The Advocate 02-02-2026

La.pharmacytied to $50M fraudcase

acoffee shopbut still retains the signage.

Hammond business hires big-name criminal attorney

BY JOHN SIMERMAN staff writer

Atop criminal attorneyfor Sean “Diddy” Combs, “pharma bro” Martin Shkreli andaccused corporate assassin Luigi Mangione just scored abig win for alesser-known client, in acase involving amom-and-pop pharmacy in

downtown Hammond thatNew Jersey prosecutors tied to anearly$50 million fraud scheme Attorney MarcAgnifilo represents Trent Brockmeier,aFlorida manwho was convictedlast year along witha Louisianaattorney,Christopher Kyle Johnston, on three conspiracy counts apiece. After asix-week trial,ajury found the pair had used Central Rexall Drugs, one of Hammond’soldest businesses when it shuttered after 120 yearsatthe endof2016, to fulfill amassive fraud against two sets of health plans. One insured New Jerseycops, firefighters

andteachers, andthe other,TRICARE is formilitary members and veterans. Dozens were convictedonthe New Jersey end of thescheme, most of them pleading guilty, while the Hammond pharmacist’sdaughter and a former sales executivealsopleaded guilty, agreed to testify and still await their sentences But on Jan. 16, afederal judge in Camden, New Jersey,threwout the convictions against Brockmeier and Johnston. In a65-page opinion, U.S. District Judge EdwardKiel found the

ä see FRAUD, page 4A

Planned well for carbon capture criticized

BY DAVID J. MITCHELL staff writer

AHouston startup seeking approval for Louisiana’s second-evercarbon-capture andstorage well has metoppositionfrom Ascension Parish residents, the latest sign of concernoveranemerging industrythat state leadersviewaskey for future economic development.

Five-year-old firmBlueSky Infrastructure is planning an underground carbon dioxide storage hubinthe heart of Louisiana’sMississippi Riverindustrialzone near Geismar and Donaldsonville. The company is currentlyseeking apermitfor the first of seven planned wells, with the initial one to be located in western Ascension Parish. The project is among morethan 30 similarproposalsthatthe state hasbeen examining forpotential approval, but backlash from residents and politicians has complicated the plans. Gov. Jeff Landry issued a moratorium on new injection applications last fall to provide timetoreview the process, but the Ascension proposal is one of six that remained on the state’sfast track. Effective carbon capture would in theory address twoproblems at once. Louisiana’s petrochemicalindustrycould lower its carbon footprint and makeits products more competitive for foreign export, while climate-warming emissions could be reduced. But opposition has emerged over land rights, lucrative tax creditshelpingfund the projectsand the potentialfor CO2 leaks, among other concerns. Environmental groups also oppose carboncapture,

St.GeorgeCityCouncil createspublicpower authority

Leaderssay it’s

BY AIDAN McCAHILL staff writer

As the leaders of the new cityof

The St. GeorgeCity Council has created its own publicpower authority, whichcouldenablethe city to sell electricity directly to residents.

St. George have hustledtoset up afully functioning government, they’ve tapped apower that could alter how people get their electricity —the abilitytocreate amunicipalutility

City leaders maintain they have no plans to form apublic utility. Rather,theysay the newauthority is simply away to keep their optionsopenasthe city plans for itsenergy future.

But the ordinance, passed in October, has raised someeyebrows.

Public Service CommissionerDavante Lewis, who represents part of St. George, describedthe decision to create apower authorityas“baffling,” considering that three months later,neither

“This ordinancegivesSt. George another tool in our toolbox as we plan for the future,” said Mayor Dustin Yates.“It allows us to consider options that could benefit our residents, withany decisions made carefully,transparently,and with ratepayers in mind.”

he nor,tohis knowledge, any other commission member has been notified.

He added there have been no “high-level” discussions between city officials and Entergy or DEMCO —the main utilities that currently providepowertothe city’s 86,000 residents.

“Ifthe city goes through with

101sT yEAR, No.217

Portland mayor tells ICE to leave after gas used PORTLAND Ore. The mayor of Portland, Oregon, demanded U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement leave his city after federal agents launched tear gas at a crowd of demonstrators — including young children — outside an ICE facility during a weekend protest that he and others characterized as peaceful. Witnesses said agents deployed tear gas, pepper balls and rubber bullets as thousands of marchers arrived at the South Waterfront facility on Saturday Erin Hoover Barnett, a former OregonLive reporter who joined the protest, said she was about 100 yards from the building when “what looked like two guys with rocket launchers” started dousing the crowd with gas.

“To be among parents frantically trying to tend to little children in strollers, people using motorized carts trying to navigate as the rest of us staggered in retreat, unsure of how to get to safety, was terrifying,” Barnett wrote in an email to OregonLive.

Portland Mayor Keith Wilson said the daytime demonstration was peaceful, “where the vast majority of those present violated no laws, made no threat and posed no danger” to federal agents.

“To those who continue to work for ICE: Resign. To those who control this facility: Leave,” Wilson wrote in a statement Saturday night. “Through your use of violence and the trampling of the Constitution, you have lost all legitimacy and replaced it with shame.”

The Portland Fire Bureau sent paramedics to treat people at the scene, police said. Police officers monitored the crowd but made no arrests on Saturday

Trump says U.S. is ‘starting to talk to Cuba’

ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE Presi-

dent Donald Trump said the United States was beginning to talk with Cuban leaders as his administration puts greater pressure on the communist-run island and cuts off key oil supplies. He made the comment to reporters on Saturday night as he was flying to Florida. It comes in the wake of his moves in recent weeks to cut off supplies of oil from Venezuela and Mexico, which he suggested Saturday would force Cuba to the negotiating table. His goals with Cuba remain unclear, but Trump has turned more of his attention toward the island after his administration in early January captured Venezuela’s then-President Nicolás Maduro and has been more aggressive in confronting nations that are adversaries of the U.S Trump has predicted that the Cuban government is ready to fall.

The Republican president did not offer any details on Saturday about what level of outreach his administration has had with Cuba recently or when, but simply said, “We’re starting to talk to Cuba.”

His recent moves to cut off its oil supplies have squeezed the island.

Officer killed, another critical in Ga. shootout

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. — A police officer was killed and another was critically wounded Sunday in a shootout at a hotel in suburban Atlanta.

Gwinnett County police said in a statement that gunfire broke out early Sunday after two officers were dispatched on a call reporting fraud at the address of a hotel near Stone Mountain, about 25 miles northeast of Atlanta. When the officers arrived, police said, they encountered a person who drew a gun and shot both officers. The officers returned fire, wounding the suspect. One of the officers was killed, the police statement said, and the other was hospitalized Sunday in critical but stable condition.

Police said the suspect was also being treated for a gunshot wound. No other injuries were reported.

Georgia Gov Brian Kemp said he was mourning the death and praying for the recovery of the second officer

5-year-old, dad return to Minnesota

Both ordered released from ICE detention

BY JACK DURA Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS Five-yearold Liam Conejo Ramos and his father, who were detained by immigration officers in Minnesota and held at an ICE facility in Texas, have been released following a judge’s order They have returned to Minnesota, according to Texas Rep Joaquin Castro.

The boy and his dad, Adrian Conejo Arias, who is originally from Ecuador, were detained in a Minneapolis suburb on Jan. 20. They were taken to a detention facility in Dilley, Texas.

Katherine Schneider, a spokesperson for the Democratic congressman, confirmed the two had arrived home. She said Castro picked them up from Dilley on Saturday night and escorted them home on Sunday to Minnesota In a statement, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said Immigration and Customs

Enforcement did not target or arrest Liam Conejo Ramos, and that his mother refused to take him after his father’s apprehension. His father told officers he wanted Liam to be with him, she said.

“The Trump administration is committed to restoring the rule of law and common sense to our immigration system, and will continue to fight for the arrest, detention, and removal of aliens who have no right to be in this country,” McLaughlin said.

The government said the boy’s father entered the U.S illegally from Ecuador in December 2024. The family’s lawyer said he has an asylum claim pending that allows him to stay in the U.S.

Images of the young boy wearing a blue bunny hat and Spider-Man backpack and surrounded by immigration officers drew outrage about the Trump administration’s crackdown in Minneapolis.

In his order granting the release, U.S. District Judge Fred Biery blasted the administration, writing, “The case has its genesis in the ill-conceived and incompetently-implemented gov-

mother, Rosa, while driving to school on Jan. 6. He said they both remained in custody at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in San Antonio the same facility where Liam and his father were held.

“It’s the same situation as Liam, but there were no pictures,” said Carolina Gutierrez, who works as a secretary at the school that Elizabeth attended. “Seeing Liam released, it gives us faith.”

Inquiries to the Department of Homeland Security about that case were not immediately returned.

ernment pursuit of daily deportation quotas, apparently even if it requires traumatizing children.”

Neighbors and school officials say that federal immigration officers used the preschooler as “bait” by telling him to knock on the door to his house so that his mother would answer The Department of Homeland Security has called that description of events an “abject lie.” It said the father fled on foot and left the boy in a running vehicle in their driveway

On Sunday afternoon, residents of Columbia Heights,

Minnesota, gathered outside the house where Liam was detained to celebrate his release and call attention to others from the community who remained in ICE detention.

“We cried so much when we heard that he was coming back,” said Lourdes Sanchez, the owner of a cleaning business. “My son is also named Liam, and he is 5 years old, so it felt personal for us.”

Nearby Luis Zuna held up photographs of his 10-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, who he said had been detained, along with her

Brenda Marquez, another nearby resident, said she had driven with her husband and two young children to the house immediately upon hearing news of Liam’s release, stopping on the way to pick up SpiderMan balloons. “We wanted something that would bring a little happiness,” she said. “Being away from my son and not knowing what’s going on with him, I just can’t imagine it.”

Castro wrote a letter to Liam while they were on the plane to Minnesota, in which he told the young boy he has “moved the world.”

More winter weather mires swaths of

U.S.

Cold brings snow, canceled flights, falling iguanas

BY ADRIAN SAINZ Associated Press

MEMPHIS Tenn. A huge swath of the U.S. from the Gulf Coast into New England was mired in extra-cold temperatures Sunday after a bomb cyclone brought heavy snow and hundreds of flight cancellations to North Carolina, flurries and falling iguanas in Florida, and more misery for thousands who are still without power from last weekend’s ice storm in the South.

About 150 million people were under cold weather advisories and extreme cold warnings in the eastern portion of the U.S., with windchills near zero to single digits in the South and the coldest air mass seen in South Florida since December 1989, said Peter Mullinax, a meteorologist with weather prediction center in College Park, Maryland.

The Tampa-St. Petersburg area in Florida saw

snow flurries, while temperatures dropped to the 20s in the Panhandle and 30s in South Florida on Sunday morning, Mullinax said That left coldstunned iguanas lying prostrate and motionless on the ground. Iguanas in South Florida go dormant in the cold and though they usually wake when temperatures warm, the reptiles can die after more than a day of extreme cold.

The cold also left ice on strawberries and oranges in the state. Farmers in Florida sometimes spray water on fruit trees and

berry plants to protect them from the cold.

Meanwhile, the bomb cyclone, known to meteorologists as an intense, rapidly strengthening weather system, contributed to nearly a foot of snow in and around Charlotte, North Carolina’s largest city The snowfall represented a topfive snow event all time there, Mullinax said.

In eastern North Carolina, James City recorded 18 inches of snow, while Swansboro recorded 17 inches, the National Weather Service reported.

Flight cancellations exceeded 2,800 in the U.S.

Gaza’s Rafah crossing prepares for limited travel to resume

BY SAMY MAGDY Associated Press

CAIRO Palestinians in Gaza watched with hope and impatience Sunday as workers laid the groundwork to reopen the territory’s Rafah border crossing with Egypt, its lifeline to the world. Israel says the crossing is scheduled to resume Monday as its ceasefire with Hamas moves ahead.

“Opening the crossing is a good step, but they set a limit on the number of people allowed to cross, and this is a problem,” said Ghalia Abu Mustafa, a woman from Khan Younis.

Israel said the crossing had opened in a test, and the Israeli military agency that controls aid to Gaza said residents could begin crossing Monday. But only a small number of people can cross at first.

“We want a large number of people to leave, for

it to be open so that sick people can go and return,” said Suhaila Al-Astal, a woman displaced from the city of Rafah who said her sick daughter needed help abroad. “We want the crossing to be open permanently.”

Israel’s announcement came a day after Israeli strikes killed at least 30 Palestinians including several children, according to hospital officials — one of the highest death tolls since the ceasefire began on Oct. 10.

Israel had accused Hamas of new truce violations.

Nicolay Mladenov, director-general of U.S. President Donald Trump’s new board of peace in Gaza, urged the parties to “exercise restraint” and said his office was working with the new Palestinian committee chosen to oversee Gaza to find ways that prevent future incidents.

The Rafah crossing has been largely shut since Is-

rael seized it in May 2024. About 20,000 Palestinian children and adults needing medical care are hoping to leave war-devastated Gaza via the crossing, and thousands of other Palestinians outside the territory hope to return home. Few people, and no cargo, will be allowed to cross at first. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel will allow 50 patients needing medical evacuation to leave daily.

An official involved in the discussions, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss diplomatic talks, said each patient can travel with two relatives, while 50 people who left Gaza during the war can return each day

Zaher al-Wahidi, head of the Gaza Health Ministry’s documentation department, said the ministry hadn’t been notified about the start of medical evacuations.

an impressive cold shot, for sure, and there are daily records that are being seen down in the South,” Mullinax said. In Kitty Hawk on North Carolina’s Outer Banks, Susan Sawin said her house got a “whopping” amount of snow and strong winds that reminded her of a nor’easter She has a snow drift about 2 feet high outside her house, but she did not lose power

DOJ downplays chance for charges from Epstein files

Top official: Records don’t ‘allow us necessarily to prosecute somebody’

BY ERIC TUCKER Associated Press

WASHINGTON A top Justice Department official played down the possibility of additional criminal charges arising from the Jeffrey Epstein files, saying Sunday that the existence of “horrible photographs” and troubling email correspondence does not “allow us necessarily to prosecute somebody.”

Department officials said over the summer that a review of Epstein-related records did not establish a basis for new criminal investigations.

That position remains unchanged, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said, even as a massive document dump since Friday has focused fresh attention on Epstein’s links to powerful individuals around the world and revived questions about what, if any, knowledge the wealthy financier’s associates had about his crimes.

“There’s a lot of correspondence There’s a lot of emails. There’s a lot of photographs

There’s a lot of horrible photographs that appear to be taken by Mr Epstein or people around him,” Blanche said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “But that doesn’t allow us necessarily to prosecute somebody.”

He said that victims of Epstein’s sex abuse “want to be made whole,” but that “doesn’t mean we can just create evidence or that we can just kind of come up with a case that isn’t there.”

President Donald Trump’s Justice Department said Friday that it would be releasing more than 3 million pages of documents along with more than 2,000 videos and 180,000 images under a law intended to reveal most of the material it collected during two decades of investigations into Epstein.

The fallout from the release of the files has been swift A top official in Slovakia left his position after photos and emails revealed he had met with Epstein in the years after Epstein was released from jail. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer suggested that longtime Epstein friend Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, should tell U.S. investigators whether he knows about Epstein’s activities.

The revelations continue

The files, posted to the department’s website, included documents involving Epstein’s friendship with Mountbatten-Windsor, and Epstein’s email correspondence with onetime Trump adviser Steve Bannon, New York Giants co-owner Steve Tisch and other prominent contacts with people in political, business and philanthropic circles, such as billionaires Bill Gates and Elon Musk.

The Epstein saga has long fueled public fascination in part because of the financier’s past friendships with Trump and former President Bill Clinton. Both men

said they had no knowledge Epstein was abusing underage girls.

Among the newly released records was a spreadsheet created last August that summarized calls made to the FBI’s National Threat Operation Center or to a hotline set by prosecutors from people claiming to have some knowledge of wrongdoing by Trump. That document included a range of uncorroborated stories involving many different celebrities, and somewhat fantastical scenarios, occasionally with notations indicating what follow-up, if any was done by agents.

Blanche said Sunday that there were a “ton of people” named in the Epstein files besides Trump and that the FBI had fielded “hundreds of calls” about prominent individuals that were “quickly determined to not be credible.”

Some of Epstein’s personal email correspondence contained candid discussions with other people about his penchant for paying women for sex, even after he served jail time for soliciting an underage prostitute. Epstein killed himself in a New York jail in August 2019, a month after being indicted on federal sex trafficking charges.

In one 2013 email, a person whose name was blacked out wrote to Epstein about his choice “to surround yourself with these young women in a capacity that bleeds — perhaps, somewhat arbitrarily from the professional into the personal and back.”

“Though these women are young, they are not too young to know that they are making a very particular choice in taking on this role with you,” the person wrote.

“Especially in the aftermath of your trial which, after all, was public and could be

indeed was — interpreted as a powerful man taking advantage of powerless young women, instead of the other way around.”

In another email written in 2009, not long after Epstein had finished serving jail time for his Florida sex crime, another woman, whose name was redacted, excoriated him for breaking a promise that they would spend time alone together and try to conceive a baby

“I find myself having to question every agreement we have made (no prostitutes staying in the house, in our bed, movies, naps, two weeks Alone, baby...),” She wrote.

“Your last minute suggestion to spend THIS weekend with prostitutes is just too much for me to handle. I can’t live like this anymore.”

‘This review is over’

BY JON GAMBRELL

Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates Iran’s supreme leader warned Sunday that any attack by the United States would spark a “regional war” in the Mideast, further escalating tensions as President Donald Trump has threatened to militarily strike the Islamic Republic over its crackdown on recent nationwide protests. The comments from the 86-year-old Ayatollah Ali Khamenei are the most-direct threat he’s made so far as the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and associated American warships are in the Arabian Sea, sent by Trump there after Tehran’s bloody crackdown on nationwide protests. It remains unclear whether Trump will use force. He’s repeatedly said Iran wants to negotiate and has brought up Tehran’s nuclear program as another issue he wants to see resolved.

