The Acadiana Advocate 10-14-2026

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Horseback riders hit downtown Lafayette

Boats and kayaks travel down Bayou Teche to the 7th annual Shake Your Trail Feather Festival in Breaux Bridge at Parc des Ponts de Pont Breaux in 2018. FILE PHOTO BY ROBIN MAY

Saturday night ride produces 3 arrests, mounds of manure BY DEAN BOUDREAUX Staff writer

BYE-BYE BAYOU After 15 years, Shake Your Trail Feather festival plans final celebration, ride down Teche

BY JA'KORI MADISON

Staff writer

After 15 years of decorated kayaks, floating bands and paddlers making their way down Bayou Teche, the Shake Your Trail Feather festival is coming to an end. Before organizers bring the annual celebration to a close, they are inviting paddlers and spectators to one final celebration of Bayou Teche and the Bayou Teche National Paddle Trail on Saturday. The festival began as a way to celebrate the waterway and raise money for the TECHE Project, which has used proceeds to help improve the National Paddle Trail, including installing access docks and other amenities for paddlers in 15 communities along the bayou. The final paddle parade begins at 10 a.m. at Poché Bridge, behind Poché’s Meat Market, and will travel about 4.5 miles down Bayou Teche to Parc des Ponts in Breaux Bridge. The roughly two-hour paddle will feature decorated kayaks and floating bands. The celebration at Parc des Ponts begins at 11:30 a.m. Spectators can watch the paddlers and musicians along the banks before heading to the park. The free festival will feature food vendors, drinks, merchandise, children’s activities and live music from Chubby Carrier and the Bayou

Three people have been arrested after a large horseback ride through downtown Lafayette on Saturday night prompted a police response and left behind mounds of horse manure. The gathering also raised concerns about safety as horses moved through crowded streets during a busy night of festivals and live music. Keauante Spencer was booked on charges of criminal trespass and resisting an officer. Police said Spencer refused to leave private property. Norbert Berard was booked on charges of blocking a driveway and flight from an officer. Mark Bonnet was arrested after officers discovered active warrants while checking his identity, police said. The department has not provided details about the warrants. All three were booked into the Lafayette Parish Correctional Center. The ride had been advertised on Instagram, with participants instructed to meet at Paul Davis Park at 8 p.m. Saturday. The flyer also mentioned ATVs and required reflective vests. Lafayette police arrived about 10:20 p.m. and

ä See HORSEBACK, page 3A

Pope Leo XIV diagnosed with cancer Part of right lung removed

PHOTO BY ROBIN MAY

Artist Nicole Poret, left, and festival director Patti Holland put the finishing touches on the bird and bug sculptures which will decorate the lead boat in the Paddle Parade on the Bayou Teche that kicks off the Shake Your Trailfeather Festival on Saturday in Breaux Bridge. Swamp Band from noon to 2 p.m. But while this year’s festival will be the last Shake Your Trail Feather, it will not be the end of the TECHE Project’s work on Bayou Teche. “We want to go out with a bang,” Holland said. “But that doesn’t mean that we’re going to stop doing fund-

raising and promoting.” From cleaning the bayou to building a paddle trail The TECHE Project was founded in 2010 after a group of people concerned about the amount of trash in

ä See BAYOU, page 4A

BY NICOLE WINFIELD and COLLEEN BARRY Associated Press

ROME — Pope Leo XIV underwent surgery Tuesday that confirmed that he has lung cancer, and doctors removed the lower lobe of his right lung, the Vatican said. Tests confirmed a diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma, the Vatican said in a medical bulletin after the surgery. It said the diagnosis had been suspected by preoperative tests and was confirmed during surgery. The statement made no mention of treatment going forward, and the Vatican said doctors were not currently speaking of chemotherapy or other therapies pending the results of other tests. The

ä See POPE, page 4A

Davis campaign has strong grassroots effort Candidate seeks to offset Letlow’s advantages BY TYLER BRIDGES Staff writer

Katrina Robertson was looking for potential Jamie Davis voters Saturday as she canvassed on Chamberlain Street in Baker. Spotting a man in work clothes in his front yard, Robertson walked up to him and began a pitch for Davis, a farmer from Tensas Parish who is the Democratic candidate in this fall’s U.S. Senate election.

WEATHER HIGH 91 LOW 66 PAGE 8A

The man identified himself as John Green, said he keeps up with the news and plans to vote for Davis, not U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow, the Republican candidate. “He’s all for Louisiana,” H H H Green told Robertson. Robertson smiled, handed him a campaign brochure and said, “Make sure you tell all your friends, your family and members of your church.” As she walked away, she noted Green’s support in a campaign app on her cellphone. If Davis is to overcome tall odds in the Nov. 3 election, people like Robertson will have played a key role. Davis

has built an extensive grassroots effort and digital network and is relying on that to overcome Letlow’s huge money advantage in the Senate election. The campaign has 25 paid H H H organizers throughout the state and 4,000 volunteers who are knocking on doors, making phone calls, sending texts and posting video of Davis on digital media, said Kaitlyn Joshua, statewide field organizer. Davis and his team are targeting independent voters dismayed with Presi-

ELECTION

STAFF PHOTO BY JAVIER GALLEGOS

Katrina Robertson, right, and Tonnia Jacobs look at a map together to figure out what doors to knock on next while ä See DAVIS, page 3A canvassing for Jamie Davis in Baker on Saturday.

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102ND YEAR, NO. 106

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Six Flags closes 9 roller coasters

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FROM WIRE REPORTS

Man stabs at least 8 in South Korean mall SEOUL, South Korea — A 59-yearold man stabbed at least eight people Tuesday at a shopping mall in the South Korean city of Incheon, police and fire officials said. One victim was in life-threatening condition and received surgery at a nearby hospital. The suspect attacked shoppers as he moved through the mall before business owners and bystanders subdued him, according to Incheon’s Namdong District Police Station and witnesses. The man has a history of violent offenses and mental illness and was required to wear an electronic monitoring anklet, according to South Korea’s Justice Ministry. The man’s name was not released, in keeping with South Korean practice for most criminal suspects. Witnesses told South Korean media that the attacker appeared to have knives tied to both hands and stabbed people in different parts of the mall while moving up and down the floors on an escalator.

CVS to pay $315M to settle opioid case WASHINGTON — CVS Pharmacy Inc. and various subsidiaries have agreed to pay $315 million to resolve a Justice Department case alleging it unlawfully dispensed medically unnecessary prescriptions of highly addictive opioids, officials said Tuesday. The settlement resolves a lawsuit brought in 2024 that accused the healthcare giant of providing massive amounts of opioids and other controlled substances “to fuel its own profits at the expense of public health and safety.” It’s the latest effort by the federal government to hold accountable companies that officials have alleged helped fuel the U.S. addiction and overdose crisis. “Today’s settlement is a significant milestone in the Justice Department’s efforts to combat the opioid epidemic by cracking down on pharmacies who unlawfully fulfill prescriptions for controlled substances,” Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward said in an emailed statement.

Police confiscate robot that groped 16-year-old COLOGNE, Germany — German authorities opened an investigation into possible sexual harassment after a robot controlled by two young men touched the buttocks of a 16-year-old girl and made thrusting movements toward her, police said. Police in the western city of Cologne responded after the incident overnight Saturday to Sunday in which the robot’s suspected 16-year-old owner and a 19-year-old companion were said to have filmed the alleged assault. They were said to have streamed the incident and commentated on it online. Cologne police spokesman Christoph Bermel said the two male teenagers have not been charged but are considered suspects, and investigators were examining whether the robot’s movements were preprogrammed or controlled in real time. Police were unfamiliar with this type of incident, he said.

Fla. executes man who sought death sentence STARKE, Fla. — A Florida prisoner who said he killed his cellmate specifically to get on death row was executed Tuesday, nearly 18 years after the attack. James Robertson, 63, declined to offer any last words before receiving a three-drug injection and was pronounced dead about 10 minutes later. It was a stark contrast to the failed execution of Christa Pike in Tennessee two weeks ago, where she was rushed to the hospital after surviving two lethal doses of pentobarbital. Robertson’s execution, the first in Florida since Pike, comes at a time of escalating attention on the death penalty in the United States.

Man plunged to death in Georgia

BY KATE BRUMBACK, RUSS BYNUM, KATHY MCCORMACK and JOHN SEEWER Associated Press

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO BY JACQUELYN MARTIN

Kimberly Guilfoyle, U.S. ambassador to Greece, speaks as President Donald Trump listens at a 2025 reception celebrating Greek Independence Day in the East Room of the White House. Guilfoyle resigned Tuesday.

Guilfoyle resigns amid misconduct allegations

wish her well.” tation, and my integrity.” Ambassador accused we“She went to Greece. She was do“I have dedicated my profesa good job, but we didn’t like sional life to fighting for justice, of offering to trade ing what we were reading,” Trump standing up for what is right, and influence for money said just after Guilfoyle’s resigna- defending the values that make

BY MATTHEW LEE AP diplomatic writer

WASHINGTON — The White House publicly asked for U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle’s resignation on Tuesday as she faced mounting accusations of improper conduct, and she announced within two hours that she was quitting, ending days of talk and speculation about her professional fate. Guilfoyle insisted that she would “vigorously defend” herself. President Donald Trump’s administration had said earlier Tuesday it had asked Guilfoyle to leave her post after she faced severe criticism over allegations she engaged in improper and possibly illegal conduct before and during her tenure in Athens. That revelation came in response to a question to freshly minted White House press secretary Katie Zacharia at her first media briefing Tuesday morning. Zacharia said Guilfoyle “has been a wonderful asset to the team, and

tion, which was posted on her X account. He said he had not spoken to her but “she will not be there.” Guilfoyle’s departure comes after its possibility was previewed to The Associated Press over the weekend and Trump registered his unhappiness on Monday at reports about her alleged conduct. Those comments came a day after the AP, citing a senior U.S. official, reported that Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio were “extremely pissed off” by Guilfoyle’s reported conduct. In a series of stories dating to late last month, The Wall Street Journal has reported questionable conduct by Guilfoyle, including an alleged threat to a host country official, accepting improper gifts and services and offering to use her influence inside the Republican administration in return for the payment of a large credit card bill. Guilfoyle addressed the accusations directly in her resignation post on X, saying, “These allegations are false, and I intend to vigorously defend my name, my repu-

America exceptional,” she said. “I will not allow false accusations to define my decades of public service.” In a statement released late Sunday, Guilfoyle’s lawyers denied that she had done anything wrong and claimed that the money she was seeking from a Trump donor was payment for services — public appearances and speaking engagements that predate her ambassadorial nomination — that had not been paid. The lawyers, David Schwartz and Jesse Binnall, also rejected allegations of impropriety related to Guilfoyle’s travel on private planes, saying that before every such trip she “sought, obtained and followed State Department guidance and followed the Department’s travel regulations.” They did not immediately return calls Tuesday. After defending Guilfoyle following the first report, Rubio declined to comment publicly on the growing allegations. Last week, Rubio said: “Our ambassador has been a strong ambassador here.”

Cornell suspends parties at active fraternity houses State police gain role in investigating campus assault reports

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BY LEAH WILLINGHAM Associated Press

Cornell University suspended parties at fraternity houses until next year and is giving state police a role in investigating reports of sexual assault on campus in the school’s latest response to outrage over its handling of a gang rape allegation. The measures announced Tuesday by Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff include a suspension of all parties and social events at Interfraternity Council houses through the end of the 2026-27 academic year and a new “zero tolerance” policy for violations that would result in the immediate emergency suspension of a chapter. “These measures will provide time for a thorough review of fraternity life at Cornell to determine whether and how it can safely continue,” Kotlikoff wrote in a letter to the campus community. Cornell has more than 20 active fraternities affiliated with its Interfraternity Council. The council did not immediately respond to an email request for comment. It’s not immediately clear if Cornell’s actions would extend to parties and events held off campus. It’s not the first time Cornell has cracked down on fraternity parties. The university temporarily suspended them in 2022 after reports of a sexual assault and students being drugged at fraternityaffiliated housing. Cornell also tightened fraternity safety

ATLANTA — Witnesses watched in horror as a man riding a roller coaster at Six Flags over Georgia was ejected from his seat, almost seeming to hover above the car before hitting several people and falling to his death. The nightmarish death prompted Six Flags to temporarily close nine similar coasters across North America. Police and a state agency that oversees ride inspections are investigating, but many questions remained Tuesday, including how the man fell out and whether there were problems with his restraints. The man, a school employee from Atlanta, was killed Monday while riding Goliath, the park’s tallest roller coaster with a first hill of 200 feet. “It looked like he was hovering because the car was moving underneath him,” said Nick Mendenhall, who had just ridden Goliath with his son and was watching the coaster cars passing overhead. The man fell headfirst back into the coaster, Mendenhall said, then was ejected from the ride on its final turn. “It felt like slow-motion, but it happened in an instant,” Mendenhall said. “I was just praying in those moments. I was praying: ‘God, please let him stay in that car.’” Goliath towers above the entrance at Six Flags over Georgia just outside Atlanta with a series of hills and turns. It doesn’t take riders upside down. There are no seat belts. Instead, riders are restrained with lap bars that pull down over their legs and waist. The man who died was 42-year-old Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem, according to Cobb County police. Investigators and park employees told investigators that he was thrown from the coaster before striking other patrons.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO BY ADRIAN KRAUS

Demonstrators attend an Oct. 5 protest against Cornell University’s handling of the alleged 2024 gang rape case.

rules in 2019 after freshman Antonio Tsialas was found dead in a gorge following an alleged hazing incident. A year earlier, a fraternity was placed on probation over a contest in which members competed to have sex with women they considered overweight. The university president said the school would begin conversations with students and faculty experts about “the development of safe social alternatives” to Greek life party culture and invest money to get those initiatives off the ground. Kotlikoff also committed to adding a case manager to the school’s Office of Civil Rights to help those who report sexual misconduct on the Cornell campus navigate the process, and to working with New York State Police to allow its criminal investigators — who are independent of Cornell — to investigate allegations. Crimes reported on Cornell’s campus are generally investigated by campus police, a department that has full law enforcement powers but is controlled by the university.

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DAVIS

from closing, opposing the use of eminent domain to seize property for private carbon capture and sequestration projects and restoring SNAP benefits for the poor that were eliminated in the One Big Beautiful Bill passed by Trump and Congress last year with Letlow’s backing. Letlow’s web page says, “Julia will work with President Trump to keep the border secure, rebuild American energy dominance, protect our elections, cut taxes for working families, restore law and order, defend conservative values, and put Louisiana and America first.” Both campaigns are gearing up for the early voting period, which lasts for a week beginning Tuesday and ending Oct. 27. Republicans and Democrats alike see Davis running more strongly than recent Democratic Senate candidates, who haven’t won more than 40% of the vote since 2014, when then-U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu lost her reelection campaign with 44%. But national prognosticators continue to forecast a Letlow victory, with the Washington, D.C.-based Cook Political Report slotting Louisiana as “Solid R.” National Democrats are not directing money to Davis’ campaign, seeing better chances elsewhere to knock off Republicans.

Continued from page 1A dent Donald Trump and Democrats who didn’t vote for the party’s candidate in recent elections. “I’m going to be your next senator,” Davis tells crowds at every stop. That’s not how the Letlow campaign sees it.

Letlow’s advantage Letlow is broadcasting two television ads now with more to come given that she has raised so much more money than Davis. Two outside groups have broadcast ads in her support as well. Her campaign is also phone banking and targeting voters with texts and digital media. Letlow’s campaign notes that Republican candidates received 401,000 votes in the closed May primary when she and state Treasurer John Fleming knocked out U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, and the two advanced to the Republican runoff. The Democratic candidates won 344,000 votes as Davis and Gary Crockett advanced to the runoff. Letlow and Fleming then combined for 316,000 votes in June when Letlow won the Republican nomination, while Davis and Crockett collected 196,000 votes when

HORSEBACK Continued from page 1A

instructed participants to leave, according to the department. “Beaucoup people, beaucoup horses. It was like the wild, wild west out there,” Donnell Flugence told KLFY, describing the scene he captured on video. Rose Guidry, who was downtown that evening, told KLFY she encountered the riders while trying to park near the downtown library. “And that’s when all the horses started, like coming down the road,” Guidry said. “And the second I park, I’ve got the cops swarming these poor horses and people.” Festival Acadiens et Créoles and a Keith Frank concert were taking place downtown last weekend, drawing larger-than-normal crowds, according to police spokesperson senior Cpl. Adam LeFort. LeFort said police learned about the ride through social media posts. Officers contacted some organizers and participants and told them downtown would be barricaded, he said. “To keep the public and the revelers safe, the barricades were put up,” LeFort said. More officers than usual worked downtown that night, LeFort said. He did not know how many responded or whether any mounted officers were involved. He said he knew of no reported injuries. Kevin Blanchard, CEO of the Downtown Development Authority, said his organiza-

Letlow

Davis

Davis won to set up the upcoming election to replace Cassidy. The Letlow campaign also notes that Republicans steadily gained ground on Democrats in voter registration figures before finally passing them this year and becoming the biggest political party in Louisiana. “You can’t take anything for granted,” said Letlow campaign manager Parker Carey. “Julia has a clear path to victory, and our focus is on executing that. We know we have to earn every vote.” The Senate campaign has generated little interest since the June runoff, with Letlow running a low-profile campaign, choosing to avoid mentioning Davis during her campaign appearances and TV ads and refusing his call for a debate.

