The Advocate 01-31-2026

‘Louisiana has the assets to be incredibly successful’

Commerce Secretary Lutnick sees bright future for state

BY MARK BALLARD Staff writer

Eight escape from jail in N. La.

Four of the escapees were being held for Baton Rouge

BY QUINN COFFMAN Staff writer

Eight inmates escaped the River Bend Detention Center in Lake Providence early Friday — including four being held for Baton Rouge, one a murder suspect who was still at large late in the day By Friday afternoon, three of the eight had been recaptured. They were reported missing around 1:20 a.m. Friday, according to Louisiana State Police. Four of them were facing charges in East Baton Rouge Parish. “All fugitives are considered violent offenders. Do not approach under any circumstances. If you observe or have information regarding their whereabouts, contact law enforcement immediately,” LSP said in a statement Friday afternoon.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick pointed to huge projects being developed in Louisiana and said the pieces are in place for the state to become the next generation’s economic powerhouse “Great assets left in the garage don’t produce anything. You need leadership. You need the talent. You need drive,” Lutnick said in a luncheon at Washington Mardi Gras on Friday “Louisiana has the assets to be incredibly successful.

ä While in Washington New Orleans Mayor Moreno gets chance to meet with President Trump. Page 7A

ä Photos from Friday’s activities in Washington Page 7A

Gov Jeff Landry said the state’s energy economy and infrastructure is fueling that growth.

“For so long, our citizens have been used to bad news They don’t know or they don’t believe because when they heard good news before, they didn’t believe it was sustainable,” Landry said.

ä See ASSETS, page 6A

At least four were being held on murder counts. Neither State Police nor the East Carroll Parish Sheriff’s Office has provided details on how the eight men escaped. Three of the inmates with charges in East Baton Rouge Parish have since been captured and returned to custody: 31-year-old Savon Wheeler, 27-year-old Hugo Molino and 29-year-old Trenton Taplin.

Because of limited space at its aging prison, East Baton Rouge Parish regularly pays other parishes to hold its inmates, often those awaiting trial.

According to a spokesperson for the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office, a total of 454 inmates are kept at facilities outside of the parish. Of those, 381 are detained in East Carroll Parish.

Taplin is facing charges of second-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder He was taken into police custody in 2020 in a shooting that killed 23-yearold Gary Fieldings and injured a 21-year-old woman. He has had multiple sanity hearings in the case, with another scheduled for April.

ä See ESCAPE, page 5A

BY CLAIRE GRUNEWALD Staff writer

After

DOJ opens civil rights probe in Minn. killing

BY MICHAEL BIESECKER, REBECCA SANTANA and ALANNA DURKIN RICHER Associated Press

WASHINGTON The Justice Department has opened a federal civil rights investigation into the shooting of Alex Pretti, the Minneapolis resident killed Saturday by Border Patrol officers, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said Friday

“We’re looking at everything that would shed light on what happened that day and in the days and weeks leading up to what happened,” Blanche said during a news conference. Blanche did not explain why

the DOJ decided to open an investigation into Pretti’s killing, but has said a similar probe is not warranted in the Jan 7 death of Renee Good, who was shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Minneapolis. He said only on Friday that the Civil Rights Division does not investigate every law enforcement shooting and that there have to be circumstances and facts that “warrant an investigation.”

“President Trump has said repeatedly, ‘Of course, this is something we’re going to investigate,’” Blanche said of the

ä See PROBE, page 5A

BRIEFS FROM WIRE REPORTS

Thousand face arctic blast without power

BELZONI, Miss. As tens of thousands of people endured nearly a week with no electricity, another storm loomed on the East Coast where residents braced for nearhurricane force winds, heavy snow and potential flooding.

More than 230,000 homes and businesses were without electricity Friday, with the vast majority of those outages in Mississippi and Tennessee, according to the outage tracking website poweroutage.us.

In Mississippi’s Lafayette County, where about 12,000 people were still without electricity midday Friday, emergency management agency spokesperson Beau Moore said he knows not everyone will get power back before the cold hits.

Workers are attacking the project by ground and air A video on the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Facebook page shows a worker sitting on the skids of a hovering helicopter so they can repair a giant power structure.

Arctic air moving into the Southeast will cause already frigid temperatures to plummet into the teens on Friday night in cities like Nashville, Tennessee, where many still lacked power nearly a week after a massive storm dumped snow and ice across the eastern U.S., the National Weather Service said.

Forecasters say the subfreezing weather will persist in the eastern U.S. into February and there’s high chance of heavy snow in the Carolinas, Virginia and northeast Georgia this weekend, possibly up to a foot in parts of North Carolina. Snow is also possible along the East Coast from Maryland to Maine

Satellite photos show activity at Iran nuke sites

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates As tensions soar over Iran’s bloody crackdown on nationwide protests, satellite images show activity at two Iranian nuclear sites bombed last year by Israel and the United States that may be a sign of Tehran trying to obscure efforts to salvage any materials remaining there.

The images from Planet Labs PBC show roofs have been built over two damaged buildings at the Isfahan and Natanz facilities, the first major activity noticeable by satellite at any of the country’s stricken nuclear sites since Israel’s 12-day war with Iran in June. Those coverings block satellites from seeing what’s happening on the ground right now the only way for inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency to monitor the sites as Iran has prevented access. Iran has not publicly discussed the activity at the two sites. The IAEA, a watchdog agency of the United Nations, did not respond to requests for comment President Donald Trump repeatedly has demanded Iran negotiate a deal over its nuclear program to avert threatened American military strikes over the country’s crackdown on protesters.

Extreme cold delays

manned Artemis launch

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA has delayed astronauts’ upcoming trip to the moon because of nearfreezing temperatures expected at the launch site.

The first Artemis moonshot with a crew is now targeted for no earlier than Feb. 8, two days later than planned.

NASA was all set to conduct a fueling test of the 322-foot moon rocket on Saturday, but called everything off late Thursday because of the expected cold. The critical dress rehearsal is now set for Monday weather permitting. The change leaves NASA with only three days in February to send four astronauts around the moon and back, before slipping into March.

DOJ releases more Epstein files

Department says trove includes 3 million pages

BY ERIC TUCKER, MICHAEL R. SISAK and ALANNA DURKIN RICHER Associated Press

NEW YORK The Justice Department on Friday released many more records from its investigative files on Jeffrey Epstein, resuming disclosures under a law intended to reveal what the government knew about the millionaire financier’s sexual abuse of young girls and his interactions with rich and powerful people such as Donald Trump and Bill Clinton.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said the department would be releasing more than 3 million pages of documents as well as more than 2,000 videos and 180,000 images. The files, posted to the department’s website, include some of the several million pages of records that officials said were withheld from an initial release in December.

Included were documents concerning some of Epstein’s famous associates, including Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor formerly known as Britain’s Prince Andrew, and email correspondence between Epstein and Elon Musk and other prominent contacts from across the political spectrum.

The documents were disclosed under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, the law enacted after months of public and political pressure that requires the government to open its files on the late financier and his confidant and onetime girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell Lawmakers complained when the Justice Department made only a

limited release last month, but officials said more time was needed to review an additional trove of documents that was discovered and to scour the records to ensure no sensitive information about victims was inadvertently released.

Friday’s disclosure represents the largest document dump to date about a saga the Trump administration has struggled for months to shake because of the president’s previous association with Epstein. State and federal investigations into the financier have long animated online sleuths, conspiracy theorists and others who have suspected government cover-ups and clamored for a full accounting, demands that even Blanche acknowledged might not be satisfied by the latest release.

“There’s a hunger, or a thirst, for information that I don’t think will be satisfied by the review of these documents,” he said at a news conference.

After missing a Dec. 19 deadline

set by Congress to release all the files, the Justice Department said it tasked hundreds of lawyers with reviewing the records to determine what needed to be redacted, or blacked out. But it denied any effort to shield Trump, who says he cut ties with Epstein years ago after an earlier friendship, from potential embarrassment.

The latest batch of documents includes correspondence either with or about some of Epstein’s friends.

The records have thousands of references to Trump, including emails in which Epstein and others shared news articles about him, commented on his policies or politics, or gossiped about him and his family Also included was a spreadsheet created last August summarizing calls to the FBI’s National Threat Operation Center or to a hotline established by prosecutors from people claiming without corroboration to have some knowledge of wrongdoing by Trump.

Mountbatten-Windsor’s name

appears at least several hundred times in the documents, sometimes in news clippings, sometimes in Epstein’s private email correspondence and in guest lists for dinners organized by Epstein. Some of the records also document an attempt by prosecutors in New York to get the former prince to agree to be interviewed as part of their Epstein sex trafficking probe.

The records also show Musk, the billionaire Tesla founder, reached out to Epstein on at least two separate occasions to plan visits to the Caribbean island where many of the allegations of sexual abuse purportedly occurred.

In a 2012 exchange, Epstein asked how many people Musk would like flown by helicopter to the island he owned.

“Probably just Talulah and me,” Musk responded, referencing his then-partner, actress Talulah Riley “What day/night will be the wildest party on our island?” Musk messaged Epstein again ahead of a planned Caribbean trip in 2013. “Will be in the BVI/St Bart’s areaovertheholidays,”hewrote.“Is there a good time to visit?” Epstein extended an invitation for sometime after the New Year holiday It’s not immediately clear if the island visits took place. Spokespeople for Musk’s companies, Tesla and X, didn’t immediately respond to emails seeking comment.

Musk has maintained that he repeatedly turned down the disgraced financier’s overtures.

“Epstein tried to get me to go to his island and I REFUSED,” he posted on X in 2025 last year when House Democrats released an Epstein calendar with an entry mentioning a potential Musk visit to the island.

The documents also contain friendly text messages between Epstein and Steve Bannon.

Don Lemon charged in anti-ICE church protest

Journalist faces federal civil rights counts

BY JAIMIE DING, ALANNA DURKIN RICHER and ERIC TUCKER Associated Press

LOS ANGELES Journalist

Don Lemon was released from custody Friday after he was arrested and hit with federal civil rights charges over his coverage of an anti-immigration enforcement protest that disrupted a service at a Minnesota church.

Lemon was arrested overnight in Los Angeles, while another independent journalist and two protest participants were arrested in Minnesota. He struck a confident, defiant tone while speaking to reporters after a court appearance in California, declaring: “I will not be silenced.”

“I have spent my entire career covering the news. I will not stop now,”

Judge

Lemon said. “In fact there is no more important time than right now, this very moment, for a free and independent media that shines a light on the truth and holds those in power accountable.”

The arrests brought sharp criticism from news media advocates and civil rights activists including the Rev Al Sharpton, who said the administration of President Donald Trump is taking a “sledgehammer” to “the knees of the First Amendment.”

for a $100,000 bond, telling a judge that Lemon “knowingly joined a mob that stormed into a church.”

He was released, however, without having to post money and was granted permission to travel to France in June while the case is pending.

A grand jury in Minnesota indicted Lemon and others on charges of conspiracy and interfering with the First Amendment rights of worshippers during the Jan. 18 protest at the Cities Church in St. Paul, where a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement official is a pastor

In court in Los Angeles, Assistant U.S Attorney Alexander Robbins argued

Defense attorney Marilyn Bednarski said Lemon plans to plead not guilty and fight the charges in Minnesota. Lemon, wh o was fired from CNN in 2023 following a bumpy run as a morning host, has said he has no affiliation to the organization that went into the church and he was there as a solo journalist chronicling protesters.

“Don has been a journalist for 30 years, and his constitutionally protected work in Minneapolis was no different than what he has always done,” his lawyer, Abbe Lowell, said in a statement earlier Friday

Attorney General Pam

bars feds from seeking death penalty against Luigi Mangione

BY MICHAEL R. SISAK and LARRY NEUMEISTER Associated Press

NEW YORK Federal prosecutors can’t seek the death penalty against Luigi Mangione in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO

Brian Thompson, a federal judge ruled Friday, foiling the Trump administration’s bid to see him executed for what it called a “premeditated, coldblooded assassination that shocked America.” Judge Margaret Garnett dismissed a federal murder charge that had enabled prosecutors to seek capital punishment, finding it technically flawed. She wrote that she did so to “foreclose the death penalty as an available punishment to be considered by the jury” as it weighs whether to con-

vict Mangione. Garnett also dismissed a gun charge but left in place stalking charges that carry a maximum punishment of life in prison. To seek the death penalty, prosecutors needed to show that Mangione killed Thompson while committing another “crime of violence.” Stalking doesn’t fit that definition, Garnett wrote in her opinion, citing case law and legal precedents. In a win for prosecutors, Garnett ruled they can use evidence collected from his backpack during his arrest, including a 9 mm handgun and a notebook in which authorities say Mangione described his intent to “wack” an insurance executive. Mangione’s lawyers had sought to exclude those items, arguing the search was illegal because

police hadn’t yet obtained a warrant.

During a hearing Friday, Garnett gave prosecutors 30 days to update her on whether they’ll appeal her death penalty decision. A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhattan, which is prosecuting the federal case, declined to comment Garnett acknowledged that the decision “may strike the average person — and indeed many lawyers and judges as tortured and strange, and the result may seem contrary to our intuitions about the criminal law.” But, she said, it reflected her “committed effort to faithfully apply the dictates of the Supreme Court to the charges in this case. The law must be the Court’s only concern.”

Bondi promoted the arrests on social media.

“Make no mistake. Under President Trump’s leadership and this administration, you have the right to worship freely and safely,” Bondi said in a video posted online.

“And if I haven’t been clear already, if you violate that sacred right, we are coming after you.”

Since he left CNN, Lemon has joined the legion of journalists who have gone into business for themselves. He posts regularly on YouTube

and has not hidden his disdain for Trump. Yet during his online show from the church, he stressed: “I’m not here as an activist. I’m here as a journalist.” He described the scene before him and interviewed churchgoers and demonstrators. The indictment names nine defendants including Lemon. It says two of them posted their planned action on social media the day before and gave the others instructions in a shopping center parking lot the following morning.

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Senate passes government funding deal

BY MARY CLARE JALONICK and LISA MASCARO Associated Press

WASHINGTON The Senate voted Friday to fund most of the government through the end of September while carving out a temporary extension for Homeland Security funding, giving Congress two weeks to debate new restrictions on federal immigration raids across the country

With a weekend shutdown looming, President Donald Trump struck the spending deal with Senate Democrats on Thursday in the wake of the deaths of two protesters at the hands of federal agents in Minneapolis. Democrats said they would not vote for the larger spending bill unless Congress considers legislation to unmask agents, require more warrants and allow local authorities to help investigate any incidents.

“The nation is reaching a breaking point,” Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said after the vote.

“The American people are demanding that Congress step up and force change.”

As lawmakers in both parties called for investigations into the fatal shootings, Trump said he didn’t want a shutdown and negotiated the rare deal with Schumer his frequent adversary Trump then encouraged members of both parties to cast a “much needed Bipartisan ‘YES’ vote.”

The bill passed 71-29 and

will now head to the House, which is not due back until Monday That means the government could be in a partial shutdown temporarily over the weekend until they pass it.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton, who held a conference call Friday with GOP lawmakers, said he expects the House to vote Monday evening. But what is uncertain is how much support there will be for the package.

Johnson’s right flank has signaled opposition to limits on Homeland Security funds, leaving him reliant on Democrats who have their own objections to funding U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement without immediate restraints It was unclear how involved Trump will be in the negotiations over new restrictions on immigration arrests — or if Republicans and Democrats could find any points of compromise.

Senate Democrats will not support an extension of Homeland Security funding in two weeks “unless it reins in ICE and ends violence,” Schumer said. “If our colleagues are not willing to enact real change, they should not expect Democratic votes.”

Similarly, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters that any change in the homeland bill needs to be “meaningful and it needs to be transformative.” Absent “dramatic change,”

ASSOCIATED

The Senate voted Friday to fund most of the government through the end of September after President Donald Trump made a deal with Democrats to carve out Homeland Security funding and allow Congress to debate new restrictions on federal immigration raids across the country.

Jeffries said, “Republicans will get another shutdown.”

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said the two sides will “sit down in good faith,” but it will be “really, really hard to get anything done,” especially in such a short amount of time.

“We’ll stay hopeful, but there are some pretty significant differences of opinion,” Thune said.

Irate Democrats have asked the White House to “end roving patrols” in cities and coordinate with local law enforcement on immigration arrests, including requiring tighter rules for warrants.

They also want an enforceable code of conduct so agents are held account-

U.S. approves major arms sales to Israel, Saudi Arabia

BY MATTHEW LEE AP diplomatic writer

WASHINGTON The Trump administration has approved a massive new series of arms sales to Israel totaling $6.67 billion and to Saudi Arabia worth $9 billion. Both sets of sales were announced by the State Department late Friday as tensions rise in the Middle East over the possibility of U.S. military strikes in Iran. They were made public after the department notified Congress of its approval of the sales earlier Friday

The sales also were announced as President Donald Trump pushes ahead with his ceasefire plan for Gaza that is intended to end

the Israel-Hamas conflict and reconstruct and redevelop the Palestinian territory after two years of war left it devastated, with tens of thousands dead

The Saudi sale is for 730 Patriot missiles and related equipment that “will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a Major non-NATO Ally that is a force for political stability and economic progress in the Gulf Region,” the department said.

“This enhanced capability will protect land forces of Saudi Arabia, the United States, and local allies and will significantly improve Saudi Arabia’s contribution” to the integrated air

and missile defense system in the region, it said.

The sales to Israel are split into four separate packages, including one for 30 Apache attack helicopters and related equipment and weapons and another for 3,250 light tactical vehicles.

The Apache helicopters, which will be equipped with rocket launchers and advanced targeting gear, are the biggest part of the total package, coming to $3.8 billion, according to the State Department.

The next largest portion is the light tactical vehicles, which will be used to move personnel and logistics “to extend lines of communication” for the Israel Defense Forces and will cost $1.98 billion, it said.

able when they violate rules. Schumer said agents should be required to have “masks off, body cameras on” and carry proper identification, as is common practice in most law enforcement agencies.

Alex Pretti, a 37 year-old ICU nurse was killed by a border patrol agent on Jan. 24, two weeks after protester Renee Good was killed by an ICE officer Administration officials, including Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, originally said Pretti had aggressively approached officers, but multiple videos contradicted that claim.

The president’s concessions to Democrats prompted pushback from

some Senate Republicans, delaying the final votes and providing a preview of the coming debate over the next two weeks. In a fiery floor speech, Trump ally Sen. Lindsey Graham, of South Carolina, warned that Republicans should not give away too much.

“To the Republican Party, where have you been?” Graham said, adding that ICE agents and Border Patrol agents have been “slandered and smeared.”

Several Republicans have said that if Democrats are going to push for restrictions on ICE, they will push for restrictions on so-called “sanctuary cities” that they say do not do enough to enforce illegal immigration.

“There no way in hell we’re going to let Democrats kneecap law enforcement and stop deportations in exchange for funding DHS,” said U.S. Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., ahead of the vote.

Still, some Republicans said they believe that changes to ICE’s operations were necessary, even as they were unlikely to agree to all of the Democrats’ requests.

“I think the last couple of days have been an improvement,” said Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul. “I think the rhetoric has been dialed down a little bit, in Minnesota.”

After Trump announced the deal with Democrats, Graham held the spending bills up for almost a day until Thune agreed to give him a vote on his sanctuary cities bill at a later date.

Separately, Graham was also protesting a repeal of a new law giving senators the ability to sue the government for millions of dollars if their personal or office data is accessed without their knowledge — as happened to him and other senators as part of the so-called Arctic Frost investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack by Trump supporters at the Capitol.

The spending bill, which was passed by the House last week, would repeal that law But Graham said Thune had agreed to consider a separate bill that would allow “groups and private citizens” who were caught up in Jack Smith’s probe to sue.

Trump sues IRS, Treasury for $10B over leaked tax info

BY FATIMA HUSSEIN Associated Press

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump is suing the IRS and Treasury Department for $10 billion, as he accuses the federal agencies of a failure to prevent a leak of the president’s tax information to news outlets between 2018 and 2020.

The suit, filed in a Florida federal court Thursday, includes the president’s sons Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr and the Trump organization as plaintiffs.

The filing alleges that the leak of Trump and the Trump Organization’s confidential tax records caused “reputational and financial harm, public embarrassment, unfairly tarnished

their business reputations, portrayed them in a false light, and negatively affected President Trump, and the other Plaintiffs’ public standing.”

In 2024, former IRS contractor Charles Edward Littlejohn of Washington, D.C. who worked for Booz Allen Hamilton, a defense and national security tech firm — was sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to leaking tax information about Trump and others to news outlets.

Littlejohn, known as Chaz, gave data to The New York Times and ProPublica between 2018 and 2020 in leaks that appeared to be “unparalleled in the IRS’s history,” prosecutors said.

The disclosure violated IRS Code 6103, one of the strictest confidentiality laws in federal statute. The Times reported in 2020 that Trump did not pay federal income tax for many years prior to 2020, and ProPublica in 2021 published a series about discrepancies in Trump’s records. Six years of Trump’s returns were later released by the then-Democratically controlled House Ways and Means Committee. Trump’s suit states that Littlejohn’s disclosures to the news organizations “caused reputational and financial harm to Plaintiffs and adversely impacted President Trump’s support among voters in the 2020 presidential election.”

U.N. chief warns international body faces ‘imminent financial collapse’

By The Associated Press

The United Nations chief is warning that the world body faces “imminent financial collapse” unless its financial rules are overhauled or all 193 member nations pay their dues — a message likely directed at the United States and the billions it owes. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a letter to all U.N. member nations obtained Friday by The Associated Press that cash for its regular operating budget could run out by July, which could dramatically affect its operations

“Either all member states honor their obligations to pay in full and on time — or member states must fundamentally overhaul our financial rules to prevent an imminent financial collapse,” he said.

While Guterres didn’t name any country in the letter which was reported ear-

lier by Reuters, the financial crisis comes as the U.S. traditionally the largest donor, has not paid its mandatory dues to the United Nations.

The U.S. now owes $2.196 billion to the U.N.’s regular budget, plus it will owe $767 million for this year, according to a U.N. official who

was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity

The

U.S. also owes $1.8 billion for the separate budget for the U.N.’s far-flung peacekeeping operations, and that also will rise.

The country second on the list for not paying dues is

Venezuela, which owes $38 million, the official said. The country, whose economy was struggling before the U.S. military raid this month that deposed then-President Nicolás Maduro, has already lost its right to vote in the General Assembly for being two years in arrears.

Pretti shooting. Steve Schleicher, a Minneapolisbased attorney representing Pretti’s parents, said Friday that “the family’s focus is on a fair and impartial investigation that examines the facts around his murder.”

The Department of Homeland Security also said Friday that the FBI will lead the federal probe into Pretti’s death.

Homeland Security Secretary

Kristi Noem first disclosed the shift in which agency was leading the investigation during a Fox News interview Thursday evening Her department previously said Homeland Security Investigations, a departmental unit, would head the investigation.

“We will continue to follow the investigation that the FBI is leading and giving them all the information that they need to bring that to conclusion, and make sure that the American people know the truth of the situation and how we can go forward and continue to protect the American people,” Noem said, speaking to Fox host Sean Hannity Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said Homeland Security Investigations will support the FBI in the investigation. Separately Customs and Border Protection, which is part

LIGO

Continued from page 1A

Trump administration in May proposed steep cuts to funding for science programs.

LIGO receives its funding from the National Science Foundation

But on Friday, President Donald Trump signed a funding appropriations act in which multiple federal science agencies dodged crippling budget cuts for 2026.

The appropriations act allocated $8.75 billion for the NSF The funds are a stark increase from the Trump administration’s proposed budget, which would have cut $5.2 billion, or 57%, of the agency’s annual budget

The Livingston observatory is one of two LIGO sites in the United States. Its counterpart is LIGO

ESCAPE

Continued from page 1A

The fourth inmate from East Baton Rouge Parish is 22-year-old Destin Brogan, who faces second-degree murder and obstruction of justice charges and was still at large late Friday

Brog an admit ted to shooting 21-year-old Erion Franklin in the head during a drug deal in 2022, then stealing his gun, police say He was arrested later the same week. Brogan is scheduled to go to trial in May Of the other escapees still at large, two face seconddegree murder charges out of Lafayette Parish.

Kolin Looney, 21, allegedly shot 18-year-old Paul

of DHS, is doing its own internal investigation into the shooting, during which two officers opened fire on Pretti.

DHS did not immediately respond to questions about when the change was made or why The FBI did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

It was not immediately clear whether the FBI would share information and evidence with Minnesota state investigators, who have thus far been frozen out of

Hanford in Washington state.

Under the May budget proposal, only one LIGO observatory would have operated, with reduced spending on technology develop-

ment

LIGO Livingston made international headlines in 2015 when it detected gravitational waves from black holes more than a billion light years away — earning researchers a Nobel Prize in physics and kick-starting a new era of astronomy in the process.

Gabriela González, LSU professor and the spokesperson for the international LIGO Scientific Collaboration during the 2015 breakthrough, has spent the past six months lobbying elected officials for science funding.

“We worked very hard not just people in LIGO but many scientists and physicists,” she said. González said she was thankful

Bernard in 2024 in Lafayette. Looney’s trial was supposed to take place last August, but he was not transferred from River Bend Detention Center in Lake Providence. His trial was reset for March.

The other, Kopelon Vicknair, 18, of Arnaudville, was due in a Lafayette Parish courtroom for sentencing on Wednesday, the day before his escape.

Vicknair signed a plea deal, pleading guilty to the reduced charge of manslaughter and agreeing to a 10-year sentence, according to a defendant’s sentencing brief by his attorney filed Tuesday

He’s accused of fatally shooting 18-year-old Justin Broussard on Dec. 31, 2023, after an argument Krisean Salinas, 21, also escaped Thursday and has counts from four parishes, including a St. Mary Parish arrest for theft, aggravated flight from an officer and

other counts.

the federal investigation.

In the same interview, Noem appeared to distance herself from statements she made shortly after the shooting, claiming Pretti had brandished a handgun and aggressively approached officers.

Multiple videos that emerged of the shooting contradicted that claim, showing the intensive care nurse had only his mobile phone in his hand as officers tackled him to the ground, with one removing a handgun from the back of Pretti’s

for Louisiana representatives in Congress who were receptive to securing the funding for LIGO.

“We were happy for all science agencies,” she said.

Head of LIGO Livingston Joseph Giaime called the appropriations act “a great relief.”

Giaime said the staff had been paying close attention to budget talks in Congress and that it had been a “whirlwind.”

“We try to be super honest to staff. It’s tough to do sometimes,” Giaime said about the past few months after the proposed cuts. “We were being conservative making decisions. We wanted to preserve people and scientific options.”

Giaime said working with LSU, along with Louisiana and Washington elected officials, helped make a case for a larger budget.

LIGO’s black hole detector was put on pause in November for

The last escapee is Kevin Slaughter, 25, who faces counts of aggravated assault with a firearm, obstruction of justice, parole violations and more in Rapides Parish, according to the parish’s jail records.

U.S. Marshals are involved in the search, the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office confirmed. Most deputies with the East Carroll Sheriff’s Office were searching on Friday as well.

