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T H U R S D AY, O C T O B E R 8, 2026

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ISAIAS

Louisiana keeping close eye on Gulf

Area hopes to be spared on busy tourism weekend BY MIKE SMITH, STEPHANIE RIEGEL in the Gulf, but its projected path indicated the state could be spared and JUSTIN MITCHELL

the worst — a huge relief ahead of a busy tourism weekend. Tropical Storm Isaias came as Louisiana is keeping a close eye on what is expected to become the somewhat of a surprise for Gulf season’s ﬁrst hurricane on Thurs- Coast residents more accustomed day as it churns and strengthens to bracing for hurricanes earlier Staff writers

While last-minute shifts cannot be ruled out, forecasts from the National Hurricane Center in the season. But the Gulf’s warm on Wednesday put Isaias’ track waters are helping supply Isaias significantly to the east of Louiwith the momentum it needs to co- siana’s coast. The center of the alesce into what forecasters said forecast cone was located around is likely to be a Category 2 storm, the Alabama-Florida border, while and even near Category 3, before it a hurricane watch was in effect makes landfall late Friday or early from Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, to Indian Pass, Florida. Saturday.

Entergy makes case for new data center power plants

But the effects are not limited to the cone, and Louisiana may not be spared entirely. A tropical storm watch was issued from the Jefferson/Plaquemines Parish line to west of Bay St. Louis. A storm surge watch was also in effect from the mouth of the Mississippi River all the way to

ä See GULF, page 4A

Intersection project gets $50M grant Funds dedicated to Kaliste Saloom, U.S. 90 redesign

BY CLAIRE TAYLOR Staff writer

A $50 million grant from federal and state transportation departments will be used to position a redesigned intersection of Kaliste Saloom Road at U.S. 90 for construction when a Record of Decision is issued for the Interstate 49 Lafayette Connector. Glenn Ledet Jr., secretary of the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, joined Lafayette Parish Mayor-President Monique Boulet for a news conference Wednesday at City Hall to elaborate on the federal, state and

ä See PROJECT, page 4A

STAFF PHOTO BY PEARL SPURLOCK

Phillip May, CEO of Entergy Louisiana, participates in a hearing for Meta’s proposed data center expansion on Wednesday in Baton Rouge.

Opponents question costs of expansion at hearing BY SAM KARLIN and MEGHAN FRIEDMANN Staff writers

Entergy and opponents of its plans to build enough power to service a massive expansion of Meta’s north Louisiana data center disagreed Wednesday during the start of a multiday hearing over whether the company should spend billions on seven new proposed power plants and other infrastructure. Entergy has already reached a settlement with the staff of the Louisiana Public Service Commission over its plans, which include constructing seven new gas-ﬁred power plants in Richland and Pointe Coupee parishes, along with transmission lines, solar farms and batteries.

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“We are in a power-first world where speed to power is what will drive who wins economic opportunity for their communities. This is an opportunity to change the trajectory of the state’s economy for generations to come.” PHILLIP MAY, Entergy CEO

An administrative law judge heard arguments Wednesday over whether the deal should be approved, and the Louisiana Public Service Commission will ultimately vote later this year on whether to OK the settlement. The case puts Louisiana at the center of a national debate over artiﬁcial intelli-

gence, the data centers being built to support the technology and the massive amounts of electric infrastructure necessary to power them. Entergy CEO Phillip May testiﬁed Wednesday that the proposal for the data center expansion, known as Hyperion, is a “transformational investment” for Louisiana and has plenty of protections for ratepayers. May also disclosed for the ﬁrst time the amount of power Meta will use, 4,500 megawatts, representing roughly four times the amount of power the city of New Orleans uses. Entergy had closely guarded the figure, over objections from opponents who said it was crucial to understanding whether Entergy’s plans

Mobile celebrates as work begins on $3B I-10 bridge Beach-bound Louisiana drivers would avoid tunnel BY MARTHA SANCHEZ Staff writer

The mayor of Mobile says he is speechless. The governor sounds thrilled. And after more than two decades of challenge and setback, leaders on Alabama’s Gulf Coast are rejoicing over the start of a construction project they believe will transform their region. A $3 billion bridge. Gathered on the industrial shoreline, city, state and federal ofﬁcials this month celebrated the beginning of work on a massive Interstate 10 bridge across the Mobile River. The project is expected to relieve the city’s George Wallace Tunnel from intensifying gridlock that also plagues Louisiana drivers headed to beaches each summer. “This new bridge is simply a must,” Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey said. Leaders hope the project will improve the

ä See ENTERGY, page 4A

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

ä See MOBILE, page 4A

102ND YEAR, NO. 100

2A l Thursday, October 8, 2026 l theadvocate.com l The Acadiana Advocate

BRIEFS

FROM WIRE REPORTS

Drone strike kills 4 in Sudan’s Blue Nile state

CAIRO — A drone strike hit homes and a mosque in Sudan on Wednesday, killing at least four women and wounding dozens of other people, a rights group said. Emergency Lawyers, which tracks the conﬂict, blamed the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces for the attack in the Hijra neighborhood of Damazin, the capital of southeastern Blue Nile province. The RSF has been at war with the Sudanese military for more than three years. The group called for those responsible for the strike and other attacks on civilians to be held accountable. There was no immediate comment from the RSF. The strike came days after an airstrike hit two World Food Programme trucks in South Kordofan province, killing a driver, said Denise Brown, the U.N. resident and humanitarian coordinator for Sudan. The convoy was hit in Dilling, an area that has faced repeated attacks by the RSF and its ally, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North, Brown said. The trucks were clearly marked as humanitarian vehicles, had all required travel permits and were carrying “lifesaving assistance to vulnerable populations,” she said.

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Senators push for swift action

the law’s implementation. Bipartisan effort asks administration to tackle Russian sanctions ward With the bipartisan push, Sha-

BY LISA MASCARO

AP congressional correspondent WASHINGTON — Nearly a month after President Donald Trump signed a sweeping Russian sanctions bill named after Lindsey Graham into law, bipartisan leadership in the Senate is urging the administration to clamp down more quickly on the flow of financial resources fueling the war against Ukraine. In a letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the senators said the most urgent priority for the U.S. must be to tackle the “shadow fleet” of tankers that Moscow is using to transport oil and bypass America’s sanctions. They also pushed for a halt of Russia’s emerging satellite system that Ukraine has warned could prove devastating with real-time bombing attacks this winter. “Every day that passes without maximum economic pressure al-

lows Moscow to sustain this military escalation,” wrote Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Republican Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. The senators note that the bulk of the law’s provisions go into effect Oct. 18, the end of the administration’s 30-day review period. The Trump administration has remained mostly quiet since the passage of the bill with large bipartisan majorities in the House and Senate after Graham’s sudden death, with lawmakers urged ahead by Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Trump has been expected to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose birthday is Wednesday, to discuss a possible case of plague at a Siberian research institute. The sanctions package had been a year in the making but was sud-

denly rushed to passage after Graham, the long-serving South Carolina senator, died in July of a likely torn aorta after a whirlwind trip to a NATO summit in Turkey and a stopover in Kyiv. Senators had been negotiating a bipartisan bill that could win robust support but it was only when Graham received the nod of approval from Trump in the days around the senator’s overseas trip that it gained momentum. Zelenskyy had also been pushing the U.S. to act, and he arrived in the Senate after a visit at the White House late in the evening before a key vote that advanced the package. The House gave ﬁnal approval to the bill, sending it to Trump’s desk, but Democrats in both chambers warned that they doubted the president would use the vast tools available to slap back at Russia. In the month since, momentum appears to have stalled without public steps from the administration to-

FBI says it stopped a terror attack at Mall of America

Ex-Marine to face death penalty in mass shooting

BOLIVIA, N.C. — A prosecutor announced Wednesday that he would seek the death penalty against a former Marine charged in a mass shooting last year that left three people dead and several others wounded. “We are not blind to who this defendant is,” Brunswick County District Attorney Jon David said of defendant Nigel Max Edge. “He served this country in Iraq as a Marine, suffered a traumatic brain injury, and has struggled with serious mental illness. Those facts are important and they were weighed, but must be balanced against the circumstances of the crime.” Authorities allege Edge piloted a small motorboat up to a dockside cocktail bar in Southport on Sept. 27, 2025, and opened fire with a short-barreled semiautomatic rifle. He faces three counts of first-degree murder, as well as multiple attempted murder and weapons charges. In April, Superior Court Judge Jason Disbrow ordered Edge to undergo psychiatric treatment after it was determined he was unable to understand his legal proceedings enough to help his lawyers. Defense attorney Matthew Geoffrion filed a motion to continue Wednesday’s hearing, arguing that the extent of Edge’s brain injury will likely make it impossible for him to stand trial. Edge was shot multiple times during a firefight in Iraq, including once in the head.

Militants attack military base in Nigeria

ABUJA, Nigeria — Islamic State group-affiliated militants attacked a military base in Nigeria’s northeast, killing several Nigerian soldiers, military officials said Wednesday. The Islamic State West Africa Province, or ISWAP, attacked the base in the Kukawa area of Borno state on Tuesday, the Nigerian military said in a statement. Troops repelled the assault, but an unspecified number of soldiers were killed, according to the military. It said “over 25 terrorists” were killed and ammunition was recovered in a counteroffensive. A senior military officer told The Associated Press that 10 soldiers were killed in the attack. The officer spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters. Capt. Mohammed Goni, a military spokesperson, said militants attacked troops of 101 Special Forces Battalion “in large numbers from four different flanks.” “Supported by the Air Component, the troops overwhelmed the terrorists, inflicted heavy casualties and forced the surviving elements to flee in disarray,” Goni said.

heen and Wicker in their letter sent late Tuesday are urging the administration to take several specific steps to impose the sanctions regime. Many of the steps are aligned with goals pushed by the Ukrainians. The senators, who were both key to the bill’s passage, said it’s most crucial for the U.S. to focus on the several hundred rogue tankers that are able to “transport Russian oil with impunity and thereby provide the Kremlin a financial lifeline.” It’s also, imperative, they wrote, “that the administration paralyze the global financial networks that allow Russia to evade our sanctions.” They said the Kremlin continues to “move billions of dollars through networks that shield it from scrutiny.” They urged the administration to focus specifically on overseas bank branches, including in Shanghai, and “a growing network of Kyrgyz financial institutions” they said serve as clearinghouses for sanctioned capital.

man who needed to Agents sold teen young be watched,” U.S. Attorney Rosen said. Agents an assault rifle Daniel “were able to detect a

BY ELLEN SCHMIDT and GENE JOHNSON Associated Press

NATIONAL PARKS SERVICE FILE PHOTO BY RON KERBO

Congress passed the Chiricahua National Park Act with bipartisan support. The legislation would create the Chiricahua National Park in Arizona.

Rocky ‘wonderland’ poised to be next park Bill to create Chiricahua National Park preserves tribal access

BY MATTHEW BROWN Associated Press

An area of towering rock spires in southeastern Arizona known among Native Americans as the Land of StandingUp Rocks is poised to become the nation’s newest national park. Legislation to create Chiricahua National Park is expected to be transmitted to the White House in coming days for President Donald Trump’s signature. It passed Congress with bipartisan backing and would be the 64th national park. The 19-square-mile site is within the historical territory of the Chiricahua Apache tribes. It was designated a national monument in the 1920s to preserve hundreds of pinnacle-shaped rocks formed from an ancient volcanic eruption. “We’re the Grand Canyon state, so we know about this kind of landscape,” Rep. Juan Ciscomani, House sponsor of the Chiricahua National Park Act, said Wednesday. “It’s hard to compare anything to the Grand Canyon, but Chiricahua holds its own. This is something that really hasn’t been discovered.” National Park Service officials de-

clined to say if new staff would be hired to address an expected increase in visitors as the new designation elevates the site’s proﬁle. For centuries the site of the proposed park was home to the Apache, nomadic tribes who often resisted European newcomers to North America. They continued clashing with settlers until surrendering to U.S. troops in 1886 and being forcibly removed to the San Carlos Apache reservation. The bill creating Chiricahua National Park preserves tribal access for traditional ceremonies. It allows temporary public closures within the park to protect those cultural uses, although Ciscomani said speciﬁcs have not been decided. San Carlos Apache tribal leaders did not take a formal position on the national park designation, a spokesperson said Wednesday. In response to questions from The Associated Press, the tribe provided its 2024 testimony before Congress, where San Carlos Apache Deputy Attorney General Justine Jimmie asked for uninterrupted access to the site. “National parks have become so packed with tourists,” Jimmie said. “In contrast, we go to our cultural areas in what are now parks to seek sanctuary, pray, and perform ceremonies.” Early settlers called the site Wonderland of Rocks. The name Chiricahua comes from the surrounding mountains.

Flight attendants’ union ﬂags safety concerns over Washington arch BY GARY FIELDS Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The union representing thousands of ﬂight attendants said Wednesday it has safety concerns about President Donald Trump’s proposed triumphal arch that will be on ﬁnal approach to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Association of Flight Attendants-CWA President Sara Nelson said the 250-foot arch compounds multiple safety concerns that she said have gone unaddressed from a deadly January 2025 crash over the Potomac River that killed 67 people. Nelson also criticized Trump’s plan to turn the arch into “a top grade

military complex” able to host drones and snipers while storing ammunition. “DCA is already stretched to its limit, we do not need an obstacle taking up space in our ﬂight path,” said Nelson. “Nor should commercial aviation have to dodge military drones, missiles or snipers while attempting to take off or land at Washington National Airport. Safety ﬁrst always.” Nelson’s statement on behalf of the union, which represents 55,000 flight attendants across 20 airlines, joins the voices of an assemblage of veterans’ groups, Congress members and others with safety concerns and complaints about the memorial’s threat to historic and symbolic sightlines between different landmarks in Washington, D.C.

MINNEAPOLIS — FBI agents thwarted a terror attack by a teenager on the Mall of America after monitoring him for nearly two years and ultimately supplying him with the AK-47 he planned to use, authorities said Wednesday. The 18-year-old had been on the FBI’s radar since December 2024, when he began trading messages with a confidential informant. A criminal complaint says he initially expressed an interest in traveling to Somalia to ﬁght for al-Shabab militants. As his plans to instead attack the mall solidiﬁed, the complaint says, agents sold him the gun and ammunition on Tuesday and arrested him on the spot. “This was a radicalized

threat, and disrupt it, before the defendant carried out his intention to kill, in his words, maybe 30 to 60 people.” Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud was arrested Tuesday in a public park in Richﬁeld, several miles northwest of the Mall of America, after he paid $600 to an undercover FBI employee posing as a member of the Islamic State group for the rifle and 200 rounds of ammunition, the agency said. According to an FBI agent’s sworn complaint, Mohamud repeatedly affirmed in chat messages to the informant that he intended to attack and kill non-Muslims at the mall on Oct. 24, the date of a scheduled arts celebration by the Hmong community, Minnesota’s largest Asian ethnic group.

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Scientists win chemistry Nobel Okinawa governor Discoveries about wants discipline for mirrored molecules led to many drugs U.S. military in Japan BY ADITHI RAMAKRISHNAN, KOSTYA MANENKOV and STEFANIE DAZIO

Official requested details of ongoing training after murder linked to Marine

Associated Press

STOCKHOLM — Scientists Henri B. Kagan and Kenso Soai won the Nobel Prize in chemistry Wednesday for untangling mysterious mirror images in molecules, a discovery that has been used to develop countless drugs and transformed modern medicine. Many molecules come in versions that look alike but are not exactly identical, like right and left hands. Kagan, who is from France, and Soai, from Japan, found ways to make chemistry pick a side, describing and designing reactions to produce the desired mirror image. “The medicines we have today would not be possible without this chemistry,” said Rigoberto Hernandez, president of the American Chemical Society. Soai was shopping at a neighborhood supermarket when he heard he had won. “I’m very excited to receive the very nice news,” Soai told the Nobel committee and journalists by phone. “Of course, this is one of the most exciting days in my life.”

Discovery enabled medicines Mirror images of the same molecule can have different properties. For example, one version of the chemical carvone smells like mint, while the other has a whiff of caraway, a spice often used in rye bread. The alternate versions can also behave differently when interacting with other chemicals. When designing drugs to treat diseases, scientists are choosy about which mirror image they use. They want the version of a molecule to treat a cold, not one that will make the sniffles worse. In the 1980s, Kagan’s work showed there might be a way to design reactions to produce one form of a molecule over the other. Years later, Soai perfected the process. He created the first-ever chemical reaction to efficiently produce only one of a molecule’s mirror images, in what’s now known as the Soai reaction.

BY MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press

TT NEWS AGENCY PHOTO BY FREDRIK SANDBERG

Portraits of Henri Kagan and Kenso Soai are shown on the screen as they are awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in chemistry at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm, Sweden, on Wednesday. “This is probably the coolest experiment in organic chemistry,” said Peter Somfai, a member of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry. Kagan, 95, is affiliated with the Université Paris-Sud in Orsay, France. Soai, 76, is affiliated with the Tokyo University of Science. The Nobel committee described their work as a feat never previously achieved by anyone “other than life itself.” The French Academy of Sciences, where Kagan is a member, congratulated him, as did French President Emmanuel Macron, who called the prize “an immense source of pride for the country” and “a recognition befitting a lifetime of research.” “It might be difficult to say that this drug, or that drug, was developed using this,” Somfai said. “I would say all of them, because we use this as a tool, we use this as an understanding, how to develop catalysts, how they function.” Life, too, prefers one mirror image over the other. DNA twists to the right, and the proteins in human bodies are made of mostly left-handed building blocks. In addition to developing better medicines or perfumes, deciphering the mirror images of molecules can help scientists understand the chemical architecture of life, said chemist Holden Thorp, editor-inchief of the journal Science. “There are still fascinating as-

pects that remain unknown and surely more yet to be discovered,” Soai said at a news conference hosted by his university in Tokyo. “I hope to do what I can, however modestly, to contribute to help advance research in this ﬁeld.” Japan’s largest newspaper, Yomiuri, distributed an extra edition with a headline proclaiming “Nobel Prize Mr. Soai,” with a big photo of the scientist. The papers quickly disappeared as office workers picked them up on their way home.

More prizes still to be awarded The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced the winner in Stockholm. Last year, three scientists won the chemistry Nobel for their development of new molecular structures that can trap vast quantities of gas inside, laying the groundwork to potentially suck greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere or harvest moisture from desert environments. This year’s prizes began with the Nobel for medicine, awarded Monday to three scientists whose work led to a tool that uses light to help unravel how the brain works. The physics award announced Tuesday recognized a scientist’s efforts to demystify a rare group of neutrinos. The literature prize is set to be awarded Thursday. After Friday’s peace prize is awarded, the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences will be announced Monday.

DNC sues administration Complaint alleges taxpayer-funded ads violate propaganda law

BY ALI SWENSON Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The Democratic National Committee on Wednesday sued President Donald Trump’s administration for recent television advertisements that promoted his political message while costing taxpayers millions of dollars. The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, alleges that the ads are illegal government-sponsored propaganda and accuses Trump of personally directing them. It asks the court to declare the ads illegal and

stop the use of federal funds to pay for them. Trump has faced bipartisan backlash for the ads, which glorify him and echo his campaign pitch as voters cast early ballots with the midterm elections less than a month away. The spots, which began airing in September, already have cost more than $12 million to run, according to the media tracking ﬁrm AdImpact, and a total of $20 million in Homeland Security Department funding has been tapped to pay for them. Responding Monday to the criticism, Trump defended the ads as “positive promotion for our Great U.S.A.” but said he’d pay for them using his MAGA Inc. super PAC going forward. But on Tuesday, the ﬁfth ad in the campaign began airing with the notice “paid for

by the U.S. Government,” promoting Trump’s military actions in Venezuela earlier this year. The same day, Trump made it clear he hasn’t committed to reimbursing any money that has already been spent, telling reporters “we’ll decide.” DNC Chair Ken Martin said in a statement that Trump is misusing taxpayer dollars in “a last-ditch attempt to save Republicans in November.” “Americans deserve better than to have their hardearned tax dollars used for Trump’s illegal schemes,” he added. A person familiar with the campaign who was not authorized to speak publicly said the ad buys placed prior to Trump’s pledge to start paying for them with his super PAC will end this week. Then, outside groups will begin to pay, the person said.

Attorney: Pike angry, confused after surviving execution attempt BY KIM CHANDLER and KRISTIN M. HALL Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Christa Pike was “angry and confused” in the hours after regaining consciousness following Tennessee’s failed execution attempt, ﬁrst asking, “Where am I?” her lawyer said Wednesday. Pike, believed to be the ﬁrst person to survive after receiving lethal injection drugs during an execution, stunningly woke up as plans were being made to remove her from life support, just six days after she was strapped to a gurney in the death chamber, said attorney Randy Spivey. “But on Tuesday, to the shock of everyone ... Christa woke up and began talking,” Spivey said.

Pike, who was sentenced to death for the 1995 beating and stabbing death of classmate Colleen Slemmer, is aware of what happened to her, at least up to a point, Spivey said. Many questions remain, though, about her prognosis for recovery and whether Tennessee will make another attempt to execute Pike, now age 50. Her lawyers said Wednesday that she has suffered enough and want the governor to commute her sentence. A judge in Nashville told the state on Wednesday to save evidence from the execution attempt as Pike’s attorneys try to ﬁnd out more. The failed execution on Sept. 30 has renewed scrutiny of how states carry out the death penalty, in particular the use of lethal injec-

tion. Texas was set to carry out Wednesday the first execution in the U.S. since Tennessee attempted to put Pike to death.

Pike faces a long recovery Pike’s legal team said she still can’t move her arms or swallow and has some cognitive confusion. She also has pneumonia and a blood clot in her arm, Spivey said. Her hands were extremely swollen when they saw her Tuesday in the hospital, shackled to a bed, he added. Her prognosis remains unclear and she has a long road to recovery, he said. “She is angry and confused about everything right now,” Spivey said during a news conference following a court hearing about preserving evidence.

TOKYO — The governor of Okinawa demanded Wednesday that Japan’s central government do more to ensure effective discipline among U.S. service members on the southern island following the arrest of a U.S. Marine on accusations that he robbed and murdered a local woman. Gov. Genta Koja, in Tokyo for the first time since taking office a week ago, conveyed Okinawa’s outrage in his meeting with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, asking her government for further efforts to reduce the burden of hosting U.S. military bases on the small island. “Okinawa has requested preventive measures every time similar crimes were repeated in past, and now we have this case again,” Koja told Takaichi in a guest room at the Prime Minister’s Office packed with reporters. “I must say past disciplinary measures and human rights education implemented by the U.S. military have not worked at all,” Koja said. People in Okinawa have long opposed the heavy U.S. military presence on the island and complained about noise, pollution and crime related to American bases, though some have come to see its strategic value due to what is widely viewed as a growing threat from China. Lance Cpl. Devin Jacob Ballard, a 20-year-old Ohio native belonging to the Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, was arrested over the weekend on suspicion of strangling Anna Yagi,

39, at a hotel and stealing her wallet and backpack. He has denied the allegations, according to Japanese media. Takaichi said she regretted the “heinous crime” and shared the outrage. Noting the new disciplinary measures announced by the U.S. military Tuesday, Takaichi said she expected the American government to take subsequent steps. Japan and the U.S. will discuss “how to implement preventive measures that are effective,” she said. Hours earlier, the U.S. military in Okinawa announced a 48-hour pause of all military operations for training through noon on Friday, as well as restricting the ability of troops to leave their base and prohibiting consumption of alcohol. Lt. Gen. Benjamin Watson, commander of III Marine Expeditionary Force, wrote in a letter posted Tuesday on X that episodes like these “demand we pause for reflection” and that serving on the Japanese island “comes with responsibility.” U.S. troops on Okinawa will be under a curfew from midnight to 5 a.m. for 30 days following the two-day training period, Watson said. Koja said he appreciated prompt response from the Japanese and U.S. governments to the murder case “as a sign they both took the case seriously.” However, he will need to see details of the ongoing training, he said, and requested the Japanese involvement to make U.S. disciplinary measures more effective. A majority of the more than 50,000 U.S. troops stationed in Japan under a bilateral security agreement are based on the island. Earlier Monday, Koja made the same request in his meeting with Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi.

Lafayette Surgicare CLOSURE NOTICE

After nearly 25 years of service and caring for thousands of patients, Lafayette Surgicare will perform its ﬁnal procedure on October 23, 2026. This milestone marks the closing of a remarkable chapter deﬁned by excellence, compassionate care, and a steadfast commitment to serving patients throughout Acadiana. We are grateful to the physicians, patients, and community members who placed their trust in us over the years. It has been our privilege to provide high-quality outpatient surgical care and to be part of so many healthcare journeys. Thank you for allowing us to serve our community for nearly a quarter century. We are honored to have been part of your care and appreciate the trust you placed in us throughout the years.