But Khamenei also referred to the nationwide protests as “a coup,” hardening the government’s position as tens of thousands of people reportedly have been detained since the start of

rass, the Iranian nation will deal a heavy blow to them.” Asked about the warning, Trump on Sunday told re-

the demonstrations. Sedition charges in Iran can carry the death penalty, which again renews concerns about Tehran carrying out mass executions for those arrested — a red line for Trump. Iran had also planned a livefire military drill for Sunday and Monday in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which a fifth of all oil traded passes The U.S. military’s Central Command had warned against threatening American warships or aircraft during the drill or disrupting commercial traffic. Khamenei spoke to a crowd at his compound in Tehran

as Iran marked the start of a dayslong commemoration of the country’s 1979 Islamic Revolution. He, at one point, described the U.S. as being interested in its oil, natural gas and other mineral resources, saying that they wanted to “seize this country, just as they controlled it before.”

“The Americans must be aware that if they wage a war this time, it will be a regional war,” he said.

The supreme leader added that: “We are not the instigators, we are not going to be unfair to anyone, we don’t plan to attack any country But if anyone shows greed and wants to attack or ha-

porters that the U.S. “has the biggest, most powerful ships in the world over there, very close, a couple of days, and

“We reviewed over six million pieces of paper, thousands of videos, tens of thousands of images,” Blanche said.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton, told NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday that he thinks the Department of Justice is complying with the law requiring public disclosure of the Epstein files.

But Rep. Ro Khanna, DCalif., and co-sponsor of the law requiring the Justice Department to release its Epstein files, said he did not believe the department had fully complied. He said survivors are upset that many of their names accidentally had come out without redactions and they want to make sure the rest of the files come out. Blanche said each time the department has learned that a victim’s name was not properly redacted, it has moved quickly to fix the problem but that those mistakes account for a tiny fraction of the overall materials. The AP is reviewing the documents released by the Justice Department in collaboration with journalists from Versant, CBS and NBC. Journalists from each newsroom are working together to examine the files and share information about what is in them. Each outlet is responsible for its own independent news coverage of the documents.

Blanche said in a separate appearance on ABC’s “This Week” that though there are a “small number of documents” that the Justice Department is waiting for a judge’s approval before it can release, when it comes to the department’s own scouring of documents, “this review is over.”

hopefully we’ll make a deal If we don’t make a deal, then we’ll find out whether or not he was right.”

Black History Month centennial channels angst

Advocates fight against historical erasure

BY TERRY TANG Associated Press

For academics, historians and activists, the past year has been tumultuous in advocating the teaching of Black history in the United States.

Despite last year proclaiming February as National Black History Month, President Donald Trump started his second term by claiming some African American history lessons are meant to indoctrinate people into hating the country The administration has dismantled Black history at national parks, most recently removing an exhibit on slavery in Philadelphia last month. Black history advocates see these acts and their chilling effect as scary and unprecedented.

“States and cities are nervous about retribution from the White House,” said DeRay Mckesson, a longtime activist and executive director of Campaign Zero, an organization focused on police reform. “So even the good people are just quieter now.”

In the 100th year since the nation’s earliest observances of Black History Month which began when scholar Carter G. Woodson pioneered the first Negro History Week — celebrations will go on. The current political climate has energized civil rights organizations, artists and academics to engage young people on a full telling of Amer-

FRAUD

Continued from page 1A

government built its case against the pair on innuendo and an unbelievable witness He tossed the jury verdicts, finding them not guilty

“In sum, the evidence did nothing more than paint defendants as bad people who must have done something illegal to make all that money,” wrote Kiel, who was nominated to the bench by former President Joe Biden

On the first charge, alleging a health care and wire fraud conspiracy Kiel found that “the inferences the government advanced had no logical and convincing connection to any established facts.”

The charge for conspiracy to commit identity theft didn’t belong in New Jersey, Kiel found.

Agnifilo, a former New Jersey prosecutor, said in an interview that Kiel mistakenly instructed the jurors they could consider Brockmeier and Johnston guilty based on “willful blindness” rather than knowledge of a fraud.

“But the pharmacy is getting prescriptions signed by doctors, and they’re filling them,” he said.

“The government’s theory is, there are so many prescriptions from the same doctors, the only way the pharmacists could think this (was OK) was to put their head in the sand. It’s not the proper charge.”

Quiet downfall

Johnston and Brockmeier became the last of four dozen defendants to be convicted when the jury found them guilty of conspiracies to commit health care and wire

ica’s story There are hundreds of lectures, teach-ins and even new books — from nonfiction to a graphic novel — to mark the milestone.

“This is why we are working with more than 150 teachers around the country on a Black History Month curriculum to just ensure that young people continue to learn about Black history in a way that is intentional and thoughtful,”

Mckesson said about a campaign his organization has launched with the Afro Charities organization and leading Black scholars to expand access to educational materials.

New novel highlights Juneteenth

About three years ago, Angélique Roché, a journalist and adjunct professor at Xavier University of Louisiana, accepted a “once-in-alifetime” invitation to be the writer for a graphic novel retelling of the story of Opal Lee “grandmother of Juneteenth.”

Lee, who will also turn 100 this year, is largely credited for getting federal recognition of the June 19 holiday commemorating the day when enslaved people in Texas learned they were emancipated.

Under Trump, however, Juneteenth is no longer a free-admission day at national parks

Juneteenth helped usher in the first generation of Black Americans who, like Woodson, was born free.

“First Freedom: The Story of Opal Lee and Juneteenth,” the graphic novel, comes out Feb. 10. It is the culmination of Roché’s assiduous archival research, phone chats and visits to Texas to see Lee and her granddaughter, Dione Sims.

“There is nothing ‘indoctrinat-

AssoCIATED PREss PHoTo

By GERALD HERBERT

Angélique Roché, author of ‘First Freedom: The story of opal Lee and Juneteenth,’ stands at the Ashe Cultural Arts Center in New orleans on Thursday.

ing’ about facts that are based on primary sources that are highly researched,” said Roché, who hopes the book makes it into libraries and classrooms. “At the end of the day, what the story should actually tell people is that we’re far more alike than we are different.”

While Lee is the main character, Roché used the novel as a chance to put attention on lesser known historical figures like William “Gooseneck Bill” McDonald, Texas’ first Black millionaire, and Opal Lee’s mother, Mattie Broadous Flake.

She hopes this format will inspire young people to follow Lee and her mantra — “make yourself a committee of one.”

“It doesn’t mean don’t work with other people,” Roché said. “Don’t wait for other people to make the changes you wanna see.”

New generation of historians

When Trump’s anti-DEI executive orders were issued last year, Jarvis Givens, a professor of Af-

fraud, identity theft and money laundering.

Behind a distinctive orange sign on East Thomas Street, prosecutors claimed the pharmacy they led had filled the bulk of prescriptions for a high-volume scheme tapping high reimbursement rates for tailored drug mixes from compounding pharmacies like Central Rexall.

The case rippled through the Garden State communities where many of the defendants lived and worked.

One implicated man ran in front of a moving train, said Kevin Shelly, a retired investigative reporter from New Jersey who now blogs about the case. A lawyer “took a swan dive off a casino garage roof,” he added.

And Dr James Kauffman, a New Jersey endocrinologist tied to the fraud scheme, reportedly died by

suicide in jail after he was accused of another crime: plotting with an outlaw biker gang, the Pagans, to kill his wife.

The downfall of Central Rexall was much quieter

The historic pharmacy was suspended in April 2015 by the Defense Health Agency for allegedly filling faulty prescriptions to patients with TRICARE. Reimbursements dried up. Central Rexall would close within two years.

Hayley Taff, the daughter of longtime pharmacist Don Fellows, pleaded guilty in 2020 to a threeyear-long conspiracy and agreed to forfeit $1.5 million. The pharmacy’s vice president of sales, Christopher Casseri of Baton Rouge, pleaded guilty in 2024 and agreed to forfeit $100,000.

Both still await their sentences af-

rican and African American Studies at Harvard, was thousands of miles away teaching in London, where Black History Month is celebrated in October He had already been contemplating writing a book for the centennial.

Watching Trump’s “attack” cemented the idea, Givens said.

“I wanted to kind of devote my time while on leave to writing a book that would honor the legacy that gave us Black History Month,” Givens said.

The result is “I’ll Make Me a World: The 100-Year Journey of Black History Month,” a book with four in-depth essays that comes out Tuesday. The title is a line from the 1920s poem “The Creation” by James Weldon Johnson, whose most famous poem, “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing,” is known as the “Black national anthem.”

Givens examines important themes in Black history and clarifies misconceptions around them.

The book and the research Givens dug up will tie into a “living history campaign” with Campaign Zero and Afro Charities, Mckesson said. The goal is to teach what Woodson believed — younger generations can become historians who can discern fact from fiction.

“When I grew up, the preservation of history was a historian’s job,” Mckesson said, adding his group’s campaign will teach young students how to record history

The ‘father of Black history’

Born in 1875 to formerly enslaved parents, Woodson was among the first generation of Black Americans not assigned to bond-

ter testifying against Johnston and Brockmeier

Taff’s attorney, Garrison Jordan, said Tuesday that Taff was “obviously frustrated” at the judge’s ruling to negate the jury verdict but declined further comment.

The bitter end for Central Rexall has weighed on her, Jordan said.

“It’s always been an emotional and devastating loss for her because it was in the family for so long It’s traumatic,” he said.

Booming business

New laws around drug compounding had brought a temporary boom in the field. Johnston and Brockmeier saw an opportunity They bought into Central Rexall, taking control in 2013 in a deal for 90% of the profit, prosecutors said. Johnston, a lawyer, became general counsel. Brockmeier was chief operating officer Central Rexall’s staff grew eightfold in a few years.

The pharmacy expanded next door, booting out a tenant.

Profits rolled in as the pharmacy fashioned what prosecutors called medically unnecessary pain, scar, antifungal and libido creams “solely based on the amount of money” the health plans would pay

“If you could add a pinch of something and get a couple hundred extra bucks, they would add it,” Shelly said. “A lot of them were health compounds. It wasn’t lifesaving Rx’s.”

Several hundred prescriptions came from the same New Jersey doctor, often at thousands of dollars for a month’s supply, as the alleged kickback scheme unfolded in 2015 and 2016, court records show Prosecutors accused Johnston and Brockmeier of submitting dummy claims to test reimburse-

age at birth. He grew up believing that education was a way to selfempowerment, said Robert Trent Vinson, director of the Carter G. Woodson Institute at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia.

The second Black man to earn a doctorate at Harvard University — W.E.B. Du Bois was the first — Woodson was disillusioned by how Black history was dismissed. He saw that the memories and culture of less educated Black people were no less valuable, Vinson said.

When Woodson established Negro History Week in 1926, he was in an era where popular stereotypes like blackface and minstrelsy were filling in for actual knowledge of the Black experience, according to Vinson. This sparked the creation of Black history clubs and Woodson began inserting historical lessons “on the sly” in publications like the “Journal of Negro History” and the “Negro History Bulletin.”

“Outside the formal school structure, they’re having a separate school like in churches or in study groups,” Vinson said. “Or they’re sharing it with parents and saying, ‘you teach your young people this history.’ So, Woodson is creating a whole educational space outside the formal university.”

In 1976, for the week’s 50th anniversary, President Gerald Ford issued a message recognizing it as an entire month. There was pushback then over the gains the Civil Rights Movement had made, Givens said. As for today’s backlash over Black and African American studies, Vinson believes Woodson would not be surprised. But, he would see it as a sign “you’re on the right track.”

ments for various recipes, calling it identity theft.

Johnston and Brockmeier denied it. Agnifilo described a window for drug compounding that lasted about five years. Back then, some health plans would pay based on ingredients, and new players entered a profitable market.

“If insurance is like ‘We’re going to cover hydrogen and oxygen,’ you’re going to start making water These guys are smart,” Agnifilo said. “This pharmacy thought it had some procedures in place to weed out the bad actors.”

Will prosecutors appeal?

A spokesperson said the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Jersey declined to comment on the ruling or if it will appeal. That office has become a political lightning rod lately over President Donald Trump’s appointment last year of a former personal lawyer, Alina Habba, to lead it as U.S. attorney An appeals court panel ruled last month that Habba lingered too long without Senate confirmation, and on Jan. 26 the court declined to reconsider An attorney for Johnston issued a statement.

“We are grateful for the Court’s careful and very thorough analysis,” attorney Lawrence Lustberg said of Kiel’s ruling. “We truly believe that this judgment achieves justice and reaches a result that is correct under both the facts and the law.”

Fellows, the pharmacist, was never charged.

Central Rexall’s old orange storefront remains, but the pharmacy he once ran has been converted to a coffee shop.

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this, their power bills will have to increase,” Lewis said.“This is not just ‘I’m going to open my own power business.’ There aresome significant decisionpoints and technical abilities needed.”

David Latona, DEMCO’s director of economic development and governmental engagement, said the utility is aware of the St. George ordinance.

“Wehave agreatworking relationship with the city and will always support the DEMCO members that live in the city,aswell as the leadership’sdesire to serve the community,” Latona said.“The ordinance is acommon authority for manycities to establishinaneffort to have many options to service its citizens. We trustthe Mayor and City Council to make the best decisions to serve the city.”

‘A lotofpossibilities’

The St. George Public Power Authority was createdfor the purpose of “planning, financing, owning, leasing, operating, and maintaining facilitiesfor thegeneration, production, transmission, distribution, purchase, and sale of electric power and energy,” the ordinance says. The power authority wouldoperate as aseparate legal entity from the city,composedofseven members elected by the CityCouncil, who would also govern the authority.

St. George Council member Andrew Murrell,who introduced the measure, said the cityismerely taking advantage of powers allowed under state law.Hesaid the ordinance does not have aspecific direction yet.

“That power authority has alot of possibilities, and we didn’tout-

PROJECT

Continued from page1A

calling it unproven and away for industry to avoid phasingout fossil fuels.

Industry backers say the concerns are vastly overblown, the technology has long been used for other purposes and the storage wells will be locatedthousands of feet underground, cappedbya thick layer of impermeable rock Thosesharply divergent views were on display during ahearing Thursdaynight beforestate Department of Conservationand Energy officials in Donaldsonville. Residents in acrowd of more than 60 people at the parish courthouse argued the new well would foster unwanted land grabs for pipelines and other infrastructure

“Tonight, Istand before you strongly urging you to deny this permit, notout of fearbut outof fierce defense ofour rights, our wallets and our children’sinheritance,” said DonaldBailey,72, an AirForce veteran and Gonzalesarea resident who lives near CO2 pipelines serving the west bank injection well. “This isn’tenvironmental progress.Thisisa blatant corporate giveaway.”

Proponents argued that the project would bring jobs and tax revenue. They said it has already spurred investment in River Parishes Community College and would create stability and growth forthe region’spetrochemical industry

“Without CCS projects like this, future investment in our existing

line or define anyofthem because we’re going to letthe circumstances dictate thefuture for that idea,” he said Still, he said, he envisions using the power authority to allow St. George to pursue federal and state grants forutility projects and disaster recovery,conductits own maintenance on energy infrastructure or even purchase wholesale power from other providers.

With the rise of energy-hungry datacenters, Murrell added, the authority could help ensure St Georgehas aseatatthe table in future energy negotiations.

“Are we going to be apriorityin thefuture?” he said. “The power

industrywill go to other states and places around the globe, and that existingindustry thathas made Ascension Parish so strong economicallywill die aslow death,” said industrylobbyist TimJohnson, president of the Baton RougebasedTJC Group. Johnson said billionsinrecent industrial announcementslocated just northofthe proposed well wouldn’thave come without the promiseofcarbon captureand storage, known as CCS. Among them are Hyundai Steel, aCFIndustries expansion and Ascension Clean Energy ‘Will notwork’

BlueSky,operating under the subsidiary River Parish SequestrationLLC, is proposing to inject andpermanently store nearly 420 million tons of carbon dioxide deep underasugarcane farming belt thatextends into Assumption and eastern Ibervilleparishes over 30 years, company planssay The networkofwells, pipelines andatleast five future undergroundCO2 plumes would seek to avoidhomes andslipinamong underground obstructions like salt domes, natural faults aboveand below the future plumes but not through them, and decades of oil andgas drilling,plans show The first of the seven planned wells, which would generate one of the plumes, is under review. It would beonly thesecond Class VI carbon injectionwell in Louisiana since the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency granted the state authority over theregulatoryprocess in early 2024. The well would inject up to 2.2

authority could stepinand help with that.”

Both Murrelland Yates say there are no current plans to municipalize St. George power

“The citydoes not intend to create apublic utilitytoday but we can’ttell you what the city is going to do in 10, 15 years,” saidYates “It’sessentially just aplaceholder.”

Questionsarise

Lewis said few of the ideas being batted around would be realistic in practice.

Withoutowningany energyinfrastructure, he said, the city cannot makeimprovements to the system

million tonsofCO2 per year under the Bruly McCall area near La. 943, starting in 2027, plans say Though carbon dioxide exists in theatmosphereand is exhaled by people, the industrial capture and storage process involves compressing it to anearliquidstate for transport by pipeline and injection.That means leaks from deliverylines,ashas happened in Mississippi and Sulphur,can release highly concentrated clouds that can act as asphyxiantsand starve oxygen from fossil fuel-burning cars and trucks. Experts discount thepossibly as very remote, however, that CO2 in such high concentrationscould leak from deep underground storage and reach thesurface. Such storage has raised concerns from criticsabout slower leaksinto drinking water aquifers, however BlueSky officials andotherssupporting the technology countered carbon captureishighly regulated and has aclose parallel that’sbeen safely in practice for ahalf century: using CO2injections toenhance oil recovery.

For River Parish Sequestration, its first injectionzone will be sealed by arock overlay that is thicker than theheightofthe Louisiana State Capitol, the companysays. Theplume, which would exist in several layers from nearly 4,900 feet andnearly 10,000 feet deep, would sit morethan ahalf-mile below the lowest fresh water aquifer, company plans say The injection would workatthe bottom of the storage zone and ascend, going into increasingly shallow layersofsedimentary rock Eightyyears after injection starts

or qualify formost grant funding.

