound luxury jet had stopped to refuel amid light snow, mild winds and near-zero temperatures as a massive storm began to reach Bangor, Maine, Sunday night. Another plane had just aborted takeoff, radioing to the tower that they chose not to fly because visibility wasn’t great and they would need more deicing.

The Bombardier Challenger 600 had gone through a standard deicing process before proceeding to the runway, airport director Jose Saavedra said. The airport hasn’t answered questions about exactly what time the plane was treated and how long the treatment was expected to be good for If the calculated holdover time on a de-icing treatment expires, a pilot is expected to go back for another treatment.

Bessent warns Carney against picking a fight

WASHINGTON Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Wednesday warned Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney that his recent public comments against U.S. trade policy could backfire going into the formal review of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, the trade deal that protects Canada from the heaviest impacts of President Donald Trump’s tariffs. Carney used a high-profile speech last week at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, to condemn economic coercion by great powers on smaller countries and since then he has as since sparred with Trump and Bessent about related trade issues. Trump on Saturday threatened to impose a 100% tariff on goods imported from Canada over a trade deal Carney is pursuing with Beijing.

“I would not pick a fight going into USMCA to score some cheap political points either you’re working for your own political career or you’re working for the Canadian people,” Bessent said during a CNBC interview

“I’ve seen what happens when a technocrat tries to pivot and become a politician,” Bessent added, in a reference to Carney’s background as a central banker “It never really works out well.”

Miss. mobilizes 135 snowplows

BY SOPHIE BATES, RUSS BYNUM and JEFF MARTIN Associated Press

Conditions were growing more dire in parts of the South still reeling from subfreezing temperatures and widespread power outages as vehicles got stranded for hours on major highways and officials warned Wednesday that people stuck at home were running out of food, medicine and other essentials.

Mississippi dispatched 135 snowplows and National Guard troops equipped with wreckers to sections of Interstates 55 and 22 gridlocked by vehicles abandoned in the state’s ice-stricken northern region. Tens of thousands of homes and businesses remained without power as cold daytime temperatures sunk below freezing overnight in a region unaccustomed and ill-equipped for such weather Cars and semitrucks trying to navigate the frozen highways single-file began getting stuck Tuesday. No injuries were reported, the Mississippi Department of Public Safety said. But one driver told The Associated Press she feared she might freeze to death on I-22 when her car sat idle for more than 14 hours

“I just thought that we were going to die there,” said Samantha Lewis, 78, who got stuck on a road trip with a friend.

“There was nowhere to go, nothing to do, no one to save us.”

The growing misery and anxiety comes amid what Mississippi officials say is the state’s worst winter storm in more than 30 years.

Roughly 30,500 homes and businesses remained without power Wednesday, the vast majority of them in Tennessee and Mississippi. At least 50 people have died across the U.S. in states afflicted by the dangerous cold.

In Hardin County, Tennessee, at the

Mississippi state line, many people remain trapped in homes without electricity because of roads made impassable by ice and fallen trees, said LaRae Sliger, the county’s emergency management director Sliger said people who were prepared to manage a couple of days without power can’t go much longer without help.

“They’re cold, they don’t have power they don’t have heat, they’re out of propane, they’re out of wood, they’re out of kerosene for their kerosene heaters,” she said. “They have no food, they have no additional fuel for their alternative heating sources, so they’re needing out.”

In northeast Mississippi, emergency managers in Alcorn County were also receiving “calls of desperation” from people running out of food, water, medication and other supplies, said Evan Gibens, the emergency agency’s director He said dispatchers who have been sleeping at work since Friday have fielded more than 2,000 calls.

“We are doing everything we possibly can,” said Gibens, noting 200 people were staying at a local arena being used as a warming shelter

More than 100,000 outages remained in Nashville, where downed trees and snapped power lines blocked access to some areas. Utility workers will need at least the weekend, if not longer, to finish restoring power, said Brent Baker, a Nashville Electric Service vice president.

Lewis said she and a friend, Catherine Muldoon, were driving through Mississippi on a trip from Florida to Oklahoma when they got stuck on I-22 at about noon Tuesday Cars and trucks were backed up in a single lane that was partly cleared. They spent more than half a day stranded, Lewis said, turning on the car for 15 minutes to warm up and then shutting it off for 45 minutes to conserve fuel. Finally at about 3:30 a.m. Wednesday, they followed a pickup truck on one of the icecovered, traffic-free lanes and reached a gas station.

U.S. in talks with Denmark, Greenland on Arctic security

BY AAMER MADHANI Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Technical talks between the U.S., Denmark and Greenland over hatching an Arctic security deal are now underway, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday

The foreign ministers of Denmark and Greenland agreed to create a working group aimed at addressing differences with the U.S during a Washington meeting earlier this month with Vice President JD Vance and Rubio.

The group was created after President Donald Trump’s repeated calls for the U.S. to take over Greenland, a Danish territory, in the name of countering threats from Russia and China — calls that Greenland, Denmark and European allies forcefully rejected.

“It begins today and it will be a regular process,” Rubio said of the working group, as he testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “We’re going to try to do it in a way that isn’t like a media circus every time these conversations happen, because we think that creates more flexibility on both sides to arrive at a positive outcome.”

The Danish Foreign Ministry said Wednesday’s talks focused on “how we can address U.S. concerns about security in the Arctic while respecting the red lines of the Kingdom.” Red lines refers to the sovereignty of Greenland.

Trump’s renewed threats in recent weeks to annex Greenland, which is a semiautonomous territory of a NATO ally, has roiled U.S.-European relations.

Trump this month announced he would slap new tariffs on Denmark and seven other European countries that opposed his takeover calls, only to abruptly drop his threats after a “framework” for a deal over access to the mineral-rich island was reached, with NATO SecretaryGeneral Mark Rutte’s help. Few details of the agreement have emerged.

Trump also announced at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, last week that he would take off the table the possibility of using American military force to acquire Greenland.

The president backed off his tariff threats and softened his language after Wall Street suffered its biggest losses in months over concerns that Trump’s Greenland ambitions could spur a trade war and fundamentally rupture NATO Rubio on Wednesday appeared eager to downplay Trump’s rift with Europe over Greenland. “We’ve got a little bit of work to do, but I think we’re going to wind up in a good place, and I think you’ll hear the same from our colleagues in Europe very shortly,” Rubio said.

Rubio during Wednesday’s hearing also had a pointed exchange with Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., about Trump repeatedly referring to Greenland as Iceland while at Davos. “Yeah, he meant to say Greenland, but I think we’re all familiar with presidents that have verbal stumbles,” Rubio said in responding to Kaine’s questions about Trump’s flub — taking a veiled dig at former President Joe Biden. “We’ve had presidents like that before. Some made a lot more than this one.”

Chance of shutdown grows as Democrats demand changes to ICE

BY MARY CLARE JALONICK and KEVIN FREKING Associated Press

WASHINGTON As a partial government shutdown looms at week’s end, Senate Minorty Leader Chuck Schumer has laid out a list of demands for the Department of Homeland Security, including an enforceable code of conduct for federal agents conducting immigration arrests and a requirement that they identify themselves to the public.

Republicans will need Democratic votes to keep the government open when funding runs at midnight Friday But Democrats have pledged to block a spending bill for the department, hoping to pressure the GOP and President Donald Trump for major change at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other agencies as the country reels from the deaths of two people at the hands of federal agents in Minneapolis.

Democratic senators met on Wednesday before a crucial Thursday vote on whether to move forward with the spending legislation that funds DHS and a swath of other government agencies. Schumer said Democrats are asking the White House to “end roving patrols” in cities, coordinate with local law enforcement on immigration arrests, spell out an enforceable code of conduct so agents are held accountable when they violate rules, and require that agents have “masks off, body cameras on” and carry proper identification, as is common practice in law enforcement.

The Democratic caucus is united in those “commonsense reforms” and that the burden is on Republicans to accept them, the New York Democrat said.

“This is not law and order,” Schumer said, referring to the administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement surge across the country “This is chaos.”

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has

said he was waiting for Democrats to outline their what they want and he suggested that they need to be talking to the White House. It was unclear how seriously the White House was engaged and whether the two sides could agree on anything that would appease Democrats who are irate after federal agents fatally shot Alex Pretti and Renee Good this month. With no evident negotiations underway, a partial shutdown appeared increasingly likely starting Saturday Sen. Chris Murphy, DConn., said Democrats have been looking at changes that will “unite the caucus, and I think unite the country,” including ending the “roving patrols” that Democrats say are terrorizing Americans around the country Republicans say any changes to the spending will need to be passed by the House to prevent a shutdown, and the House is not in legislative session this week. Despite some conversations among Democrats, Republicans and the White House, it was unclear whether there could be a resolution in time to avoid a partial shutdown. The House passed the six remaining funding bills last week and sent them to the Senate as a package, and that makes it difficult to strip out the homeland security portion as Democrats are demanding. Republicans could break the package apart with the consent of all 100 senators, which would be complicated, or through a series of votes that would extend past the Friday deadline. House Republicans have made clear they do not want any changes to the bill they have passed. In a letter to Trump on Tuesday, the House Freedom Caucus wrote that its members stand with the president and ICE. “The package will not come back through the House without funding for the Department of Homeland Security,” according to the letter

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Trumpsignals interest in easing tensions

Butlittlechange seen on thestreets

BY STEVE KARNOWSKI, JACK BROOK and GIOVANNA DELL’ORTO Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS President Donald Trump seemedtosignal awillingness to ease tensions in Minneapolisaftera second deadly shooting by federal immigration agents, but there was little evidence Wednesday of any significant changes following weeks of harsh rhetoric and clashes with protesters. Thestrain wasevident when Trump made aleadership change by sending his top borderadviser to Minnesota to take chargeofthe immigration crackdown. That was followed by seemingly conciliatory remarks aboutthe Democratic governor and mayor Trump said he and Gov.Tim Walz, whomhecriticized for weeks, were on “a similar wavelength” following aphone call After aconversation with Mayor Jacob Frey,the president praised the discussion and declared that “lots of progress is being made.” But on city streets, there were few signs of ashift. Immigration enforcement operations and confrontationswithactivistscontinued Wednesday in Minneapolis and St. Paul.

Agroup of protesters blew whistles and pointed out federal officers in avehicleona north Minneapolis street. When theofficers’ vehicle moved, asmall convoy of activists followed in their cars for afew blocks until the officers stopped again.

Associated Press journalists were in the neighborhood covering the enforcement actions. When the journalists got out of theircar to document the encounter, officers with the federal Bureau of Prisons pushed one of them, threatened them with arrest and told themto getbackintheir cardespitethe reporters identifying themselves as media. Officers from multiple federal agencieshavebeeninvolvedin the enforcementoperations. From their car,the AP journalists saw at least one person being pepper

sprayed and one detained, though it was unclear if thatpersonwas the target of the operation or aprotester.Agents also broke car windows.

Attorney General Pam Bondi, who is visiting Minnesota, said 16 people were arrested Wednesday on charges of assaulting, resisting or impeding law enforcement in the state. She said morearrests were expected “NOTHING will stop President Trump and this Department of Justice from enforcing the law,” Bondi said in asocial media post.

Messages seeking comment were left with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Border Patrol.

Immigrants ‘still very worried’

Many immigrant families are still fearfulofleaving their homes, andLatino businessesare stillclosed, said Daniel Hernandez, who owns theMinneapolis

grocery storeColonial Market. He also runs apopularFacebook page geared towardinforming the Hispanic community in the Twin Cities.

While ColonialMarket is open, all but one of the dozen immigrantrun businesses that rented space inside to sell clothes, jewelry and toys have closed sincelateDecember, andnonehas plans to reopen, Hernandez said. “The reality is the community is still very worried and afraid,” Hernandez said.

Hernandez referenced Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino,who helped lead the administration’scrackdown in the Twin Cities andwho hasreportedlybeen assigned elsewhere.

Bovino “was removed, but the tacticssofar are stillthe same,” Hernandez said. “Nobody now is trusting the government with those changes.”

The federal enforcement extend-

ed to the city’sEcuadorian consulate, where afederal law enforcement officer tried to enter before being blocked by employees.

Meanwhile,Trump said in asocial media post that the mayor was “PLAYING WITH FIRE” by not participating in the enforcement efforts.

Veteranvisits sidewalk memorial Elsewhere on Wednesday,DonnieMcMillanplacedacardboard sign reading “In remembrance of my angel” at the makeshift memorial whereAlex Pretti wasshot.

The Vietnam veteran, 71, knelt to payhis respects and saluted to honor thenurse whom he said he remembered seeing during his frequentvisits to the Veterans Affairs hospital where Pretti worked.

“I feel like I’ve lost an angel right here,” McMillan said, pointing to thegrowing sidewalkmemorial covered in flowers, candles and

signs.

“This is not the way we should operate,” McMillan said. “I respect everybody,but Irespect my angelmore, andnow he’s no longer with us.”

Also Wednesday,the Department of Homeland Security said two federal agents involved in Pretti’s death have been on leave since Saturday,when the shooting happened. Omar sprayedwithsubstance In other developments, aman confronted Democratic Rep.Ilhan Omar during atown-hall meeting and sprayed her with a strong-smelling substanceasshe denounced the administration. He wastackledand identified by police as 55-year-old Anthony Kazmierczak,who hasa criminal recordand hadmadeonline posts supportive of Trump.

Minnesota court records show Kazmierczak was convicted of auto theft in 1989 and has multiple arrests fordriving under the influence, alongwitha slew of traffic offenses. It wasnot immediately clear if he had an attorney In social media posts, Kazmierczak described himself as aformer networkengineer who lives in Minneapolis andhad made comments critical of former President Joe Biden, referring to Democrats as “angry and liars.” He was jailedona preliminary third-degree assault charge, police said.

After theattack,there was a strong, vinegarlikesmell in the room, according to an AP journalist whowas there. Authorities have not publicly identified the substance, whichwas squirted from asyringe containing alight-brown liquid. Omar continuedspeaking for about 25 minutes afterthe man wasushered out by security,saying she would not be intimidated. Afterthe event, shesaid she was unharmed.

The administration was also being challenged in court. Federal courts wereweighing adecision on alawsuit seeking to pause the crackdown, as well as an order for thehead of ICE to appear personally to address what ajudge said were failures to grant due process forcertain immigrants.

Report:Troop deploymentstoU.S.citiescost$496M

Estimate does not includeNew Orleans

BY FATIMA HUSSEIN Associated Press

WASHINGTON TheTrump administration’shigh-profile deployment of federal troops to six U.S. cities has cost taxpayers roughly $496 million through the end of December,and continued deployment could cost over $1 billion forthe rest of the year, according to new

data from the nonpartisan CongressionalBudgetOffice. President Donald Trumphas justified sending National Guard troops into U.S. cities as part of an effort to combat crime and support local law enforcement. Critics of themove argue the deployments undermine state and local authority andexceedthe president’s authority under theConstitution.

TheCBO published thenew data estimating the costs associated with thefederal deployments of National Guard and active-duty

Marines after arequest from Sen. Jeff Merkley,D-Ore., who is the rankingmember on the Senate Budget Committee.

“The American people deserve to knowhow manyhundreds of millions of their hard-earned dollars have been and are being wasted on Trump’s reckless andhaphazard deployment of National Guard troops to Portland and cities across the country,” Merkley said in a statement about the CBO report Factored into the estimates are troop deploymentstoChicago,

Memphis, Portland, as well as Los AngelesinJune, when protesters took to the streets in response to ablitz of immigration arrests. The CBOsaid continued deployments to those cities would costabout $93 million per month.

Theestimateexcludesthe military’s December deployment to New Orleans.

For further possible deployments downthe road, the CBO estimatesdeploying 1,000 National Guard personnel to aU.S. city in 2026 would cost $18 million to $21

U.S. HolocaustMuseumcriticizesWalz’sAnneFrank

BY ZOË JACKSON Minnesota Star Tribune

Gov.Tim Walz is facing criticism fromthe U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum for comparing theexperience of Minnesota children living throughthe state’s chaotic federal immigration enforcement surge with that of Anne Frank’sexperience hiding from Nazi Germans. His comment came during anews conference Sunday following federal agents’ fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, a Minneapolis nurse.

“Wehave got childrenin Minnesota hiding in their houses, afraid to go outside.

Trumpfeels

Many ofusgrewupreading thatstoryofAnne Frank,” he said. “Somebody’s going to write that children’s story aboutMinnesota.”

Walz taught high school social studies before he becameapolitician. On Monday,the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum rebuked Walz’scomment on social media.

“Anne Frank was targeted and murdered solely because shewas Jewish.Leaders making false equivalencies to her experience for political purposes is never acceptable,” themuseum said in apost on X. “Despite tensionsin Minneapolis,

exploiting the Holocaust is deeply offensive, especially as antisemitism surges.”

The UnitedStates Holocaust Memorial Council is theboard that oversees themuseum. It consists of 55 members appointedby the president of theUnited States, as wellasahandful of members from the Senate andthe House of Representativesand threeexofficio membersfrom thedepartments of Education, Interior and State.

Observers, protestersand Minneapolis residents have compared the frequent sightings of caravansofmasked federalagentsoncity streets

badabout Pretti,‘worse’

about Good becauseher parentswere‘Trumpfans’

BYJESSICA SCHLADEBECK

Newyork Daily News (TNS)

President Donald Trump admitted he feels “terrible” about the shooting deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good, butsaidhe’swas more upset about Good because her parents are “tremendous Trump people.”

Trump made the comment Tuesday on Fox News’ “The Will Cain Show” while addressing the unrest in Minneapolis, where both Good and Pretti were fatally shot

by federalagentsthismonth.

“Bottom line,itwas terrible,” he said when asked aboutPretti’sdeath

“Both of them were terrible; the other was terrible too,”Trump continued, referringtoGood as well.

“And I’mnot sure abouthis parents, butIknowher parents were big Trump fans, makesmefeelbad anyway.But Iguess you could say even worse, they were tremendous Trumppeople, Trump fans.” Thepresident went on to

speculatethat Good “was maybe radicalized, maybe not.”

“I don’tknow,but Ihate to see it,” he said.

Trump learned thatGood’s father, TimothyGanger, was a“big supporter” during an interviewwith “CBS Evening News” anchor Tony Dokoupil on Jan. 13. The sitdown camenearly aweek after Good was fatally shot by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Jonathan Ross in aresidential neighborhood.

to that of Nazi police forces during theHolocaust. It’s a common refrainonsigns at protests. Earlierthis month, influentialpodcaster and President DonaldTrump supporter Joe Rogan comparedthe federalagentsto

million per month, depending on the local cost of living. National Guard troopsare expected to remain deployed in Washington throughout 2026, according to amemoreviewed by The Associated Press earlier this month. The troop deployments have provoked legal challenges from local leaders,and some have been successful. ACalifornia federaljudge in January ruledthatthe Trump administration“willfully”broke federal law by sending National Guard units to the Los Angeles area.

theGestapo,the secret police of Nazi Germany Aspokesperson for Walz said thegovernor’s comment“came from aplace of concern for what’shappening in Minnesota.”

“As asocial studies teach-

er,the governor taught his students aboutthe Holocaust. Thegovernor knows learning about and teaching that history is an important part of ensuring it never happens again,” the statementsaid.

Groundswell grows for Noem to go

Bipartisan demand for secretary to resign or be impeached

BY LISA MASCARO AP congressional correspondent

WASHINGTON A groundswell of voices have come to the same conclusion: Kristi Noem must go.

From Democratic Party leaders to the nation’s leading advocacy organizations to even the most centrist lawmakers in Congress, the calls are mounting for the Homeland Security secretary to step aside after the shooting deaths in Minneapolis of two people who protested deportation policy At a defining moment in her tenure, few Republicans are rising to Noem’s defense.

“The country is disgusted by what the Department of Homeland Security has done,” top House Democratic Reps. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, Katherine Clark of Massachusetts and Pete Aguilar of California said in a joint statement.

“Kristi Noem should be fired immediately,” the Democrats said, “or we will commence impeachment proceedings in the House of Representatives.”

‘She should be out of a job’

What started as sharp criticism of the Homeland Security secretary, and a longshot move by Democratic lawmakers signing onto impeachment legislation in the Republican-controlled House, has morphed into an inflection point for Noem, who has been the highprofile face of the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement regime.

Noem’s brash leadership style and remarks in the aftermath of the shooting deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good — in which she suggested Pretti “attacked” officers and portrayed the events leading up to Good’s shooting an “act of domestic terrorism” have been seen as doing irreparable damage, as events on the ground disputed her account. Her alliance with Border Patrol chief Greg Bovino, who was recalled from the Minnesota operation Monday as border czar Tom Homan took the lead, has left her isolated on Capitol Hill.

A“What she’s done in Minnesota should be disqualifying. She should be out of a job,” said Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C.

“I think the President needs to look at who he has in place as a secretary of Homeland Security,” said Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska. “It probably is time for her to step down.”

Trump stands by Noem

President Donald Trump defended Noem on Wednesday at multiple junctures, strongly indicating her job does not appear to be in immediate jeopardy.

Asked by reporters as he left the White House on Tuesday for a trip to Iowa whether Noem is going to step down, Trump had a one-word answer: “No.”

Pressed later during an interview on Fox News if he had confidence in Noem, the president said, “I do.”

“Who closed up the border?

She did,” Trump said, “with Tom Homan, with the whole group. I mean, they’ve closed up the border The border is a tremendous success.”

As Democrats in Congress threaten to shut down the government as they demand restrictions on Trump’s mass deportation agenda, Noem’s future at the department faces serious questions and concerns.

The Republican leadership of the

House and Senate committees that oversee Homeland Security have demanded that department officials appear before their panels to answer for the operations that have stunned the nation with their sheer force — including images of children, including a 5-year-old, being plucked from families

“Obviously this is an inflection point and an opportunity to evaluate and to really assess the policies and procedures and how they are being implemented and put into practice,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a Republican from South Dakota, where Noem had been the state’s House representative and governor before joining the administration.

Asked about his own confidence in Noem’s leadership, Thune said, “That’s the president’s judgment call to make.”

The fight over funding

Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement that DHS enforces the laws from Congress, and if lawmakers don’t like those laws, they should change them.

“Too many politicians would rather defend criminals and attack the men and women who are enforcing our laws,” McLaughlin said. “It’s time they focus on protecting the American people, the work this Department is doing every day under Secretary Noem’s

leadership.”

The ability of Congress to restrict Homeland Security funding is limited, in large part because the GOP majority already essentially doubled department funding under Trump’s big tax breaks and spending cuts law

On the job for a year, Noem has clashed at times with lawmakers on Capitol Hill, as Republicans and Democrats have sought greater oversight and accounting of the department’s spending and operations.

Noem has kept a low profile since the Saturday news conference following Pretti’s death though she appeared Sunday on Fox News. She doubled down in that interview on criticism of Minnesota officials, but also expressed compassion for Pretti’s family

“It grieves me to think about what his family is going through but it also grieves me what’s happening to these law enforcement officers every day out in the streets with the violence they face,” she said.

Impeachments more common

Impeachment, once a far-flung tool brandished against administration officials, has become increasingly commonplace.

Two years ago, the Republicanled House impeached another Homeland Security secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas, in protest over the then-Biden administration’s border security and immigration policies that allowed millions of immigrants and asylum-seekers to enter the U.S. The Senate dismissed the charges.

On Tuesday, Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, said if the Republican chairman of the panel, Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, does not launch an impeachment probe, he would.

Raskin said he would work with the top Democrats on the Homeland Security and Oversight committees to immediately launch an impeachment inquiry related to the Minnesota deaths and other “lawlessness and corruption that may involve treason, bribery or other high crimes and misdemeanors.”