For patients who need to obtain copies of their medical records after the center’s closure, please send an email request to surgicare@fmolhs.org. Patients will be required to provide a valid governmentissued photo ID before medical records can be released. Instructions regarding the records request process will be provided upon receipt of your email. After October 23, 2026, FMOL Health | Our Lady of Lourdes will be the appointed custodian of medical records. For more information, visit www.fmolhs.org

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MOBILE

Continued from page 1A flow of traffic and the quality of life in Mobile’s metropolitan region, which is home to some of the fastest-growing communities on the entire Gulf Coast. Some predict the bridge will lure more industries to Mobile and even cause shifts in the region’s population. Renee Amar, executive director for the Louisiana Motor Transport Association, also said the project could improve the flow of commerce by easing travel for the state’s long-haul truckers. “That’s always the hope,” she said. The route has long been a headache. Traffic that slogs through the narrow I-10 tunnels can turn threehour road trips from New Orleans into maddening journeys of four hours or more. More than a decade ago, Louisiana’s famed political consultant James Carville even made headlines when he raised the issue to some of Mobile’s leaders, who were visiting New Orleans. “I love Mobile, but that tunnel is the damndest thing I ever saw,” Carville said, according to an account in the Mobile Press-Register. “Who the hell decided to build a tunnel anyway? Was that cheaper or something? I tell you, going through there is a pain, and there just ain’t no way around it.”

GULF

Continued from page 1A Yankeetown, Florida. Surge predictions from the river’s mouth to Ocean Springs were in the range of 3 to 5 feet, while other areas closer to the storm’s center could expect 5 to 7 feet. Local ofﬁcials were monitoring it but largely holding off on any major decisions before more is known about Isaias’ eventual landfall. While of course not wishing harm on any other state, organizers were hopeful of avoiding disruption to a weekend scheduled to feature sold-out hotels and major events, from pro wrestling to a big ophthalmology convention and the Saints-Vikings game in the Superdome on Sunday. A pageant of other festivals and other fundraisers in the New Orleans area were also on the agenda, including Blues and Barbecue, the opening weekend of Oktoberfest at Deutches Haus, Gentilly Fest, Hispanic Heritage Month at Lafre-

ENTERGY

Continued from page 1A are prudent. “We are in a power-first world where speed to power is what will drive who wins economic opportunity for their communities,” May said at the hearing Wednesday. “This is an opportunity to change the trajectory of the state’s economy for generations to come.” Nonprofit and advocacy groups, including the Alliance for Affordable Energy, the Sierra Club and the Union of Concerned Scientists, have argued against the settlement. They have warned Entergy’s plans could force residents to pick up the tab on unnecessary power bills if Meta leaves at the end of the 20-year contract. Susan Miller, an attorney for the Alliance for Affordable Energy and the Union of Concerned Scientists, noted that some critics argue “data centers are being

PROJECT

Continued from page 1A local ﬁnancial contributions to the project announced last week. The I-49 Lafayette Connector is a 5.5-mile section of the interstate that will roughly follow the route of the Evangeline Thruway/ U.S. 90 from Kaliste Saloom Road to the terminus of I-49 at Interstate 10 in Lafayette. The Connector is expected to cost more than $2 billion and will be built in phases as funding is acquired. A Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement is under review for the Connector project. The Federal Highway Administration is expected to issue a Record of Decision in the ﬁrst quarter of 2027, a key

Travel crawls as it reaches the George Wallace Tunnel in Mobile, Ala.

STAFF FILE PHOTO BY SOPHIA GERMER

The monumental cost of construction and ﬁerce debates over tolls derailed earlier attempts to build the bridge. But national ofﬁcials announced this fall that the project would receive up to $2.52 billion from a federal loan program, alongside millions in federal grant money Alabama had previ-

ously secured. Leaders are calling it the largest infrastructure project in Alabama history. Still, some grievances remain. Some residents in Mobile are lamenting the tolls, which will cost $3 per trip for drivers with Alabama toll transponders and $7.70

8 mph. It is expected to become a hurricane on Thursday, then reach peak strength with around 110 mph winds on Friday as it turns north. Wind shear is expected to increase before Isaias makes landfall, tearing into the hurricane’s structure, though it is likely to remain a Category 1 or 2 storm as it moves ashore, forecasters said. If the track holds, lower Plaquemines Parish could still see significant rainfall and wind. “From Friday through the weekend, the system is expected to produce rainfall amounts of 3 to 7 inches, with localized totals up to 10 inches, across the central U.S. Gulf Coast extending from far southeastern Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle,” hurricane center forecaster Eric Blake wrote. A convergence of factors were helping produce a strong hurriWarm Gulf waters cane at such a relatively late date. The center’s forecast at 4 p.m. While wind shear related to the El Wednesday showed Isaias with Nino weather pattern has helped maximum winds of 65 mph while limit hurricane formation this moving east-northeast at around season, the Gulf’s surface tem-

peratures are also considerably warm — near records for this time of year, forecasters said. The warm water and lighter wind shear were expected to allow Isaias to rapidly intensify. Forecasts were showing shear increasing later in the week.

Now, there will be. The new bridge will stretch six lanes across and charge tolls that will eventually pay to replace the Bayway Bridge, which carries drivers between the I-10 tunnels and the eastern shore of Mobile Bay. The existing tunnels will stay open and toll-free.

niere Park and the National Fried Chicken Festival, which was rescheduled from last weekend due to rain. There is also the roster of less ofﬁcial events long scheduled to take place during what is typically one of the city’s most pleasant times of the year. Engaged couples, for example, have booked churches, reception halls and restaurants for weddings long in advance. As of Wednesday morning, hotel occupancy in the more than 26,000 rooms downtown was projected to top 98% Friday night and 99% on Saturday. “Honestly, it kept me up last night,” said Walt Leger III, president and CEO of New Orleans & Co., the city’s tourism marketing ofﬁce. “This is a big weekend for us, but it is continuing to look a little more promising … with the track heading more to the east.”

overbuilt,” will not be proﬁtable and could be a liability in the future. “Has Entergy looked into that at all?” she asked May. “I don’t know that we have exactly looked into that,” May said, countering that Meta receives revenue from sources unrelated to AI. May has argued the contract Meta signed protects ratepayers by ensuring Meta pays for its power even if it leaves early. Melanie Verzwyvelt, the Public Service Commission’s chief administrative law judge, is overseeing the case and is expected to issue a report on the proceedings. The PSC, made up of elected members who have largely supported the Meta data center, will have the ultimate power to approve or reject the plans. A host of states have issued moratoriums on data centers as national polls show public opinion swinging against them, but Gov. Jeff Landry, most of the PSC and many other elected

officials in Louisiana have continued to embrace them. Landry released a video Tuesday in front of Hut 8’s data center being built in St. Francisville, touting it as an economic development win. May, of Entergy, said in an editorial board meeting this week with The TimesPicayune | The Advocate that he’s confident regulators will ultimately approve Entergy’s plans. Those include infrastructure for a multibillion-dollar expansion of Meta’s data center in Richland Parish, bringing the cost of Meta’s data center to $50 billion. The settlement reached by Entergy and the PSC staff, submitted into the record in late September, lets Entergy bypass the traditional rules for building new power plants to speed up the build out. If the settlement gets the greenlight, Entergy can move forward with building seven new gas-ﬁred power plants, three battery storage systems and other infrastructure without being

step toward construction. The project was awarded a $28 million Nationally Significant Multimodal Freight and Highway Projects grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation for Kaliste Saloom at U.S. 90. The state DOTD contributed $21.5 million, and Lafayette Consolidated Government contributed $500,000. “It’s a really great sign that the USDOT and FHWA are working with us hand-in-hand to get this project over the finish line so we can start construction,” Ledet said. The money will be used for pre-construction on the Kaliste Saloom Road intersection, Ledet said, including detailed engineering, design, traffic analysis, corridor preservation and property acquisition. It is estimated to cost about

$350 million to construct the new intersection, which will include an elevated section over the railroad tracks. The goal with the federal grant, Ledet said, is to have the project shovel-ready when the Record of Decision is granted in 2027. State DOTD officials also are working with state legislators to fund the entire Kaliste Saloom project, he said. When the Record of Decision is issued, Ledet said, work will begin on the final design of the Kaliste Saloom intersection, and construction could begin by 2028. The intersection is expected to be the first section of the Connector to be constructed. The Connector, Boulet said, “is one of the most critical investments we can make in the future of Lafayette.”

‘Good news for us’ There were few major closures in Louisiana by Wednesday evening. The state Department of Wildlife and Fisheries said it was closing Elmer’s Island Wildlife Refuge near Grand Isle at noon Thursday as a precaution. Otherwise, ofﬁcials in Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard and St. Tammany — all under tropical storm watches to varying degrees — kept a close eye and waited. “We are closely monitoring the storm and staying weather aware as the system continues to develop,” St. Bernard Parish government said in a statement. “Current forecasts show Isaias tracking farther east, but we could still see some rain and gusty winds in St. Bernard Parish.”

required to go through a bid process typically required to ensure the utility is choosing the lowest-cost option. Three of the power plants will be depreciated over 32 years, meaning customers could be on the hook for several billion dollars in costs if Meta leaves after the 20-year contract is up. Entergy argues the company would still need those power plants for the entire system because of plant retirements in the coming decades. Four of the ﬁve members of the PSC have previously voted in support of Entergy’s plans for Meta’s data center, while Democratic Commissioner Davante Lewis has raised concerns about the plans and whether residents will be on the hook for costs at the end of the contract. Entergy’s plans to support Meta’s data center have al-

for drivers with transponders from out of state. Drivers without transponders will be charged $15.40 by license plate but be given the chance to get an Alabama transponder and pay the $3 rate. Amar also said truckers, who use the route to carry anything from clothes to refrigerated goods, typically avoid tolls and despise road construction because it can lead to more accidents that sometimes entangle them in lawsuits. “They just hate it while it’s happening,” Amar said. But “they know on the other side of it is going to be something good.” There are also still questions among Alabama’s leaders. Jack Burrell, chairman of the Eastern Shore Metropolitan Planning Organization, said some worry the bridge could cause Mobile’s population to dip because it will make it easier to live in neighboring Baldwin County and commute into the city. A debate is also growing over what to call the bridge, and namesake ideas so far have ranged from the legendary Gulf Coast songwriter Jimmy Buffett to President Donald Trump. But the mood among Alabama Gulf Coast ofﬁcials is mostly ecstatic. “All the naysayers who said they won’t see it in their lifetime — get ready, because they’re going to see it,” said Burrell, who also serves on the Fairhope, Alabama, City Council. “There’s just a quiet satisfaction.”

President Donald Trump was scheduled to attend the AlabamaGeorgia game on Saturday night in Tuscaloosa. When asked if he would still attend on Wednesday, Trump indicated he was unaware of the hurricane but wouldn’t want to take the focus away if emergency preparedness is necessary. “We’ll have to see. I hadn’t heard about a hurricane,” he said at a White House event. While late August is a cursed timeframe for south Louisiana when it comes to destructive hurricanes — Katrina, Laura and Ida hit then, to name a few — October is not without precedent. Hurricane Zeta, for example, sped across southeast Louisiana after making landfall as a Category 3 on Oct. 28, 2020. This time, hopeful signs were accumulating, at least as far as Louisiana is concerned. “This is good news for us,” said nola.com meteorologist Damon Singleton. “The cone doesn’t even include southeast Louisiana anymore.”

ready caused controversy in north Louisiana and beyond. The company is using expropriation laws to try to buy up properties around where it wants to build massive transmission lines, a move that has prompted backlash from landowners. Entergy and Public Service Commissioner Mike Francis held a town hall last week in Jena at which dozens of landowners complained about Entergy’s plans. Entergy’s proposed acquisition of a gas-fired power plant in Texas called Cottonwood drew a rebuke in June from a consultant for the PSC, who analyzed the deal and found it would effectively mean residents foot the bill for some of Meta’s power needs. Meta and Entergy denied the consultant’s report. Plans for the Cottonwood

plant are now on pause. May declined to offer an update on the status of the deal Tuesday. Meta and other tech companies have promised to pay for their own power needs, and Landry has sought to quell voter concerns through an executive order. The order makes it a requirement for companies to pay for their own power in order to gain access to a lucrative tax break Landry and state lawmakers approved for data centers. So far, data center developers here have claimed $39 million in sales tax rebates through the new program, according to data provided by the Louisiana Department of Revenue in response to a public records request. The number is expected to grow into the billions in the coming years.

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The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Thursday, October 8, 2026 ● 5A

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U.N. health agency wants more details from Russia Authorities deny death caused by pneumonic plague

gion, and that they had placed about 200 contacts in quarantine.

Preventive measures underway U.S. President Donald Trump said he would discuss the issue during a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin because Wednesday is the Kremlin leader’s 74th birthday. “They’re sharing it a little bit with our people. We expect them to share it a lot with our people,” Trump said. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said earlier Wednesday that a Putin-Trump call hasn’t been set yet but could be organized quickly. Asked if the incident was a sign that plague might be developed as a bioweapon, Trump said, “We don’t think so. We’re going to find out soon enough, but we don’t think so.” When asked if the situation was similar to dealing with China on COVID-19 in his ﬁrst term, Trump suggested Russia was staying relatively quiet, just as China did before the virus turned into a pandemic. “China didn’t say much and Russia is not saying much either, but they do say they have it very much under control,” he said. Dr. Erica Schwartz, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said the threat to the U.S. “is extremely low.” She travel from that area of Russia to the U.S. each year is limited — and mostly comes through New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport. Government agencies are working “to make sure that we know exactly if anyone from that area comes into the United States,” Schwartz said during a Wall Street

BY JAMEY KEATEN Associated Press

GENEVA — A top ofﬁcial with the World Health Organization said Wednesday it doesn’t know how a lab worker in Siberia died, and she urged Russia to provide more information about a case that prompted global concerns about suspected pneumonic plague. Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO director of Epidemic and Pandemic Management, said the U.N. health agency doesn’t know what the “causative agent” was behind the woman’s Friday death, which unconﬁrmed reports in Russia blamed on pneumonic plague — a less common but severe form of plague that can spread from person to person. In its tersely worded statements, Russia’s public health watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, does not link the case to pneumonic plague, saying only that the lab worker had contracted pneumonia of “unknown” origin and that “extensive” testing found no evidence her illness was caused by any of the pathogens she worked with at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and the Far East. “We don’t understand how she was infected,” Van Kerkhove said. “We need information in a timely way. We need regular information. We need answers to the follow-up of the questions that we have asked.” “We have posed these questions

PROVIDED PHOTO

Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and Far East workers conduct lab tests in 2019. to our colleagues in the Russian Federation. In fairness, they have responded. We’ve gone back with more questions,” she said. The comments suggested the U.N. health agency has more questions than answers about the situation at the lab, which focuses on plague and was founded about a century ago to study the disease in Siberia, where it occurs naturally in wild animals.

Little information released Russian authorities have kept a tight lid on information about the case, which has been surrounded by secrecy. While it has raised global concerns, Russian state TV and other national state-controlled media have largely steered clear of the

subject. Some news outlets withdrew earlier reports about the case. Rospotrebnadzor said Sunday the lab worker was diagnosed with “pneumonia of unknown etiology,” meaning its origin was not known. A state TV station in Irkutsk reported she died Friday in a hospital in Shelekhov, a town just outside Irkutsk. Officials have quarantined that hospital and were monitoring the worker’s contacts. Russia has said the pneumonia initially presented as a “typical” acute respiratory viral infection, the WHO has said, acknowledging that pneumonia is commonplace. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Russian authorities had indicated that no case of plague had recently been reported in the Irkutsk re-

Public Notices Sheriff Sales

PURCHASING ANYONE PROPERTY AT SHERIFF'S SALE IS GIVEN UNTIL 2:00 P.M. ON SALE DAY TO PAY FULL PURCHASE THE AMOUNT BY CERTIFIED FUNDS

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Public Notices Sheriff Sales

SHERIFF'S SALE

Legal Notices

PUBLIC NOTICE --Burns & McDonnell on behalf of Cloud Connec‐ tor, LLC is requesting au‐ thorization to construct a natural gas pipeline be‐ tween an interconnect station near Melville, Louisiana in St. Landry and Venture Parish, Global Plaquemines LNG, LLC and Plaquemines Ex‐ pansion, LLC Terminals in Plaquemines Parish. The U.S. Army Corps of Engi‐ neers (CEMVN) will be accepting public com‐ ments on the project until October 8, 2026. To further review and/or provide comments, addi‐ tional information and plans related to the pro‐ posal may be obtained at the following website: www.mvn.usace.army. mil/missions/regulatory/ public-notices (see Ref#: If MVN-2026-00308-BV). you have any questions or would like additional information, please con‐ tact Courtland Vice with CEMVN, Regulatory Divi‐ sion at (504) 862-1349 or courtland.l.vice@ at usace.army.mil. A certiﬁ‐ cation that the proposed activity will not violate applicable water quality standards will be re‐ quired from the LDEQ be‐ fore a Department of the Army permit could be is‐ sued. 201953 Sept. 28-Oct. 8, 11t $1,405.06 PUBLIC NOTICE --NOTICE On September 30, 2026 Susan Bonnett Bour‐ geois, Secretary of Louisiana Economic De‐ velopment, determined that records pertaining to an active negotiation for the purpose of retain‐ ing, expanding, or at‐ tracting economic or business development in the state, referred to as Project Conclave, shall be conﬁdential until con‐ clusion of the negotia‐ tion, in accordance with La.R.S.44:22. 203031 Oct. 7, 8, 9, 3t $44.86

FINANCIAL ASSURANCE GROUP LLC Versus No. 20263171 CECIL WADE FREEMAN JR. AND KAYLI MICHELLE HEBERT FREE‐ MAN 15TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT ---- PARISH OF STATE OF LAFAYETTE LOUISIANA Notice is hereby given that by virtue of a writ of SEIZURE AND SALE is‐ sued in the hereinabove entitled and numbered cause I have seized and taken into my possession and will offer for sale sell for cash, and ap‐ ***WITHOUT*** praisement, to the last and highest bidder, at public auction, at the LAFAYETTE PARISH GOV‐ ERNMENT BUILDING, 1010 LAFAYETTE STREET, 2ND in Lafayette, FLOOR Louisiana, between the legal sale hours com‐ mencing at 10:00 A.M. on ***OCTO‐ WEDNESDAY, BER 14, 2026*** ,the fol‐ lowing described prop‐ erty, to wit: THAT CERTAIN LOT OR PARCEL OF GROUND, TO‐ GETHER WITH ALL BUILD‐ AND IMPROVE‐ INGS MENTS THEREON, AND ALL RIGHTS, WAYS, PRIVI‐ LEGES, SERVITUDES, AP‐ PURTENANCES AND AD‐ THEREUNTO VANTAGES BELONGING AND ALL AP‐ PURTENANCES THEREOF, LOCATED IN SECTION 6, TOWNSHIP 10 SOUTH, 3 EAST, RANGE PARISH, LAFAYETTE BEING LOUISIANA, AND DESIG‐ KNOWN NATED AS LOT ONE-H (1H), CONTAINING 1.833 ACRES, MORE OR LESS, ON THAT PLAT OF SUR‐ VEY BY SHAWN MACME‐ P.L.S., DATED NAMIN, JUNE 11, 2018, ATTACHED TO THE ACT OF DEDICA‐ OF SERVITUDES TION RECORDED JULY 5, 2018, UNDER ENTRY NO. 2018RECORDS OF 23010, PARISH, LAFAYETTE LOUISIANA, AND MADE A PART HEREOF BY REFER‐ THERETO, AND ENCE MORE PARTICULARLY DE‐ SCRIBED AS FOLLOWS, COMMENCING TO-WIT: AT A FOUND 1/2” IRON MARKING THE ROD NORTHEAST CORNER OF THE PLOT 1-G LABELED (P.O.C.) THENCE ALONG THE WEST RIGHT-OF-WAY HUNGARY ROAD OF SOUTH 00°13’30” WEST, A DISTANCE OF 211.85 FEET TO A FOUND ½” IRON MARKING THE ROD NORTHEAST CORNER OF TRACT 1-H, ALSO BEING THE POINT OF BEGINNING LABELED (P.O.B.): THENCE ALONG THE WEST RIGHTOF-WAY OF HUNGARY ROAD SOUTH 01°01’33” WEST, A DISTANCE OF

Public Notices Sheriff Sales

205.52 FEET TO A FOUND ½” IRON ROD; THENCE SOUTH 89°44’32” WEST, A DISTANCE OF 385.78 FEET TO A FOUND ½” IRON ROD; THENCE NORTH 00°31’32” WEST, A DIS‐ TANCE OF 207.42 FEET TO A FOUND ½” IRON ROD; THENCE NORTH 89°27’31” EAST A DISTANCE OF 387.57 FEET, TO THE POINT OF BEGINNING (“PROPERTY”). MUNICI‐ PAL ADDRESS: 108 HUN‐ GARY ROAD, DUSON, LA 70529 ANYONE PURCHASING PROPERTY AT SHERIFF'S SALE IS GIVEN UNTIL 2:00 P.M. ON SALE DAY TO PAY FULL PURCHASE THE AMOUNT BY CERTIFIED FUNDS PUBLISH ON: SEPTEMBER 10, 2026 & OCTOBER 8, 2026 LAFAYETTE PARISH SHER‐ IFF'S OFFICE MARK T. GARBER, SHER‐ IFF $42.48 SHERIFF'S SALE CARRINGTON MORTGAGE SERVICES, LLC Versus No. CALVIN 20261064 ALEXANDER AND AN‐ TOINETTE P. ALEXANDER 15TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT ---- PARISH OF STATE OF LAFAYETTE LOUISIANA Notice is hereby given that by virtue of a writ of SEIZURE AND SALE is‐ sued in the hereinabove entitled and numbered cause I have seized and taken into my possession and will offer for sale sell for cash, and ap‐ ***WITHOUT*** praisement, to the last and highest bidder, at public auction, at the LAFAYETTE PARISH GOV‐ ERNMENT BUILDING, 1010 LAFAYETTE STREET, 2ND in Lafayette, FLOOR Louisiana, between the legal sale hours com‐ mencing at 10:00 A.M. on ***OCTO‐ WEDNESDAY, BER 14, 2026*** ,the fol‐ lowing described prop‐ erty, to wit: LOT 50 NORTHWOOD EX‐ TENSION NO. 3 (A RESI‐ DENTIAL DEVELOPMENT) LOCATED IN SECTIONS 89, 90, 111 & 112,T9S-R5E, OF LAFAYETTE, CITY PARISH, LAFAYETTE LOUISIANA. PREPARED BY FRANCIS FORTIER, P.L.S., PBM SURVEYING, LLC NO. 4769, REGISTER DATED 1/24/2020. SAID RECORDED ON PLAT 1/28/2020 AT FILE NUM‐ BER: 2020-00003387, OF THE CLERK OF COURT’S OFFICE FOR LAFAYETTE PARISH, LOUISIANA. WHICH HAS THE AD‐

PUBLISH ON: SEPTEMBER 10, 2026 & OCTOBER 8, 2026

affordably. Roaches, Bed Bugs, Rodent, Termite, Spiders and other pests. Locally owned and affordable. Call for service or an inspection today! 1-877-728-0264 Have zip code of property ready when calling!

LAFAYETTE PARISH SHER‐ IFF'S OFFICE MARK T. GARBER, SHER‐ IFF $30.68

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Public Notices Sheriff Sales

DRESS OF 204 MARATHON DRIVE, LAFAYETTE, LA 70501. ANYONE PURCHASING PROPERTY AT SHERIFF'S SALE IS GIVEN UNTIL 2:00 P.M. ON SALE DAY TO PAY FULL PURCHASE THE AMOUNT BY CERTIFIED FUNDS PUBLISH ON: SEPTEMBER 10, 2026 & OCTOBER 8, 2026

Order newspaper page reprints of any day

Public Notices Sheriff Sales

CLERK OF COURT, WHICH PLAT OF SURVEY IS MADE PART HEREOF BY REFER‐ ENCE THERETO; SUBJECT TO RESTRICTIONS, SERVI‐ TUDES, RIGHTS-OF-WAY AND OUTSTANDING MIN‐ ERAL RIGHTS OF RECORD AFFECTING THE PROP‐ ERTY. WHICH HAS THE ADDRESS OF 108 NORTH GOVERNOR MIRO DRIVE, LAFAYETTE, LA 70506.