Even purchasing additionalpower for residents would require formal agreements with existing utilities, he said.

Lewis compared creating apower authority without aclear purpose to “throwing spaghetti at the wall.”

“They’re assuming theycan do allthese differentthings,” he said.

“The idea that this somehow positionsthem forfederal grants when theydon’town anything is abackward way of thinking.”

Lewis argues that for the power authority to really function, St. George would have to create its own power system.That would mean acquiringorreplacingthe

and 50 years after it has ended, the storage zone is projected to extend horizontally in an almost 2-squaremile ovaldeep underneath the Bruly McCall area, company modeling shows MichaelManteris, co-president of Blue Sky, said that his company spent more than fiveyears liningup voluntary agreements with over 80 landowners foraccess to the storage areas undersome 30,000 acres.

He said thecompany’smagnetic and seismic testing, an exploratory well and other workshow that the western Ascension piece of the farmland is away from homes active drinking water wells and orphanwells that could provide a path for stored CO2 to escape. Residents at the hearing were notconvinced,sayingtheywant growth but also to live safely

“(Carbon capture)will notwork. It has not worked, and we just don’t want the experimenttohappen with us,”said Ashley Gaignard, a Donaldsonville resident who leads the advocacy group Rural Roots Louisiana.

‘Poverty into prosperity’ Manterissaidthe companywill have amonitoringprogram to track the underground plume. Emergency response plans will also be in place for leaks from storage sites or pipelines.

The projectreceivedmixed support from local officials.

JamesLeBlanc,the St. Amantfire chief and aparish executive, delivered letters of backing from Parish President Clint Cointment and Sheriff Bobby Webre. LeBlanc told state officials the well is part of the parish’seffort to reduce poverty on

infrastructure now owned by Entergy and DEMCO, including transmission anddistributionlines,or entering into long-term power purchase agreementswith suppliers, he said.

Steve Irving, aformer regulatory lawyerand longtime DEMCO board member, said the decision came with little public discussion. He also notes that the ordinance waspassedlessthantwo months before the council voted to postpone adecision on whetherto levy a5%fee on DEMCO, which serves about 7,000 customers in St. George.

Irving —who maintained he was speaking as aSt. George resident, not on behalf of DEMCO —said he believes the ordinance may have been intendedtopressure utilities intoaccepting theproposedfranchise fees by hinting at the city’s ability to take over their operations.

“It’skind of like aclub that’s hangingoverthe utilitiestomake them sign ontothe franchise tax,” Irving said.

Known as autility franchise agreement —acontract that allows autility company to operate on public property in exchange for afee —the proposal drew criticism from residents concerned the added costs would show up on their energy bills. Utilities typically pass aportion of franchise fees directly to consumers.

MurrellsaidinDecember that the council wasexploring similar agreements with Entergy and internet providers such as AT&T Those discussions have notresurfaced publicly

He addedthatany claimabout the ordinance being used as leverage in negotiations with utility companiesis“noteven remotely accurate.”

“The utility providers have no problemwith franchise feeagreements and have been great to work with thus far,”Murrell said.

the west bank.

“This industry is about quality of life on the west bank. It’sabout overall enhancement of the west bank, and it’sabout turning poverty into prosperity,” LeBlanc said. But twowest bank officials,Parish Councilman Oliver Joseph and School Board memberRobyn Penn Delaney,voiced their opposition. Delaney said the welland other infrastructure would be too close to Lowery elementary and middle schools, potentially exposing children to aCO2 leak —about 2miles away Some residents suggested parish officials’ support could result in tough elections for them. Others objected to east bank officials supporting CO2storage that wouldaffect only the other side of the river “Put it wherever they’re at. Bring it over there,” said Louis Boudreaux, 88, of Donaldsonville Federal 45Q tax credits offer up to $93 per ton to the companies capturing theirCO2 emissions.As the storage company,River Parish Sequestration doesn’treceive those credits, company officials said, but will be paid by plantsthat getthem In September 2024, the U.S. Department of Energy awardedRiver Parish Sequestration a$32.2 million grant. The company matched that with$8.1 million, acompanypresentation says. Blue Sky Infrastructure, the parent of RiverParish Sequestration, is managedbythe morethan $1 trillionprivate equityfund Blackstone.

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

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Hearing to decide if teen will stay in juvenile detention

15-year-old arrested in parade shooting

BY OLIVIA TEES staff writer

A 15-year-old faces a court hearing Monday after his arrest in the Clinton Mardi Gras shooting Saturday that injured five people, including a 6-yearold girl. The girl who was in critical condition, had surgery Sunday morning and is expected to survive, said Sam D’Aquilla, the district attorney for East and West Feliciana parishes There is no other information on the other four victims who were shot.

D’Aquilla also noted that Monday’s hearing will determine if the teen will remain in the juvenile detention center or be moved to the general prison

The second suspect is Noah Basquine, 19, from Ethel.

Basquine and the 15-year-old are accused of attempted second-degree murder, reckless discharge of a firearm at a parade and obstruction of justice, according to a statement from the East Feliciana Parish Sheriff’s Office. The third suspect, Jascent Scott, 26, of Baker, is accused of illegal carrying of a weapon and resisting an officer, the Sheriff’s Office said. D’Aquilla said authorities do not believe Scott was involved with the shooting

At the scene, the crime lab collected 29 bullet casings from a rifle and two handguns, D’Aquilla said The shootings remain under investigation but D’Aquilla said there is a possible gang affiliation that led to the violent outbreak. There could be additional arrests. The shooting started around 12:20 p.m. across from the Clinton Courthouse on St. Helena Street. The “Mardi Gras in the Country” parade was rolling for only 15 minutes before gunshots rang out.

SHIELDED BY SCAFFOLDING

Bovino faced discrimination suit from N.O. Border Patrol officials

Leader faced questions over email comparing him to Confederate general

BY JAMES FINN staff writer

Gregory Bovino, a senior

U.S. Border Patrol official who emerged as a face of the federal government’s immigration dragnet and led the agency’s monthlong sweep through south Louisiana, faced questions in a 2019 discrimination lawsuit filed in New Orleans about an email in which a subordinate compared him to a Confederate Army general.

Bovino’s response: The message, which he received a few months before assuming leadership of Border Patrol’s New Orleans sector, had nothing to do with race.

Christopher Bullock, a friend and colleague from Bovino’s tenure in the El Centro California Border Patrol sector, sent the note in May 2018 The messages surfaced in the discrimination lawsuit filed the following year in the Eastern District of Louisiana, and Bovino was questioned about them in a 2020 deposition.

“Oh jeez DELETE!!!!” Bovino wrote in response to the email, according to court records.

He said in the deposition he believes there was nothing racist about the message, which compared Bovino to a Confederate Army general. He added that the email was “not relative to the mission” and “worthless.”

Bovino did not report the email to superiors at the Department of Homeland Security, he acknowledged in the deposition. A few months after receiving the email, he was assigned to lead the New Orleans sector, a role in which he oversaw agency operations across 362,000 square miles stretching from New Orleans to the Florida Panhandle.

There, he would tap Bullock, who was still in El Centro, for a top position in the New Orleans office. The move triggered at least two

discrimination complaints from career Border Patrol officials in the New Orleans sector who argued in court filings that they had been blocked from consideration for promotions because they are Black.

While leading the federal government’s recent immigration sweeps in Chicago, Charlotte, New Orleans and Minneapolis, Bovino emerged as an enthusiastic spokesperson of the deportation push from President Donald Trump’s administration.

Federal court filings from the case shed new light on a littleknown period of Bovino’s career as he led Border Patrol operations for two years across the Gulf Coast.

Spokespeople for Border Patrol and the Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to questions about the case.

Bovino would return to the El Centro sector in Southern California before being named “at-large” commander in 2025 after Trump’s second inauguration. But he was stripped of his “at-large” title last week amid mounting scrutiny over Border Patrol agents’ fatal shooting of a Minneapolis protester, Alex Pretti.

The Chicago Sun-Times first reported Friday on the emails between Bovino and Bullock.

Bullock’s May 2018 email to Bovino included a photo of General William Mahone, a Confederate States Army general from Virginia, and captioned it “Chief Bovino.”

The email contained two additional photos: One showing Civil War reenactors dressed in gray Confederate Army uniforms grouped around a Confederate battle flag, and another showing Black union Army soldiers at an artillery position during the war Bullock captioned the photo of the Confederate reenactors “NLL all hands meeting.” He captioned the photo of the Union soldiers “NLL Sector HQ.” NLL is the code

name for Border Patrol’s New Orleans sector

A St Tammany attorney for the two Black Border Patrol officials who filed discrimination claims,

Kevin Vogeltanz, wrote in a court filing that the photo of Confederate reenactors represented the New Orleans sector’s mostlyWhite rank-and-file. The Union artillerymen represented senior officials in the sector who were ethnic minorities, including the officials Vogeltanz represented, he argued. The officials, Jon Joyner and Randolph Williams, settled their discrimination claims in 2022 for undisclosed amounts, according to court records. Their current status at the agency is unclear Vogeltanz did not immediately respond to phone and e-mailed messages about the case. He represented two other Border Patrol agents in additional discrimination cases involving Bovino, which also yielded settlements.

DHS lawyers opened an internal probe after receiving a complaint of “confederate images” attached to official communications, according to documents.

Bullock told a DHS agent as-

signed to that probe that he sent the images because Bovino is a “history buff who applies instances in American history to different work-related situations.” He added that the email was intended to “poke fun at Bovino since the New Orleans sector is behind the times in comparison to other sectors.”

Bullock said he believed that racism is “not appropriate in America.” He could not immediately be reached.

In his 2020 deposition, Bovino said he did not believe Bullock had intended to offend anyone by sending it.

“I ascribed very little meaning to this because I received many, many emails each day,” Bovino said. “When I receive an email like this, typically it goes to the recycle bin.”

Asked repeatedly if the emails could be perceived as racist or “racially tinged,” Bovino said, “no.” “In perusing the email that he

sent me, I did not find any racial connotations that would lead me to open an investigation for Mr Bullock,” he said. Bovino and Bullock appear to have been associates since at least the 2010s. A listing for the 2014 film “La Migra” on the film website IMDB acknowledges and thanks Bullock and Bovino as contributors to the production.

Speaker: No quickHouse vote to endpartial shutdown

BY LISA MASCARO AP congressional correspondent

WASHINGTON House

Speaker Mike Johnson said Sunday it will be afew days before agovernment funding package comes up for avote, all butensuring the partial federal shutdown will drag intothe week as Democrats and Republicans debate reining in the Trump administration’ssweeping immigration enforcement operations.

Johnson signaled he is relying on help from President Donald Trump to ensure passage. Trump strucka deal with senators to separate funding for the Department of Homeland Security from abroaderpackage after public outrage over two shooting deaths during protests in Minneapolis against Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The measure approved Friday by the Senate would fund DHS temporarily,for two weeks, setting up adeadline for Congress to debate and vote on new restrictions on ICE operations.

“The president is leading this,” Johnson,R-Benton, told “Fox News Sunday.”

“It’shis play call to do it this way,” the speaker said, adding that the Republican presidenthas “already conceded that he wants to turn down the volume”onfederal immigration operations.

Johnson faces adaunting challenge ahead, tryingto muscle the funding legisla-

By ALBERToPEZZALI

AssoCIATED PREss FILE PHoTo

House speaker MikeJohnson, R-Benton, leaves10Downing street after meeting Britain’s Prime Minister Keir starmer on Jan. 19 in London. Johnson said sunday it will be afew days before agovernment funding packagecomes up for avote, all butensuring the partial federal shutdownwilldrag into the week.

tion through the House while Democrats are refusingto provide the votes for speedy passage. They are demanding restraints on ICE that go beyond $20 million forbody cameras that alreadyisin the bill. Theywantto require that federal immigration agentsunmask and identify themselves and are pressing for an end to roving patrols, amid other changes Democrats digin

“What is clear is thatthe Department of Homeland Security needs to be dramatically reformed,” saidHouse

Trump: Kennedy Center to close for2 yearsfor renovations

BY MICHELLEL.PRICE andLISA MASCARO Associated Press

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump said Sunday he will move to close Washington’s Kennedy Center performing arts center for twoyears starting in Julyfor construction hislatest move to upturnthe storied venue since returning to the White House Trump’sannouncementonsocial media follows awave of cancellationsbyleading performers and groups since the president ousted the previousleadership andaddedhis name to the building. Trump made no mention in his post of the recent cancellations His proposal, announced days after the premiere of “Melania,” adocumentaryof thefirstlady was shown at the center, he said was subject to approvalbythe board of the Kennedy Center,which has been stocked with his hand-picked allies. Trump himself chairs the center’sboard oftrustees.

“This important decision,based on input from many Highly Respected Experts, will takea tired, broken,and dilapidatedCenter one that has been in bad condition, both financially and structurally formanyyears, and turn it into aWorld Class Bastion of Arts, Music, and Entertainment,” Trump wrote in his post.

Neither Trump nor Kennedy CenterPresident Ric Grenell, aTrump ally,have provided evidence to back up their claims about the building being in disrepair

Thesudden decisioniscertain to spark blowback as Trump upturns the popular venue, which began as anational cultural center but Congress renamed as a“living memorial” to President John F. Kennedyin 1964, in the aftermath of theslain president’s death. Opened in 1971, it is open year-round as apublic showcase for the arts, including the National Symphony Orchestra.

Since Trump returned to the White House, the Kennedy Center is oneof many Washington landmarks that hehas sought to put

Democraticleader Hakeem

Jeffries of New York said on ABC’s“This Week.”

Jeffriessaidthe administration needs to begin negotiations now, notoverthe next two weeks, on changes to immigration enforcement operations.

“Masks should comeoff,” he said. “Judicial warrants should absolutely be required consistent withthe Constitution, in ourview, beforeDHS agents or ICE agents are breaking into thehomes of theAmerican people or ripping people out of their cars.”

AssoCIATED PREss PHoTo

President Donald Trumparrives Thursdayfor thepremiere of first ladyMelania Trump’s movie‘Melania’ at the KennedyCenter in Washington.

his stamp on in his second term. He demolished the East Wing of the WhiteHouse and launched amassive $400 million ballroom project, is actively pursuingbuilding atriumphalarch on the other side the Arlington Bridge from the the Lincoln Memorial, and hasplansfor Washington DullesInternational Airport.

Leading performing arts groups have pulled out of appearances, most recently, composer Philip Glass, who announced his decisiontowithdrawhis Symphony No.15 “Lincoln” becausehesaid the values of the center todayare in “direct conflict”withthe message of the piece.

Last month, the Washington National Opera announced that it will moveperformances away from the Kennedy Center in another high-profile departure following Trump’stakeover of the U.S.capital’s leadingperforming arts venue.

Thehead of artistic programming for the center abruptly left his post last week,less thantwo weeks after beingnamed to the job.

Aspokesperson for the Kennedy Center didnot immediatelyrespondtoanemailed request for comment.

As Trumpannounced his plan to rename the building— erecting his name on the building’smain front —hedrew sharpoppositionfrom members of Congress, and some Kennedy family members.

Kerry Kennedy,aniece of John F. Kennedy,said in asocial post on Xatthe time that she will removeTrump’s name herself with apickax when his term ends.

Mansentenced to 4years forthrowing Molotovcocktail

By The Associated Press

LOSANGELES A23-year-old

manwas sentencedtofour years in federal prison after he admitted throwing aMolotov cocktail at Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies during protests against immigration raids across the region last spring.

Emiliano Garduno Galvez, aMexican national who authorities say is in the U.S. illegally,pleaded guilty in October to possessing an unregistered destructive device and civil disorder connected to his actions June 7 in Paramount, acitynearLA.

He wassentencedonFriday Sheriff’sdeputies responded to alarge protest thatday at which demonstrators were throwing rocks and otheritems outside aHome Depot where U.S. Border Patrolagents hadgathered. According to theplea agreement obtained by the LosAngeles Times, Galvez admittedthat he went behind awall,lit theMolotov cocktail and then hurled it toward where he had seen the deputies. The incendiarydevice landed in agrassy area near the foot ofaprotester and

about 15 feet from the deputies,according to theplea agreement. Galvezsaidhe then ran away Galvez threw the device “intending to obstruct, interfere with, and impede the LASD deputies who were lawfully engaged in performance of official duties,” according to theagreement

“This defendant’s reckless behavior threatened the lives andsafety of lawenforcement officersand that of alawfulprotester,” Bill Essayli, thefirst assistant U.S. attorney for theCentral District of California, said in astatement.

the weekend. Defense,health, transportation andhousing are amongthose that were given shutdown guidance by theadministration, though many operations are deemed essential and services are not necessarily interrupted. Workers could go without pay if the impasse drags on. Somecould be furloughed.

This is thesecond time in amatter of months that federal operations have been disrupted as Congress digs in, using the annual funding process as leverage to extract policy changes. Last fall, Democrats sparked what became the longest federal shutdowninhistory, 43 days, as they protested the expiration of healthinsurance tax breaks.

“I thinkwe’re on thepath to get agreement,” Johnson said on NBC’s“Meet the Press.” Body cameras,whichare alreadyprovidedfor in the package, and an end to the rovingpatrols by immigrationagents areareas of potential agreement, Johnson said.

Buthesaid taking the masks off and putting names on agents’ uniforms could lead to problems for lawenforcement officersas they are being targeted by the protesters and their personalinformation is posted online.

“I don’tthink the president would approve it —and he shouldn’t,” Johnsonsaidon Fox.

It’sall forcing Johnson to rely on his slim House GOP majority in aseries of procedural votes, startingincommittee on Monday and pushing apotential House floor vote on the package until at least Tuesday,hesaid.

House Democrats planned aprivate caucus call Sunday evening to assess thenext steps.

Partialshutdowndrags on Meanwhile, anumber of other federal agencies are snared in thefunding standoff as thegovernment went into apartial shutdown over

That shutdownended with apromise to vote on proposals to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits. But the legislation didnot advance and Democrats wereunable to achieve their goal of keeping the subsidies in place. Insurance premiums spiked in the new year for millions of people.

Trumpwants quick end

This time, the administration has signaled its interest in more quickly resolving the shutdown.