Attorney General Liz Murrill said she has offered her office’s Fugitive Apprehension Unit as well.

The East Carroll Parish Sheriff’s Office requested that Louisiana State Police detectives assume the lead role in apprehending the fugitives, while East Carroll sheriff’s deputies investigate the circumstances of the escape.

Reporters Claire Taylor and Marco Cartolano contributed to this report.

pants as another officer began firing shots into his back.

Pretti had a state permit to legally carry a concealed firearm. At no point did he appear to reach for it, the videos showed.

The change in agency comes after two other videos emerged of an earlier altercation between Pretti and federal immigration officers 11 days before his death.

The Jan. 13 videos show Pretti yelling at federal vehicles and at one point appearing to spit before

scheduled improvements and was supposed to be down for a few years, but it will power back on this upcoming fall so there is less wait time between detector runs.

Giaime said this is so taxpayers and the community can be served better with more detections, an idea that was recently proposed amid budget talks.

In the past year, the observatory announced the discovery of the most massive black hole merger ever detected. More recently, LIGO had its sharpest detection yet that proved one of Stephen Hawking’s theories to be correct. It also saw growing attendance at its monthly Science Saturdays.

NSF has not finalized how it will distribute its funds in 2026, said Michael England, NSF head of media affairs. However, a joint congressional statement for the appropriations

kicking out the taillight of one vehicle. A struggle ensues between Pretti and several officers, during which he is forced to the ground. Pretti’s winter coat comes off, and he either breaks free or the officers let him go and he scurries away

When he turns his back to the camera, what appears to be a handgun is visible in his waistband. At no point do the videos show Pretti reaching for the gun, and it is not clear whether federal agents saw it.

Schleicher, the Pretti family attorney, said Wednesday the earlier altercation in no way justified the shooting more than a week later

In a post on his Truth Social platform early Friday morning, President Donald Trump suggested that the videos of the earlier incident undercut the narrative that Pretti was a peaceful protester when he was shot.

“Agitator and, perhaps, insurrectionist, Alex Pretti’s stock has gone way down with the just released video of him screaming and spitting in the face of a very calm and under control ICE Officer, and then crazily kicking in a new and very expensive government vehicle, so hard and violent, in fact, that the taillight broke off in pieces,” Trump’s post said. “It was quite a display of abuse and anger, for all to see, crazed and out of control. The ICE Officer was calm and cool, not an easy thing to be under those circumstances!”

act states it “provides not less than $49 million for the year” for LIGO. This amount is on par with previous years’ budgets for the observatories.

LIGO Executive Director David Reitze, who oversees both observatories and is based at the California Institute of Technology said in an email that he was thrilled and greatly appreciated the support of the Louisiana congressional delegation.

“For LIGO, this removes a lot of uncertainty We will be able to effectively carry out our scientific program as planned in 2026 and move forward with hiring several STEM-related staff positions that were on hold last year,” Reitze wrote.

Email Claire Grunewald at claire.grunewald@theadvocate. com.

INSIDE WASHINGTON MARDI GRAS

ASSETS

Landry and Lutnick addressed the Washington Mardi Gras Economic Development Luncheon & Reception, one of the centerpieces of the four-day event. Since the 1940s, the annual carnival festivities have given business leaders and elected officials a chance to socialize and talk business.

Carnival events take place at the Washington Hilton, which renames its bar the “65th Parish.” Corporations, trade associations and public interest groups also hold parties around town to take advantage of the crowds gathering for Washington Mardi Gras.

The luncheon was hosted by COLAB, a regional economic development organization for Assumption, Lafourche, St. Mary and Terrebonne parishes.

About 800 attendees dined on burrata salad and roasted chicken that was somewhat spicier than what’s usually served at Washington hotels. Organizers said they had a long waiting list.

“The luncheon was a tougher ticket this year probably because Secretary Lutnick was speaking,” said Christy Zeringue, head of COLAB. “The bayou region contributes to the maritime economy, oil and gas, and national defense. We are proud to represent the region at Washington Mardi Gras.”

The dining room was elbow-toelbow, despite the wintry weather in both Louisiana and Washington that kept many participants from attending this 77th edition of Washington Mardi Gras.

Entergy Louisiana CEO Philip May, for instance, was unable to attend as he remained in Louisiana to oversee getting the lights back on after the winter storm this past weekend, said Jody Montelaro, Entergy Louisiana’s vice president of public affairs.

Washington Mardi Gras King Gray Stream said one of the biggest reasons for accepting the kingship was his position chairing the Louisiana Economic Development Partnership Board, a panel of private sector advisers developing a strategic plan for economic development.

Louisiana’s pull in White House

As chair of this year’s Washington Mardi Gras, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson, chose Lutnick to address the economic development luncheon. He is the first Cabinet secretary to address the retreat in at least the 17 years Scalise has been in Congress, he said.

“Howard is one of the shining stars in President Trump’s Cabinet,” Scalise said.

As former head of Cantor Fitzgerald, a worldwide financial services firm, Lutnick understands that a partnership between business leaders, legislators, and officials in state and federal government is necessary to build a good business climate, Scalise said.

In most of the major projects that have come recently to Louisiana, Lutnick sat in the White House’s Oval Office, along with the president, business moguls,

and elected officials negotiating terms and identifying hurdles, Scalise said.

“These deals don’t just happen,” Scalise said. Lutnick knows how to get deals done. “We’ve been the beneficiaries in Louisiana.”

The luncheon coincided with the 54th birthday of House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton.

Lutnick joked about how fun it was to celebrate Johnson’s birthday, saying he was surprised the speaker had so many friends.

Lutnick talks Trumponomics

The Trump administration’s largest support comes from economic successes, and its biggest danger is voters not understanding what the president is up to.

Lutnick explained that Trump is using tariffs levied on other countries to level trade imbalances and to raise money that could be used to offset taxes being paid by Americans.

The U.S invents new technologies, new products, new conveniences, he said. But those innovations are turned over to other countries that can manufacture the goods cheaper, then sell the products back to American consumers.

Then those other countries use the sales profits to buy American assets, Lutnick said.

In 2024, other countries owned $26 trillion more in American assets than U.S. investors owned in other countries, he said.

Critics have argued the tariffs have raised prices for Americans and angered longtime allies across the globe.

“That is what Donald Trump called out,” Lutnick said.

Trump wants to return manufacturing capabilities to the U.S., then use American innovation to make products, Lutnick said.

“We’re going to help get permits. We’re going to drive investment,” he told the crowd.

For instance, computer chips made overseas should be made in the U.S. and could provide high wages.

“Affordability means, how much am I making versus how much does stuff cost,” Lutnick said. “The way you hit affordability is you get people’s incomes up. That’s where we’re focused.”

Louisiana all in on energy

Landry focused his speech on Louisiana’s energy

“Energy has always shaped Loui-

siana’s economy But today it’s driving growth that we haven’t seen certainly in decades,” Landry said. “We’re winning projects in Louisiana because we can deliver energy not just in the form of oil and gas but in the form of electricity.”

When Meta was looking for a site to construct the company’s largest artificial intelligence center in Richland Parish — at a cost of about $10 billion — executives were looking primarily for a place that could provide a lot of power immediately and for the long term, Landry said.

Energy is more important than financial incentives and tax breaks, he said.

“The most important commodity in the world today is a reliable uninterruptible megawatt of power,” Landry said. “Louisiana can provide that.”

Landry also pointed to the recent decision for Hyundai to locate a 1,700-acre, $5.8 billion state-of-theart steel mill in Ascension Parish.

“It wasn’t financial incentives, it was power,” he said.

The company needed capacity on the state’s electricity grid, industrial infrastructure and a reliable source of a lot of electricity

“The future is no longer a dream, it’s a decision,” Landry said. “When Louisiana wins, our communities win, our families win, our way of life wins.”

He continued: “This is the moment you have been waiting decades for We get to define the next 100 years of Louisiana.”

N.O. mayor meets with Trump on sidelines of events

‘I thought it was really important that he heard from me directly’

BY BLAKE PATERSON Staff writer

New Orleans Mayor Helena

Moreno had a surprise meeting with President Donald Trump in Washington, D.C., on Thursday and pitched him on the need for federal support for infrastructure improvements.

The meeting occurred at the Kennedy Center, where Trump was attending the world premiere of “Melania,” a new movie about his wife, Melania Trump, and Moreno was visiting a Washington Mardi Gras reception hosted by Saints owner Gayle Benson and Ochsner CEO Pete November Gov Jeff Landry and his wife, Sharon Landry were also present. Moreno, in an interview Friday, said she explained to Trump the need for infrastructure improvements in New Orleans and “just how important it is to have the federal government’s support in that moving forward,” as the city seeks additional time from FEMA to spend $1.7 billion in grants for post-Katrina roadwork.

“He seemed receptive to my request. He was complimentary of

me, which I appreciated. So, you know, we’ll see what happens,” Moreno said.

She also touted the work of the New Orleans Police Department and noted that the city is at a 50year low for its homicide rate “due to our efforts.” Trump earlier this month pointed to the deployment of the National Guard to New Orleans last month as one reason crime was “down to almost nothing.”

Trump addressed the meeting in his Oval Office briefing Friday, calling Moreno “great,” while offering a slightly different recollection of their conversation.

“I believe she’s a Democrat. She came over, she thanked me so much, and she said crime is down more than 50% in New Orleans, and you couldn’t even walk down the street in New Orleans, it was so bad,” he said

“Now they let us in there, and she was thanking me so much, so profusely She was great last night.”

Moreno, presented with Trump’s remarks, said she “explained to the president the work of our NOPD and that we are at a 50-year low in our homicide rate. These drastic

cial profiling and fear-mongering and said officials with the U.S. Border Patrol failed to provide basic information to local officials.

“I will always say what needs to be said, and I’ll take the appropriate action to protect the people of New Orleans. That doesn’t mean, though, that those who are in power, that I will shut them out due to the fact that we are not aligned in the same political party,” she said.

“I said to him, ‘Obviously we’re not the same political party but New Orleans is an extraordinary city, and it needs the right kind of support from the federal government,’” Moreno said.

ment to be more productive with the city of New Orleans,” Moreno said. “I think we just feel like there’s like this target on our back, and that’s not necessary.” Moreno, a former Democratic state lawmaker in Republican-led Louisiana, is no stranger to working with Republicans.

reductions began about a year and a half ago.”

Landry, through a spokesperson, said he talked to Trump about public safety and “the success of the National Guard.” He didn’t recall discussing infrastructure.

November declined to comment Moreno, a Democrat who was sworn in earlier this month by Trump’s 2024 foe, former Vice President Kamala Harris, hasn’t shied away from criticizing the president’s policies In testimony before Congressional Democrats on Monday, Moreno accused Trump’s immigration enforcement operation in south Louisiana of ra-

TAKING IN THE SITES AND SIGHTS

The opportunity to meet the president was presented with only a few hours’ advance notice. Greg Bensel, a spokesperson for Benson, said Trump knew that Benson was having a party at the Kennedy Center “and wanted to have her come over for a quick hello.”

Benson invited Moreno to join her and saw it as an opportunity for the new mayor to connect directly with the president “for the betterment of New Orleans,” Bensel said.

The meeting lasted around 20 minutes, Moreno said. It was her first time meeting Trump.

“I just thought it was important that he meet me and that we just find a way for the federal govern-

“I’ve always had to do this,” Moreno said. “Find a way to work with those who aren’t your same political party who don’t agree with you, and find a path to figure out what you can work on.” Moreno was in D.C. for Washington Mardi Gras, the annual bacchanal celebrating Louisiana culture, where the state’s most powerful business and political leaders gather to hobnob and hash out deals. Moreno paid for the trip with campaign funds. She arrived on Wednesday and planned to return Friday ahead of an extreme cold weather warning in New Orleans.

“I’m sure that some people, you know, may be upset that I ended up meeting with this particular president,” Moreno added. “But as mayor of the city, I thought it was really important that he heard from me directly on what was needed and hopefully find that path to be able to get the resources and the funding for what’s actually really necessary in the city of New Orleans.”

Emmy-winning comic actor Catherine O’Hara dies at 71

BY ANDREW DALTON and JOCELYN NOVECK AP entertainment writers

LOS ANGELES Catherine

O’Hara, a gifted Canadian-born comic actor and “SCTV” alum who starred as Macaulay Culkin’s harried mother in two “Home Alone” movies and won an Emmy as the dramatically ditzy wealthy matriarch Moira Rose in “Schitt’s Creek,” died Friday She was 71.

O’Hara died at her home in Los Angeles “following a brief illness,” according to a statement from her representatives at Creative Artists Agency Further details were not immediately available

O’Hara’s career was launched with the Second City comedy group in Toronto in the 1970s. It was there that she first worked with Eugene Levy who would become a lifelong collaborator and her “Schitt’s Creek” co-star The two would be among the original cast of the sketch show “SCTV,” short for “Second City Television.” The series, which began on Canadian TV in the 1970s and aired on NBC in the U.S., spawned a legendary group of esoteric comedians that O’Hara would work with often, including Martin Short, John Candy, Andrea Martin, Rick Moranis and Joe Flaherty

O’Hara would win her first Emmy for her writing on the show Her second, for best actress

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO Catherine O’Hara, a comic actor who starred as Macaulay Culkin’s harried mother in two ‘Home Alone’ movies and won an Emmy as the dramatically ditzy wealthy matriarch Moira Rose in ‘Schitt’s Creek,’ died Friday at age 71

in a comedy series, came four decades later, for “Schitt’s Creek,” a career-capping triumph and the perfect personification of her comic talents. The small CBC series created by Levy and his son, Dan, about a wealthy family forced to live in a tiny town would dominate the Emmys in its sixth and final season. It brought O’Hara, always a beloved figure, a new generation of fans and put her at the center of cultural attention. She told The Associated Press that she pictured Moira, a former soap opera star, as someone who had married rich and wanted to

“remind everyone that (she was) special, too.” With an exaggerated Mid-Atlantic accent and obscure vocabulary Moira spoke unlike anyone else, using words like “frippet,” “pettifogging” and “unasinous,” to show her desire to be different, O’Hara said. To perfect Moira’s voice, O’Hara would pore through old vocabulary books, “Moira-izing” the dialogue even further than what was already written.

O’Hara also won a Golden Globe and two SAG Awards for the role.

At first, Hollywood didn’t entirely know what to do

Commercial fishing vessel carrying 7 people sinks off Massachusetts

By The Associated Press

GLOUCESTER, Mass A commercial fishing vessel that was presumed to have sunk off the coast of Massachusetts on Friday was carrying a crew of seven people, and the U.S. Coast Guard was expected to maintain a search for survivors around the clock amid howling winds and frigid temperatures

The Coast Guard launched a search and rescue mission early Friday after receiving an alert from the 72-foot Lily Jean about 25 miles off Gloucester They located a debris field near where the alert was sent along with a body in the water

“We will continue to search throughout the night with the cutter hoping to find additional folks as we continue,” Coast Guard Commander Timothy Jones, who is coordinating the search and rescue, said He

added that the crew was “coming back in full of fish” and may have had problems with their fishing gear that required them to return for repairs.

Jones said they are “always hoping to find” survivors from the vessel. But another Coast Guard official, Sector Boston Commander Jamie Frederick, acknowledged the search poses “challenging” problems considering the vessel sank and the search is on for people in the water

“That is the equivalent of searching for a coconut in the ocean,” Frederick said.

The Lily Jean, its captain, Gus Sanfilippo, and his crew were featured in a 2012 episode of the History Channel show “Nor’Easter Men.”

Sanfilippo is described as a fifth-generation commercial fisherman, fishing out of Gloucester, Massachusetts, in the Georges Bank.

The crew is shown working in dangerous weather conditions for hours on end, spending as many as 10 days at sea on one trip fishing for haddock, lobster and flounder Gloucester is often described as America’s oldest working seaport, with a fishing industry that goes back more than 400 years.

The city, where the reality television show “Wicked Tuna” about Atlantic bluefin tuna fishermen was based, has been the site of maritime tragedy over the years. Among them was the FV Andrea Gail, which went missing at sea in 1991. The loss of the Andrea Gail was the basis of the 1997 book and 2000 movie “The Perfect Storm.” In another tragedy, four fishermen died when the Emmy Rose sank in 2020 off Provincetown, Massachusetts. on its way to Gloucester

Newsom files civil rights complaint against Dr. Oz over allegations of hospice fraud

By The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES California

with O’Hara and her scattershot style She played oddball supporting characters in Martin Scorsese’s 1985 “After Hours” and Tim Burton’s 1988 “Beetlejuice” — a role she would reprise in the 2024 sequel. She played it mostly straight as a horrified mother who accidentally abandoned her child in the two “Home Alone” movies The films were among the biggest box office earners of the early 1990s and their Christmas setting made them TV pe-

rennials. They allowed her moments of unironic warmth that she didn’t get often. Her co-star Culkin was among those paying her tribute Friday “Mama, I thought we had time,” Culkin said on Instagram alongside an image from “Home Alone” and a recent recreation of the same pose. “I wanted more I wanted to sit in a chair next to you. I heard you. But I had so much more to say. I love you.”

Meryl Streep, who worked with O’Hara in “Heartburn,” said in a statement that she “brought love and light to our world, through whipsmart compassion for the collection of eccentrics she portrayed.”

Roles in big Hollywood films didn’t follow “Home Alone,” but O’Hara would find her groove with the crew of improv pros brought together by Christopher Guest for a series of mockumentaries that began with 1996’s “Waiting for Guffman” and continued with 2000’s “Best in Show,” 2003’s “A Mighty Wind” and 2006’s “For Your Consideration.”

“Best in Show” was the biggest hit and best-remembered film of the series. She and Levy play married couple Gerry and Cookie Fleck, who take their Norwich terrier to a dog show and constantly run into Cookie’s former lovers along the way

“I am devastated,” Guest said in a statement to the AP “We have lost one of the comic giants of our age.” Born and raised in Toronto, O’Hara was the sixth of seven children in a Catholic family of Irish descent. She graduated from Burnhamthorpe Collegiate Institute, an alternative high school. She joined Second City in her early 20s, as an understudy to Gilda Radner before Radner left for “Saturday Night Live.” (O’Hara would briefly be hired for “SNL” but quit before appearing on air.)

Nearly 50 years later, her final roles would be as Seth Rogen’s reluctant executive mentor and freelance fixer on “The Studio” and a dramatic turn as therapist to Pedro Pascal and other dystopia survivors on HBO’s “The Last of Us.” Both earned her Emmy nominations. She would get 10 in her career

“Oh, genius to be near you,” Pascal said on Instagram. “Eternally grateful. There is less light in my world.” Earlier this month, Rogen shared a photo on Instagram of him and O’Hara shooting the second season of “The Studio.”

O’Hara is survived by her husband, Bo Welch, sons Matthew and Luke, and siblings Michael O’Hara, Mary Margaret O’Hara, Maureen Jolley, Marcus O‘Hara, Tom O’Hara and Patricia Wallice.

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Gov Gavin Newsom’s office is demanding a civil rights investigation of Dr Mehmet Oz, saying he discriminated against Armenians in a video claiming hospice fraud in Los Angeles, the latest front in the state’s ongoing battle with the Trump administration. The Democratic governor’s complaint, filed Thursday, came after Oz posted a video on social media in front of an Armenian bakery in Los Angeles, alleging that roughly $3.5 billion in hospice and home care fraud has taken place in the city and “quite a bit of it” was run by “the Russian Armenian mafia.” Oz is the administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which certifies hospice providers to accept patients on governmentsubsidized health insurance.

Newsom’s office argued in the complaint that Oz “spewed baseless and racially charged allegations” that risked chilling participation in hospice and home care programs among the community targeted His office said the claims had “already caused real-world harm” by dampening business at an Armenian bakery that is shown in the video.

“Mafia? There is no Armenian mafia going on here. We’re just hardworking business owners. I don’t understand why he’s mentioning just Armenians,” Movses Bislamyan, whose family-owned bakery appears in Oz’s video, told KABC-TV Oz in a post on X accused Newsom of trying to change the subject and failing to talk about Medicare fraud, though Medicare is a federally administered program.

“The problem isn’t isolated to California, though as far as our team can tell, it is the worst,” Oz said. He hasn’t shared details about the fraud being alleged.

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Israel to reopen Gaza’s border crossing with Egypt

BY SAM METZ Associated Press

JERUSALEM Israel said Friday that it will reopen the pedestrian border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt over the weekend, marking an important step forward for U.S. President Donald Trump’s Gaza ceasefire plan.

COGAT, the Israeli military body in charge of coordinating aid to Gaza, said in a statement that starting on Sunday a “limited movement of people only” would be allowed through the Rafah crossing, Gaza’s main gateway to the outside world.

The announcement followed statements from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Ali Shaath, newly appointed to head the Palestinian administrative committee governing Gaza’s daily affairs, that it would likely open soon

While COGAT said the passage will open in both directions on Sunday, Shaath said the first day will be a trial for operations and that travel both ways will start Monday Israel as of Friday agreed to allow up to 150 people to leave each day — 50 medical patients with two family members, an official familiar with the situation told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were discussing diplomatic talks. Up to 50 people who fled dur-

ing the war can return daily, the source said.

Roughly 20,000 sick and wounded Palestinians need treatment outside Gaza, according to the territory’s health ministry Gaza’s health system was decimated in the war, rendering advanced surgical procedures out of reach.

COGAT said both Israel

Anger, anguish spread across Cuba as it learns of Trump’s

BY DÁNICA COTO Associated Press

HAVANA — Massive power outages in Cuba meant that many people awoke Friday unaware that President Donald Trump had threatened to impose tariffs on any country that sells or supplies oil to the Caribbean island As word spread in Havana and beyond anger and anguish boiled over about the decision that will only make life harder for Cubans already struggling with an increase in U.S. sanctions.

“This is a war,” said Lázaro Alfonso, an 89-year-old retired graphic designer He described Trump as the “sheriff of the world” and said he feels like he’s living in the Wild West, where anything goes.

After Trump made the announcement late Thursday, he described Cuba as a “failing nation” and said, “it looks like it’s something that’s just not going to be able to survive.”

Alfonso, who lived through the severe economic depression in the 1990s known as the “Special Period” following cuts in Soviet aid, said the current situation in Cuba is worse, given the severe blackouts, a lack of basic goods and a scarcity of fuel.

“The only thing that’s missing here in Cuba is for bombs to start falling,” he said.

Cuba is hit every day with widespread outages blamed on fuel shortages and crumbling infrastructure that have deepened an economic crisis exacerbated by a fall in tourism, an increase in U.S. sanctions and a failed internal financial reform to unify the currency Now Cubans worry new restrictions on oil shipments will only make things worse. On Friday, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said on X that Trump’s measure was “fascist, criminal and genocidal” and asserted that

tariff threat

his administration “has hijacked the interests of the American people for purely personal gain.”

Meanwhile, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez wrote on X that Trump’s measure “constitutes an unusual and extraordinary threat” and said he was declaring an international emergency.

Venezuela’s government also condemned the measure in a statement Friday saying it violates international law and the principles of global commerce.

Trump previously said he would halt oil shipments from Venezuela, Cuba’s biggest ally, after the U.S. attacked the South American country and arrested its leader.

Meanwhile, there is speculation that Mexico would slash its shipments to Cuba.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Friday that she would seek alternatives to continue helping Cuba and prevent a humanitarian crisis after Trump’s announcement.

Sheinbaum said one option could be for the United States itself to manage the shipment of Mexican oil to the island, although it was necessary to first understand the details of Trump’s order Mexico became a key supplier of fuel to Cuba, along with Russia, after the U.S. sanctions on Venezuela paralyzed the delivery of crude oil to the island.

“It’s impossible to live like this,” said Yanius Cabrera Macías, 47, a Cuban street vendor who sells bread and sweet snacks.

He said he doesn’t believe Cuba is a threat to the United States.

“Cuba is a threat to Cubans, not to the United States. For us Cubans here, it is the government that is a threat to us,” he said, adding that Trump’s latest measure would hit hard. “In the end, it’s the people who suffer not the governments.”

Jorge Piñon, an expert at the University of Texas Energy Institute who tracks shipments using satellite technology, said a key question remains unanswered: how many days’ worth of fuel does Cuba have?

If no tanker looms in the horizon within the next four to eight weeks, Piñón warned Cuba’s future would be grim

“This is now a critical situation because the only country we had doubts about was Mexico,” he said, noting that diesel is “the backbone of the Cuban economy.”

Piñón noted that the Chinese don’t have oil, and that all they could do is give Cuba credit to buy oil from a third party Meanwhile, he called Russia a “wild card: It has so many sanctions that one more doesn’t bother (Vladimir) Putin,” adding that because of those sanctions, a lot of Russian oil is looking for a destination.

Kurdish-led force, Syrian government reach new deal to stabilize ceasefire

BY HOGIR AL ABDO Associated Press

QAMISHLI, Syria The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces announced a new agreement on Friday with the country’s central government in Damascus to stabilize a ceasefire that ended weeks of fighting and to lay out steps toward integrating the two sides. The development is the latest as Syria’s new leaders have struggled since toppling former President Bashar Assad in December 2024 to assert their full authority over the country torn by nearly 14 years of civil war An agreem ent wa s reached in March that would merge the Kurdish-led SDF with Damascus’s new security forces, but it didn’t gain traction The SDF lost most of its territory in northeast Syria to a government offensive after intense clashes erupted in the northern city of Aleppo on Jan 6, following months of failed negotiations to implement an integration deal. According to the SDF, the new agreement says that fighters from both sides will pull back from the front lines, while Syrian Ministry of Interior’s security forces would go into the cities of al-Hassakeh and Qamishli in the Kurdish heartland, which they had previously been barred from entering. Local Kurdish police forces would also continue to patrol there. Then the process of integrating SDF and Syrian government forces would begin. This would include the formation of a new military division consisting of three brigades from the SDF in Hassakeh province, in addition to the formation of a brigade of SDF fighters within a division in Aleppo province.

The crossing has been under a near complete closure since Israel seized it in May 2024, saying the step was part of a strategy to halt cross-border arms smuggling by Hamas. It was briefly opened for the evacuation of medical patients during a short-lived ceasefire in early 2025.

Israel had resisted reopening the crossing, but the recovery of the remains of the last hostage in Gaza on Monday cleared the way to move forward. A day later, Netanyahu said the crossing would soon open in a limited and controlled fashion.

the mostly destroyed enclave.

Netanyahu said this week that Israel’s focus is on disarming Hamas and destroying its remaining tunnels. Without these steps, he said that there would be no reconstruction in Gaza, a stance that could make Israel’s control over Rafah a key point of leverage.

and Egypt will vet individuals for exit and entry through the crossing, which will be supervised by European Union border patrol agents. In addition to screenings at the crossing, Palestinians leaving and returning will be screened by Israel in the adjacent corridor, which remains under Israeli military control.

Thousands of Palestinians inside Gaza are trying to leave the war-battered territory, while tens of thousands who fled the territory during the heaviest fighting say they want to return home.