More than 160 House Democrats have signed on to an impeachment resolution from Rep. Robin Kelly, D-Ill.

Officers confront protesters in Texas

BY VALERIE GONZALEZ, ERIC GAY and BILL BARROW Associated Press

DILLEY,Texas — Texas state police deployed chemical irritants toward protesters Wednesday outside a federal detention facility where a Democratic congressman met with a 5-year-old Ecuadorian boy and his father Democratic Rep. Joaquin Castro of Texas met with the family at the South Texas Family Residential Center, where outside a large group of protesters gathered in support of hundreds of detainees being held at the facility Protesters banged drums, chanted and carried signs that included “Children are not criminals!”

As protesters moved closer to the facility in the small town of Dilley, Texas state police officers arrived on a school bus and shouted instructions for the crowd to move back. Some of the officers then deployed pepper balls, dispersing the crowd.

Castro later posted a picture on social media of his visit with 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias.

“I demanded his release and told him how much his family, his school, and our country loves him and is praying for him,” Castro posted on social media. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents took the boy and his father into custody Jan. 20 in Minneapolis. A federal judge on Monday issued a temporary order prohibiting the Trump administration from removing Ramos and Arias from the U.S. as their detention is challenged.

Castro accused Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in a recent video of running a “lawless” immigration enforcement operation that is effectively a “bounty hunter organization.”

Growing together forover 115 years

Thisstory is brought to you by ExxonMobil

lothas changed since ExxonMobil’s BatonRougeRefinery wasfounded in 1909, with arefiningcapacity of ~1,800 barrels of oil per day. The Baton RougeComplexnow stands as oneofthe largest refining and petrochemical complexes in the world, processingchemical products and more than 500,000 barrels of oil perday.Through theeffortsoftheir 6,000 team membersinBatonRouge,the Complex supplies marketsacrossthe United Statesand beyond with products that make modern life possible.

Louisianahas changed too. Louisiana’s richnatural resources,strong, skilled workforce, robust transportation infrastructureand diverse manufacturingand industrial capacityhavelaunched the state intoaleague of its own.

Butone thing hasn’tchanged: ExxonMobil’s115+ year presence in Louisiana continues to create benefits forLouisiana’speopleand economy.

And there’smoretocome. ExxonMobil andLouisiana areatthe forefrontofinnovation,developing solutions to some of today’stoughest problems. Throughthe development of its LowCarbon Solutionsbusinessthatprioritizes emissions reductioninaddition to meetingenergydemand ExxonMobil lookstobuildevenmoreeconomicopportunitiesand communityrelationships acrossLouisiana

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Generations of local familieshavebenefittedfrom ExxonMobil’sfocus on building lifelong careers and training the next generation forsuccessinthe field. Since 2012, ExxonMobil has collaboratedwith Baton RougeCommunityCollegetosponsor the North BatonRougeIndustrialTraining Initiative(NBRITI),providing free,fast-tracked crafttraining to ~600 nearby residents for jobs with local industry.

Thesebenefits arepoised to grow as ExxonMobil continues to invest in Louisiana’s critical energy infrastructure.Louisiana’sunique geologyand leadership in CCS investments have already helped the state attractbillions of dollarsinpotentialnew projects from data centers,steel manufacturers, LNG producers and othersthatrepresent nearly 17,000 newjobsand $76billion in newinvestmentas of 2025. Through its LowCarbon Solutions business, ExxonMobil is supportingthe growth andmodernization of Louisiana’s manufacturing and oiland gasindustries with technologies likeCCS —helping to ensurethosejobsand investmentdollarsstayinLouisiana

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the American Chemistry Council’sResponsible Care Companyofthe Year award multiple times,aswell as the American Petroleum Institute’sDistinguished Pipeline SafetyAward forthe last three years. ExxonMobil regularly engages with first responderstokeep them informed about operations and to discussand train in emergency responseplans.Their pipeline companyoffersspecialized CO2 safety training forlocal firedepartments across the state and has trained morethan 134 Louisiana first responderstodate In 2025, theylaunched the Louisiana Emergency Training Program with the Louisiana State Fire Marshal and River Parishes CommunityCollege.The program is the nation’sonly program of its kind, which deliversclassroom instruction and free, hands-on emergency responseand field training focused on CO2 and liquid pipeline incidents,further strengthening the state’s emergency preparedness

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FBI searches Georgia elections office

Warrant seeks records tied to 2020 election

BY KATE BRUMBACK Associated Press

ATLANTA The FBI on Wednesday searched the election office of a Georgia county that has been central to right-wing conspiracy theories over President Donald Trump’s 2020 election loss, acting just one week after the Republican leader predicted prosecutions over a contest he has baselessly insisted was tainted by widespread fraud.

The search at Fulton County’s main election facility in Union City sought records related to the 2020 election, county spokesperson Jessica Corbitt-Dominguez said. It appeared to be the most public step by law enforcement to pursue Trump’s claims of a stolen election, grievances rejected time and again by courts and state and federal officials, who found no evidence of fraud that would have altered the outcome.

It also unfolds against the backdrop of FBI and Justice

Department efforts to investigate perceived political enemies of Trump, including former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James. Trump has for years focused on Fulton, Georgia’s most populous county and a Democratic stronghold, as a key example of what he claims went wrong in the 2020 election. His pressure campaign there culminated in a sweeping state indictment accusing him and 18 others of illegally trying to overturn the vote.

FBI agents secured an

area around the large warehouse building that houses the county elections hub with yellow tape and could be seen loading boxes from the building into trucks. FBI spokesperson Jenna Sellitto confirmed that the boxes contained ballots. Among the 2020 election documents sought are ballots, tabulator tapes from the scanners used to tally the ballots, electronic ballot images and voter rolls.

An FBI spokesperson said agents were “executing a court authorized law enforcement action” at the

county’s main election office in Union City, just south of Atlanta. The spokesperson declined to provide any further information, citing an ongoing matter

Corbitt-Dominguez said a warrant “sought a number of records related to 2020 elections,” but declined to comment further because the search was still underway

The Justice Department had no immediate comment. Trump has long insisted that the 2020 election was stolen even though judges across the country and his own attorney general said they found no evidence of widespread fault that tipped the contest in Democrat Joe Biden’s favor

The president has made Georgia, one of the battleground states he lost in 2020, a central target for his complaints about the election and memorably pushed its secretary of state to help find” enough votes to overturn the contest.

Last week, in reference to the 2020 election, he asserted that “people will soon be prosecuted for what they did.” It was not clear what in particular he was referring to.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis in August 2023 obtained an indictment against Trump and 18 others, accusing them of participating in a wide-ranging scheme to illegally try to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. That case was dismissed in November after courts barred Willis and her office from pursuing it because of an “appearance of impropriety” stemming from a romantic relationship she had with a prosecutor she had hired to lead the case.

The FBI last week moved to replace its top agent in Atlanta, Paul W. Brown, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a nonpublic personnel decision. It was not immediately clear why the move, which was not publicized by the FBI, was made.

The Department of Justice last month sued the clerk of the Fulton County superior and magistrate courts in federal court seeking access to documents from the 2020 election in the county The lawsuit said the department sent a letter to the clerk, Che Alexander, but that she had failed to produce the re-

quested documents. Alexander has filed a motion to dismiss the suit. The Justice Department complaint says that the purpose of its request was “ascertaining Georgia’s compliance with various federal election laws.” It also says the attorney general is trying to help the State Election Board with its “transparency efforts under Georgia law.”

A three-person conservative majority on the State Election Board has repeatedly sought to reopen a case alleging wrongdoing by Fulton County during the 2020 election. It passed a resolution in July seeking assistance from the U.S attorney general to access voting materials.

The state board sent subpoenas to the county board for various election documents last year and again on Oct. 6. The October subpoena requested “all used and void ballots, stubs of all ballots, signature envelopes, and corresponding envelope digital files from the 2020 General Election in Fulton County.” A fight over the state board’s efforts to enforce the 2024 subpoena is currently tied up in court.

BY MATTHEW DALY Associated Press

WASHINGTON The Trump administration on Wednesday took a step toward rolling back a rule that limits smokestack emissions that burden downwind areas in neighboring states.

The so-called “good neighbor” rule is one of dozens of regulations that Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin has targeted for reconsideration or repeal.

The Supreme Court ruled in 2024 that the EPA could not enforce the rule, which is intended to block coal-fired power plants and other

industrial sites from adding significantly to air pollution across state lines.

The EPA said Wednesday it is proposing to approve plans by eight states to regulate ozone air pollution as they see fit. If finalized, the states “would no longer need to worry about another ‘Good Neighbor Plan’” subject to approval by the federal government, the agency said

The affected states are Alabama, Arizona, Kentucky, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nevada, New Mexico and Tennessee. Under President Joe Biden, the EPA disapproved or proposed disapproval of ozone plans submitted by all those states.

The state-specific plans did not sufficiently control ozone emissions that travel across state lines, the Biden-era agency said.

Zeldin said Wednesday that under President Donald Trump, the EPA is committed to advancing what Zeldin called “cooperative federalism” that allows states to decide for themselves how to attain air pollution goals.

“Today, we are taking an important step to undo a Biden administration rule that treated our state partners unfairly,” Zeldin said in a statement. If finalized, the EPA plan will ensure that “these states will be able to advance cleaner air now for their communities, instead

of waiting for overly burdensome federal requirements years from now,” he said. Under the proposal announced Wednesday, “EPA finds that the eight (state plans) have adequate data demonstrating these states are not interfering with ozone attainment” required by National Ambient Air Quality Standards, the agency said. The action also indicates EPA’s intent to withdraw proposed error corrections for state plans submitted by Iowa and Kansas.

In the near future, EPA intends to take a separate action to address “interstate transport” obligations for the remaining states covered

in the final, Biden-era “Good Neighbor Plan,” the agency said. Environmental groups said the EPA proposal would reward states for being bad neighbors. Air pollution from heavily industrialized Midwestern states frequently reaches East Coast states.

“Once again, Donald Trump and Lee Zeldin are choosing to protect aging, dirty and expensive coal plants and other industrial polluters over strong federal clean air protections that address interstate pollution problems,” said Zachary Fabish, a Sierra Club lawyer EPA will accept public comment for at least 30 days after the rule is published in the Federal Register

mentioned the portraits of the Marquis de Lafayette and George Washington on the House floor, noting that when he accompanies Louisiana students on tours there they often point to Lafayette’s and remark that he’s “named after my city.”

The annual retreat attracts hundreds of Louisiana movers and shakers who attend every year to make connections and talk business while showing off the state’s culture.

Despite the travel woes, only a handful of this year’s guests canceled, Hilton employees said After checking in, many collected drinks, greeted friends and traded tales of long and harrowing journeys. Muted background music was replaced by loud Louisiana tunes On Capitol Hill, Louisiana’s congressional delegation spent much of the day meeting with those who came for the event.

U.S. Rep. Troy Carter, D-New Orleans, talked about an array of issues with business leaders and elected officials while munching on king cake in his office.

“Washington Mardi Gras is a party with a purpose and a chance to move projects along,” Carter said “I was grateful to kick off the week with good friends, good food and important conversations.”

U.S. Rep. Cleo Fields, D-Baton Rouge, said after his office’s open house that he spent time talking about topics ranging from educa-

tion to infrastructure needs to “ensuring that federal resources are brought back to the communities that need it most.”

“It is those conversations that shape how I represent District 6,” he said.

Perhaps the most sought-after invitation for Wednesday night was for a party put on by Cheniere Energy The Houston-based producer of liquefied natural gas sent emails Wednesday morning to tell invitees to be careful when

they arrive at the National Portrait Gallery

“While some festive production elements may be limited due to weather and staffing conditions, the celebration will continue as scheduled,” the email read.

“Please use caution when traveling, as streets remain icy, and snow has been pushed to the sides of many roadways.”

A reception hosted by the Baton Rouge-based Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady, which runs 10

paign contributors to write checks.

Washington Mardi Gras is organized and overseen by the Mystick Krewe of Louisianians as a way for local and state elected officials to visit casually with business executives, trade association officials and public interest functionaries, along with the congressional delegation and federal bureaucrats. The retreat is paid for by tickets, donations and dues. The Louisiana Ethics Board allows local and state elected officials to tap their campaign funds to cover airline flights, hotel rooms, Mardi Gras tickets and expenses. Getting to the event this year was a challenge.

The 8 to 9 inches of snow covered by sleet and frozen rain that fell Sunday and Monday created a slippery cement-like covering that has resisted cleanup. Schools and many offices in the Washington area remained closed Wednesday, and public transportation operated on a partial schedule. Many of the direct flights from Louisiana to one of the

hospitals in Louisiana and Mississippi, was also set to go on as scheduled in Waldorf-Astoria’s Lincoln Library, said Ryan Cross, FMOL’s government affairs director, as he was changing planes Wednesday on his way to D.C.

Several fundraisers have been scheduled for the Waldorf Astoria on Pennsylvania Avenue Gov Jeff Landry, Attorney General Liz Murrill and U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow, RBaton Rouge, are throwing cocktail parties and dinners for cam-

IBERVILLE

meeting Jan. 20.

“I lived in an old house, very solid, 100 years old,” said Les Ann Kirkland, who recently moved out of Plaquemine. “It never shook until those people came there.”

“I want to know who is going to fix my house,” said another resident. At the meeting, VLS Regional Vice President Wade Grundmeyer said the company is committed to being a “good neighbor,” and pointed to a $1 million investment to fix the problem. But the source of the shaking remains a mystery, with some doubting whether VLS is solely to blame.

“We spent a lot of money to try and figure it out,” said Grundmeyer, who declined an interview after the meeting. “Are we aware of exactly what’s happening? No. Are we aware of when it’s happening? There is no exact science to it, which is frustrating.”

Council Vice Chair Raheem Pierce of the 6th District estimates that around 30 residents have contacted him about the vibrations.

“I’m glad for the corporate partners,” he said. “But we have people we represent every day who are not happy.”

Daigle and other leaders have visited residents’ homes to witness the phenomenon themselves.

“We have seen the concerns; we have heard the concerns,” Daigle said in an interview “If you go on one or two front porches, you can actually hear some type of humming.”

Daigle said he met with the Army Corps of Engineers in 2024 over concerns about the vibra-

DUNN

Continued from page 1A

to funnel a CATS contract to Colar via his company Supreme Solutions. According to Dunn’s arrest warrant, the council member introduced Colar to then-CATS CAO Thomas at a Baton Rouge restaurant. Shortly after, Colar was awarded the contract. But at the time, state records show that the company was not registered to Colar but instead to Dunn and his wife. Business filings were not amended to make Colar the registered owner until weeks after the CATS contract began. Agents say Colar told investigators the ownership transfer from Dunn to him was done for “optics.”

As Supreme Solutions began receiving payments for the contract, those payments were deposited into the company’s bank account, and then checks were written to Core Group, which is registered to Dunn, investigators say In one instance, a large cash sum was given from Supreme Solutions to Dunn, according to arrest documents.

In total, Dunn received “nearly $45,000 (over 90%) of the funds CATS paid to Supreme Solutions.

“Dunn subsequently profited from the contract to Supreme Solutions through kickbacks received from Jarian Colar the purported

tions’ effects on the levees. He said they determined the structures were not in danger and stopped investigating the issue In January 2025, Clint Moore director of the Iberville Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, submitted a complaint to the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, citing multiple reports of vibrations believed to be caused by VLS flaring, and asked if the company was operating under the permissions of their permit.

According to LDEQ records, Grundmeyer told an investigator over the phone that the noise “was the result of permitted flaring during barge-cleaning operations,” and that the company was “working to install padding, which should reduce such noise.” The agency closed the investigation a week later

Daigle said he has met with VLS since 2024, at times joined by Stassi, the Plaquemine mayor, Pierce and District 8 council member Hunter S Markins.

“Not to say that they took 100% blame, but they did recognize that they may be part of the cause,” Daigle said.

According to both Grundmeyer and the company website, VLS’s Plaquemine facility extracts residual fuel and vapors out of the tanks of barges that transport liquefied petroleum gas Those vapors route to a thermal oxidizer, burning off volatile organic compounds and other waste to meet environmental standards, before release into the atmosphere.

One resident who works in the oil and gas industry claimed at the meeting that the thermal oxidizing process was causing “air-cavitation,” when the rapid formation and collapse of vapor bubbles release intense, random vibrations.

owner of Supreme Solutions,” prosecutors said Taking office in 2021, Dunn participated in several transactions that appropriated city-parish funds to CATS, authorities say and he was aware that his oversight as a council member made it illegal for him to receive money from the agency

Following his indictment, authorities issued an arrest warrant for Dunn At the time of publishing, Dunn had yet to be arrested.

Multiple council members in Washington, D.C., said Dunn was in the nation’s capital for the Washington Mardi Gras celebrations.

Murrill’s office declined to comment when asked whether it planned to arrest Dunn in D.C and extradite him to Baton Rouge or wait for his return before taking him into custody

From D.C. Metro Council Mayor Pro Tempore Brandon Noel released a statement after hearing of Dunn’s indictment

“I am saddened to hear this news. I will not pass judgment on a colleague prior to him having his day in court,” Noel said “I have faith in our justice system to uncover the facts and root out the truth, whatever that may be. Should wrongdoing be found, I feel that all involved certainly should be held accountable.”

Mayor-President Sid Edwards also released a statement following Wednesday’s indictment Edwards said he was limited in what he could

“We

WADE GRUNDMEyER, VLS regional vice president

While it was just a theory, in July, VLS secured a permit to relocate the oxidizer from its river barge to shore, according to Daigle. It was a few weeks after Aymond and his wife sued the company, seeking a permanent injunction to halt operations. Their lawsuit remains ongoing.

The $1 million transition began in November, before VLS resumed operations in December Aymond said the vibrations stopped during the brief transition period, but resumed shortly after Christmas.

“All of a sudden, it was the same old stuff,” he said.

“It seemed like it was going fine, then we started getting complaints again,” Grundmeyer said.

Grundmeyer told the council he had received complaints even when the facility was shut down. He added that Iberville Parish residents on the same side of the river — some within a quarter-mile of VLS — have never reported vibrations Grundmeyer Daigle and Markins all suggested other possible causes, such as heavy barge traffic or nearby industrial facilities. Residents even report being told the vibrations come from trucks or rush hour on Church and Eden streets.

“He’s the new guy so he’s going to get 100% of the blame,” Markins said of Grundmeyer “Is he 100%

say about the allegations against Dunn and noted he was entitled to due process.

“What I can say is that since taking office, my administration has been contacted by multiple investigative agencies, and we have cooperated fully with requests from those authorities,” Edwards said.

He was quick to clarify that the events in question took place before he was in office.

“These allegations are especially disturbing at a time when we are working to conduct government with integrity and respect for taxpayers’ dollars,” he said. “I believe that anyone suspected of or charged with misusing taxpayer dollars or other resources should be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

Murrill’s investigation was prompted by an FBI request for assistance regarding allegations that public officials had accepted bribes and misused their positions.

Court documents state that the FBI interviewed Thomas and Colar as early as 2022 about possible fraud at the bus agency

As the FBI began investigating Supreme Solutions and interviewing Colar, they later found that Dunn still had control over the company’s finances When they first reached out to Colar about interviewing him, agents say he opened up a new bank account for the company just hours later

to blame? Probably not but I’m telling you now, when they start running, the vibrations come.”

“I noticed the foundations my patio, it’s just all cracking up The noise is just terrible,” said Rebecca Vince, a resident living on Church Street. “I’ve been here 21 years, I know it’s not the trucks passing.”

Grundmeyer explained to the council that VLS often faces barge backlogs along the Mississippi, with vessels waiting for tank cleaning. That can lead to flaring for weeks at a time, he said. Aymond, though not an expert, can see the backups from the levees and believes most vibrations coincide with those periods.

“They turn that baby up to get through it as fast as possible,” he said. “We don’t want to stop a business. But if you can’t keep it at a certain volume because you’re worried you’re not going to get through enough work, that’s not our problem.”

So far, the picture remains murky about how to stop the vibrations or even identify their source.

“We don’t have any data, we don’t have any physical evidence to prove it’s them,” Daigle said. It also is unclear just how many residents are affected, as no surveys have been issued.

“We need some sort of process to get to the bottom of it,” council President Steve Smith said. “Right now, we have no process.”

Meanwhile, Aymond’s wife has recently given birth, and the couple sleeps with their newborn in the back of the house, furthest from the river, to avoid potential health issues from vibrations. When it gets particularly bad his wife often travels to sleep at her parent’s house in St. Francisville,

“Financial records indicate that Colar opened a new Supreme bank account on or about September 21, 2022, at 16:58,” agents wrote in Dunn’s arrest warrant. “On the same day, at approximately 11:58 AM, the agents contacted Colar for the first time and informed him of their interest in interviewing him.”

In a statement following Dunn’s indictment on Wednesday, Murrill’s office

and he is contemplating moving there permanently

“It should not have taken this long for nothing to be communicated to the council,” he said. “It should not have taken this long to have any meaningful change at all.”

Daigle said his administration has worked closely with VLS from the start, adding the company has always been committed to finding a solution. When VLS decided to move its flaring on land, he said he regularly visited the site to monitor progress. After the move, when complaints started up again, Daigle proposed a public hearing the next month.

“We gave them a chance to fix it; it’s not an overnight process. They didn’t fix it,” he said. “It was important to our administration that we’re putting our residents first and putting it on the agenda.”

At the meeting, Grundmeyer said that during the previous week of Jan. 12, VLS brought engineers from Mission Flare — the company that manufactures the oxidizers to “conduct studies” on the vibrations, and is also looking to purchase alternative thermal oxidizers. The Iberville Parish Council gave VLS 30 days to return with results.

If VLS fails to find a solution, council member Pierce suggested issuing a cease and desist, ordering the company to halt operations though a timeline was not given. Such a step would require conclusive data, and Daigle said his administration is searching for a third-party contractor to investigate the vibrations and its source.

“If it gets to a point that we feel VLS has exhausted all avenues and have not fixed the problem, we would support a cease and desist,” he said.

said it expects more people to be implicated. “We expect additional indictments based upon this ongoing grand jury investigation,” said spokesperson Lester Duhé.

Like Dunn, Colar also faces nine charges, while Thomas faces 11 in total. Husband and wife TJ Jackson and Erica Jackson, whose company The Broad Innovative Marketing Firm also received a CATS con-

tract around the same time as Colar, each face a single count of theft of $25,000 or more and a single count of conspiracy to commit theft of $25,000 or more. Of the charges filed against Dunn, the most serious carry penalties of up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $50,000.

Email Patrick SloanTurner at patrick.sloanturner@theadvocate.com.

Court hears arguments in pollution lawsuit

St. James Parish residents seek justice

BY ALEX LUBBEN Staff writer

A federal judge on Wednesday heard arguments over whether a civil rights lawsuit accusing St. James Parish of steering hazardous industrial development

into majority-Black communities should proceed, as parish officials urged dismissal of the case. The lawsuit, filed in 2023, was initially dismissed by the district court before being revived last year by the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, which ruled that the

plaintiffs had standing to sue and sent the case back to the lower court. Judge Carl J. Barbier an appointee of President Bill Clinton, is now determining whether plaintiffs’ allegations are sufficient to survive the parish’s motion to dismiss, which would allow the case to proceed.

The parish sought review by the U.S. Supreme Court, which de-

clined to hear the case, allowing the 5th Circuit’s ruling to stand.