Limited focus on issues Neither candidate is spending much time talking about the issues. Davis recently rolled out a platform of “Louisiana First” policies that includes protecting rural hospitals

“There’s plenty of opportunities where that would be a good idea. I don’t know if 10 o’clock on a Saturday night is the best time.”

a horse, you don’t have any special privileges,” LeFort said. “Although a rider can’t necessarily be arrested for an OWI, it still isn’t a great idea considering the increased safety and liability risk.” Groups planning organized rides should contact police beforehand to discuss a preapproved route or location, LeFort said. Publicly sanctioned parades require a permit. People with questions about permits can call 311, the Lafayette Consolidated Government information line. LeFort said the ride was a difficult combination of circumstances on an already busy night. “It just wasn’t a good combination from our perspective,” he said. Police said the investigation remains open. Another horseback ride is planned for Halloween, though no location has been announced.

KEVIN BLANCHARD, CEO of the Downtown Development Authority tion knew about the advertised ride before it happened and contacted police. “We had seen the advertisement for it. So we reached out to the police department just to make sure that they had accommodated for horse poop, which is usually our biggest concern over trail rides downtown,” Blanchard told KLFY. “We love that people come and experience downtown, even on horseback.” The ride still left work for downtown ambassadors. “The ambassadors did have to go and clean up a bunch of horse poop. On Jefferson Street in other areas of downtown, which is, you know, not ideal,” Blanchard said. Blanchard also raised concerns about safety, noting that even well-trained horses can become startled in crowded environments. “There’s plenty of opportunities where that would be a good idea. I don’t know if 10 o’clock on a Saturday night is the best time,” he said. Horseback riding on public roads is legal, LeFort said, but riders must follow the same traffic laws as motorists and cannot cross traffic barriers or other road closures. “Just because you’re on

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insurance companies accountable to lower flood insurance costs in Louisiana. In another, she said she is fighting to ban “Communist China” from owning land in the United States. For now, Davis is crisscrossing the state — he made six stops in New Orleans on Tuesday and one in Gonzales — and counting on his grassroots network. Tonnia Jacobs joined Robertson in canvassing for Davis on Saturday, lamenting that many people weren’t home or wouldn’t answer the door. But in other neighborhoods, Jacobs said, “I’m getting a lot of Republicans voting under the table for Jamie.” Still, Letlow’s campaign feels good about their chances. “We’re grateful for all the support from the Republican ecosystem at large, and we’re confident that everyone is doing what they can to elect Julia,” said Carey, the campaign manager.

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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.

Patients will be required to provide a valid governmentissued photo ID before medical records can be released.

After October 23, 2026, FMOL Health | Our Lady of Lourdes will be the appointed custodian of medical records.

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their goods. On Cunningham’s show, Davis described himself as “just a common guy with strong values who believes that a man should get out and go to work. If you put in the work, you shall reap the harvest.” Afterward, Cunningham said Davis “comes across as very genuine.” Letlow has yet to appear on either host’s program during this election cycle. Letlow has been engaged in what she calls “a listening tour” that will take her throughout the state. She visited Monroe, Jena and Lake Charles on Tuesday. “Never in a million years did I think that this little girl from north Louisiana would be serving in the U.S. House of Representatives,” Letlow told a crowd in St. Tammany Parish last week. “It has been the highest honor and calling of my life.” In one campaign ad, Letlow said she is holding the Federal Emergency Management Agency and big

Instructions regarding the records request process will be provided upon receipt of your email.

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Heavy leaves

U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, a Democrat from New Jersey, held a small fundraiser for Davis in New Orleans two weeks ago, and U.S. Sen. Lisa Rochester, a Democrat from Delaware, is coming to Louisiana to campaign with Davis next week, according to his campaign. New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno is hosting a fundraiser for him Tuesday. Davis’ campaign has just made its first TV buy for an ad that is about to begin airing, said Joshua, his field organizer. On Monday, Davis appeared on the talk radio programs of two conservative hosts in Lafayette, Moon Griffon and Joe Cunningham, as he tries to appeal to Cassidy and Fleming supporters who are not sold on Letlow. On Griffon’s show, Davis talked about his love for bass fishing — “that’s my favorite,” chimed in Griffon — and said Trump’s tariffs have hurt Louisiana farmers by raising the cost of

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.

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BAYOU

Continued from page 1A Bayou Teche began cleaning up the waterway. The group soon realized that cleaning the bayou was only part of the solution. They also wanted people to appreciate it. The TECHE Project — an acronym for Teche Ecology, Culture, History and Education — was created to build that connection. The group’s philosophy developed around three ideas: Clean the bayou, get people on the water so they can explore it, and ultimately help them embrace it. “We thought it was a beautiful bayou, but people were using it as a dump site,” Holland said. “So we started to clean it up. And with that cleaning the bayou, people have started to appreciate Bayou Teche and turning their focus back towards the bayou.” In 2013, the TECHE Project received a National Water Trail designation for Bayou Teche through the National Park Service, helping pave the way for development of a formal paddle trail. Over the next decade, the TECHE Project worked with government agencies, communities

POPE

Continued from page 1A Vatican press office noted the medical statement spoke of the “radical” removal of the lobe as an indication that doctors removed all suspect tissue in hopes of removing any lingering traces of the cancer. Leo’s lymph nodes also would have been removed and tested, to determine if the cancer had spread, and there was no word yet on those test results. “Adenocarcinoma is the most common (type of lung cancer), also with the most favorable prognosis,” said Dr. Stephen Liu, a lung cancer expert at Georgetown’s Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center. “While we know the diagnosis, we now need to know the stage.” “We now need to know how big it is, how many spots in the lung are involved. Is it just one nodule, or more than one, and the lymph nodes, are they cancerous?” Liu said.

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utilize this paddle trail, they come to appreciate the different communities,” Holland said. Shake Your Trail Feather grew alongside that broader mission. The festival began as a music festival and later incorporated bicycling and paddling. Its decorated boats, costumes and annual bird themes helped make it both an educational opportunity and a celebration. This year’s featured bird is the red-bellied woodpecker. “This isn’t the end, and there’ll be more fun things to come,” Poret said. The final paddle begins at 10 a.m. Oct. 17 behind Poché’s Meat Market at Poché Bridge in Breaux Bridge and ends at Parc des Ponts. Paddlers must register for the FILE PHOTO BY ROBIN MAY parade. Registration costs $30 in Festivalgoers join in the fun with whimsical costumes during the 2025 Shake Your Trailfeather Festival. advance or $35 on the day of the event. Children younger than 14 The organization is shifting can paddle for free. and other partners to build the put this floating kayak dock,’ they Registration includes the festrail and its access points. By 2023, built structures. They built bath- some of its attention toward Bayou the project had installed floating rooms. They built a place, parks,” Teche’s cultural history. tival pin and a one-year TECHE A new oral history project will Project membership. kayak docks in 15 communities. Poret said. “They’ve also built a The response from those com- huge pavilion and a playground document stories about life along Participants should bring their the bayou and make those stories own kayak or canoe, a personal munities has been part of the proj- for kids.” The TECHE Project also in- available to the public through flotation device, water, sunscreen ect’s success, volunteer Nicole Poret said. stalled informational kiosks fea- partnerships with local cultural and anything else they may need for the two-hour paddle, organiz“So many different towns, when turing local history, culture, food, institutions. “As people get into the bayou and ers said. we came and said, ‘OK, we want to music, flora and fauna.

If the cancer has spread, more tests will be needed to determine what kind of therapy to pursue, he said. Options include chemotherapy, a combination of chemotherapy and immunotherapy or targeted therapy, which involves oral pills for specific cancers. The 71-year-old was in the operating room for about three hours, the statement said. The surgery itself lasted approximately 90 minutes. “The surgery was successful, and there were no complications,” the statement said, adding that the pope later returned to his room. Leo had walked into Rome’s Gemelli hospital through the main entrance earlier in the day and waved to dozens of well-wishers who had gathered to greet him. The Vatican said the surgery would be performed by a team led by Gemelli’s chief thoracic surgeon, Dr. Stefano Margaritora. The American pontiff has offered a rare level of transparency about the first publicly disclosed major health problem of his 17-month papacy. He revealed the discovery of the localized nod-

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ule during his Sunday noon prayer and announced that he would have it removed. Oncologists said prior to the operation that even if the nodule turned out to be cancerous, Leo’s prognosis would be “excellent” since it would have been removed at an early stage. The Vatican on Monday canceled all Leo’s audiences through Tuesday. While Gemelli has a specific papal apartment that past popes have used, complete with a private chapel on the 10th floor, Leo will actually be staying in a nearby room since the papal apartment is undergoing renovations, according to the Vatican press office. There was no word on whether Leo would be able to keep his planned trip to South America next month. Oncologists often advise patients not to fly for three weeks after surgery — which would give the pope just the interval needed to make his planned Nov. 6-17 trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, depending on his recovery.

The current itinerary for the trip is ambitious and the longest of his papacy to date, calling for Leo to clock just over 19,000 miles on a dozen flights and two helicopter rides, and a significant altitude change in Peru. “He has decided to undergo surgery soon in order to not change his plans for future overseas trips, so there is no need to worry, as it is not an emergency,” said Tokyo Cardinal Kikuchi Tsutomu, who saw Leo on Monday. A lung nodule is a small abnormal area measuring less than 1.2 inches that sometimes appears on a CT scan of the chest or abdomen. Often, the scans are done to investigate trauma or a lung infection, unrelated to a lung cancer screening. A nodule can be benign or malignant, and oftentimes surgical removal is recommended both to establish whether it is cancer and to treat a malignancy while it is still localized. This is believed to be the second hospitalization for Leo, who is known to be sporty and in good shape, with weekly tennis games

and swimming. As a young missionary priest, he came down with typhoid fever in 1985, soon after arriving in Chulucanas, Peru. The illness and hospitalization were a cathartic moment for him to decide to stay in the poverty and discomfort of Peru after living in relative comfort in Rome — a decision that ultimately paved the way to his papacy, according to an interview Leo gave to Elise Ann Allen in 2025 for “Pope Leo XIV: The Biography.” According to the book, Leo said he prayed to God to let him die rather than suffer the “horrible” pain of the fever. “I was hooked up to an IV, and I said, ‘If this is your sense of humor, Lord, I think you could do a little better.’ “Obviously, I survived; I recovered, but it turned out to be a very significant moment for me, because it was like, ‘Well, you’ve already dealt with the illness; you already see what the needs are here — the order, the Augustinians, the church are telling you, ‘We need you here; go for it.’ I never looked back.”

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

DOW 51,670.10 -180.45 -0.35%

NASDAQ 27,204.38 -41.52 -0.15%

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FROM WIRE REPORTS

Visa wins approval for business in China BEIJING — U.S. payments giant Visa said Tuesday that it received approval to prepare to set up a bank card clearing business in China, a move that could allow Visa to compete for a share of the country’s large payments market. Some analysts see the development as an encouraging sign for American businesses following Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s meetings with President Donald Trump during a state visit to Washington last month. The San Francisco-based payment processing company said the long-awaited approval marked “a significant step forward in Visa’s long-standing commitment to China.” “We greatly appreciate the important role of the leaders of the United States and China in pursuing a constructive and strategically stable relationship between the world’s largest economies,” Visa CEO Ryan McInerney said in a statement. China’s official Xinhua news agency said authorities require that Visa complete preparatory work within one year. After that it can apply to commence its domestic bank card clearing business operations in the country. Mastercard and American Express have already started domestic clearing in China under joint ventures.

Walmart to cover GLP1s, insulin for workers Walmart Inc. plans to cover more than 250 prescription drugs without charge for its employees and add other health benefits to attract and retain workers at a time when many companies are raising healthcare costs. The list of covered medications includes many generics alongside some in-demand branded drugs such as Novo Nordisk A/S’ Ozempic and Eli Lilly & Co.’s Mounjaro. The retailer will offer those at no cost for people with Type 2 diabetes after prior approval. Some insulin and inhalers will also be covered for employees who participate in the company’s medical plans next year, Chief People Officer Donna Morris said Tuesday in a memo to staff viewed by Bloomberg News. Other covered drugs include medicines to treat migraines, dementia and cardiovascular conditions. The actions by the largest U.S. private employer come as other corporations cut back on benefits due to rising medical costs, including many that have eliminated coverage of GLP-1s for weight loss.

Kroger to lay off 3,000 as it leans into AI Grocery store chain Kroger said it will lay off 3,000 corporate employees over the next three years as it ramps up its use of artificial intelligence to streamline operations. “Technology is reshaping what’s possible,” CEO Greg Foran wrote to employees. “The way work gets done is changing across every industry; we must adapt and take advantage of technology. We need to adopt capabilities, reduce duplicative work and look closely at where work is best fit to be done.” Kroger last month outlined its AI strategy, meant “to improve the customer experience, make work easier for associates and produce better business outcomes.” Cincinnati-based Kroger is the largest standalone U.S. supermarket chain with 409,000 employees and more than 2,700 stores operating under various brands. Kroger named former Walmart executive Foran CEO in February, 11 months after the abrupt resignation of its previous CEO. Foran has a reputation for being tech-savvy and detailoriented. He led Walmart’s U.S. division from 2014 to 2019, where he focused on cleaning up stores, ensuring items were in stock and improving the fresh produce selection.

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Big banks post strong Q3 profits But warn of higher rates, inflation

BY KEN SWEET

The Associated Press NEW YORK — Wall Street’s biggest banks reported another strong quarter on Tuesday, as the U.S. consumer continues to pay their bills and businesses keep investing heavily in AI. But even as JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, Wells Fargo and Goldman Sachs reported higher profits from a year ago, they warned about the long-term impact of higher interest rates as well as the impact higher prices could have on the consumer if inflation is not brought under control. JPMorgan posted a $15.3 billion profit in the third quarter, or $5.57 a share, up from $14.4 billion or $5.07 a share, in the same period

a year earlier. The results missed analysts’ expectations, with Wall Street looking for the bank to earn $5.93 a share. It was a rare earnings miss for JPMorgan and its CEO, Jamie Dimon. The last time the bank missed analysts’ expectations was nearly three years ago. The investment banking division of JPMorgan was to blame this quarter, as its fixed income trading desks saw a slowdown in activity compared to both earlier this summer as well as last year. Still, shares rose 0.2% in midday trading. “The U.S. economy continued to be fueled by strong business investment and ongoing consumer spending,” Dimon said in a statement. “However, large fiscal deficits, sticky inflation, elevated asset prices, rising interest rates and geopolitical conditions continue to shift under the surface.” The big banks typically kick off

the quarterly earnings season, and this is a key one for the stock market given that robust corporate profits have helped propel the S&P 500 to record levels. Analysts expect companies in the S&P 500 to deliver overall growth of nearly 30% in earnings per share from a year earlier, according to data provider FactSet. If they’re correct, it would be the third consecutive quarter of growth that exceeds 25%. Goldman Sachs, whose thirdquarter profits rose sharply due to a sharp rise in stock-trading revenue, also reported that its bond trading activity slowed last quarter. The bank posted a profit of $5.29 billion, or $17.01 a share, compared to $4.1 billion, or $12.25 a share, a year earlier. Goldman shares rose 0.6%. The bond market saw significant levels of volatility and turmoil this summer, as investors became in-

creasingly worried about government spending and inflation. The yield on cornerstone financial instruments like 10-year and 30-year Treasurys rose to levels not seen in years. Higher diesel, technology and food prices gave the Federal Reserve reason to raise interest rates last month, despite pressure from the White House to not do so. The higher interest rates and election-fueled volatility have made some businesses pause any significant investments until later this year, or early 2027. OpenAI, the owner of ChatGPT, said it plans to delay its initial public offering until next year. That IPO is expected to be an investment banking bonanza for Wall Street, as was the public offering of SpaceX earlier this summer. Despite the volatility, bank CEOs said they continue to see growth in the economy in the short-to-medium term.

Stocks edge back from records First batch of summer profit reports drop

BY STAN CHOE

AP business writer NEW YORK — The first big batch of summertime profit reports from U.S. companies made waves on Wall Street after topping analysts’ expectations, but many canceled each other out. That left U.S. stock indexes little changed near their records on Tuesday. The S&P 500 edged down by less than 0.1% and pulled a bit further from its all-time high set last week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 180 points, or 0.3%, while the Nasdaq composite dipped 0.2%. Those modest moves masked some big swings happening underneath the market’s surface. Goldman Sachs, for example, jumped more than 4% at the start of trading after the bank delivered a profit for July through September that blew past analysts’ expectations. But its stock quickly erased all of it and then flipped between gains and losses before finishing with a dip of 0.2%. Goldman Sachs benefited in the summer from strong growth for its business that offers loans to clients for trading stocks, among other things, even as CEO David Solomon said it’s dealing with a “complicated operating environment” created by lots of uncertainty. Expectations are high for profits across all kinds of U.S. companies. Analysts are forecasting overall growth of nearly 30% for companies in the S&P 500 during the summer from a year earlier, according to FactSet. If they’re correct, it would be the third straight quarter of growth better than 25%. And companies need to hit those high numbers to justify the record-setting runs for their stock prices despite the many worries on Wall Street about high inflation, increased pressure from the bond market and the war with Iran. UnitedHealth Group’s stock swung sharply even though it reported stronger profit and revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected. The healthcare company also raised its forecast for profit over the full year of 2026. After rallying as much as 5.6% shortly after trading began, it erased all of it and finished with a dip of 0.2%.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO BY YUKI IWAMURA

Options traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange in New York. More firmly in the losing column was Wells Fargo, whose stock dropped 3.1% after the bank reported weaker revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected, even though its profit topped Wall Street’s estimates. CEO Charlie Scharf cited weaker revenue from its venture capital investments, among other things. But Scharf also gave a potentially encouraging signal about the broader economy and future profits for companies across industries. He said that “our data shows that our consumer and business customers are doing well.” That’s despite uncertainty about the economy and recent surveys showing Americans have become more discouraged about their finances. At the country’s biggest bank, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon highlighted “elevated asset prices” as one of the potential risks for the economy. He also mentioned high inflation, rising interest rates and “geopolitical conditions.” “These forces may be manageable, but we remain prepared for a wide range of outcomes,” he said. JPMorgan Chase’s stock flipped between gains and losses through the day before finishing with a drop of 0.9%. It reported a

weaker profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected, but it also gave a forecast for net interest income in the current quarter that topped Wall Street’s estimate. Outside of earnings reports, some of the sharpest action was for stocks in the computer chip industry. Worries have been high for a while about whether chip stock prices have shot too high in the frenzy around artificial-intelligence technology, and concerns climbed further following reports that China’s memory chipmaker CXMT is making advances that could challenge industry heavyweights. That includes companies like Micron Technology of Boise, Idaho, and Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix of South Korea. Micron fell 3.6% and was the single heaviest weight on the S&P 500. South Korea’s Kospi stock index tumbled 5.5% for its worst day in nearly two months. Bumble, meanwhile, leaped 56.6% after the app company that helps people make relationships said it agreed to a $1.3 billion, all-cash buyout by Ithaca Holdings. All told, the S&P 500 edged down by 1.79 points to 7,805.45. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 180.45 to 51,670.10, and the Nasdaq composite fell 41.52 to 27,204.38.

