The Acadiana Advocate 10-06-2026 by The Advocate

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T U E S D AY, O C T O B E R 6, 2026

Permit sought to build 15.5-mile road, 1.5-mile bridge, massive wharf for operations near Pecan Island

BY CLAIRE TAYLOR To Lafayette

A coastal use permit application submitted for a SpaceX planned site in Vermilion Parish details proposed plans for a 15.5-mile road, a 1.5-mile bridge and wharves to support the massive rocket launch operation near Pecan Island. The application was submitted Sept. 25 on behalf of Space Exploration Technologies Corp. in Star Base, Texas, by Duplantis Design Group in Lafayette and Fenstermaker of Lafayette. Referred to as the Southwest Louisiana Coastal Infrastructure Improvement Project, the application lists a start date of March 1, 2027. Elon Musk along with other SpaceX representatives and Gov. Jeff Landry on Aug. 25 ended months of speculation when they announced that a $100 billion rocket launch and recovery facility would be built in Vermilion Parish. The announcement was the conclusion of seven months of behind-the-scenes deals that included legislation protecting SpaceX from liability if nearby homes are damaged by the rocket launches and an agreement that granted the company millions in tax breaks. Officials tout the project as one of the biggest economic catches the state has made in decades. Some residents and concerned citizens are skeptical because the deal was negotiated and signed in secret. As part of the project, according to the permit application, SpaceX is planning to build on the 161-acre site a 15.5-mile heavy-haul access road with four 12-foot

Todd Wessinger’s appeal denied in death of BR co-workers

White Lake Property currently owned by ExxonMobil

Pecan Island Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge

BY PATRICK SLOAN-TURNER Staff writer

East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney Hillar Moore plans to seek a death warrant for convicted killer Todd Wessinger after a U.S. appeals court on Monday denied a request to rehear his appeal. Moore Found guilty of shooting and killing two former coworkers at a Baton Rouge restaurant in 1995, Wessinger has tried to have his death

Freshwater City Rd.

LOUISIANA

Lafayette

Vermilion Bay

Audubon Wildlife Refuge

3147

Baton Rouge New Orleans

The Gulf

Potential SpaceX development area

DETAIL AREA

Staff graphic

travel lanes, 12-foot raised concrete medians, two 10-foot shoulders and a 1.53mile elevated bridge. Local roads leading to the site, including La. 3147 and La. 82, are not adequate, being considered too narrow and unable to support the weight of the vehicles and cargo expected. “Routing routine (oversized/overweight) and heavy project cargo onto those public roads would conﬂict with existing public use, accelerate pavement and bridge wear and does not create lock-free Gulf vessel access,” the document states. Plans also call for constructing a 3,500-

$2.00X

DA moves to execute man in 1995 double killing

SpaceX plans Vermilion launch infrastructure Staff writer

ä See DEATH, page 4A

foot wharf south of the Freshwater City locks with 133 acres for staging equipment and another 90 acres north of the locks for staging equipment, according to the permit application. The area around the wharf will need to be dredged to 16 feet, which is expected to produce over 1 million cubic yards of dredge material. If approved as planned, the company will be building inland wharf facilities along existing navigation channels to provide access to inland channels connected to Freshwater Bayou and the

U.S. high court weighs climate change suits

ä See SPACEX, page 4A

La. 3147, which leads to the site where SpaceX will build a rocket launch facility, has been deemed inadequate. The company is planning to build a new road to handle heavy equipment.

Local governments seek to hold oil and gas companies accountable

STAFF PHOTO BY BRAD KEMP

BY LINDSAY WHITEHURST and MATTHEW DALY Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court grappled Monday with whether local governments can sue oil and gas companies in state court to help cover costs associated with climate change, an issue with potentially billions of dollars at stake. Key justices appeared wary about the potential sweep of litigation, but torn over the complex questions of federal and state law raised by the case.

ä See CLIMATE, page 4A

H H

ELECTION

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‘I needed those signs from the Lord’ Tragedy, faith led Julia Letlow to run for Senate BY TYLER BRIDGES Staff writer

It was Dec. 11, 2020, only six days after Luke Letlow had won an open seat to represent the 5th Congressional District that stretched from Monroe south to the Florida Parishes. He was still on a high as he sat for an interview, having fulﬁlled an ambition that was 20 years in the making as he

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became an increasingly consequential player in Republican circles. “I did not run for Congress to go up there and be one of the folks who screams at the other side,” Luke told WDSU-TV reporter Travers Mackel from his kitchen in rural Richland Parish. “The reason I’m going to Congress is to get things done.” Afterward, Luke told his wife, Julia Letlow, that he was running a fever. He died 18 days later from COVID-19. Julia Letlow buried her husband in a country cemetery near their home and almost immediately afterward faced the most consequential decision

ä Editor’s note: This is the second of two profiles on the candidates for U.S. Senate.A profile on Democratic candidate Jamie Davis appeared in yesterday’s edition. of her career: Now a widow with two children younger than 5, would she run for Luke’s congressional seat? Unlike her husband, Letlow had no hankering for elected ofﬁce. A senior administrator at the University of Louisiana at Monroe, she expected to con-

STAFF PHOTO BY JAVIER GALLEGOS

U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow, R-Baton Rouge, stands outside the Ascension Parish Courthouse in Donaldsonville. She is running ä See LETLOW, page 4A for U.S. Senate.

Business ...................10C Commentary ................3B Nation-World................2A Classified .....................4B Deaths .........................4B Opinion ........................2B Comics-Puzzles .....7C-9C Living............................5C Sports ..........................1C

102ND YEAR, NO. 98

2A l Tuesday, October 6, 2026 l theadvocate.com l The Acadiana Advocate

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Former ‘American Idol’ contestant sentenced to life

BRIEFS

FROM WIRE REPORTS

2 killed after Fla. school bus rolls over in crash

A Florida school bus carrying nearly 40 people overturned after being struck by an oncoming car on the way to a high school early Monday, killing a student and the driver of another vehicle that caught fire, authorities said. A heavy presence of emergency responders rushed to the crash site in Winter Haven, south of Orlando, and 26 students were transported to a hospital, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said. At least one person was in critical condition. The crash left the bus upsidedown on the side of the road. The front end was a mangled mess of metal and one of its four back tires appeared to be missing. “It was a horrible crash,” Judd said. “It was a terrible, tragic morning. We had a beautiful 10th grade girl lose her life.” The bus was headed to Winter Haven High School when an oncoming car crossed the center line and struck the side of the bus near the rear wheels, Judd said. The sheriff said the impact ripped the tire off the bus, which then crashed head-on into an oncoming Jeep that caught fire. Most of the 39 people aboard the bus were high school students, along with the bus driver and the driver’s daughter. Judd said first responders spent the first several hours getting people to the hospital, identifying them and reuniting students with their parents. “I think this is the most horrific bus tragedy we’ve had in decades, as far back as I can remember,” Judd said. Polk County Public Schools Superintendent Frederick Heid said students practice drills on how to leave a bus that is involved in an accident. Last month, another Polk County school bus was also involved in a crash but authorities said no students were on board at the time.

Woman charged in Chicago girl’s stabbing

CHICAGO — A woman has been charged with murder for allegedly stabbing to death a 7-yearold girl who was walking along a sidewalk in a Chicago neighborhood, police said. Shavon Gayden, 48, was charged with one felony count of first-degree murder in connection with the death, Chicago police said in a statement Sunday. Police said the girl was walking in the Chatham neighborhood Saturday morning when a woman carrying an unspecified sharp object approached her and stabbed her multiple times in the back. Bystanders chased after the woman and detained her, police said. Television networks showed a commercial strip lined with a restaurant, a nail salon and a market cordoned off by police tape afterward. Gayden, who is from Chicago, was initially scheduled to appear for a hearing Monday morning but was hospitalized and was not going to appear, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office said in an email. Her injuries were not considered lifethreatening. The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the child as Edi Mari Hernandez Chacon. She was pronounced dead at Comer Children’s Hospital.

Australia investigates FlyDubai co-pilot

Australian authorities launched a probe into an Omani FlyDubai co-pilot’s time in Australia after he was detained over an alleged attempt to seize an Israel-bound aircraft and crash it, Australian Federal Police said. The FlyDubai pilot is in custody in the United Arab Emirates after he allegedly attempted to take control of the Israel-bound plane. A police statement on Monday said a joint counterterrorism team, including federal and state police and Australia’s domestic intelligence agency, “is investigating the man’s links to Australia.” New Zealand’s police agency also said the co-pilot had spent time in New Zealand and that the authorities would investigate.

Caleb Flynn convicted in wife’s killing

BY JULIE CARR SMYTH and PATRICK AFTOORA-ORSAGOS Associated Press ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO BY ADRIAN KRAUS

Demonstrators protest Monday against Cornell University’s handling of the 2024 fraternity house alleged gang rape at the campus in Ithaca, N.Y.

Students protest Cornell’s response Demonstrators decry school’s handling of gang rape allegations

BY LEAH WILLINGHAM and TASSANEE VEJPONGSA Associated Press

ITHACA, N.Y. — Cornell students thronged a campus plaza to protest the university’s response to allegations of sexual assault at a fraternity house, and the school’s main administration building was splashed with graffiti and damaged overnight. At a demonstration that overflowed the large space in front of the school’s student center, students, faculty members and others wore purple ribbons and held signs with such messages as “support survivors, expel rapists” and “Justice 4 every Jane Doe” — the name by which the woman who reported the assault is known in court papers. Others watched from pathways, windows, and a nearby hill. “Too often, we are met with silence, we are met with statements, we are met with procedures, but not enough support,” student Athena Holloway told the crowd. “How much does it take for our university to stand with survivors?” Hispanic studies professor Julia Chang added to applause: “Rape should not be inevitable.” Speakers faulted fraternities, the university trustees and Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff, saying he and his administration have prioritized protecting the university’s reputation over students’ safety. “Kotlikoff, resign!” demonstrators chanted, among other slogans, as they marched to the damaged administration building to present a list of demands. The Ivy League school has been trying to quell a firestorm — on campus and beyond — over its handling of the alleged 2024 gang rape. Early Monday, the university found signs of the anger on the very walls of its administrative headquarters. Holes were knocked into one of the building’s glass doors, and the walls beside them were marked with red-painted messages condemning patriarchy and the Ivy League school’s handling of sexual assaults, news media photos showed. Later Monday, the graffiti was removed and the door was boarded up. Cornell spokesperson Kyle Kimball

said in a statement that the university was investigating and that “damaging property is not the answer” to Cornellians’ “frustration and strong emotions.” Campus police referred questions to his office, which declined to provide more detail on the incident. The woman known as Jane Doe alleges that she was sexually assaulted by multiple Chi Phi fraternity members in October 2024 after being pressured into drinking and taking drugs. She was a Cornell student at the time. The woman recently sued the university, seven former students, the fraternity and others. Her lawsuit said that she became fully incapacitated as fraternity members assaulted her, and that one man sent others a message inviting them to participate. “I felt like bait. I felt like lions around me. It just was a totally debilitating place to be in,” she told Cornell investigators last year, according to records reviewed by The Associated Press. Lawyers for two of the former students denied they participated in a sexual assault. Attempts by The Associated Press to reach the other men or their representatives have been unsuccessful. Court records show that some of the accused students, when interviewed by Cornell investigators, described the sexual activity as consensual. Shortly before she went to Cornell police in November 2024, Jane Doe recorded a phone call with one of the men she says raped her, ABC News reported Monday, saying it had obtained the recording. The network played portions, containing only what it said was his voice, and recounted other parts of the conversation in writing. According to ABC, the man told her that after dancing with her for five minutes or less, he suggested a three-person encounter. He maintained that she agreed to it, and that he then fetched the second Chi Phi member from the dance floor. Her lawsuit says she was too intoxicated to give consent. On the call, she tried to pinpoint who else later came into the room, ABC said. The man suggested both he and she might be misremembering something that’s “not true,” but she countered that she recalled looking up and seeing “too many people” there. “What y’all did would be classified as gang rape,” she told him at one point, according to the network, which said she had provided the recording to the university.

Officials say Yemeni forces expel Houthis from areas around strait BY AHMED AL-HAJ and SAMY MAGDY Associated Press

ADEN, Yemen — Forces of the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen have recaptured several key areas around Bab elMandeb Strait from Iran-backed Houthi rebels, Yemeni officials said Monday. The officials said forces allied with the internationally recognized government have retaken the crucial town of Dhubab just north of the strait. They also captured the towns of Bab and Hadeid, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to reporters. Witnesses said they saw government tanks and forces entering the towns. The government push came as part of a major offensive launched early Monday under air cover by a Saudi military coalition. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters that it was expected that the Saudi-backed government in Yemen would hit back at the rebels to reclaim territory. Asked if the Saudi-led coalition coordinated the action with the United States, Rubio said that Saudi Arabia and the U.S. have a defense agreement but

wouldn’t offer more details. The Yemeni government was ousted from some of its territory by a Houthi campaign and the Saudis have come under attack, and “they have a right to defend themselves,” Rubio said. The U.S. has provided support to Saudi Arabia in its ongoing campaign against the Houthis, according to a regional official and a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak to reporters. U.S. support included intelligence sharing, target identification and planning for the offensive, said the officials. The U.S. had supported the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis early in the Yemen war, before quitting the coalition in recent years. The U.S. Embassy in the Saudi capital of Riyahd warned U.S. citizens on social media to be vigilant about possible drone or missile attacks. The offensive came just after the rebels said they had captured more territory in the southwestern part of Yemen, taking a key town in a blow to the Saudibacked forces as they advanced toward a strategic provincial capital in the region.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — A former music pastor in Ohio who appeared brieﬂy on “American Idol” was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole Monday after a jury convicted him of murdering his wife while he was having an affair. Prosecutors said Caleb Flynn, 40, staged a home invasion in February after shooting Ashley Flynn, a 37-year-old schoolteacher and volleyball coach, then claimed she was killed by a burglar. In his 2013 appearance on “American Idol,” Flynn told TV viewers about how his wife had encouraged him to chase his dreams on the singing competition. He did not advance to the main competition in Hollywood. With tears rolling down his cheeks, Flynn apologized in court to his family, starting with his two daughters. “I made vows to Ashley on our wedding day. I failed in those vows,” he said. Although he admitted he lied about many things, Flynn remained adamant that he was innocent. “As I stand here before God, who is my ultimate judge, I am not lying when I say I did not kill my wife,” he said. Miami County Common Pleas Judge Jeannine Pratt said she was deeply disturbed that Flynn used his faith to hide his “deceit”

and “lust.” She quoted a victim statement from one of the daughters, read aloud moments earlier by a family member, asking: “What did Ashley ever do to make you hate her so much?” During closing arguments, prosecutors told jurors that Flynn wanted out of his marriage when he shot his wife at their house in Tipp City, a suburb north of Dayton. The couple’s two daughters were home with their father when police arrived. He sent a text message to his lover the night before the shooting, saying, “I choose you. I’m free. Actions will come tomorrow,” prosecutors said. During the trial, Alleigha Botner testified she met Flynn in 2022 while she was a 20-year-old intern at his church and had an affair with him for more than a year. She told jurors that Flynn said he hated his wife and had thoughts of killing her. Jurors also heard AIgenerated love songs that prosecutors said he made for Botner. Flynn didn’t testify on his own behalf, nor did anybody else. The gun used to kill Ashley Flynn was not found at the scene, and his attorney told jurors that investigators found no evidence that Caleb Flynn fired a gun that day. Prosecutors said his fingerprints and DNA were at the scene and that his devices showed him moving around the house, even though he claimed he was asleep at the time of the shooting. The jury found him guilty of murder, felonious assault and tampering with evidence.

Caleb Flynn listens to court proceedings on Sept. 28 at the Miami County Court of Common Pleas in Troy, Ohio. ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO

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The Acadiana Advocate l theadvocate.com l Tuesday, October 6, 2026 l 3A

Dennis Hastert dies at age 84 Longtime GOP House speaker went to prison for misconduct

BY MICHAEL TARM and HERBERT G. MCCANN Associated Press

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO

Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel are shown on the screen Monday as they are awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine during a news conference at the Nobel Forum at Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden.

3 scientists win Nobel for medicine Trio’s work lead to tool that uses light to unravel how brains work

BY KOSTYA MANENKOV, LAURAN NEERGAARD and ADITHI RAMAKRISHNAN Associated Press

STOCKHOLM — The Nobel Prize in medicine was awarded Monday to three scientists whose work led to a tool that uses light to help unravel how the brain works. Dr. Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel carried out research that opened a new ﬁeld with the wonky name optogenetics, combining light with genes to switch on and off neurons in living brains. Separate research from the trio — one of whom lives in the U.S. and two in Germany — resulted in a technique that helps to identify neural pathways responsible for behavior and disease. It could lead to treatments, such as restoring some vision in people with a genetic form of blindness. Experts said the advancements greatly expanded the understanding of how the brain is organized. “It has let us go from a ‘Rand McNally’ road atlas of the brain to something more akin to ‘Google Earth,’” neuroscientist Patrick Forcelli of Georgetown University said in an email. Deisseroth, 54, is a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator and Stanford University professor in California. Hegemann, 71, is at Humboldt University in Berlin, and Nagel, 73, most recently worked at the University of Würzburg, also in Germany, the assembly said. The breakthrough began when Hegemann explored how a single-cell type of green algae can swim toward light. He and Nagel discovered a particular protein that, when illuminated by blue light, opens a channel to create an electrical impulse. Putting that protein into other cells makes them light-sensitive. Brain cells use electrical signals to communicate with each other, but nor-

mally they don’t respond to light, Deisseroth told The Associated Press. He used what he calls “a trick from nature,” putting the gene that controls that microbial protein into certain cells in the brains of living mice. Beaming light at those cells — first by using tiny fibers, now with noninvasive methods — can turn neurons on or off while animals do various tasks. “People usually think about light as a way of collecting information to observe things,” he told the AP. “But this is the opposite of that. This is using light to control things, to make things happen, and to do it in a very precise way.” Optogenetics is mostly a research tool to learn how specific neurons and neural circuits work. That “gives you, inevitably, ideas for how to correct things that go wrong,” Deisseroth said. “Once you know the cells that are causal, that actually matter for a symptom or for correcting a symptom, you can devise medications or other methods that target those cells.” Already companies have studies underway trying to treat inherited blindness called retinitis pigmentosa by inserting a light-activated protein into a patient’s retina and then outfitting the person with special lightemitting glasses. Deisseroth, a physicianscientist, pointed to other scientists pursuing possible treatments for autism and schizophrenia based on information gleaned from optogenetics, he said. Experts say optogenetics has transformed neuroscience around the world, becoming a mainstay in labs trying to understand the brain pathways involved in behavior and disease — and hopefully leading to ways to fix those that go awry. “It’s a very precise set of tools for doing experiments about how the brain works that are pretty hard to do any other way,” said the University of Pittsburgh’s Jeremy Berg. He was at the U.S. National Institutes of Health in the early 2000s when it awarded Deisseroth major funding for “this vision of optogenetics that was pretty much spot-on the way it played out.”

Spain’s prime minister calls snap election BY SUMAN NAISHADHAM and JOSEPH WILSON Associated Press

MADRID — Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Monday announced an early general election, seeking to seize momentum from housing protests that have roiled the country and frame the vote around issues that are favorable to his Socialist party. The election is scheduled for Nov. 29, and will come roughly eight months earlier than originally planned. Spaniards have staged repeated protests in cities across the country in recent weeks, demanding action on the entrenched housing crisis amid outrage over the widely publicized eviction of an 87-year-old woman in

Madrid last month. Sánchez’s government suffered a bruising legislative defeat last week when right-wing opposition parties voted down emergency decrees introduced by his government to address evictions and real estate speculation. The setback sparked wide speculation that Sánchez would move forward the general election and use the momentum on the housing issue against his rightwing opponents. If Sánchez’s gamble backﬁres, it could pave the way for a right-wing coalition of conservatives and the farright Vox party, bringing an end to one of Europe’s most prominent progressive governments, led by a vocal critic of the Trump administration.

CHICAGO — Dennis Hastert, whose congressional legacy as the longest-serving Republican House speaker was later fouled by allegations that he had molested high school athletes during his prior career as a teacher and wrestling coach, has died, a coroner said Monday. He was 84. Hastert, who was speaker from 1999 until 2007 and spent more than a year in prison later in life, died Saturday of natural causes at his home while receiving hospice care, according to Kendall County Coroner Jacquie Purcell. When he was sentenced in 2016 to more than a year behind bars, the former history teacher became one of the highest-ranking American politicians ever ordered to prison. In the late 1990s, Hastert was a little-known Illinois lawmaker with a reputation for congeniality that had helped him ascend the ranks of congressional leaders. When Newt Gingrich lost support because of ethics violations and the GOP’s poor showing in an election, Republicans elected Hastert to succeed him. In his ﬁrst weeks on the job in 1999, he presided over the House while the Senate conducted then-President Bill Clinton’s impeachment trial. After the GOP reclaimed the White House, Hastert helped pass then-President George W. Bush’s legislative agenda. In 2015 he was accused of evading banking regulations as part of a plan to pay hush money to conceal

California woman accused of spying for China BY JAIMIE DING, HUIZHONG WU and JAMIE STENGLE Associated Press

LOS ANGELES — The FBI arrested a California real estate agent as she prepared to fly to China, accusing her of secretly working for Beijing to surveil the president of Taiwan’s family in the U.S., federal officials said. The case comes at a fraught moment for U.S.China relations, with Taiwan persistently at the center of their military and diplomatic rivalry. Beijing claims the island as part of its own territory. The FBI and federal prosecutors allege Wanying Zhang surveilled the house of the president’s son and sent photos, videos and license plate information for his vehicles to a Chinese government official. The federal criminal complaint does not name the alleged target, but the FBI’s rapid response account on the social media platform X said it was the president’s son. Ting-Yu Lai, the president’s elder son, lives and works in the Seattle area as an engineer. Zhang, a 34-year-old real estate agent from Irvine who also went by the name Heather, was arrested Sunday at Los Angeles International Airport and charged with working for China as an unregistered agent, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said. Zhang is a naturalized U.S. citizen, said Shawn Lewis, a spokesperson for the U.S. attorney’s office. It wasn’t immediately clear if she had an attorney who could speak on her behalf. She was due to appear Monday afternoon in federal court in Los Angeles.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO

House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., gestures during a news conference on June 29, 2005, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Hastert has died at age 84, a coroner said Monday. unspecified “prior misconduct.” Nearly a year later, prosecutors said Hastert’s alleged misconduct involved the sexual abuse of teenage boys on his wrestling team in Yorkville, a small town west of Chicago. Prosecutors said Hastert sexually abused at least four team members during his coaching career, which lasted from 1965 to 1981. The person Hastert was paying, identified in court papers only as Individual A, said the abuse occurred in a motel room when he was 14 on the way home from wrestling camp. Hastert allegedly touched other wrestlers in a locker room after saying he would give them massages. Two wrestlers said Hastert performed sexual acts on them. Prosecutors also described a recliner where Hastert often sat in the locker room with a direct view of the stalls where the boys showered. Hastert agreed to plead guilty to evading banking laws. In all, he paid more than $1.7 million out of $3.5 million that he had promised to Individual A, sometimes in lump sums of $100,000

cash. At the sentencing hearing, where he received 15 months behind bars, the visibly angry judge called Hastert a “serial child molester.” In a statement, Hastert said he was “deeply ashamed” and admitted that he “mistreated” some of his athletes. But he never referred directly to sexual abuse. When he became House speaker, Hastert was aware of the pitfalls of holding the powerful position. “You know, in this business, especially in a job like this, you can get your head someplace where it shouldn’t be,” Hastert said in a 1999 interview with The Associated Press. “But you come back home, and you’re home. You’re back where you’ve always been, and your feet are back on the ground.” As the recount of the 2000 presidential election dragged on, Hastert’s aides briefed him on the possibility that he might become acting president in the event of an Electoral College deadlock. “I really didn’t want to be president, temporary or otherwise,” Hastert wrote in a

2004 memoir. Hastert’s journey to Congress from his boyhood farm appeared to be the result of fate and luck. In 1980, he ﬁnished third in an Illinois House primary. But the incumbent became fatally ill, and GOP leaders chose Hastert to take his place on the November ballot, where he won in a traditional GOP stronghold. Hastert became a congressional candidate in 1986 and beat the Democrat with 52% of the vote, his smallest margin of victory in a congressional race. In Washington, Hastert served quietly in House leadership, working closely with Gingrich and then-House Majority Whip Tom DeLay after Republicans took control in 1995. Hastert became wealthy largely through a complex web of transactions that coincided with one of his own highway earmarks increasing the value of land he had purchased in his district. He was forced to step down as speaker in 2007, when Democrats gained control of the House, and he resigned his seat later that year.