Brought by Mt. Triumph Baptist Church and two environmental groups, RISE St. James and Inclusive Louisiana, the lawsuit alleges that the siting of petrochemical and other industrial facilities over decades infringed on residents’ constitutional rights and violated Reconstruction-era

ish’s

EASY COME, EASY DOUGH

Preserve owner accused of theft in zoo deal

Weeks after announcing plans to sell his Ethel wildlife preserve, Magnolia Wilds owner John “Gabe” Ligon has been arrested in Texas after a failed business deal with another Louisiana zoo, authorities say Ligon, 34, was booked as a fugitive into the Tarrant County Jail on Friday, and faces felony charges of theft.

According to Grant Parish Sheriff Steven McCain, Ligon had a warrant out for his arrest for theft over $25,000, and was arrested by Tarrant County sheriff’s deputies at an airport in Texas. McCain said Ligon had agreed to provide exotic animals and perform work at the Gone Wild Safari, a petting zoo in Grant Parish, in exchange for $130,000. The owner reported in August that he was still owed $93,200,

ABOVE: A finished king cake sits on the counter before being boxed up during a king cake cooking class at Red Stick Spice Co. in Baton Rouge on Saturday. LEFT: Amyre Dahmer sprinkles purple, green and gold sprinkles on top of her iced king cake during the cooking class. RIGHT: Kattie Beverly, from left, and Linda Banks work with cooking instructor Lili Courtney to roll out their dough during the class.

STAFF PHOTOS By HILARy SCHEINUK

U.S. attorney discusses immigration policies

Wall outlines priorities for office at luncheon

BY MATT BRUCE Staff writer

Kurt Wall stood before the Rotary Club of Baton Rouge on Wednesday afternoon and delivered a message to district attorneys in East Baton Rouge and surrounding parishes strapped for staff and resources: “We’re open for business.” Wall is little more than three months into his tenure as the U.S. attorney for the U.S. Middle District Court of Louisiana. The district court, based in Baton Rouge, is where federal civil and criminal cases in Ascension, Livingston, Pointe Coupee, Iberville, East and West Baton Rouge and the Felici-

ana parishes are handled. Wall spend more than 30 years prosecuting cases at the state level, first for the East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney’s Office, then at the Attorney General’s Office for several years before moving to Livingston Parish where he was a chief felony prosecutor for the 21st Judicial District Court. He remembered feeling like the U.S. Attorney’s Office was a “black hole” for cases. After referring state cases to the feds, Wall said he never got any status updates on them. Now that Wall is leading one of the chief prosecutors in Louisiana, he said he wants to increase the communication between his office and sheriffs and district attorneys in the region.

BY OLIVIA TEES Staff writer

Influential Lafayette restaurateur dies at 81

Charlie Goodson remembered for legacy

BY JOANNA BROWN and ADAM DAIGLE Staff writers

Charlie Goodson, one of Lafayette’s best-known restaurateurs, has died after a battle with esophageal cancer.

The 81-year-old died at home in Lafayette on Wednesday Goodson, considered a lion of the Louisiana restaurant industry started in the 1970s with Judge Roy Bean’s Saloon, which he later transformed with partners into Café Vermilionville.

He founded Charley G’s in 1985, and in 1990 opened Hub City Diner with partners Pat Mould and George Graham. In 2013, Goodson made waves in the Lafayette restaurant scene again with the Southern Hospitality Kitchens restaurant group, started with Marc Krampe and Jody Ferguson

The group operates restaurants Charley G’s, Social Southern Table & Bar, Marcello’s Lafayette, Pete’s and The Tap Room.

One of Goodson’s friends, Marla Rose Dubois, confirmed his death. She said Goodson had been the

restaurant owners and anyone in the industry, Berthelot said. He could often be found volunteering at events while serving up his popular gumbo.

“Charlie was one of the best people I ever met,” he said. “He was willing to sit down with them and help them with their restaurant and give them advice. He was a tremendous mentor to a lot of people, including myself. I’ve called him so many times over the years just for advice for different items we had going on.”

Goodson had also been president of the Acadiana chapter of the Louisiana Restaurant Association as well as the group’s state board.

Charley G’s was known in the industry for its customer service, said Randy Daniel, Acadiana chapter president.

stay relevant and keep their customers happy, and I think that all goes back to how Charlie personally ran the restaurant.”

It was at that old Café Vermilionville site where Pat Mould said he first connected with Goodson. Mould interviewed for the position as sous chef but didn’t get the job.

Two weeks later, they called him back and offered him the job after the initial hire didn’t work out, and it was the start of a decadeslong relationship with Goodson.

The two opened Charley G’s and teamed up with George Graham to open the 1950s-themed Hub City Diner

But it was Charley G’s, Mould recalled, that made a difference.

best man at her wedding, and that his community of friends is deeply distraught at his passing. Goodson had been a main player in the restaurant industry in Lafayette for years, dating back to his days operating Judge Roy Bean’s Saloon in what would later become Café Vermilionville along Pinhook Road in the 1970s. He was named Restaurateur of the Year in 2017 by the Louisiana Travel Promotion Association and had been

STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER St. James Parish residents Sharon Lavigne, of RISE St. James, Barbara Washington, of Inclusive Louisiana, and Gail LeBoeuf, of Inclusive Louisiana, sing during a news conference after oral arguments in a pollution case in New Orleans on Wednesday.

LAWSUIT

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discrimination.

Attorneys from the New Yorkbased Center for Constitutional Rights and the Environmental Law Clinic at Tulane University are representing the plaintiffs.

The parish argues the case should be dismissed because the plaintiffs have not alleged facts showing unlawful discrimination or other legal violations under the constitutional and federal statutes they cite.

There are 28 industrial facilities in two majority-Black council districts in St. James Parish, the plaintiffs said, while there are only four facilities in the other five districts.

‘Nobody’s that stupid’

Much of the discussion on Wednesday centered on whether the plaintiffs could prove discriminatory intent in the parish’s zoning plan.

The parish’s attorney, Dani Borel, argued that industrial facilities are concentrated in certain parts of St. James Parish because those areas are zoned for industrial use and offer infrastructure that industry seeks, including proximity to the Mississippi River Zoning decisions, the parish argued, were driven by land-use planning and economic considerations, not race, and emphasized that parish officials have an interest in balancing industrial development with residential growth.

Barbier questioned what it would take for the plaintiffs to prove that the parish was discriminating based on race in its zoning decisions.

“Would it have to be an overt statement by council members, ‘Look, we’re going to discriminate against these Black people by putting these facilities only in their district?’ ” he asked.

“You’re not going to get that, right. Nobody’s that stupid.”

“It could entail a lot of things that are not present here,” Borel responded. “It could be overt statements. It could be other actions by those council members.” She stressed that the indus-

trial facilities bring jobs to the parish, and that the parish has an interest in promoting economic development. “They couldn’t protect everyone or there would be no industry,” she said.

‘Badge of slavery’

The plaintiffs argued that the siting of the industrial plants represented a pattern of discrimination, even if no representative of the parish government explicitly stated any intent to discriminate.

“The badge of slavery that we challenge in this case is a racially discriminatory landuse system, implemented by the government that mistreats the graves of those who were once enslaved in the parish and harms the lives and properties of their descendants,” argued Astha Sharma Pokharel, a staff attorney for the Center for Constitutional Rights “The system is so geographically tethered to the very site of slavery You can clearly see former plantations where people were enslaved that have now been transformed into these toxic plants.”

The parish argued that it does not control access to burial sites cited in the lawsuit, many of which are located on privately owned land. Borel said Louisiana law governs unmarked burial grounds through a separate regulatory framework and maintained that an injunction against the parish would not necessarily affect access to or protection of those sites.

Borel declined to provide further comment about the hearing on Wednesday.

After the hearing, residents from St. James Parish gathered on the courthouse steps.

“We are being sacrificed for these polluters to make money,” said Sharon Lavigne, a St. James resident and the founder of RISE St. James, a faith-based environmental justice organization. “My community is dying.”

But after Wednesday’s court hearing, she felt optimistic.

“I woke up this morning with God on my side, and he spoke to me and told me we are going to be victorious,” she said. “We are going to be victorious We’re going to win this case.”

honored by the Acadiana Restaurant Association as Restaurateur of the Year in 1987, 1988 and 1994.

Goodson also served on the board of the Lafayette Convention and Visitors Commission that hired Executive Director and CEO Ben Berthelot. He was also the founder of Eat Lafayette, an annual promotional event and celebration of the treasure trove of local home-owned restaurants.

Goodson was a mentor to other

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McCain said.

The arrest comes less than a month after Ligon, a Clinton native, announced he was putting Magnolia Wilds up for sale after 14 years.

Formerly known as Barn Hill Preserve, Magnolia Wilds was listed for sale on Facebook. Ligon said the offer included all

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The leasing office was locked, and according to several residents it is often vacant and empty during business hours. The sewer bill hadn’t been paid in six months.

Residents had warnings posted on their doors Jan. 14 that said water would be shut off Tuesday over nonpayment of the sewer/ solid waste removal fee. Water is included in the price of rent.

On Jan. 16, residents received an email from Greengate Management that said the water service would not be interrupted.

“We have been in contact with

ATTORNEY

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“Hopefully, we can help pull the wagon for all the DAs that need help,” he said. “I’m not going to tell them that we’re the savior, because we’re not. But we’re going be more involved and we’re going to do our part to try to help all of the DA’s offices across the Middle District.”

He outlined an administration focused on stamping out illegal immigration and trafficking. President Donald Trump nominated Wall in May and it took multiple voting sessions before the Senate approved his confirmation Oct. 7. Wall was sworn in a week later, becoming one of the 93 U.S. attorneys. Wall explained how presidents set public safety goals and send those priorities to the U.S. attorneys in each state for them to implement as policy initiatives The Trump administration has asked federal prosecutors to hone in on immigration enforcement, attacking violent crime and snuffing out cartel groups and transnational criminal organizations.

Trump signed an executive order in January 2025 to establish the Homeland Security Task Force to dismantle human trafficking and smuggling across the border The administration launched the task force in August and rolled it out with a slate of operations across the country over the span of 43 days. The effort, which was dubbed “September Surge,” led to nearly 3,300 arrests and the seizure of more than 1,000 weapons and about 91 metric tons of drugs, according to the U.S Department of Justice. Many of the arrests were cartel

Daniel recalled his first visit to Charley G’s in the early 2000s while working as regional manager for Outback Steakhouse and how he and other executives came “to show an example of what true customer service was,” he said.

“He set the standard here in Lafayette of what a restaurant that’s community-involved should be,” said Daniel, who owns the La Pizzeria chain. “I think of all the restaurants that we have that come and go in Lafayette, and his is generational now They managed to

100 acres of property, more than 75 species of its animals, as well as equipment, vehicles, social media accounts and branding.

Ligon waived his extradition hearing, and the Grant Parish Sheriff’s Office plans to transport him back to Louisiana once road conditions improve, McCain said.

Police: BR man found lying in the road shot dies

A man has died in a hospital af-

the water company and the bank to resolve this administrative matter and all necessary payments are being processed,” the email said. Nicole Veal, a resident of the complex for almost a year, said she reached out to the property manager with questions. Nobody answered. She then walked to the leasing office on Tuesday demanding answers, only to be met by another locked door “I had reached out before because I had issues with raw sewage coming in through the floor, and they never responded to that,” Veal said. “I finally had to track down a maintenance man myself, and even now it’s not totally fixed. They don’t do anything.”

groups like MS-13s, Sinaloa, Tren de Aragua and Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion, federal authorities say “You may not think it, but the cartels have their tentacles all across this country,” Wall said Wednesday “And just because we’re Baton Rouge, and we’re not in New York or Miami, doesn’t mean we’re not affected by them as far as drugs and guns, human trafficking and human smuggling. It would shock you the amount of cases that we get that are connected with those things.”

Wall said he is moving at a speedier clip and working to accept more cases from state agencies. He made it a mission to meet with stakeholders from the local sheriffs and district attorney’s offices, and had 76 meetings his first 60 days in the new posts. He also hired a liaison to work directly with the district attorneys in the Middle District.

It has yielded signs of some early success Wall said his office saw a 200% increase in the number of indictments and formal charges it filed between October and December compared to the same period in 2024.

“If there’s a federal nexus that you think exists in a crime, and you want us to be a part of it, send it our way,” Wall said his message was when he met with local sheriffs. “And we’re going to do what we can to help.”

During the luncheon, Baton Rouge attorney Franz Borghardt described Wall as “fair and fierce” and noted that he has been serving the community for more than 30 years as a prosecutor

“That is, frankly, the kind of prosecutor we all want as members of our community,” Borghardt said. “He has been making our lives safer for a long time.”

The motivation at the time was to target local diners and offered a unique twist on local favorites including the duck gumbo — and dining atmosphere.

“The open kitchen that was the first open kitchen in Lafayette, maybe even Louisiana,” Mould said. “At the end of the day, you’ve got to deliver good food and good service, and that’s what Charlie was good at. He was open to input from everybody, and I think that made him a better restaurateur The industry lost an icon today.”

Email Joanna Brown at joanna. brown@theadvocate.com.

ter he was found shot in a roadway Tuesday night, Baton Rouge police said. Timothy Elbert, 36, was found shortly before 6 p.m. in the 2500 block of North Street, suffering from at least one gunshot wound, police said in a news release. He was transported to a hospital, where he later died.

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call the Violent Crimes Division at (225) 389-4869 or Crime Stoppers at (225) 344-7867.

Veal said this problem was in the past six months, the time frame during which the company hadn’t paid the sewage bill. Another resident of three years, Camry Hutton-Samuels, agreed it is hard to communicate with the management company She said a similar experience happened about a year ago where threats were made to shut off the water, but nothing came of them.

Greengate Management, which has an office in Lafayette and address in Baltimore, did not respond to requests by The Advocate.

“All they did was give us a $50 credit toward our next rent. But that’s not the problem. It’s the principle of it,” Veal said.

After he spoke, members on hand asked Wall about warrants for searches and seizures in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids. Wall said the immigration agents need some basis of reasonable suspicion to detain alleged illegals. The so-called Catahoula Crunch was one such Homeland Security operation that spilled over into the Middle District from New Orleans last month Wall said the raids targeted about 2,000 people with criminal backgrounds.

“These were people that were on a list for a reason. But what happens, inevitably, when they go out and target one of those people, there are going to be other people that are here illegally that are not on that list and don’t have criminal histories,” Wall said. “They’re here illegally and they don’t have a right to be here, but they may not be causing any problems. It may be the guy that works at your house for some reason. But when they go pick up that dangerous person that’s on the list, and they see other people there who are here illegally, they’re not leaving them there. They’re going to get swept up too.”

Email Matt Bruce at matt. bruce@theadvocate.com.

Eckert,Philip

OurLadyofMercy Catholic Church at 10:00am.

Johnson, Lorita

OasisChristianChurch,4524 E. Brookstown Drive, at 10 a.m.

Robillard Jr., Morris

St.Ann’sCatholic Church in Morganza at 11am

Williams,Alice

TheChurch International, 13423 LA431 in St.Amant,at11a.m

Obituaries

Benton, Charles Adrian 'Bud'

Charles Adrian "Bud"

Benton, born March 19, 1941, passed away peacefully at his home on January 27, 2026, at the age of 84. Visitation will take place at St. Shephen's Episcopal Church, 9795 LA418, Lettsworth, Louisiana on Saturday, January 31, 2026, beginning at 10:00 AM. Funeral services will begin at 11:00 AM and burial to follow at Lower Latanache BaptistChurch Cemetery, 11520 LA-417, Batchelor, Louisiana. Areceptionwill follow the burial at the church hall. To read the full obituary go to ChurchFuneralServic es.com.

Mary "Toot" H. Bezet passed away peacefully surrounded by her family at the Baton Rouge General Bluebonnet on Saturday, January 24, 2026, at the age of 72. She retired from many years in finance, was aresident and native of Plaquemine, LA. Visitation will be held at Wilbert Funeral Home, Plaquemine on Saturday, January 31, 2026, from 9:30am until Rite of ChristianBurial at 12pm, conducted by Father Martin Lawrence. Interment will follow at Grace Memorial Park, Plaquemine. Toot is survived by her children, Seth Bezet and wife Lacie, and Maggie Byrne and husband William; fur-baby, Dude; siblings, Harvey Bezet and wife Lofty, Ann Smith, and Linda Mott; godchild, Harold Durden and wife Jodie; numerous nieces and nephews.Preceded in death by her parents, Theophileand Essie Wunstel Bezet; brother, Paul "Da" Bezet, Jr.; nephew, Brian Bezet. Pallbearers will be Seth Bezet, William Byrne, Joel, Harlan, and Holden Bezet. Honorary pallbearers willbeHarold Durdenand Brady Bezet. Toot was an extreme Elvis fan. She enjoyed her shopping and dining trips. Special thanks to the Nurses, Doctors and staff at the Baton Rouge General ICU-B for their loving care. Also special thanks to her nephew, Harlan Bezet for always lending Toot a helping hand. Please share memories online at www.wilbertservices.com.

Hogansville Georgia. She was precededindeath by her mother,Genevra Louise Shelton Sewell and her father, Nathaniel Leroy Sewell, herhusband of 66 years, St. Clair Bienvenu, Sr. of Baton Rouge, son,St. Clair Bienvenu, Jr,brotherin-law Edward Bienvenu (Jean) sister-in-law Lollie Thorp (John,)brother-inlaw John Bienvenu and son -in-law Rick Shinabery She was agraduate of Florida State University. Marthaspent 20 years affiliated with the Audubon Girl Scout Council, serving as 1st Vice President of the Council and as atroop leader for her daughters' troops, was amember of theVolunteersofAmerica Auxiliary, served asa memberofthe Woman's HospitalAuxiliaryand was instrumental in helping to write the firstby-laws of that organization. Martha was amember of the Woman's Club and was on the board of that club for 20 years, serving as President of the club for 2years. She was also a memberofthe First United MethodistChurch. Survived by daughter, ToniShinaberydaughter, Barbara Grady (Joe;) and daughter-in-law Janet Brockett Bienvenu; six grandchildren, BrandonBienvenu (Beebe,) Lindsay Brackin-Duncan(Josh,) Nathan Grady,Catherine Schroeder(Robert,)Benjamin Bienvenu (Jennifer,) and Stuart Grady (Chandler.) Martha also had five greatgrandchildrenAdelynn Duncan, Jane Bienvenu, George Bienvenu,GradySchroeder and BlairSchroeder.She is also survivedbynephews RichardBienvenu (Michelle)and Charles Thorp(Jeanine)and niece Jackie Womack(John). RabenhorstonGovernment is in charge of arrangements.Her funeral willbeatFirstUnited MethodistChurch on Saturday, January 31. Visitation and areception willbe in the OryParish Hallat 10amfollowedbythe service at 11AM in the Aldrich Chapel. She will be interredatRoselawn Memorial Park. PallBearerswill be her grandsons Brandon Baines Bienvenu,Nathaniel Edward Grady, Benjamin SheltonBienvenu and StuartBienvenu Grady, son-inlaw, Edward Joseph Grady, Jr.and grandsons-in-law Joshua Daniel Duncanand RobertChristopher Schroeder.ReverendBrady Whitton willofficiate.

FalconJr., Albert Joseph'Blackeye'

Albert Joseph"Blackeye" Falcon, Jr., born on November 5, 1934, in Donaldsonville, LA, and aresident of Baton Rouge,LA, joined his lovingwifein heaven on the 14th anniversaryofher passing on Friday, January23, 2026,at the age of 91. Heavenisa better place today. He was aloving father,grandfather,great-grandfather, uncle,and friend. Albert is survived by his three daughters, Belinda Falcon, LisaFalcon, and Tess Falcon; grandchildren,Erik Strehle and his wifeSkylar, AlexanderStrehleand his fiancéeElizabeth, Emily Falcon Adams, and Tristan Smith; great-grandchildren, Alexander Strehle, Jr., MagnoliaStrehle,Sadie Adams, EmmettAdams, and Albert Smith; sister, Deanie Daigle;and numerous in-laws,nieces, nephews, and friends. Waiting to greet him in heaven are his wife, Barbara Ann FernandezFalcon; granddaughters, Megan Bloom,Erika and Veronika Strehle; parents, Albert Sr.and Nita LaGarde; and his sister, Joyce Blanchardand herhusband, Earl. Visitationwill be held at Resthaven Funeral Home, 11817 Jefferson Highway, on Saturday, January31, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. until Funeral Service at 11:00a.m. Entombment will follow at Resthaven Gardens of Memory.In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to St. Jude Children'sResearch Hospital.Family and friends may signthe online guestbook or leave apersonal note to the family at

Keating,GloriaBallestero

Gloria Ballestero Keating passed away at her residence on Monday, January 27, 2026 at theage of 90. She was born in San Antonio, TX and was aresident of LaPlace,LA. Gloria was amember of theSt. Joan of ArcLadies AltarSociety and was avolunteer at theSt. Joan of ArcThrift Shopfor many years. Glorialoved her family more than anything Belovedwife of thelate Malcolm"Snapbean" Keating.Loving motherof Ruben Keating (Andree), CyndyCambias(Sid), CrystalVicknair (Henry, the late David Vicknair), and Tammi Keating(Ricky). She was agrandmother to 7grandchildren,Kelly Uddo (Paul), Michael Keating, Jenna Schexnaydre (Bret), Christina CambiasLedet, BuddyCambias (Nicole), Alex Vicknair (Lindsey), and Justin Vicknair (Kristen). Gloria was also the proud greatgrandmother to Sgt. William Ledet, USMC, BryceLedet, Bailey Walters, Sophia Uddo, JosephUddo, Colt Vicknair, Remy Vicknair,Brielle Cambias, Gage Cambias, Raelynn Vicknair,Westin Vicknair,BaleSchexnaydre,and Crew Schexnaydre. Great greatgrandmother of Amiyah and MagnoliaLedet.Daughter of thelate JuanitaMaldonaldo and MartinBallestero. Sister of Irma Moreno, Sammy Luna and thelate Richard Ballestero, Josie Hernandez, Oralia Wong, Fred Garcia, and Paul Garcia. Also survivedbymany nieces and nephews. Relatives and friends are invitedtoattend the Funeral Service at St.Joan of ArcCatholicChurch, 529 W. 5thSt.,LaPlace, LA on Saturday, January31, 2026. Visitation willbeheldin church from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. with theFuneral Mass to immediatelyfollowat12:00 p.m. Interment in St.John Memorial Gardens Cemetery. ArrangementsbyMilletGuidry FuneralHome. To share memories or condolences please visit www.milletguidry.com

Morales Sr., Jerome P. 'Dookie'

Jerome P. "Dookie

Morales, Sr., was alifelong Port Allen resident. He passed away at St.Joseph Hospice Facility surrounded by lovedones on Tuesday, January27, 2026, at theage of 92. To viewfull obit go to www.wilbertservices.com.

Morgan,Dedra Ann Maloy

Dedra Ann Maloy Morgan, aresident of Zachary, passed away peacefully surrounded by her family on Thursday, Jan.22, 2026. Visitation willbeonFriday, Jan. 30, 2026 at Galilee Baptist Church from 10am until serviceat12pm. See www.CharletFuneralHome. com.