Cyberattacks hit European supermarket chains

food and reported fires. According supply chain. It is unprecedented, of our food security.” Refrigeration systems heart “It was a wake-up call for every- to BFM-TV, hackers forced a con- extremely serious, and unaccepttinuous defrost cycle and set tem- able,” Schelcher said. one,” he said. are disrupted Carrefour and Monoprix superSeparately, Dutch supermarket peratures as high as 122 degrees

BY ANGELA CHARLTON and DEE-ANN DURBIN Associated Press

PARIS — Cyberattacks disrupted European supermarket chains, affecting refrigeration systems at hundreds of stores in France and forcing a major grocer to shut down websites serving customers in Europe and the United States. French Finance Minister Roland Lescure told Parliament on Tuesday that about 700 of the country’s 10,000 supermarkets were affected. He said there was no risk to France’s food supplies but acknowledged that the attack “touches the

giant Ahold Delhaize said Tuesday it was working to restore systems it had shut down following what it described as a security issue. The company said its stores — including Albert Heijn in the Netherlands, Delhaize in Belgium and Stop & Shop, Food Lion and Giant in the United States — remained open, but the websites for those brands remained offline Tuesday. Ahold Delhaize said it had no evidence that customer or employee data had been stolen. The Paris prosecutor’s office said Tuesday that its cybercrime unit was investigating the large-scale attack in France, including the extent of damage caused by spoiled

F on stores’ refrigeration systems. French supermarket group Groupement Mousquetaires, which operates more than 4,000 stores across Europe, said 300 of its Intermarché and Netto stores were impacted. Some refrigerated and frozen food display cases remained out of service Tuesday. Dominique Schelcher, CEO of French grocery chain Cooperative U, said 80 of the company’s 2,000 stores were affected. Most managed to prevent disruptions to refrigeration, but some had to discard food, he said in a post on X. “Targeting equipment essential to the preservation of fresh products is an attack on the French food

markets were also impacted. The French government’s cybersecurity agency said Tuesday it was “aware of numerous compromises” involving refrigeration system remote control modules made by Danish company Danfoss as well as U.S.-based Copeland. Danfoss said Monday that most affected systems were older products that no longer received software or security updates, and that it was working with affected customers to limit the damage. “Danfoss has long advised customers to keep supported systems updated with the latest firmware, as well as to operate behind a firewall,” the company said.

The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Wednesday, October 14, 2026 ● 7A

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Report: Saudi-led coalition hit oil facilities west of Yemen’s capital BY FATMA KHALED Associated Press

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO BY FERNANDO LLANO

CAIRO — The Saudi Ministry of Energy said a limited fire broke out in an administrative building in Aramco, one of the world’s largest oil facilities, that was targeted in the country’s Eastern Province. The ministry said no injuries were reported. The attack comes as the Iranian-backed Houthis and the Saudi coalition exchanged attacks Tuesday night. It marks a fresh escalation in the widening Middle East crisis and came shortly after the Saudi co-

People walk on the beach Monday after the passing of Hurricane Simon in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

Associated Press

ENSENADA, Mexico — The death toll from Hurricane Simon and the remnants of Tropical Storm Rachel rose to six Tuesday after heavy rains triggered flooding and landslides along Mexico’s Pacific coast, authorities said. Hurricane Simon continued moving slowly off Mexico’s Pacific coast as a Category 1 storm, bringing heavy rain to Nayarit and Sinaloa states, where authorities remained on alert for rising rivers and flooding. Over the weekend, the hurricane brought heavy rain to the southern state of Guerrero, killing one person. But the worst damage was

reported farther north, in the coastal city of Ensenada, Baja California, where flooding caused by Rachel’s remnants killed at least five people. The victims included a 13-year-old girl whose body was found Sunday, two women ages 30 and 35 and a 4-year-old boy whose bodies were recovered Monday, and an unidentified person found near a stream Tuesday, the state prosecutor’s office told The Associated Press. Five others remained missing in Baja California, including three in Ensenada and a father and son who went fishing Saturday in San Felipe, on the Gulf of California, and never returned. About 300 military personnel, police and rescue workers searched along Ensena-

da’s El Pipila stream Tuesday, while the Mexican Navy continued looking for the missing fishermen, state civil protection authorities said. Floodwaters swept away vehicles, damaged homes and cut off access to some communities. Johana Nuriulu, a resident of Ensenada’s Buena Vista community, said the flooding began overnight, shortly after heavy rain knocked out electricity. “We heard a loud noise that sounded like ocean waves, but very intense,” she said. When she stepped outside, she discovered a nearby stream had overflowed. “The water was sweeping everything away; it took a cabin ... animals, everything.”

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Vendors submitting bids are re‐ electronically quired to provide the same documents as bid‐ ders submitting through the mail as soon as avail‐ able. Only a bid bond, check or certified cashier’s check shall be submitted as the bid se‐ curity. Electronic copies of both the front and back of the check or bid bond shall be included with the electronic bid. Bids must be signed in accordance with LRS Title 38:2212(B)5. A Cor‐ porate Resolution or Cer‐ tificate of Authority au‐ the person thorizing signing the bid is re‐ quired to be submitted with bid. Failure to sub‐ mit a Corporate Resolu‐ tion or Certificate of Au‐ thority with the bid shall be cause for rejection of bid. Copies of the bidding documents are available at the Purchasing Office located at 705 West Uni‐ Avenue, versity Lafayette, LA 70506. Tele‐ phone number (337) 2918034 (Attn: Keirston St. Amant). Bidding docu‐ ments shall be available until twenty-four (24) hours before the bid opening date. Each bid shall be accom‐ panied by a certified check, cashier’s check or bid bond payable to the Lafayette Consolidated Government, the amount of which shall be five percent (5%) of the base bid plus additive alter‐ nates. If a bid bond is used, it shall be written by a surety or insurance company currently on the U.S. Department of the Treasury Financial Management Service list approved bonding of companies which is pub‐ lished annually in the Federal Register, or by a Louisiana domiciled in‐ surance company with at l i i h

Public Notices Bids/Proposals p y least an A-Rating in the latest printing of the A.M. Best’s Key Rating Guide to write individual bonds up to ten percent (10%) of policyholders’ surplus as shown in the A.M. Best’s Key Rating Guide, or by an insurance com‐ pany in good standing li‐ censed to write bid bonds which is either domiciled in Louisiana or owned by Louisiana resi‐ dents. The bid bond shall be issued by a company licensed to do business in Louisiana and counter‐ signed by a person who is under contract with re‐ siding in this state. The certified check, cashier’s check, or bid bond shall be given as a guarantee that the bidder shall exe‐ cute the contract, should it be awarded to him, in conformity with the con‐ tract documents within ten (10) days. No bidder may withdraw his bid for at least fortyfive (45) days after the time scheduled for the opening of bids. Each bid shall be submitted only on the quotation form provided with the speci‐ fications. Bids will be evaluated by the Purchaser based on the lowest responsible and responsive bid sub‐ mitted which is also in compliance with the bid The documents. Lafayette Consolidated Government reserves the right to reject any and all bids for just cause in ac‐ cordance with LA R.S. 38§2214.B. The Lafayette Consoli‐ Government dated strongly encourages the participation of DBEs (Disadvantaged Business Enterprise) in all con‐ tracts or procurements let by the Lafayette Con‐ Government solidated for goods and services and labor and material. To that end, all contrac‐ tors and suppliers are encouraged to utilize b i

Public Notices Meet/Hear/Min

Complete Bid Documents are available in elec‐ tronic format from: Central Bidding (from Central Auction House) https://www.centralauct ionhouse.com/ Bids will be accepted until 2:00PM on Thurs‐ day, November 05, 2026. For inquiries contact: Architect Lisa Hargrave, lisa@hoffpauirstudio. com (225) 926-7406 Ext.1005 203241 Oct. 7, 14, 21, 2026 3t $294.19

Public Notices Meet/Hear/Min

PUBLIC NOTICE --Agenda City Zoning Commission Public Meeting Monday, October 19, 2026 5:30 P.M., or immediately following the conclusion of the Lafayette City Planning Commission, whichever occurs later Community Development and Planning Department 220 West Willow Street, Building C Town Hall Auditorium I. Call to Order II. Chair’s Opening Remarks III. Approval of the Minutes September 21, 2026 IV. New Business 1. Case No. 2026-18-REZ 302 Pershing Avenue Re‐ zoning A request to rezone the subject property, from RS-1 (Residential SingleFamily) to MN-1 (MixedUse Neighborhood) lo‐ cated generally north of East Foch Street, east of Marne Street, and south of Pershing Avenue. 2. Case No. 2026-20-REZ 107 Felicie Drive Rezon‐ ing A request to rezone the subject property, from RS-1 (Residential SingleFamily) to MN-1 (MixedUse Neighborhood) lo‐ cated generally north of Johnston Street, west of Felicie Drive, and south of Patricia Street.

p to Rules of Policy and Procedure i. Add Part IV: City Zoning Commission Policy ii. Add to proposed Part IV: A. The City of Lafayette Zoning Com‐ mission shall defer until the next regular meeting any application appear‐ ing before the Commis‐ sion where the applicant is not in attendance of the meeting where the application is scheduled to be heard.

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VI. Adjournment 3. Case No. 2026-21-REZ 600 Loire Avenue Rezon‐ ing A request to rezone the subject property, from CH (Commercial-Heavy) to IL (Industrial-Light) lo‐ cated generally north of Salvador Drive, east of Louis Arceneaux Road, and south of Vaucluse

202608 Oct. 4, 14, 18, 3t $63.78

Drive. V. Other Business 1. Director’s Report and review of Lafayette City Council action on mat‐ ters previously consid‐ ered by the Zoning Com‐ mission. 2. LDC Amendments 3. Proposed amendments l f li d

10-14,

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Public Notices Meet/Hear/Min

PURCHASING DIVISION Lafayette Consolidated Government PUBLISH DATES: 10-18 DPR 992929

overlooking the capital, and nearby storage areas ahead of a possible strike. Coalition spokesperson Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki accused the Houthis of using the facility and its underground fuel depots for their arsenal of missiles and drones. Houthi officials appeared to have anticipated the attack. The oil company said its storage facilities were empty and that a Saudi strike would not affect oil reserves or supplies for residents. Still, witnesses in the city said lines of cars formed at some gas stations.

Protection your loved ones deserve ...

Death toll from Hurricane Simon, Rachel rises to 6 BY FRANCISCO JAVIER CRUZ and MARTÍN SILVA REY

alition reported a series of alerts for incoming missiles heading for the country’s Eastern Province, a major oil-producing region and the capital Riyadh The strikes came shortly after a coalition spokesperson urged residents to evacuate the area for their safety. Witnesses reported hearing strong explosions in Sanaa hours after the coalition struck the Subaha fuel facility west of the city. In a rare statement earlier, the coalition had urged civilians in the Houthi-controlled capital to leave the Yemeni Oil Company site, on a hill

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NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING A series of Public Hearings will be held in accordance with LA R.S. 48:231 and conducted by the Joint Transportation, Highways and Public Works Committee. Below is a list of the times and places where the hearings will be held. The purpose of the hearings is to review highway construction priorities for the state fiscal year 2027-2028. A copy of the Preliminary Program for Fiscal Year 2027-2028 will be available for review on October 1, 2026, by interested persons at the LADOTD Headquarters Building, 1201 Capitol Access Road, Room 200M, Baton Rouge, LA 70802 or online at https://www.dotd. la.gov/. All interested persons are invited for the purpose of becoming fully acquainted with the proposed program and will be afforded an opportunity to express their views in person. Oral testimony may be supplemented by presenting important facts and documentation in writing. Comments may also be provided at the link above. All interested parties will be able to listen to the meeting virtually. The information to participate virtually will be posted at the link above. Written statements and comments can be handed to the committee conducting the hearing or mailed to the following address, postmarked within 45 calendar days following the final hearing: JOINT TRANSPORTATION, HIGHWAYS AND PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE C/O LA DOTD (SECTION 85) P.O. BOX 94245 BATON ROUGE, LA 70804-9245 Should anyone requiring special assistance due to a disability wish to participate in this public hearing, please contact LADOTD (Attn: Ms. Mary Elliott) by mail at the address above or by telephone at (225) 379-1218 at least five days prior to the date of the public hearing. LEGISLATIVE PUBLIC HEARINGS FOR THE HIGHWAY PRIORITY CONSTRUCTION PROGRAM (2027-2028) Date & Time

DOTD District

Parishes

Location

Tuesday, October 20, 2026 10:00 am

02

Jefferson (Grand Isle only), Lafourche, Terrebonne

Terrebonne Parish Council Chambers Government Tower 705 W University Ave, Lafayette

Tuesday, October 20, 2026 2:30 pm

02

Jefferson (except Grand Isle), Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles

Jefferson Parish Council Chambers Yenni Building 1221 Elmwood Park Blvd, New Orleans

Wednesday, October 21, 2026 9:00 am

62

Livingston, St. Helena, St. John the Baptist, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Washington

Tangipahoa Parish Council Chambers 206 E Mulberry St Amite City

Wednesday, October 21, 2026 1:30 pm

61

Ascension, Assumption, E. Baton Rouge, E. Feliciana, Iberville, Pointe Coupee, St. James, W. Baton Rouge, W. Feliciana

State Capitol Basement, House Committee Room 6, Baton Rouge

Tuesday, October 27, 2026 10:00 am

58

Caldwell, Catahoula, Concordia, Franklin, LaSalle, Tensas

Franklin Parish School Board Franklin Media Center 7293 Prairie Rd, Winnsboro

Tuesday, October 27, 2026 2:00 pm

05

E. Carroll, Jackson, Lincoln, Monroe Civic Center Miro-Madison Madison, Morehouse, Ouachita, Room Richland, Union, W. Carroll 401 Lea Joyner Expressway, Monroe

Wednesday, October 28, 2026 8:30 am

04

Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Claiborne, Desoto, Red River, Webster

Bossier City Council Chambers 620 Benton Rd Bossier City

Wednesday, October 28, 2026 2:30 pm

08

Avoyelles, Grant, Natchitoches, Rapides, Sabine, Vernon, Winn

Pineville City Hall Council Meeting Room 910 Main Street, Pineville

Thursday, October 29, 2026 9:00 am

07

Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron, Jeff Davis

Calcasieu Parish Police Jury Council Chambers 1015 Pithon St, Lake Charles

Thursday, October 29, 2026 1:30 pm

03

Acadia, Evangeline, Iberia, Lafayette, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Mary, Vermilion

Lafayette Consolidated Government City Hall Council Chambers Auditorium 705 W University Ave, Lafayette

201255-659197-oct 7-14-2t $ 313.60

lll

TODAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

MONDAY

A t-storm around in the p.m.

Mostly sunny and warm

Sunshine and remaining warm

Breezy in the a.m.; some sun

Mostly sunny

An afternoon t-storm or two

LOW

HIGH

LOW

HIGH

88° 64°

LOW

90° 58°

Beaumont 89/72 Port Arthur 87/74

Baton Rouge 93/63

Lake Charles 91/69

New Orleans 88/69 Houma 89/64

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

0s

Hattiesburg 95/60

Alexandria 93/63

Lafayette 91/66

10s

20s

30s

40s

50s

LOW

HIGH

LOW

83° 68°

YESTERDAY

Lafayette through 5 p.m. Tuesday

Jackson 95/62 Many 94/63

HIGH

82° 65°

TEMPERATURE

Longview 92/67

-0s

LOW

Monroe 96/65

Shreveport 89/67

-10s

HIGH

77° 53°

60s

70s

80s

90s 100s 110s

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

Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today

OCT 18

HIGH

9:52a 4:06a 9:36p ----11:29p 12:42a

LAST

OCT 25

Austin Boston Dallas Fairbanks Honolulu Las Vegas Louisville Miami Nashville

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

FT.

Hi

TODAY

91 78 90 41 88 75 83 89 89

Lo

71 53 73 29 75 59 70 79 71

NEW

NOV 1

W

t pc t c s s r t t

NOV 9

Hi

THU.