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LETLOW

Having found a way forward after Jeremy’s death, Letlow knew she would have the strength to do so after the loss of her husband. She met with her parents to seek their assent to run for Luke’s seat. “We said, ‘Go for it. You can do this,’” remembered her father, Terry Barnhill. “We felt like she would be good for the state.” “Julia is a thinker,” said her mother, Kathi Barnhill. “She really tries to check all angles with things. Running through her mind was that she had two little babies, and she was the sole breadwinner.” Then she met with Luke’s parents. “I didn’t want somebody who just showed up to run,” recalled Johnny Letlow, Luke’s father. “A local politician did a poll a day or two later. We told her she had our blessings.” “I told Julia, ‘You know right from wrong. I think you can handle it,’” said Dianne Letlow, Luke’s mother.

Continued from page 1A tinue working in higher education. But Ralph Abraham, a veterinarian and doctor who had held the congressional seat for six years before Luke, asked her to consider running for the seat. Letlow consulted others, including her parents and Luke’s, and H H H H H H she prayed. Her decision was clinched while at home when she heard a song that she thought was a sign from the Lord. Today, Letlow has served five years in the U.S. House and is considered the heavy favorite to become Louisiana’s next senator. Endorsed by President Donald Trump, Letlow knocked Sen. Bill Cassidy out of the race in the Republican primary. She faces off on Nov. 3 in the general election against Jamie Davis, a farmer from Tensas Parish who is the Democratic candidate. After five years in the public eye, Letlow steps onto a stage and strides from one event to another with conﬁdence. But she never acts like a big shot. She doesn’t always seem at ease playing the part of a politician, still laughs nervously at times and retains a sense of: Golly, how did I get here?

ELECTION

‘Talent for a reason’ As she readily acknowledges, Letlow wouldn’t be in this position but for her husband’s tragic death. “I happen to be a woman of faith,” she said in a March 2021 speech as she first campaigned for Luke’s seat. “I believe that the good Lord doesn’t waste an experience, good or bad. I happen to feel that and see that so clearly in my life now as I walk this path that I never dreamed that I would be walking.” Luke and Julia had known each other casually at Ouachita Christian School in Monroe — he was one year ahead of her — but they had been out of touch. Then they attended the same party before an LSU football game while both were in college. A mutual friend pointed Luke out and said, “He’s Baton Rouge’s most eligible bachelor now.” They became a couple. Months later, Letlow invited him to her home in Monroe for dinner. She made lasagna and thought he would

DEATH

Continued from page 1A sentence overturned for decades. In August, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit denied his most recent request to be taken off death row, reversing a lower court’s decision. The court denied a request for a rehearing this week. On Monday, Moore said he planned to apply for a death warrant, the legal order that sets the date, time and location for the state to execute a death row inmate, to “move forward the jury’s decision for the death penalty.” If a judge signs off on the warrant, an execution will be scheduled. Wessinger would likely move from his cell on death row closer to the death chamber at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola.

CLIMATE

Continued from page 1A Officials in Boulder argue their lawsuit is an attempt to hold energy companies Suncor and ExxonMobil accountable for their contributions to climate change. They say that worsening disasters such as floods and wildfires put a heavy financial burden on local communities, and the industry should bear part of that cost. The city and county of Boulder first sued the oil companies in 2018, years before the 2021 Marshall Fire destroyed nearly 1,100 homes and left two people dead. Total damage was estimated at $2 billion, the costliest wildfire in Colorado history. The companies say that a flurry of lawsuits in state courts is not the way to deal with the global issue. Governments from largely blue-leaning areas around the country have filed similar lawsuits seeking damages

‘Let’s go do this’ STAFF PHOTO BY JAVIER GALLEGOS

U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow, inside the Ascension Parish Courthouse in Donaldsonville, says she is a ‘woman of faith. I believe that the good Lord doesn’t waste an experience, good or bad. I happen to feel that and see that so clearly in my life now as I walk this path that I never dreamed that I would be walking.’ ask her hand in marriage. Instead, he broke up. “It was devastating,” Letlow remembered. “It was one of the lowest points in my life.” But a year later, he sent her a contrite email, saying he had been immature. He asked for forgiveness. They married six months later. In 2014, Luke managed Abraham’s campaign for the 5th Congressional District and became his chief of staff after Abraham won the election. In 2020, Luke was well-positioned when Abraham decided not to seek a fourth term in Congress. Letlow campaigned with her husband whenever she was free, serving as his biggest champion. “Honey, you’ve got this,” she would tell him. “God gave you this talent for a reason. It’s a blessing to see you utilize this.” Luke ran ﬁrst in the nine-candidate primary and then crushed his runoff opponent on Dec. 5, 2020. The next day, Luke turned 41, and they had their daughter baptized at the local Presbyterian Church. But after Luke told her he was running a fever five days later, Letlow drove him to the hospital in Monroe, checked him in and was then given the agonizing news that she couldn’t be by his side because COVID-19 was so contagious and

dangerous. When Luke worsened, an ambulance took him to a hospital in Shreveport. Luke developed a blood clot. The doctor called Julia to tell her that an operation had been successful. “Then everything kind of went nuts, and he hung up,” Letlow said. “It was about an hour later that I got the call.” Letlow had been through tragedy before. When she was 20, her 17-year-old brother Jeremy died in a car crash. When she got the news then, she fell to her knees and cried uncontrollably. But later that day, when her sister was too inconsolable, Letlow collected herself enough to break the news to her parents. Afterward, she learned to live with the grief by interviewing people who also had lost brothers and sisters — and how they coped with it — for her doctoral dissertation at the University of South Florida. Now, 20 years after Jeremy died, she had to deal with more heartbreak with Luke’s death. “The minute your spouse dies, yes, you’re overcome with incredible grief and shock and loss,” she said recently. “But the ﬁrst thought that went to my mind was, ‘Oh, no, I’m solely responsible for two babies. I’m going to have to keep go-

It is still possible that courts could stay an execution after a warrant is issued, or that the warrant could be recalled. Wessinger is suing the state in federal court to halt his execution, arguing the nitrogen gas asphyxiation method the state has chosen is unconstitutionally cruel and unusual punishment. In July, a federal appeals court blocked the execution of an Alabama inmate by nitrogen gas; Louisiana modeled its execution protocol after Alabama’s. Louisiana deployed the method for the first time last March, using nitrogen for the death of convicted killer and rapist Jessie Hoffman Jr. It was Louisiana’s first execution in 15 years. Hoffman had also argued against the use of nitrogen in his execution, and sought in federal court for the state to use a different method. A divided 5-4 U.S. Supreme

Court allowed Louisiana to move forward with using the method on Hoffman. In 1995, Wessinger, a former employee of Calendar’s Restaurant that was located on Perkins Road in Baton Rouge, shot three coworkers with a pistol, killing Stephanie Guzzardo and David Breakwell. Investigators say he took $7,000 from the restaurant and ﬂed. Since 1997, he has faced a death sentence and has appealed several times. The state Supreme Court denied his ﬁrst attempt at an appeal in 1998 and a district judge shot down a request for a retrial in 2003. This would be the second time that a death warrant has been issued for Wessinger. In 2012, he was issued a death warrant that was later stayed as Wessinger sought a new trial. In 2017, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals revived his death sentence, a deci-

that could total billions of dollars, part of a wave of legal action worldwide seeking to leverage action through the courts. “Presumably, if you prevail, the next day, a municipality in every single state will ﬁle a lawsuit,” said Chief Justice John Roberts. “How do you think that will work out on the ground?” Justice Brett Kavanaugh said a win by Boulder could bankrupt the oil companies and other potential defendants. “I mean, anyone is a potential defendant for a suit like this. Any manufacturer, any business,” he said. A win for the oil and gas companies at the Supreme Court, meanwhile, could shut down dozens of similar cases ﬁled in recent years. Suncor and Exxon argue that the Clean Air Act gives the federal government — not the states — the power to regulate emissions. They have the support of the Trump administration, which argues the lawsuits are an unconstitutional attempt

to regulate planet-warming emissions and impose Colorado’s state law beyond its borders. But Roberts and other justices pointed out that state courts consider lawsuits about a myriad of issues that have nationwide reach. “I guess I’m not quite sure what makes this situation different from those,” Roberts said. The court is also weighing a jurisdictional question that could allow it an “off-ramp” to avoid deciding the issues right away. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson seemed like a vote in favor of that path. “Why shouldn’t we wait and hear all of these claims once the state courts are done?” she asked. The case was heard without Justice Samuel Alito, who recused himself just a week before arguments after facing calls to step aside because he owns stock in oil companies. That raises the possibility of a tie vote. A deadlock would leave in place a decision from Colorado’s highest court allowing the case to proceed.

ing for them.’”

‘I just had this peace’ After Luke was buried, Abraham said he wanted to discuss something with Letlow: She ought to consider running for his seat. “Julia, you were by his side,” someone else told her. “You learned from him. You saw what public service looks like. If there’s any desire in your heart to continue his legacy, we’d like for you to continue.” Letlow would later say that never in a million years had she thought someone would encourage her to run. But she trusted Abraham, Luke’s mentor, and warmed to the idea. Letlow remembered that she and Luke had held many conversations about the need to act as a humble servant to others. She also remembered a lesson from the siblings who had lost a loved one: Find a way to get outside of yourself every day and serve other people. Find a way to get up, get dressed, put your makeup on and get outside of yourself. “If you’re just in a fetal position in a dark room somewhere, it’s harder to keep moving forward,” she said. “Then to have these two small children who were depending on me to move forward in some way, I just had this peace about it.”

sion later upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court. Wessinger has had some success in his arguments. U.S. District Judge John deGravelles vacated Wessinger’s death sentence in 2022, ﬁnding his court-appointed attorneys were ineffective during the original trial. He wrote that the jury at the time received “inaccurate and incomplete information.” The judge remanded the case back to district court and ordered a new penalty phase. The decision was overturned on appeal, with the 5th Circuit reinstating the death sentence. In August, the appeals court denied Wessinger’s most recent request to avoid his execution, a decision Louisiana Attorney Liz Murrill called a “huge victory” for the victims’ families “who have waited decades to see justice.” Monday’s news puts Wessinger on track to be the second man executed in Louisi-

Letlow was at home a short time later when a song by the band Mercy Me began playing. The uplifting tune, “Say I Won’t” told the story of a friend of the band who lost parts of his arms and legs to septic shock but refused to be kept down afterward. “I’m gonna run,” went one of the lyrics. That resolved Letlow’s final doubts. She was gonna run. “I know it sounds a bit out there,” Letlow said. “But at that time in my life, I needed those signs from the Lord that this was the right act, to continue moving forward.” She called Abraham. “OK, Doc, let’s go do this,” she said. Letlow had to move quickly. The qualifying period was less than two weeks away. She immediately faced pushback from people who said she couldn’t campaign for and represent a sprawling district in Washington as a single mother with two small children. “Her attitude was: I’ve got to have a job,” said her mother Kathi, and friends and family could help with the children. Today, favored to become one of the 100 senators, Letlow believes she made the right choice to run for the House seat ﬁve years ago. “I know there will be future valleys,” she said. “But there are also mountaintops. Joy is a choice. I wake up every day determined to choose joy. I hope people see it in me and can feel it when they interact with me.”

ana since the state restarted the death penalty in recent years. The state had halted executions for 15 years because it could not obtain the drugs necessary to carry out lethal injections. Drug companies had threatened to withhold necessary medications for the state’s prison population if Louisiana were to use their drugs for executions, officials from the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections have testiﬁed. But the Legislature, with the backing of Gov. Jeff Landry and Murrill, expanded the list of legal methods in 2024 to include nitrogen asphyxiation and the electric chair, although prison officials have said they do not have the necessary equipment to use the latter technique. The state also passed laws shielding the release of information about who supplies equipment for executions.

SPACEX

Continued from page 1A Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. SpaceX also plans to dredge to a 16-foot depth some existing channels near the site, producing 2.7 million cubic yards of dredge material, and to add turning cuts and basins to further access inland facilities. The Port of Vermilion has a 12-foot depth, which limits its use to barges and small vessels. It’s not large enough or deep enough, the permit application states, to accommodate the vessel draft, vessel beam, berth length and turning area the project requires. Material dredged during this phase of the project would be used for coastal restoration efforts as part of the state’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority master plan.

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TODAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

Mostly sunny

Partly sunny, a stray t-storm

Sun and areas of high clouds

Occasional rain and a t-storm

A couple of showers possible

Mostly cloudy

HIGH

LOW

HIGH

89° 69°

LOW

HIGH

88° 67°

LOW

88° 67°

Baton Rouge 90/69

Lake Charles 90/71

Port Arthur 88/74

New Orleans 85/74 Houma 85/71

Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.

Hattiesburg 87/65

Alexandria 89/68

Lafayette 89/69

Beaumont 89/71

10s

20s

30s

40s

50s

LOW

HIGH

LOW

83° 69°

YESTERDAY

TODAY

READING 38 MAIN POLLUTANT Particulates

MAIN POLLUTANT Particulates

Lafayette through 5 p.m. Monday

Jackson 87/65 Many 88/64

HIGH

81° 64°

TEMPERATURE

Longview 87/61

-0s

LOW

Monroe 91/66

Shreveport 89/63

-10s

HIGH

84° 68°

An area of disorganized showers and thunderstorms in the Southwest Gulf will be headed towards the northern Gulf coast over the next few days. Tropical development is possible. Otherwise, expect a mostly sunny to partly cloudy, hot and breezy day. Temperatures this afternoon will rise to the upper 80s. The winds will be northeasterly at 10 to 15 mph, bringing more dry air into Southwest Louisiana. Under sunny skies, there is no rain in the forecast today through Thursday.

60s

70s

80s

90s 100s 110s

High/low Normal high/low Last year’s high/low Record high Record low

Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today NEW

OCT 10

City

Austin Boston Dallas Fairbanks Honolulu Las Vegas Louisville Miami Nashville

Shown are areas of precipitation and high temperatures for the day.

83°/74° 85°/64° 82°/68° 95° in 1912 45° in 2010

TODAY’S TIDES Lake Pontchartrain (Tchefuncte River) Shell Beach South Point, Marsh Island Cypremort Point Grand Isle (Barataria Pass) Mississippi River (Southwest Pass) Wine Island

24-hour total Month to date Normal month to date Year to date Normal year to date

HIGH

5:26p 10:58a 3:05a 5:39a 7:06a 6:25a 8:14a

7:04 a.m. 6:47 p.m. 2:57 a.m. 4:32 p.m.

FIRST

OCT 18

88 62 85 40 87 96 75 90 82

TODAY Lo

62 45 62 30 72 75 51 77 57

FULL

LAST

OCT 25

s s s c sh s s t s

NOV 1

90 67 86 40 86 99 83 90 87

GOOD

PRECIPITATION

WED. Lo

64 55 63 27 74 74 60 77 58

s s s c pc s s t s

FT.

LOW

0.40” 0.87” 0.73” 47.03” 49.43”

FT.

HIGH

0.8 4:01a 0.1 1.9 10:10p 0.6 2.3 7:02a 2.0 1.9 11:19a 1.5 1.4 5:54p 0.4 1.8 4:08p 0.6 1.8 6:56p 0.5

FT.

SOURCE: LOUISIANA DEQ AND AIRNOW.GOV

LOW

FT.

--- ----- ----- ----- --12:04p 2.1 6:16p 0.6 1:26p 1.5 10:17p 0.5 --- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ---

The solunar period schedule allows planning days so you will be fishing in good territory or hunting in good cover during those times. Major periods begin at the times shown and last for 1.5 to 2 hours. The minor periods are shorter. MAJOR MINOR MAJOR MINOR

Today 8:35a Wednesday 9:18a Thursday 9:59a Friday 10:40a Saturday 11:23a Sunday 12:32p Monday 12:35a

City

New Orleans Orlando Philadelphia Phoenix Pittsburgh Raleigh St. Louis San Diego Tampa

85 83 65 99 63 73 79 91 83

2:22a 3:06a 3:48a 4:29a 5:11a 5:57a 6:47a

TODAY Lo

74 73 47 79 43 48 59 73 75

9:00p 9:42p 10:21p 11:02p 11:45p ---12:59p

t t s s s s s s t

GOOD

84 81 72 102 73 78 88 87 82

2:48p 3:30p 4:10p 4:51p 5:34p 6:20p 7:11p

WED. Lo

73 72 55 78 52 53 57 71 73

MISSISSIPPI Memphis Vidalia-Natchez Red River Landing Baton Rouge Donaldsonville Reserve New Orleans OHIO Cairo COMITE Near Olive AMITE Near Darlington Denham Springs Port Vincent TICKFAW Montpelier Holden ATCHAFALAYA Simmesport Melville Krotz Springs Butte La Rose Bayou Sorrel Morgan City

t t s s s s s s t

Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain, sf-snow flurries, sn-snow, i-ice.

FLOOD STAGE

34 48 48 35 27 22 17

MON. 24-HOUR STAGE CHANGE

5.00 26.30 28.10 12.40 7.10 5.46 4.70

-1.43 +0.42 +0.70 +0.60 none +0.29 -0.15

16.60

-2.39

-1.40

+0.23

18 29 8

-1.20 9.96 3.45

+0.03 +0.18 +0.08

13 15

1.67 0.58

+0.05 -0.11

47 34 29 20 12 6

12.02 7.75 6.35 5.58 4.30 2.74

+1.50 +0.74 +0.56 +0.45 +0.50 -0.10

data as of 7 a.m. Monday

Pa. measles outbreak largest in decades in U.S. BY MIKE STOBBE -

AP medical writer

NEW YORK — Pennsylvania has surpassed 1,000 measles cases this year, state health ofﬁcials said Monday, making it the largest state outbreak in more than three decades. The U.S. is enduring its worst year for measles since 1991, with nearly 3,900 reported cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The nation has seen eight reported measles-associated deaths in the past two years — more than the combined total of reported deaths over the previous three decades. Since the beginning of last

year, large outbreaks have been reported in several states, including Texas and Utah, as well as South Carolina, which had the largest with 997 cases reported. The governor of New York on Monday declared a disaster emergency because of measles cases in neighboring states and in rural areas of New York. The executive order extends the pool of people who can administer measles vaccines to include paramedics, midwives and others, and allows nurses to join doctors in ordering testing. The state has more than 100 cases this year. Health ofﬁcials say Pennsylvania’s current outbreak started in April, west of

Philadelphia. There have been 1,004 cases, including 198 hospitalizations and five deaths, state officials said. Health experts attribute such outbreaks to low vaccination rates. It’s been decades since a U.S. state has seen an outbreak surpass 1,000 cases, stretching back to a multiyear outbreak in New York City in the early 1990s that infected more than 4,500 ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO people. A nurse prepares a combination measles, mumps and The nation eliminated the rubella vaccine for a patient on March 17 at a pediatrics domestic spread of measles in 2000 by maintaining high clinic in Easley, S.C. vaccination rates, but those rates have fallen in recent breaks. to determine if the U.S. and years to below the 95% covIn November, internation- Mexico have lost their meaerage needed to prevent out- al health officials will meet sles-free status.

Measles is highly contagious. It spreads when people who have it breathe, cough or sneeze, and through contaminated surfaces. It also can linger in the air for two hours. Up to 9 out of 10 people who are susceptible will get the virus if exposed, according to the CDC. U.S. measles infections have been surging in recent years, as fewer kids get routine vaccines due to parental waivers, healthcare access issues and rampant disinformation. Pennsylvania and New York are not the only states with a growing problem. Another is Ohio, with more than 200 cases this year.

Anger grows after U.S. Marine Russia says worker at plague institute got pneumonia from an unknown cause, died arrested over killing of woman By The Associated Press

BY MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press

TOKYO — The arrest of a U.S. Marine on suspicion of robbing and killing a local woman on Okinawa has drawn condemnation from Japan’s leaders and renewed protests against the heavy American military presence on the southern island. The alleged killing could complicate Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s push to strengthen Japanese military defense on the island and to work more closely with the U.S. military to deter China in the region. Okinawa prefectural police said they arrested Devin Jacob Ballard, 20, who is stationed at Futenma Air Station, on suspicion of strangling Anna Yagi, 39, at a hotel in the island’s capital city of Naha early Saturday and stealing her wallet and backpack. He has denied

OKINAWA

the allegations, according to Japanese media. Security camera footage showed a man wearing a black top, trousers and white sneakers entering the hotel with the woman and later leaving alone. Ballard was arrested when a patrolling officer saw him walking later Saturday in an entertainment district in Okinawa City, about 15 miles northeast of Naha. His shaved head and the tattoos on his arms matched those of the man in security footage, Kyodo news agency reported. “I’m outraged and ﬂabbergasted to hear that a suspect came to the (entertainment area) after committing a murder,” Kenji Higa, who lives in Okinawa City, told the Okinawa Times. People in Okinawa have long been wary of the U.S.

presence on the island but many have come to see its strategic value due to what is widely viewed as a growing threat from China. Okinawa was under U.S. occupation from World War II until 1972. Today it hosts 70% of America’s military facilities and most of the 50,000 U.S. troops based in Japan today. There has been anger over increasing crime linked to the U.S. military on the island. The number of U.S. military-related criminal cases rose to 101 last year from about 40 in 2020, according to prefectural police. After the 1995 rape of a 12-year-old girl by three U.S. service members, huge crowds protested the heavy U.S. troop presence on Okinawa. There was also anger over the rape of a teenage girl by a U.S. service member in 2024 and the delayed disclosure of the crime.