Johnsonsaidhewas in the Oval Office last week when Trump, along with border czar TomHoman, spoke with Senate Democratic leader ChuckSchumer,ofNew York, to work out the deal.

Democrats, however, said theimmigration operations are out of control, and it is an emergency situation that must end in Minneapolis and other cities.

Growing numbers of lawmakers are calling for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to be fired or impeached.

“What is happening in Minnesotaright nowisa dystopia,” said Sen. Chris Murphy,D-Conn., wholed effortstoholdthe line for morechanges.

“ICE is making this country less safe,not more safe today,” Murphy said on “Fox News Sunday.”

“Our focus over the next two weekshas to be reining in alawless and immoral immigration agency.”

Democrat flipsRepublican stateSenateseatinTexas

Trumpwon district by 17 points

BY JOHN HANNA and JULIE CARR SMYTH AP political writers

Democrat Taylor Rehmet flippeda reliablyRepublican state Senate district in Texas in Saturday’sspecial election,continuing a string of surprise victories for Democratsacross the U.S. in the year since DonaldTrump returned to the White House.

The Republican president immediately distanced himself from the loss in adistrict he’d won by 17 points in 2024.

“I’mnot involved in that. That’s alocal Texas race,” Trump told reporters Sundayathis Mar-a-Lagoestate in Florida.

Yetjustaday before the race, Trump had heaped praiseonRepublican contender Leigh Wambsganss, aconservative activist and entrepreneur,onhis social media platform, declaring thatshe would be “a GREAT Candidate and has my Complete andTotal Endorsement.” Alonger post came later,inwhich he urged Texans to get out and vote, describing Wambsganss as

asuccessful entrepreneur and “an incredible supporter” of his Make America GreatAgain movement.

Despite the plugs, Wambsganss waseasily trounced in the Fort Worth-area district by Rehmet, alabor unionleader andveteran, forapartial term ending in earlyJanuary.Withalmost allvotes counted, Rehmet was leading by more than 14 percentage points.

“This win goes to everyday working people,” Rehmet told supporters.

Republican TexasLt. Gov Dan Patrick called the outcome “a wake-up callfor Republicans across Texas,” where the GOP controls every statewide office.

“Our voters cannottake anything for granted,” Patrickwrote on X, while noting low-turnout special elections are always unpredictable. “I know the energy andstrengththe Republican grassroots in Texaspossess. We will come outfighting with anew resolve, and we will take this seat back in November.” Rehmet’s victoryadded to the Democrats’ record of overperforming in special elections so far this cycle, beginning in March —when they prevailed in aPennsylvania legislative district

made up of suburbanites and farmers that Democrats hadn’theld in acentury andcontinuing through to November,whentheydominated candidate andballot contests from Maine to California. And Zohran Mamdani, an unapologeticdemocraticsocialist, was elected mayor of New York City, aDemocratic stronghold that saw thehighest voter turnout in amayor’s race in 50 years. Theshowings come as Trump’sapproval ratings with thepublicholdsteady at around40%. AJanuary AP-NORC poll found that a majority of U.S. adults disapprove of the way he’s handling foreign policy, trade negotiations andimmigration, as well as the economy. Democrats said Saturday’s resultsinTexas were further evidencethatvotersunder the second Trump administration are motivated to reject GOPcandidatesand their policies.

Be

skeptical aboutdataon environment andhealth

Awebsite called Louisiana Health Facts has been circulating recently,presenting parish-level health statistics to argue that concerns about Louisiana’sindustrial corridor are overstated. Thesite relies on broad indicatorssuch as lifeexpectancy and aggregate cancer rates to suggest that health outcomes in these areas compare favorablywith therest of the state. Even when drawn from reputable data sources, this kindof analysis deserves caution. Aggregate health metrics are usefulfor identifying large-scale trends, but they are poorly suited to answering questions about localized environmental risk. Parish-wideaverages can easilyobscuresharp differences within acommunity, particularly in areas where industrial facilities, residential neighborhoods and exposure levels vary block by block.

Life expectancy,inparticular, reflects many factors beyond environmental conditions, includingincome, access to health care, education and urbanization.A slightly higher average life span in alarge geographic area does not demonstrate that residents living near industrial sites face no elevated health risks. It simply means that multiple influences are being averaged together. Public conversations about environmental health should be clear about these limits. When the scale of analysis does not match the scale of the concern the result can be misleading reassurance rather than meaningful understanding. Louisiana’scommunities deserve careful, transparentuse of health data, especially when those data are invoked to characterize safety and risk. Amore honest discussion would acknowledge what aggregate statisticscan show,and just as importantly, what they cannot.

DEVIN FOIL Neworleans

What’s in anamefor Greenland?

Ithink the real reason thepresident wants to buy Greenlandisso that he can appoint acommission to change the island’snameto Trumpland.

JAMES CRONVICH Harahan

An acre in the Atchafalaya swamp, just north

Lands, acompanythat acquires property to

Landownermakes case for state’seconomicfuture

Generations of Louisiana landowners have taken seriously thedutytoprotect the land, balancing respect for the past withplans for thefuture. In the timber industry,that mindset is notoptional. It is how you stay in business.

Carbon capture and storage is not apolitical talking point for us. It is apractical tool that fitswith thelong-term vision that landowners already live by.Done responsibly, CCS allows us to use subsurface rights without disturbing theforests, farms and habitats we manage every day.Itbrings steady investment to rural areas and helps keepLouisiana competitive in an energy economy that is changing, whether we are ready or not.

Landownersdonot make decisions lightly We weighrisks, study long-term impacts and look at compatibility with current operations. In my case, that meanssustainable timber production on someofthe largest family-owned timberlands in the South. After doingthat homework, many of us

see CCS as an opportunity that aligns with principles we have followed fordecades: responsible resource use, economic stability for rural communities and stewardship for future generations.

This is also about keeping Louisiana’s economy strong. Ourindustrial base faces growing pressuretocut emissions to stay competitive both domestically and internationally.CCS gives industries arealistic way to keep operating and growing here at home. Without it, investment will movetostates with clearer permitting and fewerobstacles. Capital follows certainty,and right now our neighbors offer more of it than we do.

The principle is simple. Landowners should have theright to put land, including subsurface rights, to productive use when it fits our values and long-term plans. Louisiana has an opportunity to lead. We ask for aclear,predictable path to participate and help shape thefuture of our state.

ROBERT CROSBY president of CrosbyLand &Resources, L.L.C.

Expanded cervical cancer screeningmatters

As someone who works with communities across Louisiana, Isee every day how access, trust and convenience shape whether peoplereceive preventive cancer care. That’swhy the newly released updated cervical cancerscreening guidelines (from the Health Resources and Services Administration and American Cancer Society) are an important step forward.

though cervical cancer is preventable when detected early

Self-collection can be done during aroutine primary carevisit. It can helpwomen who lack access to gynecologic care, feel discomfort with atraditional Pap test or cannot take time off for appointments. Once collected and sent to alaboratory,itisthe samehighqualitytest.

La.shouldbe ashamedat goingafter oil companiesthat create jobs

It’s appalling forambulance-chasing lawyers and career politicians to now want to cook the goose that laid the golden egg forLouisiana. Regarding the recent article, “SupremeCourt hears Louisiana coastal case,” addressing the lawsuit Chevron USAInc. vs. Plaquemines Parish: As we are aware, the biggest culprit in the destruction of Louisiana coastal marshes wasthe U.S. ArmyCorps of Engineers. In the 1920s, the Corps started building federal Mississippi River levees to restrict the overflow of river water to protect cities, towns and people from flooding. These levees cut off the natural flow of land-building dirt, sand, etc. With the vital source forkeeping saltwater out blocked, it did not take long forsaltwater intrusion into the marshes to begin killing the vegetation that held everything together Oil companies in the 1940s were requested by our federal governmenttoincrease production ASAP due to the demands of World War II. It is disappointing forajury of 12 biased Plaquemines Parish citizens to reach the conclusion they reached last year.I am also extremely disappointed with our current governor and lieutenant governor forsupporting such lawsuits harassing great companies whohave done so much good for individuals, our state, the United States and the world.

Has anyone considered the number of jobs the oil industry created directly and the number of jobs it created indirectly foroil-related service companies? All of these jobs weresome of the best-paying jobs in the state. That number would be in the hundreds of thousands over a60-year span. Those paychecks paid sales taxes, state and federal incometaxes. And lest we forget, all these folks increased the demand forhousing, grocery stores, entertainment, hospitals, doctors, lawyers, catering services, general marine leasing companies, workboats, crewboats, helicopters and office space.

JIMMY D. BOYD Marrero

OUR GUIDELINES: Letters are published identifying name and the writer’scity of residence.The Advocate |The Times-Picayune require astreet address and phone number for verification purposes, but that information is not published. Letters are not to exceed 300 words. Letters to the Editor,The Advocate, P.o. Box588 Baton Rouge, LA 70821-0588, or email letters@theadvocate.com. To sEND Us ALETTER, sCAN HERE

Thenew guidance expands screening options by recognizing high-risk HPV testing, including patientself-collection, as apreferred screening method for average-risk women ages 30-65, while preserving appropriate options for younger women. Just as important,the guidelines require mostinsurance planstocover follow-up testing needed to complete thescreening process beginning in 2027. Together,these changes reduce cost and logistical barriers that too often stand between women andlifesaving care.

This matters in Louisiana, where cervical cancer incidence and mortality remain higher than thenational average, especially in rural communities and among women facing economic or health access barriers. Women are still beingdiagnosed at later stages, even

Backed by FDA approvals andresearch conducted at LSU LCMC Health Cancer Center,self-collection gives women morecontrol and flexibility and for many, that difference can mean choosing screening instead of delaying care.

Cervical cancer is one of the mostpreventable cancers. No one should be diagnosed with cervical cancer,and no oneshould die from it because they couldn’taccess screening.

These updated guidelines bring us closer to afuture where prevention is the norm,not theexception.

DONNA WILLIAMS associate director, LsULCMC Health Cancer Center and associate dean, LsU school of Public Health

We need leaderswho uphold Constitution

Observingwhat President Donald Trump has done, is doing and is threatening to do in light of what reasonable people expect of the presidentofthe United States, perhaps it is time to seriously consider invoking the 25th Amendmenttothe Constitution —and work-

ing our way down through the presidential options until we finally get someone who takes the Constitution and what our country was established on and for seriously PAUL MAJOR Livonia

Ienjoyed the Martin Luther King Jr.Day article titled “Making the Dream Reality.” A.P.Tureaud was one of the six individuals identified in the accompanying photo dated 1960, though there wasnomention of him in the article. Tureaud’s leadership during Louisiana’sCivil Rights Movement wascritical. He successfully litigated equal pay for Louisiana’sBlack educators and the desegregation of public schools and spaces throughout the state. He gathered regularly with King at Dooky Chase’sRestaurant in New Orleans. At Tureaud’s1972 funeral, SupremeCourt Justice Thurgood Marshall closed his eulogy by noting, “Inthis age of civil rights, we got where we are today by the efforts and dedication of men like A.P.Tureaud, whomade himself a leader.” His wasalifeofservice that should be remembered and celebrated.

KEVIN PORTZ Baton Rouge

Making acasefor pluralism

Much of our public debatetoday rests on asimple but mistaken premise: that awell-functioningsociety ismade up of largely self-sufficient individuals, and that publicsystems should reward strength while discouraging dependence.

NewEPA rule puts valueof American livesatzero

Last month, President Donald Trump’sEnvironmental Protection Agency issued this judgmentonthe American people: Our lives are worthless.

That wasn’tjust forblue state residents, the media, Democrats and anyone else whomight disagree with him;Trumplong ago pronounced them vermin and scum No,this is also about everyone whovoted forhim,all the GOP delegations worshipping him in Congress, as wellour children including the generations yet to be born.

Ellen Holliday GUEsT

It’sanunderstandable assumption, but it doesn’t reflect the way human lives really unfold.

Amore realistic and durable framework is pluralism. Not as apolitical slogan, but as adesign principlefor public systems funded by the collective will.

Pluralism begins with abasic truth abouthuman life:Variation is universal. Every person ages. Every person’sbody changes. Every person’scapacity fluctuates across time. Illness, injury, caregiving and vulnerability are not experiences that affect only “some people.” They are experiences everyone encounters, but in combinations, intensities anddurations far more complex than our publicsystems typically assume.

The problem is not that we fail to recognize this individually.The problem is that we design public systems as if it weren’ttrue.

Any system built on theassumption that self-sufficiency is the default will fail under real conditions. Notbecause people are irresponsible, but because the assumption itself does not match

There hasnever been aself-sufficient human. We are born dependent. We relyon shared knowledge,infrastructure and care throughout our lives. Capacity rises andfalls. Circumstances shift.No life follows asingle, predictable path. Pretending otherwise doesn’tcreate strength.It creates fragility Pluralism simply meansdesigning public systems that account for this reality rather than punishing it In apluralist framework, human variabilityisnot adefect to be managed away.Itisa core designconsideration Systems are built to functionacross a broad spectrum of human conditions, notjustfor an imagined “normal” personwho remains healthy,able and independentatall times.

This is nota radical idea. It is howsuccessful systems already work.

We don’tbuild roadsassuming nothing will ever go wrong. We build them knowingaccidents, detours, and breakdowns happen. Strong public systems account forvariability rather than assuming ideal conditions.

Health care access, disability accommodation, education, food security and caregiving supports belong in this same category.They are notmoral rewards for good behavior. They arepublic structures that allow people, in all their variedcircumstances and capacities,to participateineconomic and civic life over an entire life span.

By contrast, ahierarchical, ruthless individualist approach treats need as failure. It assumes independenceisthe norm anddependence is adeviation that must be corrected or discouraged. That mindset shiftsattention away from systemdesign and toward sorting people into “deserving”and “undeserving” categories. This does notproduce efficiency.It produces systems thatsubstitute judgmentfor design and fail as aresult. Pluralism offers acalmer alternative. It does not deny effort or responsibility It recognizes that effort operates inside bodies, historiesand circumstancesthat varywidely and rarelyunfold in predictable ways.Support, in this view,is notthe opposite of responsibility.Itis what makes participation possible. Asocietythatonlyworksfor the healthiestand luckiestisnot strong.It is fragile. Andfragile systems eventually fail everyone. Pluralism is not about celebrating difference for its own sake or enforcing agreement. It is about designing public structures that reflect how human life actually unfolds. It asks apractical question: Does this system still work across the full range of human experience? If theanswer is no, theproblem is not thepeople. It’sthe design.

EllenHolliday is awriterbased in Baton Rouge

Reporterspushing thewrong narrativeonimmigration

If you follow what presents itselfas “reporting” these days youhavelikely heard about a5-year-oldboy in Minneapolis who was used as “bait to get his father,who had abandoned him, to return so he could be arrested. Some claimed the child had been “kidnapped”by ICE. Rep. Jasmine Crockett,DTexas, rushed to the cameras to promote the “bait” and “kidnapped” narrative. Hillary Clinton said ICE was usingchildren as “pawns” and Kamala Harris also repeated the “bait”label. The women on “The View” echoed the same theme. Their talking points were wrong. As explained by ICE and Border Patrol, the father of the boy is in the country illegally.They saidhehad left his son in acar while trying to avoid arrest. ICE officers took the child to asafe place until they wereable todetain the father andreunite the two.

on Saturday,Minneapolis officials were quick to establisha new narrative even thoughthey didn’thave “all thefacts.”

positive clips as ABC, NBC and CBS evening newscasts were negative 93% of the time.”

That sentence washanded down when the agency quietly decided this: It will no longer include the number of lives lost or damaged when determining the required cost-benefit analysis of pollution regulations.

The agency will continue to determine how much compliance with aregulation will cost an industry’sbottom line and how much it could cost the economy.Itwill makesure corporate lives are not harmed. But the human lives that have been valued at $10 million to $11 million each in the formula forgenerations? Well, now they’re worthless. It’s all laid out in “Economic Impact Analysis forthe NewSource Performance Standards Review forStationary Combustion Turbines: Final Rule.”

This analysis concerns two types of air pollution.

One is “PM 2.5” —tiny dust-like particles of less than 2.5 micrometers mainly from vehicle exhaust, industry and wildfire. The other is ozone, which is ground and low-elevation air pollution from mostofthe samesources. Both are proven to result in deadly lung and heart diseases, and decades of research have shownthat regulations saved tens of thousands of lives and helped the economy by reducing billions in medical costs and lost working days. So whychange?

“Basically,what this administration is saying, that trying to monetize the value of ahuman lifeissocomplicated that it can’treally trust the numbers —sothey’re just not going to include it,” said Rob Verchick, aLoyola law professor

“This is departing from what has been the norm at the EPAinboth Republican and Democratic administrations going back to Ronald Reagan where it began.”

Verchick should know.Hewas adeputy associate administrator at EPAduring the Obama administration.

The EPAhas two responsibilities in setting environmental regulations, Verchick explained. By law (the 1970 Clean Air Act), its first job is making sure Americans have clean, healthy air to breathe, so its scientists establish how much of anything can be emitted without harming human health.

Itssecond charge started when the Reagan administration, at the behest of industry,began the cost-benefit analysis forregulations to show how much they might cost industry and the economy

Cal Thomas

Reporters rarely question thepromoters of afalse narrativewhether they would like to apologize for what they said. That may be because many of them agree that ICE is wrongtoarrest people with criminal convictions and previous deportation orders and get them out of Minneapolis andthe country.You can’targue withthe results. Some are tying the deportation of violent criminals to the reduction in murders nationwide.

Following the shooting death of Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse and U.S.citizen,

Homeland SecurityKristiNoem later said the man was armed with agun and two magazines and intended to kill ICE agents, although bystanders’ video contradicts that claim.