91 62 88 43 87 80 81 90 91

Lo

67 49 61 28 75 63 61 77 66

LOW

0.00” 0.89” 1.84” 47.05” 50.54”

FT.

HIGH

0.9 9:59p 0.2 2.1 2:11p 0.6 2.4 10:56a 0.3 --- 2:34p 0.2 --- 11:06a 0.3 2.1 9:25a 0.3 1.9 12:08p 0.3

7:09 a.m. 6:38 p.m. 11:02 a.m. 9:05 p.m.

FULL

City

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

89°/72° 82°/61° 85°/59° 92° in 2015 41° in 1946

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

FIRST

PRECIPITATION

W

s s pc sf sh s t t pc

---------------

LOW

---------------

READING 45 MAIN POLLUTANT Ozone

MAIN POLLUTANT Ozone

FT.

---------------

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 Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday

City

2:23a 3:19a 4:14a 5:08a 5:58a 6:46a 7:29a

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

Hi

88 87 84 79 75 92 77 80 89

8:35a 9:31a 10:27a 11:20a 12:10p 12:34a 1:18a

TODAY Lo

69 71 59 60 54 63 69 57 73

2:48p 9:01p 3:44p 9:57p 4:39p 10:52p 5:33p 11:45p 6:23p ---7:09p 12:57p 7:52p 1:40p

W

s sh t s sh s r s s

Hi

88 89 67 89 68 91 83 87 88

THU. Lo

73 72 59 70 62 67 50 63 73

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

W

s s pc s sh pc t s t

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

TUE. 24-HOUR STAGE CHANGE

7.80 22.50 24.30 10.10 5.90 4.02 3.60

-1.23 +0.95 +0.12 -0.45 -0.09 -0.45 +0.03

40

20.19

-1.31

19

-1.58

+0.02

18 29 8

-1.33 9.71 2.80

none none -0.54

13 15

1.34 0.57

-0.18 -0.01

47 34 29 20 12 6

8.93 6.03 4.79 4.45 3.90 3.08

-0.11 -0.22 none -0.31 none -0.26

Forecasts and graphics, except for Damon’s Outlook, provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2026

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34 48 48 35 27 22 17

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#

FLOOD STAGE

ULE ED

N O R T H A M ER I CA’S

MODERATE

SOURCE: LOUISIANA DEQ AND AIRNOW.GOV

FT.

---------------

TODAY

GOOD

T

HIGH

91° 66°

After some party to mostly cloudy skies with scattered rain yesterday, we should find ourselves mostly sunny, mostly dry and hot today with a light breeze. Winds are southerly at 5 to 10 mph, so you may notice humidity higher than we’ve had for most of the week. Temperatures will remain well above average, rising to the upper 80s to low 90s. Temps are expected to remain that high until a cold front moves through on Friday. There is no rainfall in the forecast today and we probably won’t see any more until next week.

AP P

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8A ● Wednesday, October 14, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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1bn

One Medicaid coverage plan in question

states due to weak profit margins. those, roughly 357,000 are insured Ochsner, insurer in dispute over contract Monday. And in December 2025, Loui- through Louisiana Healthcare The contract dispute and uncer-

BY ALYSE PFEIL Staff writer

Healthcare coverage by one of the state’s four remaining Medicaid insurers is in question due to a contract dispute between the insurer and the state’s largest health system, health officials said Monday. Louisiana Healthcare Connections is one of four plans currently slated to provide Medicaid coverage in Louisiana next year. But in

June, the company told Ochsner Health it plans to end its contract with the health system effective Dec. 1, according to a recent letter Ochsner sent to Louisiana Department of Health Medicaid Director Seth Gold. Without Ochsner providers in network, Louisiana Healthcare Connections could fall short of network adequacy standards, government requirements that insurers cover enough doctors and hospitals for patients, Gold said

tainty about the Medicaid plan’s future come after two of Louisiana’s other Medicaid insurers announced within the last 12 months that they will no longer provide coverage in the state. Healthy Blue, owned by parent company Elevance, decided this year to leave Louisiana’s Medicaid market effective Jan. 1. The company has not said why it is ending services here, though Elevance reportedly announced this summer that it planned to downsize its Medicaid business in a number of

siana did not renew its Medicaid contract with United Healthcare after Attorney General Liz Murrill clashed with the insurer over its pharmacy benefit manager, OptumRx. Now, starting in January, four insurers are on track to offer Medicaid plans in Louisiana, down from six last year. As of August, 1.2 million people are enrolled in Healthy Louisiana, the state’s Medicaid program, which provides health insurance to poor and disabled people. Of

H

H

H

H

H

Hopefuls vie for Carencro mayor

Holy Rosary site to add $5.9M project

Candidates clash over audits, growth, city’s future

BY ADAM DAIGLE

Acadiana business editor

The Holy Rosary site in north Lafayette stretches back over 100 years and began as a school educating Black girls. The school opened in 1913 to provide opportunities for children who had few. But when it closed in 1993, much of the campus at the corner of Louisiana Avenue and Carmel Drive sat barren. On Tuesday, the redevelopment of that site took another step with the groundbreaking of the Small Business Success Center, a project led by the Lafayette Economic Development Authority that leaders say will give opportunity to that same north Lafayette community. The center, which will be next to the northeast library, will bring together partners and resources for entrepreneurs to start and grow their business. “We hear a lot about equity these days, and that’s become a bad word,” said Dustin Cravins,

BY JOEL THOMPSON Staff writer

Carencro voters will choose among three candidates for mayor in November, with incumbent Charlotte Stemmans Clavier defending her record against two challengers who say the city needs a different approach to government. Clavier, a Republican elected in 2022, is seeking a second term. She faces Republican Don Chauvin, who lost to her by 92 votes in 2022, and Democrat Eric Knight, a military veteran and political newcomer. The candidates have offered contrasting views on city government, from financial oversight and infrastructure to recreation, utility costs and how residents should help shape Carencro’s future. Clavier’s first term has drawn criticism over the city’s financial audits. An audit found 26 instances of noncompliance, a sharp increase from the previous administration. Clavier said the number dropped to three in the most recent audit. Clavier attributed the earlier findings in part to turnover at City Hall after she took office in 2023. Her administration inherited federally funded projects that were already under construction or moving through the pipeline, she said, while some employees responsible for overseeing them were new to those duties. “We had come in with a bunch of federally funded projects either in construction or coming down the pipeline, and a lot of the employees overseeing them were not the ones that had been doing so before,” Clavier said. “They did the best job that they could, and I can’t say enough positive about them. All the money that was supposed to be there was there, and it ended up in the wrong accounts, which is what most of the findings were.” Chauvin, who served as city manager for six years under former Mayor Glenn Brasseux, attributed the audit problems to what he called a lack of experience and institutional knowledge. “It’s because of a complete lack of institutional knowledge,” Chauvin said. “The people she brought in were not skilled in government accounting.” Chauvin also criticized Clavier’s decision to disband the commission that oversaw Pelican Park, saying the change weakened financial safeguards. “She disbanded the commission

ä See ELECTION, page 4B

ä See MEDICAID, page 4B

Ground broken on small business center

ELECTION H

Connections. It is unclear why Louisiana Healthcare Connections, owned by parent company Centene, and Ochsner have not reached an agreement. Louisiana Healthcare Connections did not respond to a request for comment. Ochsner provided a statement but did not answer questions about what is causing the disagreement. “As the largest provider of

STAFF PHOTOS BY BRAD BOWIE

A costumed Morgan Wilson stirs her smoked turkey and sausage gumbo during Acadian Companies’ gumbo cook-off in Lafayette on Tuesday. The cook-off featured 15 teams cooking in celebration of Acadian’s Employee Stock Ownership Program.

GUMBO JUMBO

Samples are served during Acadian Companies’ gumbo cook-off on Tuesday.

ä See PROJECT, page 4B

2 Evangeline officers arrested after probe Women face malfeasance, contraband, additional charges

BY KRISTIN ASKELSON Staff writer

Two correctional officers at the Evangeline Parish Detention Center have been arrested following an internal investigation into alleged criminal activity at the facility, the Evangeline Parish Sheriff’s Office said. Kiana Mayo and Bethaney Lewis were arrested at the detention center without incident after investigators gathered evidence and obtained arrest warrants, according to a Sheriff’s Office news release. Both women face charges of malfeasance in office, taking contraband into a penal facility, criminal conspiracy and possession of a

ä See PROBE, page 4B

2B l Wednesday, October 14, 2026 l theadvocate.com l The Acadiana Advocate

OPINION lll

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

OUR VIEWS

Recommendations for the constitutional amendments on the Nov. 3 ballot Louisiana voters will consider 10 proposed constitutional amendments in the Nov. 3 election, with early voting running from Tuesday, Oct. 20 through Tuesday, Oct. 27. Five of them concern property taxes; on these issues, we have generally opposed erosion of our tax base with exemptions that create special classes of citizens. We all benefit from the services that government provides and should contribute to their continuation. On the property tax amendments, the newspaper makes the following recommendations. The paper will publish recommendations on the remaining amendments tomorrow. Amendment 1: Expansion of Property Tax Exemption for Spouses of Disabled Veterans. No. Louisiana currently grants a property tax exemption to surviving spouses of disabled veterans if they remain in the same home. This would allow the spouse to transfer that benefit one time to another property, as long as the new exemption does not exceed the original. While these spouses may be well-deserving, we must stick with our principles in this case and say that even narrowly tailored exemptions do not need to be enshrined in our constitution. The state can and should help this population in other ways. Amendment 2: Flexibility in Property Tax Adjustments. Yes. This amendment would allow a local government to lower the amount of a millage it collects and then return it to the higher, voter-approved rate any time during the millage’s term, rather than just once every four years. In other words, it still allows voters to set a maximum rate, while allowing local officials to reduce it temporarily if warranted. We believe this new flexibility would discourage taxing bodies from rolling millages forward if there’s no immediate reason, in case they might need the revenue in the future. Amendment 6: Increase Property Tax Exemptions for Senior Citizens. No. This amendment would allow local parishes and municipalities, with a vote of the public, to gradually increase the homestead exemption for senior citizens whose adjusted gross income falls below $100,000, or a future cap as adjusted for inflation. While we support making it easier for seniors to stay in their homes, we are concerned that such special property tax breaks erode the funding available to support government services and schools. They also exacerbate inequities between homeowners and shift the burden to fewer taxpayers, particularly younger ones who also may struggle to pay their bills. Amendment 9: Broaden the Special Assessment Which Freezes Property. No. This is another attempt to provide tax relief to older residents. The amendment would boost the income cutoff to receive a special assessment, or tax freeze, from $100,000 to $150,000. We recommend a “no” vote here too, for the same reasons we outlined under Amendment 6. Amendment 10: Tax Break for Rehabilitated Blighted Properties. No. This amendment would allow localities to grant property tax exemptions on rehabilitated formerly blighted residential property of up to 75% of its assessed value for up to 20 years. The tax exemption stays with the owner of the property, not the original developer. Putting blighted property back into commerce is a worthwhile goal, but 20 years strikes us an unduly long period of tax relief. We also have the same overall concerns here that we do about proposed tax breaks discussed elsewhere.

YOUR VIEWS

La. deserves better than Kennedy

Proposed Head Start changes don’t add up for children I have administered federal grants for 20 years and lead an Early Head Start program. I am writing about the Head Start rule changes proposed Aug. 7. Rules can always be improved, but changes have to make sense for the children and programs living with them. These do not add up. The YWCA serves children from 6 weeks to 2 years old. Federal rules cap those classrooms at eight children with two teachers, each primarily responsible for no more than four. Anyone who has held a 6-week-old while a toddler needed changing understands why somebody wrote those numbers down. The changes would replace those limits with state minimums. In Louisiana, the minimum for infants is one adult for every five children, with groups as large as 15. The same classroom that holds eight babies today could hold 15. They would also cut the administra-

tive share of a grant from 15% to 5%, a level only 3.7% of Head Start grants meet. My organization is the grantee. We do our own payroll, audit, federal reporting and compliance, and 5% does not pay the people who do that work. When the cap falls short, the money comes from program funds, leaving fewer resources for classrooms. Louisiana has members of Congress in positions that matter here. Sen. John Kennedy serves on Senate Appropriations. Sen. Bill Cassidy chairs the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. Rep. Julia Letlow is vice chair of the House Appropriations subcommittee that funds Head Start. I hope they will listen to providers and families.

Recently on NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” Sen. John Kennedy stated that he would consider running for president if “goobers” on his side of the aisle decided to run. That is more than a little ironic, coming just days after Kennedy was part of the Republican kangaroo court grilling former special prosecutor Jack Smith about the investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, riot which attempted to take over the halls of American government. When things weren’t playing out as Kennedy and the other GOP persecutors had hoped, he tauntingly interrupted Smith’s responses with not-so-salient questions: “Do you believe in the tooth fairy?” and “How about the Easter Bunny?” When Smith indicated that he did not in response to both questions, Kennedy accused Smith of stalling his answers and angrily added a final oratorical gem, “You make me want to throw up in my mouth.” That response was as undignified and irrelevant as his prior questions, especially because Smith was not stalling; he was rudely interrupted by Kennedy. Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines the noun “goober” as “a naive, ignorant or foolish person.” Any objective person watching that moronic diatribe by Kennedy (it is available unedited online) would reasonably conclude that he is a goober. His attack-mode questioning of Smith also clearly indicates that he was on a political character assassination rip, not a fact-finding mission. Kennedy’s highly partisan and unobjective conduct does not reflect well on Louisiana or its citizens. We deserve and should demand better representation. I hope the voters will remember his grandstanding when Sen. Goober comes up for reelection.

DIANNA PAYTON president and CEO, YWCA Greater Baton Rouge Baton Rouge

Voters deserve to hear Letlow, Davis debate In a democracy, the quest for a more perfect union is made possible by opposing views being discussed in an open, civil debate in front of the public. That is not happening in the U.S. Senate race. U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow, R-Baton Rouge, has refused to debate her opponent, Jamie Davis. Letlow has a Ph.D., not an easy accomplishment. Davis is a successful farmer, equally as hard. The public deserves to hear the two sides present their vision for the future of Louisiana. Several TV stations have offered to sponsor the debate. Letlow’s Ph.D. is in communications,

but she has made a choice to communicate only through paid advertisements rather than face-to-face. To me, that is like a child communicating only through social media rather than having a conversation. I would think that she would be confident in her public speaking skills. If Letlow makes a choice not to let the citizens hear and see her in person on a debate stage, there is no way I can use my vote for her — someone who hides from a public debate.

CHARLEY VANCE Amite

Lack of progress on I-10 infrastructure frustrating

CORRECTION An editorial on Thursday misstated the cost of the sciences complex on the Southern University campus. It is $68 million, not $68 billion

I am writing to express my deep frustration regarding the ongoing lack of progress on the Baton Rouge interstate infrastructure, particularly the Interstate 10 bridge. In Alabama, Mobile recently secured a $2.52 billion federal loan to begin construction on a $3 billion I-10 bridge to relieve its severe traffic bottlenecks. Meanwhile, residents of the Baton Rouge metropolitan area have dealt with constant gridlock on I-10 for nearly two decades. The eastbound reduction to a single lane remains a major issue.

It is unacceptable that major improvements to a critical interstate system have been repeatedly delayed, even as projects like the John James Audubon Bridge were approved. Our past and present leaders should be held accountable for failing to address this critical issue for over 20 years. The residents and commuters of the Baton Rouge region deserve meaningful solutions and immediate action on I-10.

PAUL WAIDHAS Metairie

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COMMENTARY Lessons from Jim Bakker’s death In the 1980s the media gave them the name “televangelists.” These were men (and a few women) who preached a “prosperity gospel,” which claimed that God would reward donors who gave money to their “ministries.” Jim Bakker, who died last week at age 86, was among the most successful of the group, if your standard for success is money and fame. Bakker spent four and a half years in prison after being convicted in 1989 of defrauding followers in a scheme involving holidays at his Heritage Cal USA Christian theme Thomas park and resort. I opposed his imprisonment, recommending the biblical standard of restitution. Putting him in prison, I said, did not help the people who had been defrauded. He wrote me a letter from his prison cell, thanking me. When Bakker was released from prison I invited him to my home. I had met him on a few occasions and appeared once on his “PTL” TV show. “PTL” stood for “Praise the Lord,” or “People That Love,” which he used interchangeably. Bakker “loved” in an unbiblical way. A woman named Jessica Hahn claimed Bakker drugged and raped her when she was a 21-yearold church secretary. Hahn was given a $279,000 (equivalent to $790,663 in 2025) pay-off for her silence, which was paid with PTL’s funds to Hahn through Bakker associate Roe Messner. In a drama resembling a soap opera, Bakker’s wife, Tammy Faye, divorced him and married Messner. When he came to my home, I said, “I think I know the answer to this question, but I want to hear it from you. When did you start to go wrong?” Bakker replied, “When I surrounded myself with people who told me only what I wanted to hear.” That should also be a warning for politicians. I told him that television was like a drug and he had been a heavy “user.” I advised him to stay off TV. He did for a while but went back in 2023 with a new wife (Tammy Faye had died) and a new show. Religion can occasionally be as phony as politics. Both require lots of money and both have been guilty of some-

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO

Jim Bakker speaks to a television audience in 1986 at PTL Ministry in Fort Mill, S.C. times not telling the truth. Even some non-Christians may be familiar with the verse: “The love of money is the root of all evil.” (1 Timothy 6:10) It goes on to say, “ Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” That was true of Bakker, as well as the late Jimmy Swaggart who was caught with a prostitute in a seedy motel, but managed to continue on TV, duping his declining number of followers. It’s sad to see how so many people can be fooled into believing lies. I blame biblical illiteracy. In 2019, the Pew Research Center published a survey titled “What Americans Know About Religion.” When examining evangelical knowledge of the Bible, they found: n Only 66% of evangelicals knew that Jesus was from Nazareth, while 86% knew that Moses led the Israelites out

of Egypt. n Only 69% of evangelicals knew that Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount, while 91% knew that David killed Goliath with a stone. n 25% of evangelicals thought the Golden Rule was one of the Ten Commandments. And yet some of these same people want the Ten Commandments placed in public schools. This one always makes me laugh: “Surveys by the Barna Research Group show that roughly 10% to 12% of Americans mistakenly believe Joan of Arc was the wife of Noah.” After the laughter and “holier than thou” expressions recede, there is still the problem of TV evangelists ripping off decent, gullible people. Jim Bakker is gone, but others remain. Email Cal Thomas at tcaeditors@ tribpub.com.