Russian authorities have quarantined a hospital and are monitoring contacts of an employee at a plague research institute in Siberia who contracted pneumonia of an “unknown” cause. Local state TV said the woman died last week. Russian authorities said they found no evidence that her illness was caused by any of the pathogens she worked with. But the case has raised alarm in Russia after unconﬁrmed media reports suggested she might have died of pneumonic plague — a less common but severe form of plague that can spread from person to person. The woman worked at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and the Far East in Irkutsk, southeastern Siberia. A state TV station in Irkutsk reported Monday that she died last week in a hospital in Shelekhov, a town just outside

Irkutsk. The hospital has been placed under quarantine, Mayor Maxim Modin said Friday, no longer admitting or discharging patients, and its laboratory halted carrying out routine tests. The hospital’s outpatient clinic kept operating as usual, he said. Anna Popova, head of Russia’s public health watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, ﬂew to Irkutsk and met with Gov. Igor Kobzev and other ofﬁcials on Friday. Kobzev said everyone who came into contact with the woman is under medical supervision. He didn’t identify the infection and called it a suspected case of “a particularly dangerous infection.” Rospotrebnadzor was implementing “a full range of anti-epidemic measures,” he added. Rospotrebnadzor said Sunday the woman was diagnosed with “pneumonia of unknown etiology,” or origin, and said “extensive” testing

found “no microorganisms associated with the patient’s professional activities.” The agency also said it didn’t uncover any incidents at the institute “involving pathogenic microorganisms.” Two people who were in contact with the woman tested positive for a virus that causes a common cold and two others for COVID-19, the agency said, adding that others who were tested were all negative. In Washington, President Donald Trump said he was watching the situation with concern and said the United States would be willing to help, though he said he had not spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin about the situation. “It’s a rough disease. You know, that’s a disease we used to be able to control, but somehow those microbes have gotten stronger and smarter. They’re like an army,” Trump told reporters outside the White House.

METRO

T H E A D V O C AT E.C O M

T u e s d ay, O c T O b e r 6, 2026

1bN

Gulf disturbance threatens plans Jan Risher

Reading the cards

Last Friday, I was in New Orleans planning to go to the Pharmacy Museum to write a column. The afternoon was perfect. My husband and I walked a mile to the museum, only to ﬁnd it closed for a special event. So I went to Plan B — Faulkner House Books in Pirate’s Alley behind St. Louis Cathedral. It had closed early. We ended up in Jackson Square sharing an oversized cup of lemonade. We made the loop, then sat on a bench enjoying the breeze and the music from the musician in the corner. As a Louisiana friend once told me after enjoying early-morning beignets and coffee at Café Du Monde, “There’s a reason why some things are cliché. It was wonderful.” I was thinking the same thing. For about 20 minutes, I watched the fortune teller in front of us wearing a West African-style head wrap, contemplating what I would do about not yet having an experience to write a column about. She sat at her small table, eating green grapes from a basket in her wagon, with no takers. I resisted approaching her for as long as I could. Finally, I said to my husband, “I guess I need to know what it’s like to be a tarot card reader for strangers on Jackson Square.” She was one of seven tarot card readers on the plaza in front of the cathedral. Her name is Fiﬁ Laurent. She grew up in the New Orleans area, went to Destrehan High School and is in her “second season on Jackson Square.” She described a season as running from September “until it gets too hot to sit outside.”

system remains an area of Festivals Acadiens, weekend events could be rained out lowThepressure that is not well or-

BY DEAN BOUDREAUX Staff writer

A Gulf of Mexico disturbance has an 80% chance of developing into a tropical system within seven days and could bring heavy rain to Acadiana this weekend, a National Weather Service meteorologist said Monday. The chance of development is 60% within 48 hours, said Donald Jones, a meteorologist with the weather service in Lake Charles. Development is most likely

Wednesday or Thursday, he said. Computer models range from a tropical depression to a hurricane, underscoring the uncertainty about the system’s potential strength. “There’s just a whole lot of uncertainty still with exactly how strong it could potentially become,” Jones said. Forecasters are confident the system will drift north or northeast, Jones said. Residents from Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle should monitor its develop-

Email Dean Boudreaux: dean. boudreaux@theadvocate.com.

IN MEMORY OF MICKEY TOP: Nancy, left, and Tom Shunick stand beside the bicycle memorial for their daughter Mickey Shunick during the Mickey’s Loop Memorial Bike Ride on Thursday. ABOVE: Riders arrive at the Mickey Shunick Memorial. LEFT: Matt Mick, president of Bike Lafayette, addresses the riders before the commencement of the Mickey’s Loop Memorial Bike Ride on Thursday.

STAFF PHOTO BY JAN RISHER

ä See RISHER, page 4B

ganized, Jones said. Its strength will help determine what steers it, which in turn will determine where it goes. Jones urged residents to check their emergency supplies and decide where they would go if they had to evacuate. He recommended following the National Weather Service and established local media, and cautioned against social media posts making outlandish claims.

PHOTOS BY ROBIN MAY

Fifi Laurent, a tarot card reader on Jackson Square in New Orleans

She said she has given readings professionally for nearly ﬁve years. “I was born and raised into it,” she said. “It was never a, ‘Oh, we go home, and then we do the voodoo.’ It was just a way of life.” She said it was the way her grandmother lived. “It’s how she swept the house,” Laurent said. Even so, Laurent said she didn’t anticipate being on Jackson Square doing readings. “It’s just now that it’s the cool thing to do, so now we can attach the label back to it,” she said. “I just woke up one day, and people were talking about voodoo.” She doesn’t deny there’s a show element to the readings on Jackson Square, but she’s happy that more people have access to the tradition. She said that her grandmother was forced to speak English at school, so English was all she passed down. Now Laurent speaks Creole. Doing so, she said, gives her great joy. I asked what she believes people get from her readings. “Honestly, I think they get a therapy session,” she said.

ment. The heaviest rain is likely Friday into the weekend, Jones said. The current forecast calls for 2 to 4 inches of rain in Lafayette, though totals could be significantly higher if the system tracks closer to Acadiana or lower if it moves toward the Alabama or Florida coast. The timing overlaps with Festivals Acadiens et Créoles, a free outdoor event at Girard Park scheduled for Thursday through Sunday.

Former detainee starts over in Canada LSU nursing graduate self-deported last year

BY HALEY MILLER Staff writer

In her bedroom at her grandma’s house in Olanchito, Honduras, in May, LSU nursing graduate Vilma Palacios was checking her email when she noticed a new message in her Canadian immigration portal. Her hands trembled as she clicked on the notiﬁcation. “I didn’t want to get my hopes up,” Palacios said. In the back of her mind were the scenes from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement pro-

cessing center in Basile, where she was detained for six months last year before self-deporting. She remembered those long hours Palacios in the facility where there was nothing to do but watch the news and try not to think about her case. But the email contained lifechanging good news: approved. “I felt overjoyed and blessed,” Palacios said. “This was everything that I wanted living in the States.” She would be leaving Honduras and moving to Canada to work as a nurse, one year after graduating from LSU and one year since ICE agents arrested her while

she was trying to get a vehicle inspection sticker. She immediately called her parents. Her mom started crying from happiness, she said. “I still can’t believe that this is actually my life now,” Palacios said. “This is real life. How lucky I am to be granted this opportunity, especially being a Latina and the ﬁrst generation in my family to move to Canada and be on my own and succeeding. Everything that I had dreamed is what I am getting, but even better.” For Palacios and her friends and family, the conclusion of her journey brings nuanced emotions. They wonder why, in the middle of a worsening nursing shortage in Louisiana and the U.S., she was

ä See NURSE, page 4B

October in Acadiana filled with festivals BY JA’KORI MADISON Staff writer

October in Acadiana is filled with events and festivals celebrating everything from blackpot cooking and local haunts to the rice harvest and gumbo competitions. It’s no wonder Lafayette made the list of best fall destinations in the U.S. for the third consecutive year, finishing fifth in the USA Today Readers’ Choice Awards. The October lineup kicks off with the free, three-day Festivals Acadiens et Créoles in Lafayette.

ä See FESTIVALS, page 4B

2B ● Tuesday, October 6, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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OPINION T H E A D V O C AT E.C O M/opinions

OUR VIEWS

Proceed with caution on AI in the classroom There’s no question that artificial intelligence is reshaping our world faster than many thought possible. AI tools are transforming entire industries and could make some jobs obsolete in the next decade. And it’s also changing the way we teach our kids. Louisiana schools have embraced AI in the classroom with technology that can tailor lessons to each kid’s abilities, help teachers create lesson plans and more. The state Department of Education has issued guidance saying Louisiana wants to be a leader in leveraging AI. We are not Luddites. We recognize that AI has the potential to bring tremendous benefits to teachers and students. However, when it comes to AI in the classroom, we are with the parents who are calling for educators to slow down and think carefully about the long-term effect of having kids stare at screens and read to AI “tutors” rather than real human teachers. Let’s recall that our state’s recent reading gains that have been the talk of the nation have come not because of some fancy new technology. They have come from a back-to-basics approach that emphasizes phonics and trains teachers to spot which students are struggling and get them remedial help. The strategies adopted by education leaders have relied on data and evidence of what works. So far, little solid research exists on which AI tools work best in the classroom. Particularly for younger students, there should be thoughtful discussion before AI apps are used as a substitute for human interaction. That’s why we are encouraged that more parents are starting to force this conversation in school districts. In St. Tammany Parish, for example, a group of moms banded together to form a local chapter of Schools Beyond Screens, a national group that is advocating for restrictions on AI use in schools. One of their first steps is a survey on how devices are used in schools. The Louisiana Federation of Teachers says it is conducting a similar survey among teachers. This is important. Before we can discuss issues with AI, we need to understand exactly how it is being used. Some of the country’s largest school districts, including New York and Los Angeles, have issued moratoriums on AI use in K-12 schools. While we would not go so far as to call for a ban, we do advocate for a slowdown in the adoption of this technology. We understand that some large tech companies are making a lot of money peddling tablets, apps and AI education tools to school districts. And that makes us even more wary. After all, the oft-quoted mantra in Silicon Valley is to “move fast and break things.” That may be well and good when it comes to developing the newest phone or software. But if we break our kids, there isn’t any quick fix.

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identifying name, occupation and/or title and the writer’s city of residence. The Advocate | The Times-Picayune require a street 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. Box 588, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-0588, or email letters@ theadvocate.com.

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Criminal defense is vital and guaranteed by the Constitution

‘Pelican Thrasher’ pipeline’s name adds insult to injury Louisiana’s state bird is the brown pelican. So perhaps someone should explain how a pipeline being built to feed yet another massive LNG export facility on Louisiana’s coast ended up carrying the name “Pelican Thrasher.” Maybe the people who chose the name never stopped to consider how it sounds. Maybe they did. Either way, the symbolism is impossible to ignore. WhiteWater’s proposed Pelican Thrasher Lateral would stretch approximately 65 miles through southwest Louisiana to deliver enormous volumes of natural gas to Commonwealth LNG in Cameron Parish. And the communities being asked to live with the pipelines, industrial construction, wetlands disturbance, vessel trafﬁc, dredging, emissions and cumulative impacts are supposed to casually accept a project carrying a name that sounds like something that thrashes Louisiana’s own state bird. Who thought that was appropriate? For coastal Louisiana, the pelican is more than a logo. It represents our state. It represents the coast, the wetlands and the wildlife intertwined with the culture and livelihoods of the people who live here.

For years, southwest Louisiana residents have watched corporations arrive with enormous projects while our wetlands, fisheries, waterways and communities are expected to absorb the consequences. Now we are being handed something literally called the Pelican Thrasher. At some point, Louisiana deserves more than corporate branding, regulatory rubber stamps and assurances that everything will be fine. We deserve respect. We deserve decency and consideration. Louisiana has already watched enough of its coast get thrashed, trashed, used and abused. The people of Louisiana have watched our way of life be destroyed by multi-billion-dollar corporations. We have watched our wildlife, fisheries and environment be catastrophically harmed for a select few to become filthy rich.

Recently, I received a campaign flyer in the mail from someone who suggested that her opponent in a judicial race could “not be trusted to keep our families safe.” This conclusion came from the fact that he “chose to defend” people accused of rape, murder, child pornography and fentanyl distribution. I take umbrage at this cheap shot. The candidate noted that she had started her career at the Louisiana Supreme Court and done much scholarly research. But she apparently missed both the law school classes and the Louisiana (and United States) Supreme Court opinions stressing that the system can only work with the vigorous efforts of defense attorneys, as guaranteed by both the Louisiana Constitution and the Sixth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Like the candidate who circulated the flyer, I also started work clerking at the Louisiana Supreme Court after going to a highly regarded law school. Like her, I have written law review articles. She probably also taught — as I have— some law school classes and some continuing education courses in both substantive law and procedure. She has devoted “countless hours” to pro bono service, just as I chose to become a public defender for almost 47 years. She may have worked for her church, just as I have worked as both a eucharistic minister and Boy Scout leader. I have represented countless fellow citizens accused of rape, murder, child pornography offenses and drug distribution. But if any candidate — anywhere, anytime — were to suggest that my devotion to the ideals of the Constitution disqualified me from serving as a judge, what would that show? It would show that the candidate is so saturated with prejudices against fellow citizens accused of crime that the candidate herself cannot be trusted to rid herself of those prejudices, as would be required when taking office.

ROBYN THIGPEN executive director, FISH (Fishermen Involved In Sustaining Our Heritage) Sulphur MICHAEL TRITICO president, RESTORE (Restore Explicit Symmetry to our Ravaged Earth) Longville

We need unbiased review of 15-year roof rule I just read the article concerning the fortified roof program the state of Louisiana offered and how the rules changed midstream for those who purchased a fortified roof (“How a change in fortified roof program could cause homeowners to lose discounts after 15 years,” Oct. 3). Everyone should have seen that coming, since the Institute for Business and Home Safety board that makes the rules is nothing but executives from major insurance companies. IBHS is wholly supported by the property insurance industry. Where did the 15-year rule come from? Why

not 20 years? Are there engineering studies out there to support the 15-year rule? It seems to me that there should be an independent body outside the insurance industry that could review the rule and make a decision since the state has invested so much in the fortiﬁed roof program. Has the newspaper or Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple even asked that question? Please explain to me how the state came up with 15 years.

GARY GIFFEL Geismar

Two identical plays, two rulings — both against Saints TO SEND US A LETTER, SCAN HERE

Anyone who doesn’t think there is something corrupt with the NFL must not be watching the New Orleans Saints this year. Game 1: Saints sack Lions quarterback, his arm straight in the air — the ball comes loose, the Saints pick it up and score a touchdown. The ruling is an incomplete pass, and the Saints don’t have the ball. On Sept. 27, an identical play: The Saints have the ball, with quarterback Tyler Shough’s arm in the air to pass. A Raiders player hits him; the ball

comes out of his hand and the Raiders recover. The ruling is a fumble. Two identical plays, two different rulings, and both are against the Saints. Here is the catch: The NFL has a gag order in all players’ and coaches’ contracts, banning any bad talk about ofﬁciating or the NFL. If they do so, they will be ﬁned or suspended. And people pay very good money to see this corruption.

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COMMENTARY Britain bails out possible terrorists Republicans President Donald Trump says he was after he was accused in a German ter“surprised” that Britain released five ror plot. suspected terrorists on bail. The susOne might think that Britain, which pects were arrested after a farmer saw suffered its own “9/11” on July 7, 2005, when terrorists targeted London’s the masked men and several vans 100 public transportation system, yards from a British air base the killing 52 people, might take U.S. has used to conduct bombsubsequent threats more seriing runs on Iran. British authorities said tests ously and not release the five on the vehicles did not reveal suspects on bail. Human nature any “viable explosives.” Maybe and their ideology suggest not, but such suspicious behavior these men are unlikely to show Cal might have been a test run ahead up for their court date and Thomas of an attack on the base. Predictcould flee the country. Though America has not exably, Iran, which has threatened to retaliate against any nation aligning perienced another terrorist attack on itself with the U.S. attacks, has denied the scale of 9/11, Britain has been the any connection to the men. Did we extarget of several other catastrophic attacks. Unfortunately, the power of pect Iran to tell the truth? political correctness and not wanting Why not wait until the investigation to call the motivation behind these atis complete before considering the release of the suspects on bail? The pubtacks for what it is, overcame common sense. lic doesn’t know the names of the five There was the Manchester Arena men because British laws restrict such Bombing on May 22, 2017, at an Ariana disclosures, so their backgrounds canGrande concert. Twenty-two people not be independently investigated. were killed. More evidence that Britain is letting On March 22, 2017, there was an atits guard down – if it ever had it sufficiently up – comes with news that Lon- tack on London’s Westminster Bridge. The driver of a vehicle struck people don granted refugee status and later walking on the bridge. He then got out citizenship to a former bodyguard of and stabbed others. Five people died. Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, though Then there was the attack on London his ties to terror groups were publicly known. They kept on hosting him even Bridge on June 3, 2017 — A van and

knife attack on London Bridge and in Borough Market killed eight people. It appeared to be a copycat of the March 22 attack. What does it say about Britain’s seriousness in ﬁghting terrorism when it took a farmer, not the police, to discover suspicious activity so close to an air base? Did the base not have cameras or military patrols? Was anyone paying attention besides the alert farmer? Britain has been in decline for years. As in other European countries, London has had issues with high levels of cross-border asylum-seekers. The border policy of the Biden administration also contributed to the immigration crisis at America’s southern border. To his credit, President Trump effectively closed the southern border to asylum seekers and unauthorized migrants and has deported thousands of criminals who violated U.S. immigration laws, potentially making the country safer. Letting these ﬁve suspects out on bail was a major mistake that could come back to haunt the British government. If terrorists, or any like-minded people manage to attack the air base and people are killed, it will be the government that will have blood on its hands. Email Cal Thomas at tcaeditors@ tribpub.com.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO BY ALASTAIR GRANT

A B1 bomber prepares to take off as police officers man a checkpoint near RAF Fairford air base, in Fairford, England, on Sept. 29.

Stop buying votes, everybody It would be hard to find a more insult- proval but questioned the mechanics of handing out all that dough. Rep. Beth ing offer than to exchange money for Van Duyne, R-Texas, said, “The devil’s your vote. That’s exactly what Presialways in the details.” dent Donald Trump did in announcing Actually, the devil is in the offer. It is that if voters keep Republicans in a buying of votes. If Republicans power come the midterms, attempt a partisan comeback by he’ll send every adult citizen a arguing that Democrats do it, too, $5,000 check. they have a point. Democrats do Now, one would not put monbuy votes, though they usually ey on that promise. Even if couch the exchange in less vulgar Republicans do retain control terms. of both the House and the SenFroma Was Joe Biden buying votes ate, the promise will surely Harrop when he promised to help pay off be thrown in the same manila student loans? He was. He anfolder as the vow to release the Epstein files, all of them. nounced his student-debt cancellation Of course, Trump would not be payplan, which would have erased up to ing us five grand — the federal govern- $10,000 in debt for qualifying borrowment would. ers, shortly before the 2022 midterms. That would cost around $1.2 trillion. Helping pay for education sounds Trump says the money would come nice on the surface. But it raised refrom his tariff collections. The math sentment in families who saved money doesn’t work. The tariffs so far have for college. One middle-income father, raised only about $270 billion after sub- ordinarily a devoted Democrat, comtracting the court-ordered refunds to plained to me that he sent his highimporters. achieving son to a community college To be fair to Republicans, the offer for the first two years because it was has turned a number of their stomachs. free. “I disagree with it,” said Rep. Ralph Has New York Gov. Kathy Hochul Norman, R-S.C. “It’s pay-to-play ... Plus, put votes on the auction block by mailwhere are you getting the money? I ing checks of up to $200 “to help famithink we’re in debt $40 trillion.” lies keep pace with the rising cost of Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, was less energy”? Of course. diplomatic: “Some of us think depenA Democrat up for reelection, Hodency is evil and soul-sucking, in all its chul is in a surprisingly close race with forms.” Republican Bruce Blakeman, a Nassau Others skipped the moral disapCounty executive.

Her pitch is pretty blatant: “You don’t have to do a thing. No application, no paperwork ... If you’re eligible, the check is coming to you.” She pretties it up by calling the payments an investment. These days, Vice President JD Vance sees himself as Trump’s sander, smoothing the abrasive edges of his policies without sounding overly critical, important if he harbors his own presidential ambitions. Vance also suggested that wealthy Americans wouldn’t get those $5,000 checks. “What the president is saying,” Vance explained, “is if you keep us in power and allow us to continue to do these things, then you’re going to share in some of the beneﬁts ...” Which of “these things” is he referring to? Surely not the tariffs, the Iran war, the government borrowings that have made life in America a lot more expensive. There’s the argument that farm subsidies and tax cuts are also payoffs for votes. One difference is that the farm money goes mainly to farmers and the tax cuts go mostly to the upper incomes who least need the help. All politicians should be called out for vote buying with taxpayer dollars. Trump’s $5,000 bid just adds insult by being so blatant. Froma Harrop is on X @FromaHarrop. Email her at fharrop@gmail.com.

don’t own religion

For more than 50 years, voters of faith have aligned strongly with the Republican Party. In the last election, White evangelical Christians accounted for almost 1 in 4 voters, and they backed Donald Trump by an astounding 82% to 17%, according to exit polls. Voters with no religious ties, also about one-fourth of the electorate, supported Kamala Harris 71% to 27%. This year, that vast imbalance is starting to shift. A small but vocal Steve number of Democratic candidates Roberts for the House and Senate are emphasizing their religious origins and values. Often, they cite scripture to explain their embrace of liberal doctrine. A typical campaign argument is voiced by Sarah Trone Garriott, a Lutheran minister and state legislator who is challenging the incumbent Republican, Zach Nunn, in Iowa’s third district. “Jesus tells the parable of the Good Samaritan,” she preaches. “Everyone is your neighbor. Anyone who is overlooked and left behind and forgotten — that’s who you are called to help, and that is the calling of government.” “When you say that a candidate is religious, most voters then assume that they’re Republican, that they’re pretty conservative,” David Campbell, a political science professor at the University of Notre Dame, told Reuters. “What you’re seeing now is a small group of Democrats who are using religious language to speak about issues on the left.” Those faith-based Democrats don’t have an easy path. Their party is deeply rooted in highly secular institutions, like universities, and coastal urban centers where words like “God” and “prayer” are seldom invoked — even disdained. “If you’re a Democratic candidate, you actually have a pretty tricky road to navigate, because on the one hand, you do have a very secular base, people who are not very comfortable with religion,” says Campbell. “But on the other hand, there are a lot of moderate voters out there who are up for grabs who are very comfortable with religious language.” The modern connection between observant voters and conservative politics obscures a long and important dimension in American history. Liberal religionists have played major roles in many righteous crusades, from abolishing slavery and enacting women’s suffrage to the civil rights struggles of the 1960s. A major change started with the Roe v. Wade decision of 1973 that legalized abortion and energized right-wing religious leaders to enter politics. Progressive court rulings on issues like gay rights and school prayer further inflamed many observant voters, and Republican candidates generated support by promising to appoint federal judges who would reverse those opinions. Donald Trump is hardly a paragon of religious values. He’s been married three times, seldom goes to church, brags about abusing women and stands convicted of sexual assault and paying hush money to a porn star. But he’s remained popular among religious conservatives by appointing about 280 judges, including three to the Supreme Court, who all voted to overturn the Roe decision. He’s also cloaked himself in religious imagery, posting memes that depict him as the pope and even as a Jesus-like healer. In his latest TV ads, he calls the fall election the “final battle” and vows to “cast out” his enemies — clear references to Biblical paradigms. The faith-based Democrats running this fall are trying to shift the focus away from these cultural issues to economic ones, where Trump and the Republicans are far weaker. A good example is Lindsay James, a Presbyterian chaplain and state legislator who decided to run for Congress in Iowa after Republicans slashed federal healthcare spending and offended her Christian values. Voters tell her about having to choose between paying for utility bills or winter clothing, rent or food. “These are the kinds of impossible choices that people are making, and they’re doing it in the wealthiest country in the world,” James said at a political rally. “And I think all of us can agree that that is not right.” “For the first time in a long time, Democratic candidates are making faith voters a priority and making sure they know that they’re an essential part of the party,” Doug Pagitt, an evangelical pastor and executive director of Vote Common Good, writes in The Hill. “Just as Republicans don’t own what it means to be American, Republicans don’t own religion. Democrats should embrace our religious diversity and firmly declare that people of faith belong in our party.” In letting Republicans “own religion,” Democrats have been making a major mistake. The candidates who are reclaiming the historical connection between strong faith and progressive ideals are doing “good works.” Email Steven Roberts at stevecokie@gmail. com.