The reopening is one of the first steps in the second phase of last year’s U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement, which includes challenging issues ranging from demilitarizing Gaza to putting in place an alternative government to oversee rebuilding

Palestinians in Gaza on Friday mourned friends and relatives who died earlier this week in Israeli strikes, which have slowed but not stopped since the return of the remains of the final hostage held in the territory Three Palestinians were laid to rest in traditional Islamic funeral rites. Men gathered to pay their final respects, carrying the shrouded bodies through the streets before praying over them. Israel’s military said four people were killed in airstrikes Friday in central Gaza, saying they were armed and approaching troops near the ceasefire line dividing Israeli-held areas and most of Gaza’s Palestinian population.

Islamic State claims responsibility for attack on air force base in Niger

BY MARK BANCHEREAU

Associated Press

DAKAR, Senegal The Islam-

ic State extremist group claimed responsibility on Friday for an attack on an air force base in Niger’s capital that wounded four soldiers and damaged an aircraft.

The claim of responsibility was contained in a statement on Amaq News Agency, the group’s propaganda wing, that said it was “a surprise and coordinated attack” in Niamey that inflicted heavy losses.

State television reported that Niger’s forces respond-

ed quickly to the assault early Thursday, killing 20 of the attackers and arresting 11 others, The State Department on Friday ordered nonessential embassy staff and their families to leave Niger due to “security concerns” following the attack.

Video footage that appeared to be taken at the scene captured loud blasts and the sky glowing following explosions that began around midnight and lasted about two hours in the area of Diori Hamani International Airport. The military leader of the West African country has

accused the presidents of France, Benin and Ivory Coast of supporting the armed group behind the attack, without providing any evidence to support the claim.

“We remind the sponsors of those mercenaries, who are Emmanuel Macron (president of France), Patrice Talon (president of Benin) and Alassane Ouattara (president of Ivory Coast), we have sufficiently heard them bark, and they should now in turn be prepared to hear us roar,” Gen. Abdourahamane Tchiani told state television late Thursday

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Gonzales fields dispute continues

Council rejects deal on baseball, softball diamonds

BY CHRISTOPHER CARTWRIGHT

Staff writer

City and parish officials have yet to reach an agreement about who can use local baseball fields in Gonzales after three council members voted to reject a proposed policy for the second time this month

The agreement between the As-

cension Parish government and the city of Gonzales would have allowed the parish to use the city’s eight baseball and softball fields at Tee Joe Park, Municipal Park and Bergeron-Gaudin Park for parish programming. This programming includes the parish’s agreement with AP Baseball, a league with more than 1,300 registered players.

Council members Cynthia Gray James, Tyler Turner and Terri Lambert voted against the agreement.

Much of the dispute centered on whether travel baseball teams could use the fields, because the agreement permits field rentals for a fee when scheduling allows, but Ascension Parish, with the

large AP Baseball program, would have power over booking fields.

Travel team fees bring money into the city of Gonzales and help cover the cost of keeping the fields in good shape, according to council members. However, the agreement makes getting those games booked more difficult, said Randell Williams who spoke on behalf of travel teams at the meeting.

Also part of the discussions was the fact that, last year, Gonzales

TWEET TREAT

signed an agreement directly with AP Baseball, which included an expense of $40,000 to help cover the cost of baseball officials. The new partnership with the parish would have eliminated the fee after the parish council approved an $80,000 payment last fall to cover the costs.

Jason Adams, the CEO of AP Baseball, said after the meeting

A female eastern bluebird sits in a bare tree at the Independence Park Botanic Gardens in Baton Rouge on Jan. 15.

Police: Man arrested in fatal Airline Highway shooting

CRIME BLOTTER staff reports

A suspect has been arrested in connection with the death of a man found shot last week in a vehicle off Airline Highway according to Baton Rouge Police. Jiren Graham, 24, was arrested with the assistance of BRPD’s SWAT team and the U.S. Marshal’s Fugitive Task Force and booked into East Baton Rouge Parish prison on a count of second-degree murder, police said in a news release. The victim, Christian McClain, 26, was found on the morning of Jan. 22, suffering from a gunshot wound in a car in a parking lot at 8382 Airline Highway, police said. McClain was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced deceased

Delta Utilities announces financial assistance offer

Natural gas provider to help struggling customers

BY MARCO CARTOLANO Staff writer

Delta Utilities, the company that recently acquired Entergy’s natural gas business in New Orleans and Baton Rouge, will offer financial assistance to customers struggling with their gas bills after “unexpected” financial hardship, the company announced Wednesday

The program, named DU Cares, will directly pay up to $250 to a qualifying customer’s natural gas account per year, according to a news release.

Delta Utilities partnered with the United Way of Southeast Louisiana to begin the program, and applications for assistance will be reviewed by United Way.

Delta Utilities committed $200,000 to fund the program in 2026, money that the company said will be deployed on a rolling basis Once that money has been distributed, applications will pause until more funding becomes available.

“DU Cares reflects our fundamental belief that no family should have to choose between keeping the heat on and meeting other basic needs,” Tim Poché, CEO of Delta Utilities, said in the news release. “Natural gas is essential for daily living from cooking meals to staying warm. Through this program, we’re not just helping customers manage a bill; we’re investing in the stability of families throughout our service area.”

Delta Utilities finalized its purchase of Entergy’s local gas infrastructure last year, and local leaders in both New Orleans and Baton Rouge said then that they secured limits on future rate increases.

But the utility company has come under fire this month over what residents say are noticeably higher gas bills At a recent town hall meeting in Baton Rouge, residents accused Delta of raising rates for profit. Delta representatives said charges for natural gas service remained the same, but bills were presented differently Customers can apply for assistance online. Applicants must have an active Delta Utilities natural gas account and matching ID.

LSU to partner with national labs on energy research

School to help bridge technology, Gulf Coast

BY HALEY MILLER Staff writer

LSU will partner with two U.S. Department of Energy national laboratories on research projects focused on nuclear energy, chemical manufacturing and other technologies, the university announced Friday

The research partnership agreements are in place “to ensure America’s worldwide competitiveness and energy dominance,” according to a news release.

“These agreements place LSU at the center of the nation’s energy and national security priorities,” LSU Chancellor Jim Dalton said in the release.

LSU will work with Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois and Oak Ridge National Labora-

tory in Tennessee as a “bridge” between national energy research and the implementation of research findings on the Gulf Coast, according to the release. Argonne and Oak Ridge are two of 17 national laboratories operated by the U.S. Department of Energy The research agreement with Argonne National Laboratory will allow for a faculty, student, staff and postdoctoral exchange program.

“Our partnership will address critical needs, from securing materials supply chains to advancing energy and chemical technologies that can be deployed at scale,” Argonne National Laboratory Director Paul Kearns said in the release. The agreements, along with a memorandum of understanding signed with the Idaho National Laboratory last year, advance LSU’s work in advanced nuclear energy, cybersecurity and

ä See LSU, page 2B

Judge denies motion to end desegregation orders

Bid by St. John Parish is rejected

BY PATRICK WALL Staff writer

A federal judge has rejected a bid by the St. John the Baptist Parish School Board to lift longstanding desegregation orders, the latest instance of courts resisting efforts to summarily dismiss cases that Louisiana and Trump administration officials say should have ended long ago. U.S. District Court Judge Jay Zainey acknowledged in his Jan. 22 ruling that school desegregation orders never were intended to be permanent, and said it is a “legitimate question” whether the School Board should remain under judicial oversight due to a lawsuit dating to the 1960s. But he also said the board “must do more than simply argue” that the case is moot because the school system long ago stopped requiring Black and White students to attend separate schools

The “Court is not persuaded that the Board’s reliance on the doc-

trine of mootness is the correct approach,” wrote Zainey, who was nominated to the Eastern District of Louisiana court by former President George W. Bush.

Federal judges overseeing the desegregation orders in at least two other parishes — Concordia and St. Mary — also recently declined to dismiss those cases, which the school boards argued were moot because the original plaintiffs are long gone and racial segregation is no longer enforced. The state Attorney General’s office, which is representing the districts, appealed to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Civil rights groups and some parents say court oversight remains necessary because racial discrimination persists in such areas as school discipline practices and building quality The U.S. Supreme Court has said that school districts must show they made a good-faith effort to address the effects of past segregation before the cases are closed.

“School boards in these desegregation cases can’t simply go to the court after many years and say, ‘It’s

time to wrap this case up,’” said Victor Jones, senior counsel at the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, a legal nonprofit that is opposing efforts to end the orders in several parishes including St. John. “They need to show that they have fulfilled those requirements.”

But state officials and the U.S Department of Justice under President Trump want to end the dozen or so desegregation cases that remain open in Louisiana Over the past year the state has helped the school boards in Plaquemines and DeSoto parishes get out from under the orders, which Louisiana’s Republican leaders say are outdated and represent federal overreach.

“Those desegregation orders are really wreaking havoc on our school systems,” Gov Jeff Landry said in an interview last week, adding that districts are forced to spend money on legal fees that should go to schools. “It’s time for the federal government to get out of our educational system.”

Case stretches back decades

The St. John Parish school system, a district of about 5,000 stu-

dents just west of New Orleans, was sued by Black parents in 1963 over its policy of racial segregation. Another group of parents filed suit in 1990, and the two cases were combined.

The Legal Defense Fund, or LDF, which represented the original plaintiffs, revived the case in 2023 when it argued that the district had violated the desegregation orders by operating a majority Black school near an industrial plant that emits hazardous chemicals. The board argued that the environmental concerns were a separate issue, but it still voted to close the Fifth Ward Elementary School in Reserve and relocate the students. (In his ruling this month, Zainey said it had been “improper” for the LDF to invoke the desegregation orders to address the health concerns.)

Last year, the School Board asked the court to dismiss the decades-old case and lift the orders. The case is “permanently moot” because the district long ago ended its policy of racial segregation, the board argued, adding that continued judicial oversight undermines local control of the schools.

Addison Rae honored with billboard in Lafayette

Spotify-sponsored campaign highlights

Grammy nominees

BY JA’KORI MADISON Staff writer

A Spotify-sponsored billboard in Lafayette is honoring Addison Rae’s first Grammy nomination for Best New Artist at the 68th annual Grammy Awards

The billboard, located on Ambassador Caffery Parkway and Robley Drive and facing south, features a baby photo of Rae wearing a pag-

eant sash and crown alongside the tagline: “Pageant beginnings Pop stardom destiny.”

The display is part of a global Spotify campaign spotlighting this year’s Best New Artist nominees. Other rising stars featured include KATSEYE, Olivia Dean and Leon

Thomas Each ad uses a childhood image to highlight the early dreams and passions that helped shape the artists’ paths to success

“We had a feeling Addison Rae was one to watch from the moment her debut single ‘Obsessed’ landed on New Music Friday in 2021,” Spotify said in a news release on its website.

19-year-old

Bourbon Street bartender was killed while biking

BY JOHN SIMERMAN Staff writer

A Chalmette teenager who admitted he fled after fatally striking a bicyclist in the Bywater neighborhood before dawn one morning last July is going to prison for nine years. Criminal District Judge Kimya Holmes on Friday sentenced 19-year-old Thomas Riggio, who had just taken the witness stand to apologize to the family of the victim, Michael Milam. An award-winning Houston bartender, Milam had recently moved to New Orleans and landed a job at Cafe Lafitte in Exile, a historic gay bar on Bourbon Street when he was struck a little after 4 a.m. on July 12 as he tried to turn onto Alvar Street at St. Claude Avenue. Riggio, who was behind the wheel of the Infiniti, didn’t stop. Prosecutors said he promised his passengers that he’d report it

NEW ORLEANS

Born in Lafayette and raised in Shreveport, Rae began building her following in 2019 by posting dance and lip-sync videos on TikTok. Her popularity quickly skyrocketed, turning her social media presence into fame just before she began attending LSU. She continued gaining followers at a rapid pace and now has more than 90 million followers across platforms.

Rae has since expanded into music and acting, with film roles in “He’s All That” and “Thanksgiving,” as well as a recent appearance in Ryan Murphy’s series “Monster: The Ed Gein Story.”

She officially launched her music career in 2021 and earned a lot of praise in 2024 with her single “Diet Pepsi.” She released her debut album, Addison, in June, which includes the hit single “Diet Pepsi.” Last year, her song “Headphones On” was named one of Spotify Editors’ Picks: Best Songs of 2025. The 68th annual Grammy Awards will take place Feb 1 in Los Angeles. The main ceremony airs live at 7 p.m. on the CBS Television Network and will stream on Paramount+. Email Ja’kori Madison at jakori. madison@theadvocate.com.

sentenced in hit-and-run

but waited.

Holmes said Friday that Riggio, who was out at bars that night, underwent a toxicology test 12 hours after the fatal collision. He registered a blood-alcohol level of .07%, slightly below the legal driving limit, and had cocaine in his system.

Milam’s siblings testified tearfully of the loss of a 36-year-old bartender revered in the Houston LGBTQ+ community and their incredulity at what they viewed as cavalier comments by Riggio in a jail call to his girlfriend soon after the deadly collision.

Family urged the 10-year maximum that Riggio faced after he pleaded guilty as charged to a hit-and-run causing death.

Some of Milam’s siblings considered the charge itself too lenient and said they suspected he caught breaks from having a stepfather in the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office.

Riggio, a former Chalmette High baseball player, insisted upon his remorse from the witness stand He addressed Milam’s family before his sentence.

“Since the day of the accident,

I’ve wanted nothing more than to look each and every one of you in the eyes and apologize,” he said, adding that his lawyer directed against it.

“I could not begin to imagine how I would feel if any of my three siblings were taken from me. The way I took your brother.”

Holmes said she didn’t understand why Riggio failed to stop, rejecting his early claim that he hadn’t known what he hit. She pointed to a driving history that included striking a vehicle while doing doughnuts in one case and speeding into a ditch in another

“His behavior has escalated and escalated,” Holmes said.

“He was charged with hitting someone and not giving aid. Not even stopping to see what it was that he hit. I just don’t understand that I don’t understand not seeing if you hit a human, not seeing if you hit a dog,” Holmes said as Riggio stood in a navy suit.

“If he would have just stayed, none of us would be in this situation right now.”

Deputies shackled Riggio after his sentence before members of the two families filed out.

Police: Lafayette man posed as special needs

Care given under false pretenses, officials say

BY STEPHEN MARCANTEL

Staff writer

A Lafayette man was arrested on human trafficking counts for the third time after he is alleged to have pretended to be a person with special needs to receive child care. Rutledge Deas IV, 35, was arrested Thursday by Louisiana State Police and faces one count of human trafficking, according to an LSP announcement, after he lured a victim to his home under the guise of needing a nanny to care for a person with special needs.

In January, LSP Special Victims Unit detectives began an investigation into human trafficking through online platforms used to connect families with nannies

Deas is alleged to have posed as someone seeking a nanny to assist in the care of a person with special needs. Once the victim arrived at his

Lafayette residence, Deas portrayed himself as the person with special needs and required the victim to perform infant and toddler care acts, including diaper changes Deas was previously arrested on the same charges in November 2019 and December 2021 in cases similar in nature, according to the announcement. The 2021 incident occurred in Jefferson Parish, and the 2019 incident occurred in Orleans Parish.

In 2022, Deas pleaded guilty to the trafficking charges in Jefferson Parish’s 24th Judicial District Court. The judge suspended nine years of a 10-year sentence and ordered Deas to serve five years on active probation.

At the time of his plea, Deas was already serving probation after pleading guilty to four counts of human trafficking in Orleans Parish after he was accused of posing as a fictitious younger brother, “Corey Deas,” who was on the autism spectrum. Deas received a 10-year suspended sentence in the Orleans

Parish case and was ordered to five years of probation.

Louisiana trafficking statute makes it illegal to obtain services or labor through fraud or coercion. Deas was accused of victimizing at least four women. At the time, Deas attributed his actions to severe trauma he alleged to have endured during childhood.

The woman in the Orleans Parish case said they changed his soiled diapers and trained Deas to use the toilet. A woman reported Deas on the babysitting app, and his account was shut down.

When State Police arrested him at his Marengo Street home in New Orleans, they found methamphetamine, a clear glass pipe and diapers. He was placed under $1.5 million bail.

Deas is currently booked at the Lafayette Parish Correctional Center on a $25,000 bond.

The investigation is ongoing, and additional victims may emerge.

Anyone who believes they may have been a victim of Deas is urged to contact detectives at (504) 310-7012.

“After all, responsibility for educating our children belongs to state and local governments, not the federal government,” the board said in a court filing in October

The LDF argued that legal precedent required the school district to provide evidence that it had complied with the desegregation orders and did its best to eliminate any traces of past discrimination.

The School Board “has not shown, and has not even attempted to show, that it has satisfied its obligations under the operative court orders or the Constitution,” the LDF wrote in November In his ruling, Zainey expressed openness to the idea of lifting the St. John desegregation order, calling it “rather implausible” that present-day racial imbalances are due to past segregation and saying that the School Board is “hampered” by the orders. But he also said the board must do more than claim that the “plaintiffs’ claims are moot” if it wants to be released from the court’s oversight.

The board president and its lawyer did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday

has almost 86 million followers on TikTok, has parlayed her social media presence to become a singer and actress and to produce her own beauty and makeup line.

BLOTTER

Continued from page 1B

BRPD: Victim of November shooting dies

A man wounded in a Baton Rouge shooting in November last year has died, and Baton Rouge Police is now investigating the case as a homicide.

John Earl Thomas, 46, who was shot on Nov 9 in the 9900 block of

LSU

Continued from page 1B

integrated energy systems. The university worked with the Idaho National Laboratory and government agencies on a cybersecurity training and research model for the defense of industrial control systems last year, according to the release.

The announcement named en-

DISPUTE

Continued from page 1B

that he didn’t know how this would impact the season and why the city and parish couldn’t reach an agreement.

“I’m about running a recreational baseball program and about the kids,” he said. “However, they work it out politically, I just hope it works out for the kids.”

Spliting fields discussed

During the meeting, Turner and Lambert both suggested that the city contract directly with AP Baseball for the use of four fields at Tee Joe Park.

Lambert read her proposal before the vote, in which the city would pay up to $30,000 to AP Baseball and that company would be able to use all eight fields between Feb. 23 and Mar. 18. It’s unclear if such a proposal will come before the council at a future meeting. Zach Boudreaux, the president of the AP Baseball-affiliated Gonzales Diamond League, told Turner the groups could make it work if needed.

“We could do that, but we will have to extend our practices and games into the weekend, which is not ideal, but we’ll do it,” he said.

“There’s already six travel ball

Gwenadele Avenue, died on Jan. 22, BRPD said in a news release. On the night of the shooting, Thomas was taken to the hospital by a private party, where police made contact with him. The motive for the shooting and any potential suspects are unknown, police said.

The investigation remains ongoing.

Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to call BRPD’s Violent Crimes Unit at (225) 389-4869 or Crime Stoppers at (225) 344-7867.

ergy security and protection of the nation from emerging threats as ongoing research priorities for LSU.

“As an energy technology proving ground and longtime energy partner, LSU will help solve the nation’s energy challenges where they should be solved first — in Louisiana — to ensure American energy dominance and competitiveness on a global scale,” LSU System President Wade Rousse said in the release.

tournaments scheduled on Tee Joe field before this agreement is finished, so if they’re willing to cancel those then we’d have to just make sure we go down that route as well.”

Williams said he supported that.

After the meeting, Turner said he had wanted the compromise solution by splitting the fields. In a written statement, Lambert accused the city administration of politicizing baseball.

“My vote was about protecting all kids’ ability to play ball and ensuring public recreation and public resources were protected while reducing governmental interference,” she wrote. “I stand by it.”

Council members Kirk Boudreaux and Eddie Williams expressed disappointment after the meeting, with Williams stating highlighting the lack of a $40,000 payment.

“It’s a good agreement. It benefits our children,” he said.

EpiscopalChurch,129 N. New

Street in Covington, at 11 a.m.

FuneralHome, 825 Government Street,at1 p.m Benton, Charles

St.Stephen'sEpiscopalChurch,9795 LA-418 in Lettsworth,at11a.m Rushing, Patricia Live OakChurch in Watson at 11 a.m. Bezet,Mary WilbertFuneralHome, 24120 RailroadAvenueinPlaquemine, at noon. Shaffers Sr., Theodore Winnfield FuneralHome, 7221 Plank Road,atnoon. Bienvenu, Martha FirstUnitedMethodist Church in the AldrichChapelat11a.m Simpson, Cameron St.Luke BaptistChurch,240 Van BurenSt.,Baton Rouge,LA. at 11am Carruth,James

OurLadyofMercy Catholic Church 445 MarquetteAve. at 11am Tuuri, Stephen St.Alban's EpiscopalChapelat10 a.m.

Daily,James St.Patrick Catholic Church,12424 Brogdon Lane,at10a.m Weaver,Verina Greenoaks FuneralHome& MemorialPark, 9595 Florida Boulevard, at 11 a.m. Falcon Jr.,Albert ResthavenFuneralHome, 11817 JeffersonHighway,at11a.m West,Ronald Hall Davisand SonFuneralServices 9348 Scenic Highway,at2 p.m Hickman,Aubrey Unity Church BatonRouge at 2p.m Wills,Richard Wesley UnitedMethodist Church 544 Government St.at10am. Houston, Mary Second BaptistChurch,914 N. AcadianThruway,Baton Rouge,LAat 10am. Yates, Marvin Living Faith ChristianCenter, 6375 WinbourneAve. at 11am Keating, Gloria St.JoanofArc Catholic Church,529 W. 5thStreet at LaPlace, at noon. Obituaries Maddie, Marlen SaintIsidorethe Church in Bakerat1 Mansour Jr.,Al St.Francis Xa Alexandria at 1p.m Matthews, Bruc Little Rock Mi Church,2585 Sher a.m.

Mayfield,Ben AsburyUnitedM 101 Live OakBlv 10am. Muse,Junior Niland'sFuneralH EndDrive in NewR

peacefully January 26, 2026, at theage of 93. Bettye is survivedbyher daughters, Karen DesjardinsRoosenberg (Tim Roosenberg)and Jennine Desjardins Scott (Stuart Scott); daughter-in-law, Dawn Best Desjardins; grandchildren, Monica Desjardins (ThomLerch), Heidi Roosenberg DePaula (Jonathan DePaula), Calli East (TaylorLeonard), Vasili Baltas, Michael Roosenberg(Victoria Cayemitte Roosenberg), and Caleb Roosenberg; great-grandchildren, Ellia Engel,Joshua DePaula, Havilah DePaula, Hazel DePaula, Hosanna DePaula, and AidenBlayne Nelson. She was preceded in death by her husband Raymond Desjardins, her son Raymond "Raymie" Desjardins II,her granddaughters Jennifer Roosenberg and Karrah East,her brother RexP.Callicott, and her parents RexE.Callicott and Maudine Curtis Callicott Bettye was agraceful, joyful and passionate woman. She liveda blessed life fulloftravel and adventure, as wellas filled with love.Bettyewas adedicated Christianand loving servant of God. She brought care and warmth

Ourmuch beloved brother, SanfordB.Picou, 61, of Prairieville, LA, passed away peacefully surrounded by hisfamily on January 20, 2026 aftera 6week illness caused by Sepsis/Flu/Pneumonia, despitehaving had theflu vaccine in October. He is survived by his lovingwife of 31 years, TammieStafford Picou; Twin Sister, Candy Picou Linschoten (Niels); Sister, Frances Cuccia (Robert); Brothers, Daniel Picou (Jody),Christopher Picou (Claire), Arthur Picou, Jr. (Kay), Richard Picou(Crystal), RonaldPicou (Melonie), Douglas Lloyd(Jennifer); Sister in Law,Peg Picou(Donald);Maternal Aunt, Star Milton (Edgar), numerous nieces, nephews

companyand waswell knownfromway backas thebest buyerour CO OP had ever dealtwith. He also createdand built asuccessfulwebsite business prior to the year 2000 calledSurvival Unlimited which he ranfor over a decade Growingupinrural Gonzales, Sandy, froma very early age, lovedhunting, fishing, horsebackriding, andwater sportsonany river or lake. He absolutely lovedbeing on thewater whether liquidorsnow! He lovedboating-especially on his32' Envision,snow skiingwithhis family in Colorado andbeachtime too! However,his alltimefavoritewas hislove forMotocrossracing. Onesummer,heand his brothers built aMotocross track on family land.Together they competed in many arace acrossthe region.The brothersonceconvinced theirsistertoraceinthe PowderPuff competition! After acrash that knocked thewindout of her,they helpedher backonthe bike where shewon 2nd place outofonly 3racers LOL. Sandy raced Motocrossfor about 5years andwould eventually win 1st Place in theLA/MS Moin ha i-

saved. In theend, he wanted allofustorememberthat"to be absent fromthe body is to be present with theLord" and that we will see himagain in Glory. Pallbearers: Daniel Picou, Christopher Picou NielsLinschoten, Richard Picou, Jr Harrison Low andKeith Martine.

Avisitationwill be held from5:00 PM to 8:00 PM on Jan 30th2026 at OursoFuneral Home, 13533 Airline Hwy. Avisitationwill be held from9:00

BRIEFS

FROM WIRE REPORTS

U.S. producer prices rose in services inflation

WASHINGTON U.S. wholesale prices rose a hotter-than-expected 0.5% in December

The Labor Department reported Friday that its producer price index — which measures inflation before it hits consumers — rose from November to December at the fastest pace in three months and faster than the 0.3% economists had forecast. Compared to December 2024, producer prices were up 3% last month, which was in line with what forecasters expected.

Services prices were up 0.7% from November the biggest increase since July, mostly reflecting fatter profit margins at wholesalers and retailers. But the price of goods — such as appliances and autos was unchanged last month and up 2.5% from a year earlier

Economists had worried that President Donald Trump’s double-digit taxes on imports would drive inflation higher Their impact has so far been more modest than expected although inflation remains above the Federal Reserve’s 2% target. (The Fed on Wednesday announced that it would keep its benchmark interest rate unchanged.)

Friday’s producer price report came out more than two weeks late, delayed by the 43-day federal government shutdown last fall. Europe sees growth, but weak U.S. dollar looms FRANKFURT, Germany — The European economy recorded modest growth at the end of last year, pushing past turmoil over higher U.S. tariffs. Now the economy faces another hurdle: a stronger euro against the dollar that could weigh on exports. Growth in the 21 countries that use the shared euro currency came in at 0.3% for the last three months of 2025, matching the figure from the third quarter the EU statistics agency Eurostat reported Friday Growth compared with the fourth quarter of 2024 was 1.3%. Moderate growth has defied recession fears from earlier in the year, when President Donald Trump threatened to raise tariffs to levels that could have devastated trade. Talks settled on a 15% cap on U.S. tariffs, or import taxes, on goods from the European Union. The higher tax isn’t great for business — but the certainty resulting from the deal let companies at least go ahead and plan. That assurance was dented after the quarter ended when Trump on Jan. 17 threatened EU member countries with higher tariffs for supporting Greenland against his calls for a U.S. takeover Trump later withdrew the threat.

Farmers’ Almanac bets on a digital reboot

PORTLAND, Maine The Farmers’ Almanac isn’t going out of business after all but it is leaving Maine for the bright lights of New York City and a new owner Beloved by farmers and gardeners, the almanac was first printed in 1818 and like the arguably more famous Old Farmer’s Almanac — relies on a secret formula of sunspots, planetary positions and lunar cycles to generate longrange weather forecasts.