The Republican senator who’s fed up with presidential family sleaze John Curtis is happy, even though tory decisions.” he is a U.S. senator. And although his Curtis’s letter urges Grassley to demeanor is as mild as an Indian sum- subpoena these two presidential sons to testify in order to “establish the mer in October, the Republican has done something comparable to poking facts, determine whether existing ethics, disclosure, or anti-corruption a puma with a short stick. laws apply, and identify reAfter a business career, Curtis became mayor of Provo, forms necessary to prevent the Utah’s fourth-largest city, presidency from becoming a then served three terms in the vehicle for private enrichment House. He could be as unhappy by those closest to it.” as former executives often Including, presumably, presiare when they find themselves George dents. The current one in his waist-deep in the molasses of second term has traded more Will legislative processes. securities than all members of Curtis, however, takes seCongress combined. The poet Don Marquis (1878-1937) riously the congressional duty to said: “Writing a book of poetry is like exercise oversight of the executive dropping a rose petal down the Grand branch. So, in this second year of his Canyon and waiting for the echo.” first term, he has written a letter to Curtis’s letter is like that. Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley-R, chair of Grassley has spent 51 of his 93 years the Judiciary Committee. on Capitol Hill mastering the art of In it, Curtis notes the collapse of dusty responses to awkward specificipublic trust in government, and one reason for this: “Members of presities. He replied to Curtis’s letter not dential families using their names and with a letter, but with comments to a proximity to the President to advance reporter who posted them on X: “I think the fact is that it takes time, private business interests.” The reand if you were going to ask me when markable seediness of the two most you’re going to have a hearing, there’s recent presidential families has prono way I could answer that today.” vided a target-rich environment. There was Hunter Biden. Now there And Grassley made this self-refuting promise: “I’m going to take his reis Donald Trump Jr.’s “acceptance of significant gifts,” including “a lavquest seriously and sit down with staff and see what we can do.” ish wedding afterparty, on a private Translation: Go away. Curtis’s letter island,” Curtis writes, provided by a Russian oligarch close to Vladimir Pu- is, however, a wholesome declaration tin. There are also Trump Jr.’s “active of senatorial independence. It is an afpromotion of family-backed cryptofirmation that politics is a team sport currency ventures, his continued pur- only up to a point — the point at which legislative responsibilities supersede suit of international real estate deals involving direct meetings with foreign party loyalties. Without this, the Madiheads of state, and his reported invest- sonian equilibrium — the checks and balances between the legislative and ments in defense contracting” and “significant financial and advisory ties executive branches — collapses. It has collapsed. Those who created to prediction market platforms that the constitutional architecture in 1787 depend on favorable federal regula-

neither anticipated nor desired what existed by 1800 — a party system. It took another century for party loyalties and presidentialism to eclipse Congress’s institutional pride and dilute its jealous protection of its primacy. The great issues of the 19th century — tariffs for revenue, the disposal of public lands, the confinement, or not, of slavery — were ruled on by Congress. Debates there were widely disseminated for a public of avid newspaper readers. Curtis has taken a risk. The federal government touches everything. Its executive branch, wielded by someone gifted at nursing grudges, could torment Utah. The federal government owns 64.4% of Utah’s land, secondmost among the states (Nevada, 80.1%). Also, drought and development have put extraordinary pressure on declining water resources, giving fresh pertinence to an old Western axiom: “Whiskey is for drinking, water is for fighting over.” The West has booming, and thirsty, metropolises. Curtis, who was not born yesterday, knows that all the Republican senators willing to offend the poked puma could share one bowl of the Senate restaurant’s bean soup. But he also knows that a not-negligible number of them have indicated that they are glad he wrote his letter. When he is no longer a senator — may that day be long distant — he says this will have been “one of my proudest moments.” If emulated, an accumulation of such moments could produce the rebirth of a healthy, rivalrous relation between presidents and Congress. Email George Will at georgewill@washpost.com.

How populist politics succeeds and fails Why is populism, broadly defined, on the brink of historic victories around the world, while populism in the form of President Donald Trump’s Republican Party is poised to lose one or both houses of Congress in the United States? The troubles Trump’s Republicans face are not a mystery. It was always unlikely that Republicans would maintain their hair’s-breadth House majority. But the 2026 lineup of Senate seats looked favorable, with only one Republican defending a seat in a state Kamala Harris carried and all but one defending seats in states Trump carried by double digits in 2024. At least two Democrats were defending seats in states Trump carried in 2024, and retirements opened up two other seats in marginal states. That picture has now changed. Persistent inflation, some of it plausibly triggered by Trump’s tariffs, has hurt Republicans. Democrats have Michael sprinted to big polling leads in GeorBarone gia and North Carolina, and various combinations of weak Republicans and strong Democrats have left Republicans trailing in Alaska, Iowa, Ohio and Texas — states Trump carried by double digits two years ago. Democrats are already planning investigations of Trump’s financial shenanigans and drafting articles of impeachment. They have high hopes of a 2028 trifecta: the House, Senate and presidency. Republicans’ trifecta hopes are clouded by the prospect of primaries pitting Trump supporters against his opponents. What a different picture in the rest of the world. Populist veteran Marine Le Pen is the frontrunner for president of France next year, while next month’s snap election in Spain is likely to put the populist Vox party into a governing coalition. Germany’s populist AfD just won the state election in Saxony-Anhalt, and it’s getting hard to imagine how the traditional parties can keep excluding it from federal coalitions. Italy’s Giorgia Meloni, with roots in a populist party that had been excluded from power for years, heads the longest-serving government in post-World War II Italy. Britain’s populist Reform UK party has lost its lead in public polls after the Labour government ditched Keir Starmer and installed Andy Burnham as prime minister. But it’s interesting that Labour, founded in 1900, felt obliged to reach beyond the usual parliamentary leadership ranks to select first a professional barrister and then a regional mayor. Reform UK, founded in 2018, is still polling ahead of the Conservatives, whose roots go back to 1846. The populist complaint, voiced in loud and raucous terms, is that established parties in government have not just failed to solve these problems but have refused to do so. They have cordoned off populist parties and candidates, as if opposing open borders for immigrants who are difficult to assimilate or supporting tough sentences for violent criminals were morally equivalent to Nazi or communist mass murder. So how do we explain why populism is on the rise beyond the U.S., even as it seems mired in failure here? One explanation is that Trumpism is not really mired in failure. Trump has been president of the U.S. for almost six of the last 10 years and has had substantial policy successes. They range from economic growth exceeding that of other major countries to the recent treaty promising American control of Greenland. That success is part of his problem. After three and a half years of the Biden administration arguing that the law left it no alternative to an open-door immigration policy, the second Trump administration has proved that the border can be controlled. This success signals to a future administration that it will pay a steep price if it returns to open borders. But for the moment, voters no longer need a Trumpist to close the border. It’s been done. There is something in the nature of populist politics — the willingness to take on and persevere against established media, corporate, academic and party elites — that produces a peculiarly personal kind of leadership. Success in ignoring hoary shibboleths only encourages such leaders to defy warnings they would be better off heeding. The president’s party has suffered as well from his choice of suboptimal Republican nominees, which has already cost Republicans several Senate seats and seems on the verge of, amazingly, costing them a Senate seat in Texas as well. A leader who has gotten where he is by defying conventional wisdom that proves wrong gets into the habit of defying it even when, as on many occasions, it is absolutely right. From time to time, we hear predictions from politicians, both populist and conventional, that their side will govern for the next generation. That seldom happens. In the 32 years since 1994, presidential elections have produced party trifectas -- majorities in both houses of Congress and control of the presidency -- in six of eight election years. But only once did a trifecta last as long as four years, and in one case, it ended after five months. Populist movements can achieve worthy goals spurned by more conventional forces. But they are subject to the rules that every person’s strength is also his weakness and that, in human affairs, success tends to breed failure. Michael Barone is on X, @MichaelBarone.

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4B ● Wednesday, October 14, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

PROJECT

not how your start but how you finish, and we’re going to finish strong.” The Holy Rosary Redevelopment Board has led the effort to stabilize and restore the institute while also attracting new investment to the roughly 40-acre campus that includes the small shopping center and adjacent apartments. The library, to be named in honor of longtime educator and civic leader Norman C. Francis, is also expected to open in 2028. The center will cater to Main Street businesses, solo entrepreneurs and gig economy workers, Mitchell said. It already has the Lafayette Community Development Fund signed as an anchor tenant. It will also serve a different role than LEDA’s Opportunity Machine, which serves startups in the tech industry. “This is a beautiful day here today,” City Council member Kenneth Boudreaux said. “We’re taking bad stuff down — whether you like it or not — and we’re putting good stuff up. It’s going to be high quality and something that we can be proud of. But we still have to finish.”

Continued from page 1B

president of the Holy Rosary Redevelopment Board. “Equity is about giving everyone a chance and meeting people where they are, and that’s what this business center does. We are meeting this community where it is.” The $5.9 million center will occupy 8,600 square feet and is expected to be open to the public in January 2028, LEDA President and CEO Mandi Mitchell said. It was funded through LEDA and state capital outlay funds. It will include offices for LEDA’s small business team, training rooms and private counseling offices. The center was a priority for state Sen. Gerald Boudreaux, who in 2021 got a resolution passed in the Legislature in which he was critical of LEDA and urged the agency to come up with a comprehensive economic development strategy for north Lafayette. “This is the most transformative project we will have in this community for a long time,” said Boudreaux, whose term in the Legislature ends next year. “There’s nothing else in Lafay- Email Adam Daigle at ette Parish that can match it. It’s adaigle@theadvocate.com.

MEDICAID

Continued from page 1B Medicaid services across the state of Louisiana, our focus is always on supporting the health and well-being of the people and communities we serve,” Ochsner’s statement said. “We work closely with state leaders toward that shared goal. As part of that ongoing collaboration, we recently provided LDH with an update on our provider network agreement with Louisiana Healthcare Connections. By being proac-

ELECTION

Continued from page 1B and replaced it with four people making $180,000 a year. When the system went, the safeguards went,” Chauvin said. Clavier said records were sent directly to City Hall for auditors after the commission was disbanded, but some documents were missing. She believes a fire at the city building where records were kept may explain why auditors did not receive all the necessary documents. Chauvin disputes that explanation. He said he was among the firefighters who responded to the blaze and that records on the third floor were untouched. “I was at the firefighting group that fought the fire. The records were untouched on the third floor, but they disappeared,” Chauvin said.

Infrastructure, affordability Chauvin has made infrastructure a central part of his campaign, arguing that Clavier has neglected road improvements and that the city needs to address traffic congestion as it grows. “There has been zero asphalt laid over the last four years,” Chauvin said. “There needs to be more work done in identifying where changes ought to be made.” He singled out the roundabout at Interstate 49’s Exit 4, which he said has not kept pace with growth in the city’s business corridor. “The Exit 4 roundabout has not kept up with the growth,” Chauvin said. “You have to have someone who

PROBE

Continued from page 1B Schedule I controlled dangerous substance. The first three charges are felonies, according to the release. Each woman’s bail was set at $15,000 for the first three charges. The release did not specify the bail amount, if any, for the drug possession charge. The investigation began after the Sheriff’s Office received information about possible misconduct involving detention center employees. Investigators conducted surveillance, interviewed individuals and collected evidence related

tive and forthcoming about the status of those discussions, our goal is to help ensure Medicaid beneficiaries have clear information and can continue receiving the care they need without disruption.” In a to the Health Department dated Oct. 9, Ochsner said that since June it has “continued goodfaith negotiations to reach an agreement and avoid disrupting care for LHCC members.” “The potential impact on patients is significant. Ochsner serves more than 70,000 LHCC patients each year,” the letter says. In a Sept. 22 news release, Loui-

can work with DOTD to get the ball moving on that project.” Knight has focused on affordability and the impact of utility costs on families. He said he wants the city to examine contract provisions that allow companies to raise prices when fuel costs increase. “There are clauses in their contracts that give companies the ability to fluctuate prices when gas prices go up,” Knight said. “I’d like to see us analyze that so we could build a reserve fund, so we can tap into that instead of having utility rates increase.” Knight said his campaign is focused on bringing decision-making closer to residents rather than promoting a fixed agenda. He describes his goal as bringing “power back into the home” and advocating for Carencro families. A former National Guard member and offshore worker, Knight said he has been going door to door, often with his wife and six children, to hear from voters. “People don’t have faith in government here,” Knight said. “People in Carencro have been put in a position where they feel like their voice doesn’t matter. They’re not being heard.”

Growth and public input Recreation is another priority shared by the candidates, though they differ in how they describe the city’s needs. Clavier said she wants to explore creating a recreation master plan similar to the drainage master plan the city introduced last year.

to the alleged introduction of contraband into the facility, the release said. Sheriff Charles R. Guillory said the agency would investigate allegations of misconduct regardless of an employee’s position. “The actions of a few individuals do not reflect the professionalism and dedication of the men and women who faithfully serve the citizens of Evangeline Parish each day,” Guillory said. “When allegations of misconduct are brought to our attention, we will investigate them thoroughly and hold anyone accountable who violates the law, regardless of their position within our agency.” The investigation remains

lll

STAFF PHOTO BY LESLIE WESTBROOK

Alex Lazard, executive director of the Lafayette Public Trust Financing Authority, from left; state Sen. Gerald Boudreaux; Mandi Mitchell, president and CEO of Lafayette Economic Development Authority; City Council member Kenneth Boudreaux; Lafayette Mayor-President Monique Boulet; and Dustin Cravins, president of the Holy Rosary Redevelopment Corporation Board, break ground on the LEDA Small Business Success Center on Louisiana Avenue in Lafayette on Tuesday.

siana Healthcare Connections said contract negotiations were ongoing at that time. “The current agreements are approximately 15 years old,” the news release said. “In the years since they were established, health care delivery, technology and expectations for collaboration between health plans and providers have evolved considerably. Louisiana Healthcare Connections believes its partnership with Ochsner should evolve as well.” State Sen. Patrick McMath, RCovington, mentioned the impasse during a Senate health commit-

She said the process would give residents a chance to help set priorities and guide future decisions. “I look at it like I’m the head worker for the government,” Clavier said. “The master plan tells us how the community wants us to tackle growth. People are eager to see movement in recreation.” Knight also sees recreation as a way to support families and provide positive places for children to spend time. “We need for families and kids in Carencro: positive spaces and places to go so that way they’re not just running around in the streets,” Knight said. Chauvin, meanwhile, has emphasized his experience in city government and familiarity with Carencro’s codes and operations. He has described himself as the most conservative candidate in the race. “I know our codes backwards and forwards and know how to use them,” Chauvin said. Clavier’s approach to growth has focused on updating the city’s development rules. She said the changes are intended to help Carencro manage development while remaining open to business and preserving the city’s character. The city introduced its plan for a unified development code in 2025 and has gradually introduced new phases of updates to its land development code. Knight said he believes the focus on outside growth can come at the expense of families and local businesses already in Carencro.

active, and additional charges or arrests are possible as investigators continue reviewing evidence and pursuing leads, the Sheriff’s Office said.

tee meeting Monday, calling the stalled agreement “very concerning.” In an interview, McMath said he wants to be sure Medicaid beneficiaries across the state have coverage, especially as Louisiana is on track to drop to four Medicaid plans. He said he’s hopeful the companies will resolve their differences. “When there’s a disagreement with the largest health system in the state, Ochsner, that has 70,000 Louisiana Healthcare Connections patients, we’re gonna be paying to see how those negotiations are go-

“It’s a human element issue. We can chase growth. We can chase industry. We can chase prosperity. At the end of the day, we have a diligence to each other to know where we came from,” Knight said. “The people of Carencro is what the job is

ing,” he said. Gold, the Medicaid director, noted that “failure to reach an agreement would lead to Ochsner no longer being in network for LHCC starting December 1.” He said the Health Department will ensure LHCC meets the state’s standards for patients’ access to care. “We’re continuing to run the network adequacy reviews to make sure that they can meet that with or without Ochsner,” he said. Email Alyse Pfeil at alyse.pfeil@ theadvocate.com.

for.” Clavier said she wants to work with residents and include different perspectives in city decisions. “I’m more the kind of person that wants to work with everybody. I want everyone included in the discussion. I

really want to work with everybody,” she said. “There’s a different way of looking at things when you’re a woman.” Early voting runs Oct. 2027 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., except Sunday, Oct. 25. Election Day is Nov. 3.