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FESTIVALS

The Shadows Arts & Crafts festival will take place Saturday at Shadowson-the-Teche New Iberia.

Continued from page 1B That same weekend, visitors can browse a market at Shadows-on-the-Teche, where local artists will display and sell handmade crafts and art. Then toward the end of the month, celebrate Halloween with live music and family-friendly activities. Here are the festivals and tival with regional and naevents to put on your Octo- tional acts. n Blackpot Festival & Cookoff ber calendar: 300 Fisher Road, Oct. 30Cultural, music festivals 31. Music, dancing, campn Festivals Acadiens et Créoles ing, and cooking competi500 Girard Park Drive, tions (gumbo, jambalaya, Thursday through Sunday. desserts, gravy). Free multiday Cajun/Creole music, food, crafts and Halloween themed fests n Blood Moon Bash cultural celebration. n Shadows Arts & Crafts Festival 1638 Creswell Lane, 317 E. Main St. in New Opelousas, Saturday. An inIberia, Saturday. Over 100 door Halloween music and Louisiana craft vendors. social event hosted by the n International Rice Festival Krewe de Rougaroux feaCrowley, Oct. 15-18. Fea- turing Petty Betty. n Halloween Art & Nature tures different daily events, rice and Creole cookery Festival (“Creatures of the Night”) contest, carnival rides, ﬁd1050 Andrew Gautreaux dle and accordion contests, Road, Arnaudville, Oct. 31. parades and a queen’s ball. Free nature and arts festival n Acadia Music Fest featuring site-specific art, Acadia Plantation Town STEAM activities, bat/bug Center, 110 Rue Angelique, hikes and evening camping Oct. 17. Outdoor music fes- (registration required).

NURSE

Continued from page 1B sent away at all. “That makes no sense, and we all suffer for that,” said Matthew Reese, a nursing instructor at LSU Health New Orleans who taught Palacios. “Our parents and grandparents are deﬁnitely suffering by experiencing shortages. Good for Canada for recognizing an opportunity here to grow their country stronger.” President Donald Trump has intensified the focus on border security in his second term. His administration says that looser immigration policies cost U.S. citizens jobs and enable drug and sex trafﬁcking. The Deportation Data Project at UCLA and UC Berkeley found that ICE arrests more than quadrupled from the last six months of former President Joe Biden’s administration to March 2026. Voluntary departures and returns, like the case of Palacios, became 28 times more common. A statement from the Department of Homeland Security said that Palacios was released from U.S. Border Control under the administration of former President Barack Obama despite having entered the country without authorization. “We do not pick and choose which laws to enforce or where to enforce them,” the statement said. “We will continue to enforce our nation’s laws and remove illegal aliens from American communities. Hiring illegal aliens is a choice, and a bad one.”

Canada recruiting After she left the U.S., Palacios knew she still wanted to be a nurse. “I didn’t really see myself staying in Honduras for a

STAFF FILE PHOTO BY LEE BALL n Harvest Fest 1411 East Admiral Doyle Drive, New Iberia, Oct. 31. Free family-friendly indoor harvest event with games, food, music and face painting.

Cook-off festivals n World Championship Gumbo

Cookoff 102 W. Main St., New Iberia, Saturday and Sunday. Large downtown food festival with gumbo competitions, live music and kids’ activities. n Tunes on the Teche: Chili Cookoff Parc des Ponts Breaux, Breaux Bridge, Oct. 31. Free entry featuring a chili cookoff, live music (Four Horses and Nik-L-Beer), and family activities. Food wristbands are $10.

made a concerted effort to attract healthcare workers from other countries, said Lisa Brunner, a research associate at the University of British Columbia Centre for Migration Studies. Since 2025, the country has focused increasingly on bringing in professionals who practiced in the U.S., Brunner said. “I think there’s an explicit recognition that there are people in the United States that are looking for options to live and work elsewhere, whether they’re LGBTQ PHOTO PROVIDED workers in the United BY VILMA PALACIOS States, or maybe they’re in the United States on some Vilma Palacios, a graduate kind of temporary immiof the LSU Health New gration status and don’t feel Orleans School of Nursing, comfortable there for a vatakes a selfie at her new job riety of reasons,” Brunner in Vancouver, Canada. said. “Those are some of the groups that we’re seeing long time,” Palacios said. “I particularly interested in wanted to move somewhere these pathways in Canada.” else where I can just gain as much experience and Local nursing shortage knowledge in regards to my Reese said Louisiana needs career.” more nurses like Palacios. She started talking with “Outside of the personal a former student of Reese dynamic between me and who had used a program re- her, I feel like that’s the cruiting healthcare workers most frustrating part,” he to Canada. Those conver- said. “We’re sending nurses sations led her to Health away. We’re educating them Match BC, a public employ- here. These are people that ment agency in Vancouver grew up here. And then focused on bringing more we’re telling them they physicians and nurses to don’t belong, and we’re losBritish Columbia. ing that. It just seems so She received a job offer counterproductive.” from a hospital in VancouThe lack of nurses and ver and then obtained her healthcare professionals visa and work permit. In generally is particularly July, she made the interna- acute in the Bayou State, tional move, starting her job said Brenda Douglas, dean of the nursing program a month later. “It doesn’t feel like I’m at the Tulane University actually going to work,” School of Medicine. She said Palacios said. “The patients she cannot comment on the here, they’ve just been so case of Palacios speciﬁcally. According to a report lovely and nice to me. Everyone’s just been so wel- published by the Health Recoming. It makes me feel sources and Services Adgood, every time I walk into ministration in 2025, Louisithat hospital.” ana is ninth in the list of the Because of its low birth 10 states with the largest rate and high wait times for projected nursing shortservices, Canada has long ages by 2038.

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1. The immovable estate home and property lo‐ cated at 311 Sunny Lane, Louisiana Lafayette, 70506, Being the same property acquired by Mary C. Briggs by Cash Sale from Jeanie Slay Mellinger dated April 29, 1994, recorded on May 2, 1994, under instrument no. 1994-00016195 of the records of public Lafayette, Louisiana;

201953 Sept. 28-Oct. 8, 11t $1,405.06

2. 2009 Mercedes Benz 350.

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PUBLIC NOTICE --Administrator for the Succession of Mary Fern Cobb Briggs gives notice of his intent to sell via private sale, the follow‐ ing:

and

Any objections to the sale of the above prop‐ erty can be ﬁled within 7 days with the 15th Judi‐ cial District Court – Parish of Lafayette under probate docket number 20250640, pursuant to LA C.C.P. Art 3282. 202566 Oct. 2-31, 30t $416.10

CLASSIFIEDS WORK

RISHER

Continued from page 1B Even with no one waiting, I knew time was money. I asked her price and Venmoed her $45. She asked me to pick from cards she shuffled and kept in her basket. She covered the cards with rocks — I wasn’t sure if that was because of the wind or if the rocks meant something to her. According to the first card I picked, she told me there were parts of me that wished I spoke up with more confidence. I wasn’t certain of a correct response since I feel like I speak up aplenty. My husband, friends and coworkers can testify. That said, I do sometimes try to limit myself so I don’t cross the line into obnoxiousness. And yet, I recognized that I used to speak up more. I explained that I stopped speaking up all the time because it is exhausting. Somewhere along the way, I realized that I can’t fix everything. That, she said, was her point. The more she talked, the

more I realized that what she and I do overlaps. She listens to people to help them ﬁnd insights about their own stories. I listen to people to tell their stories. We both take on the stories of others — which, she said, has its costs, something I had not considered. Laurent said she has her rituals and routines to not take on too much of another person’s story. “Like I keep my head covered,” she said. I have no head wrap. Until that moment, it hadn’t occurred to me that I might need one. Other people’s stories generally stay with me. Something someone said to me in an interview 21 years ago will just pop into my head at the strangest moment. I still remember an Iraqi refugee I interviewed in 2005 who told me about being in prison in Iraq. He said, “Oh, all the most interesting people were in prison in Iraq.” Taking in thousands of stories has changed me. I’d like to believe all of those stories have worked together to make me more empathetic — and maybe, occasionally, more

When there are fewer nurses, Douglas said, patients suffer. Outcomes like infection rates and how long someone has to stay in the hospital go up, she said. “If you don’t have enough nurses, or the nurses have too many patients to take care of, they can’t give the time they need to an individual patient,” Douglas said. “So, things get missed sometimes. That causes problems to happen for the patient.”

she said. “It brings back a lot of bad memories and a lot of things that I have really worked on to not affect me, especially with my mental health,” Palacios said. “I don’t want to go back to that place where I just felt very hopeless in so many ways.” While she is pursuing Canadian citizenship, she hopes to eventually return to the U.S. to be with her family. “Despite everything, I will never and can never forA new life in Canada get the way I was blessed Palacios said she is mak- in being able to receive my ing friends in Vancouver education over there and the and finding her commu- opportunities that I had,” Panity. The move has been an lacios said. “I do want to give adjustment, she said, but back.” eased by the similarities between the U.S. and her new Email Haley Miller at country. haley.miller@theadvocate. She often avoids the news, com.

impatient. Laurent and I have different ideas about the need to protect ourselves from other people’s stories. Maybe the difference comes down to our thoughts on how much one person’s spirit can touch another’s. Laurent was raised in a tradition with a clear answer. I’m still working on mine. The exchange reminded me of the great joy of being a journalist. It is the gift of walking up to someone, even a tarot card reader on Jackson Square, and saying, “Tell me your story.” And they do. Email Jan Risher at jan. risher@theadvocate.com.

LOTTERY

SUNDAY, OCT. 4, 2026 PICK 3: 8-2-7 PICK 4: 0-3-5-0 PICK 5: 0-8-9-7-6

Unofficial notification, keep your tickets.

Obituaries Breaux, Paul Joseph

Paul Joseph Breaux, who was born on March 11, 1942, a longtime resident of Lafayette, the first son of Sydney Joseph Breaux and Irene Bodin Breaux of Franklin, Louisiana, husband of Ann Jones Breaux, who preceded him in death, and father of Jason Emile Breaux and James Paul Breaux, died at his home on October 3, 2026. Jason and James suggest that flowers not be sent. Should you wish to remember Paul and pay your respects, please do so in a personal manner. Dad, you were much loved and will forever be remembered. Paul Joseph Breaux and his family were cared for and entrusted final arrangements to Delhomme Funeral Home, 1011 Bertrand Drive, Lafayette, LA.

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T u e s d ay, O c T O b e r 6, 2026

1cN

Offensive line play one of Cajuns’ positive developments BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer

Most of what UL coach Michael Desormeaux saw on film while reviewing Saturday’s 23-20 home win over Arkansas State was encouraging, but not all of it. The best thing the coaching staff saw was complementary football that led to a victory. “At the end of the day, good teams find a way to win, and that’s what we want to be when it’s all said and done — a good team,” said Desormeaux, ä UL at whose Cajuns (4-1, 1-0) play Louisiana Louisiana Tech at 6:30 p.m. SatTech. 6:30 urday. “So we’ve got to keep P.M. SATURDAY, finding a way to win close ones in the West Division. That’s not ESPN+ going to be the last close one. I expect this one probably will be the same this week, to be honest with you.” Desormeaux said the offensive line played better Saturday. With starting right guard Matt Broussard out and Jakoby Isom in his spot, the unit helped put up 279 total yards and eat up more than 21 minutes on the clock in the second half. “The offensive line played really well,” Desormeaux said. “Jakoby stepped in for Matt and he played great. I was proud of him. He stepped in there, and I thought he played his tail off. Our starting five for the most part played really well, and some of the guys we rolled in like (Andrew) Martinez and Michael Bowens played really well coming in.” UL ran for 245 yards but also made necessary adjustments. “They (Arkansas State) did some unique things — some things they had on film frontwise and the way they played it that we’d seen it, but it was a very minor part of what they did,” Desormeaux said. “Well, it was a major part of what they did against us. We had to adjust a little bit in the way we wanted

ä See UL, page 3C

STAFF PHOTO BY MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU linebacker TJ Dottery, left, defensive end Jordan Ross, back, and safety Ty Benefield celebrate with safety Tamarcus Cooley, right, after Cooley’s interception against McNeese State on Saturday at Tiger Stadium.

Happy thoughts Kiffin pleased with how LSU is performing after five games

BY KOKI RILEY

ä LSU at Kentucky. 6 P.M. SATURDAY, ESPN

Lane Kiffin is mostly happy. Through five weeks, his first LSU team has met lofty expectations. The Tigers are nearly halfway through the season with a 4-1 record, averaging 43.6 points and allowing just 15.2 points per contest. The first-team defense has surrendered one second-half touchdown while the offense has scored nearly twice as many rushing touchdowns (19) as it had in 13 games last season (10). Their only loss came on the road to a top-10 team (Ole Miss), and they beat Texas A&M and Clemson by a combined score of 86-16. Kiffin has little to pick at heading into this weekend’s matchup against Kentucky (6 p.m., ESPN), the first of a seven-game stretch against Southeastern Conference competition. “I feel really good about our team,” Kiffin said on Monday. “We’ve had a lot of times where we’ve played as well

as anybody in the country.” The numbers back Kiffin up that LSU has played like one of the best teams in the country. The Tigers are No. 10 in the AP Top 25 poll and No. 7 nationally in SP+, ESPN’s predictive efficiency metric. They also have the nation’s top defense in terms of efficiency, according to ESPN’s College Football Power Index. The only downside, according to Kiffin, has been the injuries. Losing tight end Trey’Dez Green, linebacker Whit Weeks and safety Dashawn Spears has weighed heavily on his mind. Quarterback Sam Leavitt’s hamstring injury hasn’t quelled any of his concerns, either. Green and Weeks could return this season, but Spears is out for the year with a torn ACL. Kiffin said Monday

Staff writer

STAFF PHOTO BY BRAD KEMP

UL running back JJ Garner, left, breaks the tackle of Arkansas State defensive tackle Shakai Woods during the Cajuns’ 23-20 win on Saturday.

Backup QBs proving tough to beat in NFL

Mosley era set to begin in Pelicans’ preseason opener BY ROD WALKER

Staff writer

New Orleans Pelicans guard Jeremiah Fears admits the ﬁrst six days of training camp have been different from his rookie season a year ago. “A lot more competitive, a lot more teaching,” Fears said. So after six days of grueling defensefocused practice and the trash talking that has come with it, Fears and his teammates are looking forward to competing against someone else. The Pelicans play their preseason opener Tuesday night in Tulsa, Oklahoma, against the Oklahoma City Thunder at the BOK Center. It’ll be the ﬁrst glimpse of the Pelicans under head coach Jamahl Mosley, hired in May to turn things around for a team that has struggled in a big way the past

two seasons. “(This game) gives you a real test to be able to see what you’ve done,” Mosley said. “What you’ve put in and what feels good against your own team is great. (But) going against a different opponent where you will see different coverages and they are guarding you a little different is all great to see in real time.” OKC is one of the NBA’s elite teams, having won the championship two seasons ago and reaching the Western Conference Finals last season. The Thunder hang its hat on defense, much like Mosley. “I think it’s a great opportunity to continue to improve to see where we stand,” Mosley said. “The opponent shouldn’t matter. It has got to be about

ä See PELICANS, page 3C

ä See LSU, page 3C

BY ROB MAADDI

AP pro football writer

AP PHOTO BY GERALD LEONG

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, right, looks to pass against New Orleans Pelicans guard Jeremiah Fears, center, and center Derik Queen on Jan. 27 in Oklahoma City.

Backup quarterbacks are seeing plenty of action and several are having success. The way NFL players are going down at an alarming rate, more teams likely will need reliable backup QBs to stay competitive. Lamar Jackson became the latest quarterback to go down Sunday. His status is uncertain after he suffered an ankle injury in Baltimore’s 24-18 home victory over Tennessee. Jaxson Dart already went down for the season. Jayden Daniels has missed the past two games. Baker Mayﬁeld is out at least a few weeks. Sam Darnold and Kyler Murray each missed a start, and Caleb Williams has missed two.

ä See BACKUPS, page 2C

2C ● Tuesday, October 6, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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Losses pile up for Colorado Coach Sanders is still capturing hearts in Boulder, but wins aren’t following

who should want Sanders and CU to ﬂounder, if not outright fail — shows up with his kid. “I love him,” Campbell says of Sanders. “I think he understands the part of developing boys into men,” Campbell said. “Ninetyplus percent of these guys aren’t going to go play in the NFL. They’ll go on and do something else. He’s preparing them for that. I wouldn’t have brought my son to a place where they didn’t have that vision.”

BY EDDIE PELLS AP national writer

BOULDER, Colo. — One of Colorado’s biggest boosters loves him. One of his most daunting opponents does, too. Deion Sanders is still capturing his share of hearts at the Colorado program he put back on the map when the coach arrived before the 2023 season. But wins aren’t following. Examining the before and after of CU’s most recent loss — a 29-7 home setback against Texas Tech on Saturday that dropped Sanders to 18-24 at CU — shows there aren’t any clear-cut answers for the Buffs, who are 2-3. Yes, they could use more money to stay on pace in the college sports arms race. Even if they got it, there is mixed evidence as to whether “Coach Prime” and his staff are up to the task of winning big.

Failing experiment at QB

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO BY DAVID ZALUBOWSKI

A key booster finds a lot to like

Colorado head coach Deion Sanders argues for a call during a game A booster named Rob Wilhite against Texas Tech on Saturday in Boulder, Colo.

was among the hundreds hanging out Saturday on a lawn in the shadow of Colorado’s Folsom Field. On autumn Saturdays, the football-sized field becomes “Ralphie’s Corral,” named after the buffalo that leads the Buffs onto the gridiron. Wilhite is the official personal injury attorney for CU athletics. “Look what he’s done for our program,” he says of Sanders as he points at the hundreds of people milling, sipping and waiting for a pregame appearance from Ralphie herself. “Before he came, there was no one out here. It was like half this crowd.” Wilhite grew up in Dallas watching Sanders play for the Cowboys on Sundays. On Saturdays, he loved watching Eric Bieniemy lead the Buffs to their only national title in 1990. The day the attorney officially fell in love with CU football was Jan. 1, 1996, at the Cotton Bowl. “I got to see Rick Neuheisel play his guitar,” Wilhite said of the magnetic former coach. “My mom was so mad I wouldn’t go to Emory or Georgia or anywhere else. I wanted to go to Colorado.” Colorado is lucky he came. Wilhite didn’t want to disclose

BACKUPS

Continued from page 1C So far, backup quarterbacks are 7-4 in starts, including 2-2 in Week 4. That doesn’t include wins by Drew Lock and Carson Wentz after they entered in the ﬁrst quarter and led their teams to victories in Week 1. It includes Cooper Rush’s 0-2 mark with Atlanta as he started the ﬁrst two games with Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix sidelined. Jameis Winston won another up-and-down game for the Giants, throwing for 250 yards and three touchdowns along with two picks in a 36-24 victory over Arizona on Sunday. He’s 2-0 as a starter for the NFC East-leading Giants (3-1) since Dart suffered a knee injury in Week 2. “I just feel like that, man, I’m heating up and I’m starting to get better, better and better,” Winston said. “Last week, I was questioning if I could even throw. This week, I’ve got people talking about the Jamis Winston experience again. “So, I’m just still so curious and I’m so inspired to be the best me every single day. And that alone pushes me. Not another man, not another teammate, just my desire to be what I would love.” Tyson Bagent had a career-best 268 yards passing to help the Bears beat the Jets 23-12. Case Keenum was impressive in Chicago’s win over the Eagles the pre-

and, frankly, probably couldn’t even nail down how much money he has poured into the school’s athletic department over the years. Generous as he is, Wilhite is also well aware CU football could use 10 or 20 more folks just like him. He loves Sanders, whose .429 win percentage at Colorado would get a coach ﬁred at Michigan or Alabama, no questions asked. But in the hours before the Texas Tech game, Wilhite was talking about getting more help for the coach, not ﬁring him. “We need more people to come out and understand that we’re a young program and we need to develop it more,” Wilhite said. “I think part of the problem is, we can’t get a lot of donors to donate.”