It’s been acquired by Unofficial Networks, a digital publisher focused on skiing and outdoor recreation. That means the almanac will keep operating despite announcing in November that its 208-year run was coming to an end.

A new Farmers’ Almanac website will be “a living, breathing publication with fresh, daily content” and there are plans to bring back a print edition, said Tim Konrad, founder and publisher of New York-based Unofficial Networks. The deal will prioritize “preserving and sustaining the iconic publication,” according to a statement from Unofficial Networks and Peter Geiger, the almanac’s longtime publisher

The Farmers’ Almanac was founded in New Jersey before moving its headquarters to Lewiston, Maine, in 1955. The Old Farmer’s Almanac is based in New Hampshire.

Warsh could reshape bank

Trump’s Federal Reserve choice may affect global economy

BY CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP economics writer

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump’s nomination of Kevin Warsh to chair the Federal Reserve could bring about sweeping changes at a central bank that dominates the global economy and markets like no other Warsh, if approved by the Senate, will be under close scrutiny from financial markets and Congress given his appointment by a president who has loudly demanded much lower rates than many economists think are justified by economic conditions. Whether he can maintain the Fed’s long time independence from day-today politics while also placating Trump will be a tremendous challenge.

Still, former associates and friends of Warsh say that he has the intellectual heft and people skills to potentially pull it off. His family also has connections to Trump that could reduce the pressure from the White House.

Warsh has “a judicious temperament and both the intellectual understanding but also the hopefully diplomatic talents to navigate what is a challenging position at this point,” said Raghuram Rajan, an economics professor at the University of Chicago and formerly head of India’s central bank.

Warsh would replace current chair Jerome Powell when his term expires in May Trump chose Powell to lead the Fed in 2017 but this year has relentlessly assailed him for not cutting interest rates quickly enough.

“I have known Kevin for a long period of time, and have no doubt that he will go down as one of the GREAT Fed Chairmen, maybe the best,” Trump posted on social media Friday. “On top of everything else, he is ‘central casting,’ and he will never let you down.”

Trump said later Friday in the Oval Office that he didn’t ask Warsh to commit to cutting rates calling such a question “inappropriate” and adding, “I want to keep it nice and pure.”

But Trump added, “But he certainly wants to cut rates.”

The appointment, which requires Senate confirmation, amounts to a return trip for Warsh, 55, who was a member of the Fed’s board from 2006 to 2011. He was the youngest governor in history when he was appointed at age 35. He is currently a fellow at the right-leaning Hoover Institution and a lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

In some ways, Warsh is an unlikely choice for the Republican president because he has long supported higher interest rates to control inflation. Trump, by contrast, has said the Fed’s key rate should be as low as 1%, a level few economists endorse, and far below its current level of about 3.6%.

During his time as governor, Warsh objected to some of the low-interest rate policies that the Fed pursued during and after the Great Recession of 2008-09. He also often expressed concern at that time that in-

flation would soon accelerate, even though it remained at rock-bottom levels for many years after that recession ended.

More recently, however, in speeches and opinion columns, Warsh has voiced support for lower rates, seemingly coming in line with Trump’s point of view

Reactions

Financial markets reacted in ways that suggest investors expect Warsh could keep rates a bit higher over time. The dollar and yields on long-term U.S. Treasurys ticked higher U.S. stocks fell about 0.5%. The biggest moves were in the volatile metals markets, where gold dropped more than 5% and silver sank more than 13%.

In Congress, Sen Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican, reiterated in a social media post that he will oppose Warsh’s nomination until a Justice Department investigation into Powell is resolved. Tillis is on the Senate committee that will consider Warsh’s nomination.

He added that Warsh is a “qualified nominee,” but stressed that “protecting the independence of the Federal Reserve from political interference or legal intimidation is nonnegotiable.”

Tillis’s opposition could complicate the confirmation process. Asked late Thursday whether Warsh could be confirmed without Tillis’s support, Senate Majority Leader John Thune said, “probably not.”

Separately, Democratic Sen Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, the highest-ranking Democrat on the committee, accused Warsh of reshaping his views to appease Trump ahead of his nomination.

“I don’t know how to interpret that, except to say, that’s exactly what a sock puppet does,” she said. “If Donald Trump says it, then Kevin Warsh echoes it, even though it contradicts everything he had done for years.”

Changes coming to Fed?

Warsh has frequently criticized the Fed for its ownership of trillions of dollars in government and mortgage-backed securi-

ties, which it accumulated after the Great Recession and during the pandemic.

Warsh has charged that the massive bond-buying, which was intended to lower longer-term interest rates and boost the economy, enabled Congress to ramp up spending without concern for higher borrowing costs.

Reducing the Fed’s $6.6 trillion balance sheet, however, will be a fraught exercise because banks have become accustomed to the large amounts of cash in the financial system that it provides.

Warsh has also said the Fed’s economic models wrongly assume that rapid economic growth threatens to elevate inflation. Instead, “Inflation is caused when government spends too much and prints too much,” he wrote in a November column in The Wall Street Journal.

Controlling the Fed

The announcement comes after an extended and unusually public search. The chair of the Federal Reserve is tasked with combating inflation in the United States while also supporting maximum employment. The Fed is also the nation’s top banking regulator

The Fed’s rate decisions, over time, influence borrowing costs throughout the economy, including for mortgages, car loans and credit cards.

Trump has sought to exert more control over the Fed. In August he tried to fire Lisa Cook, one of seven governors on the Fed’s board, in an effort to secure a majority of the board. Cook, however, sued to keep her job, and the Supreme Court, in a hearing last week, appeared inclined to let her stay in her position while her suit is resolved.

Powell revealed this month that the Fed had been subpoenaed by the Justice Department about his congressional testimony on a $2.5 billion building renovation. Powell said the subpoenas were “pretexts” to force the Fed to cut rates.

Stocks fall; gold fever sends metals prices plunging

BY STAN CHOE Associated Press

NEW YORK Financial markets churned on Friday as investors tried to figure out what President Donald Trump’s new nominee to lead the Federal Reserve will mean for interest rates.

U.S. stocks fell, with the S&P 500 down 0.4% after sinking as much as 1.1% earlier in the day The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 179 points, or 0.4%, and the Nasdaq composite lost 0.9%.

The value of the U.S dollar rallied, but only after swiveling a couple times following Trump’s nomination of Kevin Warsh. And some of the wildest action was again in precious metals markets, where gold and silver prices plunged following their stellar runs over the last year Whoever leads the Fed has a big influence on the economy and markets worldwide by helping to dictate where the U.S. central bank moves interest rates. Such decisions lift or weigh on prices for all kinds of investments, as the Fed tries to keep the U.S. job market humming without letting inflation get out of control. Trump has been pushing for lower interest rates, which usually help goose the

economy but can also cause higher inflation. A fear in financial markets has been that the Fed will lose some of its independence because of Trump. That fear in turn helped catapult the price of gold and weaken the U.S. dollar’s value over the last year On Wall Street, stocks of metals miners tumbled as the price of gold dropped 11.4% to settle at $4,745.10 per ounce. Gold’s price suddenly ran out of momentum following a tremendous rally where it roughly

doubled over 12 months. It topped $5,000 for the first time on Monday and was around $5,600 at one point on Thursday Silver, which had been on a similar, jaw-dropping tear, fell

iPhone maker reported a stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. All told, the S&P 500 fell 29.98 points to 6,939.03. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 179.09 to 48,892.47, and the Nasdaq com-

in a bond’s yield indicates that its price is weakening.

OPINION

Could Democrats flip theSenate?

Donald Trump looms large over,well, everything. Democrats want November’smidterm elections to bea referendum on him. Republicans want something else. They wanttolock in their 2024win, expandtheir majoritiesand turn Trumpism into adurable governing coalition. At stake is controlofCongress —a bigprize thatRepublicans have held for thepasttwo years. Since this column last scanned the national midterm map, political handicappers havenudged victory prospects toward Democrats. The reason is simple: Midtermsare usually toughfor the party in power,and Trump’s numbers have been softening on most issues.

Republicans worry thatwithout Trump’s name on the ballot,they’ll struggle to get hisbasetothe polls. They’re also irritated that the White House hasn’t effectively explainedits policies —and has instead let thedaily churn of messy events keep them on defense. Meanwhile, they seeDemocrats with fireintheir eyes,primedto vote in bignumbers. It won’tbemuch of asurpriseifRepublicanslosetheir narrowHouse majority (218-213, with four vacancies). It would be asetback, for sure. But if Republicansalso lose their 53-47Senate majority, it wouldbeastinging rebuke Of course, if Republicansbeat theodds andmaintain control of both chambers, it would beyet anotherexample of Trump bouncing back after roughtimes.

In recent weeks, attention has startedshiftingto Senate elections whereDemocratsneed anet gain of four seats to make amajority.Mosthandicappersstill doubt they can get there,but Democratic strategists insist it’s increasingly plausible, especially if swing voters decide to use their votes as acheck on Trump’spower

At the moment, there are three especially vulnerable Republican Senate seats —inNorthCarolina, Maine and Alaska. Democrats are goingall in on each one. North Carolina is an open seat.Democrats have astrong contender in former Gov.Roy Cooper, 68. Polls showhim leading former Republican NationalCommitteeChairman Michael Whatley,57.

Sen. Susan Collins, 73, Maine’sRepublican incumbent, has often been labeled “beatable” in her pastfive Senate races —but in the end, she’swon themall. This time could be different.The latestPan Atlanticpoll showsDemocraticGov.Janet Mills,78, thefavorite of herparty’s establishment, running even withCollins.Italso haspopulist Democrat Graham Platner,41, onepoint ahead of the incumbent.

Alaskahas voted Republican in everypresidentialelection since 1964,but occasionally strays in statewide contests.Democratic challenger Mary Peltola,52, aformer U.S. House member,poses areal threattoRepublican Sen. DanSullivan, 61. Recent polling showsPeltola up by two points.

That’sthree potential Democratic pickups. None asure thing, buteach within reach. Handicappersrate twoas toss-ups and one as leaning Republican Some Democrats arguethatOhiocould be afourth gain, eventhoughTrump has carried thestate threetimesby comfortable margins. Former Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, 73, who lost reelection in2024, is attempting a comeback. He’schallenging Republican Sen. Jon Husted, 58, appointed to the seat afterJDVance became vice president. ADecemberEmerson College poll had Husted ahead by three points—close, but still uphill forDemocrats. Texas could be another Democraticopportunity,depending upon primary outcomes. Onthe Republican side, Sen. John Cornyn,73, is in aclose fight against AttorneyGeneral Ken Paxton, 63. On the Democratic side, state Rep. James Talarico, 36, is battlingU.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, 44, for their party’snod. If Republicansnominate Paxton, withhis heavy legal and ethical baggage, and Democrats nominate Talarico, anew face withsharpmessaging skills,anupset becomes conceivable Even if Democrats somehow managetoflip four seats, they stillhave to defend twooftheir ownshaky seats Georgia, where Sen. Jon Ossoff, 38,isrunning forreelection, and Michigan, an open seat.Both arerated tossups. Optimistic Democrats wager that by November, ablue wave will crest and carrythe closeraces theirway.But that bet may be underestimating theirown weaknesses —new Economist/YouGov poll findsvotersthreepoints morefavorabletoward Republicans in Congressthan Democrats —and how national conditions, whichoften impact midterm elections, can have unpredictable consequences

RonFaucheux is anonpartisan political analyst, writer and pollster basedinLouisiana.

In Minneapolis, humanfailings contribute to ongoingtragedy

After seeing the video, taken by an ICE bodycam, Ican’thelp but thinkhow Christ-like Renee Nicole Good’slast five words on Earth were when she told amasked ICE agent, “I’m not mad at you.”Simple words of forgiveness that parallel: “Forgive them father,for they know not what they do.” As odd as it may sound, I’m not blaming ICE. They’re following orders and doing what they’ve been directed todobythe current administration, although the masked faces would seem to indicate that they are not proud of this assignment. I’m alsoobviously not blaming Renee Good. She appeared to be an innocent and forgiving child of God who truly cared about her friends and neighbors. Unfortunately,she responded in thewrong way to our bodies’ fight-or-flight threat responseinstinct.The samecould probably be said of the ICE agent. However,hewas also apparently a potential ticking time bombdue to his prior experiences. The convergence created the perfect storm

Almosteveryone was in favor of “getting thebad guys out of here” —agilded promise that has morphed intoanall-encompassing harvest of the low-hanging fruit. People who might not be here legally,but who nonetheless have been productive, hardworking contributorstosociety are being snared in

Uncle Remushas something to teach us about our current political situation.

Ourcurrent president seemsto be constantly hunting for someone, anyone, to hit. Much like Brer Rabbit (whoalways did have something of achip on his shoulder)

Brer Fox presented him with somethingtohit.Namely,atar baby,adoll made of tar,that would not respond correctly (or at all) when queried.

Furious at the effrontery,Brer Rabbit hit thetar baby and promptly became stuck to aproblem he could not shake free of.

The story has an unfortunate racist history,but itspoint is well taken.

theprocess —church choir directors, teachers, nurses and everyday hard-working people. People willing to do thelaborious and sometimes downright nasty jobs that many birthright citizensare no longer willing to do comprise the majority of those arrested. Through due process, Istill favor gettingthe bad guys out. However, through thesame due process, let’s identify the true contributors and find away to putthem on apathway to legalization. Wake up, America! Together,let’s do what’s right.

JOSEPH POLLETT NewOrleans

If you go around picking fights, you are bound to find an opponent capable of creating aproblem you cannot shake free of.

The list of countries, states and people that this president has deliberately insulted, belittled and threatened grows longer each day

At somepoint, he is going to cross thewrong party or parties. And at that point, it becomes our problem

Perhaps we should consider not letting that happen. Perhaps it’s time to stop tolerating aboring, obnoxious vandal whodelights in chaos.

Perhaps it’s timetofree ourselves of this tar baby

DANIEL DELAUREAL Lacombe

Irecently went to Gov.Jeff Landry’swebsite to offer my opinion that he really has no business being a“special envoy” or whatever he is regarding Greenland.

It seems he agrees, since the list of suggested topics aLouisianan might wish to contact him about includes neither “foreign affairs” nor “Greenland” nor “international envoy of mystery.” Landry seemed to want pretty badly to be our governor,and he got that wish. I think that’sahard job that deserves hard work, but it must be easy for him, since he’salso busy meddling in university sports and tense diplomacy on the world stage.

Since he accepted (or maybe asked for) the president’sjob as some sort of liaison to or viceroy of Greenland, Ithink responsibility falls on Landry to ask the president to please, pretty please, stop with his foolish interest in that island and move on to maybe find helpful ways of addressing actual concerns of Americans.

And if the president won’tlisten, Landry should resign from his extra job. Today Then he really ought to publicly apologize to the citizens of Greenland and Louisiana for having been associated with that mess in the first place. Or he should resign his post as governor of our great state.

JEFFREY KERBY NewOrleans

Clutch Chio closes out LSU gym’s win

LSU gymnast Kailin Chio performs on balance beam during a meet against Kentucky on Jan 23 at the PMAC. On Friday against Missouri, Chio tied for first in two events and won the beam outright in taking all-around honors with a 39.60.

LSU looks to rebound with trip to S. Carolina

Struggling Tigers working on mindset

BY TOYLOY BROWN III

Staff writer

ä LSU at South Carolina.

Matt McMahon said he believed LSU was prepared for Mississippi State The fourth-year LSU coach was mistaken. His team trailed 44-21 at halftime and lost 80-66 on Wednesday at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center The home defeat cemented the rough reality that LSU (13-8, 1-7 SEC) is in. McMahon acknowledged this difficult place, but he doesn’t want the hardship to overwhelm his team and its goals.

“I think when you get in these tough stretches, the only way forward is to stick together,” McMahon said. “It’s easy to separate and start blaming and making excuses and complaining in a locker room. I think you have to keep everyone tight and connected and find ways to get better.”

The Tigers hope that starts when they face South Carolina (11-10, 2-6) at noon Saturday at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina This is the second time the teams will meet this season. In the last matchup, the Gamecocks won 78-68 after building a 50-25 halftime lead on Jan. 6 at the PMAC. LSU thought it had improved after an 84-81 road loss to No. 15 Arkansas last Saturday, which was the second game with top player Dedan Thomas back from an injury But upon its return to Baton Rouge, the Tigers replicated none

ä See TIGERS, page 3C

Sophomore comes through on balance beam to seal Tigers’ win over Missouri

BY SCOTT RABALAIS Staff writer

With the dual-meet title at stake Friday night at Missouri, LSU sent star sophomore Kailin Chio out to anchor on balance beam, needing a 9.90 or better to win.

The results were predictably phenomenal.

A week after a perfect 10 on beam, Chio got a 10 from one of the two event judges and posted a 9.975, securing a 197.675197.500 LSU victory at Mizzou Arena in Columbia, Missouri.

It was the best road score of the season for No. 2-ranked LSU, which improved to 4-1-1 overall and 2-1 in the Southeastern Conference. No. 7 Missouri dropped to 4-3 and 0-3, despite posting a season-high

score itself.

“We had some (earlier) trouble on beam which we hadn’t so far this season,” LSU coach Jay Clark said. “But we improved our average. We got a road win. It was a confidence builder So it was good all the way around.”

The win on beam capped another impressive night for Chio. Though she started with an uncharacteristic 9.725 on uneven bars after taking two steps on the landing, she followed that with three straight event wins.

Chio tied for first on vault with teammate Amari Drayton and Mizzou’s Railey Jackson with a 9.95; tied teammate Kaliya Lincoln for first on floor with another 9.95; then won beam outright. The only gymnast on either team to

compete in all four events, Chio took the all-around title as well with a 39.600. The Henderson, Nevada, native now has 34 individual titles in 19 career starts, already putting her in 20th place in program history

“That’s what she does,” Clark said. “If she gets mad, watch out. There’s a fury underneath. A bonfire.”

The pressure was on Chio to hit her routine as Missouri, the nation’s No. 2 floor team, was in the process of nailing down four scores of 9.90 or better in its final rotation. On top of that, LSU was forced to count a 9.75 from Lincoln on beam after Konnor McClain touched the beam with her hands in front of Chio to keep from

Senior standouts

Ten players in Mobile who could be good match for Saints

BY MATTHEW PARAS Staff writer

MOBILE,Ala Members of the New Orleans Saints coaching staff got a good, up-close look at the American Team at the Senior Bowl. Members of the Saints scouting staff closely watched the National Team since they could rely on their coaches’ feedback for the other squad. Now, it’s time for the two teams to actually play each other

Senior Bowl week concludes Saturday when the American and National teams face off in the all-star event at Hancock Whitney Stadium at the University of South Alabama. It has been a productive week for the Saints, who have seven assistants helping with the game and had their staff on hand to examine this year’s prospects. With three days of practices in the books, here are 10 players who stood out relative to the Saints’ needs:

Mike Washington, Arkansas RB

If the Saints are searching for a lead back — and they don’t select Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love in the first round — Washington has emerged as a fascinating option. Not only was his 6-foot, 226-pound frame fully noticeable on runs, but the Arkansas product was one of the fastest players at the Senior Bowl. He clocked an impressive

ä See SAINTS, page 4C

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

At one end, Kate Koval rotated over and blocked a layup attempt. At the other, she rebounded a missed jumper and drew a foul. Those two plays which Koval squeezed into back-to-back, thirdquarter possessions on Thursday in a win over Arkansas helped the LSU women’s basketball team shake off a cold shooting start, gain some momentum and coast to a 22-point victory They also impressed coach Kim Mulkey and the LSU bench. They applauded the effort right as the whistle blew “I think (Koval’s) solid,” Mulkey said. “I think she’s a calming effect for our team whether she’s

having double-doubles or scoring the ball or whatever.” Koval, a 6-foot-5 sophomore from Notre Dame, grabbed 10 rebounds in 15 minutes on Monday in a win over Florida, leading Mulkey to say she wished she would’ve given her more playing time. So she did three days later, when the No. 6 Tigers (20-2, 6-2 SEC) pulled away from the Razorbacks and extended their winning streak to six games.

In 21 minutes, Koval tallied 12 points, 15 rebounds, five blocks and three steals. It was one of the best games of her career and it showed that the Ukrainian trans-

fer center might be starting to figure out how to play in the SEC. Koval averaged only 3.3 points and four rebounds per game in LSU’s first four league matchups. She also shot just 5 of 14 (36%) from the field. In the four games the Tigers have played since then, Koval has put up 10 points and 9.3 rebounds per game, while shooting 15 of 25 (60%) from the field and blocking almost two shots each night. Mulkey now is leaving her on the floor for about five more minutes per game than she did at the start of SEC play That extra run could carry over into the last eight games of the regular season.

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Djokovic, Alcaraz to meet in final

BY JOHN PYE AP sportswriter

MELBOURNE, Australia Novak Djokovic finally beat one of the two men who’ve been blocking his path to an unprecedented 25th Grand Slam singles title when he edged Jannik Sinner in five sets to reach the Australian Open final Friday

To get that coveted No. 25, he’ll have to beat the other: top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz.

They’re both chasing history in Sunday’s championship decider, with Alcaraz striving to become the youngest man at 22 ever to complete a career Grand Slam.

“There’s always, for me, also for Carlos because of his age and everything he’s achieved, history is on the line for both of us,” Djokovic told reporters packed into a small room deep inside the stadium in a brief interview approaching 3 a.m. “Finals of a Grand Slam. There’s a lot at stake.”

The top-ranked Alcaraz came through his own grueling five-setter He overcame cramps and a sore right leg to fend off No. 3 Alexander Zverev 6-4, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (3), 6-7 (4), 7-5 in a match that started in the warmth of the afternoon and, 5 hours, 27 minutes later, became the longest semifinal ever at the Australian Open.

That pushed the scheduled start of the Sinner-Djokovic semifinal back a couple of hours, and the 38-year-old Djokovic finally won 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 just after 1:30 a.m.

“It feels surreal,” Djokovic said of his 4-hour, 9-minute triumph.

“Honestly, it feels like winning already tonight. I know I have to come back and fight the No 1 of the world I just hope that I’ll have enough gas to stay toe-to-toe with him.

“For me, this is a win that almost equals winning a Grand Slam.”

Djokovic conceded he was lucky to even get to the semifinals He narrowly missed hitting a ball girl with a reckless swipe in the third round to be almost defaulted from the tournament, got a walkover in the fourth round, and felt he was heading home in the quarterfinals when he trailed Lorenzo Musetti by two sets until the Italian retired with an injured right leg.

Djokovic hadn’t won a set since the third round but against Sinner, the two-time defending champion, Djokovic was at the

peak of his attacking and defensive powers. He fended off 16 of the 18 breakpoints he faced and stifled Sinner’s opportunities. It ended a run of five losses to Sinner, and a run of four semifinal exits for Djokovic at the majors.

“Had many chances, couldn’t use them, and that’s the outcome,” Sinner said. “Yeah, it hurts, for sure.” Alcaraz and Sinner have split the last eight major titles between them since Djokovic won his last title at the 2023 U.S. Open.

But nobody knows how to win more often at Melbourne Park than Djokovic. He has won all 10 times he’s contested the Australian Open final. He has been saying for months that Alcaraz and Sinner have been playing at a higher level than everyone else. He also said he never doubted he could rise to that level.

“I never stopped doubting. I never stopped believing in my-

self,” he said. “There’s a lot of people that doubted me a lot of experts all of a sudden that wanted to retire me.

“I want to thank them all because they gave me strength. They gave me motivation to prove them wrong, which I have tonight.”

Final 4

The top four seeds reached the men’s semifinals for just the fifth time and Day 13 was destined to produce some much-needed drama. The season-opening major had been a relatively slow burn until the back-to-back five-setters lasting a combined 9 hours, 36 minutes.

Alcaraz and Zverev, the 2025 runner-up, surpassed the 2009 classic between Rafael Nadal and Fernando Verdasco as the longest ever Australian Open semifinal Medical timeout

Alcaraz was as close as two points from victory in the third set but was hampered by pain in his upper right leg and his medical timeout became contentious. He said initially it didn’t feel like cramping because the pain seemed to be just in one muscle, the right adductor, and he needed an assessment. He endured the third and fourth sets and was behind in the fifth after dropping serve in the first game. He kept up the pressure but didn’t break back until Zverev was serving for the match. He then won the last four games. “Physically we pushed each other to the limit today We pushed our bodies to the limit,” Alcaraz said. “I rank this one in the top position of one of the best matches that I have ever won.”

Former teammates Knueppel, Flagg face off

Ex-Duke players battling for NBA Rookie of the year

BY STEVE REED AP sportswriter

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Cooper Flagg entered the season as the overwhelming favorite to win NBA Rookie of the Year

But his old college roommate is giving the No. 1 draft pick a run for his money

Charlotte’s Kon Knueppel is in the midst of the most productive rookie season in Hornets history, ranking third in the league in 3-pointers made (151) behind only Stephen Curry and Donovan Mitchell. He’s on pace to make 269 3s this season, which would obliterate the NBA rookie record of 206 set by Sacramento’s Keegan Murray in the 2022-23 season. That production has allowed Knueppel to close the gap in the running for Rookie of the Year

He’s currently listed at +280 odds to win behind only Flagg (-450), according to BetMGM Sportsbook. Before the season, Knueppel was +2000 to win.

On Thursday night, Knueppel went head-to-head with Flagg and poured in a career-high 34 points on eight made 3-pointers. He deflected a pass from Flagg

and made two free throws with 4.1 seconds left to lift the Hornets to their fifth straight win, 123-121 win over the Dallas Mavericks.

Flagg finished with 49 points, setting an NBA record for points scored by a teen in an epic duel of the league’s young stars.

“Ten years down the road we will be looking back on this as a pretty special thing,” Flagg said after the game.

Although Flagg remains the heavy favorite to win NBA Rookie of the Year, Knueppel’s stats are comparable, if not better given his shooting acumen.

Flagg is averaging 19.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.2 steals per game for Dallas, while shooting 29% from 3-point range.

Knueppel is averaging 18.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 0.7

steals while shooting 42.9% on 3s.

Knueppel said he and Flagg remain in communication, but haven’t discussed the battle for top rookie. A selfproclaimed basketball junkie, Knueppel spends most of his free time watching other NBA games, and has paid close attention to his former Duke teammate’s accomplishments.

“We see the game in the same way Cooper makes his team-

mates better and we talk about that — how to help the team,” Knueppel said. “He’s a guy that likes to do it as a whole. He’s not out there to get his, per se. He wants to do it the right way.”

Golden State coach Steve Kerr recently compared Knueppel to Warriors legend Chris Mullin.

“Really good size on the wing, big strong body, catch-and-shoot, but also incredible IQ, passing, making the right play over and over again. He’s already a really really (darn) good player,” Kerr said.

“He’s got a knack, he’s got a feel for the game, you can tell. And the pump fake and the sidestep three to turn a decent three into a great three that’s just feel. And the poise that he has on the floor is really impressive.”