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Cajuns searching for their true identity The UL Ragin’ Cajuns stand at 4-2 overall and 1-1 in Sun Belt play at the season’s halfway point. With the second half starting with a huge home game Kevin against Troy at 4 Foote p.m. Saturday, how much do we really know about these Cajuns? The answer is not a lot. After four games, the coaching staff seemed fairly convinced this was a good defensive team

ä Troy at UL. 4 P.M. SATURDAY, ESPN+ capable of carrying UL through some rough patches. Two games later, this isn’t the same defense. First, linebacker Conor McPherson was lost for the season and then safety Collin Jacob broke his arm. The offense had to bail out the Cajuns in the second half to beat Arkansas State, and then the defense gave up 28 first downs and 485 total yards in a 32-31 road loss to Louisiana Tech.

If not for the two forced fumbles that nearly pushed UL to a huge victory, the defense would have likely yielded well over 500 yards and 40-plus points. Is it possible most of the teams left on the schedule aren’t as good as Tech? Certainly, but that’s not something a team should count on. There’s still every reason to believe the defense is strong against the run. Micah Johnson has played well at linebacker, but the pass defense is now a question mark.

The offense tried to bail out the Cajuns against Saturday by putting up 31 points against a Louisiana Tech defense that was hailed as the Bulldogs’ strength. Tech’s one weakness on defense is giving up the big play, and UL capitalized with four huge plays in the passing game to build a 31-19 lead with 11:34 left. Typically, protecting leads in the fourth quarter is more about running the ball and trying to make a stop on defense than bombs away. In this situation, throwing

deep had the best chance of success. That’s quite a pickle for a play-caller, though, because most bombs are low-percentage throws, and the passing game was having efficiency issues for the first time all season. The question is whether the offense is better as a pass-first unit or heavy on the ground game. In 2024, it was about eating clock and controlling the game with precise execution on offense. That’s what it was in the second

ä See FOOTE, page 3C

SE C B A SK E T B A L L ME DI A DAY S

Wade rules out Luis, is still confident on others BY TOYLOY BROWN III Staff writer

where inside coach Kim Mulkey’s house, talking to Neighbors and other media members about the season ahead. “She’s just oozing with confidence,” Neighbors said in a hallway during a break between segments. And for good reason: Williams now is the unquestioned face of LSU women’s basketball. Angel Reese is gone. Flau’jae Johnson is, too. Williams still has two high-profile teammates in se-

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — RJ Luis’ status with LSU men's basketball is resolved. LSU coach Will Wade said Luis, a former St. John’s star who signed an NBA contract in 2025, will not play at the school. “We’re going to follow all the SEC protocols with him,” Wade said on a virtual call during SEC media day on Tuesday. “I think it’s been pretty clear what the SEC protocols are on all that. He didn’t travel with us to McNeese, and he hasn’t been rostered.” LSU beat McNeese State 63-60 on Thursday in an exhibition at Townsley Law Arena. CBS Sports reported on Aug. 26 that the SEC finalized extensive punishments to penalize a program if it signs a player who signed a pro contract (as well as not formally withdrawing from the draft) in professional leagues such as the NBA, WNBA and NFL. While awaiting word on multiple players’ eligibility, Wade said Sept. 23 that he’s had 15 players practicing with the team since Sept. 2. That included Luis, who was granted a preliminary injunction on Aug. 24 that allowed him to play college basketball. One day later, SEC presidents, chancellors and athletic directors voted to set rules to prevent member schools from rostering athletes who fit any of these three criteria: n Previously declared for the NFL, NBA or WNBA draft, and did not “appropriately withdraw” from those drafts. n Signed a contract with an NFL or other professional league, NBA or G League, or WNBA or affiliated team. n Been listed on a roster by any of those professional teams.

ä See WILLIAMS, page 3C

ä See LUIS, page 3C

STAFF PHOTO BY MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU guard Mikaylah Williams finishes a layup during the first practice of the season on Sept. 21 at the PMAC.

HER TEAM NOW Williams undisputed leader of LSU squad intent on Final Four return

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Mike Neighbors was looking forward to seeing Mikaylah Williams in person on Tuesday. The former Arkansas coach and current SEC Network analyst is one of her biggest fans. He has been for almost a decade. So Neighbors was bummed about the fog. Because it hung over the Baton Rouge area on Tuesday long enough to spoil LSU’s travel plans for SEC media days, he couldn’t

speak face-to-face with the player he once compared as a freshman to Maya Moore. The one who prompted him to joke he wished the WNBA would change its eligibility rules so she’d leave college basketball and never torch one of his teams for 21 points again. Plan B was Zoom. That’s how Neighbors got to touch base with Williams one final time before her senior season. Neighbors was on a TV set in a boutique hotel ballroom in Birmingham. Williams was at a table some-

Leavitt takes ‘maybe’ approach to LSU turnovers BY JON BLAU

ä Mississippi State at LSU.

Staff writer

11 A.M. SATURDAY, ESPN

LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt reflected Tuesday on the eight interceptions he’s thrown in six games, and he wondered aloud. Is that really bad? “Maybe,” Leavitt answered himself. He was referencing “The Parable of Maybe,” as Leavitt titled it, sometimes referred to as “The Story of the Chinese Farmer,” which is believed to be more than 2,000 years old. As it goes, the farmer lost a horse, and the man’s neighbors told him he was unlucky. “Maybe,” the farmer answered.

The next day, the horse returned, along with several wild ones. The neighbors told the farmer he was lucky. He again answered, “Maybe.” The next day, the farmer’s son broke his leg riding one of those wild horses, which seemed very bad. But the farmer said, “Maybe,” before the army visited him, looking for conscripts, and his son was spared because he wasn’t fit to fight. This goes to show the “process of nature,” as British philosopher Alan Watts described it, is an “in-

tegrated process of immense complexity.” It’s not great for Leavitt to lead FBS football in interceptions right now, but the season is still unfolding. “Maybe that makes me transition my thought process and how I approach the game,” Leavitt said, “and then I play better and we win more games and things like that. “Maybe I get more depth in my drops so I’m further away from the guard so he doesn’t make a play on my hand and I get the ball up and down better so I don’t sail it on a dig,” Leavitt added, recalling a short drop back at Kentucky that led to an interception.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO BY TANNER PEARSON

LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt, center, is tackled by Kentucky defensive ä See LEAVITT, page 3C lineman Jamarrion Harkless on Saturday in Lexington, Ky.

2C l Wednesday, October 14, 2026 l theadvocate.com l The Acadiana Advocate

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BROADCAST HIGHLIGHTS On TV COLLEGE FOOTBALL 6:30 p.m. Kennesaw St. at Missouri St. CBSSN 7 p.m. W. Kentucky at Sam Houston ESPN2 COLLEGE GOLF 9 a.m. St Andrews Links Collegiate GOLF WOMEN’S COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL 7 p.m. Virginia Tech at Virginia 7 p.m. Mississippi St. at Missouri SECN

GOLF LPGA Tour: LPGA Shanghai GOLF HORSE RACING Noon America’s Day at the Races FS2 MLB 7 p.m. Milwaukee at L.A. Dodgers FS1 NBA preseason 7 p.m. New Orleans at Dallas NBATV 9:30 p.m. Denver at L.A. Clippers NBATV NHL 10 p.m.

BRIEFS

FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

7:30 p.m. Dallas at Colorado

TNT

SOCCER (MEN’S) 11:45 p.m. Como at Feyenoord

CBSSN

TENNIS 10 p.m.

Shanghai-ATP Quarterfinal TENNIS

UL ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2026

NFL suspends Bears DE Sweat for two games

Chicago Bears defensive end Montez Sweat has been suspended for two games for violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing substances policy. The league announced the punishment on Tuesday. Chicago visits Atlanta on Sunday and hosts New England on Oct. 22. The loss of Sweat is a big blow for the Bears as they look to bounce back from Sunday’s 31-7 loss at Green Bay. He has two of the team’s 12 sacks through five games. The 6-foot-6 Sweat was selected by Washington in the first round of the 2019 draft. He played for the team for four-plus seasons before he was traded to Chicago on Oct. 31, 2023. Sweat has 23½ sacks in 47 games with the Bears, including 10 last season.

Rams cut kicker Mevis, sign Grupe away from Bears

The Los Angeles Rams cut kicker Harrison Mevis one day after he missed two field-goal attempts in a 37-34 overtime loss to the Buffalo Bills on Monday night. The Rams are also signing former New Orleans kicker Blake Grupe off the New York Jets’ practice squad. Mevis missed an early 50-yard field goal against the Bills, and his 48-yard attempt in overtime was blocked by Greg Rousseau. His four missed field goals through five games are the most in the NFL this season. Head coach Sean McVay said afterward that the Rams’ kicking unit “cost us the game tonight.” The Rams (2-3) have been plagued by poor special teams play since the start of last season, and McVay vowed to make a thorough review.

Former UL wide receiver Fred Stamps, left, produced at a historic rate for the Cajuns.

PROVIDED PHOTO

Stamps one of Cajuns’ best WRs

BY DAN MCDONALD

Contribting writer

Editor’s Note: This is the second in a five-part series on the UL Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2026, which will be honored Friday. Rickey Bustle admits he didn’t know a lot about the personnel he inherited when he took over as the UL football coach in 2002. It didn’t take Bustle and his staff long to figure out they had a weapon at wide receiver, even though Fred Stamps’ numbers were average over his first two seasons. “The thing that I saw, and I told our staff this, he’s going to develop and he’s going to be great for us,” Bustle said. “He had great ball instincts, cutting people off to getting to a ball, flattening it out. That’s things you see in the guys at the next level. It’s not something that comes natural and sometimes it doesn’t make sense until you’re a junior or senior.” Fast forward two years, and the New Orleans product is the second-leading receiver in UL football history. Fast forward another decade, and he’s retiring as a legend of the Edmonton

franchise in the Canadian Football League. “He developed into one of the best wide receivers I’ve ever been around … Virginia Tech, South Carolina, everywhere,” Bustle said. “He was as good as I’ve ever been around.” Stamps will be inducted into the UL Athletics Hall of Fame on Friday as part of a weekend of activities. He will be inducted along with baseball standout Dylan Moore, women’s basketball standard-setter Tenna Cooper, three-time All-America triple jumper Lawrence Willis and former UL football coach Nelson Stokley. Stamps finished his four-year career second all-time at UL in career receptions (180) and receiving yards (2,789), both behindHall of Famer Brandon Stokley. He still holds the school record for consecutive games with a reception (44) and is one of three players in school history with a 1,000-yard receiving season (1,002 yards as a junior in 2002). He averaged 18.6 yards per catch in that 2002 season, the highest average in school history for a receiver with a minimum of 40 catches. His eight touchdown catches that year

led the team in scoring — something that no other wide receiver has accomplished in the 23 years since Stamps finished his career. He accomplished all of that without ever playing on a winning team or in a bowl game. “I nicknamed him Ball Hawk, because he was not going to let anyone else catch it,” Bustle said. “He had great hands and great body posture when it came to catching. He was going to box you out if you were a defender and throw those hands up there and just snag it. “It didn’t take us long to figure out he was a guy we had to get the ball to, and what we did offensively I think exposed him in a good way. We moved him around to different places and got the ball to him. There were some things we were doing that were NFL-type routes, and he really grew into it as a junior and senior.” Stamps led UL in receiving both of those years and earned first-team All-Sun Belt Conference honors both years. He had a 13-reception, 201-yard game (both second-most all-time) along with three touchdowns in a Sun Belt meeting with Middle Tennessee State, and later that year he added UL’s third-highest receiving yard-

age total with 198 yards against UL-Monroe. Stamps was not drafted by an NFL team and had stints on practice squads with San Francisco, Jacksonville and Baltimore before finding the perfect fit for his talents in the pass-happy CFL. He played nine seasons in the league, eight with Edmonton and a final year with the Montreal Alouettes. He was All-CFL four times in the media vote and five times in the players’ vote, and he had 531 catches for 8,411 yards, both ranking in the CFL all-time top 50. He is Edmonton’s second alltime leader in yardage (7,932) and third in career catches (496). He led the team in receiving five straight years, two of which he led the entire league. Stamps had receptions in 111 straight games (13th best in CFL history) and started 130 of his 133 career games. “It didn’t surprise me at all that he did so many good things in Canada,” Bustle said. “He took coaching so well. He wasn’t a guy that was going to sulk if you got after him because he had high aspirations of playing pro football. You knew he was going to be special.

Carter leads potent Loreauville RB tandem BY MIKE COPPAGE Contributing writer

Whether it’s running the ball or blocking for teammate Rajon Matthews, junior Thomas Carter simply enjoys being a part of Loreauville’s two-back offense. “What people may not realize about Thomas is that he loves to block,” Loreauville coach Terry Martin said about the 5-foot11, 211-pounder Carter Carter. “He was the lead blocker on a sweep last week (46-6 win over Franklin) and had one of the most violent blocks I’ve seen in a long time. He lifted the kid off his feet.” Carter ranks second among area rushers with 925 yards on 97

carries for the Tigers (4-2, 1-0), who entertain Catholic New Iberia (5-1, 1-0) on Friday. He leads the area with 16 touchdowns after rushing for four last week. “On a touchdown run last week, Thomas saw the kid coming, dropped his hips and unloaded on him,” Martin said. “He walloped the kid and knocked his helmet off.” Though he cracked the starting lineup as a freshman, Carter suffered an injury in last year’s season opener against Erath. He came back for the Catholic High game and had an excellent outing for the Tigers, who won the district, but he was sidelined for the remainder of the season and had surgery. “He gained 20 pounds and lost his speed,” Martin said of the post-surgery period. “He started getting it back mid-summer and

is close (to 100%).” Carter is on the radar of college programs but hasn’t received his first offer yet, Martin said. “He put a good spin move on a Franklin player,” Martin said. “He’s working on getting people to miss, because once he gets in college, the linebackers will be just as big and run just as well.” Christian Jones and Jacques DeCourt have played so well on defense that Martin hasn’t had to play Carter often at linebacker, although he could get some reps in crucial situations against the Panthers. “Catholic High has a really good overall team,” Martin said. “They’re so well-coached and play so hard with great effort and technique. They’re throwing the ball much better. I’m really impressed with the quarterback (1,000-yard passer JP Robison).”

Traditionally a one-back spread team, Loreauville has found a groove with Carter and Matthews (53 carries, 288 yards) simultaneously in the backfield along with quarterback Wyatt Hazelwood, who has added another 147 yards and three TDs on the ground. “The last two weeks, we’ve done a lot more two-back stuff like the old days,” Martin said. “Carter and Matthews complement each other. Matthews has really good vision.” Two weeks ago, Carter ran for a career-high 235 yards in a 32-8 win over Abbeville. He has rushed for at least 117 yards in five games and has been held under the 100-yard threshold only once. “Every time my team needs me, I have to push through, no matter what,” Carter said.

Harris can sign in NFL after trying to play at LSU

The NFL reversed course, saying former Ole Miss defensive lineman Zxavian Harris is free to sign with teams this season after a failed attempt to return to college football and play for LSU. In a memo obtained by The Associated Press on Tuesday, the league reversed its Sept. 16 ruling making Harris ineligible to be signed during the 2026 season, saying the defensive tackle did not participate in an official practice or game with LSU, clearing the way for him to be signed by an NFL team. Harris and Ole Miss tight end Dae’Quan Wright had tryouts in the NFL this summer after going undrafted. They then tried joining their former coach Lane Kiffin at LSU.

UCLA worried that QB Iamaleava done for season

UCLA coach Bob Chesney said there’s “serious concern” that quarterback Nico Iamaleava could miss the rest of the season with a knee injury. The 22-year-old was hurt just before halftime of the Bruins’ 17-15 victory over Oregon on Saturday when he scrambled for a first down and was sandwiched between two defenders. The No. 12 Bruins (5-0, 3-0 Big Ten) host Wisconsin (4-1, 2-0) Saturday at the Rose Bowl. Iamaleava has thrown four touchdowns, four interceptions and completed 62.1% of his attempts for 982 yards on the season. He’s also a threat as part of the Bruins’ rushing attack in his second season in Westwood since transferring from Tennessee.

Celtics, guard Pritchard agree to contract extension

Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard agreed to terms Tuesday on a new contract extension. The extension is a two-year deal worth $44.2 million that kicks in next season. It runs through the 2028-29 campaign and also includes a mutual option for 2029-30. The mutual option would trigger if either the team or the player opts in. Pritchard, the 2025 NBA Sixth Man of the Year, had two years remaining on his current fouryear, $30 million pact, which is viewed as one of the league’s team-friendliest contracts. His $7.8 million salary this season ranks sixth on the Celtics’ payroll.