Junior LewisMuse, a resident of Ventress, La, passed away on January 27, 2026 at theage of 88. Junior retired from Turner Industries as atruck driver after working for31years. He thoroughly enjoyed his jobbecause he was passionateabout driving. He also enjoyed spending time on his tractor and was known to always lend ahelpinghand to others. Junior is survivedbyhis children, KalyndaM.Celestin (Daryl) and Dwayne Muse;granddaughters, Dara Ducote (Luke) and Sarah Muse;sister, Marie Frazier;and bonus grandchildren, Tiffany, Alexis, Brooklyn, Chance and Raelynn Preceded in death by his wife, Barbara Muse;parents, W.P. and Loney Muse; siblings, Eddie,Jessie, Ruby, Patsy, and Milton Muse.A special thanksto Junior's neighbors, Dawn and Mike McLinfor allof their help.A visitationwill be held at Niland'sFuneral Home in NewRoads, La on Saturday, January31, 2026, from 9:00 am until the religious servicebegins at 11:00 am. The burial will follow in False River Memorial Park

"I havefought agood fight, Ihavefinishedmy course,I havekeptthe faith "- 2Timothy 4Verse 7. Anativeand resident of Maringouin, LA passed away on January23, 2026, at theage of 89. Annie Mae leavestocherish her memorywithher husband, Ernest Overton Sr; her children,Ernest OvertonJr. (Cheryl) and John Overton Sr. (Cynthia) alongwith other relatives and friends. Visitationwillbeheldon Thursday, January 29, 2026, from4:00 pm -8:00pm at A. Wesley FuneralHome. Funeral services will be Friday, January30, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. at The North IbervilleCommunity Center. Interment will follow at Shiloh UnitedMethodist Church.

Templet, Janice Brignac 'Jan'

Janice Brignac Templet, known to allas"Jan," was adevoted wife, loving mother and grandmother, talented seamstress, antiquecollector,avidgardener, animal lover, and cherished friend to many. At thecenter of Jan's life was her marriagetoher belovedhusband, Terry P. Templet. For 61 years, their marriage stoodasa true testament to faith, commitment,and unconditional love.Together, they built alife rooted in devotion to Godand family,weathering life's joysand hardships side by side.Their love,patience, and mutual respect were an inspiration to allwho knew them and abeautiful example of aChrist-centered marriage.

Janpassed away on Tuesday, January27, 2026, at 12:44 am at her home in Saint Amant. She was81 years oldand alifelong resident of Saint Amant. She is survivedbyher husband, TerryP.Templet; twodaughters and two sons-in-law, Tara and Darren Magliolo, Shea and Chad Despino;one sonand daughter-in-law, Bartand Stephanie Templet-all of Saint Amant. Two sisters, Darleen Brignac and Andrea Warthen; one brother and one sister-in-law, Kyle and PamBrignac; seven

grandchildren, Trey Templet, Dane Morin, Dillon Morin, KirstenDespino Cardinale, Chanler Templet, KadeDespino and Kasen Despino;fourteen great grandchildren, Karsyn and CarterTemplet, AliWright,Tyson, Mylee, Baylee and Jolee Morin, Easten andCallyn Morin, Maddox, Paxton andJaxonCardinale, LandryTempletand Gabrielle Mazzei. Shewas preceded in death by her parents, George andLula Bell Brignac and herbrother Ernie PaulBrignac Serviceswill be held at OurLady of theHoly Rosary Catholic Church on Friday, January30, 2026. Visitation will be from9 am untilMass of Christian Burial at 11 AM.She will then be brought to herfinalrestingplace at Sacred HeartChapelLake Cemetery in Saint Amant. Pallbearers willbeher six grandsons.

Thefamilywould like to extendtheir sincere gratitude to theGentiva hospice caregivers andsitters fortheir compassion,love, anddedicated care

Dr.StephenPaul Tuuri passedawayonMonday, January26, after along battle with cancer.Hewas born on June 21, 1946, in AnnArbor,Michigan, to Mary (Schnitzer) and ArthurTuuri andwas the eldest of six children. He graduatedfromFlint Central High School in Michigan andearned hisbachelor'sand medical degrees from the University of Michigan,where he met and marriedGeorgianna, hisbeloved wife of 53 years. He completed his first medical internship at General Rose Memorial Hospital in Denver,Colorado, andthenjoinedthe U.S. AirForce, wherehe served as aflightsurgeon for four years. After an honorabledischarge from active militaryservice in 1978, he and hisfamily moved to NewOrleans, wherehecompleted hisIn-

ternal Medicine Residency andGastroenterology FellowshipatTulaneUniversity MedicalCenter. He practicedmedicineinNew Orleansuntil2002 then workedinboth Baton Rouge and as alocum tenens until his retirement in 2012. He careddeeply about hispatients and colleagues andwas known for hiskindness, compassion, andgoingtogreat lengthstoprovide excellent care to all Stephen was also adedicated environmental advocate—he wasanavidrecycler wholoved trees. After hisretirement,herepotted hundreds of saplings in andaroundhis home, giving them to numerousmembersofthe community. Alifelong learner,hehighly valued education for himself, his children, andhis grandchildren,whomheencouraged to read, learn scienceand mathematics, and study the natural world. He was adevoted memberofSt. Alban'sEpiscopal Chapel, whereheroutinely volunteered at the C.S.Lewis studentluncheons. Additionally, he thoroughly enjoyed histimeasa memberofthe Baton Rouge Astronomical Society. He leaves behind his wife, Georgianna; his daughters, RachelTuuri (Aaron Griffith), Rebecca Tuuri(Steve Kingsbury), andSarah Coleman; and grandchildrenMiles, Peyton, Drew,and Helen Coleman,and Maddi andLuke Kingsbury, whofondly calledhim "Dah." He also leaves behind histhree sisters, Janet,Mary-Sue, and Ann; histwo brothers, Bill and Tom; and amultitude of nieces andnephews. He waspreceded in death by hisparents. In lieu of flowers, donationscan be sent to St.Alban's Episcopal Chapel (https://www.stalban.org/ give) or St.Vincent De Paul Baton Rouge (https://www .svdpbr.net/). Hisfuneral service willbeheldatSt. Alban'sEpiscopal Chapel at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, January31.

IN LOVINGMEMORYOF JimmyJohnson Jan29, 1951 -May 14,2020

Your life wasa blessingyourmemory atreasure,you areloved beyond wordsand missed beyondmeasure.

Happy Birthday!

Your loving wife Paulette,daughters Monique(Stefan) and Jameka, and grandson Jayden

Frigid temperatures and WinterStorm Fern have wrought havoc across ourstate in thepast several days, forcing power outages and road closures andleading to severaldeaths. North and central Louisianagot hit hardover the weekend and into Monday,withtemperaturesand wind chills reaching as lowas15degrees in some areas.

And with temperatures this weekend predicted to dip even lower, we join with Gov. Jeff Landry and other state leaders in urging our fellow Louisianans to takethe cold weather seriously and take everynecessary precaution.

Much like the familiar hurricane prep, cold weather measures can help minimize discomfort and even save alife. Many of thosetipsare listed at getagameplan.org, thestate’shelpful site for weatherpreparedness.

At the top of the lististoensure you arewell suppliedwithfood, waterand medicines.And if you have medical equipment or other critical devices that requires power,makesure you have abackup source of electricity. And if there’ssnow or ice, please stayoff the roads if at all possible.

In the case of aloss of power,take carewhen operating agenerator.Portable generators should only be powered on when theyare more than 20 feet from an inhabited building.The generators can be lifesavers, but theyalso release carbon monoxide, acolorless, odorless gas that, if it reaches sufficientconcentration, cankill, as happened thispast week to aDeSoto Parish manwho died of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Similar adviceholds for space heaters, which can be fire hazards if placed too close to walls or other combustible materials. If youare using aspace heater,please make sure it has3 feet of space on every side andalso has atip-switch that shuts it off if it fallsover.

And once you have made all your preparations for the cold, we urge everyonetocheck on your relatives and neighbors,especially theelderly or infirm.

Cold weather may not seem as threatening as hurricanes, torrential rainsortornadoes,all weather phenomena with which we areall too familiar.But it stillmust betaken seriously

The pastweek’sweather has beenblamedfor deaths in Louisiana from hypothermia,acar crashand othercauses

That’swhy we hope that Louisianans will heed these warnings and reachout if help is needed State and local officialshaveopened dozens of warming shelters aroundthe state.These are essential resources in place for residents if needed.

Cold weather,ice and snow giveusopportunities to do things we normally do not do:Build snowmen, walkthrough winter-wonderland landscapes or gazeatice-covered ponds.But when it comes to safety,weknowweinthe Bayou State candowhat we do best —carefor eachother

LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR ARE WELCOME. HERE AREOUR

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

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

TO SEND US A LETTER, SCANHERE

Irecently got photographed by a red light cameraonCoursey Boulevardand paid $117 to Violationinfo. com or Verra Mobility, acorporate outfitheadquartered in Phoenix, Arizona.

Ischeduled ahearing to contest the violation at Baton Rouge CityHall, but Ibacked out since Idid not want to useleave time from work. Some thoughtshave come to mind after my experience, such as: Is it even legal that afor-profitentity is running this camera program instead of ahuman trafficcop who would have issued violations in thepast?

First, there are no night court optionssothat day shift working people can contest asupposed violation at a

hearing without missing work.

Second, only 15 days are given for themail to bring theviolation to the supposed offender and then forhis or her appeal toget to Verra Mobility’s P.O. box in Seattle, Washington. This is impossible: Increase this to 30 days from 15 days.

Third, why arewesending this money out of state instead of providing jobsfor greater Baton Rouge residents? Are license plate reading cameras even approvedbyamajority of Baton Rouge votersand arethey posted hereand there with aBig Tech company tracking residents? It’salot to be concerned about.

ANNA LIESEL HURDER

Baton Rouge

My maternal grandparents were Cajun.

Letter writer Morgan Landry’s argument is not clarification. It is sentimentality masquerading as judgment. Landry celebrates Cajuns as having been “welcomed with open arms,” then weaponizes that romance to imply today’simmigrants are less lawful, less deserving, less human. That movecollapses under law and history

Start with the law Landry sidesteps. Congress could not be clearer: Anoncitizen whoisphysically present or whoarrives may apply for asylum whether or not at adesignated port of entry and regardless of status. That is black-letter law,not avibe.

Imoved to Louisiana several months ago with amedical condition that was managed verywell in Washington state. After moving to Louisiana, Ihave had nothing but problems receiving proper treatment. In Seattle, about 10 doctors managed my care (major back issues) and determined medication was bestsolution for my age (74) not procedures The quality of life was priority,not procedures (surgery).

To me, the doctors hereknow that prescribing medication makes them no money while procedures do. Anyone can research pain management for theelderly,sometimes medication is thebest option and monitored properly.Speaking to other elderly patients, it appearsinthis state that doctorsare OK with the elderly suffering for theremaining time they

Perhaps Gov.Jeff Landry should hang acopy of Louisiana’sTen Commandmentsposter in his office. He could then ponder theEighth Commandment,inparticular,which speaks

have on Earth rather than prescribing pain medication. “God forbid theelderly get addicted for theirlast days, weeks, months or ayear or two. They suffered like hell every day and night, but theywere not addicted. We (doctors) did good. Additionally we don’thave the state government on our behinds going after ourlicense. Patients suffer, but we (doctors) are OK.”

The state law getting between doctors andpatients needs clarification. The quality of life remaining should be priority. Oneadditional note:Procedures cost patients more money compared to medication. Iknowother people aredealing with this issue parentsand grandparents across the state.

MICHAEL DUFF NewOrleans

to his role in Donald Trump’sscheme to seize Greenland. Thou shalt not steal.

DAVID HAUG St. Rose

Nowtothe history Landry airbrushes. Spanish Louisiana did not “welcome” Acadians out of benevolence. The Crownneeded settlers to secure territory and blunt British power,soitrelocated Acadians and subsidized them with land, tools, livestock and rations. That wasutility,not virtue. The irony is rich. Landry praises open arms in the past while demanding aclenched fist today,asifsuffering becomes respectable only after centuries of genealogy

Louisiana’srecord of “welcome” is anything but tender.After NewOrleans Police Chief David Hennessy’s killing, Mayor Joseph A. Shakspeare publicly vilified Italians as criminal and filthy,stoking hysteria that culminated in 1891 when amob lynched 11 Italian immigrants at the Orleans Parish Prison, the largest mass lynching in American history Cajuns themselves weretargets of American nativism.InRoach v. Dresser Industries, the plaintiff sued because he was Cajun, and the federal court held that Cajuns constitute aprotected class based on ethnic and national origin. And here’sthe part that does not fither narrative: The suit wasbrought under the Civil Rights Act of 1964. History is not apermission slip for cruelty.Itisawarning.

BARRYRANSHI NewOrleans

Scaliseshouldshowhis grace, cool rhetoric on Minn.killing

Some news events are so tragic that they require avery humane response rather than partisan talking points.

TwoofLouisiana’smost prominent delegates to Congress had markedly different reactions last weekend to federal agents’ inexcusable killing of video protester Alex Prettiin Minnesota. Sen. Bill Cassidy’s humane response was much, much better than the ultra-partisan rhetoric of House Majority Leader Steve Scalise. Scalise is awonderful congressman, deservedly popular with his constituents —but in this circumstance, requiring balancedand unifying leadership, he whiffed.

mode against Democratic officials in thestate,and then against local protesters. Then he made aclaim, which he repeated four more times, that ICE has arrested 416,000 criminals in the last year,with him insisting thelast three times that these were 416,000 “violent,criminal” immigrants.

On CBS’ “Face the Nation,” host Margaret Brennan began an interview with Scalise by putting on screen Cassidy’sstatement about the Minnesota situation: “The eventsin Minneapolis are incredibly disturbing. The credibility of ICEand DHS areatstake. There mustbeafull joint federal and state investigation. We can trust the American people withthe truth.” Every word of Cassidy’sstatement (except for conflating Border Patrol with ICE) was on target.And with Department of HomelandSecurity Secretary Kristi Noem alleging, 100% dishonestly,that Pretti“arrived at the scene to inflict maximum damage on individuals and to kill lawenforcement,” and with Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino mendaciously saying Pretti wanted to “massacre law enforcement,” the department’scredibility is indisputably in free fall.

YetScalise immediately began his answer by defendingICE’s credibilityand then, after an anodyne expression of “feel[ing] sorry about what happened in Minneapolis,” he immediately went into partisan attack

(As an aside, Scaliseseems to be making acommon misstatement, conflating “violent”detainees with the number with any criminal record at all.

TheNew York Times reports that only 7% of ICE’sdetainees, or lessthan40,000, have violent convictions on their record.It’salso worthnoting that about half of all ICE “arrests” involve people already in jails,but who ICE just moves into the deportation queue —soit’snot like ICE is emptying them from terrorized city streets. Most importantly, Scaliseagain and again blamed all therecent conflagrations on the “failed leaders” in Minnesota, yet could find only three short phrases to “lament what happened” with the killings. Still, it was all the local leaders’ faults for “ratcheting up the rhetoric.”

Scalise is right aboutthe locals’bad rhetoric, but he offered not aword of heartfelt sympathy for Pretti. Not a single suggestion that Noem, Bovino, President Donald Trump and top aide StephenMiller tonedown their rhetoric falsely accusing dead people of being “domestic terrorists” and “assassins.”

Not asingle suggestion that anything the federal agents have done is wrong, notwithstanding thedozens of videos showing agents acting abusively

We’ve all seen them: The young womanwith arms at her side offering

zero physical threat to oneICE agent, pepper-sprayed directly in her face by another.The man already pinned helplessonthe ground by two agents, gratuitously sprayed by another.The nonviolent preacher shot from above with apepper ball. The disabled U.S. citizen dragged viciously from her car,then mistreated for hours, despiteexplaining shewas on the way to her doctor Andsosickeningly on, and on, and on. It is not just possible but quiteeasy to supportthe mission of removing illegal immigrants, strongly oppose sanctuary cities and vociferously urge harsh penalties for “protesters” who endanger innocents, yet still recognizethat DHStactics and the actual practices by many agents are procedurally improper,needlessly aggressive bordering on brutal, illegal or actually unconstitutional and, often, outlandishly dangerous. Meanwhile, not asingle agent last Saturday had reason to believe Pretti posed any threat at allbefore at least sixofthem pepper sprayed him (for running to aidawoman the agents had assaulted), pushed him roughly to theground, and literally began pummeling his head withametal canister, all before they even had aclue he had aholstered gun on his back hip. Surely anational leader should be able to spare afew words of sympathyand acall for ICE to deescalate and for Noem to stop lying. With the nation on edge, it’stime for restraint and human feeling, not for partisan talking points. Scalisehas shown in the past he can act with grace and dignity.This time, he didn’t. Congressand thenation need him to rediscover his better angels.

Email QuinHillyer at quin.hillyer@ theadvocate.com

Does Americahavethe resolve to deport illegalbordercrossers?

The United States experienced amass incursion of illegal border crossersinthe years 2021 to 2025. Estimates vary,but in that period at least 9million people entered the U.S. illegally.Rather than turn them back, former President Joe Biden allowed most to stay,with little or no vetting. Administration officials denied that there was aproblem, periodically declaring the border “closed” when in fact 200,000 to 300,000were crossing illegally each month. When officials conceded that there was aproblem, Democrats argued that only sweeping immigration legislation would solve it.

Of course,all that changed with the election of President Donald Trump. Without any new legislation, the new administration cut border incursions to nearly zero. But the question remained: What about the 9million or more who had recently entered the U.S. illegally? Would the Trump administration allowthem to remain in the country? That is the question at the heart of the current rebellion against federal authority in Minneapolis. Yes, some Trump administration officials have explained that Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol agents are simply goingafter “the worst of the worst.”

are here illegally and have committed crimes,” while 54% support“deporting allimmigrants whoare hereillegally.” Going back to January2025, an Ipsos/Axios poll found that 66% supported “deporting immigrants who are in the country illegally.”

federal immigration enforcement, for alot of the problems in Minneapolis. “What we see all over the country saveafew sanctuary cities like Minneapolis,iswesee cooperation and support,” Blanchesaid.

Donald Trumphas called 2025 “the greatest first year” of any president, but amajority of Americans strongly disagree: In the latest CNNpoll, 58% describe that year as a“failure.”

To hardcore MAGAloyalists, the president can do no wrong. But rabid Red Hats account foronly about 35% of Americans. And since Trumpreceived almost 50% of the popular vote, that meansabout 15% of his backers were not true believers, and they are the ones whoare slipping away

The single biggest reason Trump wonasecond term was economic discontent with the Biden administration, and it’sthe single biggest reason so manyvoters are now disillusioned. In the CNNsurvey,55% say Trump’spolicies have actually madethings worse and almost two-thirds say he has not done enough to reduce their cost of living. Even among Republicans, reports the AP only 16% say Trumphas helped “a lot” in making things moreaffordable.

That’sanold story.Two new developments are also eroding Trump’ssupport, and the first is immigration —traditionally one of his strongest issues. Since he first entered politics, Trumphas madefear of foreigners amajor rallying cry “Build the wall!” “Send them home!” —and in the last campaign, his ads were filled with scary images of unknown, undocumented migrants swarming across the southern border They were“others”: easy to demonize and dehumanize. They had no voice and no identity,and Trumpand his media managers could control what voters knew and felt about them.

Once in office, Trumpdoubled down, promoting and publicizing ICEraids around the country, sure they could help him politically.“It wasa show,atheatrical operation,” writes columnist Kate Andrewsinthe Washington Post, “almost certainly designed to attract as much attention as possible.”

But Trumpmiscalculated, and his show backfired. The ICEagents were not patrolling the border anymore, but the streets of American cities. In theirmilitary gear,wearing masks andbrandishingweapons, they looked menacing, not reassuring. Their targets were not faceless hordes but real people with jobs and families, friends and neighbors.

“We’veseen aslow dripping downwardofconfidenceinICE [and] the person running it, and then Minneapolis happens,” said TimMalloy,apolling analyst with Quinnipiac.

What happened wasthe shooting, on aresidential Minneapolis street, of Renee Nicole Good, a White 37-year-old mother of three. Just seconds before her death, cellphone videos captured her smiling at an ICEagent approaching her car and saying, “I’m not mad at you.”

The questionwas made urgent by the madinflux of the Biden years. Illegalborder crossers moved into U.S. cities, straining resources, budgets andcommunities’ ability to deal with them, both financially and socially.The flood of migrants also raised afundamentalquestions of justice: Should people who enter the United States illegally be given legal status? All of them? Andwhat about people who went through the time-consuming processto come tothe United States legally?

Thereare immigration activists in this country whowould answer those questions: Yes, yes and too bad. They are tirelessly working to liberalize every immigration law they can. Any administrationthatseekstodeport large numbers of illegal immigrants must contend with them.

“Wedeport 10 times the number of illegal aliens out of Texas than we do out of Minneapolis. Why do we hear nothing out of Texas about any of the same problems that we have in Minneapolis?I’ll tell you why.Because in Texas,wehave thecooperation and supportoflocal law enforcement so that we can do these operationssafely,keeping U.S. citizens and others protected and safe. That is not what we have in Minneapolis.”

But what about the illegal border crosserswho have notcommitted any additional crimes since entering the United States? Many polls have shown that majorities support deportingthem, too.

ANew York Times/Siena poll in September 2025 found that 54% strongly or somewhat support “deporting immigrants living in the United States illegally back to their home countries.” AHarvard-Harris poll in December 2025 asked the question two ways. It found that 80% support “deporting immigrantswho

Speaking about Minneapolis, the writer Mickey Kaus said, “The local protesters do not want the illegals deported, period. Even if theICE force was incredibly well trained, wore white gloves, and followed WaldorfAstoriarules of etiquette, if they are effective, local dissenterswill press forward with resistance until it produces confrontations and some violence. That’s the way it worked in the antiwar movement Iwas apart of ...”

Thatiscertainly theway it is working in Minneapolis. The question for immigrationactivists is whether they can set off similar struggles around the country.On“Meet the Press” Sunday,deputyattorney general Todd Blanche blamed sanctuary jurisdictions,inwhich Democratic local and state governments forbid local law enforcement from cooperating with

Onekey question now is: Can the forces resisting federal law enforcement in Minneapolis nationalizethe struggle? Boosted by thefuror over immigration enforcement personnel’skillings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, plus theagency’sgeneral reputation for heavy-handedness,the resistance has made huge progress. President Trumphas expressed unhappinesswitheventsand is acting in response to the voices from his own side telling him to toneICE down. Still, keep in mind the activists’ goal. They don’twant ICE to deport illegal immigrantsinasafe, smooth and efficient way.They want to stop the deportations.

Andafter themass illegal crossings of the Biden years, that is the compelling issue: Will theU.S. end up allowing the illegal crossers to stay?Doing so will create an enormous incentive for future illegal crossers.

Andthen, what is to stop another mass incursion thenext time aDemocratic president, under pressure from his party’s activist groups, opens the border again?

Email Byron York at byork@washingtonexaminer.com.

The administration tried to brand her as adomestic terrorist whohad caused her own demise by driving at the agent. But the videos —seen by morethan 80% of Americans —told adifferent story

Good simply did not look like aterrorist. Plus, independent newsorganizations analyzed the cellphone footage and concluded that it “contradicted” the official line. Even Joe Rogan, the popular conservative podcaster whoendorsed Trump, denounced ICE’s“Gestapo” tactics and said, “It’s very ugly to watch someone shoot aU.S. citizen, especially awoman, in the face.”

Trumphad lost control of the narrative, and public opinion turned against him.InaCBS poll, 61% called ICE’sactions “too tough.” Regarding immigration roundups, 52% said they madethem feel “less safe,” while only 31% felt “more safe.” To 54%, Good’sshooting was“not justified,” while 28% approved.