LAFAYETTE PARISH SHER‐ IFF'S OFFICE MARK T. GARBER, SHER‐ IFF $31.54

ANYONE PURCHASING PROPERTY AT SHERIFF'S SALE IS GIVEN UNTIL 2:00 P.M. ON SALE DAY TO PAY FULL PURCHASE THE AMOUNT BY CERTIFIED FUNDS

SHERIFF'S SALE

PUBLISH ON: SEPTEMBER 10, 2026 & OCTOBER 8, 2026

LAKEVIEW LOAN SERVIC‐ ING, LLC Versus No. 20262253 DILLON TAYLOR (A/K/A DILLON A. TAY‐ LOR)

LAFAYETTE PARISH SHER‐ IFF'S OFFICE MARK T. GARBER, SHER‐ IFF $36.69

15TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT ---- PARISH OF STATE OF LAFAYETTE LOUISIANA Notice is hereby given that by virtue of a writ of SEIZURE AND SALE is‐ sued in the hereinabove entitled and numbered cause I have seized and taken into my possession and will offer for sale sell for cash, and ap‐ ***WITHOUT*** praisement, to the last and highest bidder, at public auction, at the LAFAYETTE PARISH GOV‐ ERNMENT BUILDING, 1010 LAFAYETTE STREET, 2ND in Lafayette, FLOOR Louisiana, between the legal sale hours com‐ mencing at 10:00 A.M. on ***OCTO‐ WEDNESDAY, BER 14, 2026*** ,the fol‐ lowing described prop‐ erty, to wit: THAT CERTAIN LOT OR PARCEL OF GROUND, TO‐ GETHER WITH ALL BUILD‐ AND IMPROVE‐ INGS MENTS THEREON, AND ALL RIGHTS, WAYS, PRIVI‐ LEGES, SERVITUDES, AP‐ PURTENANCES AND AD‐ THEREUNTO VANTAGES BELONGING AND ALL AP‐ PURTENANCES THEREOF, BEING KNOWN AND DES‐ IGNATED AS LOT TWENTY (20) OF VILLA HERNAN‐ DEZ SUBDIVISION, A SUB‐ DIVISION OF THE PARISH LAFAYETTE, OF LOUISIANA, SAID LOT HAVING SUCH SHAPE, DIMENSIONS, FORM, BOUNDARIES AND MEA‐ AS ARE SUREMENTS MORE FULLY SHOWN ON THAT CERTAIN PLAT OF SURVEY PREPARED BY DOMINGUE, SZABO & AS‐ SOCIATES, INC., DATED JUNE 28, 1977, ATTACHED TO THAT CERTAIN ACT RECORDED UNDER FILE NUMBER 1977-14522 OF RECORDS OF THE LAFAYETTE PARISH

SHERIFF'S SALE TH MSR HOLDINGS LLC No. 20261226 Versus DARBY AND DUSTY ASHELY DARBY 15TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT ---- PARISH OF STATE OF LAFAYETTE LOUISIANA Notice is hereby given that by virtue of a writ of SEIZURE AND SALE is‐ sued in the hereinabove entitled and numbered cause I have seized and taken into my possession and will offer for sale sell for cash, and appraise‐ ***WITH*** ment, to the last and highest bidder, at public at the auction, LAFAYETTE PARISH GOV‐ ERNMENT BUILDING, 1010 LAFAYETTE STREET, 2ND in Lafayette, FLOOR Louisiana, between the legal sale hours com‐ mencing at 10:00 A.M. on ***OCTO‐ WEDNESDAY, BER 14, 2026*** ,the fol‐ lowing described prop‐ erty, to wit: THAT CERTAIN LOT OR PARCEL OF GROUND, TO‐ GETHER WITH ALL IM‐ BEING PROVEMENTS, AND DESIG‐ KNOWN NATED AS LOT SIXTYEIGHT (68) OF WHITTING‐ TON TERRACE SUBDIVI‐ SION, LAFAYETTE PARISH, LOUISIANA, SAID LOT HAVING A FRONTAGE ON GERALD DRIVE OF FIFTYNINE AND FIVE-TENTHS (59.5’) FEET BY A DEPTH PARALLEL BETWEEN LINES ALL ACCORDING TO A PLAT OF SURVEY BY FRED L. COLOMB, DATED MAY 1, 1959, ATTACHED TO AN ACT OF DEDICA‐ TION RECORDED UNDER ACT NO. 380493 OF THE RECORDS OF THE PARISH OF LAFAYETTE,

store.nola.com

Public Notices Sheriff Sales

LOUISIANA, AND MADE A PART HEREOF BY REFER‐ ENCE THERETO. SAID LOT BEING BOUNDED NORTH‐ EAST BY LOT TWENTYSEVEN (27), SOUTHWEST GERALD DRIVE, BY BY LOT SOUTHEAST (69) AND SIXTY-NINE BY LOT NORTHWEST SIXTY-SEVEN (67) ALL OF SAID SUBDIVISION. THE IMPROVEMENTS THEREON BEAR THE MU‐ NUMBER 315 NICIPAL DRIVE, GERALD LAFAYETTE, LA 70503 ANYONE PURCHASING PROPERTY AT SHERIFF'S SALE IS GIVEN UNTIL 2:00 P.M. ON SALE DAY TO PAY FULL PURCHASE THE AMOUNT BY CERTIFIED FUNDS PUBLISH ON: SEPTEMBER 10, 2026 & OCTOBER 8, 2026 LAFAYETTE PARISH SHER‐ IFF'S OFFICE MARK T. GARBER, SHER‐ IFF $35.40

SHERIFF'S SALE TOWD POINT MORTGAGE TRUST 2023-1, U.S. BANK TRUST COMPANY, NA‐ TIONAL ASSOCIATION AS INDENTURE TRUSTEE Ver‐ sus No. 20258315 THE UN‐ OPENED SUCCESSION OF CHRISTLEBELLE BREAUX ZENO, THE UNOPENED SUCCESSION OF CLIFTON JOSEPH ZENO, SR. 15TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT ---- PARISH OF STATE OF LAFAYETTE LOUISIANA Notice is hereby given that by virtue of a writ of FI FA issued in the here‐ entitled and inabove numbered cause I have seized and taken into my possession and will offer for sale and sell for cash, ap‐ ***WITHOUT*** praisement, to the last and highest bidder, at public auction, at the LAFAYETTE PARISH GOV‐ ERNMENT BUILDING, 1010 LAFAYETTE STREET, 2ND in Lafayette, FLOOR Louisiana, between the legal sale hours com‐ mencing at 10:00 A.M. on ***OCTO‐ WEDNESDAY, BER 14, 2026*** ,the fol‐ lowing described prop‐ erty, to wit: ALL THAT CERTAIN PAR‐ OF LAND IN CEL PARISH, LAFAYETTE STATE OF LOUISIANA AS MORE FULLY DESCRIBED IN DEED ENTRY #90-6001, BEING KNOWN AND DES‐ IGNATED AS LOT 12, BELL NORTH HEIGHTS SUBDIVI‐ MUNICIPAL AD‐ SION DRESS: 105 HARRISON DRIVE, LAFAYETTE, LA 70507

U.S. BANK TRUST NA‐ ASSOCIATION, TIONAL NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY BUT SOLELY AS OWNER TRUSTEE FOR RCF 2 ACQUISITION TRUST No. 20264206 Versus ROBERT L. ODINET A/K/A ROBERT LEYTON ODINET, SR. AND ANGELA BAR‐ BERA ODINET A/K/A AN‐ GELA MICHELLE BARBERA ODINET 15TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT ---- PARISH OF STATE OF LAFAYETTE LOUISIANA Notice is hereby given that by virtue of a writ of SEIZURE AND SALE is‐ sued in the hereinabove entitled and numbered cause I have seized and taken into my possession and will offer for sale sell for cash, and ap‐ ***WITHOUT*** praisement, to the last and highest bidder, at public auction, at the LAFAYETTE PARISH GOV‐ ERNMENT BUILDING, 1010 LAFAYETTE STREET, 2ND in Lafayette, FLOOR Louisiana, between the legal sale hours com‐ mencing at 10:00 A.M. on ***OCTO‐ WEDNESDAY, BER 14, 2026*** ,the fol‐ lowing described prop‐ erty, to wit: THAT CERTAIN LOT OR PARCEL OF GROUND, TO‐ GETHER WITH ALL BUILD‐ AND IMPROVE‐ INGS MENTS THEREON, AND ALL RIGHTS, WAYS, PRIVI‐ LEGES, SERVITUDES, AP‐ PURTENANCES, AND AD‐ THEREUNTO VANTAGES BELONGING OR IN ANY‐ WISE APPERTAINING, LO‐ CATED IN SECTION 56, TOWNSHIP 10 SOUTH, RANGE 4 EAST, BEING AND DESIG‐ KNOWN NATED AS LOT 25, EU‐ REKA PLANTATION SUB‐ CITY OF DIVISION, LAFAYETTE LAFAYETTE, PARISH, LOUISIANA, AS SHOWN ON THE SUBDIVI‐ SION PLAT OF SURVEY PREPARED BY SELLERS, DUBROC & ASSOCIATES, INC., DATED NOVEMBER 10, 1975, AND RECORDED JULY 7, 1976, UNDER ACT 668650 IN THE NO. OF THE RECORDS PARISH LAFAYETTE CLERK OF COURT’S OF‐ FICE. THE LOT HAVING A FRONTAGE OF 90.65 FEET ON BAYSIDE DRIVE AND A WESTERLY BOUNDARY OF FEET, A 147.00 NORTHERLY OR REAR OF 134.55 BOUNDARY FEET AND AN EASTERLY OF 140.29 BOUNDARY FEET AND IS BOUNDED SOUTHERLY BY BAYSIDE WESTERLY BY DRIVE; DRIVE, OAKLEY NORTHERLY BY LOT 24; AND EASTERLY BY LOT 26, ALL OF EUREKA PLANTA‐ TION SUBDIVISION (“PROPERTY”). MUNICI‐ PAL ADDRESS: 204 BAY‐ SIDE DRIVE, LAFAYETTE, LA 70508 ANYONE PURCHASING PROPERTY AT SHERIFF'S SALE IS GIVEN UNTIL 2:00 P.M. ON SALE DAY TO PAY FULL PURCHASE THE AMOUNT BY CERTIFIED FUNDS PUBLISH ON: SEPTEMBER 10, 2026 & OCTOBER 8, 2026 LAFAYETTE PARISH SHER‐ IFF'S OFFICE MARK T. GARBER, SHER‐ IFF $39.69 SHERIFF'S SALE U.S. BANK TRUST NA‐ ASSOCIATION, TIONAL NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY, BUT SOLELY IN CAPACITY AS ITS TRUSTEE FOR CITIGROUP MORTGAGE LOAN TRUST Versus No. 2021-RP5 RICHARD E. 20263799 DORROUGH 15TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT ---- PARISH OF STATE OF LAFAYETTE LOUISIANA Notice is hereby given that by virtue of a writ of SEIZURE AND SALE is‐ sued in the hereinabove entitled and numbered cause I have seized and taken into my possession and will offer for sale sell for cash, and ap‐ ***WITHOUT*** praisement, to the last and highest bidder, at bli i h

Journal health forum Wednesday. Russian health authorities reported a full range of preventive measures had been carried out — including tracing the dead woman’s contacts, medical monitoring and lab tests, the WHO said. The Geneva-based organization cited media reports that a second employee had pneumonia of undetermined cause.

Experts urge more openness Peskov referred all questions to Rospotrebnadzor, which does not mention suspected plague in its reports and has not responded to a request for comment. In its latest statement Tuesday, the agency said “the sanitary and epidemiological situation in the Irkutsk region, the cities of Irkutsk and Shelekhov is calm.” Authorities were completing a “complex of prophylactic measures and medical observation over contacts,” it said, adding that so far they have found two cases of COVID-19 and two cases of rhinovirus. “No other infectious pathogens have been found among contacts,” it said. Judy Twigg, professor of political science at Virginia Commonwealth University, noted that while the measures taken by Russian health authorities “have been swift and serious,” ofﬁcials sought to play down the situation and “any statements that strayed from that party line ... were edited or deleted within hours.” “What we are watching is less a failure to respond than a failure of candor,” Twigg said in written comments. Public Notices Sheriff Sales

g public auction, at the LAFAYETTE PARISH GOV‐ ERNMENT BUILDING, 1010 LAFAYETTE STREET, 2ND in Lafayette, FLOOR Louisiana, between the legal sale hours com‐ mencing at 10:00 A.M. on ***OCTO‐ WEDNESDAY, BER 14, 2026*** ,the fol‐ lowing described prop‐ erty, to wit: THAT CERTAIN LOT OR PARCEL OF GROUND, TO‐ GETHER WITH ALL BUILD‐ AND IMPROVE‐ INGS MENTS THEREON, AND ALL RIGHTS, WAYS, PRIVI‐ LEGES, SERVITUDES, AP‐ PURTENANCES, AND AD‐ THEREUNTO VANTAGES BELONGING OR IN ANY‐ WISE APPERTAINING, LO‐ CATED IN SECTIONS 4 & 42, TOWNSHIP 10 SOUTH, RANGE 4 EAST, BEING AND DESIG‐ KNOWN NATED AS LOT 44, PLAZA SUBDIVISION, VILLAGE EXTENSION NO. 3, CITY LAFAYETTE, OF PARISH, LAFAYETTE LOUISIANA, AS SHOWN THE SUBDIVISION ON PLAT OF SURVEY PRE‐ BY SELLERS, PARED DUBROC AND ASSOCI‐ ATES, INC, DATED AU‐ GUST 31, 1977, LAST RE‐ VISED JANUARY 3, 1978, AND RECORDED JULY 12, 1978, UNDER ACT NO. 78016397 IN THE RECORDS THE LAFAYETTE OF CLERK OF PARISH COURT’S OFFICE. THE LOT HAVING A FRONTAGE OF 61.00 FEET ON VILLAGE LANE WITH SUCH DIMEN‐ SIONS, MEASUREMENTS, SHAPE, BOUNDARIES, FORM, LOCATION AND AS CONFUGURATION SHOWN ON THE SUBDIVI‐ SION PLAT OF SURVEY IS BOUNDED AND SOUTHERLY BY VILLAGE LANE; EASTERLY BY LOT 43; NORTHERLY BY PROP‐ ERTY LOCATED IN BELLE CHASE GARDENS, EXTEN‐ SION NO. 1; AND WEST‐ ERLY BY LOT 45 (“PROP‐ ERTY”). MUNICIPAL AD‐ 208 VILLAGE DRESS: LANE, LAFAYETTE, LA 70506 ANYONE PURCHASING PROPERTY AT SHERIFF'S SALE IS GIVEN UNTIL 2:00 P.M. ON SALE DAY TO PAY FULL PURCHASE THE AMOUNT BY CERTIFIED FUNDS PUBLISH ON: SEPTEMBER 10, 2026 & OCTOBER 8, 2026 LAFAYETTE PARISH SHER‐ IFF'S OFFICE MARK T. GARBER, SHER‐ IFF $39.69 SHERIFF'S SALE UNITED STATES OF AMER‐ ICA, ACTING THROUGH RURAL HOUSING THE SERVICE, UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRI‐ Versus No. CULTURE 20264507 ELIZABETH K. WALDMANN, (A/K/A ELIZ‐ KAYE WALD‐ ABETH MANN) 15TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT ---- PARISH OF STATE OF LAFAYETTE LOUISIANA Notice is hereby given that by virtue of a writ of SEIZURE AND SALE is‐ sued in the hereinabove entitled and numbered cause I have seized and taken into my possession and will offer for sale sell for cash, and ap‐ ***WITHOUT*** praisement, to the last and highest bidder, at public auction, at the LAFAYETTE PARISH GOV‐ ERNMENT BUILDING, 1010 LAFAYETTE STREET, 2ND in Lafayette, FLOOR Louisiana, between the legal sale hours com‐ mencing at 10:00 A.M. on ***OCTO‐ WEDNESDAY, BER 14, 2026*** ,the fol‐ lowing described prop‐ erty, to wit: THAT CERTAIN PARCEL OF TOGETHER GROUND, ALL IMPROVE‐ WITH MENTS THEREON, AND ALL RIGHTS, WAYS, PRIVI‐ LEGES, SERVITUDES, AP‐ PURTENANCES AND AD‐ THEREUNTO VANTAGES BELONGING AND ALL AP‐ PURTENANCES THEREOF, BEING KNOWN AND DES‐ IGNATED AS LOT FOUR‐ TEEN (14) OF GUILLOT VILLAGE SUBDIVISION, A OF THE SUBDIVISION PARISH OF LAFAYETTE, LOUISIANA ON THAT CER‐ TAIN PLAT OF SURVEY PREPARED BY BARRY J. ATTACHED BLEICHNER, TO THAT ACT RECORDED UNDER ENTRY NO. 0717130 AND MADE PART HEREOF BY REFERENCE, AND BEING DESCRIBED REFERENCE WITH THERETO AS HAVING A FRONTAGE ON BRAXTON DRIVE AND HAVING SUCH BOUND‐ DIMENSIONS, ARIES AND MEASURE‐ MENTS AS ARE MORE FULLY SHOWN ON SAID PLAT OF SURVEY. MUNICI‐ ADDRESS COM‐ PAL MONLY KNOWN AS 300

Public Notices Sheriff Sales

BRAXTON DR., YOUNGSVILLE, LA 70592 ANYONE PURCHASING PROPERTY AT SHERIFF'S SALE IS GIVEN UNTIL 2:00 P.M. ON SALE DAY TO PAY FULL PURCHASE THE AMOUNT BY CERTIFIED FUNDS PUBLISH ON: SEPTEMBER 10, 2026 & OCTOBER 8, 2026 LAFAYETTE PARISH SHER‐ IFF'S OFFICE MARK T. GARBER, SHER‐ IFF $36.04 SHERIFF'S SALE VILLAGE CAPITAL & IN‐ VESTMENT LLC Versus No. 20263686 EDRICK J. PENNYWELL AKA EDRICK JAMES PENNYWELL 15TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT ---- PARISH OF STATE OF LAFAYETTE LOUISIANA Notice is hereby given that by virtue of a writ of SEIZURE AND SALE is‐ sued in the hereinabove entitled and numbered cause I have seized and taken into my possession and will offer for sale sell for cash, and ap‐ ***WITHOUT*** praisement, to the last and highest bidder, at public auction, at the LAFAYETTE PARISH GOV‐ ERNMENT BUILDING, 1010 LAFAYETTE STREET, 2ND in Lafayette, FLOOR Louisiana, between the legal sale hours com‐ mencing at 10:00 A.M. on ***OCTO‐ WEDNESDAY, BER 14, 2026*** ,the fol‐ lowing described prop‐ erty, to wit: THAT CERTAIN PARCEL OF TOGETHER GROUND, ALL IMPROVE‐ WITH MENTS THEREON, AND ALL RIGHTS, WAYS, PRIVI‐ LEGES, SERVITUDES, AP‐ PURTENANCES AND AD‐ THEREUNTO VANTAGES BELONGING AND ALL AP‐ PURTENANCES THEREOF, BEING KNOWN AND DES‐ IGNATED AS LOT EIGHT OF GEORGETOWN (8) SUBDIVISION, SQUARE PHASE ONE (1), A SUBDI‐ VISION OF THE PARISH OF LOUISIANA LAFAYETTE, ON THAT CERTAIN PLAT OF SURVEY PREPARED BY RODNEY A. NAYLOR, AT‐ TACHED TO THAT ACT RECORDED UNDER ENTRY NO. 87-36562 AND MADE PART HEREOF BY REFER‐ ENCE, AND BEING DE‐ SCRIBED WITH REFER‐ ENCE THERETO AS HAV‐ ING A FRONTAGE ON BRITAIN CIRCLE AND AS HAVING SUCH DIMEN‐ SIONS, BOUNDARIES AND MEASUREMENTS AS ARE MORE FULLY SHOWN ON SAID PLAT OF SURVEY (“PROPERTY”). MUNICI‐ ADDRESS: 109 PAL CIRCLE, BRITAIN LAFAYETTE, LA 70508 ANYONE PURCHASING PROPERTY AT SHERIFF'S SALE IS GIVEN UNTIL 2:00 P.M. ON SALE DAY TO PAY FULL PURCHASE THE AMOUNT BY CERTIFIED FUNDS PUBLISH ON: SEPTEMBER 10, 2026 & OCTOBER 8, 2026 LAFAYETTE PARISH SHER‐ IFF'S OFFICE MARK T. GARBER, SHER‐ IFF $34.97

Public Notices Successions

PUBLIC NOTICE --Administrator for the Succession of Mary Fern Cobb Briggs gives notice of his intent to sell via private sale, the follow‐ ing: 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; and 2. 2009 Mercedes Benz 350. 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

6A l Thursday, October 8, 2026 l theadvocate.com l The Acadiana Advocate

lll

TODAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

Partly sunny and warm

Mostly cloudy

Dull and dreary

Mostly sunny and warmer

Mostly sunny and warm

Partly sunny, warm and humid

HIGH

LOW

91° 67°

LOW

86° 68°

LOW

79° 62°

87° 66°

Port Arthur 91/70

Baton Rouge 92/68

Lake Charles 92/68

New Orleans 86/75 Houma 86/72

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

Hattiesburg 89/65

Alexandria 94/64

Lafayette 91/67

Beaumont 92/69

10s

20s

30s

40s

50s

LOW

HIGH

88° 70°

LOW

89° 70°

TEMPERATURE Jackson 91/62

Many 94/60

HIGH

Lafayette through 5 p.m. Wednesday

Longview 92/60

-0s

LOW

Monroe 95/60

Shreveport 93/62

-10s

HIGH

We continue to follow Isaias as it makes its way across the Gulf. It is expected to intensify further and make landfall on the Gulf coast well east of New Orleans late on Friday. Otherwise, expect a mostly sunny, very warm and breezy day. Temperatures this afternoon will rise to the upper 80s to low 90s. Winds are out of the northeast at 15 mph with gusts up to 20 mph. There is no rain in the forecast, but patchy fog is expected in parts of Southwest Louisiana this morning.

60s

70s

80s

90s 100s 110s

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

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

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.

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

HIGH

9:00p 5:04a 3:27a 5:49a 11:09a 9:59a 12:17p

7:05 a.m. 6:45 p.m. 5:03 a.m. 5:34 p.m.

FIRST

OCT 18

91 73 88 37 84 98 82 89 88

TODAY Lo

64 53 66 21 76 75 53 79 54

FULL

LAST

OCT 25

pc pc s pc sh s s t s

NOV 1

91 69 90 40 86 97 84 91 88

FRI. Lo

62 50 65 27 77 74 58 78 63

pc s s pc sh s s t s

FT.

LOW

TODAY

READING 44 MAIN POLLUTANT Ozone

MAIN POLLUTANT Ozone

GOOD

PRECIPITATION

88°/70° 84°/64° 90°/72° 96° in 1912 42° in 1932

YESTERDAY 0.00” 0.87” 1.01” 47.03” 49.71”

FT.

HIGH

0.6 5:05a 0.4 1.4 8:34a 1.3 2.1 7:43a 1.4 1.6 11:28a 1.0 1.1 6:12p 0.9 1.4 4:10p 1.1 1.3 7:14p 1.1

FT.

--3:09p 3:08p 5:33p 10:43p 9:53p 11:51p

SOURCE: LOUISIANA DEQ AND AIRNOW.GOV

LOW

FT.

----- --1.6 9:46p 1.1 2.2 8:03p 1.1 1.5 11:48p 0.9 0.9 --- --1.2 --- --1.2 --- ---

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 9:59a Friday 10:40a Saturday 11:23a Sunday 12:32p Monday 12:35a Tuesday 1:28a Wednesday 2:23a

City

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

86 82 78 103 70 86 83 83 83

3:48a 4:29a 5:11a 5:57a 6:47a 7:40a 8:35a

TODAY Lo

75 73 54 81 45 59 59 69 74

10:21p 11:02p 11:45p ---12:59p 1:52p 2:48p

pc t s s pc s s pc t

GOOD

80 87 74 104 70 78 89 79 87

4:10p 4:51p 5:34p 6:20p 7:11p 8:05p 9:01p

FRI. Lo

70 74 53 79 49 58 63 70 76

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

r t s s s pc 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

WED. 24-HOUR STAGE CHANGE

2.30 25.40 27.60 12.90 7.80 6.21 5.10

-1.13 -0.76 -1.00 -0.10 +0.30 +0.33 +0.42

22.65

+4.11

-1.46

+0.14

18 29 8

-1.17 10.12 3.17

-0.16 -0.28 -0.09

13 15

1.77 0.89

-0.76 +0.22

47 34 29 20 12 6

10.94 7.37 5.87 5.26 4.20 2.60

-0.33 -0.50 +0.10 -0.45 none +0.03

data as of 7 a.m. Wednesday

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THINKING

OF SELLING? A home evaluation is a great place to start

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METRO

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

T h u r s d ay, O c T O b e r 8, 2026

1bN

School Board to vote on funding plan Money to begin construction on Comeaux facility

BY JOANNA BROWN

year to make way for a new workforce academy that will house the W.D. & Mary Baker Smith Career Construction on the new Ovey Center and E.J. Sam Accelerated Comeaux Workforce Innovation Academy, alongside other workAcademy could begin toward the force training programs for Laend of the year — and decisions fayette Parish students. on how the project will be funded Last week, Superintendent Franare in front of the Lafayette Parish cis Touchet said the district will School Board on Thursday. tap rainy day funds to pay for the Ovey Comeaux High School project. The School Board previclosed at the end of the 2026 school ously submitted an application to

Staff writer

the State Bond Commission for the issuance of $46 million in sales tax revenue bonds to fund construction but withdrew the application at the commission’s Aug. 20 meeting. Touchet said the district withdrew the application because of high borrowing costs. Commission staff had reviewed the application and offered “no recommendation” on the bond issuance, citing

FEST PREP

Lafayette starts to get ready for Festivals Acadiens et Créoles

a 2025 audit of the Lafayette Parish school system that raised concerns about the reliability of its accounting records and ﬁnancial reporting. With the bond issuance no longer planned for this year, the board will vote on interim funding to begin construction of the workforce academy. Construction is expected to cost about $40 million, and the academy is slated to open by the start of the 2028-29 school year. The school system is asking the board to approve making

Andrew Alderman, left, and Mike Earley hang a stage banner in preparation for Festivals Acadiens et Créoles at Girard Park in Lafayette on Tuesday. The free festival opens Friday and runs through Sunday. STAFF PHOTOS BY LESLIE WESTBROOK

$14 million available from the Economic Stabilization Fund, which is the district’s rainy day reserve. The fund is required to hold at least two and a half months of operating expenditures and debt service payments as a safeguard against economic volatility. In a statement Tuesday, the district said the goal is to repay money taken from the fund at a later date, “allowing construction to move forward while the district

ä See PLAN, page 4B

Moves targeting Sulphur mayor withdrawn Council member seeks state investigation

BY MEGAN WYATT

Staff writer

Workers set up the Salle de Danse tent in preparation for Festivals Acadiens et Créoles on Tuesday.