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WILLIAMS

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Since Williams has been playing college basketball, Neighbors has seen her make a “slow, steady progression.” She deferred to her older teammates in her freshman season. Then, across the last two years, she’s gradually grown into the player Neighbors thought she could become when he first watched her take the floor. “She’s so dangerous in the last two minutes,” he said. “So dangerous. “She’s got the confidence to make the play, the ability to make the play. A lot of people have the ability but not the confidence, and she’s got them both.” Now LSU wants to see whether Williams has the leadership skills. The senior is the quiet, soft-spoken type. The player who prefers to lead by example. The Tigers, though, need her to use her voice more than ever. “I think, for me,” Williams said, “leading this team would be having to speak up and speak often.” She will have to drive a large chunk of the offense, too. Williams has improved her shooting efficiency from both the field and from beyond the arc in all three years of her career. Last season, she shot 51% from the field and 42% from 3-point range while grabbing a career-high 5.3 rebounds per game and assisting on a career-high 3.6 shots per game. Williams’ scoring average was down, but that’s because she was playing fewer minutes than she did as a sophomore. LSU had a deep, versatile roster that set NCAA scoring records before Duke ended its season in the Sweet 16 with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer. After that loss, Williams said she was “frustrated” to fall short of the Final Four for her third year in a row. On Tuesday, she said she had “unfinished business” and that she was “excited” to renew LSU’s push for a Final Four. “Everybody’s ready to learn,” she said. “Everybody’s bought in. Everybody works extremely hard. And just the culture we have and the team chemistry we have is one of the best I’ve had since I’ve been here. “So I’m just excited.” Neighbors is, too. That was clear on Tuesday – despite the fog.

nior guards MiLaysia Fulwiley and Jada Williams, but neither of them has been with the Tigers as long as she has. The 2026-27 season, which tips off for LSU on Nov. 2, will be her fourth in Baton Rouge. When they were recruiting Williams, Mulkey and her staff sold the Bossier City native on the possibility that the program could one day be hers. Williams committed to the Tigers before Reese ever appeared in a game for them, which was an early sign that Mulkey had begun restoring the program to the national power it is today. LSU won the 2023 national title, reached the Elite Eight in 2024 and 2025, then fell in the Sweet 16 last season. It’s still trying to climb back to the Final Four. If this is the season the Tigers break through again, Williams will be the one to lead them there. “You’re not gonna see the Mikaylahs of the world and the Flau’jaes of the world much anymore,” Mulkey said. “And what I mean by that is staying where they started. You’ll see a few across the country. To me, it’s more about probably how they were raised, and you stay the course. The grass isn’t always greener at other places.” The challenge for Williams is leading a program with its fair share of newcomers. The Tigers lost five players to the transfer portal. The new-look group features two freshmen, three transfers and an international signee. The group isn’t particularly deep, either, because center Kate Koval left the program in August. There are now only 11 total players on the roster. And Spanish forward Noa Morro is out until at least late November with a stress fracture in her shin. Mulkey thinks Williams will have to take on more responsibilities. Neighbors thinks she can handle them. The former Arkansas coach has been watching Williams drain her signature pull-up jumpers since she was in eighth grade. He’s even seen her play softball and marveled at how hard she could Email Reed Darcey at reed. hit the ball. darcey@theadvocate.com.

FOOTE

Continued from page 1C half against Arkansas State, but it was a completely different scenario in Ruston, where big plays were a necessity. When the defense, instead of the offensive line, dictates strategy, it’s tricky. That’s where the Cajuns are these days. The good news is receiver Shelton Sampson played a bigger role on Saturday after battling an injury all season. If he can continue to progress, that’ll help. Being able to use the tight ends more as receivers than blockers would help as well. “The first play of the game (on offense) was a shot to the tight ends,” Desormeaux said on tight end usage in Ruston. “We didn’t space it very well, which is disappointing because we had one in the seam. Later on, we took a sack where I thought we should have gotten the ball out to the tight end down the sideline. But I mean, sometimes that’s just the way it goes. “I knew they’d be critical in the run game, but we certainly had looks to get them the ball down the field a little bit. It just didn’t turn out that way.” If running back JJ Garner can get more consistent, his big-play ability can make the offense more explosive. The good news is the special teams outperformed Tech on Saturday, so hopefully that’s a sign that critical phase is headed in

LUIS

Continued from page 1C

After going undrafted in the 2025 NBA Draft, Luis signed a two-way contract with the Utah Jazz in June 2025 before being traded to the Boston Celtics two months later. Luis was waived by the Celtics in October 2025 before signing a deal with its NBA G League affiliate, the Maine Celtics. He was waived by the G League team before the start of the season because of an injury. Luis averaged 18.2 points and 7.2 rebounds per game at St. John’s during the 2024-25 season, winning Big East Player of the Year honors. He entered the transfer portal but didn’t commit to a new school, de-

the right direction. The Cajuns were one play away from a huge road win at Louisiana Tech, despite two of their best performers playing their worst game of the season. Chances are, standouts such as quarterback Lunch Winfield and cornerback Brent Gordon have too good of a track record to not respond in a big way, which could provide more solutions. “He’s the ultimate leader,” Desormeaux said of Winfield. “Did he play his best game? No, he didn’t. Did he miss some things, leave some things? Yes, absolutely. But those are things that we talk about in detail in private. “You know, the best thing about a guy like him coming off of a bad game is the response we’re STAFF PHOTO BY BRAD KEMP

UL quarterback Lunch Winfield runs with the ball during the Cajuns’ 23-20 home win over Arkansas State on Oct. 3.

going to get. That’s what I’m excited to see.” A rebound win against Troy on Saturday should get the Cajuns back on track, especially if an improved pass defense and/or rushing offense can be displayed. Knowing exactly what you are about makes game-management decisions less complicated. Changing courses during the season can get too complicated. Email Kevin Foote at kfoote@ theadvocate.com.

ciding to stay in the draft in 2025. Other players’ eligibility Since Wade couldn’t fly to media day because of fog in the Baton Rouge area, he spoke virtually to the broadcasters on the SEC Network and to reporters on a separate teleconference call. In both interviews, he said he believes his other players will be cleared by the NCAA for this season. “We have another scrimmage tomorrow (Wednesday), and we anticipate having a few more guys tomorrow than we had at McNeese,” Wade said on the SEC Network. “We have a pretty good idea of who’s (getting) eligible.” Wade said the media make “a massive deal” about the state of the LSU roster, but any of the players would say things are operating

The Acadiana Advocate l theadvocate.com l Wednesday, October 14, 2026 l 3C

Richard discusses why she left LSU women BY REED DARCEY and TOYLOY BROWN III Staff writers

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Former LSU women’s point guard Jada Richard said Tuesday that she relied on her “faith in God” when she decided to leave the Tigers in April and sign with Ole Miss. Richard, an Opelousas native, started 34 games last season as a sophomore at LSU. Coach Kim Mulkey and her staff initially believed she would return for the 2026-27 season and play a similarly important role as a junior, but the 5-foot-7 guard transferred instead. “I would say everyone that knows me knows that I’m strong in my faith, strong in my faith in God,” Richard said at SEC media days, “and I’m not ashamed of it. I would just say that when you’re that in tune with yourself, that’s what drives my life, and a lot of people may not understand, but it’s not for anyone to understand. “The only thing that matters is that I’m here at Ole Miss, and I think that’s what we should focus on.” LSU lost five players from its 2025-26 roster to the transfer portal, including starter Kate Koval, the Ukrainian center who left the program in August after the Tigers announced they had signed Russian center Anna Minaeva. More than 20 players transferred from one SEC program to another this past offseason, too. Mulkey and her staff signed one of them, former Florida guard Laila Reynolds, a year after they did the same with MiLaysia Fulwiley — the All-SEC senior guard who left her hometown South Carolina program in 2025 to join one of its chief rivals. But LSU still was “caught off guard” by Richard’s decision to leave, Mulkey said in July. Now she’s expected to start at point guard for Ole Miss and serve as “the leader of the team,” coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin said on Tuesday. “For me, it was a no-brainer once she got in the portal,” McPhee-McCuin said, “that I would want to recruit her. Just because I believed in her before she even got to college.”

Dioubate’s decision There aren’t many players more well-traveled in the Southeastern

LEAVITT

STAFF PHOTO BY MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU guard Jada Richard, right, celebrates after hitting a 3-pointer against Jacksonville in a first-round NCAA Tournament game on March 20 at the PMAC. Richard will play for Ole Miss this season.

SEC MEDIA DAYS NOTEBOOK

sembled has been controversial for eligibility questions, Dioubate said his teammates are “fired up.” “We have a full team. We practice together every day,” DiouConference than Mo Dioubate. The 6-foot-8, 235-pound LSU bate said. “It just felt like forever men’s forward spent the first two since I played an actual basketball years of his career at Alabama, game. Guys are fired up, we have spent last season with Kentucky a lot to prove and I felt this year is and will suit up for coach Will gonna be a good year for us.” Wade’s Tigers this season. Dioubate, who spoke to “SEC No travel for LSU Now” on the SEC Network durAll 32 Southeastern Conference ing the conference’s media day men’s and women’s basketball Tuesday, revealed that his rela- teams were set to swing through tionship with his new coach didn’t Birmingham on Tuesday and start when Wade was among the Wednesday to take part in the first people to contact him in the league’s annual media days. Two didn’t make it. transfer portal last offseason. LSU’s two basketball programs Their ties go back to when Wade tried to bring him to his last stop could not fly out of Baton Rouge because fog in the area prevented at NC State. “He was trying to recruit me their flight from taking off Tueslast year when he was at NC State, day morning, the teams said. and I was in the transfer portal,” Wade was scheduled to adthe senior said, smiling. “I wasn’t dress reporters in the event’s trying to go to NC State. I went main room at 9:35 a.m. Tuesday, to Kentucky (but) we kind of had while Mulkey was set to follow that relationship a little bit. So it suit at 10:35 a.m. Wade was supwasn’t a hard decision. It’s Baton posed to bring two players with Rouge.” him — Dioubate and guard Abdi On the second try, Wade earned Bashir — and Mulkey was slated the commitment of the forward to bring three — guards Mikaylah who averaged 8.8 points and 5.5 Williams, MiLaysia Fulwiley and rebounds in 21.6 minutes per ZaKiyah Johnson. game last year at Kentucky. The SEC did not have room in Dioubate said he likes the city its schedule to squeeze LSU’s he plays in, Wade’s straightfor- representatives in at a later time. ward nature and the way his Teams are scheduled to be shufteams have played over prior fling in and out of the event all day seasons. Tuesday and Wednesday, starting While the roster LSU has as- at 9:05 a.m. and ending at 5:45 p.m.

Maybe the best football of Leavitt’s season is ahead of him. LSU, sitting at 1-2 in SEC play, needs it with No. 16 Mississippi State visiting Tiger Stadium at 11 a.m. Saturday. “There’s going to be different momentums and bigger situations in big games,” Leavitt said, “and I got to be the one that’s always going to be the equalizer there.” Leavitt has, in many respects, played better in LSU’s last three games. He pulled a hamstring against Texas A&M, which forced a willing scrambler to sit in the pocket and throw on time to his receivers. He completed 73.5% of his passes for 275 yards and two touchdowns at Kentucky, but he again threw an interception. He’s had at least one in every game. Leavitt rejects the premise that he’s been turnover-prone in his career. In two seasons at Arizona State, he had 34 touchdowns compared to nine picks. But it’s become an obvious problem at LSU, which he’s trying to fix.

At the same time, it’s hard to do anything well while trying to not make mistakes. Leavitt finds himself coming back to simple lessons, like honing in on the depth of his drop back, focusing on his target rather than the football’s spin and just playing within himself. He fumbled with just more than four minutes left on a secondand-6 with LSU leading Kentucky 27-24. He tried jumping while tossing a ball to running back Dilin Jones, because a Wildcats defensive lineman was pushing left guard William Satterwhite into Leavitt’s lap. “That one was pretty brutal,” Leavitt said. “There’s, like, not much you can say there other than, you know, don’t jump and pass the ball.” The LSU defense held and Kentucky missed a field goal in that instance, but Leavitt knows he has to be a “savvier player” and not try to win the game in one play. If he has to win the game by himself, in a sense, it’s through his individual preparation during the week to feel confident in his abilities and take what a defense is giving him. “I think confidence is an earned trait through the work that you

put in and the way that you perform and practice,” Leavitt said, “and then ultimately shows up in the game.” Leavitt has thought deeply about these concepts, as evidenced by his knowledge of “The Parable of Maybe,” his work with sports performance coaches Craig Manning and Sean Drake, and a host of other methods he employs to focus his mind and body. The toughest part for Leavitt has been leading LSU through his mistakes. “For me, I know it’s my fault. How can I get them going while then re-centering myself?” Leavitt said. “So I go kind of take care of myself for a second, da-dada, move on, flush it — and then go approach the guys and go get it the next drive.” As a team, LSU is trying to not “panic,” Leavitt said, after two straight SEC road losses have narrowed the Tigers’ path to the College Football Playoff. Maybe it’s bad. Maybe it’s good. But LSU and Leavitt can’t dwell on it. “That’s how the ball bounces,” Leavitt said. “At the end of the day, I put everything in God’s hands and he has a plan for me.”

normally. “We don’t worry about what anybody else is saying or what anybody else really thinks,” he said. “We’re pretty secure in who we are and pretty secure in what we’re doing”. Wade was asked why he’s confident that a couple of his players will receive favorable court rulings in their fifth-year eligibility cases despite the NCAA “winning” recently in court. A Kentucky eligibility lawsuit saw the Kentucky Court of Appeals dissolve the injunction that permitted some Class of 2022 athletes to play. An Ohio appellate court also reversed a preliminary injunction for more than 20 athletes seeking a fifth year. “I just feel good about some of the information we have on the

ground on some things,” he said. “I would caution that some things are painted as wins and really aren’t wins, and people run with that. I feel good about my information, and we’ll see if we’re right.” ULCA transfer guards Skyy Clark and Donovan Dent are the only players on LSU who are challenging the NCAA for a fifth year of eligibility. They are among the more than 70 plaintiffs who gained eligibility for a fifth season through a temporary restraining order in a lawsuit filed in California against the NCAA. What will determine their eligibility going into the regular season is a court hearing for a preliminary injunction on Oct. 20. Dent, however, was among the players who participated in the McNeese exhibition.

The four notable players who didn’t play but were present in the McNeese exhibition were 22-year-old Italian-Senegalese wing Saliou Niang, 23-year-old French center Brice Dessert, 24-year-old Israeli center Gilad Levy and Clark. Wade said he’ll accept responsibility for whatever outcome happens this season. “I’m the one who made the decision to do this,” he said. “If it doesn’t work, you can pin it right on me. But we feel very confident about the group, and we feel very confident about the guys that we have. With our full roster, we have a puncher’s chance in most games.” LSU opens the regular season against LSU New Orleans on Nov. 3 at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.

Continued from page 1C

4C ● Wednesday, October 14, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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Book award finalists tackle big topics BY HILLEL ITALIE AP national writer

NEW YORK — Fiction by Edwidge Danticat, Valeria Luiselli and Karl Ove Knausgaard are among this year’s finalists for the National Book Awards, with many of the books taking on such contentious issues as gender identity, criminal justice and the Middle East. Last week’s announcement by the National Book Foundation of five nominees in each of five competitive categories has at least one notable omission: Marlon James’ “The Disappearers,” a Booker Prize finalist praised by The New York Times as among the century’s best releases. James’ novel, centered around the vicious beating of a group of gay men in Jamaica in the 1980s, had been on the National Book Awards fiction longlist of 10 released last month. Winners, each of whom receive $10,000, will be revealed during a Nov. 18 dinner ceremony in Manhattan. Honorary medals will be presented to Salman Rushdie and Perri Klass.

Laura Williams is a 50-year employee at Ton’s Drive In in Broussard.

STAFF PHOTOS BY LESLIE WESTBROOK

‘SHE’S A ROLE MODEL’ She came looking for a job. 50 years later, she’s still part of the family at Ton’s Drive In.

BY JA’KORI MADISON Staff writer

Laura Williams was looking for a job when she found her way to Ton’s Drive In in 1976. Fifty years later, you can still find her scrambling eggs, flipping burgers and greeting customers at the longtime Broussard restaurant. Rosemary Girouard, who opened Ton’s Drive In with her husband, Alton “Ton” Girouard, in May 1963, gave Williams her first job at the restaurant, known for its burgers, po-boys and daily plate lunches. In July, the Girouard family celebrated Williams’ 50 years of service, recognizing her as an important part of what makes Ton’s special. “She’s just a really important part of the fabric of the restaurant,” said Hollie Girouard, a thirdgeneration owner. “She takes pride in what she does. She’s a role model for other people, too.” Hollie recalled Williams teaching her how to work the grill when she was a teenager. Over time, their relationship grew beyond the kitchen. A Broussard native, Williams has spent much of her time at Ton’s working the grill, preparing burgers, sandwiches, po-boys, brisket and other dishes. She has worked

IMAGE PROVIDED FROM KNOPF

‘Dèy’ by Edwidge Danticat is a fiction finalist for the National Book Awards.

Danticat’s “Dèy” and Luiselli’s “Beginning Middle End” are fiction finalists in a category of wide-ranging characters, subjects and locations. Danticat’s story of a mass shooting attack and its aftermath takes place in Miami, Haiti and Brooklyn, while Hannah Lillith Assadi’s “Paradiso 17” follows the worldwide journey of an exiled Palestinian. Luiselli’s family narrative spans generations and continents and Julián Delgado Lopera’s “Pretend You’re Dead and I Carry You” is set in Colombia. In Morgan Thomas’ “Mad Eden,” a transgender healthcare worker in Florida struggles for stability in an unfriendly world. Knausgaard, the Norwegian author with a wide international following, is a finalist in the translation category for “The School of Night,” translated by Martin Aitken. Other nominees include Vicente Luis Mora’s “Centroeuropa,” translated from the Spanish by Rahul Bery; Intan Paramaditha’s “Night of a Thousand Hells,” translated from the Indonesian by Stephen J. Epstein and Tiffany Tsao; Mohamed Mbougar Sarr’s “Pure Men,” translated from the French by Lara Vergnaud; and Samar Yazbek’s “Your Presence Is a Danger to Your Life: Voices of Survival and Witness in Gaza,” translated from the Arabic by Leri Price. In nonfiction, Colin Asher is a finalist for “The Midnight Special: The Secret Prison History of American Music,” Abdelrahman ElGendy for “Huna: A

ä See BOOKS, page 6C

Laura Williams began working Ton’s Drive In in 1976, which was her first, and only, job. nearly every station, watched the business grow and change, and built a relationship with the Girouard family that extends well beyond her job. “I love it here,” Williams said. “And I love the people here because they are like family to me. They’ve always treated me good, and I appreciate that.” Fresh out of high school, Williams had never held a paid job. She had watched her mother cook for their large family, but working

in a restaurant was new to her. After learning the restaurant was hiring, she went to speak with Rosemary, who gave her a chance despite her lack of professional experience. “First day I was, oh, just quiet. I wasn’t a big talker. So, I was just quiet. I was just taking it in,” Williams recalled. As longtime employees moved on, Williams learned to prepare

ä See WILLIAMS, page 6C

THE BEST THINGS WE ATE THIS WEEK

Discover a new dish that keeps you wanting more Half of an 8-inch Kali Mist sandwich from Cheba Hut

Staff report

Kali Mist

n Cheba Hut, 411 Ben Hur Road,

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I can’t stop thinking about how good this sandwich from Cheba Hut is. Reading the Kali Mist description is like hearing all of my favorite words: jalapeños, chipotle mayonnaise, bacon,

pepper jack cheese, pickles and avocado. Yes please. There’s also turkey, lettuce, tomato, onion and house dressing. It’s a godsend of a sub. Each bite has a wonderful kick, while the vegetables cool you down. The combo of bacon and turkey brings heartiness. Don’t get me started on the

ä See BEST, page 6C

6C ● Wednesday, October 14, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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Who gets the leftovers from family-style dishes?