Kerr praised Knueppel’s movement without the basketball, and his ability to free himself up for open looks.

Facing older, taller and more physical competition, he quickly learned the importance of moving without the ball and getting his shot off quickly

“That is an area, especially in our country, that is a struggle with the young players,” said Knueppel, who like Flagg has twice won

Vikings GM Adofo-Mensah let go after 4 seasons

MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Vikings won 43 games over the last four years. The organization has frequently received high marks on recent player report cards. Their fan support, for a franchise that has not won a Super Bowl, is among the strongest in the league Dissatisfaction with above average or pretty good results was never more apparent than on Friday, when general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was fired after four seasons and a contract extension just eight months ago.

Executive vice president of football operations Rob Brzezinski was appointed as the interim replacement through the NFL draft, after which the full general manager search will take place The timing of this decision was unusual nearly four weeks after the regular season.

Ravens hiring Doyle, 29, as offensive coordinator

BALTIMORE New Ravens coach

Jesse Minter is hiring Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Declan Doyle to be Baltimore’s offensive coordinator, a source with direct knowledge of the situation confirmed to The Baltimore Sun.

Doyle replaces Todd Monken, whom previous coach John Harbaugh had hired in 2023 and is now the coach of the Cleveland Browns.

Next to Minter the position is perhaps the most important — and scrutinized — on the coaching staff. Doyle, 29, is viewed as another rising young assistant in NFL circles. He’s the youngest offensive coordinator in the league. Though he was the Bears’ offensive coordinator this past season, he did not call the plays.

Olympic sprinter Richardson arrested for speeding

Olympic medal-winning sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson was arrested in Florida on Thursday after allegedly driving more than 100 mph. The 25-year-old track star was taken into custody outside Orlando and booked into the Orange County Jail on a charge of dangerous excessive speeding. She was clocked going 104 mph.

Richardson was “dangerously tailgating and traveling across lanes of travel to pass other motorists,” an Orange County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson told TMZ. Richardson posted $500 bond and has since been released from jail. Last summer, the Olympian was arrested after allegedly assaulting her boyfriend, fellow runner Christian Coleman, at the SeattleTacoma International Airport.

WNBA, players’ union to resume CBA negotiations

The WNBA and the players’ union will meet Monday in New York for the first time in several weeks to try to move the stalled collective bargaining negotiations forward.

Kelsey Plum, who is vice president of the players’ union, mentioned the meeting to reporters while she was preparing for a game in Philadelphia with the 3-on3 league Unrivaled.

NBA Rookie of the Month. “They don’t know how to move off the basketball. And that really really helps you at this level.”

Knueppel said that has gotten tougher for him as the season has progressed with opposing teams paying closer attention to where he’s at on the floor

But he’s continued to flourish, while remaining remarkably consistent. He and Denver’s Nikola Jokic are the only players this season to average at least 15 points and five rebounds per game while shooting better than 42% from 3-point range.

Knueppel’s 13 games with at least five 3s ties a rookie record — and he still has 33 games to play

“He’s been incredible,” Flagg said of Knueppel, both of whom spent one season at Duke before entering the draft. “He’s been really impressive and that’s nothing new to me. I know what he is capable of. I knew what to expect and I’m really happy for him.”

Whether or not Knueppel can beat the odds and overtake Flagg for NBA Rookie of the Year with two months left in the season remains to be seen.

But the No. 4 pick in the 2025 draft said just being in the same conversation with Flagg — a player many observers consider to be a “generational talent” is rewarding.

Plum will be joined at the meeting by other members of the executive council, including Nneka Ogwumike and Napheesa Collier, as well as union leadership.

The league will have its regular negotiating team, including WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert, the labor relations committee and a few other owners.

Rose breaks his 36-hole record at Torrey Pines

SAN DIEGO Justin Rose scored even better on the notorious South course Friday in the Farmers Insurance Open, and the proof is in the tournament record book. He broke his own 36-hole record by two shots at Torrey Pines to build a four-shot lead.

The weekend will include Brooks Koepka in his return to the PGA Tour after four seasons on the Saudi-funded LIV Golf League. The five-time major champion remains perplexed by the poa

greens and settled for a

Southern,Alcornwomen setfor SWAC clash

BY CHARLESSALZER

Contributing writer

The Southern women’sbasketball team will look to keep the good times rolling Saturday when it visits Alcorn State fora key Southwestern Athletic Conference game. The Jaguars and Bravesare two of three conference teamswith only one loss. Southern (11-8, 7-1) is coming off of a67-43 winat Jackson State on Thursday while Alcorn (9-9, 6-1) had its game with Grambling rescheduled for Monday.

The game will be the first part of adoubleheader and will tip off at 1p.m. at the Davey L.Whitney Complex in Lorman, Mississippi. Thesecond game will match the Southern men (8-12, 4-3)against their Alcorn counterparts in a game that will begin 30 minutes after the women’sgame ends.

For the women,Saturday’s game is arematch of last season’s SWAC Tournament championshipgame.

Southern avenged a59-55 overtime loss in the regular season with a 64-44 win that earned it an NCAA Tournament berth.

“Weplayed them last year in the conference championship game, and they’ve been playing real good for awhile,” Southern coach CarlosFunchess said. “They’re well-

CHIO

Continued frompage1C

falling and scored onlya 9.55.

“I don’tactually watch the person in front of me,” Chio said in apost-meet interview on the SEC Network. “I just went up there and did my gymnastics. Ijust wanted us to get awin on the road.”

The road win came two weeks after LSU’sworst showing of the season,a 197.200-196.850 loss at No.8 Georgia.

“After our last road meet at Georgia, we had some mistakes,” Chio said. “Butit was important for us to get out there and do what we know how to do.”

LSUstarted on uneven bars and took a49.375-49.275 lead as Missouri opened on vault. Madison Ulrich, a junior transfer from Denver,set aseason high with

KOVAL

Continued from page1C

Koval hasn’tstarted in threeweeks,but Mulkey opened the second halfof Thursday’swin over Arkansas with Kovalatcenter,and LSU built an 11-0 run. Flau’jae Johnsonand Mikaylah Williamshandled most of the scoring responsibilities during that pivotal stretch. But Koval kickstarted afew of their transition chances by protecting the rim and cleaning the glass. In the third quarter alone, she corralled fiverebounds, blocked three shots and forced two turnovers.

LSU outscored theRazorbacks by 28 points when Koval was on the floor.The lineup Mulkey used with her at center —flanked by Williams, Flau’jae Johnson, Jada Richardand ZaKiyah

TIGERS

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of that intensity and sound fundamental play

Arecurring issue has been 3-pointers, both the offense’s difficulty making them and the defense’s inabilitytoprevent opposing teams from getting hot from beyond thearc. When LSU lost to South Carolina on Jan. 6, it closelymirrored the most recent loss to Mississippi State. Both times, LSU got off to abysmal starts. Against South Carolina, it trailed 24-5 after about six minutes. Against Mississippi State, the Tigers were down27-9 with 11:35 remaining in the first half. LSU never led in either game and trailed by 28 and 27 points, respectively,inthe first half. When McMahon was asked

coached, and they have agood core unit that came back, so it’s going to be abattle.” Alcorn’stop returning players from lastseasonhavebeen Nakia Cheatham and KiaraHenderson

In the Braves’ 61-48 win at Florida A&M last Saturday,Henderson contributed everywhere with 13 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists and five steals. Southern began its Mississippi

road trip Thursday nightwitha convincing win at Jackson State.

TheJaguars took a19-6 lead after one quarter and eventually led 6127 going into the fourth. Although Southern alwaysusesmost of its

FINALRESULTS

No. 2LSU 197.675, No. 7Arkansas 197.50

1. No. 2LSU 197.675 (Vault —49.425, Bars —49.375, Beam —49.325, Floor —49.550)

2. No. 7Missouri 197.500 (Vault —49.275, Bars —49.350, Beam 49.400, Floor —49.475) Individual (includesfirstplace and all LSU competitors) All-around 1. Kailin Chio, LSU 39.600 (only all-around competitor). Vault 1. Kailin Chio, Amari Drayton, LSU,Railey Jackson, Missouri 9.95; Courtney Blackson,LSU,9.925; KonnorMcClain, LSU,9.825; T8. KaliyaLincoln, LSU,9.80; T11. Lexi Zeiss, LSU,9.775. Bars— 1. Hannah Horton, Missouri 9.95; T2. Madison Ulrich, Courtney Blackson, LSU,9.925; 5. Hailey Mustari, LSU,9.90; T6. Konnor McClain, LSU,9.825; T10. Lexi Zeiss,LSU,9.80; 12. Kailin Chio, LSU,9.725. Beam 1. Kailin Chio, LSU,9.975; 4. Amari Drayton, LSU,9.925; T6. Kylie Coen, LSU,9.85; 8. Lexi Zeiss, LSU, 9.825; 10. KaliyaLincoln,LSU,9.75; 12. Konnor McClain, LSU,9.55. Floor T1. KaliyaLincoln, Kailin Chio, LSU,9.95; T5. Nina Ballou, Kylie Coen, LSU,9.90; 9. Emily Innes, LSU 9.85; 11. Amari Drayton, LSU,9.775. Attendance— n/a

a9.925, matched three routineslater by Boise State graduate transferCourtney Blackson that sandwiched a 9.90 for Hailey Mustari in the freshman’sfirst career routine. Mustari replaced 2024 SEC bars champion Ashley Cowan in thelineupasthe LSU coaches sought to expand the Tigers’ experience through theroster “I needed to see what she would do,” Clark said of

Mustari. “I talked to Cowan about it. Early in the season, Ilike to mix things up when we can. We need as many people to get opportunities as we can without sacrificing our ability to win.” Chio rebounded from her bars score with her seasonhigh-tying 9.95 on vault.LSU alsogot aseason-high 9.95 from Drayton and season bests from Blackson (9.90) and McClain (9.825) to post a49.425 on vault.Missouri

“Kate’snot going toget toohigh or toolow.I think Kate is doingextremely well, and she’s so valuable toour team, but Idon’tthink she’shad what Iwould just saywas abad game.”

KIM MULKEy,LSU coach

Johnson —won itsminutes by 10 points. No other group sheput together wasmore productive.

“She wasblocking shots,” first-year Arkansascoach Kelsi Musicksaid. “She takesupspace, andshe’s hard to block out,and she can rebound. She does areallygood jobfor what coach Mulkey needs her todo, and sheexecutes at areally high level.

“She runs the floor.She’s aphenomenalplayer in the paint forthem.”

LSU will need Koval to keep controlling the interior moving forward. Once the

Tigers get past theirgame against No.24Alabama on Sunday,they’ll quickly run intotheir rematch with No. 4Texas and their annual showdown with No. 3South Carolina.

Both teams are standing in the way of LSU’s shotat the SEC regular-season title —and itschances to earn aNo. 1NCAA Tournament seed for thefirst time since 2006. They also have size they can throw at theTigers.

The Longhorns have been starting 6-4Breya Cunningham and bringing in 6-6 Kyla Oldacreoff the bench

THOMASLISTED AS DOUBTFUL FOR SATURDAY’S GAMEATSOUTH

LSU pointguardDedan Thomas is doubtfultoplay againstSouth Carolina on Saturday, accordingtothe SoutheasternConference availabilityreport The junior playedhis third straight game Wednesday againstMississippi State after missing theprevious fivegamesbecause of a lowerleft leginjury. Thomas did not noticeably

how to keep the team’s chances of making the NCAA Tournament alive,he said solving issues one game at atimeisthe approach. “I think the focus for us has to be short-term,” McMahon said.“How do we fix

CAROLINA

getinjuredwhenLSU (138, 1-7 SEC) lost 80-66 at home to the Bulldogs. The TV broadcastshowed himgetting hisankle retaped during the first half. He continued playing in the second half. Thomas played28minutes and finished with 14 points, four assists and zero turnovers.

ToyloyBrown

our start here (Wednesday)? How do we show improvement on the defensive side of theball from the3-point line, and ultimately,you got to be able to score.Wejust scored 81 Saturday, and then (Wednesday), credit to Mis-

hada 49.350 on bars, giving LSUa98.800-98.625 lead midway through themeet. LSU widened its lead furtherasthe Tigers moved to floor forrotation three. Floor was LSU’slowest-rated routine at No. 11 coming in,but the Tigers posteda 49.550, theirsecond-best floor score this season. Chio’s9.95 was followed by a9.925 from Lincoln in the anchor spot,giving LSU a 148.350-148.025 lead. Missouri outscored LSU in the final rotation 49.47549.325, but it was not enough to catch the visiting Tigers. “Wecan do extraordinarily more,” Chio said. “That was our baseline. We have so much more youhaven’t seen yet.”

LSU returns home next Friday to host Penn Statein anonconference meet. First vault is set for 7:30 p.m.and themeet will be shownona streaming basis on SECNetwork+.

behind her.The Gamecocks have been playing four playerswho stand taller than 6-4 —6-5 Madina Okot, 6-7 Alicia Tournebize, 6-5 Adhel Tacand 6-4 Maryam Dauda.

Koval is the only LSU contributorwho’s6-3 or taller. Amiya Joyner andGrace Knox arelisted at only 6-2, while ZaKiyah Johnson is just 6-foot.

The good news for LSUis that Koval may have figured out howshe can earnherself alarger role, just in time for the scheduletostiffen again.

“Kate’s not going to get too high or too low,”Mulkey said. “I think Kateisdoing extremelywell, andshe’s so valuable to our team, but I don’tthink she’shad what Iwould just say wasabad game.”

Email ReedDarcey at reed darcey@theadvocate.com.

sissippi State’sdefense, we scored 21 points in thefirst half. So we got to really get back andfocusongetting our team better.” McMahon said one letdown was the team’s mindset While he thought it was in agood place beforethe game, it led topoor play

“I’m abig believer in the mindset,and so that was probably my disappointment,” McMahonsaid.“Just thought coming out of shootaround, therewas great energy,great communication. Ithought we’dhave a certainpop to us. Acertain urgency there. So you know, we had really improved our start here of late. But you gottolookatbothsidesof the ball, because 3-point line defense, but then offensively,wedidn’tscore enough to give ourselves achance either there. So it allworks together.”

bench, the large lead made it easier for Funchess to rest his top players late in the game.

In all, 13 Jaguars played against Jackson State, but only Zaria Hurston was on the court more than 20 minutes.

“Alcorndidn’tplay(Thursday) so they’re going to be well-rested,” Funchess said. “It was good for us to be able to play everybody and limit someminutes, especially forour keyplayers. Keeping everybody under 20 minutes was by design so we could get some rest.”

Mykayla Cunningham and Demonnie Lagwaywere Southern’s top scorers with 10 points each. DeMya Porter,who leads the Jaguars at 10.4 points pergame, scored nine points, and 6-foot-5 post player Anaja Hall added eight points, five rebounds and three blocks.

“Wegot off to agood start. We hit some shots early and did agood job of keeping them out of what they wanted to do,whichwas running theball-screen offense,”Funchess said. “Westarted rolling from there. Ithought we were alittle lackadaisical late in thegame, but we didagood jobcoming outand jumping on them.”

The 24-point loss was Jackson State’sworst againstthe Jaguars since it lost to Southern 85-56 on Jan. 9, 2017, agame that was also played in Jackson.

Balanced scoring

efforts lead the Pelicans to victory over Grizzlies

BY LES EAST Contributing writer

Saddiq Bey and Derik Queen scored 22 points each, Zion Williamson had 21, Derik Queen added 20, and theNew Orleans Pelicans held off the Memphis Grizzlies114-106 on Friday night in the Smoothie King Center Herb Jones scored 16 and Jose Alvarado added 11 for thePelicans (1337), whotook control by outscoring the Grizzlies 35-15 in the thirdquarter NewOrleans beginsa fourgame road trip when it faces the76ers in Philadelphia on Saturday night. Jaren Jackson andCam Spencer scored 16 each, Cedric Coward scored 13, Jock Landale put in 12, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had 11, and Jaylen Wells added 10 forthe Grizzlies (18-28),who lost their fifth straight TheGrizzlies played without leading scorer Ja Morant (19.5 pointsper game), who missed his fourthstraight game because of an elbowsprain, and Zach Edey (ankle), who averages 13.6 points and a team-best11.1 rebounds. Spencermadea 3-pointer to start the second-half scoring to give the Grizzlies a64-58 lead. Williamson and Jones scored four points each as the Pelicans pulled even at 68.

Landale’sbasketbroke thetie before Bey scored seven points andQueen

had fourasNew Orleans took a79-74 lead. John Konchar made alayup for Memphis, but Alvarado made three 3-pointers and KarloMatkovic one during a14-0 run that gave the Pelicans a93-76 lead at the end of the quarter New Orleans had made just 4of243-pointers beforemaking thosefour in as many attempts. The Grizzlies scored the first 11 points of the fourth quarter to get within six. Beymadetwo free throws forthe Pelicans’first points of the quarter,and Queen andJones had twofield goalseach during a10-3 run that gave New Orleans a103-90 lead. Memphis got as close as five points but didn’tget any closer The lead changed hands eight time in the first quarter,the lastcoming when Landale’sjumper gave the Grizzlies a21-20 lead and started a9-0 run. Trey Murphy stopped the run when he completed athreepoint play,and Jeremiah Fears’ field goal pulledthe Pelicans within 32-28 at the end of the first quarter Jackson made a3-pointer to help Memphis extend the lead to 10 points early in the second quarter Queen scored four points, including alayup,that gave NewOrleans a45-44 lead.

GG Jackson’sdunk gave the Grizzliesthe lead, which they kept by ascore of 61-58 at halftime.

Bradyhires Carmichael as Billsoffensive coordinator

Coachesworked together on Saints staff

BY JOHN WAWROW Associated Press

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y.— BuffaloBills

coach Joe Brady began filling out his staff by turning to aformer colleague in agreeing to hirePete Carmichael as offensive coordinator,aperson with knowledge of discussionstold The Associated Press on Friday

The person spoke on condition of anonymity becauseCarmichael hasyet to sign hiscontract.The NFL Network first reported the agreement. The 54-year-old Carmichael has been alongtime assistant under Sean Payton,includingspending the previous two seasons asthe Denver Broncos senior offensive assistant.

It was during Payton’s time coaching New Orleanswhen Carmichael’stenure overlappedwith Brady.Carmichaelwas theSaints offensivecoordinator when Brady spent the 2017 and ’18 seasonsas an offensiveassistant.

Carmichael has 26 seasons of NFL coachingexperience, beginning in 2000 when he was tight ends coach in Cleveland, before going on to serve as the Saints offensive coordinator from 2009-23. He leaves Denver withPayton shuffling his offensivestaff by firing offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi and wide receivers coach Keary Colbert

The shakeup comes after the AFC’stop-seeded Broncos’ 10-7 loss to New England in the AFC championship game on Sunday Carmichael’sextensive experi-

ence andconnections to Paytonare plusses for the 36-year-old Brady whoismakinghis head-coaching debut

Brady spent thepasttwo-plus seasons as the Bills offensive coordinator beforebeing promoted this week in replacing Sean McDermott, who was fired after nine seasons.

Bradyhas spoken highly of how he’sadopted many of Payton’sphilosophiesbysaying he earned “a doctorate” in offense during his time in New Orleans.

Though Carmichael will serve as coordinator,Brady has already said he intends tocontinue calling plays forBuffalo’s JoshAllen-led offense.

Brady still has much to do to fill outhis staff with avacancy at defensive coordinator after Bobby Babich left to takethe samejob in Green Bay.Buffalo’sspecial teams coordinator’sjob is also open after Chris Tabor left to sign withMiami.

LSUunder investigation forunreportedNIL deals

BY WILSON ALEXANDER Staff writer

LSU received notice that the College Sports Commission is investigating apotential rulesviolation related to unreported name,image and likeness deals by at least one athlete, according to an email obtained Friday by The Advocate through apublicrecords request. Theinquiry is notrelated to the LSU football program, asource said. It is the first known example of amajor program beinglooked into by the CSC, thoughseveral other schools recently received letters of inquiry over athletes failing to report NIL deals.

The CSC is the new enforcement armwithin college sports that was set up last summer when the House settlement took effect, bringing with it new rules around player compensation.Itisdesigned to police spending by the schools andverify the legitimacy of NIL deals between athletes and

SAINTS

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thirdparties.

“The CollegeSportsCommission is investigating whether amember of one of your institution’s sportsteams failedtoreport one or more third-party Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals in accordance with applicable rules,”the CSC’shead of investigations, Katie B. Medearis, wrote Jan.15to LSU athletic directorVerge Ausberry

Medearis askedtoset up aphone call with Ausberry or amember of LSU’scompliance staffwithin the nextweek.Details of the investigation are not publicly known, and the response fromLSU administrators was not included in theemail.

“Wehave been in regular communication with theCSC since the organization’sformation and appreciate their ongoing collaborationand guidance,” LSUspokespersonZach Greenwell said in astatement. “Weanticipate this specific inquirywillberesolved

21 miles per houronone of his rushes, a staggering number given hissize. Zion Young, Missouri DE College scouting director Jeff Ireland said that the Saints’ prototypefor defensive ends has changed under defensive coordinator Brandon Staley’sscheme. That said, Young sure looked likethe type of passrusherthe Saints have become enamored withover the years. He’s6-foot-5, 262 pounds and was a consistent presence off the edge. He might notbeonthe board when the Saints pick in thesecond round, buthe’d be afun player to pair with Chase Young.

TedHurst,Georgia StateWR

Most any list of Senior Bowl standouts hasHurst on it. The 6-3, 207-pound receiver stood outina bigway throughout the week. He’snot the fastestreceiver buthedisplayed crafty footwork to win his routes. He also canexcel at contested catches. As TheAthletic’sDane Brugler noted, Hurst had the most 20-plus yard catches in the FBS overthe last two seasons with 34.

Walker thriving in increasedrolefor Seahawks backfield

Running back is slated to become afreeagent

BY ANDREW DESTIN Associated Press

RENTON,Wash. When Zach Charbonnet went downwith aseasonending knee injury against the SanFrancisco 49ersinthe divisional round of the NFCplayoffs, Kenneth Walker rushed onto the field to check on hisSeattle Seahawks backfield mate.

Initially,Walker was told Charbonnet —who led the Seahawks with12touchdown runs and became thefirstSeattle player since Marshawn Lynchin2014 to rush for at least 10 scores in aseason —was going to be OK

Walker instead has taken on an increased role as the Seahawks movewithin one winoftheir second Super Bowltitle in franchise history

“Obviously,it’sunfortunate what happened to him,”Walker told TheAssociated Press. “But, I’ve been going through it all season. I’ve been prepared for whatever.”

Walker, who ranfor over 1,000 yards this season (1,027) for the first time sincehis rookie year, hasnot only been prepared,he has excelled in Charbonnet’s absence. Including the game in which Charbonnet was injured, Walker has averaged 4.7 yards per carry in the postseason, caught all seven passes thrown hisway for78yards receiving and plunged intothe endzone four times on the ground.

Ahead of theSeahawks’ 3127 win against the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC championship game, offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak pointedtothe film as reason enough that Walker could handle afew moretouches.

“He played some really good football,” Kubiak said last week. “Wehave all the confidence in the worldwith him to carry aheavier load, but it’snot all on him. He’s gothelp behind him. We’re counting on him.”

ä Super Bowl LX: Seahawks vs. Patriots. 5:30 P.M. FEB.8,NBC

as ateam.

“Linemen hitting their guys, picking up on who theywere supposed to get,” Walker said. “Everybody just all around was moredetailed in who they were supposed to get. Receivers, tight ends, everybody’sall on one accord.”

But nobody has been more on point —and received moreattention—thanWalkerahead of what could be his last game in aSeahawks uniform. The 25-year-old running back is in thefinalyear of his rookie contract and is slated to become afreeagent in 2026. Given his production, Walker figures to be in line forasignificant pay bump.

General manager John Schneider, whodrafted Walker in the second round in 2022, would be saddened to see him go should theMichiganState product choose to do so.

“Ken has been awesome,” Schneider said. “Explosive. I would say maybe alittle bit more decisivethe last monthand a half.He’safree agent. We’d love to have him back.”

To Schneider’spoint, Walker picked up steam down the stretch after hitting alull formuchofthe middleofthe season.AsWalker putit, it hasbeenanup-and-down season personally while the team hasenjoyed plentyofon-field success, which matters much moretohim Walker has taken pride in stepping up in Charbonnet’sabsence, especially sinceheconsiders him abrother. Simultaneously, Walker’smental resilience has beentestedamid the uncertainty of his future in the Pacific Northwest.

shortly. We will not comment further on regulatory matters.”

The Athletic first reportedthe inquiry into LSU.

The CSC previously indicated thatitreached out to several schools about investigations into unreported NIL agreements. As part of theHouse settlement, every deal over $600 must be approvedbya clearinghouse called NILGo. The clearinghouse is supposedtodetermine whetherdeals have avalid business purpose and fall within areasonable range of compensation. Athletes or their representatives must report their deals.

LSU athletics hasfully funded revenue sharing, which was cappedat$20.5 million in the first year of theHouse settlement. Administrators have saidthe school would be able to legally exceed thecap by arranging legitimate third-party NILdealsthrough LSU’slongtime multimediarights partner

MalachiFields, NotreDameWR

Fields may not have put up eye-popping stats (36catches for 630 yards and five touchdowns) in his lone year at Notre Dame last season, but the former Virginia transfer caught plentyofeyes during theweek of Senior Bowl practices. He’s aphysically imposing receiver at 6-4 while also having the speed and smoothness to getbydefenders. He made an impressive diving catch deep down thefield Wednesday on which he split the cornerback andthe safety to break free

TyrenMontgomery, John CarrollWR

Montgomery’semergence is what makes the Senior Bowl fun. The little-known5-11 Montgomery popped on people’s radarsthis week as he looked like he belonged, despite competing at the DivisionIII levelincollege. He didn’tplay football until his junior yearofcollegeatNicholls State. He played basketball in high school and even spent a semester of his freshman year as awalk-on basketball player at LSU.

Keylan Rutledge,Georgia Tech OL Coaches had to warnRutledge several timestostopbeing overly aggressive in practice, and Saintsfans everywhere had flashbackstoTrevorPenning. Still, Rut-

Over the Seahawks’ last three games of the regularseason, Walker had at least 100 total yards twice. He credited his successtoSeattle’sattentiontodetail in allaspects of the run game

Rather than ponderwhether the Super Bowl could be asweet swansongtohis time with the Seahawks,Walkerhas compartmentalized that aspect of his role in one of the biggest games in franchise history “I don’treally think on that,” Walker said. “If Iworry about that, then Iwon’tbeable to focus on what thehellIneed to focus on.”

So what is occupying Walker’s mind these days?

“I just really want to win the Super Bowl,” he said.

Seahawksrunning backKenneth Walker leapspast Rams linebacker Byron young foratouchdown during the NFCchampionshipgame on SundayinSeattle. Walker has runfor four touchdowns this postseason.

ledge’saggressiveness is an appealing aspect to his game, andthe 6-3, 316-pound guard can bully people on the inside. Primarily aguard in college, Rutledge worked at all three interior spots throughout the week to display hisversatility. The Saints need interior offensive line help, making Rutledge someone to keep an eye on.