Falsenarratives are not new Recall “Hands up, don’tshoot”

(Michael Brown/Ferguson, Mo. 2014), the Russian collusion hoax, Trumpisa Russian agent, the Hunter Biden laptop, Black Lives Matter and some of itscorrupt leaders, and so manymore. This is theproblem with falsenarratives. If you hate President Trumpand everythinghis administration is doing, you look for anything —whether true or false —tolower his approval numbers. That seems to be working as most polls show votersdisapprove of ICE’s tactics and the president. Why wouldn’t they when themedia are virtually united in false narratives? Border Patrol and the presidenthave beendisplaying pictures of some of the worstcriminals they are arresting anddeporting. The media have largely ignored that important part of the story.According to astudy by theconservative Media Research Center,“In the 10 days following the shooting of Renee Good,ABC, NBC and CBS were overwhelmingly negative about ICE. The study found 68 negative sound bitesabout ICE, compared to only five

Ihave not seen areporter ask an antiICE protester whether they are OK with rapists, murderers and pedophiles staying in Minneapolis. The Trumpadministration needs to do what is known in television as counter-programming. This might include allowing some of thevictims of these criminals to speak. Bringsome of those awaiting deportation before reporters and read off their records. That might be moreeffective at influencing public opinion than displaying their photographs.

It doesn’ttake asoothsayer to predict that the goal of these demonstrations might be to help Democratsregain a congressional majority so they can again impeach the president, even though the likelihood of convicting him would be about the same as theprevious impeachments. For them, it’sall politics. For Homeland Security, it’s about getting bad guys off the streets and out of the country Let theDemocrats run on aplatform of defending violent criminals and see how that works for them. As for the wrong narrative that has been promoted aboutthe 5-year-old boy,itagain proves thetruthofthe saying: “A lie travels halfway around the world while thetruthisputtingonits boots.”

Email Cal Thomasattcaeditorstribpub.com

But from the beginning, that wasmeant to also include the costs to human health, afactor that can also be adrain on the nation’seconomy This always led to pitched battles between industry seeking higher profits and environmental groups trying to protect public property like air,water and land.

Massive political contributions from polluting sectors had impacts over the years, especially after the Roberts SupremeCourt decided in Citizens United that companies are citizens and have equal rights to humans in someareas. Attacks on the system were always highest during pro-business GOPadministrations and Congresses, often in cutting agency budgets and enforcement and rolling back regulations. But the nation has never seen anything like this second Trumpadministration, arguably the first truly anti-environmental protection. It has bragged about inaugurating the largest rollback of environmental regulations in history and reducing enforcement and compliance checks on industry by as much as 50%. Meanwhile, its administrator,Lee Zeldin, echoing his hero in the White House, ridicules climate science as a“religion” all the while gaslighting the public by claiming their cutbacks are making things cleaner

But anyone reading that they wanttoremove the costs in human lifefrom determining the value of pollution regulations can be leftfeeling only one thing: Worthless.

Bob Marshall, aPulitzer Prize-winning Louisiana environmental journalist, can be reached at bmarshallenviro@gmail.com

Ukraine: Russiandroneskilledatleast 12 in Dnipro

Zelenskyy says more talks coming this week

BY VOLODYMYR YURCHUK AssociatedPress

KYIV,Ukraine ARussian

drone strike on the Ukrainian city of Dnipro hit abus carrying mineworkers and killed at least adozen people, Ukrainian authorities said Sunday,hours after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announcedthat the next round of peace talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegationswilltake place on Wednesday and Thursday.

The strike injured several more people and sparked a fire that was subsequently put out, according to the emergency services.

DTEK, Ukraine’slargest private energy company, said it owned the bus and accused Russia of carrying out“alarge-scaleterrorist attack on DTEK mines in the Dnipropetrovsk region,” whose capital is Dnipro.

“The epicenter of one of the attacks was acompany bus transporting miners from theenterprise aftera shift in the Dnipropetrovsk region,” the company saidin aTelegram post.

The strike came days after President DonaldTrump said

theKremlin hadagreedto temporarily halt the targeting of the Ukrainian capital andother cities, as the region suffers underfreezingtemperaturesthathave brought widespread hardship to Ukrainians. Ukrainian Energy MinisterDenys Shmyhal on Sunday calledthe strike in Dnipro“acynicaland targeted attack on energy sectorworkers,” andsaiditoccurrednear the Ternivska

mineeast of thecity Hoursearlier,Ukraine’s emergencyservices reported thatRussian attack drones injuredsix people at a maternity hospital in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, on Sunday Meanwhile, envoys from Russia,Ukraine and the U.S. had been expected to meet Sunday in AbuDhabitocontinue negotiations aimed at ending Moscow’sall-out invasion of its neighbor.But on Sunday morning, Zelenskyy

announced that they would take place this week instead. “Wehave justhad areport from our negotiating team. The dates for thenext trilateral meetings have been set: Feb. 4and 5inAbu Dhabi. Ukraine is readyfor substantive talks, and we areinterested in an outcome that will bring us closer to areal and dignified end to the war,” Zelenskyy said in aTelegram post. Therewas no immediatecomment from U.S. or

Russian officials.

On Saturday afternoon, top Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev said he had held a “constructive meeting with the U.S.peacemaking delegation” in Florida.

Officials have so farrevealed fewdetails of the talks in Abu Dhabi, which arepart of ayearlongeffort by the Trump administration to steerthe sidestoward a peace deal and end almost four years of all-out war.

WhileUkrainian andRussian officials have agreed in principle withWashington’s calls for acompromise,Moscow and Kyiv differ deeply over what an agreement should look like.

Acentralissue is whether Russia should keep or withdraw from areas of Ukraine its forces have occupied, especially Ukraine’seastern industrial heartlandcalled the Donbas, and whether it shouldget land therethatit hasn’tyet captured.

EarlieronSunday,Russian attack drones struck a maternity hospital in southern Ukraine, the Ukrainian emergencyservicereported.

In aTelegrampost, it said the strike woundedthree women in thehospital in Zaporizhzhia, and also sparked afire in the gynecology reception area that waslater extinguished. Regional administration head Ivan Fe-

dorov later saidthe number of injured had risen to six. The Kremlin confirmed Fridayitagreed to hold off striking Kyiv until Sunday, but refused to reveal any details,making it difficult for an independent assessment of whetherthe conciliatory step had indeed taken place. In the past week,Russia hasstruck energyassets in the southern Ukrainian city of Odesa and in Kharkiv in the northeast. It also hit the Kyiv region on Wednesday, killing two people and injuring four Overnight into Sunday Russia launched 90 attack drones, with 14 striking nine locations, Ukraine’sair force said in aTelegrampost. A woman and aman were killed in an overnight drone strike in Dnipro, according to local administration head Oleksandr Hanzha. Russian shelling also hit central Kherson, acity in southern Ukraine,soon after 7a.m seriously wounding a 59-year-old woman, according to aFacebook post by the municipal military administration.

Russia’sDefense Ministry on Sunday morning said its forces had used operational-tactical aviation, attack drones, missile forces and artillery to strike transport infrastructure used by Ukrainianforces.

Pakistan says it killed 145‘Indian-backedterrorists’ in Balochistan

BY ABDULSATTAR andMUNIR AHMED

QUETTA, Pakistan Pakistani police and military forces killed over a100 “Indianbacked terrorists” in counterterrorismoperations across the restive southwestern province of Balochistan over the past 40 hours, government officials said on Sunday,aday after coordinated suicide and gun attacks killed 33 people, mostly civilians. The raids began early Sat-

urday at multiple locations across Balochistan, and left 18 civilians,including five womenand threechildren, and 15 security personnel dead, authorities said.

Sarfraz Bugti, theprovincialchiefminister,told reporters in Quettathat troops andpolice officers responded swiftly, killing 145 membersof “Fitna alHindustan,” aphrase the government uses for the allegedly Indian-backed outlawed Baloch Liberation Army,orBLA. The number of militants killed over the

pasttwo days was the highest in decades, he said.

“The bodies of these 145 killed terrorists are in our custody,and someofthem areAfghannationals,” he said. Bugti claimed thatthe ”Indian-backed terrorists” wanted to takehostages but failed to makeittothe city center He spoke alongside senior government official Hamza Shafqat,who often oversees suchoperations againstinsurgents in the province, and praised themilitary,police and paramilitary forces

for repelling theassaults. Militant attackserupted on Saturday in aresourcerich region where Pakistan is seeking to attract foreign investment in miningand minerals. In September 2025,a U.S. metals company signed a$500 million investment agreement with Pakistan,a month after the U.S.State Departmentdesignated BLA and its armed wing as aforeign terrorist organization. Residents described scenes of panic after asuicide bombingkilled several

police officers on Saturday

“(It) wasa very scaryday in the history of Quetta,” said Khan Muhammad,a local resident. “Armed men were roaming openly on the roads before security forces arrived.”

Bugti repeatedly accused India and Afghanistan of backing theassailants and said senior leaders of the BLA, which claimed responsibility forthe latest attacks in Balochistan, wereoperating fromAfghanterritory Both Kabul and New Delhi deny the allegations.

He said on Sunday Afghanistan’sTaliban had pledged under the 2020 Doha agreement not to allowAfghan soiltobeused as abase for attacking other countries, but “unfortunately,the Afghansoilwas still being used against Pakistan.”

Tensions betweenPakistan and Afghanistan have persisted since early October when Pakistan carried out airstrikes on what it described as Pakistani Taliban hideouts inside Afghanistan, killing dozens of alleged insurgents.

N.O. native headed to SuperBowl LX with Patriots

Charles-Hubbardhas been team’s assistantequipment managerfor threeyears

BY RODWALKER staff writer

ä Seahawks vs: Patriots

5:30 P.M. sUNDAy,NBC

DevinCharles-Hubbard knowshe’ll get chills at Levi’sStadium on Sunday Not the kind he got standing on the sideline in the snow when theNew EnglandPatriots beat the Denver Broncos in the AFC championship game. These chills will bethe ones youget when living a dream that has taken you from Uptown New Orleans, where you werebornand raised, to Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara, California. Hubbard, 34, is in his third season as New England’sassistant equipment manager, a gig that will put him on the biggeststage when the Patriots play the Seattle Seahawks. “You wanttotreatitlikea regular game, butatthe same time,it’sthe SuperBowl,” Hubbard said. “You want to be on your P’s and Q’sand double and triple check everything.” Hubbard has been in big games before. He was the equipment manager for Tulane when

ä see SUPER BOWL, page 6B

ANALYSIS

AP FILE PHoTo Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Reggie Wayne, left, avoids atackle from New England Patriots safety James sanderson Jan. 21, 2007. Wayne is a finalist for the Hall of Fame Class of 2026.

Wayne’smetrics, production and impact make his Hall of Fame case

HOTSTREAK

drives to the

game sunday at the Pete Maravich Assembly

BY REED DARCEY staff writer

LsU pitcher Cooper Williams sTAFFFILE PHoTo By HILARy sCHEINUK

Jeff Duncan

Editor’snote: Information forthis column was compiled from apresentation madeby Mike Chappell of the Pro Football Hall of Fame selection committee. TheHall of Fame case for Reggie Wayne is not about sentiment,although it’s difficult not to empathize with him after his painstaking seven-year runasa finalist. Wayne’scandidacy is based on evidence. Statistics. Metrics. Production. His impact on oneofthe great offenses in NFL history.His undeniable longevity and productivity.His Super Bowl ring and six Pro Bowl selections Wayne is one of 15 finalistsfor thePro Football Hall of Fame’sClass of 2026. Along with fellow receiver Torry Holt, who is in his seventh year as afinalist,Wayne hashad to wait longer than anyofhis fellow candidates Wayne’swait showsjust how difficult it is to earn agold jacket, because the former

ä see HOF, page 5B

But neverbymorethan 30 points as it did against coach Kristy Curry’sCrimson Tide (19-4, 5-4).

“Wehit abuzzsaw,” Curry said, “and we didn’thave aresponse foritafter the first quarter.”

Alabama was thefirst rankedopponent LSU hasfaced in two weeks. The Tigers won their past three games by an average margin of 31.7 points, but they were against the SEC’sbottom threeteams Texas A&M, Florida and Arkansas. The CrimsonTide presenteda decidedly toughertest. Lastseason,itbeat LSUin overtime.

ä see LSU, page 3B

OnceMikaylah Williams’ 3-pointer droppedthrough the rim, coach Kim Mulkeycould turn around andyell to the Pete Maravich AssemblyCenter crowd, telling it to stand up forthe finalseconds of adominant first half. Mulkey had good reason to celebrate. Her LSUwomen’sbasketball team was in themiddle of its 103-63 shellacking of No. 24 Alabama on Sunday Williams, who finished with 15 points, had aproductive offensive game. And she wasn’t alone. TheNo. 6Tigers (21-2, 7-2 SEC) had four players score in double figures on aday in which theyshot 56% from thefield, drained 10 3-pointers and hit the century mark against an AP-ranked SEC opponent for just the second time in the past five seasons. Before Sunday,LSU had beaten aranked team 22 times since Mulkey’stenure began in 2021.

BY KOKI RILEY staff writer

In lessthantwo weeks, LSU will get another crack at defending anational title under coach Jay Johnson. And after asecond weekend of preseason scrimmages, strongindicatorsofwhat the team Johnson will trot out on opening dayhave begun to emerge. Here areafew takeawaysfrom LSU’s scrimmages this weekend. Cooper Williamsdominates The sophomoreleft-handerwas nearly perfect on Thursday,tossing 42/3 innings with eight strikeouts.He surrendered just one hit, asolo home runtojunior third baseman Trent Caraway on an off-speed pitch he left over the plate. The fact thatWilliams pitched into afifth inning is astrong indicator that Johnson is preparing himfor aspot in theweekend

rotation. His command has taken another step forward, andhis abilitytokeep hitters off balance with four pitches he can throw forstrikesissimilartowhat LSU hadin Kade Anderson last year To say that Williams will be the next Anderson this year maybea stretch. But outsideofmaybe juniorright-hander and Kansastransfer Cooper Moore, no LSU pitcher has looked as good as Williams to start 2026.

Apotential look at thestartinglineup LSUrolledout alineup anddefensive alignmentonSunday that may be closeto what the Tigers’ starting nine is on opening day 1. Chris Stanfield LF,2.Derek Curiel CF, 3. Jake Brown RF,4.Zach Yorke 1B, 5. Steven Milam SS, 6. Mason Braun DH, 7. Tanner Reaves 2B, 8. Trent Caraway 3B, 9. OmarSerna C There areafew parts of this order that likely won’tbeinplace on Feb. 13. Sophomore Cade Arrambide is still the projected starteratcatcher,but he wasn’tbehind the plate for eitherteam on Sunday,likely as an attempt to preserve his legs for the ä see WILLIAMS, page 5B

2

AUSTRALIAN OPEN

Alcaraz beats Djokovic in final

spaniard becomes youngest man to complete a career Grand slam

BY JOHN PYE Associated Press

MELBOURNE, Australia Carlos Al-

caraz is 22, he’s the youngest man ever to win all four of the major titles in tennis, and he had to achieve what no man previously has done to complete the career Grand Slam in Australia.

The top-ranked Alcaraz dropped the first set of the Australian Open final in 33 minutes Sunday as Novak Djokovic went out hard in pursuit of an unprecedented 25th major title, but the young Spaniard dug deep to win 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5.

“Means the world to me,” Alcaraz said. “It is a dream come true for me.”

Djokovic had won all 10 of his previous finals at Melbourne Park and, despite being 38, gave himself every chance of extending that streak to 11 when he needed only two sets to win.

Alcaraz rose to the challenge.

“Tennis can change on just one point. One point, one feeling, one shot can change the whole match completely,” he said. “I played well the first set, but you know, in front of me I had a great and inspired Novak, who was playing great, great shots.”

A couple of unforced errors from Djokovic early in the second set gave Alcaraz the confidence. He scrambled to retrieve shots that usually would be winners for Djokovic, and he kept up intense pressure on the most decorated player in men’s tennis history There were extended rallies where each player hit enough brilliant shots to usually win a game.

Djokovic has made an art form of rallying from precarious positions. Despite trailing two sets to one, he went within the width of a ball in the fourth set’s ninth game of turning this final around.

After fending off six break points in the set, he exhorted the crowd when he got to 30-30. The crowd responded with chants of “Nole, Nole, Nole!”

When Djokovic earned a breakpoint chance — his first since the second set — he whipped up his supporters again. But when Djokovic sent a forehand long on the next point, Alcaraz took it as

a reprieve.

A short forehand winner, a mishit from Alcaraz, clipped the net and landed inside the line to give him game point. Then Djokovic hit another forehand long.

Alcaraz responded with a roar, and sealed victory by taking two of the next three games.

As he was leaving the court, Alcaraz signed the lens of the TV camera with a recognition: “Job finished. 4/4 Complete.”

Teamwork

After paying tribute at the trophy ceremony to Djokovic for being an inspiration, Alcaraz turned to his support team. He parted ways with longtime coach Juan Carlos Ferrero at the end of last season and Samuel Lopez stepped up to head the team.

“Nobody knows how hard I’ve been working to get this trophy I just chased this moment so much,” Alcaraz said. “The preseason was a bit of a rollercoaster emotionally

“You were pushing me every day to do all the right things,” he added. “I’m just really grateful for everyone I have in my corner right now.”

Djokovic’s praise

Djokovic joked about this showdown setting up a rivalry over the next 10 years with Alcaraz, but then said it was only right to hand the floor over to the new, 16 years his junior, champion.

“What you’ve been doing, the best word to describe is historic, legendary,” he said. “So congratulations.”

Both players were coming off grueling five-set semifinal wins Alcaraz held off No. 3 Alexander Zverev on Friday; Djokovic’s win over two-time defending Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner ended after 1:30 a.m. Saturday — yet showed phenomenal fitness, athleticism and stamina for just over three hours in pursuit of their own historic achievements.

Djokovic won the last of his 24 Grand Slam singles titles at the 2023 U.S. Open; his push for an unprecedented 25th has now been blocked by Alcaraz or Sinner for nine majors.

Rafa in the house

Djokovic and Rafael Nadal played some epic matches, in-

cluding the longest match ever at the Australian Open that lasted almost six hours in 2012.

Nadal was in the stands Sunday, and both players addressed the 22-time major winner

“He’s my idol, my role model,” Alcaraz said. To complete the career Slam “in front of him, it made even more special.”