Trumphas madeasecond, larger miscalculation as well. He barely mentions affordability,discounting it as a“hoax” while kidnapping the Venezuelan president, lusting after the Nobel Peace Prize and demolishing the White House. He seems farmore interested in Greenland —about 1,800 miles north of Maine —than Greenville, North Carolina, or Greenville, Texas, or any of the other 30 or so Greenvilles scattered around the country

As aresult, reports CNN, just 36% —the loyal MAGAbase —now say he has the right priorities, downfrom 45% ayear ago. Only one-third of Americans agree that Trump“cares about people like them,” which is “the worst rating of his political career.” Things could change before the midterm elections. The economy could improve and the mood could brighten. Democrats could blow their current advantage on immigration and resurrect someform of “defund the police,” one of the most disastrous political slogans ever.But if so many Americans still think of Trumpasa“failure” next November,they will take it out on his party

Email Steven Roberts at stevecokie@gmail.com

Baton RougeWeather

On Thursday, winds will turnsoutherly,allowing warmer and slightly more moist air to move in. Highs will climbinto the upper50s, with afew spots reaching the 60s.Clouds willincrease through the day, especially later,all ahead of another significant coldfront. Afew spotty showers will be possibleearly Fridayasastrong cold front movesthrough, but the atmosphere willbemoisture-starved, so rainfall will be light and limited. Morning temperatures willstartin the upper30s,withhighs onlyreaching the upper40s.Clouds will linger throughout the day. Much colderair will surgeinFridaynight, with northerlywindsincreasing.Lowswillfallinto the 20s, and combinedwith 15-mph winds, wind chills coulddrop into the single digits.

Loomis says Saints want LB Davis back in 2026

BY MATTHEW PARAS Staff writer

MOBILE, Ala. — After Demario Davis teased he could test the market in free agency this spring, Saints general manager Mickey Loomis said Wednesday that he wants the linebacker to return to the team next season. Davis’ contract doesn’t expire until March, but the 37-year-old indicated that he was leaving his options open during a conversation with FanDuel’s Kay Adams. Loomis said he hadn’t watched the interview, but he had heard about the remarks.

“Yeah, we love Demario,” Loomis said Wednesday “I want him back I hope he’s back, but we’ll get through that.”

Davis carried a $6.5 million base salary in 2025 and is coming off a season in which he recorded a career high in tackles. Davis, who has been with the franchise since 2018, told reporters late last season that he wanted to play next season and wasn’t worried about his contract, noting the issue “always worked itself out.” Davis’ contract is set to void this offseason, though he’ll carry a $14 million cap hit on the Saints’ books because of various restructures over the years if he doesn’t agree to a new deal.

A day earlier, Davis told Adams that he was “coming back to the NFL,” but was far from definitive that he’d be back with the Saints.

“How that plays out, we shall see,” Davis said. “I’m just trying to ride it out. I’m good

ä See SAINTS, page 4C

26 at the Caesars Superdome. Davis’ contract with the Saints is set to expire in March.

BY MATTHEW PARAS Staff writer

MOBILE, Ala. — Garrett Nussmeier had no plans of shutting down his season after he was benched last November against Alabama. The LSU quarterback said he understood the decision and expected things to “go back to normal” the next week.

But that Tuesday, as Nussmeier went to throw a frontside shallow a simple 8-yard route the 23-year-old bent over in pain.

He had reinjured the abdominal injury that had plagued him throughout the season. And though he spent the rest of the week rehabbing to get ready for the next game, Nussmeier came to a realization: I can’t do this. “At that point, I knew if I can’t throw a frontside shallow, I’m not effective,” Nussmeier said Wednesday, re-

LSU women’s basketball playing beyond its stars

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

Last season, the LSU women’s basketball team could go only as far as its three stars could take it. If one had an injury or a rough shooting night, then it was hard for the Tigers to win — especially in the postseason.

That’s less true now In recent games, LSU has received more offensive production from the one returner, three transfers and three freshmen who comprise the cast of contributors around stars Flau’jae Johnson and Mikaylah Williams, which has given coach Kim Mulkey a chance to dust off the refrain she repeated throughout November and December

“We have the depth now ” Mulkey said last Thursday And the No. 6 Tigers (19-2, 5-2 SEC) likely will get the chance to use it again when they host Arkansas at 7 p.m. Thursday (SEC Network+). The Razorbacks are winless in league play The SEC is tough, but the last two games have shown that LSU should win its sixth straight contest with relative ease, whether Johnson and Williams have big nights or not.

“I’ve enjoyed watching, especially

(Johnson) and (Williams),” Mulkey said, “make their teammates better Because they could shoot it 20 or 25 times every game, but that doesn’t make us better, and they enjoy it now because they see production.” Johnson and Williams are both shooting and scoring far less often than they did in SEC play last season, yet the Tigers have managed to put up points at a higher clip than they did a year ago. Through seven games, LSU has the league’s second-best scoring average (81 points per game) in SEC games. Johnson and Williams aren’t the only offensive threats. The Tigers now have a point guard who can hit outside shots consistently, a reserve guard who can finish difficult layups at the end of her own fastbreak chances, and a few frontcourt players who’ve shown they can score around the rim. As a result, LSU is starting to share the scoring responsibilities more than it did in previous seasons.

ä See LSU, page 3C

calling the moment publicly for the first time “I can’t help my team win. From there, it wasn’t really a decision I was able to make to not play

“It was forced upon me.”

Months later, Nussmeier admitted he’s still not 100% healthy He said surgery for the ailment was considered, but as of now, Nussmeier doesn’t believe it is needed. Instead, he has focused on retraining “from the ground up.” After playing most of the year hurt, Nussmeier said he picked up “so many” bad habits when adjusting to the injury His play suffered as a result, creating a fascinating dynamic as he participates in the Senior Bowl this week.

Last fall, Nussmeier entered the college season viewed as one of the nation’s top prospects, with the potential

Tigers never in game against Mississippi State

BY TOYLOY BROWN III Staff writer

After a pair of road losses against two ranked teams, LSU wanted to get back on the winning side at home. That hope was extinguished almost from the onset as the Tigers were thoroughly outplayed by Mississippi State, losing 80-66 on Wednesday at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. The Bulldogs led 13-3 after three minutes and never lost control of the game. “They were the aggressor,” LSU coach Matt McMahon said. “Two teams desperate for a win, and they played with a sense of urgency that we were unable to match.” LSU (13-8, 1-7 SEC) was led by Max Mackinnon with 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting, and Dedan Thomas had 14 points, four assists and zero turnovers. Mississippi State (1110, 3-5), which entered on a five-game losing streak, was led by Josh Hubbard with 15 points. LSU got off to its worst start since its 10-point home loss to South Carolina on Jan. 6, when it was down 24-5 after about six minutes. Against Mississippi State, LSU trailed 27-9 with 11:35 remaining in the first half.

ä See TIGERS, page 3C

On TV

MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

4p.m. Samford at Furman CBSSN

6p.m. Liberty at Middle TennesseeCBSSN

6p.m. Colorado at Iowa State FS1

7p.m. FAUatMemphis ESPN2

7p.m. Penn St. at NorthwesternPEACOCK

8p.m. UNC-WilmingtonatTowson CBSSN

8p.m. Presbyterian at High PointESPNU

8p.m.Washington at Illinois FS1

10 p.m. Hawaii at UC Irvine ESPNU WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

4p.m. Stonehill at Fairleigh Dickinson ESPNU

5p.m. N.C. State at BostonCollege ACC

5p.m. Michigan State at Purdue BTN

5p.m. Kansas at TCU ESPN

5:30 p.m. Alabama at Georgia SEC

6p.m. Michigan at Indiana PEACOCK

6p.m. QuinnipiacatFairfield ESPNU

7p.m. DukeatMiami ACC

7p.m. WisconsinatOhioState BTN

7p.m. Louisville at Stanford ESPN

8p.m. Iowa at SouthernCal PEACOCK

8p.m. South Carolina at AuburnSEC COLLEGE FOOTBALL

1:30 p.m. Senior Bowl practice ESPNU/NFLN

4p.m. Senior Bowl practice ESPNews/NFLN MEN’S COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL

9p.m. Ohio State at UCLA BTN GOLF

10:30 a.m.LPGA: TourneyofChampions Golf

11 a.m.PGA: Farmers Insurance Open ESPN

2p.m. PGA: Farmers Insurance Golf

2:30 a.m. DP World: BahrainChamp. ^Golf

6p.m.Milwaukee at Washington PRIME

8:30 p.m.Oklahoma City at MinnesotaPRIME MEN’S SOCCER

11:15 a.m. Al Hilal at Al Qadsiah FS2

1:55 p.m. Red Bull Salzburg at Aston Villa CBSSN WOMEN’S SOCCER

1:50 p.m.Guatemala vs. St.Lucia FS2

3:50 p.m.Cuba vs.Anguilla FS2

5:50 p.m.Aruba vs.Guyana FS2 TENNIS

7a.m.WTA:Australian Open semis *Tennis

2p.m.WTA:Australian Open semis *ESPN2

9:30 p.m.ATP: AustralianOpen semis ESPN

2:30 a.m. ATP: AustralianOpen semis ^ESPN *taped; ^Friday

LSU softball focusedonchange

Torina,Tigerslooking to endWCWSdrought,put last year’s disappointment behind

LSU softball playersand coaches can’tmiss them. The six banners that hanginside the massive Mike Moore PerformanceCenter thatlooms behind the right-field wall of Tiger Park. The banners chronicle LSU’s trips to the Women’sCollege World Series. The most recent one in 2017.

Jacobs scores22points in Southern’swin vs. MVSU

Michael Jacobs’ 22 points helped the Southern mendefeat Mississippi Valley State 80-69 on Wednesday at the F.G. Clark Activity Center

Jacobs added seven assists for theJaguars (8-12, 4-3Southwestern Athletic Conference).

Terrance Dixon scored 18 points andaddedthreeblocks for Southern. Damariee Jones had 13 points and shot 5of11from the field and 3of4 from the free-throw line. MichaelJamesled theway for the Delta Devils (1-20, 0-7) with 23 points.

Daniel Mayfield added 18 points and 15 rebounds for Mississippi Valley State. Xzayvion Childress had 16 points and five assists. The Delta Devils extended their losing streak to 19 straight.

It’sall everyone outside the LSU softball program focuses on —the fact that theTigers haven’tbeen to theWCWS for closing in on adecadenow Inside the program, inside thewalls of the performancecenterorthe clubhouse or the ball field, the concentration is much more granular Mostly

“Wedotry to focus on one pitch, onehitteratatime,” junior second basemanSierra Daniel said Tuesday at LSU’ssoftballmedia day. “But we do look at the World Seriesbanners every day.”

The last look anyone had of LSUsoftball was apicture of utter disappointment. The No. 10 national seed, hostinganNCAA regional on their home field,the Tigers were done in three games after apair of one-run losses to regional No. 4seed Southeastern Louisiana sandwiched around awin over UConn.

Even if LSU had gotten past theLions, regionalNo. 2seed Nebraska was waitingwith oneofthe nation’sbest pitchers in Jordyn Frahm.

TheTigers would like to forget theway theirotherwise successful2025 season ended, aseason in which LSUstarted amega-impressive 31-2 and still finished 42-16overall. Of course, no one will letthe Tigers forget. “Honestlyitdid sting,” Daniel said, “but we’ve left that in the past.We’re starting fresh.” Fresh has meant alot of turnover on the roster,for better or worse. Goneisstaff pitching ace Sydney Berzon, her 18 wins and

ball coaching legend Yvette Girouard, lefton this program is undeniable. But after all this time, this is definitely Torina’sprogram now She alone owns the program’ssuccesses and disappointments

After thedisappointment of last year’spremature ending, Torina made avow

“I’m not going to be sitting here on aSaturday night anymore,”she said, meaning LSU wouldn’tget bounced early from an NCAA regional. “We’re going to be in the places this program deserves to be.”

SomeofTorina’scritics have suggested LSUsoftball needs to move on from Torina. While it’s true that softball and men’s basketball are theonly two of LSU’sseven major programs (football, men’sand women’sbasketball, baseball, gymnastics, softball, track and field) not to win anational title since 2019 (a tough standard tomatch), it’shardly aprogram in crisis.

LSUisranked in the top 20 —anywhere from 12th to 16th in the preseason polls —going into its opener next Thursday at Tiger Parkagainst N.C. State. Additionally,LSU landed the nation’sNo. 1recruiting class for 2026 according to Softball America.

Ala. judgerecuses himself in Bediako’seligibility suit

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. The judge in Alabama center CharlesBediako’s eligibilitylawsuit against the NCAA hasrecused himself from the case.

TuscaloosaCircuit Court Judge James Roberts filed the order Wednesday,according to court documents.

The case was reassigned to Judge Daniel Pruet, an Alabama graduate who is overseeing the murder case involving former Crimson Tide playerDarius Miles. The NCAAfileda motion for recusal Tuesday,noting Roberts’ donations to the university as well as public perception that his relationship with Alabama athletics could alter his judgment in the case. Roberts was listed as adonor on the Crimson Tide Foundation’s website.

what is perhaps thebest drop-ball pitch in collegiate softball, to perennial power Oklahoma.Soisinfield stalwart Danieca Coffey, whohit ateam-leading .388 as asenior and finished her career in the top 10 in LSU history in six major offensive categories.

Likea company looking to increase profitability,the Tigers have one of their leaner rosters in years, just 23 players. Seven starters do return, but there are 11 newcomerswhich inclues five transfers. That may seem like asmall number by LaneKiffin standards, but theimpact is expected —and needs to be —immediate.

One of those transfers, shortstop Kylee Edwardsfrom Mississippi State, spoke glowingly about the bond and grit of her new team.

“They’ve becomemybest friends,” Edwards said of her LSUteammates. “They’re going to be in my wedding one day

“Our practices are so competitive. I’m the most competitive person you will ever meet, andeveryonehere matches my energy.”

It maybehard to believe, but this will be LSU’s15th softball season under BethTorina. Thestamp her predecessor,Louisiana soft-

AUSTRALIAN OPEN

“This roster has been very intentionally built,” Torina said Tuesday.“We’ve added right-handed power toour offense, which has morecompetition and is moreexperienced. Youcan’treplace aDanieca Coffey, but we have aton of experience on our leftside.”

Torina also indicated she’schallenged herself and her staff tochange things up, including the fact that she’sgiving up coaching from the third-base box and will instead work from thedugout this season.

“Wedothings differentlyall the time,” Torina said. “If players from 10 years ago came to watch practice, they would see avery different look.

“We’ve done alot this offseason to prepare ourselves for any situation we get into. We’ll be prepared for whatever comes ourway.”

That starts with small, intentional steps theTigers hope will take them all the wayto Oklahoma City and theWCWS.

“Every day we’reworking toward one small goal in order tobeour best in June,” said sophomoreleft-hander Jayden Heavener,who inheritsthe Tigers’ pitching ace role from Berzon. “Wedon’thave to be our best on Feb. 5.

Djokovic ‘lucky’after opponent retires

Serbiangreat back in semifinals after Musettiforcedto exit matchwithleg injury

BYJOHN PYE AP sportswriter

MELBOURNE, Australia After a walkover and an in-matchretirement, 10-time Australian Open winner Novak Djokovic will meet two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner in the semifinals. Djokovic dropped the first two sets of his quarterfinal 6-4, 6-3 Wednesday to fifth-seeded Lorenzo Musetti but was up abreak in the third when the 23-year-old Italian retired with an injured right leg. The 38-year-old Djokovic admitted he was “lucky this time.” It wasn’treallythe way Djokovic wanted to cap yet another record—his 103rdwin at Melbourne Park, one better than Roger Federer’spreviousall-time mark—but he accepted anyroute through.

Sinner was all business in a6-3, 6-4, 6-4 win over eighth-seeded Ben Shelton in anightmatch to extend his streak to 19 at Melbourne Park. Sinner conceded he waslucky to still be in the tournament, too, after struggling with cramps and staggering in his third-round match until the roof was closed and he went back on court reinvigorated.

The top four seeds havereached

the finalfour in the men’sdraw, with No. 1Carlos Alcaraz and No. 3Alexander Zverev set to meet in theother semifinal.

Pegula,Rybakinaadvance

After three previouslosses in Australian Open quarterfinals, Jessica Peguladefeated Amanda Anisimova 6-2, 7-6 (1) on Wednesdaytoadvance tothe final four at Melbourne Park for the first time. It marked Pegula’s14th winin her past 15 matches against fellow Americans, continuing her strong runofdomestic dominance.

In the earlier quarterfinal at RodLaver Arena, ElenaRybakina defeated IgaSwiatek 7-5, 6-1 to preventthe Polish player from completing acareer GrandSlam of singles titles.

Pegula meets Rybakina in one semifinal on Thursday, while topranked Aryna Sabalenka will play Elina Svitolina in theother The 31-year-old Pegula alsobeat Madison Keys, another American and the reigning champion, in her previousmatch to advancetothe quarterfinals.

Djokovic’s dramatic win Djokovic was twosetsdown, slowed by aserious blister on his foot andalreadythinking about his flight home when fifth-seeded Musetti called it quits. Musetti needed amedical timeout fortreatment on hisupper right leg after beingbroken in thethird gameofthe thirdset. He played on for almost twogames but couldn’tcontinue.

After serving adouble-fault in the fifth game to give Djokovic a breakpoint chance, Musetti wiped ahandacross hisface, walked towardthe net and removed his headband before exchanging a handshake andquick hug.

“I honestlyhave no words to describe how I’m feeling right now and how tough it is formewith this injury in this moment,” Musetti said.

“I continued to play because I was playingreally,really,really well, but Iwas feeling that the pain was increasing and the problem was not going away.”

Djokovicsaidhefeltfor Musetti.

“It happened to me afew times. But being in the quarters of a Grand Slam, two sets to love up and being in full control —Imean, so unfortunate,”Djokovicsaid “He should have been awinner today.”

Musetti was also forced to retire from the French Open semifinals last year with asimilarinjury against eventual champion Alcaraz.

“I feel really sorryfor him,” Djokovic said. “He was afar better player.I was on my way home tonight.”

Late in the second set, Djokovic conceded apoint after telling the chair umpirehis racket frame had touched—barely andinaudibly —the ball before it went out.He soon lost that gameand the set.

Thesituationappearedtoget more dire forDjokovicwhenhe needed amedical timeoutafter the second set forthe blister on theball of his right foot.

Ex-champ Fury coming out of retirement to fight

LONDON Former world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury will comeout of retirement to face Russian Arslanbek Makhmudov on April 11.

The highly anticipated fight was confirmedonWednesday. No venue has yet been announced. Fury retiredlastyear,after losing forasecond time to Oleksandr Usyk in December 2024. Before histwo boutswith Usyk, theBritish boxer was unbeaten in 35 fights, winning 34 and drawing one. Fury had announced on Jan. 4 that he would be coming out of retirement.

Two-timeworld champion Fury ended the reign of Wladimir Klitschkowitha pointswin in 2015 that saw him crowned Super WBA, IBFand WBO title-holder

Jets hire former Dolphins assistant Duker as DC

The NewYork Jets hired former Miami Dolphins assistant coach BrianDukerastheir defensive coordinator on Wednesday Duker spent the past two seasons as theDolphins’ passing game coordinator andsecondary coach. He was the ninth and last knowncandidate to interviewfor the Jets’ vacancy,and had avideo meeting with coach Aaron Glenn on Tuesday The 36-year-old Duker has never been aplay-caller and it’sexpected that Glenn could take alarger role in leading the defense. Glenn was Detroit’sdefensive coordinator for four seasons before being hired as head coach by New York last year and has familiarity with Duker

Rockets’ Adams out for year afterankle surgery

HOUSTON— Houston’sSteven Adams will miss the rest of the season after undergoing surgery on his left ankle,the Rockets announced Wednesday Adamshad been outsince suffering what coachIme Udoka called a“severely sprained ankle” on Jan. 18 against the Pelicans. The6-foot-11, 265-pound center from NewZealand appeared in 32 games with 11 startsthisseasonfor the Rockets. He ranked second on theteam by averaging8.6 rebounds andwas scoring5.8 pointsper game. The Rockets acquired the 32-year-old Adamsfrom Memphis in February 2024. He didn’tplay that season while recovering from knee surgery. Last season,heaveraged 3.9 points and 5.6 reboundsin 58 games. He played for the Pelicans in the 2020-221 season.

Oklahoma City ThunderguardShai Gilgeous-Alexander looks to pass against Pelicans guard Jeremiah Fears, center,and Pelicanscenter Derik Queen during agameonTuesdayinOklahoma City.

Pels guardFears,OKC forward

Dort scuffleat endofgame

BY RODWALKER Staff writer

The New Orleans Pelicans’ three-game road trip endedwith aloss and then ascuffle. Pelicans rookie guard Jeremiah Fears and Oklahoma Cityforward

Lu Dort got into an altercation rightasthe final buzzer sounded Tuesday night in the Pelicans’ 10495 loss at Paycom Center

The incident started moments after Fears rebounded a3-point shot by Herb Jones with 0.2seconds left. Fears put up ashotas time expired and appeared to be fouled by Dort. No call was made, ending thegame.

Dort then shoved Fears. Then Dort shoved Fears asecond time. The two grabbed each other’sjerseys while shoving. Players and coaches from both teams rushed

LSU

Continued from page1C

In 2025leagueplay, Johnson, Williams and Aneesah Morrow were responsible for 63% of LSU’sfield-goal attemptsand 66%ofits points. They each scored more than 17 ppg. Kailyn Gilbert —then ajunior guard whowas playing the role MiLaysiaFulwileyhas assumed this season —was the only other contributor who took more than five shots per game. Now the Tigers haveseven players who are attempting more than five field goals per contest LSU’sthree leading shot-takers —Johnson, Williams and Fulwiley —are responsible for only half of its field-goal tries

Just seven league matchups have come and gone,and seven different Tigers have at least one 10 point game Six have at least

ä Grizzlies at Pelicans, 6:30 P.M. FRIDAy,GCSEN

to the floortobreak up thealtercation. No punches were thrown.

Oklahoma City coach Mark Daigneault said the situation could have been avoided.

“I think that’s afoul on Dort,” Daigneault said.“If it was, they should put awhistleonthatplay regardless of the scoreand the time. Because if they do that, everybody stops playing and you legislate the situation as you normally would. But because they didn’tput awhistle on it, it’sthe end of the game and they can do nothing about it andyou end up with that situation.”

Fears had to be restrained.He eventually was escorted off the court andtothe locker room by

“So manykids arecaughtupinto scoring averages and scoring the ball. Our team is reallygood when nobody cares about that. Because you’re gonna all play. You’re gonna all be recognized.”

KIM MULKEy LSU coach 10-point leas one 15-point game. Four have at least one 20-point game. Last season, Gilbert wasthe only contributor not named Johnson, Williams or Morrow toscore more than 20 points.She hit that mark in two of the 16 regularseasonleague contests.

Jada Richard already has matched that feat during her breakoutsophomore season She’sscored 20 points in two of the Tigers’ last three games

Mulkey seems to have settled on a nine-player rotation the same size as the one she used last season The difference is that seven of the players who cracked that groupthis season are chipping in more than five points per game. Last year, only four contributors had that scoring average Johnson, Williams, Morrow and Gilbert

“I would think that s part of our identity,” Mulkey said “Who are you going to stop?

Email ReedDarcey at reed. darcey@theadvocatecom

Pelicans securityofficer Sherman Mushatt and Jordan Dumars, son of executive vicepresident of basketball operationsJoe Dumars. It wasthe second altercation in thegame.

The first oneinvolvedPelicans forwardSaddiqBey andOklahoma City forwardJaylin Williams with 1:18 left. Thatone didn’t quiteescalate like the one between Fears andDort.

“Good guys, good (officiating) crew,” Daigneault said. “But Ithought they lostcontrol of the game in the finalminutes. I thoughtthataltercationatthe endstarted well before that with the Beyand Jay Will situation. I thought they could have managed thatcleaner.”

EmailRod Walker at rwalker@ theadvocate.com.