Jeremiah Wright,AuburnOL Wright dominated hisone-on-one battles in practice, including thelast rep of Tuesday’s practice in which he threw Alabama defensive lineman LT Overton to the ground. The circle of teammates around him went nuts, and for good reason. It was abig-time move, one that Wright showed he could consistently make.The 6-5, 340-pounderstarted 12 games at right guard for Auburnlastseason.

Kaelon Black,Indiana RB Black could be afun weapon forthe Saints as athird-down, change-of-pace back. The 5-9 rusherstood out in the passing game, where he excelled as areceiving threat. Though he was hardly used as areceiver in college —hehad just four catches for 36 yards with theHooisers —perhaps that could change at thenextlevel. It was also noteworthy thatBlack attended the Senior Bowl after playing in thenationalchampionship just aweek earlier

Will Kacmarek,OhioState TE

With Foster Moreau and Jack Stollset to be free agents, the Saints could use aphysical, run-blocking tightend to complement starter Juwan Johnson. EnterKacmarek. The6-6,240-pound tightend hadonly15 catches for 168 yards last season, but that hardly matters. Kacmarek canhelpa team in the NFLifheblocks the way he did in college and during these practices.

Kyle Louis, Pittsburgh LB Linebacker isn’tahuge need for New Orleans, but we’re bending the rules alittle bit here. Even if Demario Davis leaves in free agency,the team’s brass has confidence in 2025 fourth-rounder Danny Stutsman. But Louis drew rave reviewsinMobile, includingfrom ESPN analyst LouisRiddick, who said the Pittsburgh product wasamong the National Team linebackers who “set the tone” for three days of practice. Perhaps undersizedat5-11and 224 pounds, Louis still hits with athud.

THE VARSITY ZONE

Dunham holds off University High

Haven,

Olivier lead Tigers past Cubs

BY JACKSON REYES Staff writer

Dunham looked for one more stop against University High, clinging to a one-point lead late in the fourth quarter

The Cubs inbounded the ball with 6.1 seconds left to senior Nikolas Popov near midcourt. He drove to the cup but was forced to take a fadeaway layup after facing a strong contest from Dunham senior Jarvis Washington.

The shot grazed the rim and fell into the hands of Tigers junior Elijah Haven, who dribbled out the remaining two seconds on the clock. Dunham (17-2) defeated the Cubs 68-67 on Friday night at University High. Haven led the Tigers in scoring with 26 points. Senior guard AJ Olivier finished with 21.

“We relied on our principles, and we communicated,” Dunham coach Chad Myers said. “We did everything like we’ve been taught to do.” The Tigers trailed early, falling behind 24-10 in the second quarter

“We put ourselves in a deep hole,” Myers said “We didn’t match their energy early on. Elijah Haven decided to be Elijah Haven tonight.”

Myers credited Haven for his work on the defensive end in the second quarter which helped the Tigers claw back

“I got to do whatever the team needs,” Haven said. “That’s been my whole mindset coming in here

this year It was just a gritty win.”

After U-High went on a 7-0 run in the second to take a 14-point lead, Haven got a stop and dished an assist to Charlie Myers, who buried a 3-pointer Olivier also knocked down three

3-pointers in the second, including a four-point play just before halftime to cut the deficit to two points down 34-32. Washington scored the first six points for Dunham to open the third, all assisted by Haven. The

Brusly cashes in on Plaquemine mistakes to earn district victory

BY CHARLES SALZER

Contributing writer

It’s one thing to make it to the free throw line, and it’s another to put the shot away Brusly did that and more Friday night against District 6-4A rival Plaquemine.

Brusly took care of business at the foul line and grinded out a 7060 win at the Panthers gym.

Brusly (17-4, 3-0) came in wanting to make more free throws than Plaquemine, and they accomplished that goal. Brusly made 32 of 40 at the foul line while Plaquemine (15-9, 1-1) connected on 21 of 28.

In addition to bragging rights, the win gave Brusly a leg up on the Green Devils in the chase to win the massive, nine-team district they are part of. It also had importance in the Division II nonselect power ratings, where Brusly was fourth and Plaquemine seventh before Friday’s contest.

“That was a key coming in,” Brusly coach Kirby Loupe said. “Our goal was to make more free throws than they shot. We wanted to put pressure on them and tighten the rim, and I thought our boys did a really good job of that.”

Brusly looked to be in comfortable shape, leading 52-34 with two minutes left in the third quarter Plaquemine put together an 11-2 run that bridged the third and fourth quarters to get back in the game.

The Green Devils got as close as 64-58 on Chris Griffin’s steal and basket with 2:41 left to play. Brusly’s Ryland Johnson scored twice for the Panthers, and they made four free throws in the final minute to seal the win. Johnson led Brusly with 19 points, and he got support from Kazi Murray (15) and Ben Radford (10). Plaquemine’s Jakyris Jenkins led all scorers with 23 points.

The opening quarter was close, with both teams shooting better than 50% from the field. Brusly led 20-17 after one, and 24-19 when it found an unexpected spark.

PHOTO By APRIL BUFFINGTON

Brusly’s Juamorris Stewart pulls up for a jumper against Plaquemine on Friday at Brusly High School.

Plaquemine’s Roderick Bingham got a steal and passed ahead to Tyrinn Hergleson for a breakaway dunk. But, instead of tightening the score, Harrelson was assessed a technical for hanging on the rim. Brusly’s Micah Bryant made both free throws, and the Panthers added seven more points, all from the free throw line, before Plaquemine scored again.

Brusly made 19 of 24 free throws in the half and led 36-27 at the break.

“Plaquemine is really tough, and they’re well coached,” Loupe said. “This rivalry, whether it’s basketball or football, it’s just a really good rivalry. And this game tonight was two quality basketball teams. Our guys made plays down the stretch and so did theirs.”

REPORT

string of plays helped the Tigers take a 38-36 lead.

Later in the third, the Cubs’ Harris Sides drained a fadeaway jumper to tie the game at 44 points apiece. Olivier responded with a three-point play after he drove to the cup and drew contact on a layup.

Olivier’s big play sparked a 12-2 run late in the third. U-High scored then made two baskets late to make it 56-51 after three quarters.

The Cubs’ Manuel Hilton opened the fourth with a three-point play after scoring a layup through contact to make it a two-point game. Haven continued to drive toward the rim and scored six straight Tigers points to put his side up 62-56. His third bucket came off a steal at midcourt, and he threw down a reverse dunk.

University High (16-8) refused to go away and knocked down two late triples to tie the game at 64-64. Olivier buried a long jumper to put his side back up by two.

After a defensive stop, Dunham’s Khris Thomas connected with a floater to make it a fourpoint game.

U-High’s Lennox Young buried a 3-pointer late to make it a onepoint game The Cubs forced a late stop to give themselves one more chance to win it, but the last-second shot fell short.

“It wasn’t perfect,” Myers said, “but I’m just proud of these guys.”

Scott’s clutch plays lift Woodlawn over St. Joseph’s in OT

Panthers end Redstickers’ 19-game win streak

BY WILLIAM WEATHERS Contributing writer

Senior point guard Mariah

Scott was part of Woodlawn’s last two teams that advanced to the Division I select state tournament, playing a big part in last year’s state runner-up finish.

With Woodlawn headed to overtime for the first time this season against St. Joseph’s Academy, it was understandable where the ball would go.

Scott delivered six of her team’s 10 points in the extra session for a 52-48 victory Friday at St. Joseph’s in the District 4-5A opener for both teams.

“I was a little anxious,” Scott said of going to overtime “I’m sure most of my other teammates were a little nervous. I told them to calm down, take care of the ball. We don’t have to rush and if they were ever in trouble, or feel like they’re about to mess up, just give me the ball.”

Woodlawn (16-10, 1-0) rallied from a three-point deficit in the last three minutes of regulation to send the game to overtime. Madison Anderson, who was fouled on a put-back attempt with 3.8 seconds to go, made the back end of two-shot free throw opportunity for the fourth tie of the game.

Woodlawn, which had a decided advantage inside with Anderson (10) and Janeseyah Young (16) combining for 26 points took an early lead in overtime on Anderson’s turnaround jumper St. Joseph’s (19-3), which had a 19-game win streak snapped, tied the game 30 seconds later on Ella Gisclair’s two free throws.

The Panthers regained the lead for good when Scott scored on a follow shot with 2:43 remaining, gathered a steal and extended the lead to 50-46 with a free throw with 2:10 left. She scored 15 of her game-high 19 points after halftime, adding three more free throws, and Keitha McQuarter made two more for a 53-47 lead with 27.5 seconds to go.

“I told the kids before halftime to give me all of their effort,” Woodlawn coach Alecia Dedeaux said. “Whatever you have left, push through it.” SJA made four free throws in overtime and missed all three of its field goals — all from 3-point range. It was part of a theme where the Redstickers missed their last 10 shots, going back to Kenley Massett’s 15-footer at the 6:09 mark of the fourth quarter that tied the game at 41-all.

Two free throws from Kendall Dailey and another from Gisclair capped SJA’s 15-4 run over a six-minute stretch that bridged the third and fourth quarters.

“We had an opportunity to extend that lead and kind of change the mindset of Woodlawn and we didn’t take advantage of it,” SJA coach Tim Waller said. “Credit to Woodlawn. The point guard (Scott) put a lot of pressure on our defense with her drives into the paint. I’m proud of my players.”

Gisclair and reserve Emma Wilson each scored 13 points to lead SJA with Wilson connecting on four of her team’s eight 3-pointers. The Redstickers, who trailed 12-2 in the first six minutes, were behind for 25 minutes until Dailey’s free throw gave her team the first lead of the game with 5:12 left in regulation.

“In overtime, I told her to take over the game,” Dedeaux said of Scott.

New taste on the block

Fast food restaurant, Flayva,opens first location in BR

BY MADDIE SCOTT Staff writer

Flayva, anew fast food spot in Baton Rouge, held its grand opening Jan. 18 with cheesesteaks, burgers, wings and more.

In aformer Jack in the Box at theintersection of Florida Boulevard andSouth Flannery Road, Flayva’sfirst location has both dine-in and drive-thru options. Yanal Muhaisen, one of Flayva’sfour co-owners, plans to open more locations statewide, with one spot soft opening in three weeks in Hammond. He hopes to eventually expand nationally

“Weare specialized in Philly cheesesteaksmainly,” Muhaisen said, “but we also serve burgers, wings, some salads and pastas.” There are six different cheesesteaksranging from $11 50 to $12.50, like the Flayva Cheesesteak withgrilled steak, onions, bell peppers, mayonnaise and white Americancheese. Add shrimp, and that’sthe Surf &Turf Cheesesteak. Or there’s theFlayva Rancher with grilled steak, onions, bell peppers, mayonnaise, ranch sauce, jalapeñosand pepper jack cheese.

The menu also includes a selection of appetizers like crawfish or cheesesteak egg rolls, cheesesteak fries, crab balls and cheese curds.There arealso seafoodbaskets and sandwiches. The sides include Flayva fries, cheese fries, onion ringsand garlic bread.

“They’re fresh,daily cooked and reallygood,” said co-owner Omar Alshammari said about the egg rolls, his favorite menu item. “Crispy,juicy.” For those craving something sweet, milkshake flavorsinclude vanilla,chocolate, strawberry,Oreo, caramel and coffee,availableinsmall($4.99) or regular($6.99) sizes. There are fountain drinks available, which customers can getfor free if they followthe business’ social accounts,aonetime deal.

Inside, the dining space has some two and four-seater tables with acouple of televisions on the walls. Customers canorder at the register,touchscreen kiosks or the drive-thru.

The owners commissioned an artist for various paintings on the walls, the art noddingto Tupac and the LSU and Southern football teams.

Flayva, 13520 Florida Blvd., Baton Rouge. Open 10:30 a.m. to 3a.m. seven days aweek

LIVING

DRESSTO IMPRESS

Sixsuitcases andcounting—atWashington MardiGras, fashionispartofdoing thejob

BY JANRISHER Staff writer

For some, Washington Mardi Gras is about celebration. For others, it is aboutbusiness development or even the survival of an organization.

The annual gathering draws hundreds to Washington, D.C., where conversations —often happening in meetings, ballrooms, hallways and the Hilton lobby —can determinethe future of nonprofits and institutionsback home.

Dressing for the moment is not optional.

“In D.C., with acaptain of industryora member of the legislative delegation, you don’twant to be worried about what you’rewearing,” said BeverlyBrooks Thompson,a longtime fundraiser who lives in Baton Rouge.

Endurance, notextravagance

Washington Mardi Gras is political, social andeconomicall at once.

“It’saneconomic development week for me,” she said. “It’sa business development week for other people.”

Stylists whowork Washington Mardi Gras say thechallenge isn’t extravagance —it’sendurance.

ningfor long days andconstant movement. Comfortable shoes are essential,leadingonoccasion to tennis shoes under ballgowns.

“My clients typically are moving or on the go,” she said.

Lookingthe part

Since Thompson’searly days working at LSU in the late 1990s, she has spent decades representing institutions in rooms where perception matters.

“You know,wehave to be in big fancy rooms all the timewith big fancy clothes, but we don’tmake big fancy money,” said Thompson, who now works as managing director with Carter Global.

That tension led her,20years ago, to worktoward asolutionfor women who, likeher,need to look thepart but don’thavethe budget required to do so.

“I starteda closetthatwomen Iworkwithcould recycletheir dresses,” she said.

Overtime, Thompson’scloset has grown.

Wardrobe budgets run across the board.

“You can spend $200 for agown or you can spendupwards of $2,500 forasingleevent,” said Aimee Gowland, founderofALG Style in NewOrleans.

What matters, shesaid,isplan-

Forthe dressesand gowns more than three or four years old, Thompsonallows alterations, which, combined with different body shapes, often change the look

Kaylee HartungtomakeSuper Bowl debutonsideline

King CharlesIII eyes legacy in documentary

BY DANICA KIRKA Associated Press

WINDSOR, England King

Charles III is clearly thinking about his legacy

In his new film, “Finding Harmony: AKing’sVision,”

Charles delivers asimple message —that humanity needs to restore the balance between man and nature if it hopes to solve global warming and many of the other problems facing the world today.Helping spread that gospel,hehopes,willbe his legacy

“It all boils down to the fact that we are actually nature ourselves, we are apart of it, not apart from it, which is really how things are being presented for so long, Charles says in the closing moments of the documentary beforeturningtoShakespeare.“Maybe, by the time Ishuffle off this mortal coil, there might be alittle more awareness …ofthe need to bring things backtogether again.”

‘Criticismsreallyupset him’

Charles and Amazon Prime unveiled the film on Wednesday at Windsor Castle,near London, ahead of ared-carpet premiere attended by celebrities including Kate Winslet, who narrates the film.

The film spells out the king’sphilosophy that humans will only thrive if they learntoworkwithnature, not against it, because they are as much apart of the natural world as animals, insects and trees. Charles first addressed these ideas in his 2010 book “Harmony: ANew WayofLookingat Our World.” It also gives him the chance to confront those

whohavelampooned him as adilettante flittingaimlessly from onecause to another with norhyme or reason.On thecontrary,the film argues, climate change, urban planning, sustainableagriculture, traditional crafts and fostering understanding between religions —causes to which the king has devoted much of hisadult life —are inter-related issues that must be dealt withto create sustainable communities.

Charles,77, was“haunted” by press coverage that mocked him for a1986 TV interview in which he said he talked to his plants, Winsletsays in the narration, accompanied by images of critical newspaper headlines.

“Those criticisms really upset him. He got treated very unfairly,seen veryun-

fairly,and those of us that knewhim better were quite upset by that,” Ian Skelly, co-author of the king’s2010 book. “It was difficult to knowhow to respond, but I really felt for him.”

Lifelong campaign

Charleshas been campaigning on environmental issuessinceatleast 1971 when he gave hisfirst speech on conservation while still an undergraduate at theUniversity of Cambridge. He has since started asuccessfulorganic food firmand helpedbuild asustainable village in western England.

EnvironmentalistTony Juniper, whoworked with theking on both thefilm and book,believesthe king is uniquely qualified to deliver his message because he be-

Theobligatorystandingovation

Dear Miss Manners: Overthe years,Ihave noticed thatat most live performances from professional concerts and operas to dance recitals and school plays —the audience automatically gives astanding ovation at the end. Igrew up believing that astanding ovation was an expression of appreciation for a truly extraordinary performance —a performanceatwhich the audience was so deeply moved that they couldn’t stay seated. Now when Iattend performances and Iamsatisfied or pleased, but not overcome withemotion, I feel churlish for staying seated when everyone else is standing and yelling “bravo” or “brava.”

may be emphatically lessened That will teach ’em.

ganspeaking outonenvironmental issueslongbefore they were popularand because he continues to do so, even as other world leaders shun environmentalprotec-

tion in favor of energy security and economic growth.

“I do feel as though the world is nowhungry for some new big ideas,” Juniper said. “And Idohope that one of those big ideas that people would like to consider as we face into these multiple challenges of the 2020s and beyond is the idea of harmony.”

While Charles first addressed the idea of harmony 16 years ago, he is returning to the topic partly because thegrowth of streaming platforms like Amazon Primegivehim achance to reach new audiences worldwide.

Amatteroflegacy

Butthe king also wantsto shiftthe focus back to an issue he hopeswill define his legacy after two years in whichthe media, andthe public, were distractedby other matters, saidEdOwens, author of “AfterElizabeth: Can the Monarchy Save Itself?”

First there was acancer diagnosis, which forced him

to step away frompublic duties forseveral months in early 2024 and raised nagging questions about his health. Then there were the continuing tensions with his younger son, Prince Harry, and thescandal surrounding his brother Andrew’s links to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. With Charles apparently past theworst of his cancer treatment and Andrew stripped of his royal titles, now may be the timetoturn the page. “He wants to set outwhat hislegacy is as amonarch —asasignificant member of this Windsor family for going on 80 years,” Owens said. “This is abouthim giving us aclear indication of what he thinks matters in terms of his public image andpersona, whathewants us to take away from him as his defining characteristics.” The documentary “Finding Harmony: AKing’s Vision”— will be available on Amazon Prime from Feb. 6.

Dear Miss Manners: My two daughters (ages 23 and 34) are beautifuland talented women. They work hard and usually make me proud —except ontheir birthdays Forthe past several years, on their respective birthdays, they each put up links on social media to their money apps and ask people to send them birthday “gifts.” Ifind it in poor taste, and it embarrasses me. Am Ioverreacting? Is this normal,acceptable behavior these days?

of these events, your own involvement is moredirect —and therefore even more embarrassing.

Dear Miss Manners: We have a small half-bathroom downstairs that is mainly used by guests. As acourtesy,Iusually have period products readily available tovisitors. For larger gatherings, I’ve had them in plain sight of anyone using therestroom,but normally they’re stowed under thesink.

How should Istorethese sensitive itemstobeavailable to guests? Should I assume people will do a quick search under thesink if they’re in apinch, or is it best to just have them out?

What is the etiquette for appreciating live performances these days? Should Igive in to peer pressure and stand, even if my opinion of the performance is “meh”?

Gentle reader: No, youdonot need to stand for a“meh” performance.

But Miss Manners also knows that sometimes one has no choice, if one wants to see the curtain call.In that case, the enthusiasm with which one applauds

Gentle reader: Normal? Yes. Acceptable? No. As their parent, you have theobligation, in Miss Manners’ opinion, to tell them that youfind this embarrassing. When they inevitably pleadthat “everyone doesit,” you maintain that argumentdid not hold water when they were 11, and it doesnot now

If you do not get ahead of this, they will goonto do far worse forother milestones (housewarmings, engagement parties, weddings) where this kind of beggingisconsidered even more “normal.” And as apossible host or co-host

Gentlereader: Is there a pretty,opaque container that you can put them in on ashelf? Puttingthem out in theopen is abit unseemly, and under-the-sink snooping is not something Miss Manners necessarily wants to encourage. Younever know what can get thrown in there when one is cleaning up quickly for guests.

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.

of the dress —creating in one instance what she calls “Sisterhood of the Traveling Mardi Gras Dress.”

“I can show you the same ballgown worn by four different women in four different years —and it doesn’t look like thesame dress,” she said. “I have several racks of clothes, and people, by invitation, come ‘shopping’ every year.”

The closet functions becauseofreciprocity Participants contribute back, sometimes in large numbers —including one person whomoved outof state and donated her 30 ballgowns.

Still, Thompson is certain that she doesn’twant to operate aconsignment store.

“I don’tmind loaning stuff to people who will take care of it the way Iwould take care of it,” shesaid. “I have spent my career breaking down barriers to access.IfI canassistawoman in being outfitted and feeling confident to do her worktomake Louisiana abetter placeto live, work and play,I’m going to do so.”

Logisticsare daunting

Washington Mardi Gras is not for the faint of heart. It’s also not aone-dress event. Even getting there can be tricky

“Ballgowns arebulky,” Thompson said. “Ifyou’re going to wear aballgown, you’ve got to wear two one on Friday night and one on Saturday night to the floor.”

And then there are cocktail dresses for Thursday night.

systemtobuild their wardrobe.

“I can’tspeak for other people, but Ibuy one nice dress ayear.And Itry and recycle other things depending on what I’m doing,” Thompson said. “AndIbuy one really fantastic dress every year.Everything else is kind of hit or miss.”

Warmth andversatility matter

Reuse is intentional, but social media playsarole in wardrobe curation.

“I might wear them again for something else, but your photographs —all of those things. Facebook is abeast withthis stuff,” Thompson said.

Thecostofattending

Tickets alone are asignificant expense, costing $400 per person for each event on Friday and Saturday evenings.

The Mystick Krewe of Louisianians and the hotel work together to create a makeshift hair/makeupsalon in the hotel’smeeting space, bringing in around 30 stylists.

“Estimated costs are around $300 aday for hair andmakeup, eyelashes and that’swithout thetip,” Thompson said.

Louisiana justice to speakatchurch

Louisiana Supreme Court Associate Justice John M. Guidry will speak at Fairview Baptist Church, 1636 Braddock St., Baton Rouge, at 11 a.m. Sunday,Feb. 8. The program will honor Annie Mae Jones, “Mother of theChurch.”All areinvited.

Free gospel concertonFeb. 6

Tweed suits forCapitol Hill. And coats and boots because it’scold Athousandmiles from home plus wardrobe changes meansaluggage extravaganza for Louisiana travelers headed to D.C. Sixsuitcases betweentwo

Many couples traveling to Washington Mardi Gras take six suitcases —even more forkreweroyalty and princesses. Through theyears, some

Washington Mardi Gras royalty have beenknown to trucktheir full wardrobes to thecapital rather than attempttoflywith them

Men attendingthe events have certain fashion standards to meet, but thepacking list is easier to manage than thevariety of dresses, suits andgownsrequiredfor women.

Buying less —buyingwell

Many women whoattend Washington MardiGras annually have developed a

Many longtimeattendees plan their wardrobes to standout,but in away that makes them feel comfortable —and when in doubt, they add more sparkle.

However, forThompson and other attendees, the goal is notexcess— it’s assurance.

“I don’twant people to thinkI’m wealthy,” she said, “because Iamnot, but Ihave to look likeIam.”

Email Jan Risher at jan. risher@theadvocate.com.

This is afree concert, but alove offering will be received. Aconcession stand will serve desserts. Forfurtherinformation, contact Barbara Vaughn at (985) 974-0507 or mvmgoodnews.com

St. JamesBaptist holds celebration

St. James Baptist Church, 1105 N. 44thSt.,Baton Rouge, will celebrate the second-year appreciation for the Rev.J.L. Franklin, pastor, andfirst lady Lisa Franklin. Ameal willfollow. Allare invited.

The Rev.Mike Vaughn will leada“Southern and Country GospelFest” at 5:30 p.m. Friday,Feb. 6, at Good News Fellowship Church, 13101 La. 442 West, Tickfaw Doors will open at 5:30 p.m., andsinging will start at 6:30 p.m. with Vaughn, followed by Greg Sullivan at 7:30 p.m

By The Associated Press

Today is Saturday, Jan. 31, the 31st day of 2026. There are 334 days leftinthe year

Todayinhistory: On Jan. 31, 2020, the United States declared a public health emergency over the new coronavirus, and President Donald Trumpsigned an order to temporarily bar entry to foreign nationals, other than immediate family of U.S. citizens, whotraveled in China in the preceding 14 days.

Also on this date:

In 1863, during the Civil War, the First South Carolina Volunteers, an all-Black Unionregiment composed of many who escaped from slavery,was mustered into federal service at Beaufort, South Carolina.

In 1945, Pvt. Eddie Slovik, 24, becamethe first U.S. soldier since the Civil Wartobeexecuted fordesertion as he was shot by an American firing squad in France.

In 1958, the United States entered the Space Age with its first successfullaunch of asatellite, Explorer 1, from Cape Canaveral.

In 1971, astronauts Alan Shepard, Edgar Mitchell and Stuart Roosa blasted off aboard Apollo 14 on a mission to the moon In 1988, DougWilliams, the first Black quarterback to play in the Super Bowl, led the Washington Redskins (now Washington Commanders) to a42-10 victory over the Denver Broncos and wasnamed Super BowlMVP In 2023, Boeing Co. delivered its last 747 widebody jet to acustomer, capping morethan ahalfcentury of production of the iconic jumbo jet. Today’sbirthdays: Composer Philip Glass is 89. Blues singer-musician Charlie Musselwhite is 82. Actor Glynn Turman is 79. Baseball Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan is 79. Actor Jonathan Banks is 79. Rock singer John Lydon is 70. Actor Anthony LaPaglia is 67. Actor Minnie

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) It's up to you to create what you wanttohappen. Find adirection that allows you to use your mind, body and skills in gratifying ways

PIsCEs(Feb. 20-March20) Mingle, socialize and attend events that broaden your outlook andencourage youtoupyour game andsatisfyyour soul. How you project yourintentions will determine whowants to spend timewith you.

ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Don't wait for things to go wrong. Takeprecautions to ensureyou have everything, including abackup plan, in place. Your efficiency will pay off and help yousay no to temptation or excess.

TAuRus (April 20-May20) Stick close to home and surround yourself withpeople youtrust.The time and effort youput in will yieldrewards beyondyourexpectations.Protect yourself fromillness.

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Takecharge and followthrough with your promises. Participating in an event or socializing with friends will give you achance to impress someone you love.

CAnCER(June 21-July 22) Timeand effort will pay off if you make changes that canfill avoidinyour community. Think of alternative lifestyles that lower your overhead but not your comfort.

LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Observe howothers react, and you'llgain insight into how youcan make your life andyourrela-

tionshipseasier. What youdotomakea difference will frame howothers rate or acceptyou

VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) Attendfunctions or participate in activities thatinterest you and gettoknow others whoshare your heart's desires. Attendingororganizing areunionwill help youreconnect with someone special.

LIBRA(sept. 23-oct.23) Look over your options and size up your situation. Stop procrastinatingand let your uniqueness shine.Love andromance are apparent. Don't be afraid to make thefirst move

sCoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Refrain from believingeverything you hear.Doyour homework, andyou'll uncover thetruth. Baseyour relationshipsonhow others treat youand respect your boundaries.

sAGITTARIus (nov. 23-Dec.21) Put your energyintomaking,investingandsaving money. Review your financial management plan and fine-tune it to suit your long-term needs.