Djokovic, addressing Nadal directly as the “legendary Rafa,” joked that there were “too many Spanish legends” in Rod Laver “It felt like it was two against one tonight,” he said.

One for the ages

At 22 years and 272 days, Alcaraz is the youngest man to complete a set of all four major singles titles.

He broke the mark set by Don Budge in the 1938 French championships, when he was 22 years and 363 days.

He’s the ninth man to achieve the career Grand Slam, a list that also includes Djokovic, Nadal and Roger Federer Alcaraz now has seven major titles his first in Australia along with two each at Wimbledon and the French and U.S. Opens.

Rose leads from start to finish at Torrey Pines

He is first wire-to-wire winner at course in 71 years

BY DOUG FERGUSON Associated Press

SAN DIEGO Justin Rose became the first wire-to-wire winner at Torrey Pines in 71 years, starting with a six-shot lead and never letting anyone get any closer to him Sunday as he closed with a 2-under 70 to win the Farmers Insurance Open. Rose opened with a 62 on the North course at Torrey Pines and really never let up all week, playing even better on the South course that has hosted two U.S. Opens. He wound up breaking the 72-hole tournament record at 23-under 265, one better than Tiger Woods in 1999. George Burns also shot 266 in 1987.

“Sorry, T-dub, if you’re watching,” Rose said. That was his only real challenge, smaller goals to keep him pushing — he wanted to increase his lead each day, and he was aware of the tournament record. He got both. Tommy Bolt in 1955 is the only

other player to lead from start to finish without ties at Torrey Pines. The 45-year-old from England said he would not be complacent, and that much was evident when Rose went out in 33, holing a 35foot birdie putt on the par-5 ninth that turned the back nine — all day, really — into what looked like a peaceful walk on the public course along the Pacific Ocean. The tournament had one of its best weeks of weather, even by San Diego standards. The only thing lacking was drama, which was just fine with Rose. This was little more than a battle for second and that was a tie. Si Woo Kim (69), Ryo Hisatsune (69) and Pierceson Coody (66) shared runner-up honors, a consolation prize worth $726,400. For Coody, it also is likely to get him into a pair of $20 million signature events to

Tipoff time changed for Pelicans game at Hornets

The New Orleans Pelicans’ game against the Charlotte Hornets will tip off at 2 p.m. Monday due to inclement weather in Charlotte.

The league announced the change Sunday night.

It’ll be the second meeting of the season between the Pelicans (1338) and Hornets (22-28).

The Pelicans won 116-112 in November at the Smoothie King Center It was the first victory of the season for the Pelicans.

The game will be televised on the Gulf Coast Sports & Entertainment Network and will air on WWL Radio.

Monday’s game is the second of a four-game road trip for the Pelicans. They lost to the 76ers on Saturday They will travel to play the Bucks on Wednesday and the Timberwolves on Friday

Report: 49ers hire Morris as defensive coordinator

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The San Francisco 49ers are hiring former Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris as their new defensive coordinator in hopes of finding a long-term solution to a revolving door at the spot.

A person familiar with the decision said Sunday that Morris will join the Niners to replace Robert Saleh. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the team hadn’t announced the hiring.

ESPN first reported the decision. Morris had long been viewed as a strong potential candidate because of his success as a coordinator and his ties to San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan. Morris was fired by Atlanta last month after back-to-back 8-9 seasons as head coach for the Falcons

Korda wins season opener as final round is canceled

ORLANDO, Fla. — Nelly Korda won for the first time in 14 months without having to hit a shot Sunday when the LPGA Tour reduced the season-opening Tournament of Champions to 54 holes because of wind and cold.

Korda won with an 8-under 64 on Saturday, an astonishing round that was roughly nine shots better than the field average in bitter cold and gusts that approached 40 mph Korda said it was among the best three rounds she ever played. She finished just before the LPGA halted the third round when wind blew Youmin Hwang’s golf ball off the 17th green. The LPGA planned on finishing the event Sunday but temperatures were below freezing and the LPGA said the forecast was just as bad for Monday

Reed loses in a playoff as Schott wins in Bahrain

AL MAZROWIAH, Bahrain Patrick Reed’s bid for back-to-back victories on the European tour came up just short Sunday when he was beaten in a playoff won by No 436-ranked Freddy Schott for his first title.

Reed made bogey at the first playoff hole to drop out of a threeman contest that also included Calum Hill.

end the West Coast Swing. Brooks Koepka finished his return to the PGA Tour after defecting from LIV Golf with familiar cheers on the ninth green when he tapped in a birdie putt for a 70. There were some 300 people around the green, most of them shouting, “Welcome back, Brooks.”

He headed to Phoenix later Sunday for the loudest event in golf. “I love the chaos,” Koepka said.

Rose, who also won at Torrey Pines in 2019, now has 13 career titles on the PGA Tour He moves to No. 4 in the world, his highest ranking in more than six years. Even for all he has accomplished, from a U.S. Open to an Olympic gold medal to seven Ryder Cup appearances, he has not stopped putting in the work to stay among the elite in golf. “I still believe there’s good stuff in front of me,” Rose said. He thought his performance at Torrey Pines in 2019 was among his best, and this was better It might have been more meaningful, too. His longtime caddie, Mark Fulcher, was hospitalized with heart issues in 2019. “Now he’s got one for himself,” Rose said.

The 24-year-old Schott clinched victory on the second playoff hole after Hill hooked his drive out of bounds, shanked his fourth shot into water and shook hands with his German rival, who was on the green in three shots.

Reed was seeking a second straight win after the Dubai Desert Classic last Sunday

NASCAR’s Clash delayed again due to intense snow

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — A bomb cyclone over North Carolina forced NASCAR to push its preseason exhibition to Wednesday because the snow-covered roads are too dangerous for teams and fans to get to Bowman-Gray Stadium. The Clash had been scheduled to run Sunday night and has now been postponed twice because of the intense snowfall that blanketed the area.

NASCAR said Sunday it was moving it to Wednesday “due to the impacts of historic winter weather across the North Carolina region.”

The race is now scheduled to run one week before qualifying for the Daytona 500, at Daytona

WOMEN’S TOP 25 ROUNDUP

UConn crushes Lady Vols in latest rivalry matchup

By The Associated Press

HARTFORD, Conn. — Azzi Fudd

scored 27 points and Sarah Strong added 26 to help No. 1 UConn beat 15th-ranked Tennessee 96-66 on Sunday handing the Lady Vols their worst loss in the storied rivalry

The Huskies (23-0) only led 57-53 midway through the third quarter before scoring the last 14 points of the period to blow the game open. Strong got the run started with a 3-point play and the Huskies sliced through Tennessee’s pressure defense for layups.

Allie Ziebell, who tied a program record with 10 3-pointers in the Huskies’ previous game, capped the burst with a 3 that made it 71-53 heading into the final quarter

The Lady Vols (14-5) never threatened to get back in the game in the fourth and the margin of defeat topped the team’s 23-point loss to UConn in 2002. It’s the second-worst loss ever for Tennessee, only surpassed by a 31-point defeat to Texas in 1984.

Janiah Barker scored 16 points to lead the Lady Vols. NO 18 KENTUCKY 93, ARKANSAS 73: In Fayetteville, Arkansas, Clara Strack had 33 points and 15 rebounds, Teonni Key also had a double-double, and No. 18 Kentucky defeated Arkansas on Sunday to snap a three-game losing streak.

Kentucky led by only six points at halftime and it was 60-49 heading to the fourth quarter. The Wildcats outscored the Razorbacks 33-24 in the fourth

NO 2 UCLA 88, NO 8 IOWA 65: In Los Angeles, Angela Dugalic scored a season-high 22 points and had a career-high five steals as UCLA extended its winning streak to 15 with a victory over Iowa.

Kiki Rice had 17 points and seven assists and Lauren Betts scored 16 points as the Bruins (21-1, 11-0 Big Ten) remained the only undefeated team in conference play while improving to 10-0 at home. UCLA has won both of its games against Iowa since moving to the Big Ten last season.

NO 4 TEXAS 78, NO. 10 OKLAHOMA 70: In Austin, Texas, Madison Booker and Justice Carlton scored 16 points each to lead Texas to a victory over Oklahoma.

Jordan Lee scored 14 and freshman Aaliyah Crump added 12 points off the bench as Texas (212, 6-2 Southeastern Conference) won its 38th straight home game and improved to 7-2 this season against AP Top 25 opponents. Oklahoma is 2-5 against the top 25.

NO 5 VANDERBILT 82, FLORIDA 66: In Nashville, Tennessee, Mikayla Blakes scored 30 points and Vanderbilt staged a third-quarter comeback to beat Florida.

The Commodores scored a season-low 10 points in the first quarter and went into halftime down 35-25 after shooting just 32% from the floor Blakes had just six points. It was the third straight game Vanderbilt (21-2, 7-2 Southeastern Conference) fell behind early and struggled to recover, as it was outscored 33-16 by South Carolina and 23-15 by Mississippi in the first 10 minutes

Unrivaled sets women’s basketball attendance record in Philly debut

BY DAN GELSTON AP sportswriter

PHILADELPHIA Natasha Cloud rooted for the 76ers as a kid growing up in suburban Philadelphia and like so many hoopsters back in the day — idolized Allen Iverson.

So when the former WNBA champion and current New York Liberty standout hit the same court where Iverson once dazzled, Cloud couldn’t help but look up to his retired No. 3 jersey in the rafters and let the moment truly sink in; that women’s professional basketball was back in Philadelphia for the first time in nearly 30 years and she was a key figure in the comeback

“Man, like how crazy it is that I’m standing here about to play for the first time professionally in my home city,” Cloud said. Cloud plays for Phantom BC, one of the teams in the burgeoning 3-on-3 women’s professional basketball league, Unrivaled. Unrivaled hit the road for the first time in its brief history, breaking free of its Florida bubble to expand its reach and stage two games on Friday night in Philadelphia. The first tour stop was a smashing success. Cloud held an “ Abolish Ice ” sign as she was introduced to a roaring ovation from a professional women’s basketball regular-season record crowd of 21, 490 that included “Good Morning America” host Robin Roberts, Sixers guard Kyle Lowry, and comedians Leslie Jones and Wanda Sykes. The previous regular-season attendance record of 20,711 was set in the WNBA by the Indiana Fever and Washington Mystics on Sept. 19, 2024.

Kelsey Plum scored 22 points to lead the Phantom to a 71-68 win over the Breeze in the first game. Marina Mabrey then gave the record-setting crowd a record to cheer on she scored an Unrivaled-high 47 points to lead the Lunar Owls to an 85-75 win over Philly native Kahleah Copper and league champion Rose. Copper, the 2021 WNBA NBA Finals MVP for the Chicago Sky, played her role as both tour guide she took her teammates to Dalessandro’s Steaks — and promot-

Improved shooting helped lift LSU past South Carolina

BY TOYLOY BROWN III staff writer

Max Mackinnon’s dagger 3-pointer in overtime was fitting.

It was the type of open look that LSU has struggled to make during its three-game losing streak entering South Carolina. After the LSU guard helped dribble through a full-court press, he was the final recipient of a pass after a trapping South Carolina defense. Mackinnon drained his right corner jumper with 21 seconds left, giving his team a four-point lead in its eventual 92-87 overtime victory Saturday against the Gamecocks at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina.

The Tigers snapped a threegame losing streak and captured their first road SEC win.

Success from the 3-point line has eluded LSU (14-8, 2-7 SEC) recently Not only had the Tigers shot a low percentage, but there was a large discrepancy in total makes compared to their opponent.

“For us, our biggest challenge the last three games from behind the 3-point line, we’ve been minus 18, minus 18 and minus 21 points,” coach Matt McMahon said in the news conference. “You can’t win like that. Tonight, we’re even and gave ourselves a better chance to win because of it.”

LSU made 9 of 22 from beyond the arc compared to the 9 of 24 by South Carolina (11-11, 2-7). In the Tigers’ three previous games combined, they averaged 3.3 made 3-pointers per game on 21.7%. Their opponents made 9.7 on 41.4%.

Mackinnon, LSU’s top shooter at 40.8%, made 3 of 6 3s and finished the game with 15 points and a season-high eight assists. The next best marksman was Rashad King, replacing injured point guard Dedan Thomas in the starting lineup. The senior made 3 of 6 from long range. “I just thought Rashad King was terrific,” McMahon said on the LSU sports radio network. “Not only scoring it, he drew six fouls, he got seven rebounds, only one turnover.”

LSU

Continued from page 1B

er — she needed 64 tickets to the event to perfection.

“I think the city is ready for women’s professional sports,” Copper said. “I’m excited that, one, that it’s here, and two, that I’m a part of it.”

Philly’s rich basketball history is largely comprised of household name Hall of Famers and All-Stars out of the men’s game.

Wilt Chamberlain and Kobe Bryant played high school basketball in the area. Sixers stars from Iverson to Julius Erving to Joel Embiid have brought fans to their feet for decades.

Yet no women’s pro game had been played in the city since 1998 when the Philadelphia Rage played for the now-defunct American Basketball League.

Philly native Dawn Staley, who attended the doubleheader, has carried the banner for women’s basketball out of the city — her hometown street was named in her honor in 2017 but the college teams have largely been immaterial on the national scene.

Unrivaled’s debut is the expected first step toward Philly basketball breaking into the conversation as a women’s hotbed of hoops. Pep rallies and watch parties sprouted Friday night around Philly and a pair of lower bowl tickets on the secondary markets matched the price and high demand of recent Sixers’ games.

Philadelphia is planning on a new arena that will be completed hopefully by 2030 and will serve as the new home for the WNBA team set to join the league.

For all the hype in the city

— Cloud gave a shoutout to a credentialed media member wearing a Philly Loves Women’s Sports sweatshirt — Unrivaled’s doubleheader also comes at a pivotal moment for a league experiencing growing pains in televised viewership in its second season.

The eight-team league is averaging 92,000 viewers on TNT and truTV, down 49% from last year through the comparable number of games (183,000 through 26 games).

Unrivaled telecasts on TNT in primetime are averaging 68% fewer viewers than primetime programming on TNT the four weeks prior to Unrivaled starting (93,000 viewers vs. 291,000)

PJ Carter was the last player to make multiple 3-pointers. The Memphis transfer re-entered McMahon’s eight-man rotation and made 2 of 3 from beyond the arc. He had eight points in a seasonhigh 23 minutes. The last time he played more than four minutes was Jan. 6, when LSU lost by 10 points in its first meeting against South Carolina. McMahon admitted after a 14-point home loss to Mississippi State on Wednesday that LSU is “not an elite 3-point shooting team” and is unlikely to outshoot

conference opponents. However, the fourth-year coach wants a healthy balance of deep-range production so that its preferred method of points in the paint is effective. Center Mike Nwoko had 21 points, and forward Marquel Sutton had 16 against South Carolina Even without Thomas, who reaggravated his lower left leg injury from Jan. 2, LSU’s outside scorers have faith in their range. “Coach McMahon, you know, he instills a lot in us,” King said on the LSU sports radio network. “We practice all these shots every day, so we just got to come out there and execute. And that’s what we did tonight. Got the win.”

But this year’s matchup followed a much different script. Alabama fell too far behind an LSU team that caught fire on offense in the first half, racing out to a 49-29 halftime lead. Across the first and second quarters, the Tigers shot 58% from the field and 5 of 8 from 3-point range. Williams found a groove. So, too, did sophomore point guard Jada Richard and freshman forward ZaKiyah Johnson. Richard tallied 16 points, four rebounds and four assists. Johnson scored 15 points and grabbed 10 boards to post her first doubledouble since LSU’s season opener Senior guard Flau’jae Johnson and senior forward Amiya Joyner each added nine points, while junior guard MiLaysia Fulwiley chipped in 10. All 11 active players scored at least two points.

Alabama shot well from 3-point range (39%), but LSU hardly let it score inside the arc. The Tide converted only 31% of its 2-pointers and turned the ball over 17 times. The Tigers then turned those giveaways into 24 points at the other end.

“Our defense today was special,” Mulkey said, “and you just wish you could bottle that up and play like that every game. We just beat a very good basketball team. Do not be misled by that score. Everything that we did defensively today affected what we did offensively.”

The Tigers started to build their lead late in the first quarter They hit three shots from beyond the arc just in the last two minutes of the first and the first three minutes of the second. Flau’jae Johnson drained one from the left wing. Richard nailed the other two, including one from the top of the key that Williams set up for her with a quick pass from the right wing.

LSU didn’t cool off over the halftime break. Instead, it hit 10 of the 17 field goals it took in the third. Six different contributors scored in that frame.

“They’re just extremely deep and talented,” Curry said. “It’s kind of like bringing a pocket knife to a bar fight today, and we didn’t respond very well with our pocket knife.”

Before Sunday, Alabama ranked 12th among Division I teams in scoring defense. It was allowing its league opponents to score only 63 points per game on 42% shooting.

LsU guard Flau’jae Johnson drives to the

second half against Alabama on sunday

Center

‘COLLEGE GAMEDAY’ HEADED TO BATON ROUGE

EsPN announced on social media sunday that the basketball version of its “College GameDay” show will emanate from Baton Rouge on Feb 14. The game between two of the southeastern Conference’s top women’s basketball powers will tip off at 7:30 p.m. in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center and will be shown on ABC The game is already a sellout.

The last time “College GameDay” was in town for an LsU basketball game was for south Carolina’s last visit on Jan. 25, 2024.The No. 1-ranked Gamecocks beat the No. 9 Tigers that day 76-70. Scott Rabalais

7-3 at home against AP-ranked SEC teams since 2021.

The Tigers won’t play in the PMAC again until they host No 3 South Carolina on Feb. 14. They’ll take on two road contests between now and then — one on Thursday against No. 4 Texas and another next Sunday against unranked Auburn. When LSU last faced the Longhorns, it was 1-2 in league play Now the Tigers are 7-2, and they’ll head to Austin, Texas, on Wednesday with by far the longest active win streak in the SEC. They can still win the league’s regular-season title, and are still in contention for an NCAA Tournament No. 1 seed

“It’s fun to be in the mix,” Mulkey said “We don’t have to rely on anybody else winning or losing. Go win seven ballgames, and you might win your first SEC title.”