Law enforcement searches for woman after crash Driver missing since Sept. 30

BY DEAN BOUDREAUX

Staff writer

the lead investigator in the missing person case, Mayfield said. Troopers are coordinating with Harris County investigators. State Police said both investigations remain active. The agency said it will release no further details to protect the investigations. Munn-Holiday’s family posted a flyer that lists her age as 22. The flyer says she was last seen in a crash on the Atchafalaya Basin Bridge before the Whiskey Bay exit around 1 a.m. Sept. 30. State Police have not confirmed the location beyond the milepost. Munn-Holiday’s mother said in a social media post that her daughter left home Sept. 29 and texted that she was headed to Louisiana. The mother said she lost contact with her daughter and does not believe she walked away on her own. The mother said the last address she was able to track her daughters cellphone to was 5100 Ambassador Caffery Parkway in Lafayette. Anyone with information can call the family at (567) 315-4283 or (346) 678-7504, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office at (713) 221-6000 or Louisiana State Police Troop A.

Multiple law enforcement agencies searched along Interstate 10 in Iberville Parish on Tuesday for clues in the disappearance of a 22-year-old Texas woman who was last seen after a crash there, according to Louisiana State Police. Louisiana State Police said Christin Munn-Holliday left the scene of a hit-and-run crash on Interstate 10 in Iberville Parish and has not been seen since. Investigators said they believe she was driving one of the vehicles involved in the crash. “State Police Troop A is investigating the crash, which happened in the early morning hours of Sept. 30 on I-10 eastbound near milepost 128,” Trooper Shelby Mayfield said in a statement. Troopers said Munn-Holiday was driving one of the vehicles STAFF PHOTO BY LESLIE WESTBROOK involved. Preliminary evidence A missing-person flyer for Christin Munn-Holliday is posted in Girard indicates she left on foot after the crash and has not been located, Park in Lafayette on Wednesday. Mayfield said. “Louisiana State Police are uti- fort to locate her,” Mayfield said. also been reported missing to the Email Dean Boudreaux at Troopers said they learned Harris County Sheriff’s Office dean.boudreaux@theadvocate. lizing available investigative resources and techniques in an ef- Oct. 1 that Munn-Holiday had in Texas. That agency remains com.

Sulphur City Council member Danny DiPetta is withdrawing two items on next week’s agenda that would have targeted Mayor Jacob Stutes, but DiPetta said he still plans to ask the state attorney general to investigate the administration’s hiring and firing practices. DiPetta said Wednesday, a day after the City Council agenda was published online, that he is pulling two items he was set to introduce. They included a formal statement of no confidence in Stutes’ administration and a resolution that would have reaffirmed the council’s commitment to “transparent, accountable, and lawful government.” DiPetta said the council is facing legal scrutiny but declined to elaborate in an interview Wednesday. “I’m not trying to be evasive,” DiPetta said. “I’m trying to be defensive.” He said, though, he plans to move forward with introducing another resolution to ask the Louisiana attorney general and other authorities to review and investigate the possible violations of law related to the city administration’s hiring and firing practices. The move comes amid escalating tensions among the mayor, the council and other city officials just three months after they took office. All six elected officials are new to their positions. Stutes issued a statement Wednesday defending his administration. “I understand that people in Sulphur are frustrated,” he wrote in a statement to The Advocate | The Times-Picayune. “They are watching city government become consumed by conflict, accusations and political theater when there are serious issues that need attention. But my focus is not on name-calling or personal attacks. My focus is on city business.” His response came the day after the newspaper reported on the agenda and the council members’ responses to a digital billboard that depicted them as clowns and called them “little mayor wannabes.” The mayor said he did not authorize, purchase or coordinate the billboard and does not know who paid for it. Stutes said his administration has been working on infrastructure needs, water leaks, open work orders, staffing challenges, public records, financial accountability and “concerns that were formally reported to the proper authorities.” “Any lawful review of city government should be based on facts, records and the city charter, not rumors, social media pressure or personal grievances,” Stutes wrote. “I respect the role of the City

ä See MAYOR, page 4B

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

OUR VIEWS

Legislature shouldn’t leave Southern in the dark Our state’s historically Black colleges and universities are a jewel in our higher education system, one that has managed to shine over the years even with fewer resources and a lack of attention from state leaders. However, at Southern University’s main campus in Baton Rouge, recent power outages have put that neglect front and center and, we hope, will spur legislators to ﬁnally give the school the funds it needs for long-overdue infrastructure upgrades. The problems began in the spring but appear to have become more frequent over the past month. On Sept. 1, campus operations were disrupted for the day when power went out at several buildings. Then days later, a blown transformer at the Clark Activity Center caused a campuswide power outage that disrupted the start of the semester. Classes were forced to go online and some students had to leave residence halls. Power was later restored, but last week, during Homecoming festivities, sporadic outages were again reported. These disruptions have affected students in myriad ways. Imagine trying to complete college assignments, study for midterms, meet with professors or even do daily chores in your dorm room without electricity. It goes without saying that keeping the lights on is one of the basics we owe students at our state’s public universities. And there is no scenario in which we could imagine students 20 minutes away at LSU being forced to endure similar conditions for as long. So what’s going on? Southern Chancellor John Pierre points to aging electrical infrastructure amid a recent campus expansion that put new strains on the grid. Southern has started making ﬁxes to transformers and switches and other vital parts, spending $1.7 million so far to address the issues. But it’s only a temporary solution. In the long term, the university will need $50 million in upgrades to accommodate its future needs, including for a 97,000-square-foot, $68 billion sciences complex set to be completed in January. Southern says it will go to the Louisiana Legislature in the spring for the infrastructure money, and we urge lawmakers not to hesitate to write the check. We recall last session, when the Southern University System requested $19 million for infrastructure, legislators kicked the can down the road, instead giving Southern $6.6 million in one-time money that went to other priorities. But now, here we are, down the road. And Southern students don’t have reliable electricity on campus. The disparities in funding for Southern, the nation’s only HBCU system, and the predominantly White LSU system have been thoroughly reported on. These infrastructure issues put the matter in stark relief. We know as an institution, Southern will keep on keeping on. It has served students across generations facing even greater challenges — but it deserves to know the state won’t leave it in the dark.

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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.

YOUR VIEWS

In-person doctor care vital for safe pill abortion

Fight cuts to SNAP program that aids hungry in Louisiana Millions of Americans are facing an impossible situation. They were receiving SNAP — Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — benefits because they qualified under strict government rules. And then that changed. Maybe they had to reapply and got tripped up by new paperwork requests. Or their child turned 14, so their work requirement altered. There are all kinds of reasons, but since July 2025, 5 million Americans have lost their SNAP benefits, 2 million of them children. And 82,000 of those kids are from Louisiana. SNAP is our nation’s most powerful anti-hunger program, helping over 635,000 Louisianans buy groceries amid today’s affordability crisis. Most stay on the program less than a year. Families are losing their benefits after Congress made sweeping cuts to SNAP last year. And it’s about to

get much worse as major structural changes go into effect, putting an unprecedented cost burden on states. Here in Louisiana, we’re facing a potential bill of more than $300 million to keep SNAP running come next October, and — like many families around the kitchen table — we’re going to have to make trade-offs from other essentials to pay that bill. Keep in mind, we’re living in the state with the highest poverty level in the nation, nearly double the national level. Any trade-off to pay any bill is going to come at a high, painful cost. Congress has an opportunity to reverse or delay the most harmful cuts to SNAP before the end of the year. Tell our leaders in Congress that folks in Louisiana are willing to ﬁght to keep this program in place to ensure that families and children won’t go hungry.

The newspaper ran a front-page story on Oct. 1 regarding Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill asking the U.S. Supreme Court to revoke abortion “shield laws” in California, New York and Massachusetts. This action by Louisiana and two other states would end the legal protection of practitioners in other states for prescribing and providing the abortion pills, mifepristone and misoprostol, to women in Louisiana seeking pregnancy termination. Regardless of one’s stance on abortion, the interstate provision of drugs by mail is fraught with problems. Interrupting the direct doctorpatient relationship can be serious. Life-threatening problems may arise with pill-induced terminations. It is estimated that 1 in 10 cases of pill-induced abortion will require further hospitalization or acute medical care for complications such as bleeding, retained fetal tissue and infection. Women with ectopic/tubal pregnancies may experience fatal internal hemorrhage. It was reported earlier this year that as many as 28 women have died after taking the “safe pill” combination since 2000. (Further analysis however, reveals that 10 of these deaths may have been from other causes.) Being under the care of a personal physician when treating pregnancy termination issues is far safer than treatment by a telemarketer. The same holds true for the treatment of cardiovascular disease, hypertension and infections such as pneumonia. Placing a stethoscope upon a patient’s chest is far superior to any treatment provided through the U.S. Postal Service. For this reason, we are against the out-of-state provision of any medications without oneon-one supervision by a healthcare provider.

RHONDA JACKSON director, No Kid Hungry Louisiana New Orleans

Now may be the time to contemplate judgment What if Jesus spoke the absolute truth when he explained: “Whatever you do to the least among you, that you do unto me”? And commanded: ”Forgive one another, as I have forgiven you?” What if the Prophet Muhammad shared his spiritual gifts when he said “Helping the needy brings a person closer to God” and, “He is not a believer who eats his ﬁll and lets his neighbor go hungry?” And, what if Buddha did possess the key to happiness then shared, “If you want to be happy, practice compassion?”

And, what if the 2.8 billion people who believe in reincarnation are actually right? What if we really do have to be born again and live the very same life we subject others to live? Would we question our judgments, such as our refusal to compensate those innocent and exonerated after suffering decades in Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola’s death row? I believe now may be the time to contemplate our actions and our fate.

CATHERINE ALTAZAN Port Allen

Kennedy should try being a good public servant TO SEND US A LETTER, SCAN HERE

Watching Sen. John Kennedy attempting to smear an exemplary public servant makes me wonder why Kennedy doesn’t try being an exemplary public servant. It has to be easier than contorting himself beyond recognition. Kennedy’s histrionics are an embarrassment to America. They only serve to outline the stark contrast between ethical behavior and — well, his behavior.

Kennedy should give up this insane effort to defend Trump’s actions and work to remove Trump from ofﬁce now. Dump all of Trump’s embarrassingly incompetent and malevolent minions. Kennedy should represent his constituents — real people, not corporations and dollars. Sen. Kennedy, be better. Do your job!

JOHN E. HEVRON JR., M.D. BENNIE NOBLES, M.D. THOMAS KENNEDY, M.D. New Orleans

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COMMENTARY Prosecutors keep persecuting exonerated man from Monroe

A mind-boggling, never-ending “murder” case in Monroe has reached a point where a long-standing idea again has relevance. Namely, it should be easier to penalize abusive prosecutors and investigators. Today, abusive law enforcement continues in the case of Jimmie “Chris” Duncan, released last November after 32 years imprisonment — 27 years on death row — for an alleged rape and murder that not only did he surely not commit, but that probably didn’t take place at all. Now, astonishingly, even after both a new trial judge and the Quin unanimous verdict of the Hillyer Louisiana State Supreme Court has found, after all these years, that Duncan is “factually innocent” of rape and murder, Ouachita Parish District Attorney Robert Tew has reopened the case. With Duncan finally a free man with a good job, Tew reportedly has threatened to exhume the body — after 33 years!! — of deceased toddler Haley Oliveaux. The mind reels at the sheer cruelty of persecuting Duncan, not to mention the cruelty to members of both sides of Oliveaux’s family, including her mother, who all say they firmly believe Duncan is innocent. Three earlier columns here have discussed this case, in which the 23-month-old daughter of Duncan’s then-girlfriend drowned in a partly filled bathtub while in Duncan’s care. Duncan says he was washing dishes in a nearby room for several minutes, only to return and find Haley dead. For years, Duncan’s defenders have noted that little Haley had suffered a series of seizures in the weeks before her death. Doctors specifically had told Haley’s mother, Allison Statham, not to leave her unattended in a bath because another seizure could cause drowning, but Statham said she never passed that message to Duncan. Famed investigative reporter Radley Balko — who has written about this case on and off for 19 years — has noted that a doctor back then also had diagnosed Haley with something called Stevens-Johnson syndrome, which can

PROVIDED PHOTO

Jimmie Duncan, second from left, with family and friends at the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola.

lead to exactly the conditions on the girl’s posterior that prosecutors alleged were a sign of rape. Still, nothing else about her condition indicated rape or abuse of any sort, and there was no blood or other indicators of violence anywhere in or near the house and no cleaning agents that could have been used to wash away evidence. The main supposed physical evidence of a crime (other than negligence) came from “bite mark analysis,” which is now recognized as a pseudoscience. In little Haley’s case, the bite-mark pronouncements were made by two doctors who by now have been widely discredited, and whose testimonies in nine cases led to convictions since overturned by subsequent, hard-evidence ﬁndings. And that’s just part of the large set of ﬁndings that helped exonerate Duncan from Kafkaesque injustice. Anyway, after state Supreme Court justices this year wrote scathingly of the injustice perpetrated for years against Duncan, most decent people would want the wrongfully imprisoned man to keep building his new life in

freedom. But not Tew and his investigators. On Sept. 16, police showed up at the door of Statham, the mother, demanding a DNA sample. They want new samples from Duncan, too. They previously lost the old “rape kit” that was used in the case. And, according to both Statham and the lawyers pleading Duncan’s case, the prosecutors say they will exhume Haley’s corpse, if necessary. After a Sept. 30 court hearing on the matter, District Court Judge Jessica Williams gave each side until Oct. 16 to file briefs in favor or denying the demand for new DNA. This is insane. What, after 33 years, can DNA show now that wasn’t available in 1999? And why put the entire family of the deceased toddler through the added, gut-wrenching trauma of digging up the girl’s corpse? This is abusive. And it’s part of a major problem in the American justice system. Prosecutors, and sometimes investigators, possess vast powers with almost no consequences for misuse. For 18 years I’ve written about prosecutorial abuse and “overcriminalization,” one of the few subjects on whose problematic nature the conservative Heritage Foundation and the liberal American Civil Liberties Union long agreed. Examples are legion, including at least several in Louisiana. Even when malicious investigations or prosecutions don’t result in indictments, they can cost the target huge amounts of money, not to mention reputation, to defend against. In civil courts, lawyers can be heavily penalized for filing frivolous or “nuisance” cases. In criminal courts, it is extremely rare and difficult to punish rogue prosecutors. That must change. Exactly how to change it is unclear, but a group called Protect Ethical Prosecutors is trying. Chris Duncan’s case should be Example One of why PEP deserves to succeed. And Judge Williams should deny the prosecutors’ abusive fishing expedition. Email Quin Hillyer at quin.hillyer@ theadvocate.com.

Grim prognosis for the post-literate future Supposed menaces multiply rapidly not just unwilling; they are unable to as technologies — smartphones, articomprehend sophisticated, nuanced narratives. As deep reading becomes, ficial intelligence — mutate. But the Marriott says, a “rare, even esoteric most menacing development involves accomplishment,” our culture no exotic technology, so it is disbecomes unmoored “from regarded. its foundations in the written But not by James Marriott. word.” This British thinker warns us: Marriott thinks the “digital An artifact that enabled moderbombardment” from smartnity — skepticism, rationality, science, democracy — is now of George phones is “the major culprit” rapidly dwindling importance. in producing “a post-literate Will This artifact, which onlookers future that resembles the presaid “addicted” its early adoptliterate past: mystical, tribal and autocratic.” He might, however, be ers, was: the book. insufficiently pessimistic. So, read one. This one: Marriott’s Yes, “the moronic inferno of social slender “The New Dark Ages: The media” partly explains the “fading of Death of Reading and the Dawn of the the written word.” Post-Literate Society.” But perhaps a large and growing In the 18th century, suddenly many people began to read widely, especially majority is pathetically nostalgic for what was, until recently, normal: the books. Although it was not until late mental lassitude of pre-literate people in the next century that adult literacy who flinch from the imaginative and became nearly universal in North Atcreative act of immersive reading. lantic nations, in the previous century, Such reading is demanding. It is a kind reading spread far beyond the minusof work. It is, however, exhilarating becule sliver of society that could read, or afford, books. cause it is not passive. It is the opposite Print culture involved what Marriott of what screens offer their enervated, calls “the imaginative and participaglassy-eyed grazers. The invention of writing emancipated tory quality of reading.” This “astonishingly recent phenomenon,” he says, humanity from enslavement to memfostered the rising prestige of reason, ory. Societies without vibrant writing and the retreat of superstition. cultures are timid, hidebound, uncuriEngaging with the printed word in ous. “When we write our ideas down book form, Marriott writes, “changed we externalise part of our minds,” how people thought.” Long-form prose Marriott says. Written, ideas can be strengthened the mental muscles nec“analysed, challenged and improved.” Print culture, a still brief and perhaps essary for prolonged concentration on arguments and complexities: Readers, ending chapter in the human story, deMarriott says, began to question remocratized information, which hitherto ceived ideas: “Where does power come had been controlled by the powerful. from? How should we classify whales? Imagine how augmented their power will be when they do not need to bother How do we know the Bible is true?” rationing information to an uninterToday, numerous literature professors report that they formerly exested, nonreading public. “It is difficult,” Marriott writes, “to pected students to read a novel a week, but no longer assign such masterpieces appreciate how central reading was once to almost every aspect of life.” as George Eliot’s “Middlemarch” or When the novelist Victor Hugo died James Joyce’s “Ulysses.” Students are

in 1885, 2 million Parisians filled the streets. When the heroine of Samuel Richardson’s 1740 novel “Pamela” married, Marriott says, church bells rang across England. But Samuel Johnson (1709-1784), who flourished when reading did, nevertheless said, “People in general do not willingly read if they can have anything else to amuse them.” Today, Marriott says, amusement “has been blitzed by the food-blender forces of the algorithm to its most easily digestible form.” To gauge the leakage of complexity and nuance from our culture, compare the lyrics of Cole Porter with those of Justin Bieber. Or note, as the Economist has, that sentences in popular books have become shorter by almost a third since the 1930s. Marriott recalls that in the 1950s, Lionel Trilling’s collection of literary essays, “The Liberal Imagination,” sold more than 100,000 copies. Bestselling novels in the 1960s included Saul Bellow’s “Herzog” and Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa’s “The Leopard.” “On the page,” Marriott says, “invective quickly becomes tedious.” On screens, “intransigence and madness” proliferate. We are attempting “to run a democracy without a grown-up conversation.” We are learning this: Reason, tolerance and progress are contingent, not inherent, facets of humanity’s story. Is it possible, Marriott wonders, “to run the most advanced civilisation in the history of the planet with the intellectual apparatus of a pre-literate society”? He notes that, in proposing a grotesquely gargantuan Arc de Trump, “the first post-literate president reached instinctively for a visual style that defined autocratic politics before the age of mass literacy.”

Cutting off a parent doesn’t have to mean cruelty An in-law, age 95 and on her deathbed, was having some ﬁnal conversations. She brought up a memory of her own mother, who had lost a 2-year-old daughter to a childhood disease. When she misbehaved as a child, the elderly woman recalled, “My mother would say, ’I wish you had died instead of Alice.”’ She Froma then tried to reason that her Harrop mother, enduring a hard life on an Indiana farm, was probably just expressing grief. Possibly true, but the hurt haunted the surviving daughter until her last breath, nearly a century after the words were spoken. A trend has grown in recent years of children cutting off one or both allegedly toxic parents from all contact. My in-law had endured an extreme example of verbal abuse. But she grew up in a culture where family members were triple knotted together. Despite it all, a faded photograph of the cruel matriarch always hung in her parlor. Nowadays, Americans seem to place more value on individual happiness and self-esteem. Older children who cut contact with their parents will cite abuse, ranging from emotional to physical to sexual. Some remain incensed that their parents never apologized for past meanness or that they continue to bully, belittle and invade their privacy. The trend has ignited a countermovement of estranged parents who afﬁx blame on ex-spouses, therapists and the children themselves. A study at Ohio State University found that nearly 80% of the estranged mothers surveyed believed that an ex-husband or son- or daughter-in-law had turned a child against her. These complaints sometimes seem fair in the eyes of outside observers. Sometimes they do not. Same goes for the children who are ghosting a parent. A Connecticut mother named Laura Wellington has built a media empire upon her rage. Her Facebook group is called “Doormat Mom No More.” She does TikToks, wrote a book and was featured in People magazine. As Wellington tells the story, her daughter uninvited her to her wedding in Australia. Wellington then messaged the groom to say that she was taking back an earlier blessing of the marriage. (Adding a martyred touch, she also wished the couple well.) And she’s railed against her daughter as an “ungrateful little bastard.” Reading Wellington does not automatically elicit sympathy. Many such parents accuse their children of being “spoiled,” citing the enormous sums spent on their education, sports and cultural enrichment. However, some success-driven parents show little patience for offspring wired differently. They see children as extensions of themselves who must excel in all competitions. Interestingly, indulged children frequently resent their upbringing. Parents who shielded children from everyday challenges often raise adults unable to solve their own problems. When they do wrong, their parents cover up for them. True story: A man in his 30s living in his own apartment called his mom, three states away, when he needed an electrician. An electrician magically arrived at his door. “The safest way to make a child unhappy is to accustom him to get everything he wants,” French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau wrote 264 years ago. Austrian psychiatrist Alfred Adler expanded on that idea in the 20th century. He said that the “pampered child” is often resentful toward a mother who indulged him. The children tend not to connect their anger at being spoiled, but rather on what they saw as the parent’s insistence on invading their space or hovering, which may also be the case. Skilled therapists can help in reconciling the warring parties. To succeed, everyone’s ears must be open and overactive egos parked in the garage. In the end, this must be said: Parting ways with cruel people, parents included, can be a form of self-preservation. Froma Harrop is on X, @FromaHarrop. Email her at fharrop@gmail.com.

Email George Will at georgewill@washpost.com.

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Grants to boost Louisiana school security Program awards $5M for campus safety upgrades

BY CHARLES LUSSIER Staff writer

Twenty-three schools in the Baton Rouge region are among 119 across Louisiana that recently received state grants of up to $50,000 to upgrade security on their campuses. The grants program, now in its fourth year, awards roughly $5 million each year to cover physical improvements to school buildings, such as new doors or fences, updating emergency plans and better training for staff. The latest awards, announced in mid-September, are drawn from a pool of nearly 600 applicants who applied in spring 2025. A total of 117 schools were initially given money in summer 2025 from that same pool of applicants. The grants are given out each year by the Louisiana Center for Safe Schools. The center, which opened in 2023, was created by

the state Legislature in the wake of the deadly shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, which killed 21 people and injured 17 more. The Baton Rouge region’s 23 awardees are the most in the state, followed by 20 in northeast Louisiana and 19 in the New Orleans area. “We’re trying to make sure it’s fair across the state,” said Robert Martin, the director of the center. In the Baton Rouge region, Ascension, East Baton Rouge and Livingston parishes have five schools each that won awards, followed by four each in Iberville and Pointe Coupee parishes. The winners are a mix of traditional public, charter and private schools. Originally part of the Louisiana Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, this year the school safety center was transferred to the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement. The price tag for the last batch of 119 school safety awards is $5.4 million. They average $45,488, ranging from as little as $7,500 to

as much as $50,000. Martin said demand for the grants each year is much higher than available funding. He said the more improvements schools make now, the lower the potential for danger when security incidents arise later. “Our goal is to protect everyone as much as we can; we are looking forward to growing this program,” he said. “We are trying to take proactive solutions as much as we can to protect the state.” Schools winning grants will be reimbursed for eligible costs. They have to complete projects within a set amount of time, usually about 12 months. In some cases, the grants are the sole source of money for the project, while in other cases, the school district pairs the grant with other money. The East Baton Rouge Parish school system, the state’s secondlargest traditional district, has two winning schools located in the parish: Belfair Montessori Magnet School and BR FLAIM — short for Baton Rouge Foreign Language Academic Immersion Magnet. Both schools are using

the money to modernize entryways with new management systems for school visitors as well as purchasing new communication equipment, signs and cameras. Last year, the parish school system had nine winners — four elementary, two middle and two high schools. They’ve used the money — $50,000 each — to make improvements to their security, including installing new alarms, doors, gates and fences. To qualify, applicants had to submit school maps, ﬂoor plans, site safety assessments, emergency plans and an inventory of the safety measures they were already using. The other three schools in East Baton Rouge Parish earning security grants are Baker High and Baton Rouge Ochsner Discovery, both charter schools, and Sacred Heart of Jesus School, a private school. Across Louisiana, 81 of the winning schools are traditional public schools, 25 are private schools and 13 are charter schools. Charter schools are public schools run privately via charters, or contracts. The five schools in Ascension

Parish receiving school safety grants this year are Ascension Christian Elementary, Ascension Christian High, Ascension Diocesan Regional, St. Amant High and East Ascension High. In Livingston Parish, the winning schools are Doyle High, French Settlement High, Live Oak Junior High, North Corbin Junior High and Springﬁeld Middle. In Iberville Parish, the schools receiving grants are Dorseyville Elementary, Iberville Elementary, North Iberville Elementary and Plaquemine High. In Pointe Coupee Parish, the winning schools are False River Academy, Rosenwald Elementary, Rougon Elementary and Upper Pointe Coupee Elementary. Applications will begin in the spring for the next set of school safety grants. Martin said his ofﬁce is developing standards over time for the kind of products and improvements it is willing to support. “We want to make sure we are not wasting funds,” he said.