Dear Miss Manners: I was visit- what to do with them. Gentle reader: Given people’s ing several of my siblings, inexplicably territorial feeland we went to a Chinese restaurant together. At the ings about leftovers, your anlast minute, my husband nouncement was bound to be backed out of dinner, as he ill-received. But the rule you had a terrible headache and describe does not exist — wanted to lie down. nor is likely to, since He asked me to pay it is inconsistent with for the meal for evwhat Miss Manners would call Basic Etieryone. The dinner was quette Principles. served family-style, That the orders rather than individwere to be shared has Judith to do with service, ual dishes. When the Martin while who gets the check came, I paid it, MISS bill relates to the and also told my sibMANNERS unrelated duties of a lings that I would be host. taking the leftovers If there was an etiquette with me for my husband to violation, it was your wellhave for dinner. intended assumption of the When the waiter came to host’s prerogative when you the table with to-go boxes, took the bill. The proper my siblings grabbed them form would have been to ask and started filling them for for agreement on the leftthemselves. I said nothing, but planned in my head to overs — or order one item stop for a hamburger for my directly to-go, which would husband on the way home. have ensured your husband Was I rude to announce did not go hungry, even if that I wished to take the your siblings still were. leftovers home for my husDear Miss Manners: From time band? Were my siblings rude to time, I find myself on the receiving end of rude beto ignore my plan and take them for themselves? If we havior from the adolescent had each ordered individual children of friends or relameals, I would assume each tives, although the behavior person would take their own isn’t always directed solely leftovers, but as a familyat me. For instance, a loud style meal, I assumed that “ew” when I sneeze, despite the person who pays decides my saying “excuse me,” or a

joke that crosses the line. In many cases, the parents are present but say nothing. Am I wrong to feel tempted to gently say, “That’s not very polite”? Or should I hold back out of deference to the parents, even when they don’t intervene? Gentle reader: You may feel as tempted as you like. But no, when their parents are present, you cannot properly correct the ill manners of adolescent children any more than you can anyone else’s bad behavior. There is, of course, the exception when the parents leave you in charge. But this usually involves a parent standing at the front door saying, “OK, kids. We’re off to the races now. So you have to do whatever Auntie says.” Mom being in the bathroom does not count, unless you talk quickly and are reasonably confident your sister will support you when she returns to the table and your niece loudly demands, “Mom, Auntie said I can’t say her sneezes sound like explosions. Do I have to listen to her?” Send questions to Miss Manners at her website, www.missmanners.com.

Pet safety shouldn’t be on the line Dear Heloise: Regarding ent takes away a pet that teaching responsibility to a child loves, all they do an 11-year-old, any paris teach the kid to distrust them. There are many fament who threatens to give away an adopted ilies who’d do well to pet as a punishment look for family coundoesn’t understand selors who can help responsibility! I was them work through saddened to read issues that are a the letter from a problem. — Heloise parent who wanted Hints from Stubborn packaging to model loving, reHeloise sponsible behavior Dear Heloise: After to a young child with the Tylenol murders threats to abandon any pet, in 1982, all manufacturwhich is the most irrespon- ers had to change their sible behavior at play here. packaging to protect their products and consumers. It There are many ways to makes life harder but safer. teach good behavior, start— Janice G., via email ing with the sharing of Janice, the days when we tasks and small steps that could leave our homes and begin long before the awecars unlocked, when kids some responsibility of pet were safe playing in front ownership begins. When a of their homes, and when child can regularly make neighbors kept an eye on his bed, take out the trash, your home if you were gone or do his homework on are over. It’s unfortunate, time, he’s on his way to experiencing the joy of a dog. but it’s the state of things today. Plus, pharmaceutical No pet’s safety or wellcompanies tend to be very being should be on the line as part of a long list of daily cautious. — Heloise chores that its youthful Hemostat hint owner/companion must accomplish. A pet belongs Dear Heloise: The strip to to an entire family, and open a plastic tub of cat litter parents should share in its is rather difficult to use; it’s care. — Jane C., in Tucson,Arizona challenging at best to get a Jane, I happen to agree good grip by using the holes with you. A pet is a living, on either end of this strip. breathing creature — not Last night, I was having an a bargaining chip. If a parespecially hard time getting

a tub open, and since I had to pull harder than usual, one of the rings split, rendering it pretty much useless. In desperation, I grabbed a hemostat from my “semijunk drawer.” I had the strip removed and the container open in less than 2 minutes. — Barb S., via email Barb, this is a clever use for a hemostat, but some of my readers don’t know what a “hemostat” is or how it’s used. A hemostat is a forceps with a locking mechanism that’s used in many medical settings and in surgery — for example, to hold two sterile pieces of draping together. — Heloise

Get all the coffee out Dear Heloise: This question came up before, but today I just discovered a surefire way to empty the last ground coffee over the lip of the can container: Put the plastic lid back on, turn it upside down, and shake it every which way. Carefully remove the lid while it’s still upside down and empty the coffee into your chosen destination. — Pam S., in St. Louis Pam, this is a great idea! Thank you for the hint. — Heloise Send a hint to heloise@ heloise.com.

BEST

white rice, stewed shredded beef, stewed black beans and Continued from page 5C fried sweet plantains. I dug into the rice and beef first (of course, because rice over any meat is how it’s pickles. I need to personally done in the South), and it was investigate what pickles an amazing introduction to they use and if they’re the dish. The shredded beef available a la carte. was tender and flavorful, — Maddie Scott, pairing perfectly with the features writer rice and hearty black beans to create a comforting taste without feeling too heavy. n Patacon Latin Cuisine; 308 The fried sweet plantains Bertrand Drive, Lafayette; PROVIDED PHOTO brought everything together. 208 Centre Sarcelle Blvd., With locations in YoungsYoungsville Pabellon criollo from Patacon ville and Lafayette, Patacon Latin Cuisine in Youngsville makes it easy to stop by no It was my first time trying matter which part of town Latin food, and thanks to you’re in. Patacon, I think I’ve added a try, I went with a traditional — Jakori Madison new favorite to my food rota- Venezuelan dish: pabellon tion. Not knowing what to criollo, which is served with features writer

TODAY IN HISTORY By The Associated Press Today is Wednesday, Oct. 14, the 287th day of 2026. There are 78 days left in the year. Today in history: On Oct. 14, 1947, U.S. Air Force Capt. Chuck Yeager flew a Bell X-1 rocket engine-powered aircraft over a California desert, becoming the first person to break the sound barrier. In 2012, Yeager marked the 65th anniversary of that flight by breaking the sound barrier anew at age 89, this time in the back seat of an F-15. Also on this date: In 1586, Mary, Queen of Scots, went on trial in England, accused of committing treason against Queen Elizabeth I. (Mary was beheaded in February 1587.) In 1910, aviator Claude Grahame-White flew his biplane over Washington, D.C., and landed it on West Executive Avenue, next to the White House. In 1944, German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel took his own life rather than

face trial and certain execution for allegedly conspiring against Adolf Hitler. In 1964, civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. was named winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. In 1964, in one of the greatest upsets in Olympic history, American Billy Mills, an Oglala Lakota, won the 10,000-meter race at the Tokyo Summer Games, setting a new Olympic record. In 1981, the new president of Egypt, Hosni Mubarak, was sworn in to succeed the assassinated Anwar Sadat. In 1986, Holocaust survivor and human rights advocate Elie Wiesel was named winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. In 2008, a grand jury in Orlando, Florida, returned charges of first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse and aggravated manslaughter against Casey Anthony in the death of her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee. (She was acquitted in July 2011.) In 2012, skydiver Felix Baumgartner became the first human to reach su-

personic speeds in a free fall, leaping from a heliumballoon capsule 24 miles up in Earth’s stratosphere. Baumgartner reached a record 843.6 mph speed before his parachute opened and he landed safely in the New Mexico desert. In 2024, a SpaceX rocket launched NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft on a mission to Jupiter’s moon Europa to determine whether conditions there could support life; the spacecraft will arrive in 2030. Today’s birthdays: Former White House counsel John W. Dean III is 88. Fashion designer Ralph Lauren is 87. Football Hall of Famer Charlie Joiner is 79. Golf Hall of Famer Beth Daniel is 70. Musician Thomas Dolby is 68. Fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi is 65. Actor Steve Coogan is 61. TV host Stephen A. Smith is 59. Country singer Natalie Maines (The Chicks) is 52. Actor Chang Chen is 50. Singer Usher is 48. Actor-comedian Jay Pharoah is 39. Actor Rowan Blanchard is 25.

WILLIAMS

Continued from page 5C more of the restaurant’s food, from chili and brisket to turkeys. She credits the coworkers who trained her with teaching her the restaurant’s methods, while the habits she picked up watching her mother cook helped shape her approach. Williams said Rosemary appreciated her work ethic and the care she put into preparing food. Over the years, Williams worked alongside Rosemary and Alton, their children and later generations of the family. “She had a wonderful relationship with my grandmother and grandfather individually,” Hollie said. “She’s been a part of our family truly for such a long time.” Williams said the Girouard family’s kindness and support have kept her at Ton’s through life’s ups and downs. She grew especially close to Rosemary. Their relationship became even more meaningful after Williams lost her mother in 1986 and her father in 1988. “She took me under her wing,” Williams said of Rosemary. “She really loved me, and really, they are all wonderful people to work for.”

‘I like being busy’ Williams’ life has continued to unfold alongside the restaurant. When she started at Ton’s, her oldest daughter was 3 years old. Her younger daughter came along years later, and Williams now has two grandsons. Today, she still moves around the kitchen, checking where help is needed. If her station is clear, she may head elsewhere to assist a coworker, sweep or help with dishes.

STAFF PHOTO BY LESLIE WESTBROOK

Laura Williams, a 50-year employee, right, and Shannon Harrison prepare breakfast orders at Ton’s Drive In. “I’m a little bit all over,” she said. “You won’t find me sitting down much, even when they tell me to, because I like being busy.” That versatility has become part of her identity at Ton’s. Employees know they can find her working the grill, preparing food at another station or pitching in wherever the workload demands it. “I’m not really a sit-down person,” she said. “I’m just happy at my age that I still could do it.” Danielle Castille, Ton’s general manager, has worked at the restaurant for more than 10 years. Her grandmother, mother and sister have also worked there, and her husband is now part of the team. “Part of how I am today was through her,” Castille said. “She was who I idolized.” Even now, Castille still looks to Williams for advice. “If I have a question, that’s who I go to,” she said. Sonia Baudoin, another longtime employee, said the relationships among the staff are a big reason people continue to return to work. “Working here is like family,” Baudoin said. “We all try to back up each other,

like be there for, like, sisters. It’s mainly more girls than guys, but it’s like a sister thing, like a sorority.” For Hollie, that sense of belonging is central to what has kept Ton’s going through generations of employees and customers. She said the restaurant strives to create a place where employees feel supported, even when life outside work becomes difficult. “If someone has a hard life outside of their work, their work shouldn’t also be a hard part of their life,” she said. “It should be maybe an escape from their life or a place where they feel protected and loved and cared about.” Though Williams is gradually stepping into retirement, she remains grateful for the work she can still do and the relationships she has built over five decades. “I am enjoying my journey here as long as I could hang on and do what I need to do,” Williams said. Ton’s Drive In is at 101 W. Main St. in Broussard. It is open from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. Email Ja’kori Madison at jakori.madison@ theadvocate.com.

YEARS

Pabellon criollo

BOOKS

Continued from page 5C Memoir of Revolution, Prison, and Becoming,” Camonghne Felix for “Let the Poets Govern: A Declaration of Freedom,” Sara Novic for “Mother Tongue” and Joseph Osmundson for “Spawning Season: An Experiment in Queer Parenthood.” David Levithan, a finalist for young people’s litera-

ture, is among a small circle of book editors who also have accomplished careers as authors, including Jenny Jackson at Alfred A. Knopf and Jill Bialosky at W.W. Norton & Company. Levithan is an editorial director at Scholastic and a prolific writer nominated this year for “The Fight of Our Lives: AIDS in America,” a collaboration with Gabriel Duckels. The other young people’s literature finalists are Elana

K. Arnold’s “Holloway,” Tae Keller’s “When Tomorrow Burns,” Keala Kendall’s “That Which Feeds Us: A Hawaiian Gothic” and Julian Randall’s “Shook.” In poetry, the nominees are Victoria Chang’s “Tree of Knowledge,” Carolina Ebeid’s “Hide,” Brenda Hillman’s “Still House in the Desert: An eco-contemplation,” Fady Joudah’s “Exhibit G: Poems, Essays, and Photographs of Gaza” and Susan Stewart’s “Bramble.”

TONIGHT•7PM

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The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Wednesday, October 14, 2026 ● 7C

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zodIAC LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Lead the way, do your thing and don't make apologies for taking care of yourself and your future. Change is good; it keeps you on your toes and it promises an adventure that will make you feel alive. scoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Be careful how you treat others. Offending the wrong person can lead to setbacks regarding your plans. Stick to the rules, facts and costs involved in whatever you want to pursue. sAGITTARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Lead with your feelings. Be honest and direct, and share how you see life unfolding. Refuse to get trapped in a no-win situation. Be precise, and ask direct questions. cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Do what you have to do. Take care of your responsibilities. You can't count on others today, so be prepared to finish what you start. Overreacting will hold you back. AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Stop looking back when happiness is ahead of you. Choose to build a solid base, learn something new and engage in activities that bring you in contact with compatible people. PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Protect what you've got. Take care of personal paperwork. Update documents before they expire, and do whatever it takes to put your mind at ease. Focus on personal growth and living within your means. ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Test your intuition, and trust your instincts. The chance to upgrade, learn something

new or jump from one professional lane to another looks inviting. Do your research. TAuRus (April 20-May 20) Proceed with caution. Be aware of what others want, and you'll find a way to satisfy their needs and get what you'd prefer in return. Being pushy or stubborn won't work. GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Rely on your resources and your ability to get things done. Emotions mixed with passion, high energy and the determination to make a difference will put you in the spotlight. cAncER (June 21-July 22) You may feel like sitting at home, but getting out, participating in conversations and networking with people of interest will lead to opportunities and valuable information. LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Refuse to let anger set in when change is what you need. Be willing to walk away from what isn't in your best interest and toward what offers peace of mind. Don't give in to negativity or unfair negotiations. VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) Put emotions aside to deal with matters succinctly. Paying attention to detail will help you masterfully take care of unfinished business. Refuse to make premature changes. 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

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8C ● Wednesday, October 14, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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

BaBY BLueS

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The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Wednesday, October 14, 2026 ● 9C

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B.C.

Bridge By PHILLIP ALDER We are looking at choosing between two fits, one balanced, in which the partners each have the same number of cards in that suit, and one unbalanced, in which one partner holds more cards than his partner. In general, the balanced suit will make the better trump choice. But what happens in a game-going deal when that is in a minor and the unbalanced is in a major? Then usually you select the major-suit fit because you need one fewer trick to collect the game bonus. In this deal, when North responded two hearts, a transfer bid showing at least five spades and any point-count, South might have rebid three spades, a superaccept, to indicate a good hand with four-card spade support and a doubleton somewhere. Then, when North rebid a natural and game-forcing three clubs, South was in a quandary. If North was thinking about a slam, clubs rated to be the better trump suit. But if North was not that ambitious, four spades would probably be preferable. Note that five clubs would have gone down two in jig time after East led the heart queen. Against four spades, West, with an unenviable lead, chose a trump. Declar-

garfield

Pearls Before swiNe

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er won, drew trumps, cashed all of the clubs ending in the dummy, and played a diamond. West took that trick and led his second diamond winner. What did South do? He calmly discarded a heart from the dummy, leaving West endplayed to open up hearts or concede a ruff-and-sluff. © 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 — HEADAcHEs: HED-akes: Pains in the head, or vexatious

Bizarro

marmaduKe

situations. Average mark 20 words Time limit 30 minutes Can you find 27 or more words in HEADACHES? yEsTERDAy’s WoRD — FuGITIVEs fest fetus fist five fugitive fuse gest gift gist give guest

guise gust ivies vest vise visit egis etui sift site suet

suit suite

loCKhorNs hidato Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

today’s thought “Turn away my eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken you me in your way.” Psalms 119:37

This is a powerful prayer. God answers this kind of praying. — G.E. Dean

10C ● Wednesday, October 14, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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