Email Reed Darcey at reed. darcey@theadvocate.com.

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE

AssoCIATED PREss PHoTo By sTEVEN sENNE

Patriots WR Boutte has big aspirations after Super Bowl

BY LANCE REYNOLDS Boston Herald (TNs)

Kayshon Boutte is studying how to attack the vaunted Seahawks defense in the Super Bowl, but the Patriots receiver says he also has big aspirations for the offseason after he documented how he overcame a gambling addiction

Boutte says he has his eyes on creating a foundation focused on helping people who are battling gambling addiction, a health issue that the third-year Patriot admits prompted him to lose $90,000 on bets and live “paycheck to paycheck” while in college.

The New England community has rallied around Boutte after the receiver admitted the challenges he endured amid his addiction, sparked by an injury he suffered during a promising sophomore season at LSU following a standout freshman campaign.

Boutte chronicled his challenges in a personal essay published just days before the Patriots started their playoff run in early January Gambling addiction experts have credited the wide receiver for changing lives.

In the essay for The Players’ Tribune, titled “How The Hell Did I Get Here???,” Boutte wrote about how he considers himself a changed man after overcoming his addiction. He says recovering from his ankle injury to play football again and becoming a father as a junior in college, are the “only two things” that saved him.

Though the Patriots will head to Santa Clara Calif., on Sunday for a full week of Super Bowl preparation, it’s clear that Boutte remains touched by the support he has received from fans and the greater community after the essay came out.

“A lot of people reached out to me, said that they’ve been through the same things,” Boutte told the Boston Herald on Friday “I know how they feel. I’ve been through it. They kind of asked me how I got through it, and I said it was either football or that for me.” Boutte recounted how the Players’ Tribune reached out to him, wanting to collaborate. He said it was the first time he ever sat with somebody to talk about everything he went through, and he decided to write the essay though it wasn’t easy In January 2024, after his first season, Boutte was arrested on underage gambling and fraud charges for betting while at LSU. Louisiana officials dropped the charges in July 2024 after the receiver completed a gambling awareness program and executed self-ban agreements in Massachusetts and with several sportsbook companies.

“I think a lot of people don’t really have something higher from where they’re at right now,” he told the Herald, “so they feel like they’re stuck at that same loop, that they feel down, and that the only way to get it back is through gambling.”

Boutte has emerged as a top downfield target for QB Drake Maye. The 23-year-old has recorded one of the most memorable plays of the Patriots’ postseason, catching a 32-yard, one-handed touchdown in the 28-16 divisionalround win over Houston.

In his essay, Boutte wrote that he owes “everything” to the Patriots organization for trusting him to grow Helping New England to an impressive 14-3 turnaround, the LSU product broke out in the regular season with 33 catches, 551 yards and six touchdowns.

Boutte stopped by DICKS’ House of Sport in Boston Friday night, signing autographs and meeting hundreds of fans. It marked his second trip to the store in as many months. The receiver hosted a surprise holiday shopping spree in December

Roland Hegedus, 19, of Boston, called it crazy to meet Boutte and said that he respects how the Patriot opened up about how he overcame the gambling addiction.

“It’s important because a lot of the time, people really don’t like admitting that stuff,” Hegedus told the Herald. “Facing the actions of your past, you become a better person as a whole.”

Boston resident Eddie Tigges, who brought his son Nicholas to meet Boutte with a group of friends, added, “It shows to fans, especially young fans, that even if you have issues, you can still overcome them and what you make of it later on in life.”

Raiders working on deal to hire Kubiak as head coach

BY MARK ANDERSON AND ROB MAADDI AP sportswriters

The Las Vegas Raiders are working toward finalizing an agreement to make Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak their head coach, a person with knowledge of the discussions said Sunday The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because no contract was in place and no announcement can be made until after next Sunday’s Super Bowl between the Seahawks and New England Patriots in Santa Clara, California.

Kubiak interviewed with the Raiders on Saturday for the second time and appeared in recent days to be their primary target Kubiak, 38, would be the third coach in three seasons for the Raiders and fifth full-time leader since they moved to Las Vegas in 2020. He succeeds Pete Carroll, who went 3-14 in one season in Las Vegas after a storied run with Seattle that included two Super Bowl appearances and one championship.

Kubiak likely will be counted on to mold Fernando Mendoza, who

led Indiana to the national championship, into the franchise quarterback the organization has long sought. The Raiders own the top pick in this year’s draft, and they are expected to use that selection on the Heisman Trophy winner The front office will have nearly $90 million in salary cap space to surround Mendoza with talent, the second-highest amount in the league, according to overthecap. com

It was Kubiak’s work with Sam Darnold that got the Raiders’ attention Darnold, taken third overall by the New York Jets in the 2018 NFL draft, had been considered a bust until leading Minnesota to a 14-win season in 2024. But the Vikings moved on from Darnold, and he proved that season was no fluke, winning 14 games in Seattle en route to making the Super Bowl against New England.

Kubiak’s father, Gary, coached Denver to the Super Bowl title in the 2015 seasons, and he played quarterback for the Broncos from 1983-91. Gary and Klint Kubiak would be the 10th father-son pair to serve as NFL head coaches, including interim coaches.

Kubiak also has two brothers who are on staffs of other NFL

Cardinals hire Rams offensive coordinator LaFleur as head coach

BY DAVID BRANDT AP sportswriter

TEMPE, Ariz. The Arizona Cardinals hired Mike LaFleur as head coach on Sunday, turning to a division rival’s offensive coordinator to try to pull the franchise out of the bottom of the NFC West.

The Cardinals’ announcement of the five-year deal brought an end to the nearly four-week hiring process.

The 38-year-old Los Angeles Rams assistant replaces Jonathan Gannon, who was fired on Jan. 5 after a 15-36 record over three seasons, including 3-14 this past season.

LaFleur — who is the younger brother of Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur has been the Rams’ offensive coordinator for the past three seasons.

“I couldn’t be more fired up to become the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals and am beyond grateful to (owner) Michael (Bidwill) and (general manager) Monti (Ossenfort) for this opportunity,” LaFleur said in a statement.

“Having competed against them in the NFC so many times in recent years, I know the type of talent and toughness the team has and cannot wait to get to Arizona to hit the ground running.”

Los Angeles had the NFL’s top offense in 2025, averaging nearly 400 total yards and more than 30 points per game. The Rams fell one game short of the Super Bowl, losing to the Seattle Seahawks 31-27 in the NFC championship game.

The Cardinals’ brass got a good look at LaFleur’s offense twice this past season when the Rams piled up a total of 82 points in a pair of lopsided wins. LaFleur also was the offensive coordinator for the New York Jets in 2021 and 2022 and worked under 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan for several years — including in Cleveland, Atlanta and San Francisco.

Arizona’s hiring process was a quiet one, with no official team announcements for interviews. The Cardinals reportedly talked to several candidates, including Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, former Falcons head coach Raheem Morris and Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph.

“We had the opportunity to speak with an outstanding group of candidates during this very thorough process and gathered tremendous insight from each of

them,” Bidwill said. “At the end of that process, it was clear that Mike LaFleur possesses all the traits necessary to lead this team to success as its head coach.”

LaFleur inherits some intriguing players on Arizona’s roster, including All-Pro tight end Trey McBride, receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., left tackle Paris Johnson Jr and veteran edge rusher Josh Sweat.

Arizona also has the No. 3 overall pick in April’s draft.

“In his career, Mike has been around some of the best and brightest coaches in football and has been a key contributor to highly successful teams,” Ossenfort said. “He understands what winning football looks like and what it takes to achieve it.”

The biggest questions on the roster surround quarterback Kyler Murray, whose future with the franchise is in flux. The 28-year-old has played seven seasons in the desert since being selected with the No. 1 pick in 2019 but has been to the playoffs just once, losing in the wild-card round to the Rams in 2021. Ossenfort — who is returning for a fourth season — shed little light on Murray’s future after Gannon was fired.

“As it pertains to Kyler, Kyler’s under contract,” Ossenfort said in January “Jacoby (Brissett) is under contract. Kedon Slovis is under contract. We just came off the last game of the year Less than 24 hours ago, we just left the field. There will be a time and a place for those discussions.

“When you come off a season like we’ve had, all options are on the table.” Murray played in just five games last season because of a foot injury, throwing for 962 yards, six touchdowns and three interceptions. He’s in the middle of a $230.5 million, five-year contract that could last through 2028.

Brissett started the final 12 games of the season, throwing for 3,366 yards, 23 TDs and eight interceptions but winning just one game. He’s under contract next season.

LaFleur has to rebuild the Cardinals in the NFC West, which was the best division in football this season.

The Cardinals’ 14 losses last season were more than the Rams, Seahawks and 49ers had combined. All three of those teams made it to the division round of the playoffs; the Seahawks will play the Patriots in the Super Bowl on Feb. 8.

Falcons coach

The Associated Press

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — New At-

teams — Klay with San Francisco and Klein with Dallas Klay Kubiak, the 49ers’ offensive coordinator, also interviewed with the Raiders.

The Raiders have been searching for a path back to their glory days. Three Lombardi Trophies sit in the team’s facility, but the Raiders haven’t won a playoff game since their last Super Bowl appearance in the 2002 season. They have made the postseason just twice since then, most recently in the 2021 season.

Owner Mark Davis, frustrated at the lack of success, put the search in the hands of minority owner Tom Brady and general manager John Spytek. Brady was notably complimentary of Kubiak while serving as the Fox Sports analyst during the NFC championship game last Sunday between the Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams NFC. Darnold completed 25 of 36 passes for 346 yards and three touchdowns in Seattle’s 31-27 victory Davis also made it clear that Brady and Spytek will oversee football operations even beyond the coaching search.

The Raiders interviewed 15 candidates.

lanta coach Kevin Stefanski continued to build his staff on Sunday by adding Tanner Engstrand as offensive passing game coordinator Engstrand was the New York Jets’ offensive coordinator in 2025. The Jets and Engstrand agreed to part ways on Tuesday The addition of Engstrand came one day after Stefanski hired Alex Van Pelt as quarterbacks coach. Van Pelt joins offensive coordinator Tommy Rees as former Cleveland coaches under Stefanski, the former Browns coach. Stefanski was hired as coach on Jan. 17. The Falcons hired Ian Cunningham as general manager on Thursday after adding longtime Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan as president of football. New York struggled on offense under Engstrand in 2025 and subpar quarterback play was an issue. Justin Fields, signed in the offseason, started only nine games before he was benched in favor of veteran Tyrod Taylor Undrafted rookie Brady Cook started the final four games because of injuries to Fields and Taylor The Jets finished last in the NFL in yards passing and 29th in both total yards per game and points per game.

With Atlanta, Engstrand and Rees will support Stefanski in emphasizing the development of quarterback Michael Penix Jr as the Falcons attempt to end a streak of eight consecutive losing seasons. Prior to New York, Engstrand spent five seasons with the Detroit Lions, including the 2023-24 seasons as passing game coordinator The Falcons on Sunday also added Tokunbo “Tumbo” Abanikanda the team’s director of scouting. He joined the Falcons as a scouting

Saints to play Browns in first NFLgameinParis

French outlet reportsteams will play regular-season game at stadedeFrance

Vive la France!

The NFL’s efforts to play a2026 regular-season game in Paris seem to be alive. And theNew Orleans Saints are involved

As recently as last month,it appeared the game would be pushed to 2027 so French officials would have more time to meet NFL demands at Stade de France, where the game will be played. But in recent weeks, the game has gained momentumfor theNFL’s 2026 International Series.

The NFL is expected to announce itscomplete International Series this week, perhaps as early as Monday at Roger Goodell’s state-of-the-league pressconference.

On Sunday,RMC Sport —a major outlet in France —reported that the Saints will face the Cleveland Browns on Oct. 25, 2026, at Stade de France.

The Saints were granted international marketing rights in France by the NFL in 2023, and the team has formed astrategic partnership with the Paris Musketeers of the European League of Football.

Players, coaches and executives from the Parisfranchise were hosted by the Saints inNovember as part of that agreement.

Agame abroad isn’tthe only Saints-related newsto trackatSuper Bowl LX. Alook at the week ahead and what I’m hearing: AssessingBrees’HOF chances

We’ll learn the fate of former Saints Drew Brees and Jahri Evans and New Orleans natives Eli

AssoCIATED FILE PREss PHoToByKIN CHEUNG

Flagbearers marchduring the 2024 summer olympics closing ceremony at the stadedeFrance on Aug. 11, 2024,insaint-Denis, France. The saints look to be in line to play the first NFLgameinParis next season, which would takeplace in stade de France.

Manning and ReggieWayne on Thursday,when the Pro Football Hallof Fame’sClass of 2026 is announced at the NFL Honors show

As the New Orleans representative on the selection committee, Idelivered the presentation at theHall’sannual meetingJan. 13. Brees’ candidacy is so strong that Iprobably didn’tneed the full fiveminutes to present his case, butIfelt it was important to recognize and honor his extraordinary career,soImaxed out the

AssoCIATED PREss FILE PHoTo By PHELANM.EBENHACK

An EsPN MondayNight Footballlogoisviewedonabroadcastcamera before agamebetween the Jacksonville Jaguars and theKansas City Chiefs on oct. 6inJacksonville, Fla.

ESPN closesdeal forNFL Network, rights forRedZone

BY JOE REEDY AP sportswriter

ESPN’spurchase of NFL Network and other league digital assets has been finalizedafter governmentregulators approved the transaction.

The league and ESPN officially announced the closing of the deal Saturday night after the Justice Department and other non-USantitrustauthorities completed their reviews.

ESPN acquired NFL Network, NFL Fantasy and the rights to distribute the RedZone channel to cable and satelliteoperators andthe league will get a10% equitystake in ESPN.

“With the closing, we will begin integrating NFL employeesinto ESPN in the months ahead,” ESPN and theNFL said in ajoint statement. “As we look to the future, NFL fans can look forward to expanded NFL programming, greater access to NFL Network,innovative Fantasy experiences and unparalleled coverage of America’s most popular sport.”

The approval by government regulators was first reported by The Athletic. Viewersare notexpectedto notice changesonNFL Network untilApril, when those employed by NFL Media become part of ESPN. NFL Network —which has nearly 50 million subscribers —will be included in ESPN’sdirect-to-consumer product, which launched last August, shortlyafter the deal was first announced.

TheNFL RedZonechannelwill be distributedbyESPN to cable and satelliteoperators. However, the NFL will continue to own, operate andproduce the channel as well as retain the rights to distribute the channel digitally. ESPNwould also get rights to the RedZone brand, meaning RedZone channelsfor college football and basketballorother sports could be coming in thefuture.

NFL Fantasy Footballwill merge with ESPN Fantasy Football, givingESPNthe official fantasyfootball gameof theleague.

NFL Network will still air seven gamesper season.Four of ESPN’s games, including some that are in overlappingwindows on Monday nights, will move to NFL Network. ESPN will license three additional gamesthat will be carried on NFL Network

The NFL has takenback the rights to four international games, which it is expected to put up for bid. The league hasdiscussed each of its 32 teams playing at least one international game per season if the schedule expandsto18regular-season games.

The league will continue to own and operate NFL Films, NFL+, NFL.com, the official websites of the 32 teams, the NFL Podcast Network and theNFL FAST Channel (a free ad-supportedstreaming channel).

With the sale, ESPN is 72% owned by ABC Inc. —anindirect subsidiary of TheWaltDisney Company —18% Hearst and10% NFL.

time limit. As we’ve learned this week, nothing is guaranteed when it comes to Hall of Fame selections. Brees obviously deserves induction,and Iexpect him to get in, but only Hall officials knowthe answer because the ballot is kept secret.Selectorsare notapprised of theinductees, so we’ll find outwheneveryone else does on Thursday.

My guess is that Brees becomes the first Saints player to earn aHOF induction on his

HOF

Continuedfrom page1B

Archbishop Shaw High School standout is certainly Hall of Fame-worthy. He ranks 11thall-time in NFL receptions (1,070) and 10thin receiving yards (14,345). He holds theColts franchise record for games played (211) and is tied with Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison for themost 1,000-yard receiving seasons (eight)inclub history.Heisone of 11 players in league history to record seven consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons (2004-2010) and one of 17 players to register 15 games with 10 or more receptions.

“He’ssomething special,” former NFL head coach Jon Gruden said. “A lot of people say,‘Well, Peyton Manning madehim a great receiver.Well, B.S.That was agreat receiver when he had Curtis Painter playing quarterback. Every year,hewas in theupper echelon of receivers.”

From 2001 to 2014, Wayne was one of the most dominant and prolificreceivers in theNFL.

During that span, Wayne, a2018 LouisianaSports Hall of Fame inductee, led the entire NFL with 1,070 receptions, 14,345 yards and 763 first downs. Only Terrell Owens, Randy Moss and Larry Fitzgerald recorded morethan his 82 career touchdowns.

ProScoutInc. graded Wayne with 10 “blue” seasons in his career,ascouting metric that identifies aplayer in the top 10% at his position in agiven year Amongthe finalistsinthis year’s class, only Adam Vinatieri (13) had more.

Wayne rates just as high on ProFootball Reference’sHall of Fame Monitor —aformula that measures various criteria to determine aplayer’slikelihood of being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Of the top 12 receivers on theHall of Fame Monitor,nine are already enshrined in Canton. The three exceptions? Wayne and fellow Class of 2026 finalists Fitzgerald and Holt.

WILLIAMS

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start of the season. The lineup is alsoprobably too left-handed, with sixofthe seven hittersfrom spots 2-7 being lefties. Even with those caveats,Reaves starting at second over High Point transfer BraydenSimpson and Kansas State transfer Seth Dardarwas notable. Stanfieldleading off was alsonoteworthy, giventhat he’sbeen hitting at the top of the

Roethlisberger,Richard Shermanand Andrew Whitworth becomeeligible.

Doping theROY races

As afinalist forthe NFL’sOffensive Rookie of the Year award, Tyler Shough will be in the audience at the Palace of Fine Arts forNFL Honors Thursday,but his chances of becoming the fifth Saint to win the award are remote.

