READY TO ROLL Lafayette chef serves sushi in your home 5C THE
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W e d n e s d ay, F e b r u a ry 4, 2026
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UL athletics deficit grows to $13.2M Reduced football ticket sales behind decline, audit reveals
million in fiscal year 2025, according to the annual state legislative audit. The department reported a $12.6 million deficit a year earlier. “Our income was down about $475,000 and our expenses were BY KEVIN FOOTE up about $215,000,” UL Director Staff writer of Athletics Bryan Maggard said. The University of Louisiana at “Really, it predominantly came Lafayette athletic department’s through a decrease in revenue.” Maggard said the decline was operating deficit grew to $13.2
driven largely by football ticket sales as construction continued at Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium. “We had half of a stadium to sell,” he said. “We reduced ticket prices because we were selling only the east side — no chairbacks and things like that.” Future audits could reflect improved revenue from ticket sales and events once the stadium is completed, he said, while expenses
may decline following staff reductions tied to a universitywide budget shortfall. The athletic department cut its staff by 25%. Expenses increased this year because of higher scholarship costs, severance pay, staffing expenses and salary increases, Maggard said. His own salary was temporarily reduced by 15% as part of university cutbacks. The $13.2 million deficit does not
reflect costs or revenues associated with construction of the new football stadium. Funds raised for the project are held by the UL Foundation and are not included in the audit. “When you go out and raise money, that’s revenue, but it doesn’t show up in this report,” Maggard said. “That money stays in the
ä See DEFICIT, page 7A
BROUSSARD
A week of icy chaos
Sports complex scores big in 2025 revenue
Rural East Carroll Parish endures shattered trees, trapped people, prison break BY AIDAN McCAHILL Staff writer
Zachary Frasier and his wife were driving down a street in Lake Providence last Friday when something white drifted across the road. It was around 10 p.m. and pitch black, so he pulled over and spotted a bag lying in the street. The 32-year-old Frasier was about to turn in after a day of delivering food and water to people across East Carroll Parish. It was almost a week after a crippling ice storm shattered trees, trapped people in their homes and left nearly everyone in the parish without power. He also knew accused killers were on the loose. Early that morning, eight inmates broke out of Riverbend Detention Center just a few miles away. It was the same facility where his late father had been warden during a decades-long career in law enforcement. Down the street, his two children were staying with his mother. With a flashlight in one hand and a Glock .40 pistol in the other, he stepped out of his truck into the bitter cold. The beam hovered over a figure in the roadside thicket, Frasier recalled, though it took him a few moments to realize it was a person. “I said, ‘Man I’m telling you, if someone else is with you, if they come out of that bush, I’m shooting you.’” The man called for his partner, who emerged from the brush. Frasier said he ordered them to lie face down on the
Facility generated $21M through tournaments, events
BY JOEL THOMPSON Staff writer
STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON
An Entergy utility truck works on lines along Harding Street in Lake Providence on Sunday. ground, even firing a warning shot when they didn’t comply. “They kept looking back,” said Frasier. “I was worried somebody else was coming up behind me.” From the truck, Frasier’s wife dialed 911. Within minutes, deputies arrived and arrested the men, escapees being held in East Carroll Parish while facing murder charges
in their hometowns. Inside the white bag Frasier had initially spotted was toilet paper, a jar of salsa, a phone charger and a fillet knife — all believed stolen from a nearby church. Reflecting on those moments days later, Frasier shrugged. “I was doing the only thing I knew to do,” he said. But even after all the escap-
ees were rounded up — two in Arkansas, one in Mississippi and the rest at various spots in Louisiana — the community has still felt under siege. Most of northern Louisiana’s lights have flickered back on 11 days after the storm, but nearly half of East Carroll residents remained without
ä See CHAOS, page 4A
Two more candidates exit Senate race Miguez shifts focus to congressional seat
BY TYLER BRIDGES Staff writer
The impact of U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow’s decision to challenge U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy — with President Donald Trump’s endorsement — continued to reverberate Tuesday as two more candidates dropped out of the Senate race. State Sen. Blake Miguez said he would run instead for the 5th Congressional District seat that Letlow is vacating, while St. Tammany Parish
WEATHER HIGH 57 LOW 49 PAGE 8A
The Broussard Sports Complex at St. Julien Park generated approximately $21 million in 2025, according to city officials, improving substantially on figures from the previous year. In 2024, the complex generated $12 million, according to the city, which reflects a yearly increase of $9 million, or an increase of 75%. The numbers are based, in part, on traffic estimates provided by the Lafayette Economic Development Authority along with sales data from local businesses. The sports facility has generated an estimated $1.2 million in tax revenue, according to Broussard Mayor Ray Bourque, which he says then gets fed back into the city’s parks and recreation fund. “It speaks back to the city doing what it can to influence growth,” Bourque said. “When we can bring customers into our city, retailers can do more to support our economy, and we can generate more revenue to further support the Broussard Sports Complex.”
Council member Kathy Seiden said she would exit the race and endorse Letlow. State Rep. Julie Emerson, R-Carencro, announced two weeks ago that Letlow’s entry into the Senate election had prompted her to get out. Letlow jumped in on Jan. 20 after receiving Trump’s coveted endorsement. “When Donald Trump endorsed Letlow, it took all the air out of the room. All the attention immediately went to Letlow,” said Robert Collins, a professor of urban studies and public policy at Dillard University. “She becomes the prohibitive favorite if you look at the polls.”
As The Times-Picayune | The Advocate reported Monday, three recently released polls show Letlow defeating Cassidy in a head-to-head matchup. Cassidy’s own survey showed him trailing her, 46%-40%, though Cassidy’s campaign says he will pass her as voters learn more about the candidates. To be sure, the field is not set, since the three-day qualifying period does not begin until Feb. 11. State Treasurer John Fleming is giving every indication that he will fight to the finish, making it at least a
ä See SPORTS, page 7A
Morehouse West East Carroll Carroll Ouachitaa Richland Madison Caldwell
Franklin Tensas
Catahoula LaSalle Sallee Concordia Avoyelles
LOUISIANA
West Feliciana
Louisiana’s 5th Congressional District The district includes parts of Baton Rouge, the Florida Parishes, and the northeastern corner of the state.
East Feliciana St. Washington Helena Tangipahoa EBR Livingston
Staff graphic Source: Louisiana Legislature
ä See SENATE, page 3A
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