Texas Tech billionaire No one seemed surprised to see Cody Campbell hugging it out with Sanders on the visitors’ sideline before the game. Campbell is the billionaire head of the Texas Tech board of regents and also one of college foot-

vious Monday night. The Bears (3-1) are 2-0 since Williams went down with a hamstring injury two weeks ago. “I thought the guys rallied behind me,” Bagent said. “I felt extreme faith from the coaches towards me and that’s just hats off to all the hard work that’s been put in. So, I was really appreciative of that, and I think it allowed me to go spin it at a higher level. So, all hands on deck, it’s a group effort to get these wins.” Lock stepped in when Darnold got hurt early in the NFL season opener on Sept. 9 and led the Seahawks over the Patriots. He defeated the Cardinals the next week. Wentz replaced Murray early in Minnesota’s opener and led a comeback win against Green Bay. He guided the Vikings to a road win in a defensive struggle at Chicago the next game. Marcus Mariota and undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels had the two losses Sunday. Mariota was impressive ﬁlling in for Daniels in Washington’s victory over Seattle last week but got hurt in the ﬁrst quarter, and the Commanders turned to rookie third-string QB Athan Kaliakmanis in a 30-13 loss to the Colts in London. Jalon Daniels couldn’t prevent the Buccaneers from starting 0-4. He tossed two picks that led to 10 points in Tampa Bay’s 17-14 loss to Green Bay. Tyler Huntley replaced Jackson and went 8 of 9 for 63 yards, but the Ravens didn’t score in the sec-

ball’s most inﬂuential voices. He has worked tirelessly to promote a bill in Congress — the Protect College Sports Act — that could shift the out-of-control spending dynamics in college sports. One of the ironies is that if the bill passes and puts guardrails around what schools can spend, that would most likely help the Colorados of the world — the schools that don’t have billionaire donors — at the expense of the Texas Techs, the schools that do. Campbell was wearing more than his regent’s hat at this one. He was here with the family. His son, Carson, an offensive lineman at All Saints’ Episcopal in Fort Worth, was on a recruiting visit. Part of the beauty of Sanders — whose most recent contract extension was worth $54 million through 2029, and who got CU to revamp its admission policies so he could recruit a wider range of players — is that he stirs the pot and generates almost endless headlines about the once-lost brand known as CU football. But then something like Saturday happens: A formidable leader from a conference rival — a man

The Texas Tech score sounds like a blowout but was, in fact, something quite different for more than three quarters. This game did not play out like the physical mismatch that some might have expected when one team, with every resource in the world available to recruit top talent, plays another with a star coach but not as much money to spend. Colorado, a 14-point underdog, did not get blown off the line of scrimmage. The Buffs actually gained 60 more yards than Tech. Sometimes, the best coaches figure a way to lead their teams to upsets in games like these, especially at home. Diving deeper into the stat sheet and the play calls, it’s clear this was not the CU coaching staff’s finest moment. Most of CU’s of the problems, however, stem from one issue: quarterback. Sanders started Isaac Wilson, a transfer from Utah, in an offense designed for 5-star recruit Julian Lewis, who was supposed to be the heir to the position that Sanders’ son, Shedeur, revived at Colorado. Sanders hired Brennan Marion from Sacramento State as offensive coordinator and Marion brought his “Go-Go Offense” to Boulder. But Lewis struggled at times over his first three and a half games and Sanders made a change that, so far, has not worked. Over his 20 minutes with the media after the game, Sanders was unflinching about the quarterback issue, somehow identifying the obvious problem without throwing his QBs directly under the bus himself. The Buffs are on a three-game skid in which they’ve scored 7, 13 and 7 points. “We’ve been horrible,” Sanders said. “Don’t sugarcoat it anymore, just tell what it is. You’re not going to win. You know darn well what it is. Write it yourselves. You know what it is. It’s blatant. Ain’t no ifs ands or buts about it.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO BY JASON BEHNKEN

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jalon Daniels aims a pass during a game against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday in Tampa, Fla. ond half. A total of 63 quarterbacks started games in 2025. Forty QBs have made starts through four games this season. That number will increase. Will teams continue to maintain a winning record with backups? That depends on the teams, the coaching staffs and the backups.

Stroud and the Texans 34-30. Stafford and the Rams knocked off the Eagles 24-20.

Chase for No. 1 pick

The Dolphins, Buccaneers, Titans, Chargers and Texans are 0-4. Houston is too talented to start looking ahead to next season. Los Angeles was supposed to be a contender and should win some Critical comeback wins games. But Miami, Tampa Bay and TenDrake Maye, Dak Prescott and Matthew Stafford each led their nessee seem headed for a threeteams to comeback wins on the way race for the top pick in the road with touchdowns in the ﬁnal 2027 NFL Draft. Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith and Textwo minutes to avoid 1-3 starts. Maye and the Patriots beat Josh as quarterback Arch Manning are Allen and the Bills 29-26. Prescott the early favorites projected to go and the Cowboys defeated C.J. No. 1 overall.

Captials’ Ovechkin says 22nd season will be his last

WASHINGTON — Alex Ovechkin said Monday that his 22nd season in the NHL will be his last, beginning the farewell tour for the longtime Washington Capitals captain who holds the league’s career goalscoring record. Ovechkin addressed teammates to deliver the news before the team posted a message from him on social media. Ovechkin signed a one-year contract this past summer and turned 41 on Sept. 17. All signs pointed to this being the end, and he said he and his family decided as much in recent months. “I love this game so much, but I know in my heart it’s the right decision,” the Russian star said in a statement released before the Capitals’ home opener Wednesday night.

Medvedev disqualified after hitting spectator with ball

BEIJING — Daniil Medvedev struck a spectator with a ball and was disqualified from his semifinal against Novak Djokovic at the China Open on Monday. The spectator was helped out of the arena holding a hand over his left eye. “I feel terribly sorry for him actually and I just hope he’s OK,” Medvedev said. “Hopefully I can meet him and make up for it somehow.” Djokovic was serving for the match at 7-5, 5-3 when Medvedev hit the ball into the stands in apparent frustration. After a forehand volley winner from Djokovic, the ball bounced off the advertising boards and back toward Medvedev, who smacked a backhand that sailed into the front row.

Ravens coach: QB Jackson’s injury won’t be long term

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Baltimore Ravens coach Jesse Minter had little in the way of an update Monday on star quarterback Lamar Jackson’s injured ankle. “We’re still gathering a lot of the information and the imaging and things like that. Just dealing with a little bit of an ankle and we’ll kind of see where that shakes out,” Minter said. “I really don’t think it’s going to be crazy long term, but we’ll see what happens.” Jackson took a sack late in the ﬁrst half of Sunday’s 24-18 win over Tennessee. His left ankle seemed to roll under a defender. Baltimore (3-1) held on to win the game but didn’t score a point with Tyler Huntley playing quarterback in place of Jackson.

NFL suspends official for swearing at Arizona TE

NEW YORK — The NFL on Monday suspended a line judge two games for swearing at Arizona tight end Trey McBride. Jeff Seeman was caught on camera cursing at McBride during the Cardinals’ loss at the New York Giants on Sunday. The incident drew the ire of union leader JC Tretter, a retired offensive lineman who played eight seasons. “This kind of behavior from an ofﬁcial towards a player is unacceptable,” Tretter, the NFL Players Association’s executive director, said on social media along with a video clip of the incident. “Players are consistently held accountable when the roles are reversed. We expect the NFL to hold ofﬁcials to the same standard.”

Hornets’ White to miss preseason with calf strain

Charlotte Hornets point guard Coby White suffered a left calf strain during training camp and will miss the entire preseason, the team announced. It’s unclear if White will be available for the regular-season opener Oct. 21 at Brooklyn. The Hornets said updates on White will be provided when more is known about the extent of the injury. White had been expected to take over the starting point guard spot after the team traded LaMelo Ball to Minnesota earlier this offseason. In 21 games with the Hornets last season White averaged 15.6 points, three rebounds and three assists per game. Charlotte’s ﬁrst preseason game is Tuesday night at home against the Nets.

The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Tuesday, October 6, 2026 ● 3C

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THREE AND OUT: SCOTT RABALAIS’ THOUGHTS ON KIFFIN’S COMMENTS AHEAD OF KENTUCKY GAME

STAND AND DELIVER LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt has been a more effective passer the past two weeks while limited as a runner by a hamstring injury.Against Texas A&M and McNeese State combined he’s 35-of-46 passing for 489 yards with five touchdowns, one interception and no sacks.“With the injury, when someone comes free he’s not just taking off and running,” Kiffin said.“He’s saying,‘OK, I’m going to step in and throw this one and take the hit.’ ”

NIGHT CLASSES Kiffin has talked previously about how difficult road night games are in the Southeastern Conference. On Monday, he said he hoped his Tigers learned some lessons from their 32-24 loss on Sept. 19 at Ole Miss: “I hope in that you learn that, hey, it doesn’t matter how the first or second quarter goes. It may go great, it may go badly. You’ve still got to play the game and win the game in the fourth quarter.”

NAMES SOUND FAMILIAR The Kentucky offense has an LSU flavor because its new offensive coordinator is Joe Sloan, who was OC under Brian Kelly here.Wide receiver Nic Anderson — third on the team with nine catches for 120 yards and a touchdown — spent 2025 with the Tigers.“They’re really well coached,” Kiffin said.“They’re really sound on defense and run really cool, problematic plays. He (coach Will Stein) has got them playing with a lot of confidence.”

LSU NOTEBOOK

Kiffin gives update on Weeks, Green injuries BY REED DARCEY and JON BLAU

box to make sure not to miss a solution to a potential problem. “Sometimes the answers are right in front of you,” he said, “and you don’t realize them because you’re not open to them. So we really have a program like that, where anybody can bring up ideas, and we challenge old ways of thinking all the time to try to ﬁnd things like that.” Longstreet has not returned a punt. He called for fair catches in all of his chances Saturday. The redshirt freshman got to play his normal position, too. He completed 6 of 9 pass attempts for 62 yards in mop-up duty.

Staff writers

LSU coach Lane Kiffin said Monday that tight end Trey’Dez Green and linebacker Whit Weeks will “hopefully” be able to return to the field “at some point” this season. Both Green and Weeks are out indefinitely with injuries they suffered in September. Green suffered “some sprains and bruises” in his knee in the Tigers’ Sept. 19 loss to Ole Miss, according to his mother, and Weeks fractured his lower leg in LSU’s Sept. 26 win over Texas A&M, according to multiple reports. “That will make us feel a lot better,” Kiffin said as part of an answer to a question about the overall state of his program. “Because those guys not just are great, All-American players. They were the (number) sevens for a reason. They’re dynamic leaders on the field.” Kiffin said that LSU does not have a target date for Green’s return. The junior is out of a brace and moving around freely on his injured knee. “If there’s anybody that’s gonna come back sooner maybe than what people thought, it would be him,” Kiffin said. “He’s getting closer.” As of Saturday, Weeks was still moving around on a scooter with a heavy wrap on his injured leg. He watched LSU beat McNeese State from a suite in Tiger Stadium, not the sideline. Their absences have not hurt LSU too badly yet. LSU routed the Aggies 35-6 in Week 4 and steamrolled the Cowboys 63-14 in Week 5. Junior Davhon Keys started at line-

LSU

Continued from page 1C that Green is closer to returning than Weeks. Green, who suffered a knee injury against Ole Miss, is out of his brace and able to move his knee around. “I think I feel really good apart from the injuries,” Kiffin said. “I hope you guys are figuring out I don’t make excuses; I just see how things are.” LSU has been tested only once through five games. Few people expected the

Kickoff time set

STAFF FILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU tight end Trey’Dez Green spins out of a tackle attempt in the third quarter of the game against Louisiana Tech on Sept. 12 at Tiger Stadium. backer in place of Weeks, while a mix of transfer tight ends played in place of Green, including Malachi Thomas, Zach Grace and Roman Mothershed. Mothershed, a Troy transfer, hauled in a 1-yard touchdown pass against McNeese. Keys recorded four tackles.

The Tigers made their thirdstring quarterback, Husan Longstreet, a punt returner for a stretch. He wound up fielding five of McNeese’s 10 punts, in large part because Kiffin likes to drum up unconventional ideas purely for the sake of drumming up unconventional ideas. “I think we do that as much as A QB did what? anybody, probably,” Kiffin said, LSU did something unusual Sat- “when it comes to creating news urday when it forced McNeese boxes, thinking outside the box, players playing different posiState to punt.

tions.” Kiffin compared the Longstreet experiment to something he tried during his tenure at Ole Miss. Defensive lineman JJ Pegues, a 6-foot2, 325-pound nose guard, moonlighted as a running back because Kiffin thought the Rebels needed someone to run up the middle in short-yardage situations. He wound up finishing his collegiate career with 31 carries for 100 yards and a touchdown. Kiffin likes to think outside the

some role in LSU’s dominance, even as Kifﬁn bemoans the SEC’s decision to implement a ninegame conference schedule. “Once you’re at nine, it’s another SEC game,” Kifﬁn said last week. “It feels like we’ve played a whole season already and we still have seven SEC games to go.” The next three weeks may give a better indication of how good the Tigers are, but Kentucky, Mississippi State and Auburn aren’t College Football Playoff contenders or the kinds of teams a program like LSU should be measuring itself against. Kentucky has two road SEC

wins, but it got blown out by Alabama. Mississippi State also got boat-raced by the Crimson Tide, and Auburn might fail to make a bowl game again. Mississippi State, thanks to star quarterback Kamario Taylor, is ranked and likely the toughest team of the bunch, but the Tigers will get to play them in Death Valley. Winning all three contests is a must before LSU has a week off before Halloween weekend and faces Alabama the following Saturday in Tiger Stadium. But Kifﬁn may not have a clear sense of his team’s true quality until the matchups against the Crimson

Tigers to blow out Clemson and Texas A&M, but both teams have been below their usual standard through ﬁve weeks. The Aggies lost to Kentucky at home, and Clemson has struggled offensively against everyone and got blown out by Miami at home Saturday. LSU’s lopsided wins over Louisiana Tech and McNeese State were no surprise. And in the only game when the Tigers played a quality opponent, they fell behind by 17 points at halftime and lost to Ole Miss. So the quality of competition seemingly has played at least

The Tigers’ Oct. 17 game at Tiger Stadium against Mississippi State is set for an 11 a.m. kickoff. The game will air on ABC or ESPN. This breaks LSU’s streak of six straight night games to open the 2026 season, including this weekend at Kentucky. The Tigers will have two straight 11 a.m. kickoffs because an Oct. 24 contest at Auburn already has been set for that time. The Tigers (4-1, 1-1 SEC) have a road trip to Kentucky (4-1, 2-1 SEC) this weekend before facing Mississippi State and Auburn to close out October. The Bulldogs (4-1, 2-1) just suffered their ﬁrst conference loss to Alabama after beating South Carolina and Missouri to open a ninegame SEC slate. Mississippi State has a bye this weekend. Bulldogs quarterback Kamario Taylor has been one of the most dynamic playmakers in the country, throwing for 1,450 yards and 17 touchdowns. He’s also rushed for 159 yards and a score.

Tide and Texas in November. Those two games could make or break LSU’s playoff chances. “I feel great about the future. I know what that is,” Kifﬁn said. “If we can put together this team in that short amount of time without any background with them. I know what next year and the year after will look like, but that has nothing to do with how this season is going.” Email Koki Riley at koki.riley@ theadvocate.com. For more LSU sports updates, sign up for our newsletter at theadvocate.com/ lsunewsletter

PELICANS

to do some things, and our kids did a great job of adjusting to that. I thought we protected much better.” Desormeaux noticed a few instances when quarterback Lunch Winﬁeld ran out of the pocket prematurely. “There were a couple times where I thought he took off and probably had a little more time than what he maybe thought,” he said. “Time when he thought he could get through there and couldn’t, whatever the case may be, but we played much better up front, which is huge.” Although he didn’t catch a single pass, wide receiver Shelton Sampson’s progress also was a positive. “I told him before the game to just go out and have fun and play,” Desormeaux said. “The kid’s been dying to play. He’s been out forever. He came out of the game in good shape, so I expect him to continue to get better week after week and continue to be a bigger part of it.” Desormeaux also liked the spark redshirt freshman running back JJ Garner provided with 78 yards on seven carries. “I said ... back in the spring that he’s the most talented one in that room,” Desormeaux said. “He’s also one of the youngest ones in that room. He’s one of those guys that once everything else is as im-

us and what we are trying to accomplish and what we are trying to improve on. As the preseason goes along and the training camp continues, I think that’s the most important piece for us. It is great that we get to go against a different opponent, but it’s going to be about us and our progress.” Center Karlo Matkovic is eager to get started. “I haven’t played an NBA game since April, so I’m really excited,” he said. Making it even more rewarding is starting the preseason against a team of OKC’s caliber. “They are known as a defensive team, but it’s an NBA game,” Matkovic said. “Every game is different. It’s a good test, for sure. We as a team, we want to start on defense like coach Mosley wants. And we want to get more wins and get back on track.” The Pelicans travel to Tulsa with a healthy roster. Mosley’s plan is to play all of his players. Email Rod Walker at rwalker@ His main objective? theadvocate.com.

Continued from page 1C

STAFF PHOTO BY BRAD KEMP

UL running back Anthony Reagan, center, runs with the ball against Arkansas State linebackers Joe Drew, left, and Kam Moore on Saturday at Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium. portant to him as going out there and playing is to him, he’s going to be a great player for us.” There were a few things Desormeaux didn’t like from Saturday. One of them was seeing redshirt senior safety Collin Jacob on the sidelines with his arm in a sling. After losing linebacker Conor McPherson last week, Jacob’s departure after ﬁve tackles meant losing “two key communicators on your defense. That’s a glue thing. Those guys keep everything intact.” Desormeaux compared it to losing linebacker KC Ossai and safety Tyrone Lewis in the same game at Wake Forest two years ago. “When those guys go out in the

middle of the game, you’re all out of sorts,” he said. “We’ve got time to go get that communication fixed up this weekend, which is what we need to do.” The other not-so-pleasant sight was the special teams issues that included an 82-yard kickoff return by the Red Wolves and multiples penalties on punt returns. “We’ve got the guy (punt returner Chauncy Cobb) dead to rights and we just all overpursue,” said Desormeaux, who also wasn’t pleased with losing the field-position battle. “Those are things that have got to get fixed.” Email Kevin Foote at kfoote@ theadvocate.com.

“Just getting our system in,” he said. “Guys understanding going in that it’s a different opponent. Our principles sticking and landing. The communication. “The foundation has been laid, so going against a different opponent, we get to see a bit more.” It’s the first of four preseason games for the Pels. They will travel to play the Miami Heat on Thursday and the Dallas Mavericks on Oct. 14. Their ﬁnal preseason game is at the Smoothie King Center against the Washington Wizards on Oct. 16. The regular-season opener is Oct. 21 at home against the Indiana Pacers. “This is a pretty big test for us,” Fears said about OKC. “Obviously the guys aren’t going to play a lot, but just being able to see what we look like in the minutes we do play together will be big. We’re going out there and having fun and competing. “(We want to show) our competitive edge and how we go out there and compete. No matter who is on the ﬂoor, no matter who we’re playing against.”

SPORTS

24/7

4C ● Tuesday, October 6, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

lll

SCOREBOARD Prep volleyball

11:30 a.m. LIU Brooklyn (1-5) at Duquesne (1-3), noon Harvard (3-0) at Cornell (2-1), noon American International (0-0) at CCSU (1-3), noon Howard (2-3) at Penn (1-2), noon Franklin Pierce (0-1) at Delaware St. (3-3), noon Miami (Ohio) (2-3) at UMass (4-1), 1 p.m. Richmond (5-1) at Fordham (1-5), 2:30 p.m. Tulsa (3-2) at Navy (1-3), 2:30 p.m. UConn (2-3) at Temple (2-3), 2:45 p.m. Stony Brook (3-2) at Towson (0-6), 3 p.m. Coastal Carolina (1-4) at Marshall (3-2), 6 p.m. Southern Cal (5-1) at Penn St. (3-2), 6:30 p.m.

Tuesday’s area volleyball schedule Acadiana at Iota, St. Thomas More at Westgate, Lafayette at Barbe, Lake Charles Prep at Northside, Northwest at Opelousas Catholic, Acadiana Renaissance at Cecilia, Carencro at Beau Chene, David Thibodaux at Teurlings, Lafayette Renaissance at Sacred Heart, Central Catholic at CatholicNI, Delcambre at Centerville, Notre Dame at Southside, Abbeville at Glencoe, Church Point at Jennings, Eunice Crowley, North Vermilion at Vermilion Catholic, Sam Houston at Westminster, Rayne at WestminsterLAF, Northside Christian at Episcopal of Acadiana, Northwest at Opelousas Catholic. Vinton at St. Edmund, Highland Baptist at Ascension Episcopal.