TIGERS

Continuedfrom page1C

McMahonsaidhethought his group’spreparation was good.He said the team had “great spirit”at shootaround, but for “whatever reason” it wasn’table to translate that in the game.

The fourth-year coach was forced to callhis first timeout when his team went down 17-5 with 14:46 left in the first half. At halftime, the Tigerswere down 44-21, scoring aseason low in the first half.

Reed eyes September PGAreturnafter leavingLIV Golf

BY DOUG FERGUSON AP golf writer

SAN DIEGO Patrick Reed is the secondmajor champion to leave Saudi-funded LIV Golf,announcing Wednesday he will spend the rest of theyearonthe European tour with an eye on returning to the PGA Tour as early as September His decision, just three days afterhewon the DubaiDesert Classic, comes the same week that five-time major champion Brooks Koepka returnstothe PGATour at Torrey Pines.

“I’m atraditionalistatheart, and Iwas born to play on the PGA Tour,which is where my story beganwith my wife,Justine,” Reed saidonsocial media. “I am very fortunate for the opportunities that have comemyway and gratefulfor the life we have created. I am moving forward in my career, andIlook forward to competing on thePGA Tour and DP World Tour.Ican’twait to get back out there and revisit some of the best places on earth.”

The PGA Tour sentamemo to playersoutlining the path back for players like Reed, who did not fit into the“Returning Member Program” that was offered only to those who had won amajor or The Players Championship since 2022.

Reed, who attended U-High, won the Masters in 2018. The tour said he would be eligible to return ayearfromhis last LIVGolfappearanceonAug. 24. He would not face additional discipline from the PGA Tour because Reed resigned his membership when he left for LIV,and he was not part of the antitrust lawsuit fi led against the PGA Tour in 2022.

“I’mnot surprised guys are wanting to come back,” Xander Schauffele said. “Thanks to the wholesplit,I think we’vetriedto makeour product as good as possible. If they didn’tlike it then,I’m sure they’ll like it the second time around.”

Reed can play in the FedEx Cup Fall— the first eventisthe BiltmoreChampionship Asheville in North Carolina on Sept. 17-20 —if he receivesasponsor exemption. He cannot use hislimited statusas apastchampion until 2027.

Reed also couldearna full card by finishing among the top-

10 players in the Race to Dubai who don’talready have PGA Tour membership.His victoryinDubai moved him to No.2inthe standings, and now he has afull schedule in Europe— commercially known as the DP World Tour ahead of him. He also is setfor the fourmajors, having risen to No. 29 in the world.

LIV Golf begins its fifth season in one week in Saudi Arabia. Reed is playing in Bahrain this weekas part of the European tour schedule, his third straight week. Uponhis return to the PGA Tour,Reed would not be eligible to receive shares in the Player Equity Program through 2030. That waspart of the agreement for Koepka’sreturn —noequity for five years, and no access to FedEx Cup bonus money this year Reed doesn’thave the achievementsofKoepka,thoughhehas long been apolarizing figurethat oftenoverlookshis status as one of themost globalplayers in golf and fiercest competitors. He has won12times on four tours —frequently playing in Europe or Asia without bigappearance fees and began his PGA Tour career by going through Monday qualifiers. He is best known for taking down Rory McIlroy in aspirited Ryder Cup match at Hazeltine in 2016, and engaging the Scottish crowd when he made his Ryder Cup debut in 2014. But he came under scrutiny in the Bahamas in 2019 at the Hero WorldChallenge forbeing penalizedtwo shots fortwice swiping sand behind his golf ball in awaste area, improving his lie.

darcey@theadvocate com For more LSU sports updates, sign up for our newsletterat theadvocate.com/lsunewsletter LSU guard

By MICHAEL JOHNSON

The flat opening was instigated by poor defensiverebounding. In the first threeminutes, Mississippi Stategrabbed four offensive rebounds. At halftime, theBulldogs hadoutrebounded LSU26-14. Hubbard, a6-foot junior who leads theSEC at 21 points per game, exploded against LSU in two games last year,averaging 28 points, shooting 48.6% from the field and 38% on 3-pointers

WhenLSU’srebounding issues were toomuchtobear,McMahon put the 6-9 Marquel Sutton on the electric scorer.Regardless, everyonebut Hubbard moved faster to theballthanLSU’s playersand comfortably scoredatall distances.

Six players on Mississippi State buriedatleast one 3-pointer in the first half, as it finished the half 7of 14 from beyond thearc.Hubbard was the last player to get a3-pointer,making acontested step-back jumper Bulldogs center Quincy Ballard led theteam in scoring with nine pointson4-of-4 shooting at halftime. Fiveother players scored at least four points.

McMahonsaidMississippi State’s3-point shooting and physicality led to the huge deficit

“Ifyou’re going to get down like that, you got to convert offensively, getout in transition, knock down some 3s,” McMahonsaid.

LSU

Josh

“So many kids are caught up into scoring averages and scorthe ball Our team is

ing really good when nobody cares about that.Because you’re gonna all play.You’re gonna all be recognized ” Not just the two or three stars most responsiblefor LSU’snational title chase.

“Actually, to finish the first half, we had seven consecutive stops, andduring that (span) we cutinto thelead by two pointsbecause we couldn’tscore. We couldn’tscore there.And on anight where we actually had 12 steals for 16 turn-

overs, we just weren’table to convert those into enough points.” There seemedtobealid on the basketasthe Tigers missednumerousopen jump shots. They were 9of28from the fieldand 1 of 10 from the 3-point line before the second half. They were also 2 of 8from the free-throw line. LSU finishedthe game 12 of 23 on free throws. Thomas triedtocreate offthe dribble,but he was forced to pass early because aseconddefender was put on himwhen he used a screen. He was3of7for seven points in the first half Outside of Thomas,the offense was barreling into the paint for difficult layups and some missedopen jumpers. Mike Nwoko, whowas playing against his former team, had acouple of interiorscores early but didn’tleave an imprint as a rebounder. He had four points and one rebound in 17 minutes. Sutton was 0of5 from the field. The Omahatransfer finished with four points on 1-of-7shooting andtwo rebounds. Mackinnonwas 1of3 for two points at halftime. LSU received asmattering of

boos at the 3:25 mark after apair of missed free throws by Pablo Tambaasthe team was down44-17. When it enteredthe lockerroomat halftime,fansgavea loudercollection of jeers.

Guard Jalen Reece and center Robert Miller replaced Sutton and Nwoko to start the second half. A 6-0 run developed after Thomas and Mackinnon drilled 3-pointers to makethe score 50-32 with 16:08 left.

After the mini run, Miller was given aFlagrant 1foul once the referees saw what happened on defense before a3-pointer earlier After Hubbard fell to the ground after amissed layup, Miller hit him in the face. That gave Hubbard two free throws and Mississippi State possession.

LSU’s second half saw improved effort andshot-making, but not nearly enough to have acomeback. Mackinnon scored 13 points in the second half The Tigers outscored Mississippi State 45-36 in the final 20 minutes.

LSU’snextgame is against South Carolina at 5p.m.Saturday at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina.

TERRANCE WILLIAMS

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By

Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken looks on during warm-ups before a game against the New England Patriots on Dec 21 in Baltimore. Monken was named the Cleveland Browns head coach on Wednesday

Browns tap Monken as next head coach

BY JOE REEDY AP sportswriter

CLEVELAND The Cleveland Browns have hired one of their former coordinators to be the team’s head coach. However, it is not the one some people expected.

The Browns hired Todd Monken on Wednesday as the franchise’s 19th full-time head coach, wrapping up a three-week search. He replaces Kevin Stefanski, who was fired on Jan. 5, the day after Cleveland finished a 5-12 season This is Monken’s first NFL head coaching job after 11 years as an assistant. He spent the previous three seasons as offensive coordinator for Baltimore.

Monken was the offensive coordinator for the Browns on Freddie Kitchens’ staff in 2019. There was growing sentiment, though, that defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz had emerged as the favorite, especially as the list of candidates thinned out.

Schwartz has been the architect of one of the league’s top defenses the past three seasons. Cleveland led the league in total defense in 2023 and ranked fourth this season as Myles Garrett had 23 sacks to break the NFL singleseason record.

Schwartz is under contract for one more season, but he is expected to look elsewhere after being passed over Losing Schwartz would be another blow to owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam, whose tenure since buying the Browns in 2012 has

NUSSMEIER

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to be the first overall pick in the draft. This week, he has to show that he’s worthy of being drafted at all.

“Not the best,” Nussmeier said when asked how he evaluated his play last season “There were things, obviously, that I take full ownership in and the areas that I needed to be better at. Unfortunately, some new things happened because of what I went through with the injury (It was) frustrating, for sure.

“I don’t blame anybody for the frustrations. I wanted to be the best. I wanted to lead us to a national championship. I wanted to win the Heisman. And those were all the things I dreamed about doing. So not being able to do them, I understand why people were frustrated because I was frustrated myself.”

Despite the lackluster campaign, Nussmeier didn’t sound like someone who regretted passing up the NFL draft last year when his stock was much higher He said returning to LSU last year was an “easy choice” and that he took the responsibility of wearing No. 18 seriously.

He said even with the injury, he “wouldn’t take any of it back” because he was willing to do whatever it took to play every Saturday He said he believes the adversity will make him a better player in the long run.

Even now, there are parts of Nussmeier’s injury that remain a mystery He declined to get into specifics about it, though he indicated that he and LSU officials went from believing the ailment was a core injury to an abdomen. He said the injury, which he called “weird” and rare, wasn’t LSU’s fault and praised his medical team for taking great care of him. As part of his rehab work, Nussmeier said he has focused on using his body to rotate through his passes — something he couldn’t

Belichick’s HOF snub creates storm of criticism around NFL

BY ROB MAADDI

pro football writer

AP

Bill Belichick won six Lombardi Trophies as a head coach with the Patriots, two as an assistant with the Giants and has more Super Bowl rings than anyone in NFL history

Yet somehow he’s not a first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer

Belichick didn’t get the required votes in his first year of eligibility, according to a report from ESPN on Tuesday that cited four unidentified sources. Belichick needed 40 votes from the 50-person panel of media members and other Hall of Famers. News of the snub stunned players, coaches, fans and anyone who has watched football.

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes called it “insane.”

been known more for dysfunction than building a winning organization.

Monken is the seventh coach hired by the Haslams. The previous six compiled a 73-139-1 regular-season record, the secondworst mark in the NFL.

The Browns were 5-12 this season and 8-26 the past two years.

Stefanski — who was hired as the Atlanta head coach had a 46-58 record. He was a two-time NFL Coach of the Year and led the Browns to the playoffs in 2020 and 2023.

After announcing Stefanski’s firing, Jimmy Haslam bristled over the narrative that the Browns are a dysfunctional organization. However, the coaching search ended up having more people withdraw their names from consideration than finalists Cleveland interviewed 10 people for the opening, with four — Monken, Schwartz, Grant Udinski and Los Angeles Rams pass coordinator Nate Scheelhaase — getting second interviews.

Udinski withdrew Monday after a second interview to remain in Jacksonville as offensive coordinator

The Browns had second interviews scheduled with Mike McDaniel and Jesse Minter before both canceled McDaniel, who was the Miami coach for four seasons, will be the Los Angeles Chargers offensive coordinator while Minter was hired as the new coach at Baltimore after two seasons directing the Chargers defense.

NBA superstar LeBron James said it’s “impossible, egregious, and quite frankly disrespectful.”

If Belichick’s resume isn’t worthy of a gold jacket and bronze statue, what constitutes a Hall of Fame career?

“Whatever perceptions may exist about any personal differences between Bill and me, I strongly believe Bill Belichick’s record and body of work speak for themselves,” Patriots owner Robert Kraft said in a statement to The Associated Press on Wednesday Kraft and Belichick are two of five finalists among coaches, contributors and senior players who last appeared in a game in 2000 or earlier Roger Craig, Ken Anderson and L.C. Greenwood are the players.

Between one and three of those finalists will be inducted into the Hall along with between three and five modern-era players from a group of 15 finalists.

The Hall of Fame declined to comment before its Class of 2026 is announced at NFL Honors in San Francisco on Feb. 5. Several voters immediately revealed they voted for Belichick and some called for those who didn’t to publicly say it.

Armando Salguero, OutKick’s senior NFL writer and Hall of Fame voter, was the one who presented Belichick in the Hall’s subcommittee meeting that selected him to advance to the full 50-member selection body Salguero then presented Belichick to the full selector’s committee in a meeting Jan. 13. He is among the voters who selected Belichick and are urging the others to reveal themselves.

“They should identify themselves as the people who kept Belichick out of the Pro Football

SAINTS

with whatever happens.”

Davis has often said that he wants to finish his career with New Orleans, the team that helped him take off after stints with the New York Jets and Cleveland Browns. Davis and the Saints last agreed on a new contract on March 11, 2024, when they struck a twoyear, $17.25 million extension that tacked on an extra year to Davis’ existing contract and increased his guaranteed money Hill space

The New Orleans Saints are giving Taysom Hill space to determine whether to retire, Loomis said.

Hall of Fame this year,” Salguero wrote in his column. “I am saying that here, and would say as much to their face. Their votes sunk Belichick’s chances and embarrassed the Hall of Fame in the process.

“They make all selectors look bad, and they shouldn’t hide behind their minority vote to protect themselves at the expense of the wider group. I know it’s a wider group because I’ve spoken with a lot of selectors since our meeting, and they agreed with my vote for Belichick.” Salguero, who is a longtime voter for the AP All-Pro team and the AP NFL awards, said the “Spygate” scandal kept Belichick out of the Hall. There is no morality or character criteria for voters to consider Belichick was implicated in a sign-stealing scheme during the 2007 season and was fined $500,000 after New England was caught filming defensive signals from the New York Jets during a game.

“Spygate was the reason several selectors could not bring themselves to vote for Belichick, because they felt it sullied his records,” Salguero wrote.

In his presentation, Salguero said he pointed out that Belichick had a higher winning percentage (.693 to .580) after “Spygate” and won three Super Bowls and six conference titles. He had 14 double-digit win sea-

sons and won more regular-season games after “Spygate” than 22 of the 28 coaches in the Hall of Fame.

The process for selection changed in 2025. The 50 voters now each pick three of the five and between one to three make it if they get at least 40 votes. A new rule also made coaches eligible one year after retiring instead of five. Belichick sat out one season after his 24-year tenure with the Patriots ended in 2023. He just finished his first year coaching in college at North Carolina, where he went 4-8.

Mike Sando, an NFL writer for The Athletic, said he voted for Belichick and explained the process that could’ve led to the snub.

“Whatever the case, I would see this as a repudiation of the new voting rules implemented for 2025, not of Belichick or any candidate not making it,” Sando wrote on X. The 73-year-old Belichick was a top defensive assistant coach with the Giants under Bill Parcells. He left New York to coach Cleveland from 1991-95, joined the Patriots as an assistant in 1996, spent three seasons with the Jets and was hired by New England in 2000. He led the Patriots with Tom Brady to six Super Bowl wins in nine appearances. Belichick’s 333 wins in the regular season and playoffs with New England and Cleveland are the second most to Don Shula’s 347.

always do last season. The rust has been evident at times Nussmeier didn’t particularly appear sharp in Tuesday’s practice, his first of the week. His first drop back in team drills, for instance, led to the ball being knocked out of his hand after Illinois defensive end Gabe Jacas won quickly off the edge.

But Nussmeier has entered the week with an open mind. His father, Doug — the offensive coordinator for the Saints — has given him advice on how to navigate this process.

Nussmeier, though, said he’s not out to “prove” anything at the Senior Bowl. He said he just wants to show that he belongs at the next level and show that “Garrett Nussmeier is enough.”

He’ll get an opportunity this week as a quarterback for the American Team coached by Saints running backs coach Joel Thomas and other Saints assistants

“A healthy, confident Garrett Nussmeier is a good player,” he said.

Email Matthew Paras at matt paras@theadvocate.com

Hill has not said whether he wants to continue his career, but he was emotional after what could have been his final home game in December The 35-year-old had a down season coming off a serious knee injury, but he had a memorable finale in the Caesars Superdome as he threw a touchdown and set an NFL record by becoming the first player in the Super Bowl era with at least 1,000 receiving, passing and rushing yards.

“I’m giving him some space, but we’ll touch base with him soon,” Loomis said. “But it’s hard to have these conversations right after the season. You want that emotion to go out of it, and give guys time and space to not feel like they’re pressured to make decisions.

“And we’ve got time.”

Hill also suffered a shoulder injury in New Orleans’ seasonending loss to the Atlanta Falcons, but Loomis said Wednesday that it wasn’t “real significant.” Hill played in 13 games, rushing for only 114 yards and a touchdown on 52 carries. He also caught 11 passes for 91 yards.

Double Nussmeiers

Garrett Nussmeier knows his father Doug, is at the Senior Bowl this week, but he wasn’t sure

whether he was there in his capacity as a father or his role as the offensive coordinator for the New Orleans Saints.

“I guess technically a little bit of both,” Garrett said with a laugh.

The LSU quarterback, auditioning in front of NFL teams to be drafted later this spring, said he doesn’t know how he and his father will approach the possibility of Garrett getting interviewed by the Saints.

And neither does the black and gold.

Loomis said Wednesday that this is the first time in his lengthy executive career that he’s had a coach on staff with a son in the NFL draft It has happened previously in the NFL — famously with the Dallas Cowboys taking running back Deuce Vaughn in 2023, with his dad serving as a scout — but this is new territory for the Saints.

“Yeah, I don’t know — we’ll see,” Loomis said with a chuckle. “But look, Garrett’s a really good player and thought of really well Obvi-

ously, we think a lot of Doug. So yeah, that’ll be interesting.” Loomis said it won’t be as dramatic as asking Doug Nussmeier to leave the room when discussing Garrett, but he acknowledged the unique situation.

“We want to help the Nussmeier family, period,” Loomis said. The Saints may not be in the market for a starting quarterback after drafting Tyler Shough last spring, but it remains to be seen whether they dip into the market for a new backup. Loomis has said the team has not discussed trading Spencer Rattler, but teammate Chris Olave strongly said after the season that Rattler deserved another opportunity to be a starter in the NFL. The team also did not agree to a futures contract with Jake Haener and saw fourthstringer Hunter Dekkers sign with the UFL.

Garrett Nussmeier is trying to restore his

THE VARSITYZONE

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By CHARLIE NEIBERGALL

Newell-Fonda HighSchool players stand for the national anthem before agirls basketball game against StormLakeonJan. 6inNewell, Iowa

FADING AWAY

Even in Clark’shomestate,girls basketball in decline— butitthrives in oneIowatown

BY ERIC OLSON AP sportswriter

NEWELL, Iowa— The streets of Newell and Fonda are quiet. Rural decline has taken atoll on these northwest Iowa towns with main street storefronts shuttered and vacant houses scattered here and there.

Yetthe heart of these communitiesseparated by 9miles isn’thard to find It still beats at the NewellFonda High School gym, where many of Newell’s 850 residents,Fonda’s 600 and folks from surrounding farms dress in blue and fill it up to cheer on theirbelovedgirls basketball team that is known across Iowa. With 21 of the school’s71 girlsingrades 9-12 playing on the varsity or junior varsity teams, the Mustangs are an outlier.Participation in girlsbasketballacross the country has declined even as the popularity of the college and pro games has never been higher Iowa’sown Caitlin Clark has been credited with alot of thatoflate, but participation numbers in her home state and many othersare down.

“When I first started coaching girlsbasketball, every team you played had agood point guard, a good shooter and asolid post player and then they could build from there,” Newell-Fonda coach Dick Jungers said. “Now,some of the teams we play are struggling to have maybe evenone or two good players in thewhole program. It’skind of concerning, but kids are putting their time elsewhere.”

The drop in Iowa has been bigger than in most states and almost unimaginable given its long history in the girls and women’sgame. Iowa was first to hold a state tournament for girls, back in 1920 when they played six-on-six, and Clark is one of the most famous playersinthe women’s game.

Ahandful of Iowa high schools have disbanded their programs becauseof lack of interest, many have only enough players for a varsity team, and it’snot uncommon for junior varsity gamestobetwo quarters because JV players also must suit up for the varsity games that follow Basketball is still queen in Newell and Fonda, and has been since Jody Maske took four teams to the state tournament from 1995-2002. He turned the program over to Jungers, who is 527-83 with four championships and 16 state tournaments in 24 years. The Mustangs have played in the state final seven of the past eight seasons. Everyone who caresabout girls basketball in Iowa knows they are a powerhouse.

STATES WITHBIGGEST DECLINES

The biggestdeclines according to the NFSHSA surveys:

n Kansas (43%):5,788 players at 337 schools in 202425;10,120at350 schoolsin1999-2000.

n Louisiana (42%):5,486 players at 391 schools in 2024-25; 9,400at376 schools in 1999-2000.

n NorthDakota(40%):1,992 players at 160 players in 2024-25; 3,354at157 schools in 1999-2000.

n Indiana (39%): 7,017 players at 394 schools in 202425; 11,499at381 schoolsin1999-2000.

n Iowa: (38%): 5,856 players at 340 schoolsin2024-25; 9,401at397 schoolsin1999-2000.

n Texas (36%): 44,953players at 1,373 schools in 202425; 70,427at1,175 schools in 1999-2000.

n Michigan(34%):13,068 players at 689 schools in 2024-25; 19,760at705 schoolsin1999-2000.

The Associated Press

BY CHARLES SALZER

Contributing writer

TheZachary High School girls basketballteam has ashort bench, but what the Broncos lack in depth is compensated for with qualityand it wasjust what they needed Wednesday against Midland.

Despite having twostarters in foul trouble, Zachary got all the production it needed to turn back Midland 66-53 at theBroncos gym.

AvaRaymond and Asia Bell, Zachary’sonly two upperclass members, both ran into foul trouble.The Broncosgot help offthe bench from Sarhya Smith as well as twins Arianna and Arielle Clayton, and they stretched theirlead to as many as 16 points in the second half.

“Everyone hasapart, and when they comein, theyare allcontributing in someway,” Zachary coach Tami McClure said. “I’veput them through thewringer this year,and Ithink that’swhat has made them who they are. They’re not afraid to play anybody.”

Zachary (21-3) was led by Bell,who made 8of13 shots and scored 17 points. The Broncosalsogot 15 points from Kennedi Whitfield and eight assists from Ayja Walker Raymond had 11 points and seven rebounds.

Those totals came against aMidland team (21-7) currently rated No. 1inthe Division IV nonselect power rankings.A

scores Glen Oaks 40, McKinley 27 Denham Springs 55, St. Amant 46 Northeast 57, Baker 27 St. CharlesCatholic 36, St.Martin’s Episcopal34 Zachary 66, Midland 53 Zachary 66, Midland 53 Midland 12 17 11 13 —53

Zachary12202014—66

SCORING: MIDLAND: Tora Savoy17, M.J. Thibodaux 16, Camri Primeaux 7, Ahmiree Smith 6, Addalyn Prejean6,Makhila McZeal1;ZACHARY: Asia Bell 17, Kennedi Whitfield 15, AvaRaymond 11, Marcia Robinson8,SaRhya Sith 8, Ayja Walker 7 3-POINT GOALS: MIDLAND 3 (Thibodaux 2, Savoy); ZACHARY4 (Robinson 2, Walker,Whitfield) RECORDS: Midland 21-7; Zachary 21-3 Boys basketball Central 65, Dutchtown 52 Dutchtown 10 15 10 17 —52 Central 17 17 14 17 —65

SCORING: DUTCHTOWN: C. Watts 24, E. Bell 23, J. Oscar3,T.McBride 2; CENTRAL: JaceConrad 16, Keith Womack 11, Jaylen Thomas 11, Gavin Douglas 7, Eli Catrell 7, Shawn Washington 6, Luke Comeux 5, Sam Giles2 3-POINT GOALS: DUTCHTOWN6 (Watts 3, Bell 2, Oscar);CENTRAL 6 (Conrad 2, Washington, Comeaux, Catrell, Douglas) RECORDS: Dutchtown 9-10; Central 16-4 JUNIOR VARSITY: Central 45, Dutchtown 41

Wednesday’s scores Eunice 55, Rayne53 West Feliciana at Kentwood, ccd Central Private 57, North Iberville 37 University51, St. Michael 39 Madison Prep71, Covington 63 St. Thomas More52, Dunham 37 Central 65, Dutchtown 52

bigpart of that ranking has been the play of Rebels 6-foot post player Tora Savoy.She finished with 17 points against Zachary,but worked hard after scoring Midland’s first six points. Midland also got 16 points from M.J. Thibodeaux, but slowing downSavoy was the priority for Zachary “Weworked on defend-

ingher alot in the last couple of days,” McClure said. “I don’tthink we did a good job in the beginning, but as the game went along we did agreat job.”