While Istrongly believe Shough deserves it, Panthers receiver Tetairoa McMillan is considered the heavy favorite to garner the honor Shough’slimited nine-game body of work hindered his candidacy.McMillan helped lead the Panthers to their first playoffappearance in eight years and led rookie receivers with 70 catches for1,117 yards and six touchdowns.

Cleveland Browns linebacker Carson Schwesinger is the favorite to winthe Defensive Rookie of the Year

Manofthe Year scouting report

first ballot and that he is joined by Larry Fitzgerald and secondyear candidates Luke Kuechly and Adam Vinatieri. The fifth modern-day spot is wide open, but I’ll be surprised if those four players are not part of the Classof2026, along with senior candidates Roger Craig and Ken Anderson. It lookslike another year of waiting for Evans, Manning and Wayne.And it doesn’tget any easier next year,when Antonio Brown, Adrian Peterson, Ben

Demario Davis is one of 32 candidates forthe Walter Payton Man of the Year award. This is the third timehe’sbeen nominated forthe award, so you could say he’sdue. Then again, I thought Cam Jordan was ashooin to win last year,and it went to Arik Armstead.

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is considered the frontrunner,but Davis deserves strong consideration for the tireless work he’sdone in the New Orleans community with his Devoted Dreamers program

Brees is the only Saints player to win Man of the Year in the award’s56-year history

“ReggieWayne wasagreat teammate, and he wasatough receiver,fearless across the middle, great catcher of the ball with his hands; it was aprivilege to play with him,” said Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning for Wayne’sinduction into theNew Orleans Sports Hall of Fame.

Manning would know.Hewas theColts quarterback forthe first 10 years of Wayne’scareer

“I alwaysfelt that we had that Louisiana bond and that translated to our on-the-field connection,” said Manning, whostarred at Isidore NewmanSchool. “He was an extremely hard worker and that work ethic paid great dividends forhim,and forme, because of allthe timing we were able to develop.”

Wayne is one of only two players in NFL history to rank in the top 11 in both receptions and yards in the regular season and thepostseason. The other? Jerry Rice. Company doesn’tget much stronger than that. This achievementalone should earn him enshrinement, as it showcases his rare combination of regularseason dominance and clutch playoff performance.

What’s more, Wayne is one of only fiveplayers to register at least eight 1,000-yard seasons and four seasons with at least

order often this preseason. Afreshmanwho hasimpressed Brauncracking the lineup with thestarters could be seen as amajorstampofapprovalfromJohnson. The freshman corner outfielder and first baseman has shown excellent contact skills at theplate and flashed somepull-side power on Thursday,whenthe left-handed hitter smashed ahome run intothe right-fieldbleachers. He went 3for 4that afternoonand hit three balls over 102 mphinanother 3for 4 performance last Friday

100 receptions. The others: Rice, Fitzgerald, Harrison and Brandon Marshall. In postseason history,Wayne ranks sixth all-timeinreceptions and seventh in yards. He has more playoff receptions and touchdowns than the combined total of the last three wide receivers enshrined in Canton —Andre Johnson, Calvin Johnson and Isaac Bruce —with only 159 fewer yards. His 221 yards against Denverin2004 still rank as the fourth most in playoff history However,Wayne’ssustained excellence is his mostcompelling case forHall induction. In the six years after he succeeded Harrison as the Colts’ No.1receiver,Wayne averaged astellar 96 receptions, 1,264 yards and 41 total touchdowns. He is the only player in NFLhistory to have at least 100 receptions and 1,355 yards at age 34.

“I’m biased, but Reggie was agreat route runner,” Manning said. “He wasjust aguy you wanted in the huddle with you. His numbers speak forthemselves.”

The case is clear.Wayne’srésuméplaces him alongside the undisputed legends of the game. He deserves to be recognized forhis greatness. He deserves to be amember of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Braun hada chance of getting drafted out of high school. He was the No. 231 player in ESPN’s draft rankings. But as afreshman from South Bend, Indiana,there wasn’tanexpectation heading into preseason that Braun could be astarter Perhaps his outlook has changed aftera strong fewweeksatthe plate from —according to Perfect Game —the No.1first baseman in the 2025 class. Email Koki Rileyat koki.riley@theadvocate.com.

AssoCIATED PREss PHoTosByLUCA BRUNo

Asnowgun sprays artificialsnowatthe stelvioski Center,venue for the Alpine ski and ski mountaineering disciplines at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter olympicsinBormio, Italy

Italian expert’s manufactured snow will play bigroleatthe MilanCortina Games

BY JENNIFER McDERMOTT and PATGRAHAM Associated Press

Davide Cerato will play amajorroleinskiing andsnowboarding eventsat the upcoming Olympics, buthewon’t be competing.

The Italian snowmakingexpert is responsiblefor perfecting several of the courses that will feature in the 2026 Milan Cortina WinterGames,and he takes his jobseriously “It’sthe most important race of their life,” Cerato said. “Our duty is to givethem the best, todeliver the best courses where they can perform theirbest after training so hard.”

Cerato overseesoperationsat venueswhere new snowmaking systems were installed, including in Bormio for Alpineski racing and skimountaineering, and in Livigno for freestyle skiing and snowboardingevents. He has been working withthe International Skiand Snowboard Federationand the International Olympic Committeesince the 2014 Sochi Olympics.

Thesedays, manufactured snow —“technical snow” as Cerato calls it —isa way of life in ski racing, so much so thatOlympic athletesdon’tthink twice about competingonit. Above all else, they want acoursethat willhold

BY HILLEL ITALIE

up over multiple training runs and the races themselves without becomingtoo mushy or rutted

Mother Nature can’talways provide for that, and withclimate change affecting winter sports in particular, snowmaking has become essential.

Newreservoirsand snow guns

On Jan. 23,the organizing committee saidthat it has produced nearly 2millioncubicyardsof technical snow for all the venues, which is less than forecasted.

Cerato oversaw the work to carve out new high-elevation water reservoirstostore water for snowmaking.

At theLivigno Snow Park, they built abasin capable of holding about 53 million gallons of water. It’s nowone of the biggest reservoirs on theItalian side of the Alps, Cerato said. They added more than 50 snow guns there to produce about 211 million gallons of snow in roughly 300 hours.

olympic rings aredisplayed in the snow at the stelvio ski Center in Bormio, Italy.

BY LARRYLAGE Associated Press

Someblind and low-vision fans will have unprecedented access to the Super Bowl thanks to atactile devicethattracks theball, vibrates on key plays and provides real-timeaudio. The NFLteamed up with OneCourt and Ticketmaster to pilot the game-enhancing experience 15 times during the regular-season during games hosted by the SeattleSeahawks, Jacksonville Jaguars, SanFrancisco49ers, Atlanta Falcons and Minnesota Vikings. About 10 blind and low-vision fans will have an opportunity to use the sametechnology at the Super BowlinSanta Clara, California, where Seattle will play the NewEngland Patriots on Feb. 8. With hands on the device, they will feel the location of the ball andhear what’shappening throughout the game. Scott Thornhill can’twait. Thornhill, the executive director of theAmerican Council of the Blind, will be among the fans at Levi’sStadium with aOneCourt tablet in their lap and Westwood One’sbroadcast piped into headphones. He was diagnosedwith retinitis pigmentosa when he was 8, and later lost his sight.

“It will allowmetoengage and enjoy the gameasclose as possible as people who can see,” Thornhill told The Associated Press. “As someone who grew up playing sports before Ilost my vision, I’m getting abig part of my lifeback that I’ve been missing. To attenda game and not have to waitfor someone to tell me what happened, it’shard to even describe how much that meanstome.

“It’sagame-changer.”

Clark Roberts experienced it first hand.

The Seahawks fan was invited by the team to attend its home gameagainst Indianapolis on Dec. 14 to experience the game withthe OneCourt device that is the size of athick iPad with raised lines outlining afootball field.

“The device does twowonderful things,” said Roberts, who lost his sight when he was 24 duetoretinitis pigmentosa.“It

By The Associated Press

Today is Monday, Feb. 2, the 33rd day of 2026. There are 332 days left in the year

Today in history: On Feb. 2, 2013, former Navy SEAL and “American Sniper” author Chris Kyle was fatally shot along with a friend at a gun range west of Glen Rose, Texas; Eddie Ray Routh was later convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Also on this date: In 1653, New Amsterdam — now New York City — was incorporated as a city. In 1848, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed, officially ending the Mexican-American War. In 1925, the legendary

Continued from page 1C

vibrates in different ways for different plays and through headphones, I was able to hear Seattle’s amazing announcer Steve Raible. Real-time audio is the real beauty of the device because usually when I’m listening to a game, there can be a delay of up to a minute or more and that can be challenging to constantly ask family and friends what happened.

“Can you imagine how this can open up everything, not just football?”

OneCourt is working on it

It has partnered with NBA and Major League Baseball teams to provide its devices at games and is in talks to make them available with the NHL, along with other leagues and sports organizations all over the world.

OneCourt launched in 2023 after founder Jerred Mace saw a blind person attending a soccer match while he was a junior at the University of Washington.

The startup with headquarters in Seattle uses the NFL’s tracking data from Genius Sports and translates it into feedback for the device to create unique vibrations for plays such as tackles and touchdowns

The data is generated from cameras and chips embedded in balls, jerseys and elsewhere. The same technology is used by the NFL’s NextGen Stats for health and player safety, statistics and gambling.

“It’s a testament to the maturity of the product and our company that we have gone from delivering this to a handful of teams throughout

AWARDS

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crime novelist S.A Cosby’s “King of Ashes”; Garrett M Graff’s “The Devil Reached Toward the Sky”; Devney Perry’s “Shield of Sparrows”; and Charlotte McConaghy’s “Wild Dark Shore.”

Narrators for the best book finalists include Oscarnominated actors Glenn

Alaska Serum Run ended as the last of a series of dog mushers brought lifesaving medication to Nome, the scene of a diphtheria epidemic, traveling 674 miles in just six days. In 1943, the remainder of Nazi forces at the Battle of Stalingrad surrendered in a major victory for the Soviets in World War II. In 1990, in a dramatic concession to South Africa’s Black majority President F.W. de Klerk lifted a ban on the African National Congress and promised to free Nelson Mandela. In 2014, Oscar-winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman, widely considered one of the greatest actors of his generation, was found dead in his New York apartment

from an accidental drug overdose. In 2022, four men were charged with being part of the drug distribution crew that supplied a deadly mix of narcotics to actor Michael K. Williams of “The Wire,” who had overdosed five months earlier Today’s birthdays: Rock singer-guitarist Graham Nash is 84. Television executive Barry Diller is 84. TV chef Ina Garten is 78. Actor Brent Spiner is 77. Football Hall of Famer Dave Casper is 74. Model Christie Brinkley is 72. Singer Shakira is 49. Republican Sen. Katie Britt of Alabama is 44. Actor Gemma Arterton is 40. Actor Zosia Mamet is 38. Actor Paul Mescal is 30. Actor Ellie Bamber is 29.

oneCourt founder Jerred Mace, right, talks with Clark Roberts, a blind seattle seahawks fan who has had the chance to try out the oneCourt tablet.

the last year or two to having it at the largest event in American sports,” OneCourt co-founder Antyush Bollini said. “The Super Bowl is such an amazing event and now blind and low-vision fans can use our technology in a way they deserve.”

Ticketmaster’s funding for the NFL pilot went toward underwriting the device to make it available to fans for free, according to senior client development director Scott Aller

“This is a very, very big social impact win,” Aller said.

“We hope that we can make an investment like this in every single one of our markets.”

After some teams approached the league about improving access for all, the NFL has spent the past few months piloting the program and ultimately decided to have the device make its Super Bowl debut.

“It’s not lost on us that we have blind to low-vision fans and we want to do right by them,” said Belynda Gardner, senior director of diver-

Close, Marianne Jean-Baptiste and Jessie Buckley on “Pride and Prejudice.”

Reiner is a best nonfiction nominee for “A Fine Line Between Stupid and Clever,” an account of the making of “This Is Spinal Tap” and “Spinal Tap II” that also includes cast members Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer. Reiner and his wife, Michele, were found dead in their home in December Son Nick Reiner

sity equity and inclusion for the NFL.

Gardner said the league has been very encouraged by the pilot and potential of this technology

“We’re reviewing what we learned and evaluating how it can be implemented going forward,” Gardner said.

“There aren’t any definitive next steps and we will use the offseason to determine where this technology sits in the NFL’s suite of offerings.”

Thomas Rice, a Jaguars fans, who is blind, said he had a seamless experience with the OneCourt device at a game in Jacksonville. Rice picked up the tablet at guest services at EverBank Stadium and after settling in at his seat, he felt and heard football in a new way

“When Trevor Lawrence threw a touchdown pass to Brian Thomas Jr., I felt the ball travel through the air,” Rice said. “When Travis Etienne ran the ball, I could feel it happen along the sideline.”

“It was like giving me my own pair of eyes.”

is facing charges of first-degree murder Reese Witherspoon is a nominee in mystery for the thriller she co-wrote with Harlan Coben, “Gone Before Goodbye,”whichalsofeatures the narration of Chris Pine. Finalists for short stories/collectionsincludeJulianneMoore’s narration of “Notes to John,” a private journal of the late Joan Didion. Winners in 27 categories will be announced March 2.

SNOW

Continued from page 1C

In Bormio, Cerato said they constructed a lake at an elevation of 2,515 yards to hold 23 million gallons of water. They also added 75 snow guns for Alpine skiing and ski mountaineering.

“We brought the Bormio slope to a new level,” he said, comparing it to a “Ferrari with new gears.”

Ensuring fair, safe courses By making snow, organizers can control a slope’s quality and hardness, preparing it according to FIS requirements and ensuring consistent conditions, Cerato said.

He said it’s easier to work with technical snow because it’s compact and is safer because it doesn’t deteriorate as quickly, where-

as natural snow requires more work. They can inject water deep into the snowpack, which will freeze and create a more stable race surface.

“We can deliver better, safer and fair courses,” he said. “That is the difference a fair course from bib No. 1 to bib No. 50.”

Snow senors Cerato and his team are using state-of-the-art sensors to monitor the snow depth. If there’s a gap, snow guns go to work. If there’s too much, they are turned off.

“It automatically adjusts everything, each snow gun, so you can control with just one person sitting in the office, all the mountain,” Cerato said.

In Bormio, snow groomers are also equipped with GPS systems to help monitor the snow quality and levels, saving time, energy

and water

The snow groomer knows exactly where to push the snow and how much snow is needed. And at the same time, “you produce the minimum amount of snow that you need,” Cerato said. “This is a powerful tool.” Preparing a slope for elite competition isn’t the same as doing it for commercial use. For the latter, natural snow is precious, he said. Personally he prefers skiing in powder “I was born on the mountain,” he said. “I love snow.”

The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Trust your instinctsand be straightforward with your instructions andany questionsyou might have. Leave nothing to chance or up to someoneelse to complete.

PISCES(Feb. 20-March 20) Do your thing; don't give anyone achance to interfere. Adisciplined approach will get you where you want to go and encourage positive change andfeedback.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) Setyourself up to win. No matter what comes your way,summonyour charm,turnupyour energy levelsand manufacture enough kindnessand courage to make adifference.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Consider what makes you feel content and whatit might take to incorporateitintoyour daily routine. It's time to please yourself andtotake responsibility foryour happiness.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Let your emotions and passion lead the way. No matter what youtake on,doitwith gusto. Be the one to make adifference, and you'll gain leverage that surpasses expectations.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) Communication is necessary if you want to maintain healthy connectionswith those you regularly deal with. Settingboundaries will put your mind at ease and allowyou thefreedom to start new adventures.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Send amessage; make your position and motives clear. Amoneymaking idea,investment or professional change looks promising.

Discuss your feelings with someone you love.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Take abreak,do something different and explore possibilities, and you'll discover alifestyle that excites you. Step outside your comfort zone and embarkonajourney that makes you feel alive.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Think big but budget wisely.How you manage your life will determine your stateofmind. Observehow othersmanage their money, expenses and relationships.

SCORPIO (Oct.24-Nov. 22) Pay attention to how you look and feel. Don't take riskswith your health or your physical well-being.When in doubt,sit tight, observe and wait to see what unfolds.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Putyour money where your mouth is andfollow through on your plans. There is money that can be yours if you invest more in yourself and how you participate in life. Start by lowering your cost of living.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan.19) Search, and you will find. Be on thelookout for somethingthat will turn askill you have or items you possess into source of cash. Usingyour moneyinmeaningfulways will lead to satisfaction and peace of mind.

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

Sudoku

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

Saturday’s Puzzle Answer

BY PHILLIP ALDER

This was the deal in last week’s final column. Chen Yuechen fromChina won the2013RichardFreemanJuniorDealof theYear from the International Bridge PressAssociationforhisdefenseagainst six no-trump. Chen (West) had guessed to lead his club three. South had taken East’s nine withhis ace, playedadiamond to dummy’s jack, andrun theheart jack. West hadwon andfound the killing return of hisremaining diamond. South wonin his hand, cashed his club king, and leda spade, planning to finessedummy’s10. He needed twodummy entries: one to repeat theheart finesse andthe second to cash the 13th heart. ButChenput up his spade jack,atextbook entry-killing play that defeatedthe contract. Iwonder how many readersnoticed that South missed an interesting chance to make his contract. Before playing adiamond to dummy’s jack, declarer should have cashedhis diamond ace. This looks pointless,but not when West startedwithonlytwodiamonds.Whenhe gotinwithhis heart ace, he would have been endplayed.

If West returned aclub, South could get four tricks in the suit by playing low from the dummy to collect three spades, oneheart,four diamondsand four clubs.

wuzzles

Or,ifWestshifted to alow spade,declarer wouldwin with dummy’s 10 and have his second dummy entry. He wouldwin three spades, three hearts, fourdiamonds and two clubs. This is called aDentist’s Coup extracting the safeexitcard(s) from a defender’s hand. ©2026 by NEA, Inc dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication

Each Wuzzle is aword riddle which creates adisguised word, phrase, name, place, saying, etc. For

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