SOUTH

Odds Sports Betting Line NFL Thursday

FAVORITE at DALLAS

OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG 3½ 9½ (47½) Tampa Bay

FAVORITE at JAX at NE at NY JETS at WASH Cincinnati at PITTS Houston Minnesota Chicago Denver Detroit at SEATTLE Baltimore

OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG 1½ 5½ (42½) Phila 8½ 3½ (45½) Las Vegas 2½ 2 (40½) Cleveland 2½ 3½ (44½) NY Giants 5½ 7½ (42½) at MIAMI 2½ 2½ (44½) Indianaplis 3½ 6½ (39½) at TEN 1½ 1½ (42½) at N.O. 3 2½ (45½) at G.B. 2½ 3½ (42½)at CHARGRS 8½ 4 (54½) at ARIZ 3½ 3 (47½) San Fran 4½ 2½ (45) at ATLANTA

Sunday

Monday

FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG at LA RAMS 3 2½ (54½) Buffalo

College Football Tuesday

FAVORITE at TROY

OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG 9½ 10½ (50½) South Miss

Wednesday

FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG Jaxville St 2½ 3 (50½) at KNSW ST at FLA INTL 4½ 6½ (46½) New Mex St

Thursday

FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG at W. KENT 2½ 2½ (55½) Missouri St at LIBERTY 13½ 13½ (52½) Sam Hou at UTSA 6½ 7 (50½) S. Florida at ARKANS ST 1½ 1½ (57½) S. Alabama

Friday

FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG at LOUSVLLE 7½ 3½ (58½) Florida St at SJSU 6 6½ (43½) Wyoming at WASH 1½ 3½ (41½) Iowa at UTAH ST 1½ 5½ (43½) Wash St at BYU 14½ 10½ (46½) Iowa State

Saturday

FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG Indiana 8½ 7½ (52½) at NEBRSKA at ARMY 6½ 3½ (47½) Tulane at PITT 4½ 4½ (47½) N. Carolina at B. GREEN 6½ 7½ (44½) Sac. St at MISSOURI 1½ 3½ (48½) Texas A&M Arizona 3½ 3½ (61½) at W. VA at OKLAH ST 9½ 9½ (54½) UCF Wake Forest 2½ 3½ (60½) at NC STATE at NWSTRN 34½ 35½ (52½) Ball State at FLORIDA 14½ 13½ (62½) S. Carolina at APP ST 5½ 9½ (51½) Old Dom Miami (OH) 2½ 2½ (46½) at UMASS Va Tech 11½ 9½ (53½) at CAL E. Michigan 5½ 7 (50½) at AKRON at KANSAS ST. 1½ 2½ (56½) Houston Illinois 2½ 2½ (49½) at MSU at W. MICH 13½ 13½ (43½) Kent State Duke 5½ 7 (49½) at GA TECH at N. TEXAS 24½ 27½ (58½) Charlotte at OREGON 12½ 11½ (59½) UCLA Ole Miss 10½ 9½ (59½) at VANDER at TOLEDO 17½ 20½ (55½) Buffalo at OHIO 3½ 3 (46½) C. Michigan at NAVY 3½ 2½ (48½) Tulsa at N.D. 35½ 37½ (54½) Stanford Texas 6½ 7½ (39½) at OKLAH at TEMPLE 3 4 (54½) UConn at E. CAR 9½ 10 (49½) Rice Tennessee 14½ 13½ (50½) at ARKAN at OHIO ST 37½ 34½ (56½) Maryland at ORGN ST. 14½ 14 (55½)San Dego St. LSU 10½ 9½ (54½) at KENT Nevada 9½ 8½ (49½) at UTEP N. Dakota St 1½ 3½ (48½) at UNLV at MEMPHIS 16½ 14½ (57½) UAB at MARSHALL 2½ 3 (58½) C. Carolina at PENN ST PK 1½ (54½) USC at LA TECH 1½ 3 (48½) UL Air Force 12½ 7½ (47½) at N. ILL James Madsn 10 7½ (54½) at GA SO at VIRGINIA 6½ 9½ (50½) Syracuse at ALABAMA 2½ 1½ (55½) Georgia Minnesota 5½ 2½ (51½) at PURDUE at UTAH 13½ 15½ (52½) Kansas Boise State 10½ 6½ (48½) at FRESNO at ARIZ ST 17½ 20½ (51½) Hawaii

MLB

National League FAVORITE LINE LA Dodgers OFF at SAN DIEGO -136

UNDERDOG at ATLANTA Milwaukee

NHL

Tuesday

FAVORITE LINE Minnesota -112 Carolina -128 at TORONTO -160 at NEW JERSY -132 Ottawa -112 at N.Y RANGRS -146 St. Louis -127 Vegas -169 Florida -129

LINE OFF +113

UNDERDOG LINE at BUFFALO -110 at MONTREAL +104 Nashville +130 Utah +109 at DETROIT -110 N.Y Islanders +120 at CHICAGO +103 at SEATTLE +141 at LOS ANGELES +105

Pro basketball WNBA Playoff Glance (x-if necessary) Semiﬁnals (Best-of-5)

Golden State 1, Las Vegas 0

Sunday, October 4: Golden State 71, Las Vegas 60 Wednesday, October 7: Las Vegas at Golden State, 8:30 p.m. Friday, October 9: Golden State at Las Vegas, 8:30 p.m. x-Sunday, October 11: Golden State at Las Vegas, TBA x-Wednesday, October 14: Las Vegas at Golden State, TBA

Atlanta 1, New York 0

Sunday, October 4: Atlanta 92, New York 82 Wednesday, October 7: New York at Atlanta, 6:30 p.m. Friday, October 9: Atlanta at New York, 6:30 p.m. x-Sunday, October 11: Atlanta at New York, TBA x-Wednesday, October 14: New York at Atlanta, TBA

Pro football NFL Glance AMERICAN CONFERENCE Buffalo New England N.Y. Jets Miami

W 3 2 1 0

L 1 2 3 4

T 0 0 0 0

Pct .750 .500 .250 .000

PF 127 65 76 46

PA 107 77 84 101

Jacksonville Indianapolis Tennessee Houston

W 3 2 0 0

L 1 2 4 4

T 0 0 0 0

Pct .750 .500 .000 .000

PF 104 102 55 84

PA 53 104 83 109

Cleveland Baltimore Pittsburgh Cincinnati

W 3 3 2 2

L 1 1 2 2

T 0 0 0 0

Pct .750 .750 .500 .500

PF 81 116 77 97

PA 95 96 87 85

Kansas City Las Vegas Denver L.A. Chargers

W 4 3 2 0

L 0 1 2 4

T Pct 0 1.000 0 .750 0 .500 0 .000

PF 118 115 74 67

PA 77 84 94 106

W 3

L 1

T 0

PF 82

PA 79

South

North

West

NATIONAL CONFERENCE East N.Y. Giants

Philadelphia Dallas Washington

2 2 1

2 2 3

0 0 0

.500 .500 .250

75 122 88

93 112 122

Carolina New Orleans Atlanta Tampa Bay

W 2 1 1 0

L 2 2 2 4

T 0 0 0 0

Pct .500 .333 .333 .000

PF 121 81 51 76

PA 109 83 68 96

Minnesota Chicago Detroit Green Bay

W 4 3 2 2

L 0 1 2 2

T Pct 0 1.000 0 .750 0 .500 0 .500

PF 86 112 119 73

PA 51 65 127 105

San Francisco Seattle L.A. Rams Arizona

W 4 3 2 1

L 0 1 2 3

T Pct 0 1.000 0 .750 0 .500 0 .250

PF 122 105 85 87

PA 64 73 83 117

South

North

West

Thursday’s Games

Cleveland 27, Pittsburgh 24

Sunday’s Games

Indianapolis 30, Washington 13, London, GBR Baltimore 24, Tennessee 18 Chicago 23, N.Y. Jets 12 Dallas 34, Houston 30 Green Bay 17, Tampa Bay 14 Jacksonville 22, Cincinnati 17 L.A. Rams 24, Philadelphia 20 N.Y. Giants 36, Arizona 24 New England 29, Buffalo 26 Minnesota 15, Miami 10 Kansas City 30, Las Vegas 27 San Francisco 24, Denver 14 Seattle 30, L.A. Chargers 23 Carolina 32, Detroit 26

Monday’s Games

Atlanta at New Orleans, n

Late Sunday Carolina 32, Detroit 26 Detroit 3 13 3 7 — 26 Carolina 7 9 13 3 — 32 First Quarter Det_FG Bates 54, 12:05. Car_Hubbard 15 run (R.Fitzgerald kick), 1:50. Second Quarter Det_FG Bates 43, 12:37. Car_McMillan 32 pass from Young (kick failed), 8:08. Det_Gibbs 1 run (Bates kick), 2:14. Car_FG R.Fitzgerald 47, :28. Det_FG Bates 41, :00. Third Quarter Car_McMillan 10 pass from Young (kick failed), 9:33. Det_FG Bates 26, 6:21. Car_Hubbard 2 run (R.Fitzgerald kick), 2:47. Fourth Quarter Car_FG R.Fitzgerald 33, 8:59. Det_LaPorta 8 pass from Goff (Bates kick), 3:38.

A_73,436.

Tuesday

East

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO BY SUE OGROCKI

Chicago White Sox left fielder Sam Antonacci catches a line drive hit by Cleveland Guardians batter Steven Kwan during Game 2 of the AL Division Series on Monday in Cleveland. The White Sox won 4-3.

Pct .750

Det Car First downs 24 28 Total Net Yards 452 445 Rushes-yards 15-46 28-127 Passing 406 318 Punt Returns 0-0 0-0 Kickoff Returns 5-107 6-153 Interceptions Ret. 0-0 0-0 Comp-Att-Int 32-52-0 29-41-0 Sacked-Yards Lost 1-6 3-11 Punts 2-40.5 3-44.667 Fumbles-Lost 0-0 1-0 Penalties-Yards 9-67 8-60 Time of Possession 26:45 33:15 INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS RUSHING_Detroit, Gibbs 15-46. Carolina, Hubbard 20-122, Young 3-3, Dillon 5-2. PASSING_Detroit, Goff 32-52-0-412. Carolina, Young 29-41-0-329. RECEIVING_Detroit, LaPorta 8-84, St. Brown 8-75, J.Williams 6-102, TeSlaa 4-95, Gibbs 4-31, Vaki 1-17, Wright 1-8. Carolina, McMillan 14-192, Tremble 4-12, Metchie 3-37, Waller 3-36, Tremayne 2-32, M.Evans 1-8, Hubbard 1-7, Dillon 1-5. MISSED FIELD GOALS_None.

Major League Baseball MLB Postseason Glance x-if necessary

DIVISION SERIES

(Best-of-5) x-if necessary American League (TBS, TruTV, HBO Max)

Chicago White Sox 2, Cleveland 0

Saturday, Oct. 3: Chicago White Sox 3, Cleveland 0 Monday, Oct. 5: Chicago White Sox 4, Cleveland 3 Wednesday, Oct. 7: Cleveland at Chicago White Sox, 3 p.m. (TBS/TruTV/HBO Max) x-Thursday, Oct. 8: Cleveland at Chicago White Sox, 4 p.m. (TBS/TruTV/HBO Max) x-Saturday, Oct. 10: Chicago White Sox at Cleveland, 4 p.m. (TBS/TruTV/HBO Max)

Tampa Bay 1, N.Y. Yankees 0

Saturday, Oct. 3: Tampa Bay 1, N.Y. Yankees 0 Monday, Oct. 5: N.Y. Yankees at Tampa Bay, n Wednesday, Oct. 7: Tampa Bay at N.Y. Yankees, 7 p.m. (TBS/TruTV/HBO Max) x-Thursday, Oct. 8: Tampa Bay at N.Y. Yankees, 7 p.m. (TBS/TruTV/HBO Max) x-Saturday, Oct. 10: N.Y. Yankees at Tampa Bay, 7 p.m. (TBS/TruTV/HBO Max) National League (FOX, FS1)

L.A. Dodgers 1, Atlanta 1

Saturday, Oct. 3: L.A. Dodgers 5, Atlanta 3 Sunday, Oct. 4: Atlanta 3, L.A. Dodgers 2 Tuesday, Oct. 6: L.A. Dodgers (Yamamoto 149) at Atlanta (Sale 14-9), 5:08 p.m. (FOX/FS1) x-Wednesday, Oct. 7: L.A. Dodgers at Atlanta, 5 p.m. (FOX/FS1) x-Friday, Oct. 9: Atlanta at L.A. Dodgers, 7 p.m. (FOX/FS1)

Milwaukee 2, San Diego 0

Saturday, Oct. 3: Milwaukee 3, San Diego 2 Sunday, Oct. 4: Milwaukee 4, San Diego 3 Tuesday, Oct. 6: Milwaukee (May 7-9) at San Diego (Pivetta 3-2), 8:38 p.m. (FOX/FS1) x-Wednesday, Oct. 7: Milwaukee at San Diego, 9 p.m. (FOX/FS1) x-Friday, Oct. 9: San Diego at Milwaukee, 3:30 p.m. (FOX/FS1)

Late Sunday Milwaukee 4, San Diego 3 San Diego Tatis rf

Milwaukee ab r h bi 5 1 0 0 Chourio lf

ab r h bi 4 0 12

Harris lf 5 0 0 1 Turang 2b 4 0 00 Bowen lf 0 0 0 0 Bauers 1b 4 0 00 Machado 3b 2 1 0 0 Contreras c 4 0 00 France 1b 3 0 2 2 Mitchell cf 4 1 10 Merrill cf 4 0 1 0 Yelich dh 3 2 10 Sheets dh 1 0 0 0 Frelick rf 2 1 11 Hays ph-dh 1 0 0 0 Pratt ss 3 0 10 Taylor dh 1 0 1 0 Vaughn ph 1 0 00 Bogaerts ss 3 0 0 0 Hamilton 3b 3 0 00 Campusno c 2 1 1 0 Sánchez ph 0 0 00 Fermin c 1 0 0 0 Ortiz pr 0 0 00 Crnnwrth 2b 4 0 0 0 Totals 32 3 5 3 Totals 32 4 5 3 San Diego 100 010 100 — 3 Milwaukee 000 010 102 — 4 E_Cronenworth 2 (2), Turang (1), Pratt (1), Hamilton (1). DP_San Diego 0, Milwaukee 1. LOB_San Diego 8, Milwaukee 7. 2B_Yelich (1). SB_Yelich (1). IP H R ER BB SO San Diego King 5 3 1 1 0 6 Matsui H,1 1 1⁄3 1 1 0 1 0 2 Rodriguez H,1 ⁄3 0 0 0 0 0 Miller L,0-1 BS,0-1 1 2⁄3 1 2 2 3 2 Milwaukee Henderson 5 2 2 1 3 4 2 Romero ⁄3 0 0 0 1 2 Uribe 1 1⁄3 1 1 0 1 0 Ashby 1 2 0 0 0 1 Megill W,1-0 1 0 0 0 0 0 King pitched to 1 batter in the 6th, Henderson pitched to 1 batter in the 6th. HBP_Henderson (France), King (Chourio). WP_Henderson. ABS Challenge_Henderson (Ball-Overturned to Strike); Machado (Strike-Overturned to Ball); France (Strike-Overturned to Ball); Hamilton (Strike-Overturned to Ball); King (Ball-Overturned to Strike); Machado (Strike-Overturned to Ball); Uribe (BallOverturned to Strike); Ashby (Ball-Conﬁrmed); Miller (Ball-Overturned to Strike); Miller (Ball-Overturned to Strike); Frelick (Strike-Overturned to Ball); Sánchez (StrikeConﬁrmed). Umpires_Home, Lance Barrett; First, Alfonso Marquez; Second, Nic Lentz; Third, Quinn Wolcott; Right, Nick Mahrley; Left, Brennan Miller. T_3:14. A_41,683 (41,700).

Late Sunday Atlanta 3, L.A. Dodgers 2 Atlanta

Los Angeles

ab r h bi ab r h bi Baldwin c 2 0 0 0 Betts ss 2 0 0 0 Acuña rf 5 1 1 0 Ohtani dh 4 0 1 0 Olson 1b 4 1 1 0 Smith c 4 0 0 0 Albies 2b 4 0 0 0 Freeman 1b 4 1 2 1 Harris cf 5 1 3 1 T.Hernández lf 4 0 0 0 Dubón ss 3 0 1 1 Tucker rf 4 0 1 0 Murphy dh 1 0 0 0 Pages cf 3 0 0 0 Tellez ph-dh 1 0 0 0 Rojas 3b 1 0 1 0 Hicklen dh 0 0 0 0 Muncy ph-3b 3 1 1 1 Riley 3b 3 0 0 0 Edman 2b 3 0 0 0 Thomas lf 2 0 0 0 De Paula ph 1 0 0 0 Ystrzmski lf 1 0 0 0 Totals 31 3 6 2 Totals 33 2 6 2 Atlanta 100 010 100 — 3 Los Angeles 000 100 001 — 2 DP_Atlanta 0, Los Angeles 1. LOB_Atlanta 11, Los Angeles 7. 2B_Harris (1), Rojas (1). 3B_Harris (1). HR_Freeman (1), Muncy (2). SB_Acuña (1). S_Yastrzemski (1). IP H R ER BB SO Atlanta Kerr 2 2⁄3 2 0 0 1 4 2 Holmes ⁄3 2 1 1 1 0 2 Lee W,1-0 ⁄3 1 0 0 1 1 Suarez H,1 1 0 0 0 0 1 Fuentes H,1 3 2⁄3 1 1 1 0 3 1 Iglesias S,1-1 ⁄3 0 0 0 0 0 Los Angeles Snell 3 2⁄3 3 1 1 5 5 1 Stewart ⁄3 0 0 0 0 0 2 Bubic L,0-1 ⁄3 1 1 1 1 0 1 Phillips ⁄3 0 0 0 0 0 Díaz 1 0 0 0 0 2 Henriquez 1 2 1 1 0 2 Sasaki 2 0 0 0 2 1 HBP_Sasaki (Riley). WP_Bubic. ABS Challenge_Lee (Ball-Overturned to Strike); Sasaki (Ball-Overturned to Strike); Smith (Strike-Conﬁrmed); Freeman (StrikeOverturned to Ball); Tucker (Strike-Overturned to Ball). Umpires_Home, Chris Guccione; First, James Hoye; Second, Tripp Gibson; Third, Jim Wolf; Right, Roberto Ortiz; Left, Mike Estabrook. T_3:18. A_50,729 (56,000).

College football College Football Schedule

Wake Forest (4-1) at NC State (3-2), 11 a.m. New Hampshire (2-4) at NC A&T (1-5), 11 a.m. South Carolina (2-3) at Florida (4-1), 11:45 a.m. William & Mary (2-4) at NC Central (2-4), noon Old Dominion (1-4) at Appalachian St. (3-1), noon Samford (1-4) at Chattanooga (3-3), noon Wofford (3-3) at Elon (4-2), 1 p.m. Va. Lynchburg (0-3) at Norfolk St. (3-3), 1 p.m. ETSU (4-2) at The Citadel (2-3), 1 p.m. Arkansas Baptist (0-1) at Alcorn St. (3-3), 2 p.m. W. Carolina (3-3) at Mercer (4-2), 2 p.m. E. Illinois (1-4) at Gardner-Webb (2-4), 2:30 p.m. Duke (4-0) at Georgia Tech (1-3), 2:30 p.m. Mississippi (3-1) at Vanderbilt (3-2), 2:30 p.m. UT Martin (1-4) at Tennessee St. (1-4), 2:30 p.m. Furman (2-4) at Tennessee Tech (4-1), 2:30 p.m. Florida A&M (1-4) at Alabama St. (3-2), 3 p.m. Rice (1-4) at East Carolina (2-2), 3 p.m. Jackson St. (5-0) at Grambling St. (3-2), 4 p.m. Northeastern St. (0-2) at West Florida (3-2), 4 p.m. Davidson (2-4) at Presbyterian (2-3), 4:30 p.m. SC State (5-1) at Charleston Southern (2-3), 5 p.m. West Georgia (1-4) at E. Kentucky (1-4), 5 p.m. Tarleton St. (5-0) at Austin Peay (5-1), 6 p.m. UAB (3-2) at Memphis (4-1), 6 p.m. Bethune-Cookman (3-2) at Alabama A&M (4-2), 6 p.m. LSU (4-1) at Kentucky (4-1), 6 p.m. James Madison (5-0) at Georgia Southern (2-3), 6:30 p.m. Syracuse (2-2) at Virginia (3-2), 6:30 p.m. Louisiana-Lafayette (4-1) at Louisiana Tech (2-2), 6:30 p.m. Georgia (5-0) at Alabama (5-0), 6:30 p.m.

MIDWEST

Indiana (5-0) at Nebraska (5-0), 11 a.m. Sacramento St. (1-4) at Bowling Green (1-4), 11 a.m. Texas A&M (3-2) at Missouri (4-1), 11 a.m. Morehead St. (1-4) at Dayton (3-1), 11 a.m. Ball St. (1-4) at Northwestern (3-1), 11:30 a.m. San Diego (2-3) at Butler (4-1), noon Youngstown St. (4-2) at Indiana St. (2-4), noon S. Illinois (3-3) at South Dakota (4-2), 1 p.m. Drake (2-3) at Valparaiso (2-3), 1 p.m. SE Missouri (2-3) at Lindenwood (Mo.) (1-3), 1 p.m. Stetson (1-4) at St. Thomas (Minn.) (4-2), 1 p.m. E. Michigan (3-3) at Akron (1-4), 2:30 p.m. Stanford (2-3) at Notre Dame (5-0), 2:30 p.m. Houston (4-1) at Kansas St. (3-1), 2:30 p.m. Illinois (2-3) at Michigan St. (2-3), 2:30 p.m. Kent St. (2-3) at W. Michigan (3-2), 2:30 p.m. Buffalo (2-3) at Toledo (4-1), 2:30 p.m. Cent. Michigan (3-2) at Ohio (3-2), 2:30 p.m. Maryland (2-3) at Ohio St. (4-1), 3:15 p.m. North Dakota (5-1) at N. Iowa (2-2), 4 p.m. Air Force (3-1) at N. Illinois (0-4), 6:30 p.m. Minnesota (4-1) at Purdue (2-3), 7 p.m.

SOUTHWEST

UCF (3-2) at Oklahoma St. (3-1), 11 a.m. MVSU (2-4) at Texas Southern (1-4), 2 p.m. Southern U. (2-4) at Prairie View (2-4), 2 p.m. Oklahoma (2-2) vs. Texas (4-0) at Dallas, 2:30 p.m. Charlotte (0-5) at North Texas (3-2), 2:30 p.m. Incarnate Word (2-3) at Lamar (4-1), 3 p.m. Tennessee (4-1) at Arkansas (2-3), 3:15 p.m. Nevada (1-3) at UTEP (1-4), 6 p.m. Cent. Arkansas (2-3) at Abilene Christian (2-4), 7 p.m. SE Louisiana (3-2) at UT Rio Grande Valley (2-3), 7 p.m.

FAR WEST

Idaho (1-4) at Weber St. (3-3), 2 p.m. Virginia Tech (4-1) at California (2-3), 2:30 p.m. UCLA (4-0) at Oregon (3-1), 2:30 p.m. Utah Tech (0-6) at Portland St. (1-4), 3 p.m. Montana (5-1) at N. Arizona (4-2), 4 p.m. Cal Poly (3-3) at Idaho St. (4-1), 5 p.m. San Diego St. (2-3) at Oregon St. (3-2), 5 p.m. N. Dakota St. (5-0) at UNLV (3-2), 6 p.m. N. Colorado (2-4) at E. Washington (1-5), 6 p.m. Kansas (2-2) at Utah (4-0), 9:15 p.m. Hawaii (1-4) at Arizona St. (2-2), 9:30 p.m. Boise St. (4-1) at Fresno St. (4-1), 9:30 p.m.

FCS Top 25 Poll

Rank Rec. Pts. Prev. 1. South Dakota St. (24) 5-1 648 2 2. Tarleton St. (1) 5-0 614 3 3. Montana (1) 5-1 570 4 4. Stephen F. Austin 6-0 558 5 5. Lehigh 6-0 528 6 6. Montana St. 5-1 509 1 7. North Dakota 5-1 496 7 8. Austin Peay 5-1 472 9 9. Youngstown St. 4-2 454 10 10. Lamar 4-1 408 13 11. UC Davis 4-2 358 15 12. South Dakota 4-2 338 16 13. Illinois St. 4-2 288 11 14. Northern Arizona 4-2 287 19 15. Richmond 5-1 277 17 16. Tennessee Tech 4-1 255 8 17. Idaho St. 4-1 197 14 18. Mercer 4-2 194 21 19. Harvard 3-0 180 22 20. Campbell 5-1 171 24 21. South Carolina St. 5-1 152 12 22. Jackson St. 5-0 147 23 23. Colgate 4-2 78 20 24. Monmouth (N.J.) 4-2 48 NR 25. Southeastern Louisiana3-2 41 NR Dropped Out: West Florida (18), Southern Illinois (25) Others Receiving Votes: West Florida, 37; Bryant, 32; Yale, 24; Southern Illinois, 19; East Tennessee St., 15; Elon, 15; Idaho, 14; Stony Brook, 9; Abilene Christian, 8; Dartmouth, 3; Morgan St., 2; Alabama St., 1; Central Connecticut St., 1; North Alabama, 1; Robert Morris, 1.

All Times Central (Subject to change)

Auto racing

Southern Miss. (1-3) at Troy (2-2), 7 p.m.

Late Sunday NASCAR Cup Series South Point 400 Results

Tuesday’s games SOUTH

Wednesday’s games SOUTH

Jacksonville St. (3-2) at Kennesaw St. (1-3), 6 p.m. New Mexico St. (2-3) at FIU (2-2), 6:30 p.m.

Thursday’s games SOUTH

Sam Houston St. (1-3) at Liberty (4-1), 6 p.m. Missouri St. (1-3) at W. Kentucky (1-4), 6 p.m.