Email Charles Lussier at clussier@theadvocate.com.

LSU women’s basketball event kicks off season Supporters meet team, buy coach’s outfits

BY JAN RISHER Staff writer

particular team — communicate, condition and a reminder of the season’s theme, “Today matters.” After her opening remarks, Mulkey introduced the team. The 11-woman roster took the stage and then answered questions. Anna Minaeva, a 17-year-old newcomer from Russia, stole the show. She charmed the crowd with her take on the wonders of attending tailgating and a sideline view of an LSU football game. Returning guard MiLaysia Fulwiley discussed her 3-on-3 play this summer with LSU teammate Mikaylah Williams. They teamed up with South Carolina’s Joyce Edwards and Oklahoma’s Sahara Williams to win a gold medal for Team USA. ZaKiyah Johnson said not only does she plan to bring top-level basketball this season but she also plans to bring more style and perhaps a new hair color for every game. The evening ended with a live auction. A prized game-day parkPROVIDED PHOTO BY KRISTEN YOUNG ing space went for $10,000, and ride down Victory Hill on the Anna Minaeva, a 17-year-old newcomer from Russia, stole the show at LSU women’s basketball ‘The Premiere’ aMardi Gras Mike ﬂoat before the event at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on Tuesday. She charmed the crowd with her take on the wonders LSU-Texas football game topped of attending tailgating and a sideline view of the most recent LSU football game. out at $12,000.

On Tuesday night, more than 600 people gathered on the ﬂoor of the Pete Maravich Assembly Center for an event called “The Premiere.” The event’s goal was to help the LSU women’s basketball team kick off the season, have supporters meet the team and raise money for name, image and likeness licensing. Coach Kim Mulkey said the event, which has been held just after the season ended in years past, was moved to the preseason to ensure all of the players are able to participate — with some players moving to the pros as soon as the season ends and others potentially entering the transfer portal. The evening included dinner, drinks, a silent auction and LSUthemed retail, including a booth called “Kim’s Closet” with an array of outfits and sweaters for sale straight from Mulkey’s closet. Most were LSU-themed Queen of Sparkles pieces. ing that she has big expectations Mulkey spoke to the crowd, say- for this season.

MAYOR

Continued from page 1B Council, and I expect the council to respect the role of the mayor and the voters who chose this administration. The people of Sulphur elected me to move this city forward, and that remains my focus.” Multiple city employees have departed in recent weeks, including Sulphur Fire Chief Rusty Naquin, who cited turmoil at City Hall, and Stutes’ chief of staff, Alexis Nabours. Nabours has also been under scrutiny by some council members since her name

PLAN

Continued from page 1B waits for more favorable borrowing conditions.” The district may pursue the bond issuance next year. The general fund currently has $74 million in the Economic Stabilization Fund for the 2026-27 school year.

Other projects up for vote The board will also vote Thursday on the reallocation of more than $22 million from current year projects, including rooﬁng projects, intercom replacements and other funding commitments, to fund construction projects across the district. Proposed projects include $3.5 million for the Acadiana High School stadium, $4 million for new classrooms

She shared her standing seven rules of excellence, starting with

“play hard” and “be on time,” fol- Email Jan Risher at jan.risher@ lowed by her three rules for this theadvocate.com.

asked her husband to stop seeing Nabours. Nabours denied having a romantic relationship with the mayor and described a hostile work environment at City Hall in a Tuesday interview with The Advocate. A judge last week dismissed the emergency protective order. Stutes has not publicly addressed the court PROVIDED PHOTO allegations in detail. The next City Council A digital billboard on South Cities Service Highway depicts meeting is scheduled for the Sulphur City Council as clowns and describes them as 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at 401 Arena Road, a larger venue ‘five little mayor wannabes.’ than the council typically appeared in a protective sought a protective order, uses. order that Stutes’ wife filed alleging that the mayor against him. choked and strangled her. Email Megan Wyatt at Stutes’ wife, Teresa, re- Teresa Stutes also alleged mwyatt@theadvocate. cently filed for divorce and in court filings that she had com.

at Duson Elementary and $5 million for the Lafayette High School football stadium and track facilities. “We have said from the beginning that our schools have to compete, and that means investing both in the opportunities we provide students and the places where they learn,” Touchet said in a statement. “These recommendations allow us to keep important projects moving while continuing to make ﬁnancially responsible decisions for the district.” The board will also vote Thursday to approve the use of $10.3 million from the Economic Stabilization Fund to support teacher stipends this year. This one-time stipend is the result of an executive order from Gov. Jeff Landry requiring all districts to provide the stipend to eligible employees. The

money comes from a reduction in state Minimum Foundation Program funds already allocated to school districts, leaving districts to cover the resulting budget gap. MFP funds are approved by the Louisiana Legislature during the regular session based on a state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education formula that determines the baseline cost of educating students through elementary and secondary school. The board will vote on whether to draw $10.3 million from the fund to cover the reduction in MFP funds, and pay for a stipend in the amount of $2,000 to all eligible employees active in the system on Nov. 12. Substitutes, tutors, contract employees, temporary workers and those on leave without pay are not eligible.

Pending approval by the board, the $2,000 stipend will be disbursed to employees at the end of November. The School Board will meet at 5:30 p.m. Thursday to discuss these action items and other agenda items. This meeting is open to the public at 202 Rue Iberville, Lafayette, and the agenda is posted online on the school system’s website.

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Staff writer

Louisiana is set to start doling out supercharged unemployment benefits of $600 more a week on Monday, providing the first wave of relief to a staggering number of residents seeking aid as the coronavirus rocks the state’s economy. But as benefits begin flowing and officials project no part of Louisiana is on track to run out of hospital beds or ventilators in the coming 10 days, Gov. John Bel Edwards warned Wednesday it will be a long time before things return to normal. Until there is a vaccine and medication that can treat the virus — prospects that are months or longer away — Edwards said people will likely not see “life as you knew it before COVID-19.” Although at some point restrictions will be loosened, it remains unclear exactly what that will look like, Edwards said. The state will rely heavily on the federal government and will need far more testing, along with contact tracing and isolation of patients who later test positive, he said. “I promise you no matter what the timeline looks like, it’s going to be quicker if everyone follows the stay-at-home order,” the governor said. In the meantime, as the order is set to keep thousands of businesses closed until at least A il 30 th L i i W kf C i

Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speaks during a March campaign rally in Detroit.

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Saints prepare for historically blitz-heavy Vikings

T h u r s d ay, O c T O b e r 8, 2026

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L S U A T K E N T U C K Y • 6 P. M . S A T U R D A Y • E S P N

GREEN D O T T E RY

BY LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer

There is no secret about what is in store for Tyler Shough and the New Orleans Saints offense this Sunday: Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores is going to have a creative pressure plan ready, and he’s going to use ä Vikings at it over and over again. Saints NOON “Everyone knows their theme as far as their ability SUNDAY, FOX to pressure the quarterback and blitz,” Saints coach Kellen Moore said. “They do an excellent job, better than anyone in this league.” This is Flores’ fourth season as the Vikings defensive play-caller, and his defense is on track to lead the NFL in blitz rate for the fourth consecutive season. But even for a blitz-heavy play-caller such as Flores, what he’s doing this year represents a new frontier. Through four weeks, the Vikings are blitzing on an astounding 67.9% of their defensive snaps. It is far and away the highest blitz percentage by any NFL team this

ä See SAINTS, page 3C

LSU linebacker TJ Dottery flexes after making a play against Louisiana Tech in the first quarter on Sept. 12 at Tiger Stadium. STAFF PHOTO BY MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU shifts leadership duty to Ole Miss transfer after Weeks’ injury BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer STAFF PHOTO BY DAVID GRUNFELD

Saints offensive tackle Taliese Fuaga, left, and offensive tackle Asim Richards help up quarterback Tyler Shough after Shough was sacked against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sept. 27 at the Caesars Superdome.

TJ Dottery wore the green dot at Ole Miss last year. That meant Dottery was responsible for relaying defensive play calls from Pete Golding, the Ole Miss defensive coordinator who was promoted to head coach in the postseason after Lane Kiffin left for LSU. Through a radio installed in his helmet, the linebacker acted as an extra coach on the field for the defense. “Pete is a great coach,” Kiffin said. “He has a lot of information in his system, so Pete is amazing at this. He (gave) so much information to TJ. At times, it was great because TJ could tell everybody else

Injuries, SBC play put UL defense’s bond to test

what to do.” But it wasn’t always great for TJ himself. With so much information being spouted at him, Kifﬁn said it was harder for Dottery to play fast and free. That’s why when Dottery left Ole Miss this offseason and reunited with Kifﬁn in Baton Rouge, LSU decided not to give him the green dot. ä See LSU, page 3C

Kentucky outcome will reveal much about ’26 LSU

BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer

All season long, the UL defense has been developing a really close bond. Each defensive player interviewed from the beginning of August camp until now has proclaimed such. The true value of that chemistry will be put to the test when the Raä UL at La: gin’ Cajuns travel to meet Tech 6:30 P.M. Louisiana Tech at 6:30 p.m. SATURDAY, ESPN+ Saturday at Joe Aillet Stadium in Ruston. Two games ago, UL lost its leading tackler in redshirt sophomore linebacker Conor McPherson for the season. Then redshirt senior safety Collin Jacob left last week’s win over Arkansas State and ﬁnished the game in a sling. That’s arguably two of the defense’s top three performers now out with a huge test in the Sun Belt on deck. “The way I look at it is we’re pretty much playing with 13 now,” redshirt junior safety Kody Jackson said. “Those two guys will be with us. That’s how we feel about it. We are really tight. We move as one. So those two guys are in our hearts.”

ä See UL, page 3C

STAFF PHOTO BY MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU coach Lane Kiffin waits for the offense to return to the sideline in the third quarter of a game against McNeese on Saturday at Tiger Stadium.

If Saturday’s LSU-Kentucky game at LSU. Never mind. Everyone loves an underdog. were decided by a popularity poll, “Upset” is perhaps the favorite the Tigers would lose. word in our national sports lexiIn a rout. You don’t have to be Knute con. This matchup fits that definiRockne to know why. To most coltion to a T. But it’s more than that. A nation lege football zealots outside of Louiwaits for — or more directly siana, LSU is the evil empire. prays for — LSU and Kiffin Led by Lane Kiffin, who is to fail. And this is certainly a Darth Vader in a white visor. pass/fail matchup. Kentucky is the plucky Both teams come in 4-1. little engine that could, led Kentucky is 2-1 in the Southby 37-year-old first-year coach Will Stein, who looks eastern Conference; LSU is Scott like he just stepped out of 1-1. The Tigers are more than Rabalais a touchdown favorite to go the prom and onto the sideto Lexington, Kentucky, and lines. In basketball terms, win for the first time since, the preferred language of Wildcats fans, UK is Hickory from believe it or not, the Bluegrass Mir“Hoosiers” and LSU is mighty acle in 2002. Thanks to the inexpliSouth Bend Central. cable former SEC football schedule If this was men’s basketball, LSU format, the Tigers are making only would be the bright little upstart their third trip to Lexington since that everyone would pull for against then (2007, 2021). the Kentucky monolith. ä See RABALAIS, page 3C Oh, that’s right. Will Wade is back

2C ● Thursday, October 8, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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MLB 4 or 7 p.m. Cleveland at Chicago White Sox TBS 7 p.m. Tampa Bay at N.Y.Yankees* TBS NBA PRESEASON 6:30 p.m. Washington at New York NBATV 9:30 p.m. Sacramento at L.A. Lakers ESPN2 NFL 7:15 p.m. Tampa Bay at Dallas PRIME TENNIS 11 p.m. Beijing Quarterfinals TENNIS * if necessary

Three area contributors receive honor Doucet, Guidry, Gautreaux picked for high school sports HOF

Rahm says he is through with any form of LIV Golf

Spanish star Jon Rahm won’t be part of the next version of LIV Golf, dealing a setback to the beleaguered circuit as it tries to emerge from bankruptcy and forge a new path without the ﬁnancial muscle of Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund. John Beck, the attorney Rahm hired for LIV’s bankruptcy proceedings, said during a Wednesday hearing in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court of New Jersey that Rahm reviewed the proposed terms of LIV 2.0 and decided he would not be participating in 2027. Rahm, a Masters and U.S. Open champion and the last player to be No. 1 in the world before Scottie Scheffler, was among the biggest and most stunning acquisitions by LIV Golf at the end of 2023 when he was the reigning Masters champion.

BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer

Legendary St. Martinville football coach Carroll Delahoussaye remembers the first time he ever heard about Early Doucet. Vermilion Catholic two-time state champion girls basketball coach Kim Guidry had to wait five years before getting to coach hoops once returning to her alma mater after finishing college. And then there’s Lafayette’s Greg Gautreaux, who has contributed to every level of sports for five decades as an official as a labor of love. All three took very different paths to being named to the Louisiana High School Hall of Fame Class of 2027. “Trent (his son) was coaching with us, and he told me about this Gautreaux kid in the eighth grade that’s supposed to be one of the best basketball players in the country,” Delahoussaye said about Doucet. “He told me he was going to go watch him play. I told him to call me when he gets back.” His son’s advice was to go talk to Doucet because “I got a feeling there might be a lot of people asking him to go to school elsewhere.” Doucet helped St. Martinville win a state basketball championship when he was there, but he turned out to be much better in football. Doucet was a two-time allstate quarterback and Parade, USA Today and U.S. Doucet Army Bowl AllAmerican during his senior season. He played wide receiver at LSU, helping the Tigers win the 2007 national title, and was a third-round pick of the Arizona Cardinals. But Delahoussaye wanted the ball in his hands as a quarterback

Gauff cites ‘no energy’ in loss at China Open

STAFF FILE PHOTO

Longtime Vermilion Catholic coach Kim Guidry talks to one of her former players during the state tournament in 2013. after he played wide receiver as a freshman. So he sent him to LSU’s camp with instructions to coach Nick Saban to tutor Doucet as a quarterback. They compromised on Doucet “getting some 7-on-7 work in” so they could evaluate him as a receiver for recruiting purposes. “Early was just a natural at receiver,” Delahoussaye said. “He had great hands and he’s strong. He was like Darrell Mitchell and Leonard Mitchell. He just believed he was the best athlete on the ﬁeld or the court when he walked out there ... and he probably was.” Guidry’s Hall of Fame career began right out of college by coaching cheerleaders. “I was hired originally to coach girls basketball, but they needed to hire a football coach ... so they gave me the cheerleaders,” Guidry said. “I was just 21, so those ﬁve years were good for me to kind of grow up and mature.” Guidry late coached golf, tennis, track, softball, cross country and gymnastics during her career at VC. When it came to basketball, all Guidry did was win 936 games over 40 years, including state

championships in 1999 and 2013, and state runner-up ﬁnishes in 2016 and 2019. “God’s been good,” Guidry said. “I never scored a point from the bench. God blessed me. I’ve had good kids, good parents, and I’m just flattered the LHSAA would even consider me. “I never had something like this in mind, or even winning state championships when I started. There are coaches who try for years to make the playoffs and never do.” Guidry’s greatest thrill is running into former players around town and discussing their lives. “It doesn’t matter if it was the star player or the 10th player on the bench, that’s what’s important,” she said. “The wins are nice, but it’s the relationships and hopefully the things I taught them about life that maybe helped them succeed ... that’s what I really appreciate.” Gautreaux, a Teurlings Catholic graduate, worked two state championship football games, 22 Top 28 basketball games and eight state championship baseball games. He eventually made it to the NFL for 19 years, where he ofﬁciated in a Super Bowl, two NFC title games

and 11 other playoff games. Doucet was a player for the Arizona Cardinals in Gautreaux’s Super Bowl game. “Officiating is such a big part of my life, and, you know, it’s been good to me, so to be rewarded for something you enjoy so much is really nice,” Gautreaux said. “I was really surprised. It wasn’t something I ever thought about.” Even more special to Gautreaux was how he was informed. Former Teurlings Catholic principal Mike Boyer represented the LHSAA at a routine officials meeting, then suddenly Gautreaux’s family joined the meeting right before Boyer made the announcement of the Hall of Fame recognition. “I was touched,” Gautreaux said. “It was very special. I really don’t know if I deserve this for something I’ve enjoyed doing for so many years, but it’s good to see (the LHSAA) recognize how important officials are.” Gautreaux is still training high school officials, working as a coordinator and evaluating college officials. Email Kevin Foote at kfoote@ theadvocate.com.

Bench gets Pelicans going in ﬁrst exhibition The New Orleans Pelicans played their preseason opener Tuesday night, beating the Oklahoma City Thunder 116-110 in a game played in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It was the ﬁrst glance of the Pelicans under new coach Jamahl Mosley, who Rod was celebrating his Walker 48th birthday. Here are five things we learned about the Pelicans during the exhibition game.

in the ﬁrst half (61.9%). Most of those were clean looks that defensive-minded teams don’t allow. The defense wasn’t pretty for the starting ﬁve. “A lot of it was the breakdown of individual defense,” Mosley said. “Now we’re having to force help. And now there’s rotations. And that’s why OKC shot the heck out of the ball for the entire game.”

Zion from 3

Who’s starting? The starters Tuesday were Dejounte Murray, Herb Jones, Trey Murphy, Zion Williamson and Yves Missi. Mosley said at Saturday’s practice not to read too much into the lineups seen at practice or in these exhibition games. He reiterated that point during pre-game Tuesday night. Despite those words, I’d expect the starting ﬁve Tuesday night to be the same one used when the Pelicans host the Indiana Pacers on Oct. 21 in the season opener. The starters didn’t play particularly well against an OKC squad that didn’t suit up any of its core players (twotime MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams and Alex Caruso were among the ones who didn’t play for the Thunder). The OKC starting ﬁve consisted of Jared McCain, Bennett Stirtz, Ajay Mitchell, Aday Mara and former Pelican player Kenrich Williams. It would have been good to see the Pelicans starters handle business

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO BY JOEY JOHNSON

New Orleans Pelicans’ guard Jeremiah Fears, center, shoots past Oklahoma City Thunder’s guard Ajay Mitchell, left, during a game on Tuesday in Tulsa, Okla. Fears scored 12 points off the bench as the Pelicans reserves shined. against that OKC unit, but they didn’t.

The bench squad I probably should have listed this one ﬁrst because the second unit ﬂipped the game. The Pelicans have a chance to have one of the better benches in the NBA. The unit of Jeremiah Fears, Jordan Poole, Bennedict Mathurin, Saddiq Bey and Derik Queen sparked an 18-0 run in the third quarter that helped the Pels climb back after they trailed by as many as 24 points. One of the highlights was Fears defending and forcing a shot-clock violation. Every player on the bench had a positive plus/minus ratio. None of the starters did.

Mathurin led the Pels with 13 points to go with five rebounds. Fears, Murphy and Williamson scored 12 each. Queen finished with 10 points and nine rebounds.

Defensive struggles One of the main reasons Mosley was hired was because he can help the Pelicans improve defensively, but the ﬁrst game showed there is still plenty of work to be done on that end. The starters didn’t have much success slowing down OKC. That should probably be expected after just six practices. The Pelicans trailed 67-52 at halftime, and the Thunder torched the Pels on 3-pointers, knocking down 10 of its ﬁrst 13 3-pointers and 13 of 21

One of the more interesting parts of practice has been watching how much time Zion Williamson has spent shooting 3-pointers. But would that translate to the games? Williamson attempted only four 3-pointers last season. It didn’t take long to get an answer. Williamson’s first 3-point attempt came at the 10:48 mark of the first quarter, but he missed it. His second attempt came in the first two minutes of the third quarter. He drained that one and finished the night 1-for-2 shooting from long distance. Just seeing that he’s willing to take those shots is a plus.

Free-throw woes The Pelicans got to the freethrow line often, which is a good thing — until the misses started racking up. The Pels were 13 of 21 in the ﬁrst half from the line and ﬁnished 34 of 47. Hitting more of these would make things much easier. Next up: Thursday preseason game at the Miami Heat. Email Rod Walker at rwalker@ theadvocate.com.

Coco Gauff said she had “no energy” in her loss to Elise Mertens at the China Open on Wednesday. The 6-3, 6-3 defeat to a player Gauff had beaten in all ﬁve of their previous matchups came days after she had received what she described as an “insane” amount of racist comments on social media after a controversial point in the preceding round. Later Wednesday, the Wuhan Open announced that Gauff withdrew from the upcoming tournament. It quoted Gauff, the defending champion, as saying: “After a long year, my body needs some time to rest and recover.” Against the 19th-ranked Mertens, Gauff dropped her serve four times, committed 34 unforced errors and had eight double faults.

Eagles O-lineman Jurgens heads to Ravens for picks

The Philadelphia Eagles traded offensive lineman Cam Jurgens to the Baltimore Ravens on Wednesday for second- and ﬁfth-round draft picks. Philadelphia receives a ﬁfth-round selection in 2027 and a secondrounder in 2028. Baltimore also gets a seventh-rounder in 2027 in the deal. The 27-year-old Jurgens has played center and guard, and the Ravens can use help at both. Baltimore’s top three options at center are out with long-term injuries. The Ravens moved rookie guard Vega Ioane over to center, but now guard Andrew Vorhees is also injured. Minter said Jurgens has been going through concussion protocol and is expected to be ready next week. Jurgens was a Pro Bowler the past two seasons.

Ravens QB Jackson misses practice with injured ankle

Lamar Jackson missed practice for the Baltimore Ravens on Wednesday, three days after injuring his ankle. Jackson also wasn’t available before practice when he usually talks. “There is a lot of time between now and Sunday,” coach Jesse Minter said. “To Lamar’s credit, he is getting a lot of treatment and doing things. There will be a point later in the week where we will ﬁgure out kind of where it is at.” Jackson’s ankle rolled under an opposing player near the end of the ﬁrst half Sunday, and he did not return. Baltimore plays at Atlanta on Sunday night. Tyler Huntley is Jackson’s backup. He led the Ravens to wins over Chicago and Green Bay last season.

Texans head coach Ryans to call defensive plays

Houston coach DeMeco Ryans is taking over defensive play-calling duties for the winless Texans. Ryans announced Wednesday that he’d take over calling plays from defensive coordinator Matt Burke as the 0-4 Texans prepare to visit the winless Titans. “I’m going to take over the playcalling for the defense, and I’m going to make sure that communication is right,” Ryans said. “If our guys are saying communication is not right, then ultimately it falls on me.” The Houston defense has taken a huge step back this season after leading the NFL in yards allowed (277.2) and ranking second in points given up (17.3) last season. This season the Texans are allowing 343.8 yards and 27.3 points a game.

The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Thursday, October 8, 2026 ● 3C

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Continued from page 1C

ing two behind the line — and an interception. Like St. Andre, Bates is a veteran presence. “Lake is a guy who has played and he came in and just took over,” Jackson said. “He didn’t miss a beat. When Collin was there, it was me and him communicating and making the calls. Lake just stepped in and he did the same thing. There was never a drop-off.” It figures to be much more difficult this Saturday. Louisiana Tech is an unfamiliar opponent that throws an awful lot at a defense. It is also the Bulldogs’ debut game in the Sun Belt after joining the conference for this season. The Bulldogs are averaging 36 points a game, 152.8 yards on the ground and 230.2 yards in the air. Tech has played two quarterbacks a lot in Trey Kukuk (4873-1, 468 yds, 3 TDs) and Blake Baker (21-36-1, 4 TDs). Tech also has three backs with at least 122 yards and a clear-cut top target in Jalen Mickens (21342, 2 TDs), in addition to standout tight end Eli Finley (18-211, 2 TDs). “They have a lot of different plays they run,” Salgado said. “They have a heck of a wide receiver in No. 11 (Mickens) and the tight end is a very good player — tall, long and has a good catch radius. “Then they have two quarterbacks who do different things with different styles. They definitely throw a lot at you.”