CAPRICoRn (Dec.22-Jan. 19) Plan to spend timewith someone youadore. Achange at home that leads to greater commitment or plans that bring youcloser to someone or something you love will encourage you.

The horoscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact. ©2026 by NEA, Inc., dist. By AndrewsMcMeel Syndication

Sudoku

InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 gridwith several given numbers The object is to place the numbers 1to9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

Bridge

By PHILLIPALDER

The2013RichardFreemanJuniorDeal of the Year went to Chen Yuechen from China. The deal, which was described by Fu Tsiang, occurred during the Chinese JuniorChampionships,playedinSuzhou, some 60 miles from Shanghai. In the auction,two heartswas either natural or abig, balanced hand. Over the forced two-spade puppet, two no-trump promised 24-26 points. AfterStayman, North invited aslam with four no-trump, andSouthaccepteddespitehisminimum countbecause he hadall of those aces andkings.

Without aclear opening lead,Chen (West) chose hislowest club. Cao Jiahao (East) correctlyput in his nine,and South won with his ace. Declarer played adiamond to dummy’s jack, then ran the heart jack. How did West defend?

West realized thatdeclarer needed twomore dummy entries, one to repeat the heart finesse and onetocash the 13th heart. Those entries had to come in spades.

Westwon with his heart ace andled another diamond, akey play.(Aclub would have given South fourtricks in the suit with agood guess. And aspade would have been won by dummy’s10.)

South took this trick, cashed the club king to try to drop the queen, then led hisspadeseven.Westwasready,playing his jack to kill the second dummyentry. Now the contract had to fail. South took only three spades, two hearts, fourdiamonds and two clubs.

©2026 by NEA, Inc dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication

Each Wuzzle is aword riddle which creates adisguised word, phrase, name, place, saying, etc. Forexample: NOON GOOD =GOOD AFTERNOON

Previousanswers: wuzzles

word game

InsTRuCTIons: 1. Words

ToDAy’s WoRD CouRsInG: KOR-sing: Running gamewith dogs following by sight.

Average

Canyou

today’s thought “yes,and all that will live godlyinChrist Jesus shall suffer persecution.” 2Timothy 3:12

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MILES, GLORIA JEAN 22795 AIDAN RD PLAQUEMINE,LA70764-5254

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MIRE,MALLORI MARIE 27190 INTRACOASTAL RD PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-5714

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MITCHELL JR, JIMMYREED 22810 BLAKENEY LN PLAQUEMINE,LA70764-5233

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MOORE, RANDY THOMAS 5465 POINT CLAIRRDCARVILLE, LA 70721-2108

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MUMPHREY, JEFFERY LYNN 59355 RAGUSARDPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-6554

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OBEAR, ALYCIA GRACE1625 BESSON LN SUNSHINE,LA70780-3525

OBEAR, MARLA SIMS 22730 BLAKENEY LN PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-5234

OBY,DEBRA CUMMINGS 1811 RAVIERLNSUNSHINE, LA 70780-3516

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OURSO, ALYSEKATHRYN 30360 DENOUX RD WHITECASTLE, LA 70788

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PRYERJR, LESTER 10460HWY 977 MARINGOUIN, LA 70757

PUGH, ANGELA WILLIAMS 22750 WEST ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-2213

QUINANTE, TAMEKA SMITH 23971 JACKSONSTPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-3029

RAFFRAY, ANNA 58610 VILLAGE DR PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-7423

RAWLINSON, MARK DAMON57975 MCDANIEL ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-2039

RAY, CASEYMICHELLE 25114PATREAU LN PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-5904

REDDIX, RHYNESHIA ALEXIS 5420MARTINLUTHERKINGJRPKWY CARVILLE, LA 70721-2212

RILEY,KARENESHIA KEIARA 57749 TRUE HOPELNPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-4500

RILEYJR, RODERICKCORNELL23930 EDENSTPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-3318

RIVERS JR, JAMES MICHEAL 25925 TENANT RD #G27 PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-6550

RIVET,BRIDGET NICOLE 20355 CHARLESORY DR PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-5314

RIVET,JOSHUAMICHEAL 59055DARBY AVEPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-3457

RIVET,MICHELLE HEBERT 24515 PECAN POINTE DR PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-6054

RIVETTE, DARLA KAYE58755 HYMEL ST WHITE CASTLE, LA 70788-4206

ROBERTSON, ALEX W 5617 POINT CLAIRRDCARVILLE, LA 70721-2123

ROBERTSON,BASIL AVERY57905 TROSCLAIRSTPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-2335

ROBERTSON, LEDREEKA NATASHA 58718ANNEX ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-3046

RODRIGUEZ-MARCO, CARMEN LUCY 23420HAMILTON ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-2550

ROGACKI, KATHRYN R32355 LEONA AVEWHITE CASTLE, LA 70788

ROGERS, KENTIKA MALAYNA 25010 PINOAK AVEPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-7522

ROME,DEREMY TREYVON55065 VETERANS ST WHITE CASTLE, LA 70788-2338

ROSS, ALYHIA RASHA14525 HWY 77 ROSEDALE,LA70772

RUSS,GLENDA ANN 32290FRANCISE ST WHITE CASTLE, LA 70788

SANCHEZ, KEEGAN LOUIS59930 ALICE CARLISLE DR PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-5268

SANCHEZ, KIMBERLYALLEN32255 HWY 75 PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-7101

SANCHEZ, LESA GREGOIRE21990 TALBOTDRPLAQUEMINE,LA70764-5212

SANCHEZ JR, ROBERTO JOSE 26829 INTRACOASTAL RD PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-5711

SANDERS, DAYANI DANAE58226 COURTSTPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-2806

SASSER III, JOHN W58205 DESOBRYSTPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-3627

SAYLOR DELORIS ANN56920 BREAUX ST BAYOUGOULA, LA 70788-3035

SCHEXNAILDRE, MISTY DAIGLE 35340 HWY 69 WHITE CASTLE, LA 70788-4443

SCOTT,BETTY RUFFIN 4625BATLOW LN ST GABRIEL, LA 70776

SCOTT,WILLIE MAE77360 LANE ST MARINGOUIN, LA 70757

SEALS, LINDA J58561 WARE DR PLAQUEMINE,LA70764-4247

SIGUE, JUNIUS25020 HWY 405 PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-7504

SIMMONS, DERRICKLEMAR24725 HUEY ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-4129

SIMMS, HANNAHMARIE66310 STAMPLEYDRPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-7311

SIMON, CHRISTOPHER WAYNE 58260 FORT ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-3108

SIMONEAUX, SHAUNMICHAEL 36725 HWY 75 PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-7708

SIMPSON,CERAH JOHNNEA 5640 MAGNOLIA SPRINGS PKWY #B CARVILLE, LA 70721-2102

SLATON, JENNIFER S115 GRACES DR ST GABRIEL,LA70776-4443

SMITH,CAROLYN 23650DUPONT ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-2712

SMITH, CLARA B23460 RICH ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-2646

SMITH, COURTNEY LASHAE57920 CENTER ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-4310

SMITH,DARRIONJAMAR 58513 NATS ALYPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-2888

SMITH,FARANDO ANDRE4835 LANDRY ST ST GABRIEL, LA 70776-4245

SMITH,MADISONDELISE 58180 LABAUVE AVEPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-3236

SMITH, RANDY DENNIS 58506A MERIAM ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-2886

SMITH, TEMIKA MILET BROWN 4975-A MARYLAND ST ST GABRIEL, LA 70776-4251

SMITH, TENIKA MARIE SHANTEL 23966 LEVY ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-3146

SNEARL JR, ALVIN58332-B COURTSTPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-2828

SNEARLS, DEVONTE ALONZO 17930 WILLOW ST GROSSE TETE, LA 70740

SNELL, TELISHALINETTE 16245 SIDNEY RD ROSEDALE, LA 70772

SONGE,SYLVIE ANNEMARIE 24201 CLIFTMERE AVEPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-4602

SONGY,SHERRYMARIE 58110 DIVISION ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-2506

SONGY,TINA MARIE 22165 WALKERST# TRLR 11 PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-2038

SPARROW,CASSANDRA L27830 AARON DR PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-6956

SPRIGGS II, JERMAINE DONNELL 58778 WWHARLEAUX ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-2932

SPRIGGS, JOHNNYLEE 23725 TUPELO ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-2953

STACKHOUSE, MARY LOU 23140SHORTSTPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-2429

STACKUS, DANIELLE LEIGH 350 SOUTH CLUB AVESTGABRIEL, LA 70776-4440

STEIB JR,ISHMAEL JOSEPH 15635 HWY 411 ROSEDALE, LA 70772-3508

STEIN, DORIS LEBLANC59355 RIVER WEST DR PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-6553

STEIN JR,LIONEL LAWRENCE 59635 SEXTON DR PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-6561

STEWART, BIANCA ANNICE 5651 MAGNOLIA DE CHRISTOPHE DR CARVILLE,LA70721-2131

STEWART, KEIRA DESHA10835 3RDSTMARINGOUIN, LA 70757

STEWART, MICKEY EDWARD 56600-A BREAUXSTBAYOU GOULA, LA 70788-3032

STILLEY,ESTELITAMARIE35355 HWY 75 PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-7603

TANOOS, TRAVIS SCOTT 24690 TRUMAN DR PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-3957

TARTAMELLA, SASHA DESORMEAUX 62560 BAYOU JACOB RD PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-5526

TASKER JR, MARK ANTHONY663 BAYOU PAUL LN ST GABRIEL, LA 70776-5410

TATE, AVRIL N32235 PAPET ST WHITE CASTLE, LA 70788-2003

TATE, STEWARTW 31055 HWY 75 PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-6120

TAYLOR, PEGGY S24655 PECAN PLACE DR PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-3804

THERIOT,OWENNICHOLAS 36545 FIFTY FOOT RD WHITE CASTLE, LA 70788-4421

THOMAS, COURTNEY RAE 5390 BETTY MARTIN DR CARVILLE,LA70721-2129

THOMAS, DAIJAH MICHELLE 2150 BAYOU PAUL LN ST GABRIEL, LA 70776-4935

THOMAS, KELVIN PAUL 10380 CHURCH ST MARINGOUIN, LA 70757

THOMAS, PHILLIP MICHAEL 27814 HWY 405 #BPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-6912

THOMAS, ZAHNIYAH SHANTELL 25225 FAIR ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-4539

THOMPSON JR, JAMES 22605 AIDAN RD PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-5253

THOMPSON, JO ANND 25030 STASSI RD PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-5912

THOMPSON, MCKINLEY 58085 PLAQUEMINE ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-2730

TILLMAN,JA’NAIYA57616 ELICRAIG ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-4542

TILLMAN,LINDA G57756 BRODE ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-4540

TOLIVER, EFFIE BELVIN 3699 EVERGREEN DR ST GABRIEL, LA 70776-4647

TOMLINSON, JANE WAGUESPACK 58949 LILLIAN AVEPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-3419

TOMLINSON, STEPHANIE ANN20290 SALLIE DR PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-5323

TOUSSANT SR, DARON BOYD 6610 HWY 74 #1304 ST GABRIEL, LA 70776-4570

TROQUILLE, WILLIAM ANDREW 58225 DESOBRYSTPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-3627

TULLIER,GEORGEADAM 57950 NEWERWIN DR PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-2327

VADNAIS III, HENRY GEORGE58740 ST CLEMENT AVEPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-3536

VALLET,JEREMYMICHAEL 77305 CORADRGROSSE TETE, LA 70740

VAUGHN,ANDREW 38911 BAYOU PIGEON RD PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-7744

VENTRESS, BURNELL 77355 AUGUSTAAVE ROSEDALE, LA 70772

VERRET,BLAKE LEE 33459 BAYOU SORRELRDPLAQUEMINE ,LA70764

VERRET,MORRISWELDON 33459 BAYOU SORRELRDPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-7130

VERRET,SHEMAIAHMIGUEL 5686 MAGNOLIA DE CHRISTOPHE DR CARVILLE,LA70721-2131

VETTER, DONAL 5795 HWY 74 ST GABRIEL, LA 70776-4423

VICE, JEREMYCOLE 450 CLOCK TOWER DR ST GABRIEL, LA 70776-4449

VIDEAU,CHARONDA LANETTE 4755 LANDRY ST ST GABRIEL, LA 70776-4246

VIDEAU,MIKE 5620 MORRIS ST CARVILLE,LA70721

VIDRINE, WESLEY ALDON 17290 HWY 77 GROSSE TETE, LA 70740-3008

VILLAVASO, FREDERICKGERARD 32650 SHERLEY RDENNIS ST WHITE CASTLE, LA 70788-2512

WADE, VICTORIA GWENETTA5524 MORRIS ST CARVILLE,LA70721

WALKER, ANDRICK LATRELL 57670 TRUE HOPE LN PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-4541

WALKER, JASON SCOTT 59300SEXTON DR PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-6575

WALKER, SHELLYPERSICK59300 SEXTON DR PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-6575

WALLACE, SUZETTE ENGOLIO 25905TENANT RD #3APLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-6542

WALLS, BILLYE 13505 HWY 411 MARINGOUIN, LA 70757-4110

WASHINGTON,ASHLEY NICOLE 76155 ROSEDALE RD ROSEDALE, LA 70772

WASHINGTON,BRITTANYN 24820 STASSI RD PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-5914

WASHINGTON,DEVAN JAMAL 57125-B CPL HERMAN BROWN JR DR BAYOU GOULA, LA 707883120

WASHINGTON,JOHNNY L76825 GARNER LN GROSSE TETE, LA 70740

WASHINGTON,LAKEISHA57652 TRUE HOPE LN PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-4541

WATSON,ALMAMARIE 23981 BAYTOWN ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-3007

WATSON,DORIS MARIE 77575 MAYER ST MARINGOUIN, LA 70757

WEBB, BRANDON LAMOND 12750 HWY 77 MARINGOUIN, LA 70757

WEBB, JUANITA5676 MAGNOLIA DE CHRISTOPHE DR CARVILLE,LA70721-2131

WESTLY, TONYLEE 1376 BESSON LN SUNSHINE,LA70780

WILCOXON, JOHN BARRY25400 HWY 77 PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-5432

WILLIAMS,ALICE G39093 BAYOU PIGEON RD PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-7745

WILLIAMS,AMOSLYN MEDISHE 24415 KIRTLEY DR PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-5509

WILLIAMS,ASHLEY MARIE 4605 MARTIN LUTHER KING JR PKWY ST GABRIEL, LA 70776

WILLIAMS,CHARLENEWHITE6820 MANCHAC RD ST GABRIEL, LA 70776-5425

WILLIAMS,DANIELLE H24430 SHERWOOD DR PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-3818

WILLIAMS,JAMMIE JOHNTELL 33541 BOUDREAUXSTWHITE CASTLE, LA 70788-2726

WILLIAMS,KEVON LATRELL 55345 CAMBRE ST WHITE CASTLE, LA 70788-2114

WILLIAMS, LIONEL LEE 32586 MAYOR MAURICEBROWN ST WHITE CASTLE, LA 70788-2510

WILLIAMS,PATRICIA ANN77630 MAYER ST MARINGOUIN, LA 70757

WILLIAMS,PAULARHENEE 58112 BARROW ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-4262

WILLIAMS, ROSA MAE HENDERSON 17965 WILLOW ST GROSSE TETE, LA 70740

WILLIAMS,STARLET FAY5540 MAGNOLIA SPRINGS PKWY #UNIT BCARVILLE,LA70721-2101

WILLIAMSON,CHARLENE TENNYSON 1115 ETTADRSTGABRIEL, LA 70776-5619

WILSON,ALICE MAE57795 FOUNDRYSTPLAQUEMINE,LA70764-2401

WILSON, DARRIEN DMARKUS4745 POINT CLAIR RD #D ST GABRIEL, LA 70776-4107

WILSON,IRIANNA T58487 CAPTAIN THARRIS ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-3141

WILSON, PRENELLA DAVIS58667 CAPTAIN THARRIS ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-3001

WILSON, SCHARLETTE M2130 JAKE LN SUNSHINE,LA70780-3505

WINTZ, KURT EHIEN 1780 BAYOU PAUL LN ST GABRIEL, LA 70776-4939

YARBROUGH, COURTNEY RAE 58963 DARBY AVEPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-3401

YOUNG JR, JAMES C57470 CPL HERMAN BROWN JR DR BAYOU GOULA, LA 70788-3123

ZHOU,ERIC KAIGE1355 BAYOU PAUL LN ST GABRIEL, LA 70776-4924

Juror Count: 500

175515-611697-Jan. 31-1t $1,413.72

2008 (Alabama Bend Field),as to thecommonbound‐ariesofthe unitswhich will be served by the crossunithorizontal wells,providedthatsaid crossunithorizontal wells will be perforated no closer than 330’ from anyunitboundary, other than thecommonbound‐ariesbetween theaf‐fected units, except as requestedinParagraph 2 below. 2. In addition to there‐questfor exceptional lo‐cationsastothe com‐monboundariesbetween theaffectedunits,the applicantrequestsanex‐ceptiontothe well spac‐ingprovisionsinOrder Nos. 287-F, 990-Dand 1490-Ctoallow the first andlastperforation pointortakepoint in the proposed crossunithori‐zontal wells to be lo‐catednocloserthan100’ from thenorth andsouth unitlines andnocloser than 200’toany well on a competitiveunitcom‐pleted in,drillingto, or forwhich apermithas been grantedtodrill to theHaynesville Zone ReservoirA

p the drilling of unneces‐sary wells,protect cor‐relative rights andpro‐mote thefulland effi‐cientdevelopment of the naturalresources of this state.

4. To providethatifthe horizontal portionof a well is casedand ce‐mented back abovethe topofthe Haynesville Zone,Reservoir A, the distance to anyunit boundary andoffset well(s) will be calculated basedonthe distance to thenearest perforation in thewelland notonthe penetrationpoint or ter‐minus of thewellinthe HaynesvilleZone, Reser‐voir A. 5. To providethatpro‐ductionfromthe pro‐posedwells shallbesep‐arated andmetered indi‐

vidually andthatthisin‐formationshall be re‐ported in themanner prescribed by the Office of Permitting andCom‐pliance.

6. To providethatthe unit allowables forthe units to be served by thepro‐posedwells maybepro‐ducedfromthe unitwell, from anyalternate unit well, or from anycombi‐nation of such wells servingthe unit, at the discretion of theopera‐tor.

7. To providethatpro‐ductionfroma crossunit horizontal well shallbe allocatedtoeachunit penetrated by thewellin thesameproportionas theperforatedlengthof thelateral in each such unitbears to thetotal length of theperforated lateralasdeterminedby an “asdrilled”survey rf daft th ell

3. To find that thepro‐posedhorizontalwells arenecessary to effi‐cientlyand economically draina portionofthe HaynesvilleZoneunder‐lyingthe unitsonwhich it is proposed to be drilled whichcannotbe efficientlyand economi‐callydrainedbyany ex‐isting well on such units will prevent waste, avoid h d illi f

3.

Chairman

Chairman Denstel

4. LOG ATTENDANCE The following members wererecorded as being present: Messrs. Daryl “Turf” Babin, Brady Hotard, Kenneth Gordon, Carey Denstel Alan Crowe, Katherine Andre, Gary Joseph.

Absent: Messrs. Kirk Allain, Atley Walker

Also present were, Mr.Phillip Bourgoyne, Executive Assistant, Mr Chance Stephens, Director of Finance, Mr.BrandonBourgoyne, Director of Public Works and Mrs. Michelle Tullier,Council Clerk.

5. ELECTION OF OFFICERS

A. Election of Council Chairman for 2026. Amotion was made by Council Member Brady Hotardtonominate Carey Denstel for 2026 Council Chairman, seconded by Council Member Katherine Andreto approve Carey Denstel as 2026 Council Chairman.

The vote was recordedasfollows:

YEAS:7 (Daryl“Turf”Babin, Brady Hotard, Kenneth Gordon, Carey Denstel, Alan Crowe, Katherine Andre, Gary Joseph)

NAYS:0 (None)

ABSENT:2 (Kirk Allain, Atley Walker)

ABSTAIN: 0(None)

As aresult of the votes, the motion Passed.

B. Election of Council Vice Chairman for 2026.

Amotion was made by Council Member Brady Hotardto nominate Mr.Alan Crowe as 2026 Council Vice Chairman,seconded by Council Member Daryl “Turf” Babin to approve Mr.Alan Crowe as the 2026 Council Vice Chairman.

The vote was recorded as follows:

YEAS:7 (Daryl“Turf”Babin, Brady Hotard, Kenneth Gordon, Carey Denstel, Alan Crowe, Katherine Andre, Gary Joseph)

NAYS: 0(None)

ABSENT:2 (Kirk Allain, Atley Walker)

ABSTAIN: 0(None)

As aresult of the votes, the motion Passed.

6. MINUTES APPROVAL

A. Approval of Minutesfromthe Regular Meeting of December 11, 2025.

Amotion was made by Council Member Alan Crowe, seconded by Council Member Kenneth Gordon to approve and adopt the Minutes from the Regular Meeting of December 11, 2025.

The vote was recorded as follows:

YEAS:7 (Daryl“Turf” Babin, Brady Hotard, Kenneth Gordon, Carey Denstel, Alan Crowe, Katherine Andre, Gary Joseph)

NAYS: 0(None)

ABSENT:2 (Kirk Allain, Atley Walker)

ABSTAIN: 0(None)

As aresult of the votes, the motion Passed.

7. CONSIDER ANY AMENDMENTS TO THE AGENDA

Therewerenoitems to consider at this time.

8. PARISH PRESIDENT’S REPORT

Therewas no report from Parish President Manola who was not available to attend the meeting.

9. PUBLIC COMMENTS

Therewerenocomments to consider at this time.

10. COMMUNICATIONS WITH COUNCIL MEMBERS AND/OR ELECTED OR APPOINTED OFFICIALS

Therewerenocommunications to consider at this time.

11. PUBLIC HEARING ON PREVIOUSLY INTRODUCED ORDINANCES

A. An Ordinance to Amend and Re-enact Chapter 22 Elections, Sec. 22-59 Polling Places to Relocate Precinct 21 and 22 from Erwinville Community Center to the Caneview K-8 School, 5217 McLin Rd., Port Allen, La 70767. The Chairman openedapublic hearing for the purpose of receiving comment regarding the aforementioned item Mrs. Amanda Gross-Theis, WBR Clerk of Court, was recognized and explained the reasons for movingthese precincts from the Erwinville Community Center to Caneview,which is already used as apolling location. No public comments for or against said ordinance werepresented. No written protests opposing the ordinance werereceived. The Council Chairman at this point declared the Public Hearing closed. Amotion was made by CouncilMember Daryl “Turf”Babin, seconded by Council Member Gary Joseph to approve An Ordinance to Amend and Re-enact Chapter 22 Elections, Sec. 2259 Polling Places to Relocate Precinct 21 and 22 from Erwinville Community Center to the Caneview K-8 School, 5217 McLin Rd., Port Allen, La 70767.

The vote was recordedasfollows:

YEAS:7 (Daryl“Turf” Babin, Brady Hotard, Kenneth Gordon, Carey Denstel, Alan Crowe, Katherine Andre, Gary Joseph)

NAYS: 0(None)

ABSENT:2 (Kirk Allain, Atley Walker)

i h y ReservoirA inthe Woodardville Field, was definedinOrder No.990D, effectiveJuly15, 2008. TheHaynesville Zone ReservoirA,inthe Al‐abamaBendField,was definedinOrder No 1490-C, effectiveDecem‐ber9 2008. Aplatisavailable forin‐spection in theDepart‐ment of Conservation andEnergyin Baton Rougeand Shreveport Louisiana. http://dnr.louisiana.gov/ conshearings Allparties having inter‐esttherein shalltakeno‐tice thereof. BY ORDEROF: DUSTINH.DAVIDSON, SECRETARY DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION AND ENERGY BatonR ,LA

agementProgram.Appli‐cationsfor coastaluse permitsmay be in‐spectedat617 North3rd Street,Room 1078, Baton Rouge, LA or on theOPC webpageat: https:// denr.louisiana.gov/page/ public-notices.Copies areavailable,costs apply. Writtencomments aresolicited from the public andmustbere‐ceived within 25 days of thedateofthisnotice. Comments must be up‐loaded directly to our electronic record throughthe OPCweb‐page or mailed to:OPC Administrator, Kyle Balkum,P.O Box44487, BatonRouge,LA708044487. Allcommentsmust containthe appropriate CUPnumber andthe commenter'sfullname andcontact information. Beloware thereferenced plic ion(s):*********

Thomas Location:Cal‐casieu Parish,LA; Lat. 303-29.45 N, Long.93-2831.12 W; Section34, T11SR11W Description:Install permanentairboat ac‐cess to theapplicant's property.Activitiesin‐cludedredgingfor ac‐cess, placingrip-rap,in‐stalling anchored timber matting andcreating marshareas.Approx. 146 cy will be excavatedand placed on site.Approx. 541 cy of riprap will be required.********** CUP NUMBER:P20260032 Name:Coalition To Re‐storeCoastal Louisiana c/oMrecEnvironmental Llc3036 PRITCHARD ROAD MARRERO,LA 70072 Attn:Gabriel John‐sonLocation: Saint BernardParish, LA;Lat.: 29-47-50.04N,Long.:8918-6.31W;Section 33 T14S-R19E;MorganHar‐

ABSTAIN: 0(None) As aresult of the votes, the motionPassed. Ordinance 1of2026 can be found at the end of these minutes.

12. RESOLUTIONS Therewerenocommentstoconsider at this time.

13. CONSIDER STATUS REPORT, CHANGEORDER AND/OR OTHER MATTERS AS REQUIRED ON CURRENT PROJECTS

A. Consider Change Order No. 3for Arena Well #2 Project.

Mr.Adrian Genre, Director of Utilities, was recognized and explained this change order was only for an extension of 0210 days, due to lead time needed fora generator on order,noting thereisnochange in contract pricing of this project. The Chairman asked for comment regarding the aforementioned item,therewerenocommentsfromthe public. Amotionwas made by Council Member Brady Hotard, seconded by CouncilMember Alan Crowe to approve ChangeOrder No.3 for Arena Well #2 Project for an additional 210 days added to the project.

The votewas recorded as follows: YEAS: 7(Daryl “Turf” Babin, Brady Hotard, Kenneth Gordon, Carey Denstel,AlanCrowe, Katherine Andre, Gary Joseph)

NAYS: 0(None)

ABSENT:2 (Kirk Allain, Atley Walker) ABSTAIN: 0(None) As aresult of the votes, the motionPassed.

14. CONSIDER SUBDIVISION PLATS, CONDEMNATIONS, WAIVERS AND MATTERS RELATED THERET Therewerenoitemstoconsider at this time.