SOUTHWEST

South Florida (4-1) at UTSA (4-1), 6:30 p.m. South Alabama (3-2) at Arkansas St. (2-3), 6:30 p.m.

Friday’s games EAST

Columbia (2-1) at Marist (3-2), 6 p.m.

SOUTH

Florida St. (3-2) at Louisville (2-3), 6 p.m.

FAR WEST

Wyoming (2-3) at San Jose St. (3-2), 8 p.m. Iowa (4-1) at Washington (3-2), 8 p.m. Washington St. (1-4) at Utah St. (1-4), 8 p.m. Iowa St. (3-2) at BYU (4-0), 9:15 p.m.

Saturday’s games EAST

North Carolina (2-2) at Pittsburgh (5-0), 11 a.m. Dartmouth (1-2) at Yale (2-1), 11 a.m. Tulane (2-2) at Army (2-2), 11 a.m. Bryant (4-1) at Brown (1-2), 11 a.m. Stonehill (1-4) at Sacred Heart (2-3), 11 a.m. Robert Morris (3-2) at Morgan St. (4-1), 11 a.m. Arizona (4-1) at West Virginia (3-2), 11 a.m. Princeton (2-1) at Wagner (1-4), 11 a.m. Bucknell (1-4) at Georgetown (0-4),

Sunday

At Las Vegas Motor Speedway Las Vegas. Lap length: 1.50 miles (Start position in parentheses) 1. (4) Chase Briscoe, Toyota, 267 laps, 75 points. 2. (6) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 267, 36. 3. (5) Tyler Reddick, Toyota, 267, 41. 4. (7) Austin Cindric, Ford, 267, 48. 5. (20) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 267, 47. 6. (8) William Byron, Chevrolet, 267, 34. 7. (13) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 267, 34. 8. (9) Bubba Wallace, Toyota, 267, 39. 9. (25) Shane Van Gisbergen, Chevrolet, 267, 28. 10. (23) Joey Logano, Ford, 267, 32. 11. (15) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 267, 28. 12. (10) Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet, 267, 28. 13. (14) Chris Buescher, Ford, 267, 26. 14. (11) Daniel Suárez, Chevrolet, 267, 28. 15. (19) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 267, 22. 16. (1) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 267, 22. 17. (2) Ty Gibbs, Toyota, 267, 20. 18. (22) Riley Herbst, Toyota, 267, 19. 19. (28) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 267, 18. 20. (36) Noah Gragson, Ford, 267, 17. 21. (18) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet, 267, 17. 22. (33) Austin Hill, Chevrolet, 266, 0. 23. (3) Christopher Bell, Toyota, 266, 31. 24. (16) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 266, 13. 25. (21) Erik Jones, Toyota, 266, 12. 26. (35) Josh Berry, Ford, 266, 11. 27. (24) Cole Custer, Chevrolet, 266, 10. 28. (12) Ryan Preece, Ford, 265, 9. 29. (32) John H. Nemechek, Toyota, 265, 8.

30. (17) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 265, 7. 31. (29) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 265, 6. 32. (26) Ricky Stenhouse Jr, Chevrolet, 264, 5. 33. (27) Todd Gilliland, Ford, 264, 4. 34. (34) Cody Ware, Chevrolet, 263, 3. 35. (31) Connor Zilisch, Chevrolet, 262, 2. 36. (30) Zane Smith, Ford, 262, 1. Race Statistics Average Speed of Race Winner: 147.365 mph. Time of Race: 2 hours, 43 minutes, 4 seconds. Margin of Victory: 1.376 seconds. Caution Flags: 4 for 21 laps. Lead Changes: 12 among 7 drivers. Lap Leaders: D.Hamlin 0-34; T.Reddick 35; B.Wallace 36; R.Blaney 37-41; D.Hamlin 42-46; C.Briscoe 47-128; C.Bell 129-130; A.Cindric 131-162; C.Briscoe 163-215; A.Cindric 216; R.Blaney 217-221; C.Bell 222-227; C.Briscoe 228-267 Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Led, Laps Led): C.Briscoe, 3 times for 175 laps; D.Hamlin, 2 times for 39 laps; A.Cindric, 2 times for 33 laps; R.Blaney, 2 times for 10 laps; C.Bell, 2 times for 8 laps; T.Reddick, 1 time for 1 lap; B.Wallace, 1 time for 1 lap. Wins: T.Reddick, 5; D.Hamlin, 4; J.Logano, 3; R.Blaney, 3; K.Larson, 2; C.Briscoe, 2; T.Gibbs, 2; C.Elliott, 2; S.Van Gisbergen, 2; C.Bell, 1; C.Hocevar, 1; D.Suárez, 1; R.Preece, 1. Top 16 in Points: 1. K.Larson, 2318; 2. D.Hamlin, 2278; 3. C.Bell, 2263; 4. J.Logano, 2247; 5. R.Blaney, 2238; 6. C.Briscoe, 2234; 7. T.Reddick, 2212; 8. T.Gibbs, 2208; 9. A.Cindric, 2190; 10. B.Wallace, 2181; 11. C.Hocevar, 2160; 12. W.Byron, 2158; 13. C.Elliott, 2155; 14. D.Suárez, 2123; 15. C.Buescher, 2122; 16. R.Preece, 2118. NASCAR Driver Rating Formula A maximum of 150 points can be attained in a race. The formula combines the following categories: Wins, Finishes, Top-15 Finishes, Average Running Position While on Lead Lap, Average Speed Under Green, Fastest Lap, Led Most Laps, Lead-Lap Finish.

Tennis WTA China Open Results Monday

At National Tennis Center Beijing Purse: $9,415,725 Surface: Hardcourt outdoor Results Monday from China Open at National Tennis Center (seedings in parentheses):

Women’s Singles

Round of 32 Iga Swiatek (8), Poland, def. Donna Vekic (30), Croatia, 4-6, 7-6 (0), 6-2. Iva Jovic (10), United States, def. Kamilla Rakhimova, Russia, 6-1, 7-5. Zheng Qinwen, China, def. Marie Bouzkova (18), Czechia, 7-6 (3), 4-6, 7-5. Alina Charaeva, Russia, def. Sonay Kartal, Britain, 6-4, 6-1. Ann Li (21), United States, def. Belinda Bencic (9), Switzerland, 6-4, 6-3. Elise Mertens (13), Belgium, def. Jelena Ostapenko (24), Latvia, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3. Elina Svitolina (6), Ukraine, def. Maria Sakkari (25), Greece, 6-4, 7-5. Coco Gauff (3), United States, def. Xinran Sun, China, 7-5, 6-1.

Women’s Doubles

Round of 32 Ulrikke Eikeri, Norway, and Quinn Gleason, United States, def. Clara Tauson, Denmark, and Linda Noskova, Czechia, 7-6 (6), 6-2. Nicole Melichar-Martinez, United States, and Cristina Bucsa (4), Spain, def. Ekaterina Alexandrova, Russia, and Fanny Stollar, Hungary, 4-6, 7-6 (5), 12-10. Aldila Sutjiadi, Indonesia, and Erin Routliffe, New Zealand, def. Ingrid Neel, Estonia, and Giuliana Olmos, Mexico, 6-4, 7-6 (5). Irina Khromacheva and Liudmila Samsonova, Russia, def. Jesika Maleckova and Miriam Skoch, Czechia, 7-5, 6-4.

Hockey NHL Conference Glance EASTERN CONFERENCE N.Y. Rangers Pittsburgh Boston Florida Montreal Carolina Ottawa Buffalo Columbus N.Y. Islanders New Jersey Tampa Bay Washington Toronto Philadelphia Detroit

GP W L OT Pts GF 4 3 1 0 6 11 2 2 0 0 4 13 3 2 1 0 4 8 3 1 0 2 4 6 2 1 0 1 3 8 3 1 1 1 3 5 1 1 0 0 2 3 2 1 1 0 2 7 2 1 1 0 2 7 2 1 1 0 2 7 2 1 1 0 2 3 2 1 1 0 2 4 2 1 1 0 2 6 3 1 2 0 2 6 3 0 1 2 2 4 2 0 2 0 0 2

WESTERN CONFERENCE

GA 6 5 7 7 8 8 2 9 7 2 8 6 5 7 13 5

GP W L OT Pts GF GA Edmonton 3 2 0 1 5 17 14 Anaheim 2 2 0 0 4 7 5 Colorado 2 2 0 0 4 14 5 Minnesota 2 2 0 0 4 7 2 San Jose 2 2 0 0 4 9 7 Seattle 3 2 1 0 4 13 5 Utah 3 2 1 0 4 12 5 Vegas 3 2 1 0 4 11 8 Vancouver 4 2 2 0 4 19 18 Winnipeg 2 1 0 1 3 6 6 Nashville 2 1 1 0 2 3 4 St. Louis 2 1 1 0 2 5 6 Los Angeles 2 0 1 1 1 8 13 Dallas 2 0 2 0 0 1 6 Calgary 3 0 3 0 0 3 16 Chicago 3 0 3 0 0 5 15 NOTE: Two points for a win, one point for overtime loss. Top three teams in each division and two wild cards per conference advance to playoffs.

Sunday’s Games

Winnipeg 3, Detroit 2 N.Y. Rangers 4, Utah 2 Seattle 6, Calgary 1 Anaheim 3, Florida 2, OT Vegas 3, Vancouver 2

Monday’s Games

Philadelphia at Tampa Bay, n Ottawa at Boston, n Winnipeg at Pittsburgh, n San Jose at Dallas, n

Tuesday’s Games

Carolina at Montreal, 6 p.m. Minnesota at Buffalo, 6 p.m. Nashville at Toronto, 6 p.m. Ottawa at Detroit, 6 p.m. Utah at New Jersey, 6 p.m. N.Y. Islanders at N.Y. Rangers, 6:30 p.m. St. Louis at Chicago, 7 p.m. Vegas at Seattle, 8:40 p.m. Florida at Los Angeles, 9 p.m.

Transactions BASKETBALL

National Basketball Association CHICAGO BULLS — Waived G Isaiah Stevens. ORLANDO MAGIC — Waived G Mike Sharavjamts. TORONTO RAPTORS — Waived G Andre Jackson Jr. WASHINGTON WIZARDS — Waived G Jazian Gortman.

FOOTBALL

National Football League NFL — Suspended line judge Jeff Seeman for two games and referee Adrian Hill for one game for unprofessional conduct toward a player. DALLAS COWBOYS — Designated G Tyler Smith to return from injured reserve. MIAMI DOLPHINS — Waived RB Carlos Washington Jr. MINNESOTA VIKINGS — Waived WR Jeshaun Jones. PITTSBURGH STEELERS — Signed CB Sean Murphy-Bunting to the active roster. Signed LB Marte Mapu to the practice squad. Waived DB Doneiko Slaughter. Placed DT Derrick Harmon on injured reserve.

HOCKEY

National Hockey League BOSTON BRUINS — Reinstated C Matthew Poitras from injured reserve. CALGARY FLAMES — Placed D Brayden Pachal and C Connor Zary on waivers. DALLAS STARS — Assigned D Cameron Bertucci to Texas (AHL). NEW YORK RANGERS — Placed D Matthew Robertson on waivers. OTTAWA SENATORS — Recalled D Donovan Sebrango from Belleville (AHL). Placed LW Andre Burakovsky on injured reserve. PHILADELPHIA FLYERS — Reinstated C Jett Luchanko Barkey from injured reserve. ST. LOUIS BLUES — Placed LW Alexey Toropchenko on injured reserve. TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS — Placed RW Nikita Grebenkin on injured reserve.

LIVING

T H E A D V O C AT E.C O M

T u e s d ay, O c T O b e r 6, 2026

5cN

Rise and shine

Wondering what those cheery yellow blooms along La.’s backroads are? Here’s your answer. If you take a drive down the highways and byways of Louisiana in the coming weeks, you might notice large masses of golden-yellow flowers on the side of the road. This very likely is Helianthus angustifolius, better known as the swamp GARDEN sunflower. NEWS Native to Louisiana and much of the United States, swamp sunflower is one of our most reliable flowering perennials. It blooms from early to mid-fall, peaking in October. This plant will grow almost anywhere. It favors wet environments — such as the roadside ditches where it’s so often seen this time of year — but is highly adaptable. It’s an outstanding performer in both natural settings and home gardens, where the towering plants work well in the back of beds.

PROVIDED PHOTOS

Josh Carley, sitting in the pew, films a promotional video for his new short film, ‘Sin on a Sunday.’ Zach Walnau is behind the camera.

‘A TRUE STORYTELLER’

Baton Rouge native goes from high school projects to assistant editor on Emmy-winning series BY JOY HOLDEN

aspect of ﬁlm enticed him because he realized that where and how the editor puts the pieces together makes the work engaging. “It’s one of my favorite parts, and it didn’t occur to me that people didn’t actually enjoy that part of it,” Carley said.

Staff writer

hen Josh Carley was a high school student at Parkview Baptist School and Dutchtown High School, he was known as the resident cinephile. He amassed such a large collection of DVDs that his classmates would “check out” movies from him, with a policy that one person could only take two movies at a time. Throughout his time in school, Carley was the “director” that everyone wanted to work with for their movie projects. His love for film eventually turned into a career. Carley, 38, has worked on the editing team for several television series, including the second season of HBO’s “The Last of Us,” which was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Picture Editing for a Drama Series in 2025. The series won that Emmy for the ﬁrst season in 2024. He’s currently the editor for the second season of “The Terminal List,” a military thriller series on Amazon Prime starring Chris Pratt. “Editing is part mechanics and part storytelling,” said Tommy Talley, who worked with Carley on a music video for his production company tommysTV. “Anyone disciplined can learn the mechanics, but Josh has reached the top be-

LSU AGCENTER PHOTO BY OLIVIA McCLURE

Instead of a single flowerhead at the top of a stalk, swamp sunflower stems tend to be branched and display multiple flowers.

Swamp sunflower’s daisylike flowers typically measure 2 to 3 inches across — smaller than the blooms you’ll see on the common sunflower (Helianthus annuus). Their yellow color is just as cheerful, however, and they’re highly attractive to seed-loving birds and pollinators seeking nectar and pollen. A couple of other features distinguish swamp sunflower from other sunflowers. Instead of a single flowerhead at the top of a stalk, swamp sunflower stems tend to be branched and display multiple flowers. And its foliage is strappy, almost needlelike, with a rough texture. Swamp sunflower can reach 6 to 8 feet tall, sometimes even more. It looks its best and puts on the most blooms when grown in full sun. In the shade, plants become leggy. Propagation is easy. If you look at the base of swamp sunflower plants, you’ll likely see a number of plantlets emerging. You can divide these from the mother plants in late winter or early spring to plant in a new area or to share with friends. Swamp sunflower also is a prolific seed producer, a trait that allows it to regrow year after year in nature. If you want to collect the seeds to plant in a specific location, cut off mature flowers and allow them to dry for a few days. Then, shake out the seeds and store them for planting. Like many native perennials, planting the seeds in late fall or early winter is best.

A tight-knit film community Carley says he caught the film fever while he was a student at LSU from 2006 to 2010, which led him to like-minded people who energized him, he said. “I learned from them, and they learned from me, which is the best thing in the world for a community. That was where the bug truly bit me,” Carley said. Although LSU didn’t have a film major at the time, Carley did take a screenwriting class that was one of Josh Carley, right, and his wife, his favorites. He graduated with a Jamie Dean Carley, stand on the degree in advertising, but filmmaking was still his passion. In 2018, he red carpet at the Emmys. Josh Carley was assistant editor on ‘The made a short film titled “Samantha,” a horror mystery about a woman’s Last of Us’ which was nominated transcendental experiences. for the award for Outstanding During his time in Baton Rouge, Picture Editing for a Drama Series. Carley worked with different film industry professionals and crews on various sets. When he made “Sacause he’s a true storyteller.” After working with Talley on mantha,” many of them showed up Webbie’s “My People” music video to help. in 2011, Carley began editing com“I would not have a shadow of mercials, web videos, other mu- a career in postproduction if it sic videos, documentaries, short wasn’t for the amount of support films, feature films and behind-theä See CARLEY, page 6C scenes work. The postproduction

Author Sarah Jakes Roberts to headline summit BY JOY HOLDEN

2 p.m. on Oct. 11. The summit is an immersive experience deNew York Times bestsigned to uplift, equip and connect women from selling author, entrepreacross Louisiana. neur and internationally All proceeds go to acclaimed speaker Sarah YWCA programming, Jakes Roberts will headJakes Roberts including domestic violine YWCA Greater Baton Rouge’s Women’s Empowerment lence advocacy and one-on-one Summit at the River Center The- services for survivors, early atre for Performing Arts in Baton learning programs for children Rouge. The event will be held at aged birth to 3 years old, teen de-

Staff writer

velopment, emotional assistance and housing. “For nearly 60 years, YWCA Greater Baton Rouge has been committed to empowering women, strengthening families and creating opportunities for those who need them most,” said YWCA CEO Dianna Payton in a news release. “Sarah Jakes Roberts, CEO of Woman Evolve, has inspired millions of women around the world to embrace healing,

purpose, and faith through life’s greatest challenges. We are honored to welcome her to Baton Rouge.” This event will be Jakes Roberts’ ﬁrst trip to Baton Rouge. She serves women in her organization Woman Evolve in Dallas, which serves to equip women through spiritual and practical development, and is a co-pastor alongside

ä See SUMMIT, page 6C

6C ● Tuesday, October 6, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

lll

Rational or not, age questions remain taboo DEAR MISS MANNERS: Why is it con- ple who would beneﬁt from it are sidered rude to ask an adult his or offended by any such courtesies. Miss Manners agrees her age? with you about how riIt’s a fact of life, just one aspect of a whole person, diculous and even psychoand it’s not like keeping it logically damaging that is. a secret is going to prevent Nevertheless, you would the onset of old age. cause offense by ignoring GENTLE READER: The sad that convention. Judith answer is that our society DEAR MISS MANNERS: I’m Martin terribly old-fashioned and considers growing older MISS to be a misfortune, if not a judgmental, but if you MANNERS personal failing. have been living together People, especially ladies, and have offspring tooften go to great lengths to conceal gether, why should you expect a their age, and it is deemed rude big wedding? to inquire about, or even to defer GENTLE READER: You probably to, age. On the contrary, ﬂatterers miss the old days, when people think it charming to pretend to would speculate about whether mistake maturity for youth. a bride was “entitled” to wear a Age is a fair precedence system white wedding dress. to use, as the one based on gender Miss Manners does not. The is fading. Yet often the very peopremise, which had to do with a

part of the bridal body inside the dress, was vulgar then, just as it would be vulgar now to decree who does and who does not deserve a big wedding. But this does suggest an interesting question: Why do couples even want big, expensive weddings, when the events no longer mark important changes in their lives? Time was, weddings changed things dramatically. The newlyweds took up residence together. The bride changed her surname. Any children they had would be recognized by the law. Now, one can no longer assume that life is any different for bridal couples after the wedding than it was before. They already live together. She may not change her name. They may already have children.

And yet weddings are bigger and splashier than ever. Miss Manners attributes this, in part, to the almost mandatory casualness of today’s lifestyles. Weddings may be the only occasions when adults can experience the stylistic lavishness they ogle when watching awards shows. For once relieved of the general requirement of condemning formality as elitist, they discover that dressing up is actually fun. But they have to cram it all into one occasion, which explains why brides have taken to scheduling dress changes during the course of the day. Another inﬂuence of awards shows is the chance to experience stardom. Modern weddings are less about the couple entering into civic and often religious

traditions than about crafting biographic epics about themselves. But perhaps the biggest reason is the opposite of what Miss Manners had thought. Perhaps it is exactly because there are not such changes in their everyday lives that a major occasion is required to celebrate and to make public the fact that there actually is a difference between being married and not. What Miss Manners fails to understand is why anyone would begrudge them that. Send questions to Miss Manners at her website, www. missmanners.com; to her email, dearmissmanners@gmail.com; or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.

Dry-cleaned jeans stay bright Facial scarring leaves Dear Heloise: For folks who want er errand that she’d probably like to keep their jeans bright, stop to skip. For those who have more washing them. I’ve had my jeans time and money on their hands, dry-cleaned for years, and though, dry-cleaning could their colors stay as bright be a good option. — Heloise as they did when they Oh, my aching back! were new. — R.J.B., via email R.J.B., yes, you’re right Dear Heloise: I purchased that it does help. However, two twin sofa beds. Defor many of my readspite the nice mattress, Hints from a 2-inch foam pad on it, a ers, it’s very expensive Heloise nice white pad, and a ﬁtted to constantly dry-clean bottom sheet, it’s uncomtheir jeans when they have working washing machines fortable! Suggestions are needed that can do the job. It also means on how to make this more comwearing the same pair of jeans fortable. — K.P., in Virginia longer than they’d normally be K.P., perhaps a thick mattress worn. In addition, it’s one more pad on top of the foam pad might thing on your to-do list. help. But if you sleep with your For busy people, such as a head toward the sofa, try reversing mother who gets off work and it so that your head’s at the end of needs to make one or two stops on the sofa bed. At the present time, a the way home before ﬁxing dinsofa bed will never be a comfy as our own mattresses at home. ner for her family, it’s just anoth-

Readers, if you have a sofa bed, what do you do to make your guests comfortable? Please write to Heloise@Heloise.com and let us know which solutions you use to make a sofa bed feel more comfy. — Heloise

The parrot speaks Dear Heloise: My friend bought a parrot and wanted to teach it to talk, but also wanted something more clever and less prosaic than “Polly want a cracker?” I suggested a good start would be: “Help, they have turned me into a parrot!” — Stanley F., via email Stanley, this is certainly a clever suggestion! Thank you for sharing such a funny idea; it gave me a good laugh. — Heloise Send a hint to heloise@heloise. com.