Defensive coordinator Jim Salgado has seen the benefits of the bonding. “It’s just different this year,” Salgado said. “I’ve seen a bunch of guys, knowing Conor wasn’t going to be able to play, find a way to meet together. “When Collin went down last week, we’re in the locker room at halftime and they’re like, ‘We’ve got to come out there and play. We’ve got to figure this out. We’ve got to stay together. We’re going to win.’ Nobody was flinching.” Defensive communication was a real problem last season but has been a strength this season, but the second half last weekend was the first time the defense had played without McPherson and Jacob. At linebacker, Micah Johnson was McPherson’s direct replacement. Redshirt senior Jake St. Andre was already a big leader at linebacker. “Micah played well,” Salgado said of Johnson, who had a teamhigh 10 stops. “He slid from one spot to the middle, so it took him a little time to get comfortable. He tackled and he was physical. “Conor is probably a little slighter frame-wise and maybe a little quicker, but I thought Micah played well and we expect him to get more comfortable each week.” At safety, Lake Bates replaces Email Kevin Foote at kfoote@ Jacob, who had 29 stops — includ- theadvocate.com.

LSU coach Wade keeps faith in ‘unconventional’ roster build Tigers likely to be shorthanded in first exhibition

BY TOYLOY BROWN III Staff writer

Among the quips, laughter and applause, Will Wade addressed the topic everyone was itching to know more about. Who is on his LSU basketball team? The new coach, who previously led the program from 2017-22, expressed confidence his “unconventional” roster will be set for the season opener. “I believe that on November 3, we will roll out there with every player eligible that is within those guidelines, that’s within the SEC guidelines,” Wade said. “And I believe all the international kids, all the fifth-year kids, will be eligible.” Wade spoke to members and guests of the Rotary Club of Baton Rouge about his team during a 30-minute talk Wednesday, then answered a few questions for the audience without speaking to the media. With an official roster of just four players since June, LSU will play its first of three exhibitions at 6:30 p.m. Thursday against McNeese State at Townsley Law Arena in Lake Charles. Wade said about eight players will play against McNeese, including “basically three walk-ons” as the program waits to learn the fate of other scholarship players. “We’re not going to do anything that sacrifices what we’re trying to do long term,” he said. “The thing (Thursday) is to raise money for McNeese. If we win, that’s great. We lose, not great, but life’s going to move on. It doesn’t go on our record.” Wade didn’t say who’ll play Thursday, but those listed on the roster are senior guard Abdi Bashir (Kansas State), junior guard Divine Ugochukwu (Michigan State), senior forward Mo

RABALAIS

Continued from page 1C

STAFF PHOTO BY BRAD KEMP

UL linebacker Jake St. Andre, holding a turnover celebration belt, and safety Kody Jackson, right, will have to carry a bigger load Saturday after the defense lost two key starters over the past two weeks.

SAINTS

pleted 31 of 48 attempts against the blitz for 275 yards, five touchContinued from page 1C downs and one interception, good for a 105.8 passer rating. He’s also taken seven sacks against season — the Washington Com- the blitz despite posting an NFLmanders rank second at 44.5% quickest 2.42-second average — and is also the highest blitz time to throw. But through 15 starts, Shough percentage by a comfortable margin since Next Gen Stats be- never has faced a team that gan tracking these rates in 2018. blitzed on more than 40% of his Minnesota is responsible for four drop backs — something that will of the five highest blitz rates in almost certainly change this week. “That’s their formula, and it’s single games this season. “(Flores) has always done a obviously working for them,” phenomenal job of attacking your Shough said. “We’ve got to be able pressure plans and stressing you to handle that and have a plan, and and putting you in hot situations,” more importantly do our job and Moore said. “We’re going to have focus on that. Don’t ride the roller to definitely have a good plan for coaster that they may bring.” That may be easier said than these guys and handle it accorddone for a New Oringly. There’s going leans team that has to have to be different types of ways in “We’re going to have struggled to protect to definitely have a its prized young which you handle it. It can’t be just one good plan for these passer in recent way or they’re goguys and handle it weeks. turning point ing to attack that.” accordingly. There’s inThe the Saints’ loss to The results speak going to have to be the Las Vegas Raidfor themselves. different types of ers happened when Minnesota leads the the Raiders began NFL in virtually evways in which you to heat Shough up in ery pressure metric handle it.” the fourth quarter, — 16 sacks, 10.3% generating most of sack rate and 47.4% KELLEN MOORE, their pressure in that pressure rate, acSaints coach final push when they cording to Next forced turnovers Gen Stats — and it has ridden its hyper aggressive on four straight possessions. The Atlanta Falcons kept it going all defense to a 4-0 record. The traditional numbers also game, pressuring Shough on nearare impressive through four ly half of his drop backs Monday weeks. The Vikings rank top 10 in (49%), most of which came with every major defensive category, four-man pressures. Offensive tackles Asim Richincluding NFL-best performances on third down (22.6% conver- ards, who is filling in for the insion rate), in the red zone (18.2%) jured Kelvin Banks, and Taliese and overall defensive scoring Fuaga have struggled. Both are allowing pressures on more (12.8 points per game). “They’re bringing it on all than 12% of their pass sets, downs, and they do a good job of which puts each in the bottom 10 mixing it up. It makes it really among their peers. “The game took a course where hard for offenses to get a good feel for it,” Shough said. “And it became a little bit more of a they’re extremely sound, all 11 drop-back game than we’d like,” Moore said. “Tyler, as a result, players play as one.” Shough has navigated the blitz had to move around the pocket fairly well this season outside of a number of times, faced a few a rough first half in the season more pressure opportunities than opener against Detroit. He’s com- we would’ve liked.”

A loss could deal a fatal blow to LSU’s hopes of returning to the College Football Playoff for the first time since 2019. Sure, LSU could still make it with two losses, but the Tigers would have to run the table after Lexington with four ranked teams — Mississippi State, Alabama, Texas and Tennessee — left to play. Maybe this is the year a 9-3 team finally breaks into the 12-team CFP field, but it’s not something any team should hang its helmet on. This game looks like a referendum on Kiffin and LSU. At least that’s the narrative. “This is the game where we decide whether LSU is up in the upper echelon of the conference, or whether they’re in the middle of the pack in the SEC,” The Athletic’s Ari Wasserman said this week. It’s a lock that the LSU-hating college football nation would relish seeing this Kentucky team beat Kiffin’s team, the man Paul Finebaum called a “con man.” I wouldn’t say Kiffin isn’t feeling the pressure. People can and do say many things about him, but they can’t say he’s anyone’s fool. He knew he would reap that whirlwind when he left Ole Miss last November on the

LSU

Continued from page 1C Star linebacker Whit Weeks held the role instead, but after he suffered a right leg injury against Texas A&M, Kiffin and defensive coordinator Blake Baker handed the green dot back to Dottery. This Saturday against Kentucky (6 p.m., ESPN) will be his second week back in the role. “It seemed to work fine,” Kiffin said. “We didn’t re-discuss it after the (McNeese State) game because it seemed like there was no problems with it.” Since reassuming the green dot role, Dottery doesn’t believe the responsibility has slowed him down on the field. Working with a group of players who understand their assignments has made his job easier. “There’s a little bit more communication,” Dottery said. “But it hasn’t been anything to slow me down.” Having a new voice in his ear

Dioubate (Kentucky) and fifthyear senior guard Austin Nunez (UTSA). Nunez had a medical redshirt year after playing four games in 2024-25. Wade also said that one or two of his fifth-year players might play against McNeese. Besides Nunez, LSU has a pair of fifth-year UCLA transfer guards in Donovan Dent and Skyy Clark. They were a couple of the more than 70 plaintiffs to gain an additional year of eligibility through a temporary restraining order in a lawsuit filed in California against the NCAA. What will determine the status of their eligibility is a court hearing for a preliminary injunction on Oct. 20. Wade explained that his confidence in his four international signees being available is based on their former overseas teammates at other schools already getting cleared by the NCAA Eligibility Center. “We feel like almost all of them are going to be eligible,” Wade said. “It’s going to be hard to deny our kids when their teammates are eligible, and we know their (international) contracts and their contracts are more than our kids’ contracts. I tend to feel pretty good about our chances.” Wade admits he doesn’t know how long the process will take for 20-year-old Croatian forward Michael Ruzic, 22-year-old Italian-Senegalese wing Saliou Niang, 23-year-old French center Brice Dessert and 24-year-old Israeli center Gilad Levy. The only player Wade didn’t allude to was former St. John’s star RJ Luis, who has been practicing with the team since being granted a preliminary injunction on Aug. 24 in his lawsuit against the NCAA. The former Big East Player of the Year fought in court after going undrafted in the 2025 NBA Draft, signing a two-way NBA contract and playing in preseason games. Shortly after his injunction, the Southeastern Conference implemented rules preventing member schools from adding play-

ers such as Luis who sign an NBA or G League contract. Although Wade didn’t directly discuss Luis, he said he plans on following the rules. “I know everybody thinks we’re like some fly by the seat of our pants,” Wade said. “But look, we’re gonna abide by the SEC and the NCAA rules. We’re not cutting any corners with the SEC rules or their stuff. We’re not cutting any corners with the NCAA rules and what they got going on because they’re sure as hell looking at us, both entities (men’s basketball and football). We’re not trying to bring some sort of undue attention.” Wade has no intentions of repeating this type of roster build next season. He said LSU “took advantage of a loophole” and that this method of taking “calculated risks” gave the team the best chance to compete quickly. “Everybody else took one or two of these kids,” he said. “We took five or six of them. I understand we went a little bit overboard, but everybody else has one or two of them. Nobody’s complaining about them. “I figure if you’re going to dive in, you might as well not dip your toe. Just dive head first and let’s go.” A crowd member asked Wade how much money he had to build his roster in comparison to the reported $50 million Lane Kiffin had for football. While initially resistant, Wade provided a range. “We spent north of 10 (million) and south of 15,” Wade said. “Somewhere in there. That’s going to put us somewhere between nine and ... 12 in the SEC.” The most laughs and claps came from a joke Wade made about NIL four years after being fired for cause by LSU when paying players wasn’t allowed. “We were just a little ahead of our time with NIL,” he said. “Everybody says it’s ‘name, image and likeness.’ I say ‘now it’s legal.’ ”

eve of the CFP. The Tigers are a middling 29-23 in SEC play with only one SEC championship game appearance since Joe Burrow stubbed out his national championship victory cigar, but the expectation is still to win big every year. Kiffin gave an interesting quote at his Monday news conference illustrating his confidence in where he sees LSU going. “I feel great about the future,” he said. “I know what that is. We 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. That has nothing to do with how this season is going. I just know it’s a great combination of all these things coming together. That’s why we came here.” LSU and Kiffin should be judged on his total tenure instead of just this season. But he is who he is, and LSU has spent too much for big expectations not to exist ‚ even with key injuries to star players Whit Weeks, Trey’Dez Green and Dashawn Spears. Wasserman is correct, at least pertaining to this season. And this season, the Tigers are in a glut of seven SEC teams with one conference and overall loss, along with Ole Miss, Missouri, Tennessee, Florida, Mississippi State and Kentucky. Saturday’s Georgia-Alabama loser — assuming that game gets played

with a hurricane bearing down on the Alabama coast this weekend — falls into that group as well. The LSU-Kentucky loser falls out of that group. The nine-game SEC meat grinder that Kiffin has harped on is quite real. At most there will be just two unbeaten teams left in the conference after this weekend — the GeorgiaBama survivor and Texas if it beats offensively challenged Oklahoma in Dallas. Looking at the CFP from way too far out, we can break down the field this way: The ACC gets one team in Miami. The Big 12 gets two, right now BYU and Texas Tech. A Group of Six team gets a bid, and that looks like Boise State. Notre Dame should get another. That leaves seven spots between the SEC and Big Ten. The top heavy Big Ten may just get three in, currently Ohio State, Indiana and let’s say Oregon. That leaves four for the SEC. Based on those numbers, you don’t want to be a team with a second loss on its ledger this early. That is the task before LSU. Upper echelon or waiting on next year? Contender or kingmaker? Fortunately for the Tigers, this one won’t be decided on a popular vote, but on the field.

hasn’t been a problem, either. “Blake, I think his knowledge for the game is awesome, and his knowledge for the position as well,” Dottery said. “Him actually (having played) (line)backer, it’s just been awesome.” What hasn’t helped Dottery and the defense is missing Weeks’ presence on the field. He had 23 total tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss before his third-quarter injury against the Aggies. Junior Davhon Keys, who also replaced Weeks last season while he was dealing with an ankle injury, has filled in next to Dottery at linebacker. Dottery believes Keys and his backup, Tylen Singleton, have traits that can help mask what the defense is missing without Weeks, including what Weeks brought to the defense as the green dot. Keys was one of the leading tacklers in the Southeastern Conference a year ago and is a strong rotational player in his own right. Singleton had five tackles, including a tackle for loss, against Mc-

Neese. “I think his instincts of the game and knowledge of pre-recognition of formations and knowing what’s coming is awesome,” Dottery said about Keys. “And his communication (skills).” After facing an overmatched opponent last Saturday, Dottery and the LSU defense will face a stiffer test this weekend in Lexington against a familiar foe, former LSU and current Kentucky offensive coordinator Joe Sloan. Baker is familiar with how Sloan calls plays, having worked on the same staff under Brian Kelly for two seasons in Baton Rouge. How Dottery takes in his directions and gets his teammates on the same page may determine how effective Baker’s game plan is against his former colleague. “We talk about a standard,” Dottery said. “And no matter who’s in on defense, there’s a standard.”

Email Toyloy Brown III at toyloy.brown@theadvocate.com

For more LSU sports updates, sign up for our newsletter at

Email Koki Riley at koki.riley@theadvocate.com.

4C ● Thursday, October 8, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

lll

THE VARSTIY ZONE

SCOREBOARD Odds NFL

‘He can fly’

Thursday

FAVORITE at DALLAS

Sunday

STAFF PHOTO BY BRAD KEMP

BY MIKE COPPAGE

Westminster-Lafayette quarterback Zade Prejean has guided the Chargers to a 5-0 start. Prejean, who has 605 yards rushing and nine touchdowns, is The Westminster Christian-Lafayette offense is putting up video game-type numbers under the di- averaging 19.5 yards per carry.

Contributing writer

“Everybody thinks we can’t throw it,” Prejean said, “but once we run it enough, we hit them over the top.” Zeph Prejean, a 6-2 freshman who is Zade’s younger brother, is the team’s leading receiver with four receptions for 94 yards and a TD. Graham Martin has three catches for 73 yards and a score. “Zeph has been playing up with me his whole life,” Zade said. “It’s nothing new for him.” Although Zade is one of a handful of Chargers who don’t play both ways, he does serve as the kicker and punter. A four-sport athlete who was the district champion in the 200-meter dash, Prejean was an all-district performer in baseball and basketball. The winner of Thursday’s game will be in the driver’s seat for the district title, with Ascension Episcopal holding a win over Jeanerette (3-1, 1-1), which hosts WCA-Lafayette in Week 9. “Ascension Episcopal has gotten tremendously better from where they started earlier in the year,” Gable said of the Blue Gators, a 2025 semiﬁnals team that lost to Class 3A Kaplan and 4A Acadiana Renaissance in their ﬁrst two games. “They’re an extremely well-coached team that plays extremely hard. Coach Jay Domengeaux does a great job.”

Lafayette High hoping this year to end state tournament drought

BY ERIC NARCISSE Staff writer

It’s been a long time since Lafayette High reached the state volleyball tournament — nearly two decades to be exact. In 2007, when the Lions beat Destrehan to advance to the state tournament, the matches were a best-of-three format teams Volleyball only and had to win one playoff match to reach the state tournament at the Pontchartrain Center in Kenner. This year, the Lions appear to be on a mission to end that drought. “Things are going good for us,” said coach Caroline Dufrene, whose team is No. 6 in the LHSAA’s Division I power rankings. “We’ve been competing well and winning the matches that we’re supposed to win. There’s been matches that haven’t been easy, but I’ve been really proud of them for how they’ve come in the past couple of weeks and just handled business.” The Lions, who were swept by Barbe 31-29, 25-23, 25-22 in the District 3-I opener Tuesday, are 18-2 overall. Considering the experience the Lions returned from last year’s

OPEN TODAY O/U 3½ 8½ (47½)

team, Dufrene said she isn’t surprised by her team’s success. “We’re a very senior-heavy team,” Dufrene said. “I don’t think I have a single girl in my lineup that didn’t play varsity last year or get some sort of varsity time. Everyone has stepped into their roles and have really amped it up a little bit this year. At any point in a game, we have three or four seniors on the court and that leadership makes our job pretty easy.” The Lions, who host New Iberia at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, are led by seniors Ella Larpenteur, Adeline Bobo (108 digs, 93 kills, 18 aces, 14 assists, nine blocks) and Brae’ona Smith (186 digs), juniors Avery Larpenteur and Chloe Vice (54 kills, 44 digs, 25 blocks, 17 aces) and sophomore Abby Menard (67 kills, 51 digs, 48 aces, 25 blocks). Ella Larpenteur has 207 assists, 133 kills, 131 digs, 27 aces and eight blocks, while Avery Larpenteur has a team-high 210 assists, 152 digs, 72 kills, 63 aces and 11 blocks. “Ella and Avery are running our offense for us,” Dufrene said. “They are both returners that received quality time on varsity last year. Having them back is a good comfort blanket for us because they know when to go to the hot hand.”

Those hitters have also delivered. “Adeline is on the outside and while she’s a smaller hitter, she’s very smart with her swings,” Dufrene said. “Our middles, Abby and Chloe, have stepped up really big for us. “They’ve done a really good job and our libero Brae’ona is always where she needs to be. She doesn’t do anything fancy. She is just a steady presence for us.” Dufrene said the Lions’ depth and willingness to spread the ball around have made them tough to beat. “Every match, our offense is spread out,” Dufrene said. “That’s a coach’s dream. We’re not relying on our outsides and we’re not relying on our middles. Our offense is spread pretty evenly amongst all three positions.” That versatility on offense has the Lions believing a long-awaited return trip to the state tournament is possible. “I don’t want to be cliché and say we want to make it to the (Cajundome, site of the tournament),” Dufrene said, “but we do want to make a run in the playoffs. I think we can make a playoff run and I think the girls think we can. We just have to keep taking it one day at a time.”

Monday

FAVORITE at L.A. RAMS

OPEN TODAY O/U 3 3 (54½)

College football Thursday

Friday

FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U at LOUISVILLE 7½ 3½ (59½) at SAN JOSE ST. 6 6 (43½) at WASHINGTON 1½ 3½ (41½) at UTAH ST. 1½ 5½ (44½) at BYU 14½ 10½ (46½)

Saturday

Receiving

Player Khylon Edwards, Catholic-NI Cayden Lancelin, Westgate Jackson Semien, North Vermilion Tate Collins, Erath Markez Davis, Northwest Carter Champagne, Erath Syncere Smith, Rayne

Week 6 schedule All games at 7 p.m.

Thursday’s games

Rayne (2-3) at Leesville (4-1) Northside (1-4) at Lafayette Renaissance (3-2) Livonia (1-3) at Beau Chene (5-0) Eunice (5-0) at Ville Platte (0-5) Acadiana Renaissance (2-3) at Teurlings (0-5) Northwest (3-2) at Mamou (2-3) Opelousas Catholic (1-4) at JS Clark (3-2) Ascension Episcopal (3-2) at Westminster-Lafayette (5-0) Vermilion Catholic (0-5) at Central Catholic (3-2) Glen Oaks (1-4) at North Vermilion (4-1)

Avg. 22.7 23.9 33.9 12.0 28.4 21.2 19.3

TD 4 8 6 5 4 4 4

Tuesday’s results Lafayette Renaissance def. Sacred Heart-GC, 3-2; Ascension Episcopal def. Highland Baptist, 3-0; ESA def. Northside Christian, 3-0; Opelousas Catholic def. Northwest, 3-0; Church Point def. Acadiana, 3-2; St. Thomas More def. Westgate, 3-0; St. Edmund def. Eunice, 3-1; Notre Dame def. Southside, 3-0; Barbe def. Lafayette High, 3-1; Catholic-NI def. Central Central, 3-1; Iota def. Acadiana, 3-0; Port Barre def. Vidalia, 3-0; Acadiana Renaissance def. Cecilia, 3-1; Beau Chene def. Carencro, 3-0; Delcambre def. Centerville, 3-0; Church Point def. Jennings, 3-1; Iota def. Leesville, 3-0; Eunice def. Crowley, 3-0; Westminster def. Northside Christian, 3-0; Cecilia def. Acadiana Christian, 3-2; Opelousas Catholic def. Centerville, 3-2; Opelousas def. Elton, 3-0; Highland Baptist def. Franklin, 3-0; Loreauville def. St. Martinville, 3-0; Northside def. Glencoe Charter, 3-2; Hanson def. Westgate, 3-0; Abbeville def. Glencoe Charter, 3-1; St. Edmund def. Vinton, 3-1; Lake Charles Prep def. Northside, 3-0; Vermilion Catholic def. North Vermilion, 3-1; Opelousas Catholic def. Northwest, 3-0; St. Edmund def. Vinton, 3-1; Rayne def. Westminster-Lafayette, 3-0

Acadiana (4-1) at Barbe (5-0) Sam Houston (2-3) at Lafayette (3-2) St. Thomas More (4-1) at New Iberia (1-4) West St. Mary (3-2) at Lafayette Christian (3-2) Sulphur (4-1) at Southside (2-3) Cecilia (3-2) at Breaux Bridge (0-5) Carencro (1-4) at Opelousas (4-1) Menard (0-5) at Church Point (3-2) Crowley (2-3) at Iota (1-4) Abbeville (2-3) at Notre Dame (5-0) Erath (3-2) at Lakeshore (2-3) University Lab (3-2) at Kaplan (4-1) Woodlawn-BR (3-2) at St. Martinville (2-3) Delcambre (5-0) at Catholic-NI (3-2) Franklin (3-1) at Loreauville (3-2) Sacred Heart (5-0) at St. Edmund (3-2) Westminster (2-3) at Berchmans (2-3) Jeanerette (2-2) at Port Barre (0-5)

Catholic-N.I. def. Central Catholic 21-25, 25-13, 25-18, 25-19

Area leaders

Player Pierce Gable, Westminster-Lafayette Kristian Aubrey, Acadiana Renaissane Thomas Carter, Loreauville Jaden Celestine, Lafayette High Joseph Clues, Opelousas DeShun Lightfoot, Acadiana Justin Williams, Southside

Att. 79 110 80 85 73 85 89

Yds. 858 793 754 748 712 711 696

Avg. 10.8 7.2 9.4 8.8 9.7 8.3 7.9

TD 12 11 12 13 8 11 9

Player Noah Antoine, Westgate John Parker Robison, Catholic-NI Kennan Brown, Lafayette Renaissance Landen DeRouen, Erath Grayson Hemard, St. Thomas More Jaxsen Frederick, North Vermilion Austin Calandra, Teurlings

Com. 61 58 69 49 61 32 58

Att. 81 101 107 72 116 57 106

Yds. 1056 950 898 863 808 795 794

TD 15 8 10 10 12 12 3

Passing

Yds. 500 455 405 362 341 297 252

Volleyball

Friday’s games

Rushing

No. 22 19 12 19 12 14 13

Catholic: Amelie Trappey 17 kills, 12 digs, 6 aces, 4 assists; Renee Frederick 20 assist, 9 kills, 5 aces, 11 digs; Mackenzie Batiste 19 assists, 9 kills, 2 aces, 10 digs; Camille McGowan 5 aces, 4 digs, 1 assist; Charlotte Shea 7 kills, 5 digs; Caroline Meyer 5 kills, 2 digs, 1 assist. Record: Catholic 19-2. Next: Catholic at Teurlings on Wednesday.

Iota def. Acadiana 25-11, 25-11, 25-22

Iota: Camrynn Lantier 11 kills, 6 blocks, 2 aces; Greta Brown 8 aces, 4 kills; Addison Toups 5 kills, 2 aces, 9 assists; Jaycie Willis 5 aces, 5 digs, 10 assists; Elizabeth Miller 4 kills, 1 block, 3 aces; Regan McGee 16 digs; Amelia Fontenot 4 kills.

Thursday’s schedule Acadiana at Barbe, New Iberia at Lafayette, Lafayette Renaissance at St. Thomas More, Marksville at Lafayette Christian, David Thibodaux at Breaux Bridge, Crowley at Washington-Marion, Pineville at Opelousas, Teurlings at Acadiana Renaissance, Beau Chene at Westgate, Cecilia at Carencro, Ascension Episcopal at Northside Christian, Acadiana Christian at Delcambre.

UNDERDOG Florida St. Wyoming Iowa Wash. St. Iowa St.

FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG at BO. GREEN 6½ 7½ (44½) Sacra. St. Arizona 3½ 3 (61½) at WEST VA. Indiana 8½ 7½ (49½) at NEBRASKA Wake Forest 2½ 3½ (59½) at NC ST. at OKLA. ST. 9½ 10½ (53½) UCF at PITTSBURGH 4½ 3½ (47½) N. Carolina at ARMY 6½ 3½ (48½) Tulane at MISSOURI 1½ 3½ (48½) Texas A&M at N’WESTERN 34½ 36½ (52½) Ball St. at FLORIDA 14½ 12½ (60½) S. Carolina at APP. ST. 5½ 9½ (49½) Old Dominion Miami (OH) 2½ 2½ (47½) at UMASS Ole Miss 10½ 8½ (56½) at VANDY E. Michigan 5½ 6½ (52½) at AKRON Virginia Tech 11½ 9½ (53½) at CAL at KANSAS ST. 1½ 2½ (55½) Houston Illinois 2½ 2½ (48½) at MICH. ST. at W. MICHIGAN 13½ 13½ (43½) Kent St. at TOLEDO 17½ 21 (54½) Buffalo Duke 5½ 6½ (44½) at GA. TECH Texas 6½ 7½ (39½) at OKLA. at NOTRE DAME 35½ 38 (54½) Stanford at NORTH TEXAS 24½ 28½ (57½) Charlotte at NAVY 3½ 2½ (48½) Tulsa at OREGON 12½ 11½ (58½) UCLA at OHIO 3½ 3 (46½) C. Michigan at TEMPLE 3 3½ (54½) UConn at E. CAROLINA 9½ 10 (47½) Rice at OHIO ST. 37½ 34½ (56½) Maryland Tennessee 14½ 13½ (51½) at ARKANSAS at OREGON ST. 14½ 14½ (53½) San Diego St. at MARSHALL 2½ 3 (58½) C. Carolina Nevada 9½ 9½ (49½) at UTEP LSU 10½ 8½ (51½) at KENTUCKY at MEMPHIS 16½ 14 (53½) UAB North Dakota St. 1½ 3½ (48½) at UNLV Air Force 12½ 7½ (46½) at N. ILLINOIS at LA. TECH 1½ 3 (47½) UL at VIRGINIA 6½ 9½ (50½) Syracuse at PENN ST. PK 1½ (54½) USC James Madison 10 7½ (51½) at GA. SO. at ALABAMA 2½ 1½ (51½) Georgia Minnesota 5½ 2½ (50½) at PURDUE at UTAH 13½ 15½ (51½) Kansas Boise St. 10½ 6½ (48½)at FRESNO ST. at ARIZONA ST. 17½ 20½ (50½) Hawaii

College football Scores, schedule

Tuesday’s score Troy 55, Southern Miss 34 Wednesday’s games Jacksonville St. (3-2) at Kennesaw St. (1-3), n New Mexico St. (2-3) at FIU (2-2), n Thursday’s games Sam Houston St. (1-3) at Liberty (4-1), 6 p.m. Missouri St. (1-3) at W. Kentucky (1-4), 6 p.m. 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 Columbia (2-1) at Marist (3-2), 6 p.m. Florida St. (3-2) at Louisville (2-3), 6 p.m. 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.

State schedule

Saturday’s games Tulane (2-2) at Army (2-2), 11 a.m. UL (4-1) at Louisiana Tech (2-2), 6:30 p.m. Southern (2-4) at Prairie View (2-4), 2 p.m. Southeastern (3-2) at UTRGV (2-3), 7 p.m. Idle: Nicholls State, McNeese State, Northwestern State, UL-Monoe

Pro football NFL glance AFC East

Buffalo New England N.Y. Jets Miami South Jacksonville Indianapolis Tennessee Houston North Cleveland Baltimore Pittsburgh Cincinnati West Kansas City Las Vegas Denver L.A. Chargers East

PREP REPORT

UNDERDOG Buffalo

FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG at LIBERTY 13½ 13½ (52½) Sam Hou. at W. KENTUCKY 2½ 2½ (56½) Missouri St. at ARKANSAS ST. 1½ 1½ (60½) S. Alabama at UTSA 6½ 7 (50½) S. Florida

NFC

Football

UNDERDOG Tampa Bay

FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG at JACKSONVILLE 1½ 7½ (42½) Philadelphia Houston 3½ 7½ (37½) at TENNESSEE at NEW ENGLAND 8½ 3½ (45) Las Vegas at NY JETS 2½ 1½ (40½) Cleveland at WASHINGTON 2½ 3½ (43½) NY Giants Chicago 3 2½ (45½) at GREEN BAY Minnesota 1½ 1½ (42½) at N.O. at PITTSBURGH 2½ 2½ (44½) Indianapolis Cincinnati 5½ 6½ (42½) at MIAMI Denver 2½ 3½ (42½) at CHARGERS Detroit 8½ 5½ (54½) at ARIZONA at SEATTLE 3½ 3 (46½) San Fran. at ATLANTA 4½ 3½ (43½) Baltimore

Speedy QB Prejean has Westminster-Lafayette’s veer offense in high gear

rection of quarterback Zade Prejean. Running a veer-oriented offense, the 6-foot-3, 190-pound junior is averaging a whopping 19.5 yards per carry with nine touchdowns. His 605 yards on 31 carries rank ninth among area rushers. When Westmister has the ball, opponents have to be wary of Prejean keeping the ball on the option. “He can ﬂy,” Chargers coach Kent Gable said of his quarterback’s speed. “That helps. When he gets on the perimeter, he can break long runs. The offensive line and running backs are doing a great job blocking.” Prejean also credited the team’s blocking. “Our backs and offensive line have been picking up every single block ... that makes it easy to ﬁnd the hole,” said Prejean, who will lead the Chargers (5-0, 2-0 District 7-1A) at 7 p.m. Thursday against visiting Ascension Episcopal (3-2, 2-0). WCA-Lafayette, which averages 51.2 points per game, also boasts the area’s top rusher in sophomore Pierce Gable (79 carries for 858 yards, 12 TDs). Andre Green, Ethan Simon and Comeaux transfer Torin Ledet have combined for 450 yards on 61 carries and 12 scores. “The (veer) offense is a little more complicated than people think,” Gable said. The Chargers have been effective on the times they have thrown the ball, with Prejean completing 13 of 17 passes for 223 yards and two TDs with no interceptions.

Tampa Bay 2, N.Y. Yankees 0

N.Y. Giants Philadelphia Dallas Washington South Carolina Atlanta New Orleans Tampa Bay North Minnesota Chicago Detroit Green Bay West San Francisco Seattle L.A. Rams Arizona

W 3 2 1 0

L 1 2 3 4

T 0 0 0 0

Pct PF PA .750 127 107 .500 65 77 .250 76 84 .000 46 101

W 3 2 0 0

L 1 2 4 4

T 0 0 0 0

Pct PF PA .750 104 53 .500 102 104 .000 55 83 .000 84 109

W 3 3 2 2

L 1 1 2 2

T 0 0 0 0

Pct PF .750 81 .750 116 .500 77 .500 97

W 4 3 2 0

L 0 1 2 4

T Pct PF PA 0 1.000 118 77 0 .750 115 84 0 .500 74 94 0 .000 67 106

W 3 2 2 1

L 1 2 2 3

T 0 0 0 0

Pct PF PA .750 82 79 .500 75 93 .500 122 112 .250 88 122

W 2 2 1 0

L 2 2 3 4

T 0 0 0 0

Pct PF PA .500 121 109 .500 96 92 .250 105 128 .000 76 96

W 4 3 2 2

L 0 1 2 2

T Pct PF PA 0 1.000 86 51 0 .750 112 65 0 .500 119 127 0 .500 73 105

W 4 3 2 1

L 0 1 2 3

T Pct PF PA 0 1.000 122 64 0 .750 105 73 0 .500 85 83 0 .250 87 117

Thursday’s game

PA 95 96 87 85

Tampa Bay at Dallas, 7:15 p.m.

Sunday’s games

Philadelphia vs Jacksonville at London, 8:30 a.m. Chicago at Green Bay, noon Cincinnati at Miami, noon Cleveland at N.Y. Jets, noon Houston at Tennessee, noon Indianapolis at Pittsburgh, noon Las Vegas at New England, noon Minnesota at New Orleans, noon N.Y. Giants at Washington, noon Denver at L.A. Chargers, 3:05 p.m. Detroit at Arizona, 3:25 p.m. San Francisco at Seattle, 3:25 p.m. Baltimore at Atlanta, 7:20 p.m. Open: Kansas City, Carolina

Monday’s game

Buffalo at L.A. Rams, 7:15 p.m.

Major League Baseball Postseason glance DIVISION SERIES

(Best-of-5; x-if necessary)

American League Chicago White Sox 2, Cleveland 1

Oct. 3: Chicago White Sox 3, Cleveland 0 Monday: Chicago White Sox 4, Cleveland 3 Wednesday: Cleveland 9, Chicago White Sox 3 Thursday: Cleveland at Chicago White Sox, 4 p.m. or 7 p.m. (TBS/TruTV/HBO Max) x-Saturday: Chicago White Sox at Cleveland, 4 p.m. (TBS/TruTV/HBO Max)

Oct. 3: Tampa Bay 1, N.Y. Yankees 0 Monday: Tampa Bay 5, N.Y. Yankees 2 Wednesday: Tampa Bay at New York, n x-Thursday: Tampa Bay at N.Y. Yankees (Rodón 7-3), 7 p.m. (TBS/TruTV/HBO Max) x-Saturday: N.Y. Yankees at Tampa Bay, 7 p.m.

National League L.A. Dodgers 2, Atlanta 1

Oct. 3: L.A. Dodgers 5, Atlanta 3 Oct. 4: Atlanta 3, L.A. Dodgers 2 Tuesday: L.A. Dodgers 3, Atlanta 1 Wednesday: L.A. Dodgers at Atlanta, n x-Friday: Atlanta at L.A. Dodgers, 7 p.m.

Milwaukee 2, San Diego 1

Oct. 3: Milwaukee 3, San Diego 2 Oct. 4: Milwaukee 4, San Diego 3 Tuesday: San Diego 4, Milwaukee 3 x-Wednesday: Milwaukee at San Diego, n x-Friday: San Diego at Milwaukee, 3:30 p.m.

Cleveland 9, Chicago White Sox 3 Cleveland

Chicago ab r h bi ab r h bi Kwan cf-lf 6 1 1 1 Antonacci dh 2 1 1 1 Ramírez 3b 4 2 2 2 Vargas 3b 4 0 1 0 DeLauter rf 4 1 1 1 Murakami 1b 4 0 0 0 Adell dh 4 0 2 3 Teel c 4 0 1 1 Lowe 1b 2 1 0 0 Meidroth 2b 4 1 1 0 Martínez lf 4 0 0 0 Peters cf 4 0 1 1 Halpin cf 0 1 0 0 B.Montgmry rf 3 1 0 0 Bazzana 2b 2 2 0 0 Grichuk lf 4 0 1 0 Genao 2b 1 0 1 1 C.Montgomry ss3 0 0 0 Bailey c 4 1 2 0 Rocchio ss 4 0 2 1 Totals 35 9 11 9 Totals 32 3 6 3 Cleveland 004 010 022 — 9 Chicago 100 101 000 — 3 DP — Cleveland 1, Chicago 3. LOB — Cleveland 10, Chicago 8. 2B — Ramírez (1), Genao (1), Teel (1), Meidroth (1), Peters (1). 3B — Adell (2), Ramírez (1). SB — Ramírez (1), Rocchio (1). S — Rocchio (1). IP H R ER BB SO Cleveland 2 Espino ⁄3 2 1 1 1 2 Griffin W,1-0 22⁄3 2 1 1 0 7 2 Armstrong H,1 ⁄3 0 0 0 0 1 Cantillo H,1 12⁄3 1 1 1 2 1 1 Gaddis H,1 ⁄3 1 0 0 0 0 Herrin H,1 1 0 0 0 0 3 C.Smith 2 0 0 0 0 5 Chicago Newcomb 2 1 0 0 0 1 1 Hudson L,1-1 ⁄3 2 3 3 1 0 2 H.Smith ⁄3 1 1 1 2 1 Schultz 3 2 1 1 2 1 Davis 1 1 0 0 1 1 Sandlin 1 2 2 2 2 1 Martin 1 2 2 2 2 1 HBP — Griffin 2 (Antonacci,Peters), Gaddis 2 (C.Montgomery,Antonacci). WP — Schultz. ABS Challenge — Griffin (Ball-Overturned to Strike); Hudson (Ball-Confirmed); Hudson (Ball-Confirmed); Griffin (Ball-Overturned to Strike); Smith (Ball-Overturned to Strike); Smith (Ball-Overturned to Strike). Pitch timer violations — Sandlin (pitcher). Umpires — Home, Todd Tichenor; First, Jansen Visconti; Second, Vic Carapazza; Third, Tom Hanahan; Right, Gabe Morales; Left, Cory Blaser. T — 3:16. A — 40,590 (40,241).

Late Tuesday L.A. Dodgers 3, Atlanta 1

Los Angeles Atlanta ab r h bi ab r h bi Betts ss 5 0 2 0 Baldwin c 4 0 0 1 Freeman 1b 4 1 1 1 Acuña dh 3 0 0 0 T.Hernán. lf 4 0 0 0 Olson 1b 4 0 1 0 Mncy ph-3b 1 0 0 0 Albies 2b 4 0 1 0 Smith c 4 0 1 0 Harris cf 4 0 1 0 Ohtani dh 2 0 0 0 Dubón lf-ss 4 1 1 0 Rojas 2b 3 0 0 0 Thomas rf 3 0 1 0 Edmn ph-2b 1 0 0 0 Yastrzemski ph 1 0 0 0 Pages cf 4 1 2 0 Riley 3b 3 0 0 0 Tucker rf 4 0 1 0 Ha.Kim ss 1 0 0 0 E.Hrnáz lf 4 1 1 2 Tellez ph 0 0 0 0 Hicklen pr-lf 1 0 0 0 Totals 36 3 8 3 Totals 32 1 5 1 Los Angeles 000 300 000 — 3 Atlanta 000 010 000 — 1 E—Ha.Kim (1), Baldwin (1). LOB—Los Angeles 9, Atlanta 6. 2B—Albies (1). HR—E. Hernández (1), Freeman (2). SB—Tucker (2). IP H R ER BB SO Los Angeles Yamamoto W,1-0 7 4 1 1 1 10 Scott H,1 1 0 0 0 1 2 Díaz S,1-1 1 1 0 0 0 0 Atlanta Sale L,0-1 5 7 3 3 0 7 Dodd 1 1 0 0 0 2 Lee 1 0 0 0 0 1 Suter 1 0 0 0 1 0 Iglesias 1 0 0 0 1 2 ABS Challenge—Acuña (Strike-Conﬁrmed); Ohtani (Strike-Conﬁrmed). Umpires—Home, James Hoye; First, Tripp Gibson; Second, Jim Wolf; Third, Mike Estabrook; Right, Chris Guccione; Left, Roberto Ortiz. T—2:56. A—42,420 (41,149).

San Diego 4, Milwaukee 3 Milwaukee

San Diego ab r h bi ab r h bi Chourio lf 4 0 0 1 Tatis rf 4 0 0 1 Bauers 1b 4 0 0 0 Merrill cf 4 1 1 0 Contreras c 4 2 3 1 Machado 3b 3 0 1 1 Lara pr 0 0 0 0 France 1b 4 0 0 0 Turang 2b 4 0 1 0 Salas c 3 0 0 0 Yelich dh 4 0 2 1 Bogaerts ss 3 1 1 0 Mitchell cf 4 0 0 0 Harris lf 2 0 0 0 Pratt ss 4 1 2 0 Andujar ph 1 0 0 0 Frelick rf 4 0 1 0 Bowen pr-lf 0 0 0 0 Ortiz 3b 2 0 1 0 Taylor dh 3 1 1 0 Hamiltn 3b 1 0 1 0 Cronenwrth 2b 2 1 2 1 Totals 35 3 11 3 Totals 29 4 6 3 Milwaukee 000 110 100 — 3 San Diego 002 011 00x — 4 E — Pratt (2). DP — Milwaukee 0, San Diego 1. LOB — Milwaukee 11, San Diego 4. HR — Contreras (2), Cronenworth (1). SB — Taylor (1), Merrill (1). SF — Chourio (1). S — Ortiz (1), Cronenworth (1). IP H R ER BB SO Milwaukee May 3 3 2 2 2 3 Romero L,0-1 12⁄3 1 1 1 0 2 Senzatela 1 1 1 0 0 1 Hall 11⁄3 1 0 0 0 1 Uribe 1 0 0 0 0 0 San Diego 1 Pivetta 4 ⁄3 5 2 2 0 4 1 Adam ⁄3 1 0 0 1 0 Matsui W,1-0 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 Rodriguez H,2 1 ⁄3 3 1 1 0 3 King S,1-1 2 1 0 0 2 1 May pitched to 2 batters in the 4th, Senzatela pitched to 3 batters in the 6th, Matsui pitched to 4 batters in the 6th. WP — Hall. ABS Challenge — May (Ball-Confirmed); Pivetta (Ball-Confirmed); Ortiz (Strike-Overturned to Ball); Senzatela (Ball-Overturned to Strike); Contreras (Strike-Confirmed); King (Ball-Confirmed). Umpires — Home, Alfonso Marquez; First, Nic Lentz; Second, Quinn Wolcott; Third, Brennan Miller; Right, Lance Barrett; Left, Nick Mahrley. T — 3:22. A — 47,708 (40,222).

Pro basketball WNBA playoff glance Semiﬁnals

(Best-of-5; x-if necessary)

Golden State 1, Las Vegas 0

Oct. 4: Golden State 71, Las Vegas 60 Wednesday: Las Vegas at Golden State, n Friday: Golden State at Las Vegas, 8:30 p.m. x-Sunday: Golden State at Las Vegas, TBA x-Oct. 14: Las Vegas at Golden State, TBA

Atlanta 1, New York 0

Oct. 4: Atlanta 92, New York 82 Wednesday: New York at Atlanta, n Friday: Atlanta at New York, 6:30 p.m. x-Sunday: Atlanta at New York, TBA x-Oct. 14: New York at Atlanta, TBA

Pro hockey NHL glance Tuesday’s games

Detroit 5, Ottawa 3 Buffalo 3, Minnesota 2, OT Toronto 5, Nashville 4, OT Utah 5, New Jersey 3 Carolina 6, Montreal 4 N.Y. Rangers 5, N.Y. Islanders 2 Chicago 4, St. Louis 2 Vegas 6, Seattle 2 Florida 2, Los Angeles 1

Wednesday’s games

Colorado at Winnipeg, n Pittsburgh at Washington, n Edmonton at Anaheim, n

Thursday’s games

Dallas at Buffalo, 6 p.m. Minnesota at Tampa Bay, 6 p.m. Nashville at Montreal, 6 p.m. Philadelphia at Ottawa, 6 p.m. Utah at Boston, 6 p.m. Vancouver at Carolina, 6 p.m. Chicago at N.Y. Islanders, 6:30 p.m. San Jose at St. Louis, 7 p.m. Colorado at Calgary, 8 p.m. Toronto at Vegas, 9 p.m. Los Angeles at Vegas, 9 p.m.

LIVING

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

T h u r s d ay, O c T O b e r 8, 2026

5cN

Vampire’s Blood Cake, Friendly Witches’ Special Spirit, plus a spooky French Quarter tale? Bring Halloween into the kitchen for a scary good time

TNS PHOTO BY LINDA GASSENHEIMER

Portobello Mushroom Panini with Arugula Salad

Bring the restaurant home with paninis BY LINDA GASSENHEIMER Tribune News Service (TNS)

Hot, crispy paninis are a simple dinner that’s warm and welcoming. This vegetarian version features meaty portobello mushrooms tucked into crusty ciabatta bread. Ciabatta is the traditional bread for paninis. Its name comes from the Italian word for “slipper,” a fitting description of its long, rustic shape. You don’t need a special panini press to make this sandwich. Simply place it in a skillet and press it down with a lid or a smaller skillet that fits inside. Continue pressing as it cooks until the bread is golden and crisp and the filling is hot and savory. It’s an easy way to enjoy a restaurant-style sandwich right at home.

PHOTO BY MONICA BELTON/STAFF ILLUSTRATION BY CHRISTOPHER MARTIN

YOU ARE GOING TO LOVE EVERY

Portobello Mushroom Panini Yields 2 servings. Recipe is by Linda Gassenheimer. 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 ciabatta bread (about 8 ounces) 8 ounces sliced portobello mushrooms (about 31⁄3 cups) 1 teaspoon minced garlic ½ cup sliced, canned drained roasted red peppers ½ cup crumbled goat cheese (about 2½ ounces) 8 fresh basil leaves Olive oil spray 1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet and add the mushrooms and garlic. Saute 1 minute. Remove to a plate. 2. Cut bread into 2 (5-inch) pieces and slice them open. 3. Spread the mushrooms, garlic and oil over the bottom slices. Place roasted red pepper over the mushrooms. Sprinkle goat cheese over the red pepper and top each one with 4 basil leaves. 4. Cover with the top half of the bread. 5. Heat the same skillet over medium-low heat and spray with olive oil spray. Add the paninis and press down with a lid or bottom of another skillet. Saute 3 minutes. Turn them over and press again. Saute another 3 minutes. The cheese should be melted and the crust golden. Cook a few more minutes, if needed. 6. Divide between 2 dinner plates and cut paninis in half. NUTRITION INFO PER SERVING: 502 calories (34 percent from fat), 18.8 g fat (8.8 g saturated, 5.7 g monounsaturated), 28 mg cholesterol, 21.8 g protein, 62.4 g carbohydrates, 3.9 g ﬁber, 716 mg sodium.

Arugula Salad Yields 2 servings. Recipe is by Linda Gassenheimer. 3 cups washed, ready-to-eat salad 2 cups fresh arugula 2 tablespoons reduced-fat salad dressing 1. Place salad in a bowl. Add arugula. Toss with dressing. 2. Divide in half and serve on the dinner plates with the panini. NUTRITION INFO PER SERVING: 28 calories (41 percent from fat), 1.3 g fat (0.1 g saturated 0.4g monounsaturated), 1 mg cholesterol, 1.5 g protein, 3.7 g carbohydrates, 1.8 g ﬁber, 16 mg sodium.

Kevin Belton

RECIPES ä Vampire’s

Blood Cake ä Friendly Witches’ Special Spirit

rowing up in New Orleans, my cousins and I were constantly in and out of each other’s houses, a rotating cast of characters moving through the city as if we owned it. My cousin Lorna was always part of that crew, but she moved away years ago. Recently, she has come back home. She says it’s because she missed New Orleans, but I think maybe she missed all of us, the family dinners and the shared stories and the way this city gets into your blood and won’t let go. As I think about Halloween, New Orleans and my cousin Lorna (who loves dessert and beverages), this story came to me.

Lorna and the midnight mask Lorna had always loved the masks in the shop windows along Royal Street, the elaborate Mardi Gras creations with peacock feathers and glittering sequins. But she’d never noticed the small shop tucked between a praline shop and an antique dealer until Halloween night. The sign above the door read: Madame Laveau’s Masks — Since 1835. ä See HALLOWEEN, page 6C

Cider Cup cocktail a Prohibition-era classic Cider Cup Cocktail, RECIPE 6C

VORACIOUS/ ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO BY CAITLIN BENSEL

BY TIFFANIE BARRIERE Voracious

This spin on the Cider Cup is from my cocktail book “Good Spirits”; the original drink has roots going back to the early 20th century. In Jacques Straub’s 1914 book, “Drinks,” cider, brandy, curaçao, maraschino liqueur, pineapple and citrus fruits came together like a pre-Prohibition party in a glass. During Prohibition, when

bartenders had to get scrappy, cider-based cocktails like the Cider Cup gained real traction — lower-proof, easy to disguise, but still full of ﬂavor and ﬁnesse. Over in the U.K., the Cider Cup became a staple of British garden parties — light, cold and fruity, perfect for warm afternoons. This version takes its cues from Julian Anderson’s bar at the Montana Club, in Helena,

ä See COCKTAIL, page 6C

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

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Leaving food out for wildlife

PHOTOS BY MONICA BELTON

Vampire’s Blood Cake Serves 15. FOR THE CHERRY SAUCE: 1 pound fresh or frozen cherries, pitted ½ cup sugar ½ cup water 2 tablespoons cornstarch ¼ teaspoon kosher salt FOR THE CAKE: Cooking spray 1 cup sugar 1½ sticks butter, softened ½ teaspoon kosher salt 3 large eggs, room temperature 2 teaspoons almond extract 2 teaspoons baking powder ½ teaspoon baking soda 3 cups all-purpose flour, divided 1¾ cups buttermilk, room temperature, divided FOR THE TOPPING: 1½ cups heavy cream 3 tablespoons powdered sugar 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1. Start the cherry sauce, which can be made one day ahead. In a small pot, combine cherries, sugar, water, cornstarch and salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and cook, mashing occasionally, until cherries are broken down and mixture is thickened, about 2 minutes. 2. Remove from heat and

let cool. Using an immersion blender (or standard blender), puree until smooth. 3. After cooling, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before using. 4. Start preparing the cake. Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a 13-by-9-inch pan with cooking spray and line with parchment paper, letting some of it hang over on two sides. 5. In the large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in another large bowl, using an electric mixer), beat sugar, butter and salt on mediumhigh speed until pale and fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes. 6. Add eggs one at a time, beating to blend after each addition, then add almond extract, baking powder and baking soda. Beat 45 seconds more to ensure they are totally combined. 7. Add half of the flour and half of the buttermilk to the egg mixture. Mix on low speed until just combined. Using a rubber spatula, fold in remaining flour and buttermilk. Pour batter into prepared pan. 8. Bake cake until risen

HALLOWEEN

Dear Miss Manners: When I feel everything has my friend of over 50 years changed, but I cannot exand I lived only plain to her why I an hour and a half cannot spend time from each other, with her at her I spent a great home when I travel deal of time at her back. What should house. This includI do? Gentle reader: One ed spending time Judith can understand the with her husband, Martin feeling that honorand we all got along MISS very well. ing the promise MANNERS But on their 45th to your friend’s wedding anniversahusband is a test ry, which was my last time of your own word, not his right to make such a reto visit as I was moving away, her husband proposi- quest. But there is a limit to tioned me. I said no, twice. what can be expected of Then he asked that I not say anything to her. I said I such a promise, given in a moment of surprise. If wouldn’t.