15. INTRODUCTIONOFORDINANCES Mrs. Tullier,Council Clerkread by title the below proposed ordinance/sbeing introduced and publicized by title,and considered for adoption following apublic hearing as specified below,at5:30 pm in the Council Chambers, located at 880 North Alexander Avenue, Port Allen, La.:

A. An Ordinance To Amend And Reenact The West Baton Rouge Parish Code Of Ordinances, PartII(General Code of Ordinances), Chapter 70 (“Roads and Drainage”),Section 70-5 (“Bridge Standards and Permitting). PublicHearing Date: January 22, 2026

B. An Ordinance To Amend And Reenact Sections 28-1 (“Created; Purpose; Boundaries”)And 28-4 (“Narrative Descriptionof Subdistrict), Of Article 1(“West Baton Rouge Parish Fire ProtectionDistrict No.1”),OfChapter 28 (“FireProtectionAnd Prevention”), Part II (“Code Of Ordinances”) Of The West Baton Rouge Parish Code Of Ordinances To Eliminate Industrial Areas of the Fire District. Public Hearing Date: January 22, 2026

C. An Ordinance To Amend And Reenact PartIII (Unified Development Code) Chapter 101 (General Provisions), Sec. 101-1, (Definitions), Chapter 104 (“Zoning Ordinance”),Article II (District Regulations) Sec. 104-26 (Adoption, Amendment,and Interpretation of Zoning Districts), Sec. 104-28 (Base District Regulations By Zoning Districts), Chapter 106 (Site Planning),Article II (Stormwater Management), Sec. 106-23 (AllowablePlants for Stormwater Management Areas),Article V(Yard/Setback, Open Space And Common Area Requirements),Sec 160-137(SO Site Development Regulations),and Appendix A(“Zoning Districts”), Of The West BatonRouge Parish Code Of Ordinances. Public Hearing Date: February 12, 2026

D. An Ordinance To Amend And Reenact The West Baton Rouge Parish Code Of Ordinances, PartIII (“Unified Development Code”), Chapter 109 (“Property Maintenance”), Article V, (Abandoned Vehicles and Junk), And Reenact Sec. 109-104, Sec. 109-106 and Sec. 109-109. Public Hearing Date: January 22, 2026

E. An Ordinance Amending Chapter 104 Zoning To Incorporate Amended Zoning Designation Map(Zoning Plan) Under Section 104-3 Establishment Of Districts, Official Zoning MapFor Rezoning Request Of Woodrow Wilson Construction LLC.Rezoning Tract FS-3A (.97ac) From AG (Agricultural)toI-1 (Light Industrial. Public Hearing Date: February 12, 2026

F. An Ordinance Amending Chapter 104 Zoning To Incorporate Amended Zoning Designation Map(Zoning Plan) Under Section 104-3 Establishment Of Districts, Official Zoning Map, and Section 111-78 (Special, Conditional Use Requirements And Procedures) For Request of Grand Bayou Nursery,LLC. Regarding Property located at 9268 HWY 190 WPort Allen, LA 70767. File #20250015: Described by the WBRAssessor as: TRACT E-1 CONT 2.22 AC IN SEC 28 T6S R11E 14-150 Requesting aSpecial Use Permit for aPlant Nursery in an I-1 zone. Public Hearing Date: February 12, 2026

16. ALCOHOL PERMITS A. Kent StoreDevelopment,LLC dba Kent Kwik 991 located at 3051 N. Lobdell Hwy.PortAllen, LA 70767, Requesting aClass B(package liquor)License, Change of Ownership Mrs.Tullier was recognized and explained this was achange of ownership only, and the current applicant has met all the qualifications of West Baton Rouge Parish foranAlcohol License. Amotionwas made by Council Member Daryl “Turf”Babin, seconded by CouncilMember Alan Crowe to approve Kent Store Development,LLC dba Kent Kwik 991 located at 3051 N. LobdellHwy.Port Allen, LA 70767, for aClass B(package liquor) License.

The votewas recorded as follows: YEAS: 7(Daryl “Turf” Babin, Brady Hotard,Kenneth Gordon, Carey Denstel,AlanCrowe, Katherine Andre, Gary Joseph) NAYS: 0(None) ABSENT: 2(Kirk Allain, Atley Walker) ABSTAIN: 0(None) As aresult of the votes, the motionPassed.

17. CORRESPONDENCE REPORT

Correspondence ReportfromCouncil Clerk, Mrs. Michelle Tullier included the following items:

•Planning &Zoning Meeting Tuesday,January 20, 2026 at 5:30pm;

•FireBoardMeeting Thursday,January 22, 2026 at 5;00pm;

•CouncilMeeting Thursday,January 22, 2026 at 5:30pm.

•Last Chance for the Counciltoregister for the 2026 PJAL Conference.

18. ADJOURN Therebeing no further business, amotiontoadjournwas made by

Council Member Brady Hotard andwas adopted by acclamation at 05:43 PM.

ORDINANCE 1OF2026 As Introduced by the West Baton Rouge Parish Council At the RegularMeeting of December 11, 2025 And AdoptedonJanuary 8, 2026

An Ordinance to Amend Chapter 22 Elections, Sec. 22-59 Polling Places to RelocatePrecinct21and 22 from Erwinville Community Centertothe Caneview K-8 School, 5217 McLin Rd., Port Allen, La 70767.

BE IT ORDAINED by the West Baton Rouge Parish Council in legaland regularsession that22-58 AND Sec. 22-59 is hereby enacted as follows, to-wit:

ARTICLE III. -VOTING PRECINCTS AND POLLING PLACES

Sec. 22-58. -Precinct descriptions

Precinctboundaries areasfollows: ***

(34) Precinct21. All of thatportion boundedand described as follows: Beginning at the intersection of the westernparish boundary andthe centerlineofU.S. Hwy.190 West, proceed southeasterly along the centerlineofU.S. Hwy.190 West to the centerlineofTigerBayou, then southerly to the centerlineofRosedale Rd. LA Hwy. 76, thensoutheasterly to the centerlineofa north-south power transmission line,thensoutherly to the centerlineofInterstate 10, thenwesterlytothe westernparish boundary,thennorthwesterly, easterlyand northerly to the centerlineof U.S. Hwy. 190 West andthe point of beginning.

Polling location: ERWINVILLE COMMUNITY CENTER, 5110 ROUGON RD., ERWINVILLE CANEVIEW,5217 MCLINRD., PORTALLEN

(35) Precinct22. All of thatportion boundedand described as follows:

Beginning at the intersection of the westernparish boundary andthe centerlineofU.S. Hwy. 190 West, proceed northerly,northeasterlyand easterlyalong the westernparish boundary to the centerlineofRougon Rd. (LAHwy.984),thensoutherly to the centerlineofSt. RomainRd., then easterlytothe centerlineofTigerBayou, thensoutherly andsoutheasterly to the centerlineofU.S. Hwy. 190 West, thennorthwesterlytothe western parish boundary andthe point of beginning.

Polling location: ERWINVILLE COMMUNITY CENTER, 5110 ROUGON RD., ERWINVILLE CANEVIEW,5217 MCLINRD., PORTALLEN

Sec. 22-59. -Polling places. ** *

Sec. 22-59 Polling Places. The respective polling place hereinabove is hereby fixed as follows: PrecinctPolling Place Name Address 21 Erwinville Community Center5110 ROUGON RD. ERWINVILLE CANEVIEW,5217 MCLINRD., PORTALLEN 22 Erwinville Community Center5110 ROUGON RD. ERWINVILLE CANEVIEW,5217 MCLINRD., PORTALLEN ***

(NOTE: underlined words areadditions andstrikethrough words are deletions. Three asterisks -* -indicatesections of the code skipped for brevity of this ordinance. Suchsections aretoberetainedbythe code editors.):

THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER ORDAINED by the West Baton Rouge Parish Council thatthis ordinanceshall become effective pursuant to Section 2-12 (C) of the Home Rule Charter

NOW THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER ORDAINED by the West Baton Rouge Parish Council thatall otherordinances or parts of ordinances in conflictherewith arehereby repealed in their entirety.

NOW THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER ORDAINED by the Parish Council of the Parish of West Baton Rouge,Louisiana,thatifany provision or itemofthis ordinanceorthe application thereof is held invalid, such invalidity shall not affect otherprovisions, items or application of this ordinancewhichcan be given effect without the invalid provisions, items or applications of this ordinanceare hereby declared severable.

THEFOREGOING ORDINANCE AFTER HAVINGBEEN SUBMITTED TO APUBLIC HEARING WASCONSIDERED, AND UPON MOTION BY COUNCIL MEMBER DARYL “TURF” BABIN,WHICH WASSECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER GARYJOSEPH. THEORDINANCE WAS SUBMITTED TO AVOTE AND RESULTEDINTHE FOLLOWING:

YEAS:7 (BABIN, JOSEPH, DENSTEL, CROWE, HOTARD, GORDON, ANDRE)

NAYS: 0(NONE)

ABSENT:2 (ALLAIN, WALKER)

ABSTAIN: 0(NONE)

WHEREUPON the ordinancewas declared adopted on this 8thDay of January,2026.

ATTEST:

RECREATION AND PARK COMMISSION FOR THE PARISH OF EAST BATON ROUGE Regular Meeting –5:00 p.m. BREC Administration Building 6201 Florida Boulevard Baton Rouge, Louisiana Commission Minutes December 17, 2025

Call to Order Aregular meeting of the Recreation and Park Commission for the Parish of East Baton Rouge (BREC) was held at BREC’sAdministrative Offices on December 17, 2025. The meeting was called to order at 5:00 p.m. by Chairman Mike Polito. Commissioner Collis Temple III offered the invocation and Commissioner David McDavid led the Pledge of Allegiance. Roll was taken and aquorum of Commissioners was present, including Mike Polito, Chair; Carl Stages, Treasurer; Collis Temple III, LonVicknair,David McDavid, Dr.Murelle Harrison, and Marshall Ortego. Commissioners Wade Evans and Dustin Yates wereabsent. Staff members present wereJanet Simmons, Interim Superintendent; Aneatra Boykin, Chief Administrative Officer; Maurice Velasquez, Interim Chief Operating Officer; Johanna Landreneau, Interim Chief Human Resources

Officer; Corey Luttrell, Rhonda Williams, Tia Edwards, Jim Fleshman, Angela Harms, Steven Knight, Brian Watkins, Robyn Lott, and Brendan Nestor.Murphy Foster,legal counsel, was also in attendance. The rest of the audience consisted of other BREC staff, sign language interpreters, media, and the public.

Public Comment

Chairman Polito announced that public comment would be allowed prior to avote being taken on any agenda action item and explained the process to be observed.

Chairman Polito took the opportunity to speak to the Commission to clarify that when he asks for amotion,hewould appreciate that it is made clear what the motion is.

Adoption of Minutes

Resolved, That the reading of the minutes of the Regular Recreation and Park Commission Meeting of November 19, 2025, be dispensed with, and that they be approved as written.

Motion by Mr.Temple, III

Second by Dr.Harrison

Therebeing no discussion, Chairman Polito called for the vote with the following results:

Yeas: 7

Nays: 0

The motion was approved unanimously

Consent Calendar

Under the Consent Calendar,Chairman Polito read the following resolution:

Resolved, that the Commission approve the Routine Personnel Transactions from November5 2025 through December 3, 2025.

Motion by Mr.Stages

Second by Mr.Temple, III

Therebeing no discussion, Chairman Polito called for the vote with the following results:

Yeas: 7

Nays: 0 The motion was approved unanimously

Presentations

Interim Superintendent Janet Simmons took the opportunity to recognize former Commissioners Donna Collins Lewis, Clarice “Cricket” Gordon, and Dwayne Rogers, who wereunable to attend, for their years of service. She also recognized former Commissioner Kenneth Pointer who was present to receive his award. Interim Superintendent Simmons spoke to his unwavering service and guidance highlighting his decade long tenureonthe BREC Commission.

The BREC video showcasing upcoming activities for the month of January was played.

Reports of Officers and Standing Committees

Chairman Polito recognized Interim Superintendent Janet Simmons to present the Superintendent’sReport.

Interim Superintendent Simmons introduced Dr.EvanteTopp as the newly appointed Executive Director of the BREC Foundation

Interim Superintendent Simmons presented the November 2025 attendance report and provided updates on ongoing IYP3 projects. She concluded her report by referencing the progress of the Rapid Response initiative, showcasing the 2025 LRPA accolades, and highlighting BREC volunteer hours.

Commissioner Vicknair stated that the Mayfair Park community had requested an air-conditioned gym for many years and expressed appreciation to the BREC team for recently making this improvement possible.

Chairman Polito praised the Rapid Response system, noting that he submitted arequest as atest and was pleased to confirm that arapid response was received.

Chairman Polito also acknowledged former Commissioner Kenneth Pointer,stating that he enjoyed working with him and hopes to collaborate with him in other capacities in the future.

Chairman Polito continued reading the following resolution under Administrative Matters:

Resolved, That the Commission approve the 2026 Commission Meeting dates, as presented.

Motion by Mr.Vicknair

Second by Mr.Temple, III

Therebeing no discussion, Chairman Polito called for the vote with the following results:

Yeas: 7 Nays: 0 The motion was approved unanimously

Chairman Polito asked for amotion to approve the following: Approve Hancock Whitney Bank resolution and authorize signatures of officers.

Motion by Mr.Temple, III

Second by Mr.McDavid

Therebeing no discussion, Chairman Polito called for the vote with the following results: Yeas: 7

Nays: 0 The motion was approved unanimously Standing Committee Reports

Finance

Chairman Polito deferred to Commissioner Stages, Treasurer and Chair of Finance Committee, who recognized Director of Finance Rhonda Williams who read the following resolution: Resolved, that the Commission accept the unaudited monthly Budget Status Report for the month ending and fiscal year-to-date period ending November 20, 2025.

Ms. Williams noted that the 2025 audit will be completed in January as promised.

Motion to approve by Mr.Vicknair

Second by Mr.Stages

Therebeing no discussion, Chairman Polito called for the vote with the following results: Yeas: 7 Nays: 0 The motion was approved unanimously

Selection of Professionals

Chairman Polito read the following resolution under Selection of Professionals with modifications recommended by the committee: Resolved, That the Commission approve Amendment No. 2to Contract No. Contract 2022000214

finement as requested by BREC. The current Contract is $1,061,592.00, and the new total with Amendment No. 2is$1,200,354.00. Authorize Superintendent to execute appropriate documents upon final legal review

Chairman Polito recognized Angela Harms, Director of Project Development, who corrected

Yeas: 7 Nays: 0 The

Chairman Polito read Item bunder SelectionofProfessionals: Resolved, That the Commission approve an ordinance which authorizes the sale of 8.86± acres of land described as Tract 4-B-1-A-2 of Kleinpeter,A J. Tract fronting Industriplex Blvd in Baton Rouge, not needed forpublic recreation purposes, for the minimum appraised value of approximately $1,300,000.

MotionbyMr. Ortego Second by Mr.Stages

Therebeing no discussion, Chairman Polito called for the vote with the following results: Yeas: 7 Nays: 0 The motion was approved unanimously.

Chairman Polito read Item cunder Selection of Professionals: Resolved, that the Commission hereby approves ChangeOrder No 1toPurchase Order No.20250629, increasing the total amount from $190,000 to an amount not to exceed $270,000, for legal consulting services to cover services through February 28, 2026.

MotionbyMr. Temple, III

Second by Dr.Harrison

Chairman Polito asked Aneatra Boykin to provide clarity on this change order.Ms. Boykin explained.

Commissioner Stages asked if in the proposed budget for 2026, there wereenough funds allocated for legal services. To which Ms.Boykin confirmed that therewas.

Therebeing no discussion, Chairman Polito called for the vote with the following results: Yeas: 7 Nays: 0

The motion was approved unanimously.

Reports of Special Committees

None

Special Orders

None

Unfinished Business and General Orders

Beforereading ItemsA,B,and Cunder Unfinished Business and General Orders, Chairman Polito announced that aworkshop was held to discuss the extension of the contracts for the threeexecutive staff serving in interimroles. He explained that the recommended nine-month extension was based on the following concept: three months to conduct asearch foranew Superintendent, three months for a“hardtransition” with the new Superintendent, and three months to allow operations to become fully stabilized.

Chairman Polito read the following resolution: Resolved, that the Commission hereby approves the extension of the Interim Superintendent’scontract, with Junbi, LLC.,represented by Janet Simmons, for aperiod not to exceed September 30, 2026. Whereas, BREC has benefitted from the leadership, continuity,and stability provided by the Interim Superintendent; and Whereas, the Commission intends to select

anew Superintendent by June 30, 2026; and Whereas, the Commission desires to provide, should the new Superintendent so choose, atransition period to ensurecontinuity of operations and continued enhancements to BREC’s organizational structure; and Whereas, the Commission finds it necessary to extend the Interim Superintendent’s contract in order to facilitate this transitionand maintain organizational stability MotionbyMr. Temple, III Second by Mr.McDavid Therebeing no further discussion, Chairman Polito called for the vote with the following results: Yeas: 7 Nays: 0 The motion to approve was approved.

Chairman Polito then read Item B: Resolved, that the Commission hereby approves the extension of the Interim Chief Operating Officer’scontract with Real World, LLC, represented by Maurice Valesquez, for aperiod not to exceed September 30, 2026. Whereas, BREC has benefitted from the leadership, continuity and stability provided by the Interim COO; and Whereas, the Commission intends to select anew Superintendent by June 30, 2026; and Whereas, the Commission desirestoprovide, shouldthe new Superintendent so choose, atransition period to ensurecontinuity of operations and continued enhancements to BREC’s organizational structure; and Whereas, the Commission finds it necessary to extend the Interim COO’s contract in order to facilitate this transition and maintain organizational stability MotionbyMr. Ortego Second by Mr.Vicknair

Chairman Polito recognized Commissioner Stages who asked Mr Valesquez to address how the incoming Superintendent wouldbeable to continue the operations and initiatives he has implemented.

Mr.Valesquez approached the podium and explained that he would continue focusing his efforts on developing executive-level leadership to integrate“lean principles” within BREC’s organizational structure. He added that sustaining those principles requires first-tier leadership to be supported in committing to and adopting the necessary habits, ensuring continuity after his departure.

Therebeing no further discussion, Chairman Polito called for the vote with the following results: Yeas: 7 Nays: 0 The motion was approved unanimously.

Chairman Polito continued to ItemC: Resolved, that the Commission hereby approves the extension of the Interim Chief Human Resources Officer’scontract with Landreneau and Associates, represented by Johanna Landreneau Whereas, the Commission intends to select anew Superintendent by June 30, 2026; and Whereas, BREC has benefitted from the leadership, continuity,and stability provided by the Interim CHRO; and Whereas, the Commission intends to select anew Superintendent by June 30, 2026; and Whereas, the Commission desirestoprovide, should the new Superintendent so choose, atransitionperiod to ensurecontinuity of operations and continued enhancements to BREC’s organizational structure; and Whereas, the Commission finds it necessary to extend the Interim CHRO’scontract in order to facilitate this transition and maintain organizational stability.

MotionbyMr. Vicknair Second by Mr.McDavid

Chairman Polito recognized Commissioner Stages who asked Ms Landreneau to explain how the work currently underway would continue after her departurefromBREC.

Ms.Landreneau explained that uponher arrival, it was evident that BREC was in need of a“cultureshift.” She stated that the organization needed to move towardstronger compliance practices and expressed her commitment to working with the incoming Superintendent on restructuring BREC and ensuring continuity.She also acknowledged the Human Resources team and recognized Mr.Corey Luttrellfor hisleadership.

Therebeing no further discussion, Chairman Polito called for the vote with the following results:

Yeas: 7 Nays: 0

The motion was approved unanimously

Chairman Polito continued to ItemD: Resolved, That the Commission approve awarding SB 1855 Beaver Creek Golf Course Drainage Culvert Project to the lowest responsive bidder,Command Construction, LLC., for the base bid of $159,600.00. Authorize the InterimSuperintendent to execute appropriate documents.

MotionbyMr. McDavidSecond by Mr.Temple, III

Commissioner Vicknairasked for an explanation of the findings and recommendations related to the Beaver Creek Course project.

Ms.Harms approached the podium and deferred to representatives from SustainableDesign Solutions to present the technical aspects of the project.

Therebeing no further discussion, Chairman Polito called for the vote with the following results:

Yeas: 7 Nays: 0 The motion was approved unanimously.

Chairman Polito continued to ItemE: Public Hearing to adopt the 2026 Budget.Resolved, That the Commission adopt the 2026 Budget forthe Recreationand Park Commission for the Parish of East Baton Rouge.

MotionbyMr. Stages Second by Mr.Temple, III

Chairman Polito opened the public hearing floor for public comments.

Chairman Polito recognized Ms.Williams to offer additional comments on the 2026 budget.

Ms. Williams stated thatthe budget wasreduced due to the millage decrease from 14.63 to 13.74, noting thatthis reduction equates to approximately $4.6million. She added thattotalprojected revenue is $110 million.

ChairmanPolito asked whatexpenditures areprojected for this year

Ms. Williams responded thatBREC is projected to spend approximately $112 million.

ChairmanPolito closedthe public comments.

CommissionerStagesstatedthatthe budget should be viewed as a living document andnotedthatchangeswould be made throughout the year.Heexplainedthatinprior years, the budget was adoptedwithout subsequent revisions; however,this year,the budget will be reviewed and adjustedasneeded to allow for improvements with input from BREC staff. Therebeing no furtherdiscussion, ChairmanPolito calledfor the vote with the following results:

Yeas: 7

Nays: 0 The motion wasapproved unanimously New Business

ChairmanPolito continuedtoNew Business reading itemA.: Resolved, That the Commission reduce the excessbudget authority of the appropriation made underthe Capital Improvement Fund for Grant Revenue by $7.8Million. This action is necessary as the collections for this specificrevenue stream areprojected to be insufficient, andthe reduction complieswith the requirements of the Louisiana Government Budget Act. Motion by Mr.StagesSecond by Dr.Harrison

ChairmanPolito asked about the shortfall with DOTD.

Ms. Williams explainedasrequired by the Local Government Budget Actifthere is a5%ormore differenceinrevenues(or expenditures) the budget must be reduced by thatamount andapproved by the Commission. The differenceinrevenue is relatedtoatrail grant from the Department of Transportation andDevelopment (DOTD). Ms. Williams hascontacted DOTD multiple timesand wasinformedthatBREC hasnot received reimbursement since June 2025 due to the federal shutdown. She added thatshe is awaiting an update from DOTD andwill inform the Commission onceadditional information is received.

Therebeing no furtherdiscussion, ChairmanPolito calledfor the vote with the following results: Yeas: 7 Nays: 0 The motion wasapproved unanimously

ChairmanPolito read Item B.: Resolved, thatthe Commission select MGT Impact Solutions, LLC. as the consulting firm to conductthe executive search andassist with the recruitment andevaluation of candidates for the Superintendent position. Authorize the Interim Superintendent to execute contract Motion by Mr.Temple, III Second by Mr.Ortego There being no discussion, ChairmanPolito calledfor the vote with the following results: Yeas: 7 Nays: 0 The motion wasapproved unanimously

ChairmanPolito read Item C.: Resolved, thatthe Commission approve the proposed Obsolete Land List presentedbyBREC staff. Motion by Mr.McDavid Second by Mr.Ortego

Therebeing no discussion, ChairmanPolito calledfor the vote with the following results: Yeas: 7 Nays: 0 The motion wasapproved unanimously

ChairmanPolito read Item D.: Noticeishereby giventhatthe Recreation andPark Commission for the Parish of East Baton Rouge intends to considerand adopt amendments proposed by BREC staff to its bylawsatits regularly scheduled commission meeting on January 22, 2026. Motion by Mr.Temple, III Second by Dr.Harrison Therebeing no discussion, ChairmanPolito calledfor the vote with the following results: Yeas: 7 Nays: 0 The motion wasapproved unanimously

ChairmanPolito read Item E: Hold apublic hearing to orderand calla special election to be held by the Recreation andPark Commission for the Parish of East Baton Rouge (“BREC”), to authorizethe renewalofa special taxtherein, making application to the State BondCommission, andproviding for other matters in connection therewith.

Ms. Boykinread the Authorization to Call Special Election: BE IT RESOLVED by the BoardofCommissioners of the Recreation andPark Commission for the Parish of East Baton Rouge (the“Governing Authority”), acting as the governing authority of the Recreation andPark Commission for the Parish of East Baton Rouge (“BREC”), that: SECTION 1. Election Call. Subject to the approvalofthe State Bond Commission, andunderthe authority conferred by the Constitution of the State of Louisiana of 1974, including Article VI, Section 32 thereof, the applicable provisions of the Louisiana Election Code,and other constitutional andstatutory authority,a special election is hereby called andordered to be held in the Parish on SATURDAY, JUNE 27, 2026, between the hours of seven o’clock(7:00) a.m.and eight o’clock(8:00) p.m., in accordance with the provisions of La.R.S. 18:541, andatthe said election there shall be submitted to allregisteredvoters qualified and entitledtovote at the said election underthe Constitution andlawsofthis State andthe Constitution of the UnitedStates, the following proposition, to-wit.

ChairmanPolito openedthe Public Hearing for public comment. Therebeing no comment from the public, ChairmanPolito closed the Public Hearing. Afternodiscussion from the board,ChairmanPolito calledfor the vote with the following results:

Yeas: 7 Nays: 0 The motion to proceed with the election wasapproved unanimously

ChairmanPolito read Item F.:

EXECUTIVESESSION –The Recreation andPark Commission for the Parish of East Baton Rouge (“BREC”) anticipatescalling an Executive Session pursuant to: LSA-R.S. 42:17(A)(2), for the purpose of discussing strategy regarding litigation.

ChairmanPolito asked for amotion to go into Executive Session. Motion by Mr.Vicknair Second by Mr.McDavid

Therebeing no discussion, ChairmanPolito calledfor the vote with the following results: Yeas: 7 Nays: 0 The motion to go into executive session wasapproved.

The Commission retired to executive session at approximately 6:05 p.m.

The Commission returnedfromexecutive session andMr. Temple made amotion to close executive session, seconded by Mr.Vicknair,and approvedunanimously

Mr.Temple made amotion to reopenthe public meeting, seconded by Mr.Vicknair,and unanimously approved. The public meeting was reconvenedatapproximately 6:09 p.m.

Afterthe Commission returnedfromexecutive session, Chairman Polito read Item G.: Resolved, That the Commission approve asettlement of litigation in an amount not to exceed $75,000 on the recommendation of legalcounsel. Motion by Dr.Harrison Second by Mr.Ortego

Therebeing no discussion, ChairmanPolito calledfor the vote with the following results: Yeas: 7 Nays: 0 The motion wasapproved unanimously

Beforeadjournment, ChairmanPolito wishedeveryone aMerry Christmasand thanked the BREC stafffor allthattheyare doing.

Adjournment

ChairmanPolito calledfor amotion to adjournthe meeting. CommissionerVicknair madea motion, CommissionerTemple, III seconded, andthe meeting wasadjournedatapproximately 6:11 p.m. without objection.

Janet C. Simmons, Interim Superintendent

Mike Polito, Chairman andEx-OfficioSecretary

175552-611808-Jan.