Midland,ofAcadiana Parish, took the lead twice in the first quarter before it ended tied 12-12. Fueled by Savoy’searly run, the Rebels got off to a6-2 lead. Zachary,rated No. 2inthe Division Inonselect power rankings, battled back to tie the game 10-10, and the teams traded baskets in the quarter’s final stages. Zachary led by as many as seven points in the second quarter,the last time at 32-25. Midland’sCamri Primeaux put up two basketsslicingthe Zachary lead to 32-29 at halftime. Bell scored seven points to help the Broncos open thethird quarter with a 16-4 run.

Raymond went to the bench after picking up herfourthfoul at the4:49 mark, but Zachary didn’t slow down.The Broncos made 8of14shots in the quarter and led 52-40 going to the fourth.

Zachary took a56-40 lead, its largest of the game, on Whitfield’sjumper less than twominutes into the final quarter.After that, the closest Midland could get was 64-53 in the final minute.

“I’m proud of how we played,” Midland coach Christy Daigle said. “We knew we weren’tgoing to comeinto this gameand blow Zachary away,but this game will help us get ready for the playoffs.”

Senior center Jocee Walsh said, “If you know NewellFonda,you know we play basketball.”

Who’sgot next?

According to theNational Federation of State High School Associations, participation in girlsbasketball across thecountry dropped from 451,600 in 2000 to 356,240 in 2025. Volleyball surpassed basketball as the mostpopular girls team sport adecade ago andhas grown from380,994 participantsto492,799 since 2000. That’sa21% drop forbasketballand 29% increase forvolleyball.

Using raw data —the number ofschoolsreporting their participation numbers variesyear to year —Kansas, Louisiana, North Dakota, Indianaand Iowa haveseen thebiggest declines. Fewer than 10 saw increases. In Iowa, girls basketball participation has fallen 38% since 2000 from 9,401 to 5,856. Other pipelines for the collegeand pro game are still relatively robust,includingthe elite clubs.

Greg Turner,director of basketball for theAmateur Athletic Union, said hehas noticed adeclinetoalesser degree in programshis organization sanctions. The AAU season runsopposite the traditional winter basketballseason and draws girlswho are serious about improving their games or playing in college. AAU mediaofficials did not respond to requestsfor participation numbers and Turner said he wasn’tauthorized to release them.

Clark’sprodigious numbers and styleofplay over the past several years are credited with creating a surgeof interestinwomen’s basketball. While the sport has enjoyed unprecedented viewership and attendance, participation at the high school level has yet to getabump

Even Clark’s alma mater, Class 5A Dowling Catholic in West Des Moines, has seen adecline. Coach KristinMeyer said she would

The Mustangs opened this season14-1 with an average winning margin of 34 points —they led arecent opponent 56-2 at half —and have been ranked No. 1since knocking offthe team that beat them in thestate final in March, Council Bluffs St. Albert.

have about 40 girls go out for basketball when she arrived 10 years ago. That number was 28 this season.

Meyer and Jungers are on an Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union taskforce formed last year to explore possible solutions.

Coaches say club volleyball programs and girls wrestling have siphoned players from basketball.

Club volleyball season conflictswith basketball and fewer girls want to play multiple sports. Girls wrestlingbecame asanctioned sport in Iowa in 2022-23, and more than 2,000 have taken it up.

Coaches also say basketball skills, morethan in other sports, are hard to develop and that the disparity between serious and casual players has never been greater.They said girls tendtoget discouraged and quit by middle school if they struggle. The physical aspects of thegame—the running and bumping also turn off some players.

Youthprogramsare key

Dowling’sMeyer suggested doing thingsa new way on the grade-school teams that feed the high schools. She said playing three-on-three games until fifthgrade would give everyone more opportunities to shoot,develop skills and stay interested.

Meyer also said more women in their 20s and 30s with abasketball background are needed tocoach at the grade-school level because they typically are morerelatable to ayoung girl than adad coach.

“I mean,who would you rather hang out withif you’re that age?” Meyer said.

At Newell-Fonda, kids typically start playing when they’re in third grade, but this year asecond-grade team was formed. Of 21 second-grade girls, 17 signed up. Playingbasketball would seem tobejust what girls from NewellFonda do if they have athletic talent.

“I thinkit’swhat you do even if you don’thave athletic talent,” Andrea Vanderhoff said, laughing. “Everyone just wantstobe apart of it.”

Prairieville clinches district titleafter blanking Tara 8-0

BY WILLIAMWEATHERS Contributingwriter

Based on its play over the latter half of theseason, PrairievilleHigh School appears to be exactly where coach Adrian Garciahoped

The Hurricanes closed out their secondstraight District 6-II championship with an 8-0 victory Wednesday over Tara at Prairieville’s Hurricane Stadium.

“I toldthe team today that we don’twanttohave to turn it on andturnit off,” Garcia said of the approachingplayoffs.“Let’s turn it on and let’s leave that sucker on andthrow away the key. Let’s get after it.”

Fourth-ranked Prairieville (20-3-0, 5-0indistrict) carries asix-match winning streak —all by shutouts —into Friday’s home regular-season finale against St. Charles Catholic at 5:30 p.m.

The Hurricanes, who outscored their district opponents 33-0 and are the winningest team in Division II, fueledtheir current surge Jan. 17 with a1-0 home win over reigning Division I statechampion St. Paul’s. Prairieville senior striker Caleb Icklestippedoff histeam’sbiggest scoring night with agoal from point-blank range at the end of across from Joel Mackey 12 minutesinto the match. It represented ashift from last year’stitle match the Hurricaneswon in apenalty-kick shootout.

“Weappreciate Tara, they came in undefeated. They don’tknow how to lose, and they’re not used toit,” Garcia said. “I felt like if we could get agoal, it would have to getthemtochange what to do which is clog the middle.

“Wegot it and, luckily,we got acouple of more after that.”

Prairievilledominated play throughout, opening a 3-0 lead by halftimeonset

pieces from Mackey in the 28th minute and Carl Roussel in the 35th. Mackey’s goal cameonaheader in thebox after along throw from Price DeBarros,while theHurricanes perfectly executed ashort corner kick from Yelbin Alvarenga thatRousselburiedfrom the right side.

“Wehave kids with anose for the ball,” Garcia said. “It puts pressure on teams to know that’scoming.”

Tara (12-1-2, 4-0) spent the majority of the match trying to defend anddidn’t geta shot off untilAxelPicasso’soff-target attempt in stoppage timeinthe first half The Trojans, who had three shots overalland none on goal, lost for the

first time in the regular season in their past 21 games.

Prairieville’s unrelenting effort, which produced 21 of 31 shots on goal, resulted in five goalsfromfour different players with ElliotPhelps finishing with a brace that ended the game in the 78th minute.

BrantLawless, Kevin Sanchez,Phelps andHayden Monceauxall scored with assistsattributedtoMoss (two), Ickles, DeBarros (two) and Matthew McWilliams.

Goalkeeper Benjamin Tilley,who had asave, picked up his 14th shutout, while Tara’sFabio Moreno had seven saves.

“We’resuperexcitedfor the playoffs,” Ickles said. “We’ve had alot of big wins, alot of goals in games. We super excited to make arun foritinthe playoffs.”

Naumov heading to Olympics in parents’ honor

BY DAVE SKRETTA AP sportswriter

ST LOUIS Maxim Naumov sat

silently on a chair deep inside the Enterprise Center, away from the packed crowd in the arena, the prying eyes of the TV cameras, the friends, family and strangers who had been showering him wellwishes for the better part of a year Naumov stared at a photograph of him standing alongside his parents, former pairs world champions Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov It was taken when Naumov was about 3, a little tyke trying to find his footing on the ice for the first time. It had been stuck inside a photo album tucked away above the refrigerator in his Connecticut home.

Naumov’s parents, who had been coaches at the renowned Skating Club of Boston, were among 67 people killed more than two dozen of them members of the figure skating community

— when American Airlines Flight 5342 crashed into a military helicopter on approach to Ronald Reagan National Airport and fell into the icy Potomac River on Jan. 29, 2025.

Eleven skaters, four coaches and several of their family members had been returning from a development camp in Wichita, Kansas, after the national championships.

The younger Naumov had flown out earlier, shortly after finishing in fourth place.

“Once a week I try to have that space with them, in whatever ca-

pacity that might be,” Naumov said, after finishing third at this year’s U.S. championships, a placement that earned him a spot on the American team for the Milan Cortina Olympics.

“It could be a photo, talking to someone about them It could be anything,” Naumov said. “It’s been therapeutic in a way.”

One year later, Naumov carries the hopes and dreams of those affected by the crash with him to the Olympics, while the skating world continues to reflect on a tragedy that rocked a sport so tightly knit that everyone from 1956 Olympic champion Tenley Albright to kids just starting out seems to remember where they were when they heard the news.

“It was devastating. I’ve never

been that sad,” said Scott Hamilton, the 1984 Olympic champion. “So many promising young skaters were just gone.”

Those that lost their lives had competed for clubs scattered across the eastern seaboard, from the historic Boston club that produced such stars as Olympic champion Dick Button and Nancy Kerrigan, to the revered Washington Figure Skating Club, whose home rink in Rockville, Maryland, is about a 25-minute drive from the site of the crash.

The skaters ranged in ages from 11-16. Some were just starting on journeys they hoped would one day lead to the Olympics; others were late bloomers whose passion for the sport was evident in every axel and lutz

they landed.

Time seemed to freeze for those whose family members were aboard the plane. Those that didn’t live in the area tried to get there as quickly as possible, awaiting whatever answers the National Transportation Safety Board could provide. It soon became clear that there would be no survivors.

Naumov remembers the emotional toll of the first 24 hours.

Several of his close friends were by his side, including Spencer Howe, who along with pairs teammate Emily Chan will be joining Naumov at their first Winter Games next week in Italy

“When all that stuff was going down,” Howe recalled, “I was right there with him in Washington. We were getting updates and just trying to figure out what was going on, and the state of the situation. We just tried to do whatever we could.”

Naumov remembers those first weeks after the accident, when little things like getting out of bed or putting on his skates seemed impossible

“I just wanted to rot, basically,” he said.

The 24-year-old Naumov joined in the organization of a benefit in Washington to honor not only those who were killed in the collision but also the firefighters and emergency personnel who responded to it. The star-studded “Legacy on Ice” featured emotional performances by the likes of 13-year-old Isabella Aparicio,

SCOREBOARD

Luke Johnson, Britain, and Jan Zielinski, Poland, def. Mate Pavic, Croatia, and Marcelo Arevalo (4), El Salvador, 7-6 (5), 6-2. Marcel Granollers, Spain, and Horacio Zeballos (3), Argentina, def. Rafael Matos and Orlando Luz, Brazil, 6-3, 6-4.

Women’s Doubles

whose brother, Franco, and father, Luciano, were killed. Naumov, like many in the stands that day, wiped tears from his eyes following the performance.

The benefit raised well over $1 million for the families of those affected.

“I was proud to see the way people came together as a family,” said three-time world champion Ilia Malinin, the favorite to win Olympic gold who often trains out of SkateQuest in Northern Virginia with other members of the Washington Figure Skating Club. One of the last conversations that Naumov had with his parents came after his fourth-place finish at last year’s nationals, just hours before they boarded American Airlines Flight 5342 to begin their trip home. It focused on what their son would need to do to follow in his parents footsteps and compete in the Olympics.

One year later, Naumov put their plan into action at the U.S. championships. He stood up from that chair inside Enterprise Center tucked away that photo of his parents — it would reappear about 4 minutes later in the kissand-cry area — and proceeded to deliver the performance of his life, earning himself a place alongside Malinin and Andrew Torgashev on the podium. All three would be chosen for the powerhouse U.S. Olympic team.

“I just thought, ‘Look at what we’ve done. All the sacrifices we made. Everything we’ve been through,’” Naumov said.

8-16 1-2 18, Mzein 2-3 0-0 4, Childress 5-9 3-4 16, James 10-27 0-0 23, Barnett 3-7 0-0 7, Iroghama 0-1 1-2 1, Sutton 0-0 0-0 0, Pace 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 28-63 5-8 69. SOUTHERN (8-12) Barnes 0-1 0-0 0, Dixon 7-9 4-7 18, Jones 5-11

3-4 13, Jacobs 6-13 9-10 22, Oshodi 0-2 0-0 0 Manning 2-6 1-1 6, Magee 0-0 0-0 0, Abdelgowad 4-5 5-5 13, Dobuol 2-3 0-0 4, Hardy 1-3 2-2 4. Totals 27-53 24-29 80. Halftime—Southern 41-32. 3-Point Goals— Mississippi Valley State 8-24 (Childress 3-6, James 3-14, Barnett 1-1, Mayfield 1-3) Southern 2-12 (Manning 1-3, Jacobs 1-6, Hardy 0-1, Oshodi 0-2). Rebounds—Mississippi Valley State 30 (Mayfield 15), Southern University 33 (Jones 14). Assists—Mississippi Valley State 12 (Childress 5), Southern University 13 (Jacobs 7). Total Fouls—Mississippi Valley State 22, Southern 11. A—2,862 (7,500). State women’s schedule Tuesday Tulane at Memphis, ppd. Wednesday Old Dominion 85, UL-Monroe 62 Thursday UL at James Madison, 5 p.m. Lamar at Southeastern, 6 p.m. Grambling at Alcorn, 6 p.m. Southern at Jackson State, 6 p.m. McNeese at Stephen F. Austin, 6:30

Kennesaw State at Louisiana Tech, 6:30

UNO at East Texas A&M, 6:30 p.m. Nicholls at Northwestern, 6:30 p.m. Arkansas at LSU, 7 p.m. Friday None scheduled.

1-4 9, Alvarado 3-7 0-0 8, Fears 3-9 0-0 7. Totals 34-99 17-22 95. OKLAHOMA CITY (104) Jay.Williams 1-8 2-2 4, Wiggins 4-11 3-4 13, Holmgren 8-14 3-3 20, Dort 4-12 0-0 12, Gilgeous-Alexander 8-22 13-14 29, Dieng 2-5 0-0 4, K.Williams 1-2 0-0 3, Carlson 1-2 0-0 2 Barnhizer 0-0 0-0 0, Joe 6-11 0-0 17. Totals 35-87 21-23 104. New Orleans 14 32 23 26 — 95 Oklahoma City 17 31 31 25 — 104 3-Point Goals—New Orleans 10-40 (Bey 3-6, Matkovic 2-2, Alvarado 2-6, Fears 1-3, Jones 1-9, Murphy III 1-11, Peavy 0-3), Oklahoma City 13-38 (Joe 5-10, Dort 4-9, Wiggins 2-6, K.Williams 1-1, Holmgren 1-3, Carlson 0-1, Dieng 0-2, Gilgeous-Alexander 0-3, Jay.Williams 0-3). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds— New Orleans 54 (Bey 13), Oklahoma City 53 (Holmgren 14). Assists—New Orleans 25 (Bey, Jones, Murphy III 5), Oklahoma City 25 (Jay.Williams 5). Total Fouls—New Orleans 21, Oklahoma City 15. A—18,203 (18,203) Pro tennis

Australian Open results Wednesday At Melbourne Park Melbourne, Australia Purse: AUD111,500,000 Surface: Hardcourt outdoor Men’s Singles Quarterfinals Novak Djokovic (4), Serbia, def. Lorenzo Musetti (5), Italy, 4-6, 3-6, 3-1, ret. Jannik Sinner (2), Italy, def. Ben Shelton (8), United States, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4. Women’s Singles

Quarterfinals Elena Rybakina (5), Kazakhstan, def. Iga Swiatek (2), Poland, 7-5, 6-1. Jessica Pegula (6), United States, def. Amanda Anisimova (4), United States, 6-2 7-6 (1). Men’s Doubles Quarterfinals Christian Harrison, United States, and Neal Skupski (6), Britain, def. Patrik Rikl and Petr Nouza, Czechia, 6-2, 6-3.

Quarterfinals Zhang Shuai, China, and Elise Mertens (4), Belgium, def. Eri Hozumi, Japan, and FangHsien Wu, Taiwan, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3. Aleksandra Krunic, Serbia, and Anna Danilina (7), Kazakhstan, def. Taylor Townsend, United States, and Katerina Siniakova (1), Czechia, 6-2, 3-6, 6-0. Gabriela Dabrowski, Canada, and Luisa Stefani (5), Brazil, def. Hsieh Su-wei, Taiwan, and Jelena Ostapenko (3), Latvia, 6-1, 7-6 (5). Vera Zvonareva, Russia, and Ena Shibahara, Japan, def. Kimberly Birrell and Talia Gibson, Australia, 6-4, 6-7 (3), 7-5. Mixed Doubles Semifinals John Peers and Olivia Gadecki, Australia, def Nikola Mektic, Croatia, and Taylor Townsend (4),

(2),

Kristina Mladenovic and Manuel Guinard France,

Salvador, and Luisa

(2),

Pro

Smalley, 322.3. 9, Wyndham Clark, 321.8. 10, Isaiah Salinda, 321.4. Driving Accuracy Percentage 1, Chan Kim, 83.33%. 2, Joel Dahmen, 80.36%. 3 (tie), Michael Block and Andrew Putnam, 78.57%. 5, Si Woo Kim, 77.68%. 6 (tie), Blades Brown and Adam Scott, 76.79%. 8, Kensei Hirata, 76.53%. 9, 5 tied with 76.19%. Greens in Regulation Percentage 1, 10 tied with .00%.

Total Driving 1, Aldrich Potgieter, 10. 2, Blades Brown, 27. 3, David Ford, 38. 4, Corey Conners, 40. 5, Jesper Svensson, 45. 6, Taylor Moore, 46. 7, Collin Morikawa, 47. 8, Min Woo Lee, 52. 9, Karl Vilips, 54. 10, Adam Scott, 60. SG-Putting 1, Jason Day, 2.914. 2, Sami Valimaki, 2.637. 3, Alex Noren, 2.369. 4, Davis Riley, 2.337. 5, Kevin Roy, 1.738. 6, Matt Kuchar, 1.732. 7, Stephan Jaeger, 1.695. 8, Sam Ryder, 1.651. 9, Lee Hodges, 1.633. 10, Michael Kim, 1.573. Birdie Average 1, Scottie Scheffler, 8. 2 (tie), Jason Day and Andrew Putnam, 6.75. 4 (tie), Wyndham Clark, David Lipsky and Will Zalatoris, 6.5. 7, Frankie Capan

BY LINDA GASSENHEIMER

CRANK UP THE HEAT

Staff report

hen cold weather arrives in Louisiana, it seems like everyone in the state pulls out their gumbo pots and starts stirring the roux. Aside from gumbo, the warmest and coziest dishes always do the trick to combat the winter blues. Here are some favorites to try at home.

Oneword: Headphones

Dear Miss Manners: Strangers want to make small talk with me while waiting in grocery checkout lines, at bus stops, at the bank during flights, etc. Idonot want to make friends with strangers every time Istep outside my house. When this happens, Ican’tbring myself to tell these people, “I’m sorry, but Idon’treally want to talk,” because it is considered rude. Iattempt to drop gentle hints that Iwant to be left alone, through body language and short answers to their questions, but most of these people seem to be immune to hints.

Easy RotisserieChicken Broth

Judith Martin

Once on anine-hour flight, I was seated next to atalker, andIcraned my neck the other way for theentire nine hoursinorder toavoid catchingtheir eye, which would have led to along conversation First, theobvious question:How can I let these well-meaningfolksknow,without beingrude, that I do not wish to have a conversation?

MISS MANNERS

So, Iamforced to think up innovative ways to avoid talking while being careful not to hurt their feelings For instance, in order to avoid achatty lady who wants to become my friend at my regular bus stop, Igotoanother stop that is slightly out of my way

By The Associated Press

Today is Thursday

Jan. 29, the 29th day of 2026. There are 336 days left in the year

Todayinhistory:

On Jan. 29, 2002, in his first State of the Union address,President George W. Bush said terrorists were still threatening America —and warned of “an axis of evil” consisting of North Korea, Iran and Iraq. Also on this date: In 1891, following the death of her brother Kalakaua, Lili‘uokalani was sworn in as the firstand only queen of the Hawaiian Kingdom. (Her reign would end two years later when the Hawaiian monarchy was abolished following aU.S. military-supported coup d’état.)

In 1936, the first five inductees of baseball’sHall of Fame —TyCobb, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner,Christy Mathewson and Walter Johnson —were elected in Cooperstown, New York In 1979, President Jimmy Carter formally welcomed

Thesecondpart of my question is more philosophical than practical. Why is it not considered rude to engagemeinconversation against my will, butitIS consideredrude totellpeopleyou don’t wanttotalk? Whyistheir desire to talk to me morevalidthanmy wishnot to talk to them?Is there an etiquette rule that says Imust suffer instead of them?

Gentle reader: Ourideas about rules and laws are inevitably shaped by major ones likethe TenCommandmentsand the Bill of

TODAYINHISTORY

Chinese Vice Premier Deng Xiaopingtothe White House, following theestablishment of full diplomatic relations.

In 1995, theSan Francisco 49ers became the first team in NFL history to win five Super Bowl titles, beating the San DiegoChargers,4926, in Super Bowl XXIX. In 1998, abomb rocked an abortion clinic in Birmingham,Alabama, killing asecurity guard and critically injuringanurse. (The bomber,Eric Rudolph, also admitted to carryingout the deadly bombingatthe 1996 Atlanta Olympics and other attacksand is serving multiple lifesentences.)

In 2013, the Justice Departmentended its criminal probe of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disasterand Gulf of Mexico oil spill, with aU.S. judge agreeing to let London-based oil giantBPPLC plead guilty to manslaughter charges for thedeathsof11rig workers and pay arecord $4 billion in penalties. In 2017, six people were killed in ashootingata

Rights, which are short and pithy.But as aspecies, we don’tlike to read (or take) instructions. Even the big rules are understood to include fine print,like killing in self-defense or not shouting “fire” in acrowded theater Yes, it is impolitenot to respond when spoken to. Butitisalso impolite to engage someone in conversation against that person’s inclination.

Miss Manners assures you that you are not being impolite if, after one or two short responses, you find somethingtodothat won’t give you astiff neck and instead say,“Excuse me, I’m going to return to my book now.” Or “mythoughts.”

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

Quebec City mosque during evening prayers. (Alexandre Bissonnette, whowas arrested nearby,pleaded guiltytomurder and attempted murder charges and drew alife prison sentence.)