Friendly Witches’ Special Spirit could hear conversations from blocks away, smell the river and night-blooming jasmine and something ancient in the city’s bones. She felt powerful. Conﬁdent. Free. Lorna danced through the French Quarter as if she owned it. She spoke to strangers with easy charm, moved through crowds like water. At a bar on Frenchmen Street, a jazz singer called her up on stage. Lorna had never sung in public, but with the mask on, a voice like honey and smoke poured out. The crowd erupted. Hours passed like minutes. She wandered down Esplanade Avenue, through the Garden District where mansions dreamed behind iron gates. She felt connected to everything, the living city and the dead one beneath it. Then she saw the sky lightening over the river. Panic seized her. She had to get the mask off before dawn. She ran back toward Royal Street, but the streets had rearranged themselves. Nothing looked familiar. She turned down Dauphine, then Chartres, then streets with no names. The sun broke over the horizon. Lorna tore the mask from her face. It crumbled to dust in her hands. She stood gasping in an alley off Decatur Street, feeling ... different. Lighter somehow.

1. Fill a tall glass with ice. Add gin, then top off with sparkling lemonade. 2. Very carefully and slowly pour curaçao into the glass, letting it settle on the bottom. 3. Garnish with rosemary. It wasn’t until she got back to the house and was asked what was wrong that Lorna realized what the mask had taken. She couldn’t remember her own face. She looked in the mirror and saw features that were familiar but distant, like a photograph of someone she used to know. She knew her name, her history, her life, but when she tried to picture herself, there was only a blank space where her reﬂection should be in her memory. The mask had shown her who she could be. In exchange, it had taken who she was. For weeks, Lorna searched Royal Street for the shop, but it was never there. Sometimes, late at night, she dreams of the mask, dancing through the French Quarter, powerful, free and not quite human. And when she wakes, she can’t remember if the face in the dream was hers or someone else’s entirely. Kevin Belton is resident chef of WWL-TV and has taught classes in Louisiana cooking for 30 years. The most recent of his four cookbooks, “Kevin Belton’s Cookin’ Louisiana: Flavors from the Parishes of the Pelican State,” was published in 2021. Email Chef at chefkevinbelton@gmail. com.

Handmade gifts Dear Heloise: The reader could consider the handmade wine rack as a “storage rack” instead. Depending on the style, it can hold soda and water bottles, toilet paper, plants, or craft items (like skeins of yarn). There are many possibilities for a thoughtful handmade item, even if it happens to look like a wine rack. — Alice, via email Alice, yes, and your suggestions are very good. So many readers have asked why he made a wine rack for a couple who don’t drink. Of course, I don’t actually know, but maybe he thought they’d ﬁnd another use for it. Or maybe it was just a loving gift that was made with his own hands for two people he cared about. I’ve always liked handmade gifts, and I imagine that many people do, too. — Heloise Send a hint to heloise@ heloise.com.

your friend asks why you are suggesting meetings that exclude the husband, you can eventually say that your friendship is with her, not him. Miss Manners realizes this invites a direct question, but in doing so it clears your conscience: If your friend poses that question, you can now answer it; if she does not, it is reasonable to conclude that she knew something of her husband’s character all along. Send questions to Miss Manners at her website, www.missmanners.com.

TODAY IN HISTORY

Serves 1.

Ice 3 ounces Empress 1908 Indigo Gin 3 ounces sparkling lemonade ½ ounce Blue Curaçao 1 fresh rosemary sprig

Beverly, I agree with you. Respecting the family’s wishes is really the best way to go because they usually know what the person wanted at their funeral anyways. — Heloise

This will ruin the friendship

Friendly Witches’ Special Spirit

Continued from page 5C A bell chimed as she entered. The shop stretched back impossibly far, deeper than the building’s exterior suggested. Masks covered every wall, hundreds of them, each unique. Some were beautiful. Others were grotesque. All of them seemed to watch her. “Welcome, cher.” An old woman emerged from the shadows, wearing a purple tignon headwrap. Her eyes were the color of the Mississippi at midnight, dark and full of secrets. “I’m just looking,” Lorna said. “Everyone who comes here is looking for something,” the woman replied. Lorna’s eyes fell on a mask hanging alone on the far wall, exquisite porcelain painted in ivory and gold with delicate ﬁligree around the eyes. Unlike the others, this mask seemed to glow. “How much?” Lorna heard herself ask. The old woman’s smile didn’t reach her eyes. “That one shows you who you really are. Who you could be. But there’s a price.” “I have money.” “Not that kind of price, child. You wear this mask from midnight until dawn on All Hallows’ Eve, and it will grant you one night as your truest self. But when you take it off at sunrise, you must leave something behind.” “Leave what behind?” “Whatever the mask decides you can spare.” Lorna should have walked away, but she thought about her life, the job that barely paid rent, the loneliness of being new to the city, and the feeling that she was pretending to be someone she wasn’t. “I’ll take it,” she said. At exactly midnight in Jackson Square, she put on the mask. The world transformed. Colors became vivid. Sounds sharpened. She

and firm to the touch, 25 to 35 minutes. While still warm, using the handle of a wooden spoon, poke holes all over the cake, spacing about 1 inch apart and forming a grid of about 12-by-8 holes. 9. Set aside ¼ cup of cherry sauce for serving. Using a small spoon or a piping bag, fill holes with the remaining cherry sauce. Sauce may soak into the cake after sitting for a few minutes, leaving room for more sauce. Continue to fill the holes as much as possible. 10. Let cool completely, then cover and refrigerate overnight. 11. Prepare the topping. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on high speed, whip cream, powdered sugar and vanilla until medium peaks form. 12. Using the overhanging parchment paper, remove the chilled cake from the pan. 13. Spread whipped cream over the cake. With a wooden spoon, poke holes in the whipped cream to resemble fangs, then fill with reserved cherry sauce. Splatter cake with remaining cherry sauce as desired.

animals. If it’s left out, Dear Heloise: I don’t know wildlife can get at it, as where you live, but it’s well as stray cats and dogs. a violation of municipal A great many cities also law in many counties and have “trap, neuter and recommended publicrelease” programs to help safety policies to leave stray cats and dogs. out “safe drinking (If everyone would water” for wildlife. spay and neuter This is harmful for their pets, the stray many reasons. For population of aniexample, it breeds mosquitoes that mals would dimincarry potentially ish significantly.) life-threatening dis- Hints from However, I do Heloise understand your eases, destructively concerns and don’t alters the survival think food and water should instincts and patterns of be left out in excess. And I wild animals, and attracts definitely agree with your wildlife that threatens claim about scrubbing pet neighboring pets and people (especially seniors and bowls thoroughly. — Heloise small children). In lieu of flowers In short, it feels compassionate, but you’re harming Dear Heloise: A long time the wildlife that you think ago, there was a discussion you’re helping and potenin your column about sendtially hurting your neighing flowers to a funeral. If the obituary says “in lieu bors. At minimum, people of flowers,” they shouldn’t need to realize that tossing out “old” water and replen- be sent. Usually, a charity is listed where a donation ishing the bowl does nothcan be made to in the deing to prevent mosquitoes from hatching. The females ceased’s name instead. glue nearly invisible eggs There could be religious above the waterline, so restrictions about flowers, outside containers must be or the family only wants thoroughly scrubbed every their own there. No matday. — Lisa G., in Los Angeles ter what the reasons are, Lisa, there’s a lot of the family’s wishes should debate about leaving out be respected. — Beverly, in food and water for stray Wisconsin

By The Associated Press Today is Thursday, Oct. 8, the 281st day of 2026. There are 84 days left in the year. Today in history: On Oct. 8, 1871, the Great Chicago Fire began; more than 300 people died and more than 17,000 structures were destroyed during the three-day blaze. Also on this date: In 1862, Union forces beat back a Confederate offensive in the Battle of Perryville, Kentucky’s biggest and bloodiest engagement of the Civil War, leading to hundreds of casualties but ensuring the state would remain under Northern control. In 1956, Don Larsen pitched the only perfect game in a World Series as the New York Yankees beat the Brooklyn Dodgers in Game 5, 2-0. In 1967, Bolivian forces wounded and captured guerrilla leader Ernesto

“Che” Guevara, who was attempting to spark a revolution in the South American country. He was executed the next day. In 1997, scientists reported that NASA’s Mars Pathﬁnder had yielded what could be the strongest evidence yet that Mars might once have been hospitable to life. In 2005, a magnitude 7.6 earthquake on the Pakistan-India border killed an estimated 86,000 people. In 2016, Hurricane Matthew made landfall on the South Carolina coast, triggering heavy ﬂooding and several deaths in the Carolinas only days after a devastating rampage through the Caribbean where it killed more than 500 people in Haiti alone and others elsewhere. In 2022, an explosion caused the partial collapse of a bridge linking the Crimean Peninsula with Russia, damaging an important supply artery for

the Kremlin’s war effort in southern Ukraine. In 2024, two pioneers of artiﬁcial intelligence — Canadian John Hopﬁeld and American Geoffrey Hinton — won the Nobel Prize in physics for helping create the building blocks of machine learning. Today’s Birthdays: Actor Paul Hogan is 87. Comedian Chevy Chase is 83. Author R.L. Stine is 83. Actor Sigourney Weaver is 77. Musician Robert “Kool” Bell (Kool & the Gang) is 76. Producer-director Edward Zwick is 74. NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott is 71. Comedian Darrell Hammond is 71. Actor Kim Wayans is 65. Gospel singer CeCe Winans is 62. Olympic gold medal swimmer Matt Biondi is 61. Actor Karyn Parsons is 60. Singerproducer Teddy Riley is 59. Actor Matt Damon is 56. Actor-TV host Nick Cannon is 46. Singer-songwriter Bruno Mars is 41. Actor Angus T. Jones is 33.

Cider Cup Cocktail Recipe is from “Good Spirits” by Tiffanie Barriere. 2 tablespoons superfine sugar ½ ounce water Dash Angostura bitters (optional) 1 ounce fresh lemon juice 1 ounce white curaçao ½ ounce cognac or brandy 1 pint hard cider, chilled Ice cubes, for serving (optional)

COCKTAIL

Continued from page 5C Montana, where the drink became more reﬁned and intentional with fewer fruit juices and a touch of brandy to make it more cozy.

1. Start with a pint or stemmed beer/cider glass and add the superﬁne sugar and water to dissolve it. Give it a swirl with your barspoon to make a quick syrup right in the glass. 2. Here is where you add the Angostura bitters if you’d like that extra layer of spice ﬂavor. Add the lem-

on juice, then pour in the white curaçao and a splash of cognac or brandy. 3. Stir gently to bring it all together. Now top it off with a pint of ice-cold hard cider, pouring slowly to keep those bubbles bright. Add a little ice if you want it extra cold. That’s it — simple, smart, and refreshing.

Make sure that your cider is really cold. If using a can, toss it in the fridge for a few hours, or even the freezer for a bit. A little slush isn’t harmful at all. Serving this one on ice is also A-OK! Calvados can sub in for the cognac or brandy for less sweetness, or rum (light or aged) for

more sweetness. Optional add-ins for seasonal or signature ﬂair: Add mint, rosemary or thyme for a garden vibe; use seasonal fruits like sliced apples, pears or citrus wheels for more texture and aroma; in the fall, add a touch of cinnamon or cardamom for spice.

The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Thursday, October 8, 2026 ● 7C

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zodIAC LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Refuse to let laziness take over when action is necessary if you plan to excel. Inspiration will manifest if you surround yourself with people from different backgrounds. SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) Play by the rules, and give your best performance. Rely on your attributes, intelligence and the ability to outmaneuver the competition fairly. That's how you win and why others respect you. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Get comfortable where you are. Home is where the heart is, and spending more time there will give you a sense of belonging. Do-it-yourself home improvements will give you a boost. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Refuse to let outsiders upset you or lead you astray. Be willing to walk away from people and situations that compromise integrity or accelerate your stress. Pay attention to investments. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Take a back seat and observe. Gathering information will position you for advancement. Set yourself up for financial freedom by having high standards. Take your time and be yourself. PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) Pay attention to your spending habits, investments and how well you take care of yourself. It's important to get your finances and lifestyle in order if you want to get ahead mentally and physically. ARIES (March 21-April 19) Set your sights on your goal, and don't look back. How you approach what you want to achieve

will set the stage for how much you accomplish. Push for the maximum return. TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Agree only to what's possible. Getting caught in someone else's dream can set you back. Look inward and consider how to improve your profile and your image. Find the peace you desire. GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Pick up the pace, and rise and shine. It's a new day, and your actions, dedication and curiosity will help you achieve whatever you set out to do. Home improvements won't please everyone. CANCER (June 21-July 22) Think twice before you agree to attend an event. You will gain access to better ideas and solutions through talks with individuals rather than sitting in a crowded room listening to one person pontificate. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Put your energy where it counts. Arguing is a waste of time, but putting in the effort and taking care of unfinished business will be gratifying. Focus on relieving stress. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Speak from the heart and resolve issues. A kind gesture will help restore a misunderstanding. You don't need to change; you need to adjust to allow everyone in your life the same freedom you want. 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: E EQUALS I

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

SherMAn’S LAGoon FAMILY CIrCUS

dooneSbUrY

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

CurTiS

Hi and LoiS

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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

nea CroSSwordS

La TimeS CroSSword

The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Thursday, October 8, 2026 ● 9C

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B.C.

Bridge BY PHILLIP ALDER F. Scott Fitzgerald said, “All good writing is swimming under water and holding your breath.” That is an interesting concept. I wonder how he typed while swimming. When the card play has finished, the contract will either be underwater or have floated safely ashore. If it has been defeated, though, declarer should not worry about how far it has sunk, as long as he took his best shot to make the contract. (Yes, if you are playing in a pair event scored by matchpoints, that is not necessarily true.) In this deal, South is in three no-trump. After West leads the diamond king, how should declarer swim? North’s jump-shift rebid guarantees extra values and forces to game. South starts with six top winners: four hearts, one diamond and one club. In addition, he hopes to take either four club tricks or three clubs and one spade. First, South should hold up dummy’s diamond ace until at least the second round to confirm the split. Yes, it is likely to be 6-0 or 5-1 because otherwise West would probably have led a different suit (presumably spades). Declarer takes the second trick with dummy’s diamond ace, cashes his hearts and runs the club 10. East wins with his king and shifts to a low spade. What should South do?

garfield

Pearls Before swiNe

hagar the horriBle

If West has the spade ace, the contract will drown. So declarer should play his spade king. Here, it wins and the contract comes up for air. But if the king loses, South has potentially gone down two instead of down one — a small price to pay for trying to collect a vulnerable game bonus. © 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 — BEDAZZLE: bih-DAZ-ul: Enchant; fascinate.

Bizarro

marmaduKe

Average mark 18 words Time limit 25 minutes Can you find 22 or more words in BEDAZZLE? YEstERDAY’s WoRD — sEntIEnt seen seine sent sine site snit stein stent stet stint nene

nest nine teen tenet tennis tense tent test tine tint inset

intense intent

loCKhorNs hidato Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

today’s thought “What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits toward me?” Psalms 116:12

Do you ever think like this? Think it over. — G.E. Dean

10C l Thursday, October 8, 2026 l theadvocate.com l The Acadiana Advocate

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

DOW 51,179.87 -341.41 -0.66%

NASDAQ 27,538.69 -61.10 -0.22%

BRIEFS

FROM WIRE REPORTS

Wall Street retreats from its record

NEW YORK — U.S. stocks pulled back from their record on Wednesday. The S&P 500 slipped 0.2%, a day after topping its prior alltime high set in August. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 341 points, or 0.7%, while the Nasdaq composite fell 0.2% from its own record. Stocks felt pressure as yields swung in the bond market. The yield on the 10-year Treasury climbed as high as 5.36% in the morning, up from 5.27% late Tuesday and near its highest level since 2002. Higher yields put downward pressure on prices for stocks and other investments. They can also slow the economy by making it more expensive for everyone to borrow money. But the 10-year yield eased back to 5.28% later in the day after the U.S. Treasury sold $39 billion of 10-year Treasury notes at an auction, where the median yield was less than 5.26%. Yields also swung with oil prices, which continue to yo-yo amid uncertainty about when the war with Iran will allow the industry to return to normal. The price for a barrel of Brent crude, the international standard, topped $102 in the morning before falling back later in the day and eventually settling at $100.20, down 0.4%. That’s below the nearly $110 it cost last month, but it remains well above its $72 price from before the war began.

S&P 500 7,801.77 -17.16 -0.22%

EURO 1.1188 -0.0070 -0.62%

CRUDE OIL 88.28 -1.16 -1.30%

GOLD 4,113.80 -45.40 -1.09%

6-MO T-BILLS 4.29 -0.01 -0.23%

30-YR T-BONDS 5.67 0.01 0.25%

Fed minutes: Rate hike likely Another increase expected this year to combat inflation

BY CHRISTOPHER RUGABER

AP economics writer

WASHINGTON — Most Federal Reserve ofﬁcials expect that another interest rate increase will likely be needed this year to combat inﬂation, according to minutes released Wednesday from the central bank’s most recent meeting. The officials unanimously

agreed that inﬂation was still elevated and had not made much progress toward their 2% target in recent months, the minutes said. The Fed increased its key interest rate at the Sept. 15-16 meeting by a quarter-point to about 3.9%, its ﬁrst increase in three years. The increase defied President Donald Trump’s repeated calls for the Fed to cut rates and prompted the president to criticize the Fed’s rate-setting committee, though he still expressed support for Chairman Kevin Warsh, whom he appointed earlier this year. The rate increase comes as Americans are

already struggling with high costs for groceries, gas and housing, and as affordability has taken on a leading role in the upcoming midterm elections, just seven weeks away. Longer-term interest rates for mortgages and other borrowing have also jumped in the past few months for a range of reasons, including rising government debt, heavy borrowing by tech firms to finance data center construction, climbing oil and gas prices, and signs that growth and inflation remain elevated. The Fed’s rate hike has likely played only a limited

role in the increase. Still, key policymakers have said since the meeting that the Fed can take some time to monitor the economy and the impact of last month’s rate hike before making another move. Wall Street investors now forecast the Fed will keep its rate unchanged at its next meeting Oct. 28-29, according to futures pricing, and raise it when they meet in December. Philip Jefferson, vice chair of the Fed’s board of governors, said last week that policymakers “will need to come to our own judgement, which may take more time.”

Joby Aviation hit with $116.9 million verdict A federal jury reached a verdict last week in the latest lawsuit surrounding the burgeoning market for electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft. The jury in Tampa, Florida, found that air taxi startup Joby Aviation owes roughly $116.9 million to aviation supplier Aerosonic after it allegedly breached a confidentiality agreement and mishandled trade secrets. Aerosonic sued Joby last year after selling it air data probes that measure pressure around an aircraft. The Clearwater, Florida-based supplier claimed that Joby used its proprietary designs and data to develop its own probes. Joby shares, which have shed more than 55% so far this year, were were down a further 2.25% at $5.64 at midday Wednesday. According to Aerosonic’s complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, Joby developed its in-house data probes in about two years. Aerosonic said the development process would have taken around a decade if Joby hadn’t relied on the supplier’s trade secrets.

Trump administration investigates Wells Fargo Housing ofﬁcials from President Donald Trump’s administration are launching an investigation into Wells Fargo over efforts to improve Black homeownership, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal. The Department of Housing and Urban Development sent a letter to the bank’s chief executive, Charlie Scharf, saying it is going to look into whether the bank violated fair-lending laws by favoring Black or other minority homeowners, WSJ reported. HUD did not provide a comment as of Wednesday afternoon. Wells Fargo declined to comment. While the new federal probe looks into whether minority buyers received preferential terms, earlier reports this year focused on claims that minority applicants were unfairly turned away. In April, Americans for Financial Reform’s Education Fund released a study stating that the bank’s mortgage rejection rates for minorities in Charlotte and North Carolina far outpaced those of White applicants.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO BY ELLEN SCHMIDT

Diesel averaged $6.30 per gallon across the country on Wednesday, more than 70% higher than one year ago, according to motor club AAA.

Dyed diesel order will offer little relief, farmers and truckers say Trump expands use of fuel reserved for off-road work

BY SARAH RAZA and MAE ANDERSON Associated Press

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — Farmers, truckers and economists say a move to cut taxes on diesel will provide little relief from record-high fuel prices that have soared since the U.S. attacked Iran months ago. Industry groups said they appreciate President Donald Trump’s executive order expanding the use of a diesel now reserved for off-road work, but farmers already have access to the fuel and many have already wrapped up harvest. Truckers will struggle to navigate differing state rules. “In the context of diesel prices that are over $2 more than they were last year, it just doesn’t come close to closing that wound,” said Matt Perdue, president of the North Dakota Farmers Union. With less than a month to go before the November election, diesel prices continue to hit record highs as some farmers transport their crops for processing and others rush to complete their fall harvest. Many have been feeling the squeeze as costs for

inputs like diesel, fertilizer and seed have soared thanks to reﬁnery constraints and supply disruptions amid the Iran war. Diesel averaged $6.30 per gallon across the country on Wednesday, more than 70% higher than one year ago, according to motor club AAA. The executive order defers the $0.24 federal tax per gallon of regular diesel, used for road projects, until the end of the year. Most states also levy their own tax on diesel. “Dyed” diesel is the same as regular diesel, except for its red dye to help law enforcement enforce penalties for on-road use. It’s already allowed for off-road purposes like farming equipment, such as tractors and combines, as well as construction and heating uses. Savings can compound if states take similar actions; many have eased restrictions or waived taxes on dyed diesel, including South Dakota and Iowa. Perdue said North Dakota has waived the tax on regular diesel. But where the state decision is focused on farmers, he believes the federal decision would largely beneﬁt those on other levels of the supply chain. Farmers who will see the most benefit are those who haul their own product, like livestock or fresh produce, on public roads.

Those who have already wrapped up harvesting won’t see savings. “Most of our diesel use is behind us,” said Perdue, who grows spring wheat, durum and canola on his family farm. Both trucking companies and independent truckers may not see much relief either. The effect is likely to be negligible for big trucking companies because the order is on a federal level and states make their own rules, Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, wrote in a social media post. “The largest diesel users are the least likely to use dyed diesel,” he wrote. “A national carrier crossing ﬁve or six states in a day faces enormous risk with a patchwork of rules, legal in one state, and subject to ﬁnes in the next.” Many states exempt road diesel from sales tax but apply sales tax to dyed diesel instead, he said. Easing limits on red-dyed diesel will likely have a minimal effect for small truckers, who pay for fuel up front, said Todd Spencer, president and CEO of trade group the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association. He estimates every $1 increase per gallon in fuel costs independent truckers about $400 more per week.

Walmart drone deliveries coming to Seattle, Denver BY ALEX HALVERSON The Seattle Times (TNS)

A massive retailer plans to bring aerial drone delivery to the Seattle area next year and no, it’s not Amazon. Walmart announced Monday that it will expand its drone delivery service to two new metro areas in 2027: Seattle and Denver. The company is aiming to offer drone delivery from more than 270 stores across the country, though it did not give a timeline. Using drones from Wing, a subsidiary of Google-parent Alphabet, Walmart already offers the service in the Dallas-Fort Worth, Atlanta, Houston and Orlando metro

areas. It’s unclear how many Seattlearea Walmart stores will offer the service, but a Monday news release from Wing featured Federal Way Mayor Jim Ferrell. “Innovation is a part of our way of life in Federal Way and around the Puget Sound. We look forward to Walmart and Wing’s drone delivery service bringing the region an incredible new convenience,” Ferrell said. It’s also likely Tacoma residents will see Walmart bags buzzing overhead next year. Permit applications ﬁled in September with the city of Tacoma describe new fencing and storage for “drone delivery operations,” at the Walmart

Supercenter off State Route 16. Similar permit applications were ﬁled in Federal Way as well. There are no Walmart stores within Seattle’s city limits. Wing said its drones can reach up to 60 mph and can carry up to 5 pounds. Once drone delivery is available in an area, Walmart app customers will automatically see drone delivery as an option. Walmart isn’t the only retailer expanding drone delivery service, but it may beat its ﬁerce rival Amazon to the punch in the Seattle area. Amazon currently serves 10 metro areas with Prime Air, its drone delivery program. Most of those locations are spread across

Arizona, Florida, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Nebraska and Texas, but the company said in August that it plans to reach 500 cities and towns by the end of 2026. The company received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration in 2024 that allowed it to signiﬁcantly expand its drone delivery program. A key part of the approval was allowing Amazon to operate its drones outside of an operator’s direct line of sight. As delivery drones take up more air space, the U.S. Government Accountability Office flagged concerns over how drones will communicate with each other and other aircraft and recommended the FAA set additional guidelines.