CARLEY

Continued from page 5C and encouragement and creativity that I experienced professionally in Baton Rouge, New Orleans and Lafayette,” he said. “The film community in general is very tight-knit. They’re very supportive.” After “Samantha,” Carley and his wife moved to California so that he could edit scripted material. To be a successful editor, Carley says one must be fluent in all aspects of filmmaking. Moving to Los Angeles has allowed him to do that. Because editing is about creating the narrative of a visual story, editors have to understand good writing and bad writing, pacing, performances and why certain shots work the way they do. The editor is the first audience member, he said.

reader uncomfortable

Dear Harriette: I got into a car a serious accident. While it is crash eight months ago, and it a blessing for you to have surhas left my face permanently vived, your scars are real and scarred. I am still not used to the clearly emotionally impactful. I way my face looks, and have a couple of recomI’m extremely insecure. I mendations. First, speak can tell my husband isn’t to your doctor about as attracted to me as he plastic surgery. Find out used to be, and my todwhether it is possible to do any facial reconstrucdler looks at me like I am Frankenstein’s monster. tion to restore your face Harriette to its previous state. You I want to find ways to Cole be more confident, but should also get a theraSENSE AND it hasn’t been working. pist who can work with SENSITIVITY I used to love getting you to find peace at this dressed up and going out stage in your life. You with my husband, but now I find have been through a lot. You myself avoiding social situalook different, and people are retions because I don’t want people acting to you in different ways. staring at me. I rarely take picLearn how to accept and love the new you — the brave person who tures anymore because I don’t survived the terrible accident. recognize myself when I look at Dear Harriette: I need to lose them. My husband tells me he still loves me, but I can’t help but weight. I recently spoke to my feel like something has changed doctor about going on one of those GLP-1 regimens. But when between us since the accident. I told my daughter, she pointed I also worry that my toddler’s out I don’t eat that much. She reactions mean my child is said what GLP-1s do is reduce scared of me or doesn’t recogyour desire to eat. Since I don’t nize me anymore. Some days I feel like I am constantly compar- eat a lot anyway, it’s probably not my solution. Whatever. I just ing my face now to the way it want to lose weight. My work looked before the crash. I have is very sedentary. I don’t move tried telling myself that my much, but I need to get healthier. scars are a reminder that I survived, but that mindset has been What should I do? — Need to Lose Dear Need to Lose: While you can difficult to maintain. I know I should focus on healing emotion- get GLP-1 meds online now ally, but I don’t know how to stop without a prescription, I would advise against that. Go to a feeling embarrassed about my weight-loss clinic and get evaluappearance. I want to feel comfortable in my own skin again ated. Share all your medical hisand be present for my family tory with the doctors, and work without constantly worrying together to discover a viable soabout how they see me. How can lution to reach a healthy weight. I feel like the old me again? — Deformed Send questions to Dear Deformed: First, I am so askharriette@harriettecole. sorry that you experienced such com.

TODAY IN HISTORY

Back to movie making Jordan Lewis, another Baton Rouge editor who worked with Carley at tommysTV, said that Carley is someone who delivers real and honest criticism that makes a project better. “He has a good brain for that and a ton of experience that helps to be able to offer that type of feedback,” Lewis said. Today, Carley is adding screenwriter, director and producer to his résumé with his horror/pulp crime anthology “Parish Lines,” which is set in different parishes in Louisiana. One of the stories, titled “Sin on a Sunday,” follows a faith leader who has a dark secret. “The idea is to make ‘Sin on a Sunday’ as a really cool short but also as a way to approach investors and show them what ‘Parish Lines’ will be like. ‘Parish Lines’ is the feature I hope to make,” he said. Even though Carley lives in California now, everything he writes

SUMMIT

Continued from page 5C her husband at The Potter’s House Church in Dallas. But Jakes Roberts is coming off the heels of an accident that threatened her life. She broke her neck and compressed her spinal cord while jumping on a trampoline with her daughter. After several months of healing, she is feeling ready “to live again and plan again.” “I think a lot of women have been feeling that life takes our breath away, and we’re wondering, ‘Is it okay for me to have a dream, to have hope, even if I’ve had some

By The Associated Press

PROVIDED PHOTO

‘Sin on a Sunday’ follows a faith leader who has a dark secret. Josh Carley is currently working to get the short film financed. is Louisiana based, because “it’s a part of you forever and ever,” he said. He even credits the ﬁlm industry in the state for the opportunities he’s received thus far. He urges anyone in Louisiana with hopes of working in ﬁlm to take advantage of the people in the community. “There are a lot of really awesome, talented, wonderful people

in Baton Rouge who make and work on film,” Carley said. “If you want a career in film, find them. Get to know them. Listen to them. Learn from them. I promise you, you will see all kind of doors open — both from a career standpoint but also within you.”

disappointments?’ I understand ﬁrsthand what it’s like for life and everything you’ve known about yourself and about your purpose and identity to change. Empowerment looks like starting where we are.” Jakes Roberts is looking forward to meeting the women at the summit where they are. She hopes to help them ﬁgure out what it means to build from there. “I’m really looking forward to creating connection in the room,” she said. “I want the women to see the woman sitting next to them. I’ll be going back to Texas, but it’s the women who are in the room that they’ll be able to build communities, businesses and support

systems with. And so I’m looking forward to being a connector.” The VIP Floor Experience, priced at $150, is sold out, but supporters may purchase tickets for $75. YWCA hopes the event will become a gathering for community, leaders, professionals, entrepreneurs, students and others in the community. Tickets and sponsorship opportunities are available at ywca-BR. org/womens-empowerment-summit and through Ticketmaster. For more information, contact YWCA Greater Baton Rouge at 225-3830681.

Email Joy Holden at joy.holden@ theadvocate.com.

youth fencing team. In 1979, Pope John Paul II, on Today is Tuesday, Oct. 6, the a weeklong U.S. tour, became 279th day of 2026. There are 86 the first pontiff to visit the White days left in the year. House, where he was received Today in history: by President Jimmy Carter. On Oct. 6, 1981, Egyptian PresIn 2007, British adventurer Jaident Anwar Sadat was shot to son Lewis completed the first hudeath by members of the Egypman-powered circumnavigation tian Islamic Jihad while review- of the globe, spanning 13 years and more than 46,000 miles. ing a military parade. In 2014, the Supreme Court unAlso on this date: In 1927, the era of talking picexpectedly cleared the way for a dramatic expansion of same-sex tures arrived with the opening of “The Jazz Singer” starring Al marriage in the United States Jolson, a feature film containing as it rejected appeals from five states seeking to preserve their both silent and sound-synchrobans, effectively making such nized sequences. marriages legal in 30 states. In 1949, Iva Toguri D’Aquino, In 2018, in the narrowest Sena U.S. citizen commonly known as “Tokyo Rose” for participatate confirmation of a Supreme Court justice in nearly a century ing in Radio Tokyo propaganda broadcasts during World War II, and a half, Brett Kavanaugh was confirmed by a 50-48 vote; he was sentenced in San Francisco to 10 years in prison for treason. was sworn in hours later. In 2023, Iranian activist She was released from prison in 1956 and pardoned by President Narges Mohammadi won the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition Gerald Ford in 1977. of her tireless campaigning for In 1973, war erupted in the women’s rights and democracy, Middle East as Egypt and Syria launched a surprise attack on Is- and against the death penalty. raeli forces in the Sinai Peninsu- Mohammadi kept up her activla and the Golan Heights during ism despite numerous arrests by the Yom Kippur holiday, starting Iranian authorities and having a nearly three-week conflict that spent years behind bars. would become known as the Yom Today’s birthdays: Actor Britt Kippur War. Ekland is 84. Irish politician GerIn 1976, Republican President ry Adams is 78. Pro Football Hall Gerald R. Ford, in his second of Fame coach Tony Dungy is 71. presidential debate with DemoBowler Walter Ray Williams Jr. crat Jimmy Carter, asserted that is 67. Actor Elisabeth Shue is 63. there was “no Soviet domination House Majority Leader Steve of Eastern Europe.” Carter went Scalise, R-Jefferson, is 61. Acon to narrowly defeat Ford. tor Emily Mortimer is 55. BasIn 1976, two bombs exploded ketball Hall of Famer Rebecca on a Cubana de Aviacion flight Lobo is 53. Actor Ioan Gruffudd off the coast of Barbados, killis 53. Actor Jeremy Sisto is 52. ing all 73 on board, including the Football Hall of Famer Richard Seymour is 47. 24 members of Cuba’s national

The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Tuesday, October 6, 2026 ● 7C

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FrAnK And erneSt

roSebUdS

zItS

zodIAC LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Discipline will pay off. Think about the possibilities, and implement ideas that help turn your vision into something concrete. Don't expect everyone to agree with you. SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) Choose to get along. A little charm will help you bypass those looking for a debate. Protect your reputation and your relationships with associates. Put more thought into your beliefs. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) You're sitting in a better position than you realize. Open your eyes and ears, and what you discover will help protect you against scammers and those who try to take advantage of you. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Having a laidback attitude will help you get things done without interference. Be aware of misdirection and bad information. Verify everything you hear before passing it along. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Channel your energy wisely. Discipline and patience are necessary. If you let what others do or say bother you, ego and emotions will bring drama, leaving you in an awkward position. PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) Matters concerning investments, health and contracts are best dealt with swiftly. Refuse to let inexperience cost you. Go to the experts who can provide you with the facts. ARIES (March 21-April 19) Set high goals, and push forward with enthusiasm. Clear up mixed messages by being con-

cise regarding how you feel, what you are willing to do and how to improve situations that aren't working well for you. TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Rethink your plans, choose your words carefully and stick to the script. If you embellish situations, you'll be labeled as difficult; if you back down, you'll be vulnerable and weak. GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Embrace your dreams, hopes and wishes, and see what transpires. You'll never know what's possible if you don't try. Meet any challenge you encounter with discipline and a plan. CANCER (June 21-July 22) Get active. Using your mental and physical attributes will help you get back in the game. It's time to flex your muscles and strengthen any vulnerability you've allowed to seep into your life. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Disruptions will require attention. You can resolve a domestic dispute if you compromise. Don't let ego get in the way or words put a wedge between you and what you are trying to achieve. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Pay attention to detail and proper protocol when dealing with institutions. A networking event can lead to professional and financial opportunities. How you present yourself will determine the outcome of a meeting. The horoscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact. © 2026 by NEA, Inc., dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication

For better or For WorSe WonderWord

peAnUtS

SALLY Forth

beetLe bAILeY CeLebrItY CIpher Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present. Each letter in the cipher stands for another.

TODAy'S CLUE: C EQUALS A

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

SherMAn’S LAGoon FAMILY CIrCUS

dooneSbUrY

8C ● Tuesday, October 6, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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Sudoku InstructIons: Sudoku is a number-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1 to 9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday. Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

BaBY BLueS

BLondie

THe wiZard oF id

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La TimeS CroSSword

The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Tuesday, October 6, 2026 ● 9C

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Bridge BY PHILLIP ALDER Trent Reznor, a singer-songwriter, composer and record producer, said, “Being a rock and roll star has become as legitimate a career option as being an astronaut or a policeman or a fireman.” That is an interesting list of comparisons when you contemplate the various incomes from those professions. In this deal, though, the key word is “option.” Which option should South choose? He is in three no-trump. West leads the heart jack and East plays his seven. How should South continue? West has a textbook weak two-bid, North has a textbook takeout double, and South has a clearcut jump to three notrump. It is just a pity that the contract isn’t laydown. South has only eight winners: four spades, one heart (trick one) and three diamonds. He has to establish a club trick, but that will involve losing the lead twice and will give the defenders a chance to run the heart suit. If West has a high club, the contract is unmakable. So South must assume that East has the club ace and king. However, if declarer takes the first trick and immediately plays a club, East will get in and return his second heart. Then South will go down three, losing five hearts and two clubs.

garfield

Pearls Before swiNe

hagar the horriBle

South has another option at trick one: Let West take the trick. Now the contract makes; declarer will lose only two hearts and two clubs. You will often have two options at the bridge table, whether in the bidding or play. Analyze both and hopefully you will realize that one is better than the other. © 2026 by NEA, Inc., dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication

wuzzles Each Wuzzle is a word riddle which creates a disguised word, phrase, name, place, saying, etc. For example: NOON GOOD = GOOD AFTERNOON

PiCKles

Previous answers:

mallard fillmore

word game InstRuctIons: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed. 3. Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.

toDAY’s WoRD — ELEGAncE: EL-ih-gence: Dignified gracefulness.

Bizarro

marmaduKe

Average mark 16 words Time limit 25 minutes Can you find 21 or more words in ELEGANCE? YEstERDAY’s WoRD — LEXIcon lice

ilex

oxen

lien

clone

nice

line

coil

noel

lion

coin

loin

cole

lone

cone

icon

once

loCKhorNs hidato Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

today’s thought “But our God is in the heavens: he has done whatever he has pleased.” Psalms 115:3

This is God’s world and He is in charge. — G.E. Dean

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BUSINESS T H E A D V O C AT E.C O M/news/business

DOW 51,267.90 90.94 0.18%

NASDAQ 27,477.31 286.45 1.05%

BRIEFS

FROM WIRE REPORTS

U.S. stocks rise to the edge of an all-time high

NEW YORK — U.S. stocks rose to the edge of their all-time high on Monday after a couple of buyout announcements helped lift the market. The S&P 500 climbed 0.7% and pulled within 0.3% of its record, which was set during the summer. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 90 points, or 0.2%, while the Nasdaq composite rallied 1.1% to set its own record. PTC helped lead the market after leaping 33.5%. Schneider Electric of France said it would pay $205 in cash for each of the software company’s shares in a deal valuing it at about $22.6 billion. The proposed deal helped lift prices for other stocks in the software industry, and Autodesk rose 4.5%. RXO, meanwhile, jumped 22.5% after C.H. Robinson Worldwide said it would buy the truck brokerage business in a deal where RXO investors could get $30.25 in cash for each of their shares. C.H. Robinson fell 10.8% for the largest loss in the S&P 500. Both Schneider Electric and C.H. Robinson mentioned the promise of artificial intelligence technology when announcing their deals, and stocks across the AI industry were strong. A 2.1% gain for Nvidia, whose chips are powering much of the move into AI, was the single strongest force lifting the S&P 500. Broadcom, meanwhile, climbed 2.1%.

Hungary official grilled over ties to China’s BYD BUDAPEST, Hungary — Hungary’s former Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó appeared before a parliamentary committee on Monday to answer questions about his dealings with Chinese automaker BYD while still in office. He left politics in July to take up an executive position with the company. Szijjártó, who served as Hungary’s foreign minister for 12 years under former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán before an election defeat in April, announced in July that he would resign his seat in Hungary’s parliament to take the job at the world’s top electric carmaker. The announcement prompted accusations of a conflict of interest, and criticism of his central role in facilitating substantial government subsidies for the company while in office. In addition to securing the deal allowing BYD to open its first European factory near the southern Hungarian city of Szeged, Szijjártó also announced in 2025 that the company would locate its European headquarters and a research and development center in Budapest, and receive $63.7 million in government assistance.

Oil exporters agree to keep production steady Seven major oil-exporting countries agreed Sunday to keep production steady in November at a time when the Iran war has driven the price of benchmark Brent crude oil above $100 a barrel. The so-called OPEC+ subgroup — Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iraq, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Algeria and Oman — will meet again on Nov. 1 to review conditions in the oil market. The ﬁghting with Iran, which began with U.S. and Israeli attacks on Feb. 28, has disrupted global oil supplies and driven prices higher. The Group of Seven wealthy democracies said Friday that they plan to release 100 million barrels of oil and fuel products in the coming weeks, starting with “substantial” amounts of diesel. Diesel prices recently hit record highs in the United States, squeezing farmers, truckers and consumers who depend on the fuel. The G7 promised a “frontloaded substantial release” of diesel within the next 20 days and the rest over four months.

S&P 500 7,773.95 51.23 0.66%

EURO 1.1219 -0.0041 -0.37%

CRUDE OIL 89.43 -1.68 -1.84%

GOLD 4,128.40 -5.30 -0.13%

6-MO T-BILLS 4.31 0.02 0.47%

30-YR T-BONDS 5.67 0.04 0.68%

AI industry insiders voice alarms N.Y. city leaders consider ways to regulate tech

BY ANTHONY IZAGUIRRE Associated Press

NEW YORK — Artiﬁcial intelligence insiders warned New York City's leaders about the dangers of the emerging technology on Monday, calling for greater oversight as local governments move to respond to mounting concerns that the systems could endanger humanity. At a hearing of the New York City Council, recently departed employees of Anthropic, OpenAI and Google DeepMind described a reckless culture at the ﬁrms, saying the biggest tech companies are

racing to create technology they do not understand how to control. “The companies run on a startup mindset: Move fast, break things, fix them later. That works for a photo sharing app. It does not work for building the most powerful technology ever built," said Jacob Coxon, a former engineer at Anthropic who has become a leading voice for regulation. State and city governments have been considering ways to regulate AI as the Trump administration has taken a passive approach and Congress has proven inactive. President Donald Trump has dismissed AI fears as a “hoax” and signed an agreement late last month that spells out a series of voluntary steps for the companies to take and largely allows them to self-police.

Coxon was a little-known engineer at Anthropic until he announced his departure through a series of social media posts that caught global attention. He told the Council that AI could have tremendous upsides, but without transparency and safeguards, it's more likely that things will spiral out of control. “On the current path, I think it is more likely than not that humanity loses control to these AIs and it could end in human extinction,” Coxon said. Days after Coxon resigned and aired his fears of worst-case scenarios, top executives including Anthropic’s Dario Amodei, OpenAI’s Sam Altman, SpaceXAI’s Elon Musk said they agreed AI’s development needs to slow down. AI companies have detailed steps

they have taken to prioritize safety, but a coordinated industry slowdown faces several obstacles. A panel of AI company staffers — representing tech giants OpenAI, Anthropic, Google and Meta — also testified at the hearing in Manhattan on Monday, telling officials that their systems are already improving people's daily lives and stressing that they are laser-focused on safety. Anthropic and OpenAI have said their advanced AI products need to be regulated, and company representatives at the hearing expressed openness to some of the Council's suggestions. “I share your commitment to ensuring that technology is developed safely and that its benefits are widely shared,” said Morgan Dwyer, of OpenAI.

GETTING SCRAPPY

Budding food services across the U.S. want your coffee grounds, eggshells BY ALEXA ST. JOHN Associated Press

DETROIT — Every Monday, Ricky Blanding drives his Ford Ranger pickup truck around Detroit along a carefully planned route. Blanding hops in and out of the truck, grabbing buckets of food scraps from porches and restaurants, piling those scraps into bins in the truck bed and driving them to a composting site. Blanding is the CEO of Scrap Soils, one of the many budding food waste collection services across the country helping to divert food from landfills and make composting more accessible. It’s especially important for those who can't compost at home, who live in cities without municipal curbside pickup or who can't get to a drop-off location. Composting leftover coffee grounds, eggshells, carrot tops and more reduces the amount of food that goes into dumps where it produces the potent greenhouse gas methane. It also ultimately helps create healthy soil for gardeners and urban farmers. Experts say companies like Scrap Soils are an important part of cleaning up the broader food ecosystem. Emily Cassidy, research associate at climate solutions nonprofit Project Drawdown, said composting offers the dual benefits of reducing landfill methane emissions and, once the composting process is complete, returning nutrients to soil. “Because methane has such a big impact on the climate in a short amount of time, the more we can reduce methane, it is like pulling the emergency brake on climate change,” Cassidy said. Beyond mitigating climate change, composting can also improve local food production, she said. “That’s a way that we can see that we’re benefiting the environment, because we’re taking food and then replenishing the ground with those nutrients,” she said. Blanding, a 34-year-old native Detroiter, co-launched Scrap Soils in 2020 to play a local part in solving a statewide food waste problem that mirrors what's happening around the globe. Food waste is a huge source of methane in Michigan landfills, estimates say, and accounts for millions of metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions in the

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO BY PAUL SANCYA

Ricky Blanding, founder of Scrap Soils, drops compostable material at Sanctuary Farms in Detroit. state. In Detroit, more than 70 homes and businesses are signed up for Scrap Soils’ weekly pickups. It’s an easier way to compost than making space in one's backyard or driving to a city drop-off site. Home pickups start at $15 per month, while businesses pay $60 per month or more, depending on volume. One of those commercial customers is The Grand Porter restaurant in the southwest neighborhood of Detroit. “We go through a lot of eggs, so mostly egg scraps, eggshells and the cardboard. We put all of our bread scraps, stale bread scraps, in here,” said Lou Hammer, the restaurant's executive chef, pointing to a large bin with bags of food waste inside. “Some tomato tops, some avocado skins. Probably a few other things in there, too.” “It doesn’t take any extra effort,” she said of the pickup service. “This was going to go in a bag anyway. It’s just going to go in a green bag instead.” After completing his nine-hour, more than 100-mile weekly route, Blanding drops off the waste at Scrap Soils' partner, Sanctuary Farms in Detroit. There, everything from apple cores to rotted pumpkins to corn husks is composted

into a rich soil additive that's available for purchase. “Food waste has not only become the problem,” Blanding said, “but it’s also the solution to so many issues in climate change.” The company ultimately plans to purchase a larger truck, as well as its own property and equipment for composting. It's fundraising to meet a matching grant through the state. That hasn't been without challenges. As Blanding seeks to grow, he's come up against skepticism that a small team with limited resources can make a big impact. Companies like Scrap Soils also face challenges ranging from gaining visibility to getting people to actually sign up and commit. At the same time, emphasizing what can and cannot be composted, and how to do it correctly — such as removing produce stickers before putting a peel in the bucket — is key to its success, too. “The role of a hauler is very important, and education around composting is also very important,” Blanding said. “Being able to continue to get more engagement and more partnership, those things go far in helping us to expand this tiny effort into something that actually can scale,” he added.

Norway eyes temporary ban for smart glasses BY JAMEY KEATEN Associated Press

A trip to the park. A day at the beach. A workout session at the gym. All in public spaces where smart glasses can snap photos, record conversations or stream video online — without people in the line of their lenses and microphones knowing about it. Norway’s government wants to get a handle on both the promise and peril of AI glasses and is proposing that parliament enact a temporary ban on them in some places. It’s the latest sign of growing concern in many countries about new technologies that are fundamentally changing the way people live. Some governments have banned the use of social media by children and young teens. Norway’s government said the proposal for the temporary ban will

be made to parliament, the Storting, “as soon as possible.” A key question is where to draw the line. Norwegian authorities say a ban on the use of smart glasses could apply to places where “privacy is particularly important,” like healthcare facilities or ﬁtness centers with changing rooms and showers. A major focus is spaces where children congregate, such as schools, kindergartens, playgrounds and youth clubs. But it could extend to public concerts and sports events, plus parks, beaches, museums and shopping centers. A temporary ban would give authorities time to decide what types of devices might be affected, and debate whether permanent regulation is needed. The government was quick to note that it was not

proposing a total ban and said such devices should still be allowed in some places and for private use. The government also said it was considering exceptions to a ban for vulnerable groups, so that “socially beneﬁcial uses” of smart glasses could be permitted in some circumstances. Adam Smith, a technology advocacy ofﬁcer at Britain-based Privacy International, said Norway’s move was “a welcome protection against big tech’s greedy attempts to extract ever more data, often in absence of any thought for the privacy or rights of others.” “No reality exists in which people expect to be secretly surveilled going about their daily lives,” he said. One effort to rein in the use of AI glasses has run aground — in the home of Silicon Valley. California’s governor last week vetoed legislation that would have

penalized the use of smart glasses to record people without their permission in places like changing rooms, doctor’s ofﬁces and other spaces people generally consider private. Meta, the company behind Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram that has rolled out AI glasses with eyewear vendor Ray-Ban, encourages respect for privacy and advises customers on how to use the glasses responsibly. “Respect people’s preferences. Not everyone loves being photographed. Stop recording if anyone expresses that they would rather you not,” Meta wrote on its site. The tech giant based in Menlo Park, California, says a light on the glasses indicates when recording in underway, and if the glasses detect that the light has been blocked or physically tampered with, the camera is automatically disabled.