In 2025, amidair collision between an Army helicopter and an American Airlines regional jet killed all 67 people aboard both aircraft as the jet was landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, D.C. At least28bodies were pulled from theicy Potomac River Today’sbirthdays: Feminist author Germaine Greer is 87. Actor Katharine Rossis 86. Actor TomSelleck is 81. R&B singer Charlie Wilson is 73. TV host and media mogul Oprah Winfrey is 72. Olympic diving gold medalist Greg Louganis is 66. Football Hall of Famer Andre Reed is 62. Hockey Hall of Famer Dominik Hašek is 61. Actor-director Edward Burns is 58. Actor Sara Gilbert is 51. Pop-rock singer Adam Lambert is 44. Actor Jakob Davies is 23.

Cauliflower ‘Steaks’ With White Bean Puree and Chimichurri

Serves3-4.Recipe is by Gretchen McKay.

FORSTEAKS:

1largecauliflower Salt and pepper

1tablespoon smoked paprika

2tablespoons butter

3garlic cloves, coarsely chopped FOR CHIMICHURRI: 1cup packed fresh parsley leaves,including thin stems

1cup packed cilantro leaves, including thin stems

1shallot, chopped

2or3garlic cloves, peeled and smashed

½cup to 1cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided

¼cup red wine vinegar

1teaspoon dried oregano

1teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or more to taste

½teaspoon koshersalt, or more to taste FOR BEAN PUREE:

2(14-ounce) cans great northern or cannellini beans, rinsed and drained Juice of 1½ lemons

1largegarlic clove, minced

2tablespoons nutritional yeast

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Prepare the chimichurri. In blender or foodproces-

CAULIFLOWER

Continued from page1D

plant-forward recipe is another winner for brassica lovers. Instead of breaking the white head into florets or boiling and mashing it like you would potatoes, I sliced the cauliflower into thick “steaks.” Then, after seasoning the slabs with salt, pepper and smoked paprika, Ifried it in butter with minced garlic until it

sor,combine parsley, cilantro, shallots,garlic, ¼cup oliveoil, vinegar,oregano, black pepper,red pepper flakes and salt. Process until the ingredients are minced andcombined, adding more olive oil until you reach the desired consistency.Season to taste with moresalt or pepper, as desired, then transfer to asmall bowl (Sauce should be more like salad dressing than pesto.)

2. Prepare beans. Place beans into ablender with thejuice of1½lemons, 1 minced garlic clove, nutritional yeast and agenerous pinch ofsaltand pepper. Blend,addinga little bitof water at atime, untilyou get acreamyconsistency.Ifyou like, add alittle garlic powder or whitemisofor extra oomph

3. Chop2 or 3thick flat steaks out of themiddleof thecauliflower by slicing from the stalkuptothe top. Save the floretsthatfalloff for another recipe or addto apan with alittle salt, pepper,paprika and olive oil andstir-fry until brownand

was crispyonbothsides

The steaks then went into ahot oven andwere slowroasteduntil they were tenderenough to be pierced with afork The coup de maître?After plating the cauliflower on aswoosh of lemony white bean puree, Itopped it with abright and herbaceous (and garlicky) chimichurri made withfresh parsleyand cilantro. If eating moreveggies is a newyear’sgoal, Isucceeded brilliantly with this dish

1plain rotisserie chicken (meat removed and saved for another meal)

1onion, quartered 3carrots, sliced 2celeryribs, sliced

crispy to serve on top of the finished dish.

4. Preheat oven to 400 F.

5. Season steaks withsalt pepper and paprika on both sides.

6. Add buttertoalarge cast-ironorotherovenproof pan(mine measured 12 inches)and heat over medium-high heat.

7. When butter is sizzling, add cauliflower slices and garlic and allow tocook for about5minutesuntil you getagood sear on oneside of the steaks. (You will want to press it down withaspatula.) Then flip andcook the othersideuntil seared and golden brown.

8. Place pan in preheated oven and roast until thecauliflower is tender and deeply golden brown, about 20 minutes. (You will be able to easily pierce it with afork.)

9. To serve, spoon ½cup bean pureeinto the middle of aplateand spread it in acircle withaspatula. Place cauliflower steakontop,drizzle withchimichurri and scatter over thefried reserved cauliflower bits,ifusing.

and you can, too! When choosing cauliflower,look for creamy white heads thatfeel heavy,with tightly packed florets.There shouldn’tbeany black spots on the curds —that’s asign the veggie is getting old and on aroad to being tossed (though you can still eat it if you cut the spots off) Youcan useany mix of fresh herbs for the chimichurri. Justbesure to add some vinegar along with the garlic and crushed red pepper to brighten the flavor

3cloves of garlic Salt 1teaspoon black peppercorns 2bay leaves 4quarts of water

1. In alarge stock pot, combine all of the ingredients and cover with water

2. Bring thepot to aboil, then reduceheat and let the stock simmer on low for about 2hours.

3. Turn off the heat, and let the stock cool. Use a fine-mesh strainer to strain stock and set aside to use forsoup.

Albondigas

My mother-in-law’salbondigas recipe is, like her,very flexible and forgiving. It is also theperfect cold-weather treat. When Imake it, rarely do Imeasureanything, but for those who need exactness, Iwill do my best to get the albondigas recipe downprecisely —though it is important to note that it’sadish that you can easily adjust to suit your family’stastes. Recipe by Jan Risher,astaught to her by Maria Luisa Saldano Arrendondo de Naudin.

8-10 cups of chicken broth

1wholeonion

1.5 pounds good hamburger meat

¾cup to 1cup uncooked shortgrain rice

Jalapeños to taste (I sometimes use one, as the Rotel provides enough heat for me,but my husband prefers more.)

1bunch cilantro

1can Rotel or 2cups chopped tomatoes

1. Startwith alarge pot. Add8to10cups of chicken broth (make your own, buy or use bouillon) and awhole onion.

2. Mix 1.5 pounds of good hamburger meat (or ground chuck) in abowl withuncooked rice. Mix together with your hands.

Albondigasisatraditional Mexicanmeatball soup.

3. Once the meat and rice are mixed, turn on thepot of broth on medium heat. Immediately start making meatballs with the beef/rice mixture(aboutthe size of

Cassoulet

Serves 6-8. RecipeisbyConny Hibbeler

125-ounce bottlewine —rosé or drywhite, divided 8ounces pancetta or thick bacon, chopped 1small onion, chopped ½stalk celery, chopped 1clove garlic, chopped 10 ounces cherry tomatoes (optionally chopped, see step No. 7)

¼cup fresh parsley,chopped 1tablespoon (approximately 7leaves) fresh basil, torn, or 1 teaspoon dried basil 1carrot, chopped 1 8 teaspoon ground cloves 1 8 teaspoon nutmeg 1teaspoon liquid aminos or soy sauce 1sprig fresh thyme or 1 8 teaspoon dried thyme 315-ounce cans cannellini beans (or other white bean such as great northern), rinsed and drained 12.8-ounce jar duck rillettes or duck confit, divided (optional) 1tablespoon canned mutton,or other chopped braised meatlike pork or beef ¼to1cup chicken stock ½to1cup breadcrumbs 1to3teaspoons olive oil Coarse kosher salt and pepper to taste

1. Pour yourself aglass of wine or other beverage of your choice to enjoy while cooking.

2. Renderthe pancetta in asaute pan over low heat.

3. Add¼cup wine topancetta andlet braiseonlow heat for 5minutes.

4. Removepancetta with a slotted spoon; set aside.

5. Saute onions in thepancetta grease over medium heat for 3-5 minutes.

6. Add celery,garlic, tomatoes, carrot, parsley,basil, thyme, cloves, nutmeg, liquidaminos and asplash of wine to the pan. Cover, turn heat to low, andlet cook 5-10 minutes.

golf balls or slightly smaller). Place each meatball in the broth.

4. Cook as slowlyaspossible. If broth comes to a boil, turn down to low,cover and cook on low for 10 more minutes.

5. The meatballs will start floating as they’re cooked.(If youcook it too fast, themeatballs and rice will break up andcome apart. It’s still delicious, just not as pretty.)

6. Then, Iprefer to add one can of roasted tomato mild Rotel(though youcan chop tomatoes and add jalapeños to your taste).

7. Cook about 10-15 more minutes. Then add abunch of fresh cilantro, chopped. Turn off theburner.Serve and enjoy

stirringcassoulet,

originating in Southwest France.

7. Remove pan from heat and use an immersion blender or potato masher to puree the tomatoes. To reduce the potential messiness of this step,tomatoes can be chopped before adding them to the pan in step

6. Let the mixture rest.

8. Divide beans into three bowls. In first bowl, mixin half the pancetta. In second bowl,mix in 1tablespoon duck, if using. In third bowl, mix in muttonorother chopped braised meat

9. Stir remaining pancetta and duck into the vegetable mixresting in the pan.

10. Add one bowlofbean-

meat mixture to the pan at atime, stirring between additions.

11. Cover and let simmer on medium-high foratleast 15 to 20 minutes.Consistency should be somewhere between asoupand astew Adjust consistency with chicken stock if necessary

12. Remove from heat and let rest at least 5minutes. Before serving, top withbreadcrumbs anda generous drizzle of olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and black pepper fortexture and taste.

13. Serve with abaguette and asimple green salad.

BUSINESS

BRIEFS

FROM WIRE REPORTS

Stocks hold near high while dollar stabilizes NEWYORK Few ripples washed through Wall Street Wednesday after the Federal Reserve decided to hold its main interest rate steady, just like investors expected.

The U.S. stock and bond markets each remained at a virtual standstill, while the U.S. dollar stabilized following its sharp recent slide. Some of the strongest action remained in the gold market, where the metal’s price jumped to another record

Seagate Technology jumped 19.1% for the biggest gain in the S&P 500 after the seller of hard drives and other data-storage products reported a bigger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected.

CEO Dave Mosley cited demand driven by artificial-intelligence applications, among other things.

Nvidia, the stock that’s become the poster child of the AI boom, climbed 1.6% and was the strongest single force lifting the S&P 500. It also benefited from an encouraging report from ASML, whose machinery helps make chips.

CEO Christophe Fouquet said customers have been notably more encouraged about “the sustainability” of AI demand. That helped allay concerns that the AI frenzy has gone overboard and created a potential bubble that may burst.

Amazon cuts about 16,000 corporate jobs

Amazon is slashing about 16,000 corporate jobs in the second round of mass layoffs for the ecommerce company in three months.

The tech giant has said it plans to use generative artificial intelligence to replace corporate workers. It has also been reducing a workforce that swelled during the pandemic.

Beth Galetti, a senior vice president at Amazon, said in a blog post Wednesday that the company has been “reducing layers, increasing ownership, and removing bureaucracy.”

The company did not say what business units would be impacted, or where the job cuts would occur

The latest reductions follow a round of job cuts in October, when Amazon said it was laying off 14,000 workers While some Amazon units completed those “organizational changes” in October, others did not finish until now, Galetti said.

Tesla plunges to lowest level since pandemic

NEW YORK Tesla’s annual profit plunged to its lowest level since the pandemic five years ago as it ceded the title of the world’s biggest electric vehicle maker to a Chinese rival and boycotts hammered sales.

The EV company run by Elon Musk reported Wednesday that net income last year dropped 46% to $3.8 billion. It was the second year in a row with a steep drop in profit. The decline came despite the introduction of cheaper models and Musk’s promise to remain laser-focused on the company after a foray into U.S politics.

Meta posts strong Q4 results as costs soar

Meta’s fourth-quarter results jumped past Wall Street’s expectations thanks to solid advertising revenue, sending shares higher in after-hours trading Wednesday The company earned $22.77 billion, or $8.88 per share, in the October-December quarter That’s up 9% from $20.84 billion, or $8.02 per share, in the same period a year earlier Revenue grew 24% to $59.89 billion from $48.39 billion.

Meta’s expenses, which the company already warned will be significantly higher this year, grew 40% to $35.15 billion For the current quarter

Meta is forecasting revenue in the range of $53.5 billion to $56.5 billion.

Meta had 78,865 employees at the end of the year an increase of 6% from a year earlier.

Fed keeps interest rates

should boost hiring over time. The central bank in a statement said there were signs the job market is stabilizing.

BY CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP economics writer

WASHINGTON The Federal Reserve pushed the pause button on its interest rate cuts Wednesday, leaving its key rate unchanged at about 3.6% after lowering it three times last year

Chair Jerome Powell said at a news conference that the economy’s outlook “has clearly improved since the last meeting” in December, a development that

With the economy growing at a healthy pace and the unemployment rate appearing to level off, Fed officials likely see little reason to rush any further rate cuts. While most policymakers do expect to reduce borrowing costs further this year, many want to see evidence that stubbornly-elevated inflation is moving closer to the central bank’s target of 2%. According to the Fed’s preferred measure, inflation was 2.8% in November, slightly higher than a year ago.

Two officials dissented from the decision, with Governors Stephen Miran and Christopher Waller preferring another quarter-point reduction.

assailed Powell for not sharply cutting short-term rates. A reduction in the Fed’s key rate tends to lower borrowing costs for things like mortgages, car loans, and business borrowing, though those rates are also influenced by market forces. A key issue facing the Fed is how long it will remain on hold. The rate-setting committee remains split between those officials opposed to further cuts until inflation comes down, and those who want to lower rates to further support hiring. Trump continues to insist they be lowered

President Donald Trump appointed Miran in September, and he had dissented at the three previous meetings in favor of a half-point cut. Waller is under consideration by the White House to replace Powell, whose term ends in May The Fed’s decision to stand pat will likely fuel further criticism from Trump, who has relentlessly

Rubio details how U.S. will control Venezuela’s oil money

U.S. will have oversight over account that disperses funds

BY DAVID KLEPPER and REGINA GARCIA CANO Associated Press

WASHINGTON The Trump administration soon will allow Venezuela to sell oil now subject to U.S. sanctions, with the revenue initially dedicated to basic government services such as policing and health care and subject to Washington’s oversight, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday

The United States will retain control in the short term to ensure the oil revenue is used to stabilize Venezuela, Rubio said at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing. He noted that the interim leaders of the South American country will submit “a budget” every month of what they need funded.

“The funds from that (oil sales) will be deposited into an account that we will have oversight over,” Rubio said, adding that the U.S. Treasury would control the process. Venezuela, he said, “will spend that money for the benefit of the Venezuelan people.”

Rubio offered new insight into how the U.S. is planning to handle the sale of tens of millions of barrels of oil from Venezuela, which has the largest proven reserves of crude in the world, and oversee where the money flows. After the U.S. raid that captured thenPresident Nicolás Maduro this month, the U.S is working to influence the next steps in the South American country through its vast oil resources.

The U.S. will not subsidize oil industry investments in Venezuela, Rubio said, and is only overseeing the sale of sanctioned petroleum as an “interim step.”

“This is simply a way to divide revenue so that there isn’t systemic collapse while we work through this recovery and transition,” Rubio said.

Democrats and some Republicans on the committee pressed Rubio for more details about President Donald Trump’s plans for Venezuela’s oil. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., asked for assurances from Rubio that the sale of Venezuelan oil will be fair and open, not rigged to benefit oil companies allied with Trump.

“You are taking their oil at gunpoint, you are holding and selling that oil you’re deciding how and for what purposes that money is going to be used in a country of 30 million people,” Murphy said. “I think a lot of us believe that that is destined for failure.”

Under Maduro, Rubio said Venezuela’s oil industry benefited the country’s corrupt leaders and countries such as China, which

avoid having the proceeds seized by American creditors and because of other legal complications that stem from the U.S. not considering Maduro’s government legitimate, Rubio said.

Hundreds of millions of dollars have already been set aside and as much as $3 billion more is anticipated, he said.

“It’s an account that belongs to Venezuela, but it has U.S. sanctions as a blocking mechanism,” Rubio said. “We only control the dispersal of the money we don’t control the actual money.”

Earlier this month, acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez said cash from oil sales would flow into two sovereign wealth funds: one to support crisis-stricken health services and a second to bolster public infrastructure, including the electric grid.

The country’s hospitals are so poorly equipped that patients are asked to provide supplies needed for their care, from syringes to surgical screws. They also must pay for lab and imaging tests at private hospitals.

purchased Venezuelan oil at a discount. Now Venezuela’s interim leaders are assisting the U.S. in seizing illegal oil shipments, he said. The U.S. will give Venezuela’s current leaders instructions on how the money can and cannot be spent and conduct audits to ensure it is used as intended, Rubio said. He said Venezuela could use the money to pay for policing or to buy medicine.

The fund was initially set up in Qatar to

On Tuesday during a televised event to announce the revamping of various health care facilities, Rodríguez said her government and the U.S. administration “have established respectful and courteous channels of communication” since Maduro was captured.

Neither Rodríguez nor her government’s press office commented on Rubio’s remarks Wednesday

Companies that supplied milk powder linked to formula botulism

BY JONEL ALECCIA Associated Press

Two suppliers provided dried milk powder that could be a culprit in the outbreak of botulism tied to ByHeart infant formula that has sickened dozens of babies, The Associated Press has learned. Organic whole milk powder that tested positive for the type of bacteria that causes botulism was made from milk provided by Organic West Milk Inc., a California company and processed at a Dairy Farmers of America plant in Fallon, Nevada, company officials said. The source of the contamination, however is not yet known. Both companies and the U.S. Food and

Drug Administration emphasized that the investigation into the unprecedented outbreak that has sickened 51 babies in 19 states is ongoing.

Bill Van Ryn, an owner of Organic West Milk, said he learned last week that a sample of his company’s milk powder collected by the FDA had tested positive for the germ that causes botulism.

But that doesn’t mean his product is the source of the outbreak, Van Ryn stressed.

“Nothing has been proven about our milk yet,” he said, adding:

“Something happened in the process of converting the milk to powder and then in converting it to baby formula.” Organic West, which supplies

milk from 55 farmers, didn’t sell organic whole milk powder to any infant formula maker besides ByHeart, Van Ryn said. The milk company has halted sales of the powder used in any product intended for babies and children until more is known about the source of the outbreak, he added. Powdered milk is made by pasteurizing liquid milk, concentrating it through evaporation and spraying it into a hot chamber, which causes the water to evaporate and leave behind fine dry milk particles.

The Dairy Farmers of America is a global dairy cooperative Its plant in Nevada processes about 1.5 million pounds of raw milk daily into 250,000 pounds of whole

milk powder

The Dairy Farmers of America said in a statement that Organic West was the source of milk for the sample that FDA collected that tested positive for botulism bacteria.

The milk was processed into powder that met all required tests, the company said. Organic West subsequently sold the milk powder to ByHeart.

FDA officials said on Jan. 23 that a sample of organic whole milk powder collected from a supplier had tested positive for the botulism bacteria, though the agency didn’t identify the supplier Tests showed that sample was a genetic match to a sample taken from a finished can of ByHeart formula.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Let your emotions take over; followyourheart. Embrace life and love, andstrive to make happiness your objective. Someoneyou encounter will capture your attention.

PISCES (Feb.20-March 20) Be reasonable; if you let your emotions or ego getin theway common sense or reason, you will end up in anegative situation. Take timetofocus on personalgrowthand happiness.

ARIES (March 21-April19) Be honest with yourself. Assesssituations from every angle and consider your partinwhatever transpires. Do yourpart; afriendly demeanor, gesture or kind word will help keep the peace.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Keep your thoughts and plans to yourself. Offeringtoo much information will leave you vulnerable. Consider shifting your priorities and using your skills more aggressively.

GEMINI(May 21-June 20) Revisit your plans before you initiate achange.The legwork you do beforehand will determine how well things turn out. Useyour strengths and talk your way forward.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) Expansive ideas will spark opportunitiesifyou talk to someone in aposition of authority. Invest in your physical well-being andsharpenyour skills to maintain your edge.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Don't let egostep in and take the reins. If you think you know everything, you'llget ataste of

whatit's like to find outyou don't. It's best to keep an open mind, askquestions andlistencarefully.

VIRGO (Aug.23-Sept. 22) Stop worrying about what others think or do and pay more attention to howyou can achieve personal gratification.Takecontrol andhead down the path that helps you find aniche andenjoyyourlife.

LIBRA (Sept.23-Oct. 23) Distanceyourself from moodyindividuals whotend to exaggerateand manipulatesituations. Attendeventsthat are conducive to hookingupwithpeople whoinspire youand spark your imagination

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) Go over every detail with care, andyou'll save yourself money, timeand effort in establishing new goals. Don't count on others to honor promises or to workfor little return.

SAGITTARIUS(Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Take advantage of an opportunity to share your thoughts and intentions and to displaysome of your finerqualities. Remove barriers swiftly andcarry on with your business.

CAPRICORN (Dec.22-Jan. 19) Look for opportunities andgoafterwhatyou want. Change beginswithyou and the moves youmake. Communicate, eliminate andmoveforward with afinetuned agenda

The horoscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact. ©2026 by NEA, Inc., dist.ByAndrews McMeel Syndication

Sudoku

InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placingpuzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object 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. The difficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday

BY PHILLIP ALDER

Inyesterday’scolumn,Idescribedhow

Peter Fredin from Sweden analyzed an auction to deduce the look of theother three hands, then drove into alaydown slam that was missed by his opponents in ateam match. Today, hereismyfavoritecallof2013. It happened too late for the International Bridge PressAssociation awards, but Istill wanttogive it the recognitionit deserves.

It was originally described by Marek Wojcicki,formanyyearsthecoachofthe Polishopen team. The deal arose during October’s Cavendish Invitational Pairs in Monaco.

Look at only the West hand, which was held by Bartosz Chmurski. Withneither sidevulnerable, your partner opens three clubs (some 5-9high-card points with six strong or seven respectable clubs)and South overcalls threehearts. What would you have done? What do you think Chmurski did?

At two tables at least,West psyched with three spades. However, oneEast could not take ajoke. AfterNorth-South reached seven hearts, Eastsacrificed in seven spades. This was doubled and down 12 for minus 3,200!

Mostplayers bidsomenumber of clubs, but 17 of the29pairsreached agrand slam. (Seven no-trump was reached twice, sevenhearts 13 times, and seven diamonds twice.)Chmurski did best of all. He doubled three hearts forpenalty!Heplanned to runtoclubs if North redoubled, but North thoughtlessly passed. Three hearts doubled and made with four overtricks wasworth only930,notevenasgoodasasmallslam withanovertrick.

©2026 by NEA, Inc., dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication

Each Wuzzleisaword riddle which creates adisguised word, phrase, name, place, saying, etc. For example: NOONGOOD =GOOD AFTERNOON

Previous answers:

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 words made by adding a“d” or an “s” may not be used. 4. Proper nouns,slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.

toDAY’sWoRD MARGIns: MAR-jins: The outside limits or edges of something.

Average mark 18 words Time limit 35 minutes

Can you find 26 or more words in MARGINS?

YEstERDAY’s WoRD —ALREADY

Space AndCommonArea Requirements),Sec 160137(SO Site Development Regulations), andAppen‐dix A(“ZoningDistricts”) Of TheWestBaton Rouge ParishCodeOfOrdi‐nances.

Hearing Date: APUBLIC HEARING will beheldbythe West Baton RougeZoning Commission relative to the rezoning requests Date:Tuesday,February 3,2026 Time 5:30 pm APUBLIC HEARING will beheldbythe West BatonRouge Parish Council relative to there‐zoningrequests. Date:Thursday,February 12, 2026 Time 5:30 pm Public hearings will be held at theWestBaton Rouge Parish Govern‐mentalBuilding, 880 N. Alexander, Port Allen, LA 70767 173954-JAN15-22-29-3T $81

SHERIFF’SSALE UNION HOME MORTGAGE CORP. VS.COLBY ALEXANDERMCDANIEL DOCKET NO:50582 18TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT WEST BATON ROUGE PARISH STATEOF LOUISIANA By virtue of aWritof Seizure